Reincarnated as the Weakest Magical Beast-Chapter 108: Confusion

"No—Mary!"

Emilia screamed and tried to stand, but her strength failed her. She collapsed to her knees again and coughed up a mouthful of blood.

She was in critical condition.

The earlier blow had shattered her ribs. Every breath sent jagged pain through her chest, as if broken fragments were digging into her lungs. Her vision blurred, her face twisting in agony as she struggled just to inhale.

At least... Mimi was unharmed.

Emilia’s body had taken the full force of the impact. She had protected her.

But now...

Did that even matter?

With these injuries, she couldn’t fight anymore. Aron was down. Mary was gone. There was no one left to stand.

No path to victory.

The truth tasted bitter, but Emilia understood what had to be done.

She had to run.

She had to reach the dungeon gate, somehow, and escape. If she could just get out, then at least she and Mimi would survive.

With a hoarse cry, Emilia forced herself upright and staggered forward a few steps. Her legs buckled almost immediately. She collapsed again, writhing as pain tore through her chest.

"Urgh—!"

Her hand clutched at her ribs. She couldn’t even scream properly.

Mimi was thrown free, rolling across the ground.

"Master! Master!"

She scrambled back, pressing her tiny paws against Emilia’s chest, meowing in desperate panic. She needed her master to move. To stand. To run!

They had to get out of here!

Her mind spun in terror and confusion.

Because this wasn’t supposed to happen.

How could Amaras be this strong?

All it took was five seconds.

Yes, five mere seconds for the Corpse King to completely trashed everyone!

It made no fucking sense!

These kind of movement only possible of bosses over level 100. There’s no way a level 40 boss would be this ridiculous!

Mimi pushed harder, her meows cracking.

"Come on Master! Please get up! We need to leave before he comes...

...back?"

The shadow stretching across the ground had just answered her.

Her heart dropped.

The Corpse King had finished with Mary.

And now he stood before them, looming like death itself. His cold, lifeless gaze pinned them in place. Draped over his shoulder was Mary’s unmoving body.

Mimi froze.

It’s over...

It’s really over...

We’re... so fucked.

But then, the boss opened his mouth.

The words that followed stunned them both.

"Greetings, Silvervein child. Your performance earlier truly amazed me."

Emilia froze.

"...Huh?" she muttered, staring up at the Corpse King in disbelief.

Mimi was even more confused.

"Meow?"

Did... this boss just speak?

What?

What the hell was going on?

Yes, there had been bosses in Arventia Online that could converse with players. Some even taunted them before battle; others offered quests.

But Amaras had never been one of them.

He was an undead king—nothing more than a slaughter engine, bound to a single purpose: to destroy those who challenged him.

He had never spoken.

There had never been any need for him to speak.

Moreover, an undead capable of talking was almost unheard of.

And yet... here he was, speaking loud and clear.

*****

Amaras slowly extended his hand toward Emilia.

The iron gauntlet was massive, its clawed fingers jagged and cruel, radiating a pressure that made the air feel heavy. It reached for her with deliberate certainty, as if grasping prey that could no longer escape.

Emilia flinched.

Powerless, broken, she could only shrink back, her body refusing to respond.

And at that moment, despite her fear, Mimi moved.

I know I’m just a useless little cat... but even so, I have to protect my master!

That thought burned through her panic. Instinct surged, hot and fierce, drowning out reason.

Mimi leapt forward.

She planted herself in front of Emilia, fur exploding outward, back arched high as she forced herself to look bigger than she was. Her tiny fangs bared as she hissed with everything she had.

"HISSS!"

"HISSSSS!"

Don’t touch her! Get back, you undead monster!

At the same time, she commanded Flamme.

Black fire erupted, bursting into a rapid volley of dark flame bullets that streaked toward Amaras.

Pew! Pew! Pew! Pew!

They splashed uselessly against his armor, dispersing like sparks against stone.

The Corpse King did not even flinch.

The claw kept coming.

It loomed over Mimi’s small body, blotting out what little light remained—

And then— 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Pinched her neatly by the scruff of her neck and lifted her into the air!

"Hik!"

The sudden grip triggered a primal response.

Mimi’s body froze completely, every muscle locking up as instinct overwhelmed thought. Her mind went blank, her will to resist snuffed out in an instant.

And with Mimi dragged aside, Amaras reached out again—this time with his other hand.

Toward Emilia.

No—

NO!

Mimi screamed inside her head, panic exploding like wildfire. But trapped by that paralyzing grip, there was nothing she could do.

Damn it...! Damn this cat reflex!!!

She squeezed her eyes shut, unable to bear what she thought was about to happen.

However—

"Eh?" Emilia gasped.

Mimi’s eyes snapped open.

Because Amaras hadn’t harmed her.

Instead... he was healing her.

A wave of pale white light poured from the Corpse King’s hand, flowing into Emilia’s shattered body. In an instant, the blood vanished. Torn flesh knitted itself back together. Even the grime and dust clinging to her clothes dissolved into nothing, as if erased.

Her breathing steadied.

The pain was gone.

"What...?" Emilia whispered, stood up, and stared down at herself in disbelief. "What is going on...?"

Mimi stared as well, stunned beyond words.

But then, Mimi remembered.

Wait a minute...

Didn’t he just call my master a Silvervein child?

How did he know that?

Well, it could be because Emilia had used her Silvermoon sword arts and other Silvervein abilities during the second stage. Perhaps Amaras had seen through them then.

Still...

Why would he heal her?

As Mimi struggled to process that impossible thought, Amaras turned and gently lowered Mary to the ground.

Only then did Mimi realize—

She wasn’t dead.

Mary lay motionless, yes, but her chest still rose and fell in shallow breaths.

Before Mimi could even react, the Corpse King released her. The moment his grip loosened, she bolted back to Emilia, scrambling into her arms with a soft, shaken cry.

Neither master nor familiar could find words. Their minds were still reeling when Amaras extended his hand again, this time toward Aron.

Without touching him, an unseen force lifted Aron from the ground, suspending him in midair as if grasped by invisible hands, then floated him towards Amaras.

Just like before, pale white light flowed.

Aron’s injuries closed. His blood vanished. Color slowly returned to his face.

But then, from the ground, he summoned two massive coffins and placed the two unconscious figures inside.

"What?!" Emilia exclaimed. She instinctively reached for her sword—only to realize it had already been broken.

And given how strong Amaras was, lunging at him now would be a terrible idea.

She forced herself to stay calm and think this through.

"What are you trying to do?" Emilia asked.

"Do not worry," Amaras replied calmly. "I will not harm your friends. I am merely putting them away for now."

As he spoke, the coffins sank back into the earth, the ground closing over them as if they had never existed.