Reincarnated as Itsuka Shido: Collecting Spirits as Lovers-Chapter 163: The Black Swordsman

After leaving Peter and the others, Shido immediately activated his Observation Haki, expanding its range to blanket the entire city of E-Rantel.

He swept through every district, every street, every building, yet Nfirea was nowhere to be found.

Frowning, he extended his Haki beyond the city walls, scanning the surrounding areas. That's when he sensed it, unusual activity at the eerie and foggy cemetery.

As expected, something was off.

From the earth itself, hordes of skeletons were rising, clawing their way out of graves and crypts, swarming across the cemetery grounds. They moved with unnatural coordination, forming ranks and marching toward the city gate, where guards were stationed and completely unaware of the coming threat.

As Shido extended his Observation Haki into the cemetery, his gaze sharpened. Amidst the gathering undead, he finally located Nfirea.

The boy was being held hostage.

He wore loose, translucent clothing that barely covered him, and a delicate-looking crown adorned with small jewels sat atop his head. Dried blood streaked his face, and his expression was hollow, drained. It was clear to Shido thar Nfirea had been tortured.

Shido sighed quietly, a flicker of guilt crossing his otherwise composed face. He could have stopped Khajit and Clementine earlier if he wanted to since he had the strength to end it before it escalated. But he chose not to. The swarm of undead they had summoned would yield valuable EXP and SP, and he had decided to let it play out.

Now, seeing Nfirea's condition, he made a silent vow to make it up to him once this was over.

But first, he had to get to the cemetery.

Without another thought, Shido vanished from his spot, heading straight toward the creepy cemetery.

...

"HELP!"

The desperate cries of the guards echoed through the night as they stood at the gates of the cemetery, horror etched across their faces.

A towering abomination loomed before them, a massive skeleton formed from the fusion of countless smaller ones. Its grotesque body twisted and writhed as bone after bone merged into a hulking monstrosity, relentlessly pounding on the iron gate with crushing force.

One guard had already sprinted off toward the city to summon reinforcements, adventurers, soldiers, anyone.

But the guards couldn't wait that long since the skeleton fused their bodies and destroying the gate.

"Grega."

Just as the guards were in despair, they suddenly heard a low voice that sounded like a whisper but strangely, they could hear it clearly in their ears.

Following that was an explosion, the fused skeleton and everything around it were obliterated, blasted apart into countless fragments of bone and dust unable to to recover.

The guards were so stunned when they saw the giant skeleton gets wipe out in an instant. Only when they heard the sound of approaching footsteps did they snap out of their stunned daze.

Instinctively, the guards turned toward the source of the footsteps.

There, emerging from the dust and smoke, was a man clad in black. He wore fitted black pants secured with a silver-buckled belt, a black V-neck shirt, and a long black trench coat that swayed with each step. His boots gleamed with silver along the shins, and fingerless gloves hugged his hands. Strapped across his back was a sleek, obsidian-black sword, Elucidator.

He walked toward the gate with an air of calm detachment, paying no mind to the stunned and vigilant stares from the guards.

"W-Who are you?!" one of them asked, voice tight with caution.

"Me?" Shido paused and shrugged casually. "Just a random adventurer passing by."

The guards were struck speechless by his nonchalant response.

"Open the gates." Shido said calmly ignoring the rest of the guards and turned his eyes at the guard that seemed to be their leader.

The guards noticed the copper tag around Shido's neck but they didn't dare to say anything about that since Shido could annihilate the massive skeleton easily.

"B-But if we open the—" the guard captain began, his voice uncertain. He was a middle-aged man clad in worn armor, gripping a spear tightly in his hand. His hesitation was clear; beyond the gate lay a swarm of undead.

"You don't need to worry," Shido said calmly, cutting him off. "Because I'm here."

He took a step forward, his gaze steady. "I'll eliminate every last undead in this place."

The leader of the guards was still a bit hesitant but he felt the overwhelming confidence and power radiating from Shido.

He didn't know why he felt like this but he know that the person in front of him was strong since he could blow up that massive skeleton with ease. In addition to his majestic bearing that wasn't faked but something that was born inside a person with great power.

Gulpinghard, the captain clenched his jaw, then gave the command. "Open the gate."

The other guards hesitated, exchanging uncertain glances. But none dared to question the order. The memory of Shido's earlier display was still fresh in their minds, an attack that had reduced the monstrous undead to rubble in an instant.

If anyone could handle what lay beyond the gate... it was him.

With the groan of shifting metal, the gates of the cemetery slowly began to open.

As the gate creaked open, a wave of undead surged forth.

Dozens of skeletons, armed with rusted swords, spears, and even bows, flooded out of the cemetery with hollow cries, their bones clattering with unnatural speed and precision. The air grew heavy with the stench of death and decay.

The guards paled at the sight. Fear gripped their hearts as they realized just how many undead were packed behind the gate, far more than they had expected.

But Shido didn't flinch.

While the others tensed in panic, he stepped forward calmly, his black coat billowing slightly with the breeze. His hand moved slowly to the hilt of Elucidator, his eyes locked on the charging swarm.

"C-Careful!" the captain shouted in alarm as the skeletons leapt toward Shido from all sides.

In an instant, they were on him, blades raised, spears thrust, claws reaching.

But the captain's worry proved unnecessary.

In the blink of an eye, Shido drew the sword strapped to his back, Elucidator and with a blur of motion, he swung.

His arms moved so swiftly the guards couldn't even follow the strike.

A shockwave of raw force ripped through the air.

The skeletons closest to him were instantly reduced to fragments. Bones shattered, skulls split, and weapons clattered to the ground as their owners were torn apart by the sheer speed and power of the blow.

Yet despite the carnage, more skeletons continued to charge, undeterred.

Mindless and relentless, they showed no fear, no hesitation. As the lowest class of undead, skeletons had no battle instinct, no strategy. They moved only on instinct, drawn to the presence of life, seeking to destroy it at any cost.

But unfortunately for them... they had charged straight into eternal death.

The skeletons continued to pounce on him relentlessly while Shido also charge towards them slashing and smashing their bones to bits.

The guards who were watching were dumbfounded by this scene. Their mouth were wide open as Shido's strength far surpassed their expectation.

When they snap out of their daze, Shido was already gone deeper inside leaving behind splintered bones, cracked skulls, and discarded weapons littered the cemetery grounds like the remnants of a storm.

"No... way." One of the guards uttered in disbelief.

"Just who is this person?" the captain swallowed hard, eyes fixed on the carnage strewn across the cemetery grounds.

"Is he really... just a copper-ranked adventurer?" another guard muttered, disbelief heavy in his voice.

"He must be a Mithril—no, an Orichalcum!"

The captain's gaze drifted toward the dark, lifeless expanse of the cemetery. Not a single sign of movement remained, only the eerie silence of a battlefield won.

Watching Shido's figure disappear into the shadows, clad entirely in black from head to toe, the captain's mind grasped at a name whispered in legends.

"The black swordsman..."

The words hung in the cold air, heavy with awe and unspoken reverence.