Dragon Fang Tears Through the Undead Horde
A powerful mana wave spread from the Gate (3) lich at the center, enveloping the entire chapel. The paladin skeletons touched by the wave let out creaking friction sounds before going berserk, charging toward me with various weapons in hand. There were five paladin skeletons in total. The one wielding a Western-style sword and rectangular shield showed its intent to attack first.
Swoosh— It closed the distance with the polished movements of a seasoned swordsman, aiming unhesitatingly for my blind spot. As expected from a former paladin, huh? I pivoted on one foot, twisting my body to dodge the thrust aimed at my heart. Then, without pause, I unleashed a short body blow straight into the skeleton's side.
Thwack—!! A sharp metallic clang rang out as the skeleton was shoved backward. My fist mark was vividly imprinted on its shield.
"Huh, you blocked that?" This guy's got some skills? I'd timed it to strike right when I was closest after a razor-thin dodge, but it reacted... Way better than expected—I'm secretly thrilled.
The skeleton seemed flustered by the unexpected counter. Even with just bones for a body, its hesitation was plain to see compared to before. The other skeletons simply watched our one-on-one duel, making no move to interfere. Guess they uphold their knightly honor even in death? I don't know the reason, but from my perspective, even if they all rushed me at once, it wouldn't be a problem...
If the sword-and-shield skeleton had this much combat prowess, the others should be worth looking forward to. The one facing me off still held its shield out toward me.
"If you're not coming, then I'll come to you." Its wariness had spiked, freezing it in place, so I took the initiative and advanced first.
Thud—! I kicked off the ground with all my strength and shot forward. The distance closed in an instant. As if planning to block again, the skeleton thrust its shield out in front of me.
"This time, it'll be tough." I compressed the mana enveloping my fist into a single point and swung it full force at the shield.
Boom—!! The shield shattered, pierced clean through at the center, and the skeleton crumbled to pieces. Clang-clang-clang— Fragments of armor and the holed shield bounced across the floor, making a racket. Silence followed.
"Should've dodged. Not that you could, of course." As I dusted off my hands and lectured the now-unrepairable skeleton, the other paladin skeletons began to stir. The massive one in front, gripping a warhammer, stepped forward toward me.
It's going full tournament-style, huh? I gladly accepted, rolling my shoulders, when—
xxxxxxxxx—!!! The lich started bellowing in some unknown tongue. At its shout, the waiting paladin skeletons shook violently, their armor rattling loudly, before all charging at me at once.
"Hmm... 'Don't screw around and kill him quick!!!' or something?" I had no clue about monster languages, but the vibe was obvious. This is why bosses are the problem. Watching the lich ruthlessly crush the skeletons' resolve to uphold their honor even in death soured my mood instantly.
Four skeletons rushed me. They might look like they were just blindly charging, but they coordinated perfectly, avoiding each other's paths while targeting me. The first strike came from the warhammer leader, accelerating to smash down on me.
If I dodged like this, the shattered stone from the impact would scatter and hit me with secondary damage. So, should I just take it? Obviously not.
Kaboom—!! My jet-black hair whipped in the fierce wind pressure. The hammer didn't hit the floor—it slammed into my palm. A normal person couldn't even dream of it, but for me, constantly mana-reinforced, it felt no different from catching a tipping bookshelf.
Crack—! I gripped tighter, and cracks spiderwebbed across the hammer's surface. Its owner belatedly tried to pull it back, but my hand had already—
Crunch—!! Crushed it completely. Half the hammer head remained, but the impact shattered the joints, and the other side fell off too. The skeleton, left holding an empty haft, staggered back.
The others followed up. They wielded a claymore, halberd, and scimitar. Three weapons sliced through the air, all aimed at me, naturally.
Whoosh—! I ducked low, the halberd whistling over my head, then the scimitar targeted my neck.
"Not today!!" I planted both hands on the ground and upward-kicked the arm of the scimitar-wielding skeleton.
Clang—!! A crisp ring echoed as it lost its grip on its only weapon. The scimitar spun through the air.
Snatch—! I caught it mid-fall and parried the claymore coming for my blind spot.
Claaaaang—!! Sure, the claymore had superior power, but against a mana-coated scimitar, size was just that—size. I blocked effortlessly, then retreated and dashed back in, attempting a diagonal slash on the claymore skeleton.
It braced for my attack. Roles reversed, sure, but conditions weren't equal now.
Slice— I cleaved through the claymore and the skeleton alike. A blade coated in dense mana stays sharper than most steel swords, even if it's rusty.
I frowned, inspecting the scimitar.
"Hmm... Swords really don't suit me. Better off barehanded." I could block a claymore with my fists by focusing mana more, but after a month without a fight, I felt a bit rusty. Now that I'd found my rhythm, bare hands would do fine from here. Still, it felt wasteful to toss the scimitar I'd just grabbed, so I hurled it full force at the remaining upright skeleton.
The spinning blade flew true to its original owner and dropped it flat.
"Two left." The warhammer-less skeleton had picked up the sword from my first kill, but I charged fast. It swung to counter, but awkward with an unfamiliar weapon.
Bam—!! I dodged lightly and pulverized its bones, armor and all.
"One now." As I turned, the halberd skeleton stared me down.
xxxxxxxx—!! The lich, tired of watching, bellowed again and thrust its staff forward. The chapel trembled. Sure enough, more skeletons rose—but not paladins this time. Just plain ones, and going for quantity over quality, with over fifty of them.
"...Too many for bare hands..." Should I just sweep them with light magic? Mana's at a good level, I've had my fun... No regrets wiping them in one go.
But let's make the finale flashy... Huh? As I pondered blasting them with that Shining Ray from the news, my eyes caught a "staff" on the floor—the handle from the warhammer I'd smashed.
It had lost its original shape, but it felt so familiar. Black, too—kinda like...
Laurus, my cherished spear and lifelong partner. Tsun 99, dere 1—the worst ratio, but over time, even that became charming. Can't meet now, but someday... I want to see it again. It's a spear, but its long black form always brings Laurus to mind first.
"Okay, decided." Honoring my old partner, I scooped up the staff. Led by the halberd paladin skeleton, every skeleton charged me. I ignored them, twirled the staff a few times, lowered my stance, and circulated mana through my entire body.
The mana churned wildly, like a vortex in my core. Normally a Laurus combo move, but knowing the principle let me adapt it to other weapons, even if weaker.
Skeletons were nearly on me. I unleashed the surging mana into the staff and thrust fiercely toward the horde.
Dragon Fang
A vortex of compressed mana erupted from the staff's tip, expanding instantly and shooting forward, shredding the skeletons—and space itself—to ribbons.
Kabooooom—!!!!!!!!