411 For Good Measure!
Demion’s Dance whistled through the air as it descended, Skullius pushing in his focus as a steady straight slash bore down on the far from innocent space, slicing the air while releasing a dreadful amount of power at an equally dreadful speed that rocked the Discount Human’s entire body!
This was it!
What he had been half-assing when he used this sword against the carp and the Devouring Lantern Alpha Wolf (Ferex) back then!
What he had thought was the limit of this sword imbued with death, yet it hadn’t been!
This was freaking IT!
A clean slash that bore all the strength he could muster, his own and that afforded by [Jaggered Merger]!
One that he felt suck up more than just his stamina, but also grip tightly around his <HEART> and soul!
Sila grunted at the grip!
What was this?!
Even when he had used Demion’s Dance, it wasn’t like this!
‘What happened to this bastard?!’ the aged piece of soul wondered in angst.
This suddenly awakening of resolve that was responded to in kind by Demion’s Dance…!
It wasn’t sponsored by anything that had happened since Skullius reached the Sacred forest or during his lengthy walk to the Ground of Communion. No, Sila was certain.
Was it something else then? Something Skullius had been doing for the past few days that prompted this?
Something he had been exposing himself to?
In Bassbion’s view, a darting straight line flashed for a brief moment, carrying with it a vengeful howl of the air which she promptly prepared for with a serious visage!
However…
….!
The ridiculously quick line carved by Demion’s Dance rushing towards her with absolute greed was followed by the desecration of the Ground of Communion!
All around Skullius who was puffing his cheeks while his sockets flamed with darkness, his movement which was carried out at super speed with after images leaving a trail of magnificence, a dark red flow of darkness spewed out, tarnishing the air and tainting the ground with the sickening hue!
This sacrilege painted over a hundred meters within a breath, Bassbion who had maintained much of her calm until now gritting her teeth as her mana flared with fury!
She successfully put up her sword as the mad incoming rush of power rammed against it with mildly refined finesse that forced her back while causing the ring of colliding steel to sound when it clashed with the Spirit Blade of Cessation!
CLAAANG!
The bellowing force exploded out, the wall behind Bassbion shuddering as it was finely carved from top to bottom, the statue in the way also meeting the same fate!
The guardian stumbled when the cruel force finally died down.
She had managed to block it but not without consequence.
Drip! Drip!
From her jaw to her neck, all the way to the first half of her chest plate, a thin line could be traced, what seemed like white blood dripping from the wound on her pale skin!
Yet Bassbion didn’t pay this any heed as she instead faced Skullius whose hand popped like a balloon after this attack!
“Vile filth, you dare sully this sacred place?!” she called out in fury as her mana flared, causing the Ground of Communion to tremble.
Skullius ignored her outrage.
Rather, in his mind, he kept count.
“That’s two.”
He then solemnly gazed upon Demion’s Dance, running his hand over its green, curved blade.
Back when this fight began, when Skullius had first erected the [Perfect Night Domain], he had attempted to mimic how Sila used Demion’s Dance against Bek, but had failed as all he did was slash with all his mortal might.
During the week in Inhone when he had refined most of the skills he was using now, he had learned swordsmanship from Oliviana but his skill in it wasn’t enough to allow him to get the [Basic Sword Mastery] he wanted.
Now, however…
[You have acquired ‘Basic Sword Mastery’]
After the very short exchange with Bassbion, with [HYPED] active, Skullius had finally qualified for the most basic of mastery for the sword which was prompted by Demion’s Dance giving him a taste of another level to [Epic Memory].
A different look flashed in Skullius’ eyes as the red aura around the blade continued to funnel into him, bringing with it innate knowledge on how to Swindling Death’s Dance worked.
Each strike was packed with an aversion of death as a requirement, or rather the embrace of the possibility of death. As only when one accepted that they could die, could they evade death.
Skullius was growing to understand this.
Sure he had dreams. Sure he was doomed to a horrific fate if he died.
But what if he fought without fear of that eventuality, letting all the power and potential he had run wild while testing out every single idea he had without a care?!
After all, just like Sila had said, he was wasting all this power!
Fuuuuuu….
Yet, this was also not all.
“I think I have more than enough for one last attack,” Skullius thought as the 30% focus which he had apportioned to his core all this time since [HYPED] activated finally bore fruit.
‘Tomato flinger! Your body i—’
“Be quiet, I’m on a fleshing roll right now!” Skullius cut off Sila who was giving a warning.
He already knew what the aged piece of soul wanted to say.
His body was finally reaching its limit with [Jaggered Merger], the red cracks over his flesh starting to widen as they broke apart his body.
This didn’t matter to Skullius though, as he knew this was going to end with the next move.
Either he would fall or he would land the last move hit on Bassbion and win!
Still, regardless of what happened, he knew… he wouldn’t lose, even if death fell on him.
It was illogical to think this way, but to the skeleton donning flesh, it made all the sense in the world!
Bassbion was still in a fit of rage as she saw the mess that tainted the sanctity of the Ground of Communion. The previous battle scars were excusable but this…
She ground her teeth as she lost her cool, a set of the pristine white chains that held her armour snapping breaking apart, a ferocious wave of power like an abrupt storm igniting from her body as a result!
Skullius squinted his eyes.
In his sight, the image of the greyish, black spotted Bassbion became more contrasted, matching the prickling feeling of her growing power that he felt through his senses.
‘Her strength is growing. She broke some of those chains over her armour. Heh. Isn’t that cheating?’ Skullius thought as he felt his last option reaching its peak, almost ready for use. ‘The rules did say not to mess with this place. Assuming it is the Ground of whatever. That’s probably why she’s angry.’
With Skullius taking in all that was happening at ten times the speed, the final clash was merely a breath away.
And…
FWOOOSH!
BOOM!
Bassbion’s mana flared as she used [Hyperfocus Motion Counter] again, but this time, she barely took a second to charge it up and launch herself towards Skullius who didn’t see her figure until the Spirit Blade of Cessation had already lopped off his right arm which held Demion’s Dance!
The speed was atrocious and way grander than what Bassbion had exhibited moments ago, as in addition to striking away Skullius’ powerful weapon, her [Hyperfocus Motion Counter] began mutilating his body brutally!
The Spirit guardian slapped away the hand which still held firmly to the green sword and watched the Discount Human carefully.
‘This time I’ll purge his soul!’ Bassbion thought with a fierce expression that leaked malice, her sword which moved faster than her initial attack slicing off the rest of Skullius’ limbs while her overbearing might slammed into Skullius, burying into the hard ground without mercy!
She didn’t go for the kill just yet, as killing this bastard instantly would be waste giving what he had done. She wanted him to know how he died.
Absolutely dominated to death!
Skullius’ felt the sensation of being pounded down thoughroughly by heavy mana at rapid speed vividly, but a grin etched itself on his face as he truly felt alive!
‘I felt my soul shiver! I could have died right there!’ he thought.
This expression unsettled Bassbion but after a brief pause, she held her long sword erect for a stab, a staggering murderous intent bursting over her as the sword’s effect on the soul fully activated!
“You’ll pay for desecrating my master’s memory!” Bassbion proclaimed before thrusting down at the limbless Skullius who kept getting dug into the floor!
The sword brutally tore through the space between Bassbion and Skullius, the entire Ground of Communion quivering at the wrath propounded by the raging guardian!
SHHHH—
…
Yet..
The Spirit Sword of Cessation came to a halt.
Only for a brief moment.
…!
Bassbion donned a look of shock as even with her bearing down all of her current might, her sword simply stopped right before piercing Skullius’ skull!
The Discount Human whose body was breaking down with the cracks over his body growing more severe, shedding a light on some abnormal damage, spontaneously grew his legs and arm back in the blink of an eye, using up almost all of the remnants of the mana he had left!
[Scramble Binding], at least its paralysis effect, once again wore off, this no doubt being a limitation on the technique as a result of how Bassbion was currently bound to only a small portion of her strength!
Indeed, being able to indefinitely paralyse the entrants to this place would be unfair, after all.
Skullius’ legs stretched with thick veins as in an unnatural motion he lifted off the ground without the support of his arms, a strange halo of mana that constantly produced a sound akin to crumpling paper and crumbling rock flickered over his body!
His dark sockets gazed at Bassbion in this brief moment as he exclaimed.
“I’m really not going to lose, am I?!”
BOOOOOOM!
The guardian who couldn’t make sense of what was happening suddenly felt a stubborn push that could more aptly be described as ‘the area around Skullius rejecting her’!
…!
Her figure sped so fast away from Skullius’ body that she couldn’t even process where she was for a fraction of second as her surroundings were an indecipherable mash of ooze during her souring journey up!
‘Wha—’
BAAAAAAM!
Bassbion smashed into the face of the statue she had been nested in at the beginning of the fight, the visage of the rock humanoid exploding and sinking in as Bassbion herself shook when she realised it!
As if this wasn’t enough of a shocker, a figure darted before her only to halt in mid-air a distance away as if floating, or slowly rising, she couldn’t tell. His body was upside down as he stretched out his hands with a jovial and partially manic look on his face!
No, it wasn’t a face!
It was flaming skeleton!
The Discount Human was moving at a speed his body and armour couldn’t take again, his figure igniting with flame as a result!
But he didn’t care!
He fully took the wondrous feeling of being suspended as crazy waves of mana that were close to dwindling, lingered in the paths from his core where… his Refinery had grown!
From a bit more than 4% to 15%!
Pure mana streamed through this small finished Refinery, the little that remained, as it coursed through the channels that were empty, gushing into where Skullius needed it to be!
His fist!
‘What in the world is this, vile filth?!!’ Bassbion thought in fury at the rapid succession of events that continued to anger her, another set of chains breaking from her armour!
Mana had begun to blare from here body as she extricated a bellow of genuine fury, her sword ready to devour Skullius when…
BOOOOOOM!
Skullius’ figure zipped out of existence and appeared right into the thick of Bassbion’s blazing mana where his body promptly started to get shredded, his burning skeletal fist that glowed with an unusual signature of mana hitting its mark without fail!
A nasty hook blasted Bassbion’s face from the side, knocking her helmet off in the process as her head was forced to tilt from the force, the wall behind her cracking from the point of impact all the wall to the ceiling where mana reinforced stone ruptured and started to collapse!
In the thick of this, Skullius’ voice echoed as he spoke without triumphant glee…
“That’s four. For good fleshing measure…”