Last Ruler Of The Empty Throne-Chapter 42: Skeleton II

The Blade Lord stood frozen, his wide eyes locked on the twenty skeletons cloaked in dark energy within the dome-like area.

Their menacing aura rivaled or surpassed the bears that had nearly killed him, stirring a primal fear that his newfound strength couldn’t fully dispel. His breath caught as he scanned the oppressive darkness, searching for allies in this shared nightmare.

As expected, the Poison Lord and Beauty Lord were equally paralyzed, their faces pale, while the other fighters trembled under the weight of the skeletons’ malevolent presence. The Blade Lord struggled to tear his gaze away, his heart pounding with a dread that felt all too familiar.

Then, his eyes darted to Jenny and Cynthia at the forefront.

Unlike the others, their faces radiated fearlessness, a stark contrast to the terror gripping the group. As leaders, their calm resolve was unshaken, and the Blade Lord’s mind raced.

’They’ve killed First Realm monsters too,’ he realized, the thought grounded in the cafeteria’s whispered tales of their exploits. Survivors often shared such stories to pass the time, and the Blade Lord had heard enough to know Jenny and Cynthia were no strangers to this level of danger.

Unlike Jon, whose First Realm kills were legendary, their victories were less heralded but no less real.

Counting fourteen fighters around him, the Blade Lord noted key absences. The Speed Lord, who had surrendered to Jon, and the Beast Lord, who had abandoned his former ambitions, were nowhere to be seen.

Present were the Poison Lord, Beauty Lord, Jenny, Cynthia, Laura, Simon (formerly Joe), another John, and a mix of veteran students and security forces who had scouted the campus in the early days.

’The best of us,’ he thought, but before he could strategize further, Jenny and Cynthia sprang into action, charging toward the skeletons without a word.

Their decisiveness jolted the group. The fighters, still reeling, had no time to hesitate as the women’s bold advance signaled the need to act before the skeletons could surround them.

"Dark Flaming Tornado!" Cynthia shouted, summoning a cyclone of dark red flames that roared toward the enemy line. The skeletons reacted swiftly, splitting to either side, their darkened weapons slashing at the tornado to halt its advance. They were protecting their leader at the dome’s center, its unmoving presence was a silent threat. The combined strikes shattered Cynthia’s tornado, but the maneuver forced the skeletons to disperse, creating an opening.

Cynthia seized the moment, channeling mana to activate her Yasside Hairpin’s base effect. A protective aura enveloped the group within a fifteen-meter radius, boosting their attack and defense.

And before they could revel in the boost they got, a cold breeze settled into the area.

"W-Why is...."

"The strength and the cold right...?"

"Y-Yes"

"I think it’s her."

Laura, who just replied, a fighter pointed at Cynthia.

The skeletons, still recovering from the tornado’s assault, slowed as the chill seeped into their bones, their movements growing labored.

Cynthia had been experimenting with infusing her wind manipulation with cold to hinder enemies, and the result was devastating. The skeletons, caught off guard, struggled to adjust, their swings faltering.

THUD... THUD... Two skeleton heads hit the ground, severed by Cynthia’s precise wind blades, the dull sound echoing in the dome.

Cynthia distanced herself immediately. She couldn’t be overconfident in this kind of situation, if not it could be her head that fell.

’One more,’ she muttered, exhaling nervously as she prepared her next move.

The hairpin’s boost was a game-changer, amplifying her abilities in a way her previous treasures, like the dress from Jon, now obsolete, never could.

She had faced First Realm monsters before, but the hairpin made her feel invincible, though she knew better than to let hubris take hold.

Her primary skill, Air Manipulation, had started as a support ability, limited by her mana reserves. Only through constant improvisation had she turned it into a lethal weapon, and she continued to push its boundaries.

As the skeletons regrouped, Jenny charged into the fray, her flaming sword gleaming.

Flame orbs hovered protectively around her, a testament to her evolved Basic Swordsmanship Techniques.

"Charge!" she whispered, activating her skill to close the distance to a skeleton. Combining her three fundamental techniques, she unleashed "Tri-Slash!", a diagonal, horizontal, and vertical strike in rapid succession.

The attack decapitated one skeleton and disarmed two others, dark energy oozing from their severed joints like spectral blood.

Jenny pressed her advantage, hurling her flame orbs at the disarmed skeletons, but a blade swung from her right. She ducked low, thrusting her sword forward.

CLANG!

The impact reverberated through her arms, her weapon struggling against the First Realm skeleton’s durability. Gritting her teeth, she discarded her sword. "This isn’t enough," she hissed. Summoning twin blades of silver flame, she layered them with additional fire, the air crackling with power.

The skeleton’s hollow eyes seemed to falter as she struck again, her enhanced blades deflecting its darkened weapon and shattering its defenses. She severed its hand, nearly claiming its head, until—

CLANG!

Another skeleton’s attack forced her back. Drawing her flame orbs close, Jenny engaged in a deadly dance, her Chains skill subtly weaving around the skeletons, unnoticed, ready to bind them at the opportune moment.

Nearby, Laura and Robin operated in the shadows, circling three skeletons with predatory grace. Laura, with her earth-shaped daggers, and Robin, a young woman of 19 years, her Stealth skill making her nearly invisible.

"Let’s keep circling," Laura whispered, their movements synchronized as they wove through the darkness. After a moment, Laura activated her second skill, "One Shot," releasing a bluish energy ball from between her hands. It struck a skeleton’s head with a crack, tilting it sideways, and after another shot, it sent it crashing to the ground.

Robin, her eyes locked on the remaining skeletons, prepared her own skill. The skeletons, adjusting to Laura’s threat, turned toward her, their hollow gazes scanning the shadows.

Sensing the shift, Robin took a deep breath. "Light Bang," she whispered.

A blinding flash erupted, illuminating the dome and stunning the skeletons, and Laura, who recoiled from the unexpected burst. The skill’s flaw was its lack of discrimination, affecting allies and enemies alike, an ironic trait for an assassin’s ability.

Seizing the moment, Robin attacked.

SLASH... SLASH... SLASH...

Her relentless strikes cut through the disoriented skeletons, and a notification appeared:

[YOU HAVE OBTAINED LEVEL 24 "SOLDIER SKELETON"]

As the light dimmed, Robin glanced at the fallen skeleton, its body slumping to the ground. "What was that—" Laura began, her frown sharp, but she stopped, noting the downed enemy.

She shot Robin a brief glare before resuming the fight. The final skeleton fell quickly, overwhelmed by their combined assault.

"Huff... Huff... Huff..." Both women stood, panting, their mana depleted and tension easing.

With a nod, they acknowledged each other’s skill and moved toward the battlefield’s center, where the others were regrouping.

The ground was littered with bone fragments and dust, a testament to their victory, but the cost was steep. Two fighters had fallen, their bodies still amid the chaos. Another knelt nearby, clutching a blood-soaked shoulder, his arm severed. The survivors, low on mana, caught their breath, their faces etched with exhaustion and grief.

At that moment, a deep rumble shattered the silence, drawing all eyes to the central skeleton. It remained unmoving, dark energy pulsing like a heartbeat, the dome’s darkness swirling around it.

The air grew heavier, and the survivors braced for what was to come, the final challenge looming like a storm on the horizon.

The Blade Lord, his fear now tempered by resolve, tightened his grip on his sword. He glanced at Jenny and Cynthia, their fearless leadership anchoring the group. The Poison Lord and Beauty Lord, though shaken, readied their weapons, their ambition outweighing their terror. Laura and Robin, their synergy honed in battle, stood poised, while Simon, John, and the veteran students and security forces formed a loose perimeter, their eyes locked on the central figure.

The dome’s darkness seemed to pulse in rhythm with the skeleton’s energy, its presence a silent promise of devastation.