"The Lord's Seraph walks upon the earth, bestowing His mercy.""First-tier spell: Blessing of the Seraph."
The priests' chants resounded in unison, forming an unbroken chorus.In an instant, the weapons of all humans gleamed with holy light, cutting through skeletons as effortlessly as a hot knife through butter, sending shivers down Lixuman's spine.
Was this ever going to end?Buffs upon buffs, ceaselessly.
From his vantage at the battlefield's edge, it all seemed impossibly distant.He was tempted to unleash his full power, to surge forward and end it, for he could no longer endure this parade of buffs.
Patience. Calm. Stealth. Concealment.
Thus far, Lixuman had drawn no attention to himself.If he could reach the periphery of the battlefield, lie in wait, and pick his moment, he might yet escape Pound's grasp.
His experience points had already surpassed two thousand from finishing off wounded targets.After evolution and job selection, he could potentially leap several levels in one bound.This prospect alone was a small comfort to Lixuman.
Yet, without evading Pound's clutches, even the highest level was meaningless—doomed to a lifetime of servitude.He steeled himself with the unwavering conviction to flee Pound's dominion.
"Skeleton, halt!"
A human lunged suddenly at him.With agile footwork, Lixuman maneuvered quickly, rallying a few nearby skeletons to encircle the intruder.
The human, confused and unaware, was met with the righteous onslaught and finishing blows, becoming a source of experience for these so-called evil skeletons.
"Almost there… almost there!"
The edge of the battlefield came into view.Beyond that… awaited exalted freedom.The sea. Sailing ships. A vast, uncharted continent.Adventures in this otherworld, with charming elves and beast-eared maidens, lay just beyond reach.
Yet the thought of them only deepened his melancholic longing.
He stretched out a hand, yearning to grasp freedom.
"BOOM!"
A thunderous impact erupted, sending a thick plume of smoke skyward.Pound had fallen from above.
The blast lifted Lixuman's body, hurling him into the heart of the battlefield.Freedom—vanished in an instant.
In that moment, his hatred for Pound, for the missionary, and for the purple-armored warrior reached its zenith.
Pound's descent swept away scores of skeletons and humans alike, creating a vacuum in the center of the battlefield.The purple-armored warrior swung his greatsword with deadly precision, slicing through the air in a silver arc.
Pound attempted to evade, but a golden spear, accompanied by a celestial chant, descended from the heavens, piercing the gaps between Pound's chest bones and pinning it to the ground.
The greatsword then descended upon Pound's skull.
"ROAR!!!"
Pound bellowed, its chest and eye flames roaring to life as cerulean fire erupted from its mouth.
The purple-armored warrior twisted aside, redirecting the blade away from Pound's skull and striking a horn instead."CRUNCH—"
A bone horn shattered with a grinding screech.
Seizing the moment, Pound battered the warrior aside, flapping its wings furiously as explosive flames erupted from its chest, shattering the golden spear.
Uncontrolled, Pound ascended, blue flames raining indiscriminately upon the battlefield.Succubi flapped frantically to evade, but the skeletons bore the brunt.
Especially Lixuman, who, at that moment, wished he could verbally berate every being capable of understanding his curses.This, he realized, must be the famed ennui of existence.
Pound's fury raged on, mindless, indiscriminate in its carnage.The missionary and purple-armored warrior struggled to withstand the dragon's wrath.High-level allies and enemies alike avoided the rampaging Pound, leaving the low-tier skeletons as mere cannon fodder.
Opportunity had arrived.
Lixuman's eyes gleamed as he scanned the battlefield, excitement nearly overflowing."Finally… finally!"
Blending with the skeletons, he sprinted toward the opposite edge from Pound.Activating [Stealth], he lowered his posture, minimizing his presence.
He ran relentlessly, the landscape blurring past, until the edge of the battlefield was within reach.
A few humans noticed the lone, low-tier skeleton fleeing and encircled him.They were careless, weapons unraised; after all, he was only a low-tier skeleton.
Lixuman's gaze swept over them:Two level 11, one level 12, two level 13.Two mages, two heavily armored warriors, one swordsman.Fragile casters, tanks, and melee output—nothing he could not handle.
"A low-tier skeleton, charging here? What the—" muttered one tank."Finish it quickly. That dragon's gone mad. Curse this foolish commission," the swordsman said, idly pointing his blade.
No one considered Lixuman a threat—until his fangs revealed themselves.
In an instant, his ribcage transformed into a bone sword. He swung, hurling mud mixed with water.
"Magic? What—!?"
The swordsman froze, raising his blade, but Lixuman was faster.The mud projectiles struck the swordsman and two tanks' eyes, blinding them instantly.
Though seasoned, the tanks scrambled to form barriers, and the swordsman retreated behind them to clear his vision.
Lixuman gave them no respite.Stamping the ground with one foot, the terrain beneath the tanks and swordsman turned into a swamp.The armored warriors faltered, unsteady and blind, leaving gaps in their defenses.
Seizing the moment, Lixuman leapt, launching his bone sword with blue flame toward the swordsman's throat.A perfect strike.
The swordsman grasped his neck, feeling only scorching blood.[Notification: Killed Human Swordsman lv13, Experience +250]
"Fireball!""Quagmire!"
The mages reacted, casting spells as the ground collapsed and fireballs rained down.But Lixuman anticipated their attacks, dodging the explosions under a protective water veil.With 12 points in constitution and elemental resistance, even the fireball's impact was inconsequential.
Activating [Agility], he bent low, ignoring the two tanks' shouts, and surged toward the mages.One raised a staff, attempting to block, while the other chanted from the rear.These mages were not defenseless in close combat.
The staff struck with formidable force, but Lixuman's right arm shifted rapidly, forming a long, narrow bone shield.A resounding thud deflected the attack, leaving only fragments and dust upon the shield.A mere scratch to a skeleton of his strength.
"What power! What defense!" the mage muttered in disbelief.Lixuman's other claw shot forward, tearing through the first mage's throat, blood gushing, staining his pale bones.Within his hollow skeleton, the azure flames blazed relentlessly.
This—was a skeleton.