Bro, I'm not an Undead!

The Summoner tumbled on the ground as he heard the flood of innards and blood from his summoned creatures crash onto the ground with splatters, his body regaining its balance a moment later, as he looked forward with bulging eyes.

What was this?!

As an Energy Former, it was both a disgrace and a unneeded fear to have objects approach without him being privy to them!

Wasn't he supposed to sense such things with clarity?!

Would he only be reduced to defence, eternally doomed to look to his back like a dog?!

Ridiculous!

Skullius who was a distance away was giving his all into focusing on the objects he had created.

[Beads of Malevolence]!

~~~

[Bead of Malevolence | Lv.3]

A high performance orb created by compressing Evil Darkness and sustaining it in a spherical shape. Its primary use is for high speed attacks and its integrity cannot be broken by means that do not scale up to its quality and strength.

Mana Requirements: 350 Mana Points

Duration: Five minutes.

Cooldown: None

~~~

The product of his hellish routine with [Crude World Projection]!

Skullius had taken the opportunity to smack the Summoner off his game after seeing that he was focusing on the attacks he was throwing at Natalika.

Potent attacks, that he admitted would be difficult to deal with for him as even now, the mighty gust of wind from the large ravens reached even his position, rustling his armour and hair.

The [Bead of Malevolence] possessed incredible speed that he exploited to the max, but it was unfortunate that the ghost around the Summoner could react nomatter how fast he made the bead travel.

When the Summoner had launched the ravens at him, Skullius had instantly summoned more darkness to cover his body, as this, just as he had done before when fighting the Obscene Stalker Ghouls, could partially increase his physical attributes as a watered down version of the effect from [Perfect Night Domain].

He had went on to create a second [Bead of Malevolence] twiddling his fingers as he manipulated both beads faster, culling the ravens that were on their way with one, while smacking the Summoner with other!

The dark bead darted around the clustered ravens at immense speed, shredding them mercilessly!

[You have killed (IV) LV41 Wind Wraith Raven. 689,000 Exp awarded]

[You have killed (IV) LV23 Wind Wraith Raven. 567, 000 Exp awarded]

...

Many notifications of the deaths of ravens appeared in his view but Skullius didn't pay them any mind.

This wasn't the time as he was straining himself to keep up with speed of flight of the ravens, which was impossible to deal with entirely as the over half that remained finally reached him in the next moment, squawking with seemingly angry calls as they sought to pierce him with their mana covered beaks!

Skullius immediately activated [Bolt Through] as the creatures approached, the skill from his armour saving his null-ish life as it turned him permeable with a transparent look to him!

The basis of the effect was that his armour would be moving at rapid speeds to allow him to avoid danger, the effect lasting roughly five seconds.

Skullius used those seconds accordingly!

He moved the [Bead of Malevolence] at shocking speed, the object bursting to work at his fingers' call as it shredded quite a bit more of the tens of ravens, which netted Skullius more experience!

The raging winds from the ravens that bombarded the ground with their masses as they sought to impale him would have definitely fleshed Skullius up if not for [Bolt Through], but he didn't focus on this!

As the effect of [Bolt Through] faded, Skullius had completely wiped out these ravens which seemed to only depend on a singular attack with limited intelligence of their own.

For Tier 4s, Skullius found them to be very weak. Or rather, they were easy to fight against.

However, when he thought about it, it seemed to make a bit of sense.

These creatures seemed to be summoned from an odd space where they lived only among themselves.

Would they be wise enough to attack with anything outside of their expertise?

It also seemed to be an effect of the environment, as stats and attributes could be affected by where one lived.

Furthermore...

'Is this guy the one responsible for all those creatures we've been encountering?' Skullius thought as he steadied himself, gazing at the rattled Summoner.

The Summoner himself had been watching Skullius' entire massacre with a creased set of brows.

He only now discovered that his perception had been poor.

'I assumed there was some kind of specialist in the group, heh. Probably either the Tamer over there or the other woman fighting Tomin. However, this man with a white core I saw as insignificant seems to be the specialist who broke apart Gwendelina's formation up top. Is he also a Mage?' the Summoner thought as he scrutinised Skullius and his gear.

'Did he wear that armour to hide his true class?'

Indeed Skullius' clothing didn't exactly scream Mage and would lead many to believe that he was a Swordsman or an Assassin instead but the Summoner was thinking outside the box.

SHHHHING!

A prolonged resounding blade's call whistling against the wind sounded, its appearance accompanied by a stretch of madly tangling lines that glowed with a white lustre!

It came from the literal storm quaking from where the ravens flew around Natalika!

And then...

Like the parting of a dark sea, the raging winds split open, their murky surge being tinted with a blood red hue that exploded into heavy chunks that fell all around!

The ravens were slaughtered instantly, Natalika walking out of the rain of blood with her hand on her katana.

She then bolted forward, her figure looking like a warped image that extended over to the Summoner instantly!

'Demented Blindsword Technique: Sharp Step Kill!'

Natalika sword swung down madly over the Summoner whose loyal defender instantly reacted, slapping away at Natalika's sword!

This time though, even as her attack was struck away, Natalika's figure warped again, curving around the Summoner like an elongated, multi-coloured rubber band and launching another sword strike!

The Summoner gritted his teeth as he stretched out his hand, using the time when his ghostly associate blocked this attack once again to focus his mana and summon another portal.

Natalika noticed his movement, her blade becoming quicker and quicker as sparks flew with each and every one of her omnidirectional attacks where she turned into a warped figure and delivered an attack mercilessly!

The ghostly remained visible, its hands blurring as it sought to defend against all the attacks from Natalika!

The sparks that flew with these countless exchanges almost seems to ignite a fire around the three figures, and with the prolonged attacks from a relentless Natalika, came an opening!

The ghost-like figure of the creature around the Summoner started to turn dull with its extended exposure, its grey colour turning darker as the stretched out eye with the purple hue on its mass started to close, as if wiry!

'Right there!' Natalika thought as she sensed the creature's energy wane, its weakness exposed!

Her blade tasted the flesh of the Summoner for the first time, slashing from his shoulder to his abdomen in a cruel diagonal cut as the Discount Casper finally failed to dodge a strike!

The Summoner grunted as the portal he had been about to form behind him, crackled and started to break apart!

The ghostly figure around his body suddenly jutted forward with a quick dash, wrapping its arms around Natalika before pushing away in a last attempt at protecting its Summoner!

...!

The swordswoman was surprised by this sudden move and with this little opening, the Summoner gained more conviction, ignoring his pain from the bloody gash on his torso as he pumped more mana into the red portal behind him!

OOOM!

A red glow shone from behind him as the portal opened!

Space trembled as the portal stabilised, something darting from the gateway which led to another plane entirely!

"Kill them all!" the Summoner said with his sweaty appearance, showing desperation as he gnashed his teeth!

The figure that dashed out of the portal headed straight for Natalika who noticed its overwhelming intensity and its... atrocious speed in foggy detail!

The ghostly creature that had pushed her away from the Summoner vanished, making way for five claws that ripped through Natalika before she could even gasp!

The swordswoman saw and felt nothing as the sensation of having five deep gashes that cut from the side of her right eye to her right arm only registered after she heard the loud thumps of a heavy creature landing from its atrociously fast movement four meters behind her!

Blood dripped from her wounds as she staggered, supporting herself with her sword as she knelt, taking deep breaths!

Fast!

That was the word that roamed in her mind as her blindfold which had been cut by the claws of the creature fell off!

Her robe was also torn off on the right side and it became stained in her blood.

Behind her, a large wolf with thick furs of red and black appeared!

It had a height of nearly two and a half meters, its body radiated an energy that warped the space around it right after it settled its feet on the ground from the extreme speed dash!

It had a ferocious face with glowing red eyes, a ghastly long scar parading across its face, constantly changing shape as the creature growled!

What looked like curved brown horns protruded from its shoulders, a long tail with a steel-like shine swinging from the creature's end!

The Summoner grinned while on the other side, Skullius froze.

Not from fear.

But because two things struck his mind in the following seconds.

He sucked in a deep breath.

First...

Holy crap!

He hadn't even seen the creature exit the portal and attack Natalika!

All he had seen was its appearance a distance from the woman, blood spattering a moment after it landed!

'Its too fast...' was Skullius' verbal reaction as he swallowed hard in one moment, his visage full with shock and apprehension.

Then...

'Fast...?'

Skullius looked at the large wolf and it suddenly clicked in his mind.

Yes!

Yes it was!

It truly was fast!

This was it!

Finally!

It was here!

Unconsciously, he performed an action he hadn't done before in all his Null life.

He licked his lips... in greed!

Hell yeah!

It would be a difficult task but who cared?!

Fortune favoured those who fought for it through bitter circumstances!

This... was going to be his next Apostle!

Skullius' eyes burned with passion as his arms prepared to swing the flesh out of the [Beads of Malevolence] until he got a corpse from this powerful creature!

However, a bright flash of golden light interrupted his thoughts from the distance.

The Discount Human didn't need to turn to it like everyone else as he already knew what it was.

'This sockethole of justice really loves rescuing females, doesn't he..?'

---

-Author's Note-

[Ding]

[Ah! Mashu_Berusutora has donated thrice to the novel! I'm heavily inspired! +2 chapters as at 19/07] !