BAM!

Verc wasted no time and kicked off again, rushing once more to the skeleton. The stone beneath his boots splintered from the sheer force of his movement.

He was a blur of motion, fueled by adrenaline and the crimson glow of his own mana.

SWOOOOSH—!

The skeleton once again rained dark spears at him, appearing out of nowhere and flying at a terrifying speed. They materialized in the air like black streaks of light, each one humming with a high-pitched, unstable frequency that set Verc’s teeth on edge. They didn’t just fly; they tore through the stagnant air of the place.

SLASH—BOOM!

SWISH—!

But Verc got used to it by now, he cut down some of them, then avoided the most of them with acrobatic movements. He didn’t just move; he danced through the barrage. His blade caught the tip of one spear, diverting its path and causing it to detonate harmlessly a few meters away, while he twisted his body in mid-air to let two others pass by his ribs.

His skills that improves his balance and flexibility were really great help, because of them; he was able to perform exaggerated moves to avoid the attacks without falling down. He felt his center of gravity shift fluidly, allowing him to lean at impossible angles and snap back into a charge without losing a single beat of momentum.

So without slowing down—FWOOSH!

He continued coming toward the skeleton. The monster just floated there. It seemed unmoved by Verc’s persistence.

WHOOSH—!

This time though, along with the dark spears—the sharp shadows that attacked him earlier and blocked his attack erupted below the skeleton from the ground; and they all lunged at him with their sharp tips!

They looked like obsidian pillars of darkness. They extended really fast and far, and there were a total of four of them! They fanned out across the floor before curving upward like the legs of a massive spider.

Unlike the dark spears that explode, these shadows were solid hard, like they were blades.

"..."

Verc frowned a little at that sight, but he has no choice but to face them. He couldn’t go around them in time, and backing off would only give the skeleton more room to breathe.

BAM—SWOOOSH!!!

He kicked off once again, cracking the ground with the strength he launched himself forward to speed up once more.

S L A S H—

He cut down three dark spears that were blocking his way.

BOOOOOM—!!!

They all exploded behind him.

FWIP—FWISH~!

Verc then quickly twisted his torso forcibly to the right; avoiding two dark spears that had appeared right in front of his chest.

And now that those are out of his way, what’s left are the sharp shadow spikes coming at him as well. They were much larger than the spears, and they moved with a heavy, crushing weight.

TUUNK—!

Verc placed his sword in front of him to block one of them with his blade. The shadow was solid hard, as he expected. It didn’t shatter like the spears; it felt like he had hit a mountain. The force behind it was strong as well, vibrating through his arms and rattling his teeth.

And because if this—

"KEUK!"

He was forced to stop on his track! The sheer physical resistance was too much to simply plow through. His boots skidded, his heels digging into the floor as he fought to keep his footing.

He couldn’t advance!

And as he was standing there—WHOOOSH!

The remaining three shadows came from every direction at him! One on each side, and the other from the top! It was a perfect pincer movement designed to skewer him where he stood.

Verc sensed them all, his [Danger Sense] screaming at the back of his mind. Every nerve in his body was on fire.

BAM-

He lightly jumped and let himself be pushed back by the shadow he was blocking!

TWHACK!!!

In doing so; both shadows that were coming from his sides hit nothing but each other! The sound of the collision was deafening, a metallic clang that echoed through the circular room.

SHIIIK—

"FUCK...!"

Verc struggled to stop the momentum of the shadow he was blocking though because of this. His feet skidded across the floor, leaving two long, scorched lines on the stone. He was being pushed away from his goal, and the pressure was only increasing.

And before he could fully stop—WHOOSH!

The last shadow moved a bit more, and followed where he was! It was still aiming on top of his head! It descended like a guillotine, cutting through the air with terrifying speed.

"TSK!"

Verc clicked his tongue, and quickly—FWOOSH!

He covered his left hand with another set of much harder [Black Scales], the tip of his fingers turning sharp. They were thick and jagged, looking more like a monster’s claw than a human hand. Then he also covered them with his dense mana, making the scales glow with a deep, pulsing crimson.

He let go of his sword with his left hand, only blocking the first shadow spike with his right hand. He put all his strength into his right arm, his muscles bulging as he held the massive shadow at bay.

Then looking above him and seeing the last shadow spike inches away from hitting him—

FWIP!

Verc grabbed it from the side!

CHIIIIK—

Sparks flew as he tightly gripped it, his scaled fingers scraping against the obsidian surface. But Verc could feel that he couldn’t stop it completely; the downward force was simply too high. So instead—

"GRAAAAHHH!!!"

He used his strength to push it aside as strongly as he could! He put his entire body into the shove, his shoulder muscles straining to the point of tearing.

And in doing so—SLASH!

The last shadow spike missed his head! It only grazed and took off the scales on his right side of the face! He felt the cold sting of the air on his raw skin, and a thin trail of blood began to seep down his cheek.

TINK—!

The shadow spike hit the floor, but it did no damage. In fact, it was the shadow that cracked! The tip of the spike splintered into a dozen pieces upon impact.

Anyway, Verc wasted no time after that. He didn’t wait to see the shadow retract.

SWISH~ BAM!

He spun around and let the shadow he was blocking go—he slipped passed it before propelling himself forward again!

He stayed low to the ground, moving beneath the reach of the waving shadow limbs.

And not long, he got under where the skeleton was floating!

The perspective changed. Now he was looking at the underside of the monster, the dark robes hanging down like a shroud.

"..."

-...

Verc was looking up at the monster, and the monster was looking down at him without saying anything. The empty sockets of the skull seemed to hold a flicker of curiosity, as if it were watching an ant trying to climb a wall.

Verc quickly crouched down, his center of gravity becoming incredibly low. A crazy amount of mana travelled onto his legs and the very sole of his feet; he could feel the energy building up, the pressure within his muscles reaching its peak.

Then without beating around the bush—BOOM—!

He kicked off the ground, and launched himself upward! Straight like a bullet!

The floor beneath him didn’t just crack; it disintegrated into a small crater.

He flew up so fast that he immediately reached the skeleton, the distance closing in a fraction of a second. The wind was a roar in his ears as he rose.

And with no hesitation—SWISH!

Verc thrust his sword forward, aimed at the skeleton’s head! The crimson mana on his blade was so bright it illuminated the yellowed bone of the skull.

-Not fast enough.

FWISH~

Though, the skeleton just flew to the side and avoided his attack with minimal movement! It didn’t even look like it was trying. It simply drifted a few inches to the left, letting the blade whistle past its temple.

Now, Verc was heading to crash onto the ceiling! His upward momentum was still too high, and with nothing to push against in the air, he was a prisoner of his own speed!

But instead of panicking—

"FUCK IT...!"

FWIP—!

He twisted his whole body midair! He used the movement of his sword arm to swing his legs around, pivoting on an invisible axis.

TAP—!

His both feet and his empty left hand touched the ceiling instead of his head. He landed like a cat!

Then with mana still circulating on his legs and feet—BOOM—!

CRACK!

Verc kicked off once more! Much harder this time that it destroyed the part of the ceiling of where he was before!

SWIIISH—

He descended crazy fast! The force of gravity combined with his own explosive power made him move twice as fast as he had on the way up!

-...!

The skeleton didn’t expect this. And the next thing he knew—

S L A S H—!

Verc swung his sword vertically down... and he cut down the right arm of the skeleton!

The blade bit through the ancient bone with a sickening ’crunch.’ The severed limb, still clutching the air, began to fall toward the floor.

The skeleton was able to move at the last second, if not; he would’ve been cleaved in half instead. The sword had missed the spine by a hair’s breadth.

BOOM!

Verc landed back to the floor. Well, he was basically slammed because of the force of his speed. He didn’t land on his feet this time; he hit the ground with his shoulder and side, tumbling across the stone. It created a crater on the ground where he first hit.

"GAH...! FUCK..."

Verc grumbled. He lay there for a second, his head spinning. His landing was so fast and his form was so awkward that he took damage on his fall. He could feel a sharp pain in his ribs, and the scales on his left arm were almost entirely gone.

But still, he was able to damage the skeleton. He pushed himself up onto his elbows, gasping for breath.

-...

The skeleton looked at its cut right arm. The stump of the humerus was clean, with no blood or marrow leaking out. It just stared at the empty space where its limb used to be.

The skeleton couldn’t feel any pain, nor this will affect it in any way. It was an undead, a being that didn’t rely on flesh or bone for its survival.

But still—it started to realize that Verc isn’t as easy opponent as it had initially thought. The casualness was gone from the monster’s movements.

Then to itself—

’I guess... I can still do something with his body to get out of here even if he’s not alive anymore.’

The skeleton thought of that.

Now, it was done holding back, trying to not kill Verc.

W H O O O O O O S H~

The air in the room suddenly turned freezing. A massive wave of dark, corrupted mana exploded from the skeleton, far more intense than anything it had shown before.

SWIIIIISH~

The shadows on the floor began to boil, and dozens of dark spears began to manifest all around the room, their tips all pointed directly at the man lying in the crater.

Verc looked up, his eyes widening as he saw the sky of the room turn into a forest of black needles. He grit his teeth, forcing himself back to his feet. The real fight was about to begin.

"Haha, this is ridiculous."

He mumbled to himself. He was already healed with his vampiric recovery. Nothing hurts in his body anymore.

His [Black Scales] armor were all renewed as well.

So with a small smile on his face—FWIP!

Verc took another fighting stance, ready for another round of exchange with the skeleton.