Chapter 48: There's So Many of Them!

Breaking through the frontal forces, Lily and Saiba hack and slash, acting as the vanguard. Lazaro waits in the back, providing support with his arrows when needed.

As they move through the horde of skeletons, Saiba notices something while saying,

"Doesn't it seem like these guys just got a lot stronger?"

Lily explains,

"I guess this Skeleton King isn't as dumb as I thought... He put the weakest skeletons at the front to wear us down and now he's planning on finishing us off once we've taken some damage."

Saiba and Lily continue fending the skeletons off, gaining Levels all the while. At the same time, the skeletons are gaining endurance and intelligence, being able to take more hits and dodge as well.

Nevertheless, the trio continue to overwhelm the skeletal forces with little trouble. As they continue, some skeletons manage to run past them and head to the village. Lazaro notices and calls out,

"Guys! Some of them got through! What do I do with them?"

Lily answers,

"Take them out of course!"

Lazaro replies,

"There's too many and I'm not very good with taking out multiple targets!"

Saiba suggests,

"Don't worry, I got this!"

Saiba quickly hops back to the stragglers and shouts,

"Crimson Flash!"

A red dome starts to grow around Saiba, but it quickly disappears into nothingness. Confused, Saiba says,

"Huh? What happened to my Skill?"

Lily replies,

"You're probably out of [Energy]."

Saiba asks,

"Energy? But I don't feel that tired..."

Getting annoyed, Lily shouts,

"Not that energy! [Skill Energy]!"

She facepalms while mumbling,

"I guess you wouldn't know about it if you didn't even know about [Skills]..."

Lily continues her explanation,

"[Skill Energy], or [Energy] for short, is what you need to use [Skills]. You can see how much energy you have in your [Skill] menu."

Saiba opens up his [SI] before Lily shouts,

"You can check later, dummy! The skeletons are about to get in the village!"

Lazaro suggests,

"Saiba, can you send out some of those red slashes at the gate? They don't have to be too big! Just enough to block the entrance!"

Saiba replies,

"I might not be able to, but I'll try my best!"

With the little energy he has left, Saiba swings his sword as three, small [Crimson Strikes] appear and fly towards the gate.

At the same time, Lazaro loads his bow with three arrows. He releases them as they fly towards the red waves. Right when the two projectiles collide, Lazaro shouts,

"Combo-Skill: Crimson Icicle!"

The arrows freeze as the frigid temperatures spread and continue to freeze the crimson waves as well. The [Crimson Strikes] harden and fuse to the village gate, creating a tough, red barrier. The skeletons approach the gate and claw at the ice with no luck. This gives Lazaro some time to take them out.

Finally, the trio finishes off the majority of the skeletons, leaving only Razier and some the two other skeletons lifting him up. Razier shouts,

"I'm quite surprised. You were able to take out my army. It seems I've underestimated you, weak humans. However, will you be able to take out my secret weapons? The strongest servants I have at my disposal? My own [Skeleton Generals]?"

He points his bony finger towards the trio and commands,

"Go my loyal servants! Defeat them in my name! Skathran, Sekuroth!"

The two giant skeletons lifting Razier up lay him softly on the ground and let out a battle-cry that echoes throughout the village, filling the ears of anyone in the vicinity.

Razier holds his scepter out as and armor forms around the generals and a battle axe appears in their bony hands. They look similar to gladiators from Ancient Rome.

They stomp towards Saiba, Lily, and Lazaro while bringing their axes down in unison. The three leap back and dodge the attack. Lily shouts,

"You two take care of the guy on the right! I'll take care of this one!"

Lazaro asks,

"Are you sure you can handle it yourself?"

Saiba reassures him,

"She's strong! I believe in her!"

Lazaro nods to show he understands. Saiba and Lazaro begin their attack by aiming for the monster's legs.

Saiba manages to chip away at its left ankle while Lazaro completely freezes its right foot, connecting it to the ground. Lazaro shouts,

"Alright! He's stuck now!"

The general moves his foot around as the ice cracks and shatters, freeing the skeleton. Lazaro grits his teeth in frustration. Saiba looks towards Lily and says,

"She seems to be taking care of that guy pretty well... Come on Lazaro! We can't let her out-do us!"

Lazaro nods as the two grip their weapons and prepare to take out their opponent.