Bro, I'm not an Undead!



Before long, Skullius and Aurolio were standing side by side, the Mages acting as their audience from behind.

Many things were left unsaid that they hadn't wanted to squeeze into the earlier argument. There were many holes which they would have wanted to be clarified, but since Ryte supported these two men and the verdict hadn't left them with too much of a disadvantage, they conceded.

Maybe by watching these two men, while at same time wondering why Skullius was relevant unless he too was the owner of an unreasonably powerful technique, they would get answers as to why they couldn't identify the energy that made up these monsters, which only Aurolio and Skullius alone could seemingly perceive, for instance.

Their collective eyes keenly paid attention.

Skullius felt uncomfortable under the burning attention, but there was nothing he could do about it. There was way to do this in secret within the spiral abode of Mages.

"So, what do you want me to do?" Skullius asked Aurolio.

The pale man remained silent for a while, his eyes focusing on the four spheres yet to be dispelled.

Then he answered.

"Null Life Essence... When you confirmed for me that these creatures made from it, I knew that what I had read was true, simply killing these things, while profitable, was far less beneficial than..."

"Than what?" Skullius asked with a frown.

He kept giving focus to the old fogeys at the back, and this time, since Aurolio hadn't erected some form of barrier to prevent anyone from hearing their conversation...

The looks on the faces of the Mages seemed to change.

Skullius gulped.

Perhaps he shouldn't have asked.

But still, he doubted these guys would understand what they were saying if they didn't continue feeding each other information without preventative means around them.

Aurolio didn't seem too on guard against the listening Mages on this particular subject. He was too absorbed with the prospects of the task at hand.

"You have a way to kill them on your own, right?" Aurolio suddenly asked.

Skullius gave him a strange look.

He actually wasn't sure.

In fact, between him, Aurolio and the Null Devil King, it seemed like only Skullius had this doubt.

"I... think so?" he answered, not sure himself if what he said was question or answer.

"I need you to kill them all. Preferably in a way that doesn't erase their corpses."

"Huh?"

Skullius donned a look of confusion.

The pale man didn't give him time to ask why though. He turned to Ryte and gave a nod.

The Arch-Mage gestured with his hand, and one of the spheres vanished, revealing the tall and thick blue Null Badub within it.

The Hybrid Luman sighed in annoyance.

Could he really kill these beasts on his own?

The question brought to mind the Null Devil King's application of Null Life Essence.

Yes.

Skullius hadn't been oblivious to it.

He had seen the creature use a familiar skill in fact.

[Static Limbo]!

Unlike how it worked for him in his Penetrator form – with a limit of one target at a time – the Null Devil King had used it to keep the exploding bits of the Bryne Family mansion in place, and to then bring them back together to recreate the large structure without a single spot of the previous damage!

Skullius didn't know the skill could do that. He doubted he could use it like that, after all, [Static Limbo] couldn't be upgraded or evolved like [Unbound].

This aside, he did have something he could try.

With a thought, Skullius summoned the Bashful Abomination. For everyone's safety, he had wrapped it up in a cloth once again, since finding a sheath for a sword this long was not a simple matter, especially given the rough line of events he had to deal with.

"Dear Master! What do you need? Are we going to do something exciting like before? That was a very unique experience!"

"Luckily for you... We're doing the exact same thing. Every. Single. Detail," Skullius whispered as he channelled Null Life Essence into the zhanmadao.

The Bashful Abomination turned giddy, remembering that calamitous slash Skullius had used against the Null Devil King!

Doing that again... was going to be too thrilling!

The Null Badub before Skullius remained dazed for a little while, but when it saw him who was closest in view – since Aurolio had moved back to give him space – it reacted strangely.

It opened its mouth and...

"Kin..."

...it spoke.

Skullius got into a stance and groaned.

He hadn't expected the Null Badub to speak, but this wasn't the first or second time this was happening.

Every Null beast seemed to recognise him and use the word 'Kin' to refer to him.

Thank goodness no one could understand what it just said!

Quickly, before unwrapping the cloth around the Bashful Abomination, Skullius gave a warning to the onlookers.

"Uh... Please close your eyes. This weapon hurts anyone who looks at it. Don't say I didn't warn you."

After that Skullius focused on the Null Badub that maintained a calm stare at him. Then it looked at the second closest thing to it.

Aurolio.

In a blink, the creature's attitude changed. It snarled, its body growing tense.

Skullius' instincts flared, and just like last time, he activated [Swordmaster's Quiescence] immediately.

Instantly, the Hybrid Luman's consciousness dulled, replaced by the instinct of a butcher well versed in slicing and dicing all things asunder!

The moment the Null Badub lunged hard, its body exploded forward with tremendous momentum that even the world around it couldn't recognise, everyone tensed!

Aurolio decked himself in Voided Death Essence, preparing to receive the blow since Skullius, whom he had given the task to slay the Null Badub hadn't reacted.

The tall blue creature had shot past him and he remained still without moving an inch.

Yet...

In front of the pale man.

In front of the Mages.

The Null Badub which had passed Skullius' stationary body and reached Aurolio within fractions of half of breath... was beheaded.

In one moment it was shrieking in fury, and in the next, its head, fixed with a ferocious expression, was on the floor, its body flying without purpose towards Aurolio who steadied his stance and bashed it backwards.

Ryte jerked his head back.

"Dear me..." he said, surprised at what he had just witnessed, much like all the others.

They had all 'seen' it.

The one to dispatch the Null Badub so cleanly... was Skullius.

The Hybrid Luman was still standing in place like he had been before, but the only difference was that this time, he was holding out the chipped blade of his long sword that was removed from the veiling of a thick!

Of course, looking directly at the blade would have caused a deadly attack to befall everyone, but thankfully, the old scholars weren't senile or dead. They heard Skullius' warning. Thankfully, they didn't need their eyes to witness what was happening. So they resorted to other, more efficient means that didn't require the eyes.

"Goodness... It's like another Bloodless Steel Phantom has been born. Only, this one can kill monsters that even we can't so casually, and with style!" the female Mage said with unveiled shock.

At the same time, Aurolio wore a smile. He too had listened to Skullius' warning and kept his gaze off the sword.

'Of course you can,' he thought to himself before wiping away the curve of his mouth and focusing on the corpse of the Null Badub.

There it was!

As it was said in the Book of Alignment.

Unseen by the Mages, something rose from the body of the Null Badub.

Something that hadn't happened when Aurolio had killed the other Null Badubs!

Skullius' consciousness returned after the Bashful Abomination adhered to his instruction, and jolted him back from the influence of [Swordmaster's Quiescence]... just in time to see what Aurolio saw.

From the body of the Null Badub, a pristine soul rose up into the air.

~~~

[Author's Note]

[Swordmaster's Quiescence (Special) | Lv.31]

A sword master, after reaching a certain calibre can enter a state of flow, peace and immersion within their mastered craft. This state is only a once in a lifetime opportunity for most practitioners but for a true sword master, it is an ability used through simple choice.

Mana Requirements: 20,000 (I) Mana, 1500 (I) every minute.

Duration: 10 minutes

Cooldown: 20 hours

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