Chapter 31: You can't exist
The black skeleton strutted with his skull high and shining eyes.
He appeared like a type who fought his opponents head-on. His every step shook the cave, and the pressure coming off him crushed all pebbles on his way toward Leon.
Leon already suspected the difference between the white and black bones of skeletons. "That's-"
He couldn't finish, for someone entirely showered him with the uncomfortable feeling. Knowing the danger and that the black skeleton drew all his focus to ensure the success of this third party's assault, Leon quickly took out a few monster cards from his inventory!
"Of course, you aren't alone," Leon smirked as he summoned his strongest bear and others meant for more fusion projects later. "I'm the same… Well, you know that."
Monster bears surrounded their master, protecting him from fast arrows with their thick fur and flesh. Their levels and stats were below the skeletons, so only the strongest endured all, managing to stay on his four. Other bears simply dropped onto their paws, but Leon quickly ordered them to stand up and defend him.
With them by his side, Leon slowly headed toward the black skeleton. "You're a mage, but black bones allow you to exert physical pressure and fight close combat. It makes you like a paladin, I guess?"
"Paladin? Haha! Calling the undead with such a term is really-" the black skeleton guffawed, only to get stopped by Leon's partner, Louise.
She landed on his skull with her fire kick, then swirled, adding a few more, which tilted her enemy's head. After dropping onto her two legs, Louise didn't give any break to her opponent and threw explosive punches forward, her flames licking the cold bones.
In the battle heat, Louise's tails turned into whips of flames.
Having those three weapons, Louise instinctively pelted them forward at the black skeleton. Her tails extended and slammed against an unknown wall, which turned out to be a wall coalesced from the souls.
"Soul Wall." The black skeleton's eyes dangerously shone at Louise. "I didn't expect him to own a real deal. Your flames hurt and can melt the souls! …I don't like it."
He cleft at Louise's tails with his bony fingers, scratching only her fire element. It seemed as though Louise's tails had lost their flesh, fur, and softness! Moreover, it was just a scratch, yet Louise flew backward, and her tails became numb.
She shook them a few times, showcasing that her stats were abundant, too!
At that time, Leon's crimson chains wrapped around the black skeleton's wrist. He yanked and pulled him closer to himself, but he barely moved as the undead was the tough and strong enemy. He'd be better off reeling closer to the black skeleton and fighting with everything he'd learned in another world.
That was precisely what Leon did.
Of course, Louise hadn't missed her chance, too. With one of his arms under Leon's control, Louise shot herself at the black skeleton and tightly grasped his other free arm. In an instant, her hands became hotter akin to lava, and her tails bent to wrap around the skeleton's arm.
She couldn't summon her fire element outside, but she could easily stick to others with her physical strength and burn them through skin contact.
Leon was also nearby, his fists and chains kindled with his emotions. He pelted the undead with punches, making him squirm and sway. Attacking barehanded also hurt Leon, but he didn't care and kept inflicting blow after blow to the undead — his crimson chains lashing and igniting him, too.
The black skeleton was quickly losing all his momentum!
Unable to deal with their strength barraging him and the sounds of his bones cracking, the black skeleton sang one of his two devastating skills. "Dance of wailing souls!"
The blue souls with terrified and horrific expressions came out from within his skull and ribs. Their grade was much higher from the formation meant to protect the vampire woman as the black skeleton personally had cultivated them.
He'd tortured and killed everyone before getting those souls. And even after taking the lives of his opponents, he'd torment their consciousness by showing them their families grieving over them and more.
Those souls were so powerful because of all those experiences, their forms chilling.
And as they went through Leon and Louise, the duo froze, unable to move. Even their fire chains and tails halted for a few seconds!
That much was enough to give room for the skeleton soldiers to inflict serious damage on the living. All their arrows had been barely scratching the duo, but with their exposed selves, the arrows managed to dig into vital points, beginning a serious problem known as bleeding.
"I like those chains now that they are so cold." The black skeleton's hues flashed, ordering all souls to go through crimson chains, freezing them. Of course, they couldn't freeze the legendary item, so their intent was on the flame spirits, which efficiently worked as Leon was low-level and not proficient in them.
"Ugh!" Leon then puked a mouthful of blood as the black skeleton smashed his solar plexus with his bony fist. In the corner of his eyes, he saw Louise receiving the same treatment.
It was a sight Leon had never wanted to see. The picture boiled his heart and melted all negative effects on him, giving him the freedom to fight again.
Leon knew Louise was still under the souls' effect, so he ordered the strongest bear to protect her the most. However, with a deep loyalty for his master within his heart, the strongest bear preferred to stay with Leon instead. Moreover, it was the safest route, too.
That flared Leon's heart as he never cared about the bear. "You're just a monster! Move and protect her!"
But those words only did more harm than good.
[You're just a monster, a mere imitation.]
Similar words echoed in Louise's mind, carried by a different person and with deeper meaning.
Hearing them, she lost control over her body. Louise shivered. Her eyes became empty as if she had lost her vision or seen something else. She was so defenseless that the black skeleton quickly freed his other arm from her.
"She'll become a good undead. On the other hand, you can't exist." With those words, the black skeleton elbowed Louise's chin and punched her away from the main show.
She landed far away in the cave, arrows dotting her body.
An abundance of blood oozed out from the unconscious fox girl.
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