Naruto: The Chosen Undead

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Chapter 107 No Place to Run

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Naruto knew trouble. Trouble was the language of his life, the force that demanded his attention as a child and shaped him into a troublemaker. Getting into it? That was second nature. But getting out of it? That was where Naruto excelled.

This wasn't any ordinary trouble, though.

This was Lordran trouble.

Naruto's mind raced as he assessed the situation. On one side, the towering Black Knight advanced, its jagged shield raised like a predator savoring its kill. On the other, the hulking armored boar scraped its steel-plated hoof against the cobblestones, snorting with a sound like grinding iron.

Naruto’s instincts kicked in, his mind rapidly sketching out a plan. He channeled wind chakra into his armor, feeling the familiar resistance vanish—his movements unhindered. With a swift motion, he threw a smoke bomb into the center of the courtyard. The small sphere shattered with a sharp pop, releasing a dense cloud of choking gray smoke.

The boar squealed, disoriented, as the knight slowed its advance, the black mist obscuring its path. Naruto didn’t waste a second—he bolted for the staircase to his left.

The stone steps led to an upper platform, exposed to the elements. The right side was broken, revealing a drop into a sprawling sea of trees below. The left was cluttered with wooden crates and barrels, their fragile shapes offering little cover. Naruto’s eyes locked onto the next threat: three hollow soldiers stationed ahead.

Two stood far back on a raised bridge-like platform, crossbows aimed at him. A third hollow, armed with a spear, stood in front of them like a gatekeeper, its skeletal head jerking to attention as Naruto ascended the steps.

Naruto immediately reached into his pouch and lobbed two firebombs at the spear hollow. The crude explosives detonated on impact—one engulfing the hollow in flames, while the second finished it off, leaving it to collapse in a heap of burning rags.

But the crossbow hollows were already firing.

Two bolts whistled through the air, aimed straight at Naruto’s chest.

Naruto raised his talisman and invoked the Force

The crossbows clicked again as the hollows reloaded, their movements jerky but practiced. Naruto clicked his tongue in frustration, equipping the reinforced club. The rusty nails embedded in its head gleamed faintly as he channeled chakra into his muscles.

With a burst of speed, Naruto closed the gap.

The hollow on the left raised its crossbow to fire, but Naruto was faster. The club swung like a bat, slamming into the hollow’s skull with a sickening crunch. The hollow collapsed instantly, its head caving in like a smashed pumpkin.

The second hollow, perhaps dumber than its counterpart, threw down its crossbow and drew a sword. It lunged at Naruto, aiming for his throat.

Naruto gripped the club tightly—but then paused, unequipping it mid-swing.

The hollow’s blade sliced through empty air where the weapon had been, throwing it off balance. In that instant, Naruto equipped the handaxe and swung backward. The hollow’s head separated cleanly from its shoulders, its body crumpling as the decapitated head rolled across the stone.

Naruto took a shaky breath, surveying the area for more threats. His eyes caught something unusual near the ledge—a skull resting on the stones, its empty eye sockets glowing faintly with a cold blue light.

Curious, Naruto bent down and grabbed it.

[ Item Acquired: Alluring Skull ]

[ Description: A skull with meekly lingering souls. Throw to shatter and spread souls to attract certain types of enemies. Souls are a concentration of life, and the life-starved Hollows are lured by its power. Not effective for all enemies. ]

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he read the description. This could be useful, he muttered, tucking the skull into his inventory.

A sound from below brought his attention back to the courtyard. The smoke bomb had dissipated, revealing the armored boar and the Black Knight facing each other. The boar pawed at the ground again, its massive plated body shimmering in the firelight. It let out a deafening squeal before charging, its steel tusks aimed directly at the Black Knight.

Boom!

The ground shook as the boar’s weight barreled forward like a freight train. The Black Knight stood its ground. At the last moment, it raised its massive spiked shield and angled it toward the boar.

Clang!

The sound of the impact echoed like a thunderclap. The knight barely budged as the boar’s charge was parried, its tusks sliding off the jagged edges of the shield.

Naruto's jaw dropped. Did he just parry that giant boar?

The Black Knight didn’t hesitate. With a calculated step, it shifted its weight and slammed the spiked end of its shield into the boar’s neck.

The force of the strike was terrifying. The boar squealed in pain, its armor denting under the blow. The knight twisted the shield, forcing the jagged edges deeper into the creature’s throat. Blood sprayed from the wound, dark and thick, splattering across the stone courtyard.

Naruto’s heart stopped as he watched, frozen in horror.

The boar thrashed wildly, trying to dislodge the knight, but it was no use. The knight shifted its grip and, with a horrifying show of strength, ripped its shield free—along with the boar’s head. The armored boar’s body crumpled to the ground, twitching for a moment before falling still. Its severed head dangled from the spikes of the knight’s shield, blood dripping in thick rivulets onto the stones. The Black Knight turned its helmeted gaze upward, as if sensing Naruto’s presence. The hollowed sockets of the severed head seemed to stare back at Naruto, accusing and lifeless. This was no fight. This was execution.

And he was next.

The Black Knight's shield tilted slightly, and with a single, effortless swing, it hurled the boar’s severed head toward Naruto.

Naruto’s eyes widened, his body barely reacting in time as he tried to dodge. The massive skull struck him in the chest with bone-crushing force, sending him flying backward into the cold metal of a closed gate. The impact rattled his entire body, knocking the wind out of him. He coughed violently, feeling a sharp, throbbing pain bloom across his ribs.

There was a silver lining to all of this.

The sheer force of the Black Knight’s brutal swing had flung Naruto backward, but by some miracle, he managed to twist midair, feet sticking to the massive metal gate with well-timed chakra control.

High ground, he thought, catching his breath. Good.

It lasted all of a second before his Way of Focality screamed at him to dodge. Naruto threw himself to the side as the Black Knight’s shield came hurtling toward him, cutting through the air like a spinning guillotine. For a fleeting moment, Naruto considered grabbing it and taking the thing into his inventory—but the Black Knight moved. With inhuman strength, the armored juggernaut leapt, launching itself toward its own shield.

Naruto’s eyes widened. No way—!

The Black Knight’s gauntleted hand gripped the embedded shield, dangling high up like some kind of demon hanging off a ledge. The entire gate groaned under its sheer weight, metal warping and creaking.

“That ain't fair!” Naruto shouted, using Force Miracle, sending a shockwave of white outward.

The Black Knight’s hand punched straight through the shockwave, the raw energy rippling uselessly around its outstretched fingers.

The second Naruto saw that, he cut his chakra control. He dropped from the gate, landing hard on the ground before bolting full speed toward the bonfire.

Above him, the Black Knight moved.

With a deep, echoing creak, the gate’s mangled surface gave way, and the knight kicked off with monstrous force, using the shield as leverage. The impact dented the iron, leaving behind a crater-like footprint.

The Black Knight was airborne.

For something so massive, it shouldn't have been possible—but it was.

And worse? It brought the shield with it. The moment it reached the peak of its jump, the shield came flying down. Way of Focality’s spatial awareness screamed at him—death was right behind him.

Naruto didn’t think. He moved. His body twisted instinctively, spine bending as he launched into a backflip, just as the spiked edges of the Black Knight’s shield came within inches of skewering him.

A cold shiver crawled up his back—had he been even a fraction of a second slower, that thing would have turned him into a bloody smear on the stone floor.

BOOM.

The shield obliterated the stone floor, shattering the ground beneath it in a deafening eruption of dust and rubble. The shockwave blasted outward, sending cracks snaking across the surrounding stonework. Debris flew everywhere, thick plumes of gray smoke rolling out like an avalanche.

Naruto landed in a crouch, coughing, eyes darting wildly through the dust cloud.

THUD.

The Black Knight landed.

The impact was earth-shattering. The stone beneath its feet buckled and cratered, deep fissures webbing outward like the ground itself was recoiling from the sheer force of its existence. Naruto barely caught a glimpse of the massive figure emerging from the dust, its glowing red eyes cutting through the haze like demonic lanterns. And it was blocking his only escape.

Without hesitation, Naruto turned and ran, his feet pounding against the cold stone as he sprinted toward a narrow staircase leading down.

Maybe if I can get into an enclosed space, my hiding skills will keep me safe. Because fighting that thing head-on? Not a damn chance.

The air felt heavier in the confined space of the hallway, the dim torchlight casting flickering shadows along the rough walls. Naruto's breath came in ragged gasps as he descended, the sound of his heartbeat thundering in his ears. Ahead of him, a Hollow stood in the middle of the hallway. Its broken sword hung limply in its hand as its hollowed eyes met Naruto’s.

For a brief second, it hesitated—then turned and ran in the opposite direction.

Naruto didn’t have time to process the strange behavior. He kept running, emerging into a larger, open space.

It looked like the ruins of an underground restaurant. Broken barrels and tables were scattered across the room, torches flickering faintly along the walls. Narrow staircases led up to more levels, and the faint glow of firelight cast long shadows across the area.

But the room was far from empty.

A horde of Hollows filled the space, their gaunt, twisted bodies shambling between the wreckage. Their empty eyes locked onto him as one, and they let out guttural, ear-piercing screams that sent a chill racing down Naruto's spine. But that wasn’t the worst part.

From the doorway behind him, the Black Knight emerged. Its massive frame filled the narrow entrance, its armor gleaming faintly in the torchlight. It ducked slightly to fit through the doorframe.

Naruto's heart pounded.

He couldn’t fight them all at once—he barely had enough strength to handle a single Hollow right now, let alone an army. And then there was the Black Knight. Even at full strength, that fight would’ve been hell.

But now?

He wouldn’t even last five seconds. Should I just die, use my Ring of Sacrifice, and try again?

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[ Personal Note: First off, thanks a ton to all of you for sticking with this story. Seriously, you guys are awesome. Now, if you're interested in supporting me on P@treon, let me just say that over there, I post these massive 5k-word chapters. But heads up, if you're jumping to P@treon, you'll need to start from Chapter 54, since that's where this chapter lines up with the content there.

To everyone here just reading along, please don't forget to leave a comment! Honestly, your comments make my day, and they let me know you're as invested in this story as I am. So yeah, thanks again, and I hope you have an amazing rest of your day!