The Skeleton Soldier Failed to Defend the Dungeon-Chapter 203: An Old Friend (19)

Just moments ago, the dark elf had been sprawled on the ground—but now, his eyes snapped open and he rose to his feet.

Fssh!

With a sharp gust of wind, two scimitars came flying at me.

Clang!

I only just managed to raise my greatsword in time to block. Caught off guard by the unexpected movement, I staggered back three steps. Even the force of the blow wasn't ordinary, as I felt a faint tremble in my wrists.

[Skill: Focus Lv. 2 activated.]

I could see a bit more clearly. The white-haired elf with twin blades locked eyes with me. With dull silver gleaming in his gaze, the elf swung his weapons.

"Elves don't usually have eyes like that, right?"

"Dark elves? No way. Their eyes are normally black or reddish-brown. These are mere puppets! Whoever this is can manipulate corpses. Conserve your strength! We don't know where the main body is hiding."

Clang!

The twin scimitars collided with my greatsword again. This elf was no pushover. Even with one blade broken, his attacks remained powerful and erratic.

[Skill: Dual Sword Technique Lv. 2 activated.]

[Combat pattern analysis...]

Fortunately, I had absorbed the dual sword technique from this very elf moments ago. Thanks to that, I could somewhat predict the attack paths. Well, only barely, but I would've had a much harder time responding without it.

Scrape! Scrraaape!

The twin scimitars danced like they were part of a twisted ballet, grinding against my greatsword with screeching steel.

"Mr. Skeleton!"

[Servant System]

[Your master is worried about you.]

[Worry level: Very High]

[Defense has increased by 15%.]

Well, that was unexpected. Gaining defense just because she was worried? Still, sure enough, the opponent's dual sword strikes felt far less threatening.

I had no idea what was up with this world, but maybe I should be the one begging Rubia to stick around. Perhaps all that talk from Isaac about rifts in the sky wasn't about him being special, but Rubia.

In the end, it didn't matter. What mattered was protecting her.

"Isaac! Fall back!"

"Well, duh?!”

Flap!

Isaac had already knocked Rubia unconscious and carried her to safety. Even so, the dark elf continued his relentless twin-blade assault.

Five attacks came in the space of a single breath. His tightly shut lips spoke of a stern personality in life, but now, he was nothing more than a puppet. The first few strikes had been alarming, but there was no point in dragging this out.

[Sword Energy Lv. 3: Maximum Output.]

[Skill: Suction Lv. 5 activated.]

Slick!

The two scimitars stuck fast to my greatsword. I had the advantage in weight, reach, and grip strength.

"Graaah!"

The dark elf tried to kick me.

Thud!

I caught his foot with one hand and spun him around. Absorbing Elwin Esau's martial arts hadn't been for nothing. He was stunned, but I knew he'd recover any second. I raised my greatsword, glowing faintly with a blue aura, bringing it down on my foe.

Crunch!

The corpse's armor split in two.

"More are coming. Don't drop your guard."

Of course. There was no time to relax. A spear and a crescent-bladed glaive came swinging next. They belonged to the same corpses I had just absorbed essence from earlier.

What? Were they offended that I drained them instead of giving them a proper burial?

Clang!

I knocked the glaive upward. The upward-thrust spear met a horizontal slice and snapped in two.

[Skill: Sprint Lv. 5 activated.]

[Skill: Cleave Lv. 1 activated.]

I dashed forward, my greatsword drawing a clean line that sliced through both enemies. The beautiful elf's body slid apart—lower half crumpling down, upper half flying back. Hardened internal organs were scattered through the air, but they weren't the last.

Thud.

Thud-thud.

More than ten elves were rising from the ground, eyes aglow with that murky silver. Decapitated heads, split-open torsos—none of it mattered. They stood again, weapons raised against me.

"Why are you all like this...?"

"Uuurgh... ughh..."

Of course, no one answered. It felt like battling undead Skeleton Soldiers in a crypt. If they weren't moving by their own will, maybe putting them down quickly was merciful.

Flap!

Isaac flew higher overhead and called out, "It's a distraction. Watch out for the main body."

"The main body?"

"It hasn't shown itself yet. Something is controlling these things. I'm observing from above—if I see it, I'll let you know."

Flap! Flap-flap!

Isaac leisurely pulled back with his massive wings, still holding Rubia tightly, showing no issue carrying a single human. He clearly had no intention of joining the fight.

Just a third-person observer now? Maybe he's conserving energy... Well, as long as he's holding Rubia, that's good enough.

"Ughhh..."

I glanced over the elf corpses again. Isaac was right. There was definitely a main body responsible for this mess.

Fwoosh!

An elf clad in obsidian full-plate armor charged at me with a shield. Despite wearing armor far superior to mine, it couldn't stop his head from being half-cleaved. No need to block the axe in its other hand. I slammed my blade into the raised shield with brute force.

[Skill: Acid Lv. 5 activated.]

The shield jolted upward. I immediately slashed horizontally through the exposed gap. The severed section hissed and melted—this corpse wouldn't be rising again. Almost simultaneously, four dark elves attacked from all directions. They had all died to an overwhelming force—at the very least, not to their own comrades. These corpses rose only after I entered this place.

[Martial Arts Lv. 7 boosted.]

Fwoosh!

Dust kicked up from the floor as I leapt nearly three meters into the air, breaking the encirclement.

Swoosh!

My greatsword came down from above, cleaving through the bodies. They were no longer elves, or followers of Demon King Leraie—just slabs of meat, puppets moved by an unknown force.

[Skill: Blaze Lv. 2 activated.] 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Fire burst along the blade as I brought it down from above.

[Experience has increased!]

[Experience has...]

No screams. No pain. I swung my greatsword again, pouring power into the burning dolls.

[Skill: Frost Storm Lv. 1 activated.]

[Skill experience has increased!]

The elf corpses froze solid and were swept backward. Even then, a few managed to swing axes and stab with blades. I couldn't block them all—one axe dented my chestplate deeply.

Crash!

I slammed my fist into a half-frozen corpse. The ice shattered. Two corpses tumbled away, rolling across the floor. I raised my blade, aura swirling, and sliced horizontally once more.

***

[Level Up]

[Level Up]

[Servant System!]

[You fought while protecting your master.]

[Due to repeated use of Suction Lv. 5, the skill level has increased.]

[Suction Lv. 5 → Lv. 6]

[Skill grade adjusted to Rare.]

Was this also thanks to Rubia? After what felt like forever, silence returned to the temple. The area around me was littered with traces of magic and violence. I found myself grateful that Isaac had knocked Rubia unconscious from the start. It hadn't been pretty.

I inspected my armor. It was dented and torn in several places. More than the physique, my mind felt utterly drained.

Something began crawling out of the massive hole in the center of the temple: a naked, genderless child.

"A human... child?"

"Kill it!"

Aside from the lack of genitalia, it seemed like an ordinary kid. With circular caps affixed to its forehead, stomach, and back, the child slowly walked toward me. Seven years old? Maybe ten? It was hard to tell.

The child was completely bald and wore a stiff, expressionless look. Its lips didn't move, but the voice entered my mind directly.

"I was hiding because something felt off... But you're slow. And weak. I got scared for nothing. You're nothing, really."

Nothing, nothing, nothing...

The voice echoed weirdly inside the temple. I struggled to comprehend it.

That tiny thing tore apart all those elves?

I had expected a monster several meters tall.

Maybe something else is hiding nearby?

Suddenly, the child began to morph. Its arms thickened like its torso, and its hands grew to the size of heads.

Thud.

"Why was I even scared...? You're so annoying, really..." it muttered as its mouth distorted, slowly growing larger. From its previously smooth backside, a thick, spiked tail sprouted long and sharp.

I asked Isaac, "Is that the remnant of the apostle you mentioned?"

"Yeah. Still undeveloped. Are you going to just stand there and let it fully evolve?"

But the child didn't move.

"Should I try fighting like this first...? This should be enough..."

The child looked down at me like it was playing a game.

Was it strong? How strong? I couldn't feel it clearly. I raised my greatsword, cautious.

Boom!

A fist as big as its head came flying. I blocked it with my blade, but the speed and strength were tremendous. My back slammed against the rock wall, and the armor Rubia had bought me crumpled further with a bite.

I gritted my teeth and kept hold of my sword. My head was spinning from the blow. The creature silently approached, expressionless.

[Skill: Focus Lv. 2 activated.]

[Skill: Meditation Lv. 2 activated.]

Dozens of translucent tendrils writhed behind the thing's back—the same kind that had sunk into the ground each time a dark elf died.

So, it controlled the corpses with those.

[Sword Energy Lv. 3: Maximum Output.]

[Skill: Acid Lv. 5 activated.]

I recalled the elves who'd been used even in death, and swung my sword. The blade glowed faint blue and crackled.

Boom!

The creature crossed its arms to block the strike. Silvery pus oozed from its arms as the child grimaced slightly.

"Hmm..."

I was taken aback. It was still standing? I'd activated Sword Energy, intending to cleave the thing apart with the last strike.

Is this really just a fragment? Why did it show up now? Did these always exist?

Bang!

It whipped its spiked tail downward. I blocked with my sword, but the blow was so strong that it dislocated my wrist.

That's what I get for spacing out.

"Weak..."

It stepped in again and punched my abdomen. My armor shattered, bursting apart in all directions. Had it hit my chest instead, it probably would've crushed my ribs and thrown off my balance.

"Come on, bleed more... show me your blood..."

Wham!

It punched me in the gut again like it was playing around. However, this time, it couldn't pull back because of the Suction.

"Huh?"

I had stuck its massive fist to the chest plate and spun around, slicing at its neck with my greatsword. The attack landed, but the blade didn't go all the way through. I broke away and repositioned, not trusting myself to withstand the next hit.

The child touched its neck, frowning as it saw silver fluid dripping down. It was the same reaction as when I'd hit its arm...

Does its body contain Lurium?

Naneow came to mind. Would she know if I asked...?

I shoved the thought away and refocused on the enemy. The sword had cut only deep enough to match the length of a fingernail. It didn't seem to affect its life in the slightest.

"I'll need to grow a bit more."

Drip.

Drip drip...

The creature began to expand further.