Level Eater
Chapter 173

Now that the order of challengers was decided, Tatsuro immediately called out to the mysterious voice.

"Hey! Can you hear me?" (Tatsuro)

[Yes, yes. I can hear you. So, have you decided what you're going to do?]

"Yeah, we've decided to take on the challenge." (Tatsuro)

[That's great! Then would the challenger please touch the stone tablet in the center?]

"That'd be me." (Athena)

Saying that Athena activated her [True Form], donned her full-body dragon armor through Dragon Equipment, took out her dragon bone spear from her [Item Box] to prepare, and touched the central stone tablet while being seen off by everyone.

[Oh my, challenging alone right from the start? How brave!]

"Why, thank you." (Athena)

"Got it." (Athena)

Athena responded to the mysterious voice calmly, without any tension, just being her usual self.

[I am the challenger]

"I am the challenger" (Athena)

[Oh demonic being who seeks battle, respond to my challenge]

"Oh demonic being who seeks battle, respond to my challenge" (Athena)

As Athena repeated the words spoken by the mysterious voice without a single mistake, the stone tablet she was touching sank downwards, and a black vortex appeared about five meters in front of her.

Then it gradually took shape, and a monster appeared.

"It looks just like the Grim Reaper." (Athena)

"Geh-geh-geh-geh---"

It was about the size of a tall adult male. Its entire body was composed of gray bones, covered with black rags, and in its hand, it held a large black scythe.

Its intimidating presence certainly seemed different from the small fry they had faced until now.

"Is it okay to use Dispel magic to gather information about the opponent?" (Tatsuro)

[No, that's not allowed! That would be considered assistance, so please be careful!]

"What if we don't tell Athena the information?" (Nana)

[Bzzt. That's still not allowed!]

"Come on, just a little bit should be fine. Don't be stingy!" (Ai)

[No matter what you say, those are the rules!]

Ai and Nana puffed out their cheeks in unison at the mysterious voice, pouting.

If they could at least gather information about the opponent, it would have been easier to determine when to assist and whether it was necessary, not just for Athena but for everyone else as well.

At this rate, it seems that even secretly using [Level Eater] or [All-Seeing Eye] would be counted as assistance.

If those weren't allowed, Tatsuro frowned bitterly, thinking it would be difficult to read the situation.

"It's alright! You guys just watch from there and use it for the battles to come~" (Athena)

"Geeeeeee-----"

"Whoa, that was dangerous~ Read the room, will ya?" (Athena)

"Gihihihi---"

As Athena was speaking in a light tone to reassure Tatsuro a bit, the skeleton raised the large scythe in its hand as if to say "Look at me," and swung it down towards Athena.

However, she dodged it by shifting her body slightly and glared at the opponent.

Then, whatever material it was made of, the mouth part of the skull distorted into a grin. (T/N: Huh, a skeleton smiling…? horror)

"If you really think it's dangerous, don't push yourself and call for help!" (Tatsuro)

"I know! I was just born, I don't want to disappear yet!" (Athena)

"Geh--"

Athena switched the amber-colored smoke leaking from her full-body dragon armor to lightning attribute, enveloping her entire body and dragon bone spear in purple lightning, and thrust forward.

However, the skeleton dodged it by shifting its body slightly, just as Athena had done earlier.

"Not bad. Usually, it would have been over with that." (Athena)

"Geh-geh-geh-geh---"

The skeleton, thinking it was being praised, laughed eerily.

"But that would have been boring, you know." (Athena)

"Geh?"

"So, you better be ready for my real strength--- you creepy skeleton bastard!" (Athena)

"Geeeeeeh-!?"

Athena thrust with her dragon bone spear just like before, but this time she suddenly expanded the purple lightning that had only been enveloping it, blasting away a large portion of the skeleton's chest area as it tried to dodge.

The skeleton, surprised but undeterred, swung its large scythe to counterattack Athena, but she lowered her posture by bending both legs to dodge it.

Then, using the momentum of standing up, she went for the skull. However...

"Tch. You've got quick feet." (Athena)

"Geh-geh---"

It suddenly vanished, and Athena's lightning-clad dragon bone spear struck the air. The skeleton had somehow reappeared about three meters behind where it had been before, grinning as if to say, "Did I do something?"

The blasted chest bones also began to regenerate, and the battle was back to square one.

"Ai, did you see that just now?" (Tatsuro)

"...That wasn't about seeing or not seeing. It really disappeared and appeared behind." (Ai)

"Teleportation!?" (Tatsuro)

"What a troublesome skill..." (Athena)

Athena herself understood that it wasn't just simple movement.

If that could be used freely, attacks wouldn't hit, and surprise attacks would be possible at will. It was indeed troublesome.

However, that would only be truly effective in a space that wasn't as limited as this.

Athena glanced back and made eye contact, and Tatsuro seemed to understand what she was planning to do. He nodded back and put up a barrier around themselves to protect against lightning magic.

With that worry taken care of, she began preparing a grand magic while continuing to clash with the skeleton that kept attacking.

Unaware of this, the skeleton swung its scythe with one hand, trying to take Athena's head.

However, Athena avoided it by crouching, but because she was concentrating on the magic, she was a moment late in understanding the opponent's intentions.

"---!?" (Athena)

"Gyeeee--!!"

The avoided scythe had somehow become about half its original size, and another scythe of the same size was now gripped in the other hand, coming at Athena where she had dodged too.

Athena hurriedly manipulated the tail part of her armor to forcibly pull her body backward, but even then, it didn't seem like she would escape the attack range. So, she forcibly wedged her dragon bone spear between herself and the scythe, successfully altering its trajectory.

However, the dragon bone spear took the full brunt of the enemy's scythe, causing it to be cut halfway through. When it received the third strike before Athena could regain her balance, it broke completely.

"Ugh, I was pretty fond of this, you know!" (Athena)

"Hihi---"

The skeleton let out a hoarse laugh from its throat of only bones, apparently very pleased that Athena was angry.

But Athena had no intention of ending things by just taking hits. She unleashed the magic that had just been completed moments ago.

"Haaaaaaaaah!"

Then, lightning occurred on all the ceilings in this building, and thousands upon thousands of lightning bolts rained down from above.

No matter how good at teleportation it might be, if all possible destinations were attacked, it wouldn't be able to escape.

With this in mind, she had Tatsuro and the others put up a barrier there to prevent harm to them.

However, just when she thought this would settle it, the skeleton further split its scythes, creating several mini-scythes about 15 centimeters each.

Then, in an instant, it rearranged its bones to transform into a monster with a floating skull and ten hands.

Then, juggling the mini-scythes with its ten hands as if performing a trick, it sliced through all the lightning bolts raining down on it.

"You can do that too? What a pain. In that case--" (Athena)

In that case, this time she extended the rail of dragon power, now imbued with the lightning attribute, straight to the skeleton.

She increased the amber-colored dragon power smoke and built a thick wall of purple lightning in front like a barrier on the front side.

Then, she also activated [Dragon Path] by placing her foot armor part, now also imbued with lightning attribute, on it.

With a crackling explosive sound, she charged forward at the speed of electricity.

But that was avoided by teleportation. However...

"Gyeeeeeh--!?"

It had teleported again to about three meters behind, but there it was struck by lightning and lost several hands.

Even so, it somehow managed to slash through the lightning with its remaining hands and regain its balance, while its bones were regenerating.

So it seemed there was no problem, but at that time, Athena was carefully observing that it was stubbornly trying to protect only the skull.

(If I can break that, it seems it'll be over. In that case!)

Athena, to save magic power and also as an experiment, stopped dropping lightning all over the indoor area and limited the range to five meters behind and above the skeleton.

While maintaining that, she divided the thick purple lightning that was spread on the front side into four parts and wrapped them around her right hand and foot and left hand and foot.

Then Athena threw her broken weapon at the skeleton, and the moment it deflected it, she charged in.

"Huh-- ha, teryaaaah!"

Aiming for the head. High kick with the left foot, right palm thrust where it dodged to, then a kick upward with the right where it dodged again.

Although all of these were avoided, Athena's hands and feet now wore thick layers of purple lightning. Even grazing it was enough to scrape away everything but the skeleton's skull, visibly reducing its volume faster than it could regenerate.

The lightning above, Athena's fierce attacks. All of these could be solved by teleporting outside the reduced lightning zone that Athena had created.

But this skeleton, despite being almost at death's door, only glanced back occasionally without attempting to do so.

This behavior further confirmed Athena's hypothesis. As if to drive the point home, the skeleton moved back slightly and turned its back on Athena. Athena saw this as her chance and launched a right kick at its back.

However, the skeleton teleported to about three meters behind Athena, where there was no lightning. And instead of attacking, it tried to create distance, floating away normally despite teleportation being faster.

"Can't use it consecutively, needs a few seconds interval. Can only move about three meters behind yourself. Once you figure out the trick, it's just a simple magic trick. If you have any other special acts, you better show them soon-- or you'll die quickly, you know?" (Athena)

While the skeleton was getting further and further away, Athena was extending the dragon power rail straight towards it. Then Athena rode on it, closing the distance in an instant while scattering purple lightning.

The skeleton, having restored itself considerably now that lightning wasn't falling from above, returned to its original form and turned its scythe back into a large one. It turned its back on Athena, who was coming at a terrific speed.

And just as Athena's charge was about to make contact, it teleported again to about three meters behind. However, this was predictable from the moment it turned its back.

Athena immediately got off the rail she had been riding and switched to the rail she had drawn next to it beforehand. Then Athena flew backward.

This happened while the skeleton, determined to keep running away until it fully recovered, was desperately trying to create distance from Athena, still with its back turned.

"Haaaaaaah!!" (Athena)

"Gyehihi---"

Running backwards on the floor as if sliding while scattering purple lightning, just as she was about to pass right by the skeleton's side.

Athena twisted her body and smashed her left elbow into the skeleton's skull, shattering it to pieces.

Then, as she slid to the end of the rail, in front of her eyes, the remains of the skeleton crumbled like sand and the tattered black rags danced in the air, carried by the wind stirred up by Athena's movement, while the large scythe fell to the floor with a clang.

|You have reached "Level: 24".|