Bro, I’m not an Undead!

Sila’s loud voice directed his words to Skullius’ mind quite easily but the Discount Human could care less about the aged soul’s ramblings, though he did hear the bit about Bassbion being a Spirit.

He still didn’t understand what they were!

The guardian loomed over Skullius, but the Discount Human sensed a multitude of the feminine figures all around him, still, his body even then being incapable of telling him of these bodied him!

Skullius was panicking but he quickly calmed himself down as he knew this could be the determinant factor of how everything turned out next.

He was far outclassed in power and this enemy even had the ability to somehow see Ferex despite his hide!

The Apostle had even been taken out of commission in one hit!

Logically, there should be no other option besides death or handing his body over to Sila but…

‘I won’t lose!’ Skullius thought as his mind churned, his momentarily lapse that had led to him slipping in his control of the Refinery to his core fading ever so slightly as instead of weaving the mana from the Centre, he focused on holding it all back!

Whatever was happening to [Elevated Mana Manipulation] was screwing up with his plans for his core!

The majority of his focus was funnelled to Bassbion who still looked on at him as he bled out profusely with a cold face.

With Skullius’ mind that was working hard like there was no tomorrow, as there could very well not be one, an important detail was quickly noticed!

Bassbion wasn’t finishing him off!

…!

Skullius immediately realised why!

“A standout like you deserves nothing more than to die slowly for daring to intrude with such weak and unrefined strength,” Bassbion said with incredible apathy.

The Discount Human she faced held back the flood of fear and uncertainty he had in this moment as this was his chance!

Yes!

It was an opening!

Bassbion thought he was dying, but actually, Skullius was perfectly fine.

He could just use [Great Saint’s Invigoration] to mend his body but not yet.

He had to make the next move count while the guardian was still lost in the thought that she had got him but this also depended on whether this ability, [Scramble Binding] would wear off, allowing Skullius to move again.

Still though, he could attack with some of his more accommodating skills as his mind wasn’t bound!

And what was Skullius’ next move?

[Perfect Night Domain]!

A flood of [Evil Darkness] burst out of the immobile Skullius as it covered quite a bit of ground, trapping Bassbion within it!

The guardian didn’t seem phased or surprised but rather… a tad bit intrigued.

The thick of the pitch black bore down on her but she remained standing, staring into the dark with her covered eyes.

Skullius immediately healed himself while feeling the rush of energy that increased his stats by 80%!

At the same time, [Scramble Binding] was conveniently deactivated, allowing Skullius to move freely again!

The Discount Human didn’t even question why the ability had suddenly shut off with impeccable timing as with his mobility returning, he quickly attacked!

The [Perfect Night Domain] supported its master with strength and awareness as Skullius immediately pulled out Demion’s Dance and slashed before him in a lengthy diagonal arc, all his might stuffed into the strike!

Yet…

…!

Skullius was dumbfounded!

Even though he was in his domain where everything was shared with him constantly, with even a bit of enlightenment added on top of it, he… he…

Skullius still felt the presence of seventy two Bassbions!

‘How?!’

To make matters worse, the moment he slashed with Demion’s Dance, he cut apart nothing as the seventy two images flashed out of his sense for a brief moment and appeared a distance away in the darkness!

Bassbion could move freely without restriction in Skullius’ own domain, and it seemed she wasn’t the least bit affected!

“I thought something was peculiar. Your life energy, as different as it is from that of other living creatures wasn’t dwindling one bit. It looks like such an injury is not enough to kill you,” Bassbion said as she lowered her stance.

Seeing as she was talking to him, Skullius couldn’t help but wonder if she could see him as well!

“OF COURSE SHE CAN SEE YOU, TOMATO FLINGER! SHE IS A SPIRIT! SHE CAN PERCEIVE SOULS!” Sila hissed. “SHE IS CLEARLY BEYOND YOU! JUST HAND OVER THE BODY AND I WILL DEFEAT HER!”

Skullius’ hand trembled as he momentarily felt completely defeated.

The domain was something he had pushed all of his faith into, hoping that it would allow him to trace which Bassbion was the real one, on top of granting him more strength!

Yet he was wrong!

The domain even failed to hide his own presence from Bassbion!

Why?!

Was he just not thinking of better ways of attack with what he had?

How could Sila have so much confidence in defeating her when he would be using the same abilities and the same body?!

What was Skullius missing?!

Was he simply incompetent?!

‘No! I won’t lose! I’m giving it my all this time! Luck, convenience! Throw all that aside! I can do this! I just have to—’

BOOOM!

A staggering force bombarded Skullius from his abdomen to his chest, causing a gnarly depression, the Discount Human being launched at disgusting speeds out of his own domain and into the wall six meters high in less than half a second!

Blood involuntarily gushed out of Skullius’ mouth from the impact and he dropped to the ground gracelessly!

A distance away, the [Perfect Night Domain] was dispelled and Bassbion appeared with an unimpressed half face, her gaze towards Skullius who staggered to a stand while maintaining a firm grip on Demion’s Dance being sharp.

“I admire your persistence. I thought your will would be broken by this much but you are proving to have above average resilience, vile filth,” Bassbion said. “For that much, I shall give you a partially honourable death by the swing of my blade.”

Bassbion crouched down and placed her right hand on the dark hilt to her sword that had small blue squares along its length, the guard clinking as she tightened her grip while her left hand held the sheath.

The sword in this sheath was called the Spirit Blade of Cessation, a beyond Legendary item that turned an opponent’s life force into strings that would be visible to its wielder, giving them the ability to hack them apart with the result being the death of the target.

It could also do the same with souls, but to a limited degree, though a casual strike was enough to injure the body and soul if no defence was rendered.

That said, the armour Bassbion wore was called the Spirit Encompassing Adornment, another beyond Legendary treasure in this set that allowed Spirits to interact better with physical matter without relying on spells or ethereal means.

This revelation begged the question of what exactly were Spirits in the first place however, and to that, the most basic yet sufficient answer would be that Spirits were overseers of the realms where the souls of the dead roamed.

The relationship between the two was rather intricate, with the properties of both more similar than otherwise, but this was a discussion for another time.

VWOOOOOSH!

Around Bassbion, a torrent of mana suddenly burst out, creating a thick layer that shone bright but with immense refinement and finesse!

The mana that flooded from her body started out smooth before spiking out in all directions, creating serrated skewers that had a strange spin at their ends, like a whirlpool, a pointy whirlpool!

The floor under Bassbion’s feet got skewered as it was blasted by mana, the guardian’s second and last technique available to her at the moment ready to strike!

This technique was called, Hyperfocus Motion Counter!

Skullius even from a distance and with Bassbion, or rather the seventy-two Bassbions, just barely within range of his Outer Domain, could feel his skin being pricked!

This technique was deadly and this wasn’t even accounting for the fact that she was about to draw her sword.

[Jaggered Merger], Skullius’ trump card had barely been used and now, as he felt the mana he had left, barely 2500 points, he couldn’t imagine what skill he could use to escape this.

Would his resolve still trudge on?

Sila who was within Skullius’ soul could feel hints of depression and despair from the Discount Human.

‘Good!’ he thought.

While he was still at an incredible risk, with a little pushing and encouragement, he could convince Skullius to let him take the driver’s seat. He just needed to play his cards right.

Skullius remained looking blankly at Bassbion, his thoughts hidden from everyone but him.

Sila approached his consciousness like the devil, his voice reaching Skullius’ mind with half baked urgency.

‘Come now, tomato flinger! Weren’t you the one who said that we should put away our mutual hate for each other and work together to achieve common goals?! I’m willing to cooperate, but you need to give me your body so that I can save us!’ Sila yelled but no response came from Skullius. ‘You have a lot to do, don’t you?! Don’t you want to find out who that girl is without being trapped by Somanda first?! Don’t you want to find VOW again and speak to him?! Don’t you want to help your friends in Deadmanland?!’

Sila bit on every sore wound and hopeful moment that Skullius had but…

Still…

There was no response!

‘FOOL! Have you already given up?! If so then give me the chance to fight for my life!’

“I’m coming, vile filth!” Bassbion’s voice suddenly echoed from the distance as the spiking mana around her raged up and out like a voracious beast with whirling thorns, her figure launching forward with the explosive force of a volcano!

The Ground of Communion shook as Bassbion turned into a white streak that travelled at well beyond perceivable speed, her darting image revealing another short streak that had begun to slide out of the sheath at her side!

‘TOMATO FLINGER!’ Sila growled with immense hate and animosity, foreseeing a tragically cruel end.

As it was.

…

And yet…

Right after Bassbion launched at a jaw dropping speed, Skullius… did the same…

The Discount Human burst to meet Bassbion!

The REAL one!

At the same speed!

…!!!

The Discount Human’s figure was set alight, even the new armour he wore as a fierce flame devoured his flesh and skin from the absolutely ridiculous speed he had unceremoniously, unexpectedly and shockingly launched himself at!

A speed way beyond what his stats could afford him!

…!

Bassbion, for the first time in this fight, no, for the first time in millenia, was shocked!

This pathetic challenger somehow matched her speed?!

Before she could unsheathe her sword, she had already encountered Skullius whose sockets flared, chock full of darkness that fumed horrendously, Demion’s Dance in his skeletal hand which was burning incessantly with nauseating smoke rising from it, swinging sloppily at her and scratching the side of her armour!

ZWUUUUP!

Skullius’ figure burst past Bassbion as he hurtled, crashing into the wall on the other side, beside one of the twelve statues!

BOOOOOOM!

A thick flame coupled with the dark smoke of charring flesh sizzled as Skullius then protruded from the wall, his face barely a face as a dirty skull with sockets that flamed with [Evil Darkness] showed, fire illuminating the rows of teeth partially darkened by the heat!

Skullius stood, ignoring his current pathetic state as he… began laughing maniacally!

Bassbion who had gracefully halted a meter before hitting the wall turned to look at her opponent.

Skullius’ armour was beginning to somehow reform, covering his flaming body, but the Discount Human did not heal his own flesh, keeping it as it was.

“IT WORKED! IT ACTUALLY WORKED! HAHAHAHAHAHA!” Skullius roared in exhilaration, his sockets turning to face Bassbion as he could actually SEE her now! “That’s ONE, right?!”

Bassbion didn’t give a reply, but it was all but hidden what the answer was.

And as Skullius revelled in this feeling of achievement just before facing death, his <RUSH BLOOD> boiled, his <HEART> beating at an astonishing speed!

Yes…

Skullius was HYPED!