The moonlight shone in the night sky, and crimson flames licked at the tents, providing just enough illumination for humans to fight. However, the enemy’s black coloration made it exceedingly difficult to see. The darkness cloaked them, making it difficult to see and detect any ambushes. Just the thought of hidden enemies added a psychological burden.
Combined with our accumulated fatigue, the idea that we might be facing only a small part of the enemy force threatened to dampen our fighting spirit. But I pushed these thoughts aside with sheer will. The individual strength of each Black Skeleton was extraordinary. Their skill with weapons was high, and they were incredibly physically tough, able to deflect weak attacks with ease. They were difficult to defeat.
One could often infer the level of a skeleton by observing the extent of the Soul Gear they wielded. Given that these skeletons were almost fully clad, it was clear they were at a significantly high level.
Why are there so many high-level monsters here at this moment? I wondered. But I had to keep moving forward. My position did not permit me to stand still on the battlefield.
Fortunately, the moon was out, allowing my magic sword Lune Vent to unleash its full potential, which was a significant relief in our current dire situation.
A skeleton charged at me from the front. In its hands was a massive double-edged axe, forged from wrought iron and adorned with gold. Despite the weight of such a powerful weapon, the skeleton swung it with ease, producing a sharp whooshing sound as it approached at high speed. Although skeletons appeared weak due to their lack of flesh, their movements were powered by magic, giving them unseen strength.
I knew I couldn’t block this attack. Lune Vent wasn’t built for raw strength, and even if I tried to block with my shield, the weight of the axe would surely crush me. Luckily, the skeleton wasn’t impossibly fast. I focused on delivering a swift, precise thrust before the axe could strike me. My intent to kill sharpened, and I channeled my strength into the tip of my sword.
Therese E. Eckermann’s Combat Art Unleashed: Sacred Rose Sanctuary!
The magic sword Lune Vent’s unique skill has been activated: Silver Gale!
The blade of Lune Vent glowed faintly red as I activated my combat art. It absorbed the moonlight’s magic, surrounding itself with a swirling silver vortex.
“Haaah!”
The Black Skeleton’s double-edged axe was forcibly redirected by the silver vortex enveloping Lune Vent, creating a chilling sound as it narrowly missed me and buried itself into the ground, leaving a deep scar. In contrast, my attack barely grazed the skeleton’s skull. I had aimed to pierce it through, but piercing attacks were not particularly effective against skeletons.
Nevertheless, this skeleton was already finished. The red light imbued in the blade infiltrated the skeleton, and in the next instant, a pattern of red roses spread across its entire body. The red roses were the hallmark of the unique combat art Sacred Rose Sanctuary, a technique that only those with the title of Temple Knight could wield. These roses carried the Holy attribute, which was fatal to most undead.
Completely covered in the red rose pattern, the Black Skeleton rapidly lost its internal power due to the additional Holy damage, causing its bones to scatter as their cohesion was disrupted. Smoke rose from the bones as they gradually dissolved into particles and disappeared. Before the last traces vanished, I kicked the remains toward another skeleton’s head, smashing it, while simultaneously crushing the head of a new attacker from the side with my shield.
“Baen!” I shouted. “How much longer until the wide-area purification spell is ready?”
“Just a bit more, please hold on—Commander, behind you!”
Responding instantly to Baen’s urgent tone, I spun around. What I saw was another Black Skeleton with a short spear aimed at me, its jawbone clattering as it advanced rapidly, crushing the ground beneath its feet. The skeleton was fast due to its light weight and closed in on me before I could evade or block, thrusting its spear straight at my head. Just as I thought I was about to be impaled, a red slash gleamed.
“Commander, you’re wide open in the back.”
The Black Skeleton’s head, arms, torso, and legs were meticulously and relentlessly sliced into fine pieces. Flames ignited the remains, reducing them to ashes in an instant.
“… Thank you, Levias.”
The one who had stopped the skeleton was my other vice commander, Levias. She held her beloved sword, which emitted flames and bore a faint trace of red light that still lingered from her combat art. Judging by the skeleton being diced into tiny pieces, she had likely used her Crimson Lotus Thousand Cuts technique to save me.
“It’s not like I can just let you die, Commander! Don’t worry about it!” Levias ducked her head in embarrassment. Behind her, a blue flame flickered briefly before extinguishing.
“You’re also wide open behind you.”
Lord Weissly stood behind Levias, instantly reducing the skeleton that had been approaching her to ashes with a flicker of blue fire. As he played with the azure flames in his palm, he wore a wry smile. This blue flame was proof of his exceptional mastery over magic, at a level that allowed him to manipulate mana more efficiently than ordinary mages, who could only produce red flames. Watching Lord Weissly handle this so effortlessly was reassuring.
“Whoa, hot! You’re too close, Lord Weissly!”
“Ha ha ha. It’s your own fault for letting your guard down on the battlefield.”
Lord Weissly shot a ball of blue flame from his hand, incinerating three more skeletons at once. As the azure explosion engulfed the area, I was both mesmerized by the beauty of the flames and overwhelmed by the intensity of the heat wave spreading around us. I couldn’t help but be impressed by him.
But despite being scorched by such flames, the enemies did not stop. The skeletons Lord Weissly burned were not the lightly armored lancer or mage types, but rather the heavily armored axe-wielding ones with thick, sturdy bones. As these unyielding skeletons advanced, Levias stepped in, slicing them to pieces. Having been burned, they were likely more brittle, making their ends surprisingly swift for skeletons that typically resisted both thrusts and slashes.