Chapter 40: Razier the Skeleton King

Razier notices the children, who have now left the wagon. He shouts,

"Wh-Who is this big-brother Razier you speak of!? I am Razier the Skeleton King!"

He laughs awkwardly. Marco speaks up and shouts,

"Big-brother, we know it's you! Hurry up and stop hiding already!"

Razier lets out a sigh and replies,

"Fine! I will reveal my true self to you foolish adventurers. Behold, the true form of Razier the Skeleton King!"

Razier pulls off his cloak which reveals a deformed skeletal body. His bones look puffed up and larger than usual. Marco takes a step back in shock and Belliel runs behind him. Marco stutters while saying,

"B-Big brother... Wh-What did you do to yourself..."

Belliel is shaking in fear as she clings tightly to Marco and mumbles,

"Th-That's not big-brother Razier... That's just a monster..."

Razier announces,

"Exactly! I am not this big-brother you speak of! I am a monster, the king of the skeletons, a being worthy of praise!"

Saiba and Lily look utterly speechless. Saiba points to Razier and asks,

"That's your brother..?"

Marco answers,

"Even though it doesn't look like him at all, I'm sure it's him! I recognize my brother, no matter what he looks like!"

Razier shouts,

"I told you already! I'm not your brother!"

Saiba says,

"Well, even if he is your brother, I can still fight him right? Just a friendly spar, you know?"

Marco replies,

"But my brother isn't very strong! He's lost every fight he's ever been in! I don't think it would be fun fighting him, even if it was just a friendly spar!"

Saiba thinks while mumbling,

"Hm... He's a skeleton now, so he might be stronger..."

Razier shouts,

"I AM stronger now! P-Plus, I told you, didn't I? I am the Skeleton King, the strongest skeleton, not some human brother!"

Saiba says,

"Come on! Let's fight Skeleton King!"

Razier replies,

"Fine then, foolish adventurer. Let us have a duel."

Saiba points to Lily and says,

"You! You're the witness! All duels need one after all, right?"

Lily replies,

"Huh? Why me!?"

She sighs and adds,

"On second thought, we don't have time to argue about this. Just hurry up and get it over with."

Saiba smiles excitedly. Saiba and Razier stand at opposite ends of the chamber while Lily stands between. Uma is taking shelter in one of the passageways while Marco and Belliel watch from inside the wagon. Lily lazily says,

"Duel start."

Saiba gets into a stance with his weapon out, while Razier brings his hand up. In his bony palm, a similarly bony scepter materializes from thin air. At the same time, skeletons start to climb out of the ground at the perimeter of the chamber. Razier announces,

"Heed my skeletal servants! This is quite a momentous occasion! Yours truly, Razier the Skeleton King is going to indulge himself in a legendary duel! I implore you all to lend your eye sockets to this bout!"

The skeletons seem non-hostile, similar to spectators. Saiba looks around and is a little confused, but pays little mind to the monsters. He has dedicated all his focus to the Skeleton King and fighting him to get stronger.

Razier slams his scepter on the ground as it makes a noise that echoes on the stone walls. He shouts,

"Fall and be my shield, Wall of Bone!"

From the ceiling, a barrier of pole-like bones fall and surround Saiba.

In return, Saiba sends out two [Crimson Strikes] in an 'X' pattern. His attack breaks through the bony bars and continues towards Razier. Before colliding with Razier, he summons another set of bony poles in front of him. The wall blocks the waves and absorbs the impact of the hit which creates a cloud of dust in the air.

Suddenly, the wall gets split cleanly in two as Saiba appears and slashes his sword at Razier. Razier uses his scepter to block the attack as Saiba's sword simply gets deflected away. Razier laughs and says,

"Do you see how foolish you were? Your attacks have no effect on me!"

Annoyed, Saiba replies,

"Be quiet! I haven't gotten serious yet!"

From the wall behind Razier, a set of bones come out. Razier shouts,

"Fly and be my spear, Attack of Bone!"

The bones shoot out straight out as Saiba jumps back to avoid them. They hit the ground and turn into dust. Razier says,

"If you haven't gotten serious as you say, I implore you to do so soon. Before you get seriously hurt, foolish adventurer."

Saiba stands up straight and cracks his knuckles while saying,

"Alright then, you asked for it!"

Saiba runs straight forward towards the Skeleton King. Anticipating Saiba's next move, Razier sends out another set of flying bones. Instinctively, Saiba runs through the barrage, dodging the projectiles and snagging a bone at the same time. He uses it to swing at Razier, while Razier blocks using his scepter again.

Instead of the attack being deflected, it breaks through Razier's weapon and completely obliterates it. Saiba says,

"They say only a diamond can break a diamond! I guess your bones can only be broken by other bones too!"

Lily mumbles,

"Diamonds can be cut by lasers too... Also, I think you just weren't swinging hard enough..."

Razier falls backwards onto the ground as Saiba stands over him. He bends down to get closer as Saiba notices something odd.