"..."

Verc just stared at the skeleton a few meters away from him. His grip on the hilt of his sword was tight.

Every muscle in his body was coiled like a spring, ready to react at a moment’s notice. He was still prepared for whatever’s coming. The air in the massive room felt heavy, almost liquid, as the two entities faced off in a silent battle of wills.

-...

The skeleton wasn’t saying anything either. It just floated there, its tattered black robe swaying in a wind that didn’t exist.

It was obviously pretty annoyed. It wasn’t used to getting mocked.

It had released its aura to at least hinder Verc’s movement even for a bit. The pressure was immense, like being submerged at the bottom of a deep ocean, intended to crush the spirit and the body of anyone standing within it.

But Verc just cancelled it with [Dominion Aura].

His skill might be weaker than the skeleton’s aura—it was like a smaller wave hitting a much larger one—but it was enough to repel the heavy pressure around himself. It created a small pocket of space where Verc could move freely. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Anyway, just then—FWIP!

The space around Verc twisted without warning!

SLASH! BOOM!

Verc swung his mana-coated sword in front of him and cut down an invisible energy. It exploded.

And after that—BAM!

He dove in and propelled himself forward; immediately and effectively leaving where he was before!

B O O O O M—!!!

Another huge explosion occurred where he was before. The concussive force sent a wave of dust and heat outward, but Verc didn’t pay any more attention to that.

’I’ll finish this as fast as I can.’

He thought as he continued coming toward the skeleton. He couldn’t afford a battle of attrition. His mana was high, but the skeleton seemed to have an inexhaustible supply of that corrupted energy. Every second he spent dodging was a second his stamina was being chipped away.

The skeleton saw Verc coming, and raising his bony hand to aim it at him—SWOOOOOOSHH!!!

The skeleton launched countless dark spears at the speed of lightning! They didn’t just fly; they seemed to tear through the very fabric of the air!

SHIIING—BOOM!

Verc slashed his sword vertically upward and destroyed the first spear that was aimed straight at his head. He didn’t even flinch as the magic detonated inches from his face. He tanked the blast with [Black Scales] again.

FWISH~BOOM!

Then he spun a complete 360 to his left to avoid the next one, making the attack hit nothing but the floor. The rotation was so fast that he looked like a spinning top.

Verc didn’t slow down, he was getting close to the skeleton fast.

But this time, there were three dark spears coming at him at almost the same time! They were spread out in a fan-like formation, cutting off his path to the left, the right, and the center!

Though, calmly—

Fwoosh~

Verc concentrated more mana on his legs... BAM!!!

Then he kicked off, heading straight at those three spears!

FWIP—SWISH—!

Verc twisted his body while in midair, his balance was absurd. It was as if he could grab onto the air itself to shift his weight. He successfully dodged the first one, the spear grazing past his side with a hiss.

Then, using the force of the rotation of his body—SLASH!

He swung his sword along with it and sliced down the next spear! The blade bit deep into the dark energy, splitting it in half.

BOOM!

It exploded, and the blast didn’t hurt him as usual... But it did launch him to the side! The force of the explosion was like a giant invisible hand pushing him through the air.

FWIIISH—!

Making the last spear hit nothing but air! It flew past the space he had occupied a moment before, disappearing into the darkness of the room’s far corner.

TAP-

Verc landed on the ground crouching. He used his left hand to stabilize himself, his fingers digging into the smooth floor. His eyes never left the skeleton.

Then as soon as both his feet hit the floor—

CRACK—! BAM!

Verc tensed his legs and dashed toward the skeleton once again! He was even faster this time, leaving a trail of broken stone behind him.

-YOU’RE REALLY A SLIPPERY BASTARD, AREN’T YOU?!!

The skeleton exclaimed, its voice a rattling growl that echoed off the high ceiling.

Then with a wide swing of his bone arms—WHOOOOSH!!!

A sharp shadow suddenly erupted from the ground, and the tip of it was heading toward Verc’s heart!

It was like a giant, obsidian needle rising from the very floor Verc was running on.

It was a new type of an attack!

"...!"

[Danger Sense] flared up. Verc’s focus was snatched away from the skeleton for a moment as he realized the magnitude of the threat.

He was in the air, having just made a final leap toward his opponent, so he couldn’t dodge the incoming attack. There was nothing to kick off of, no way to change his trajectory in time.

So instead—TIIIINK—!!!

Verc swung his blade at it to intercept it!

Instead of shadow; he felt like he was hitting a hard metal. The impact was jarring, sending a shockwave up his arms. And from the force of the attack, Verc can feel that he was going to be sent flying away. It was like trying to stop a moving train with a toothpick.

The skeleton was trying to create distance between them. It wanted to push Verc back into the "kill zone" where it could rain down more spears.

But Verc wasn’t going to just let it go the skeleton’s way!

"URGH...!"

He angled his blade to the side a bit, letting the shadow spike slide along the flat of his sword. Then he forcefully twisted his body to the side... And in doing so—

SHIIIIIIK—!

Verc was able to parry the attack instead of blocking it head on! The spike scraped against his sword, producing a shower of dark sparks, but the momentum was diverted. He wasn’t flung away!

Tap-

And when his left foot touched a solid footing—BAM!

Verc wasted no time and leaped one more time!

And this time, he finally arrived in front of the skeleton!

"GURGH!"

Verc gritted his teeth, the muscles in his jaw bulging. He clenched his sword as hard as he can—FWIP!

Then as heavy, and as fast as he can—

S L A S H—!

He swung down his sword without hesitation, trying to run his blade across the skeleton’s body! He put all his weight, all his mana, and all his frustration into this one strike.

The air screamed as the blade descended!

THUNK—!!!

Though...

A shadow suddenly popped out to the ground and blocked Verc’s sword easily. It wasn’t just a spike this time; it was a wall of solid gloom that had risen in the blink of an eye. It was so hard that he couldn’t push more to try and force it even with his inhuman strength.

"?!"

Verc’s eyes widened, he was surprised. His momentum was dead, stopped by a barrier he hadn’t seen coming.

And the next moment he knew—BOOM!

"GAAAAHH!!!"

A dark spear hit him straight in the chest and blasted him away!

He hadn’t even seen the skeleton move. The blast was point-blank, a violent eruption of energy that sent him hurtling backward like a ragdoll.

Cracks formed on the scales on where he was hit, the obsidian-like armor splintering under the pressure.

But Verc didn’t even have time to worry about that—

BOOM!

"GUH...?!"

An explosion occurred behind him, where he was flung, before he could even hit a wall!

The skeleton calculated where he was going and twisted the space behind him and timed an explosion as soon as his body arrived there. It was a perfect trap. Verc was sandwiched between the momentum of his flight and the force of the new blast.

THUD!

Verc fell on all fours onto the ground. His sword was still in his hand, but his arms were shaking. Smoke rose from his chest and back, and his [Black Scales] were flickering, struggling to maintain their form.

"Koff...!"

He coughed, a small bit of blood hitting the stone floor.

And before he could even do something—

"...?!!"

[Danger Sense] flared up again! An attack was coming at the back of his head!

Verc used [Adhesive Grip] to get a good grip on the floor tighter, his fingers sinking into the stone. Then—FWISH~!

BOOM!

He raised his whole body above the floor and rotated it with just him arm strength to avoid the incoming attack! He performed a frantic, one-handed handstand spin, his legs whipping through the air.

A dark spear flew past his head, so close he could feel the chill of it against his skin, and it hit the floor before exploding!

The blast showered him with stone debris, but he was already moving.

TAP-

Verc used that momentum to get back up his feet again. He stood in a wide stance, his sword held low.

And looking at where he last seen the skeleton—it was gone there. The spot where it had been floating was empty.

Instead—

-Play time is over. You won’t be able to reach me again.

A voice echoed from above. Verc looked up. The skeleton was now hovering in the middle of the massive room. It had flown high up, far from the floor, the ceiling, and the walls. It was positioned perfectly in the center of the room, surrounded by nothing but open air.

If Verc wants to attack the skeleton—he would need to jump up to it.

But if he did, he would be probably be attacked while in the air. He had no leverage there, no way to dodge effectively once his feet left the ground. And because he can’t fly like his opponent, he would be a sitting duck.

Dodging, or basically any movement, is difficult while in the air. He would be at the mercy of the skeleton’s projectiles, unable to change direction or find a footing. It was a tactical nightmare.

"..."

Verc didn’t say anything, but he frowned as he looked up at the skeleton.

-...

The monster looked down at him, its empty eye sockets seeming to mock his struggle. The gap between them felt wider than ever. Verc wiped the blood from his mouth and adjusted his grip on his sword.

’This is going to be a long, annoying fight.’

He thought to himself.