Chapter 461: The Trap
Everyone was struck speechless, staring in shock at the terrifying scene. They knew all too well what it meant for a skeleton to grow flesh—His Highness Barris, a Sky-ranked mage, was about to be reborn!
A figure from thousands of years ago returning to life—especially one as powerful as a Sky-ranked mage. Not only the Andalusia Kingdom, but the entire Northend World would be thrown into utter chaos.
And Barris's status was even more extraordinary—he was the eldest son of the Long-Legged Emperor...
Boom...
Just as everyone stood dumbfounded, unable to speak, a sudden upheaval erupted—the enormous skull let out a thunderous rumble, as if countless lightning bolts were exploding. The skeleton roared in agony, its massive frame trembling violently. At the same time, the blood-red glow enveloping its body quickly faded, and in just a few seconds, its pale bones were exposed. That intense aura of life vanished as if it had never existed.
"Roar!"
With all traces of life gone, the skeleton returned to its original state. It seemed unwilling to accept this fate, its half-exposed body struggling violently. Two massive arms pounded the ground in wild frustration, sending up clouds of dust, but it remained trapped by some mysterious force. Its aura faded rapidly, and in just a few seconds of chaos, its Sky-ranked power was already gone.
The two blazing flames in its eye sockets reverted to their original form, shifting from blood-red to a piercing blue that radiated a chilling cold. Yet the flames flickered weakly now, far slower than before, and their glow had dimmed so much it seemed they might go out at any moment.
"Did... did it fail?" Dalson's heart pounded wildly, nerves stretched to the breaking point. He stared intently at the still-struggling skeleton, rubbing his eyes as if to see more clearly. No matter how he looked, the undead seemed desperately weak.
He couldn't help but shift his gaze to the Royal Crown...
His eyes burned with intense longing.
Maybe... it was finally worth a try.
Everyone else felt the same.
After all the twists and turns, their emotions were a tangled mess. From the moment the skeleton appeared, it had seemed utterly invincible—devouring Solan Monty, growing flesh in some twisted way, and surging toward the Sky Rank. Their hearts had sunk to rock bottom, leaving only despair.
But then...
A sudden reversal—no one knew why, but the skeleton's attempt to reach the Sky Rank had failed, leaving its power decimated. In that moment, everyone realized this was their chance!
"Now's our chance—kill it! Only then can we leave this damned place..." Councilor Weiss's face was flushed, his grip on the staff white-knuckled. Overwhelmed by adrenaline, his whole body trembled. The past few minutes had him feeling like he'd cheated death itself.
This really was a chance...
The skeleton's failed ascension had brought severe backlash, leaving it gravely wounded and bound by some mysterious force, unable to crawl out of the fissure.
Originally, the team had eleven members. Together, they'd slain two high-level undead creatures. Even with Solan Monty gone, their combined strength was enough to handle a level thirty-seven foe. Now, with the skeleton ravaged by backlash, its aura was only at the peak of thirty-seven...
Even if they couldn't kill it, grabbing the Royal Crown and escaping shouldn't be a problem.
As he was thinking, Councilor Weiss suddenly saw a figure wrapped in roaring flames charging at the skeleton. His heart skipped a beat—he instantly recognized the young mage making his move...
"Go! We have to help Magus Merlin—if he faces the skeleton alone, he could be in danger!" The moment Leon dashed forward, Councilor Weiss shouted and cast Wind Elemental Avatar, appearing silently above the skeleton. Countless wind spells rained down from above.
Though his rank had dropped to Fifth Rank Title Archmage, Councilor Weiss's mastery of magical laws remained, especially with wind spells—calling him a master wouldn't be an exaggeration. His strength far surpassed that of most other Fifth Rank Title Archmages.
His feelings toward Leon were complicated. When he'd first joined the team, he thought this Merlin was too young and impulsive to lead. He wasn't convinced, but after being badly injured by the Wasteland Lord's avatar and losing more than half his strength, all his attention was on Solan Monty. Picking a fight with the young mage would've been foolish.
But as the journey continued, he gradually realized just how powerful the young mage was. Thirty-six or thirty-seven-level undead are formidable, right? Yet they still fell to the young mage...
Without the young mage, who knows how far this team would've gotten...
The Merlin Brothers, the Dragonblood Orc, Dalson, Dean, Oraro, and Rolf—all of them, the moment Councilor Weiss finished speaking, unleashed their full power and charged at the skeleton. Everyone fought without holding back, using their strongest techniques; for a moment, battle energy and magic surged wildly, flooding the entire area.
Excitement ran high—they were facing an enemy who had once been a terrifying Sky-ranked being.
"Roar..."
Beset by ten attackers, the skeleton was furious. A chilling aura radiated from its body, and its two massive flames glared at the group like venomous snakes, flickering ominously. Those giant hands struck out again and again, each blow packed with terrifying force. Even in its weakened state, the skeleton's strength was monstrous—strong enough to shatter the Battle Aura Shield of a Sixth Rank Sword Saint.
After all, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse...
The moment its roar echoed, those flickering flames suddenly blazed wildly. Its half-exposed body trembled, clearly preparing something. Sure enough, the next instant, its huge eye sockets erupted with a torrent of ghostly white fire, surging straight at the group.
Those flames were uncanny—not hot at all, but radiating a bone-chilling cold.
"That was close..."
At that moment, Dean—the Sword Saint closest to the skeleton—was caught off guard as the ghostly flames struck his slightly faded Battle Aura Shield. Instantly, a hissing sound rose as white smoke billowed out, and the entire shield froze, turning into a transparent crystal. With a soft "crack," it shattered into countless pieces.
Dean broke out in a cold sweat. Thank the gods for his Battle Aura Shield—if he'd touched that ghostly fire himself, he'd have been frozen solid...
Even badly wounded, this skeleton was still terrifyingly strong—far above the two high-level undead they'd faced before, easily at the peak of level thirty-seven.
"It's the undead form of a Sky-ranked powerhouse—its strength was formidable to begin with. After thousands of years asleep, constantly absorbing death energy, its bones have become incredibly tough. Killing it outright won't be easy. For now, we can only focus our attacks on its skull and slowly extinguish its Soul Fire..." Leon's voice was quiet, but every word reached the ears of those present.
Leon, using Fire Elemental Avatar, darted through the air, leaving streaks of red behind him. With a series of Flame Flashes, he deftly dodged the ghostly fire. He'd analyzed this flame with his Mana Harness—though not as bizarre as Grayfire, it was still hard to guard against. A single touch could freeze your blood solid, so even he was wary of it.
Boom...
A rush of wind split the air as the massive skeletal hand locked onto Leon's shadow, death energy swirling, crashing down with unstoppable force.
With a sudden "whoosh," Leon dodged again, narrowly escaping the grasp. Now he was less than twenty meters from the skeleton's head—even the flames cloaking his body dimmed in the chilling aura. But he didn't stop, his afterimage flickering as another Flame Flash carried him forward...
Red and blue light surged behind him, dazzling like a full moon. As wild magical power poured in, the Arcane Wheel blazed, unleashing a torrent of spells that crashed down on the enormous skull, filling the air with thunderous noise.
For a moment, the skull was buried under countless spells.
But...
The next instant, the skeleton's furious roar echoed. The skull, washed by endless spells, was completely unharmed. Its pale bones shimmered with sinister black light, and the Soul Fire in its eye sockets blazed even fiercer. Arms flailing, it struck at Leon again.
But it was already too late. In Fire Elemental Avatar form, Leon flashed past like a phantom, leaving streaks of red behind. Another storm of spells battered the skull.
"Too strong..."
Leon looked grim. Facing the skeleton up close meant constant vigilance. In just a few minutes, he'd used Flame Flash more than ten times. Yet despite their combined assault, the skeleton hadn't suffered any real damage. It was hard to imagine—if this creature were at full strength, his team wouldn't last even a few minutes before being wiped out.
He couldn't help but feel relieved.
Honestly, after the skeleton devoured Solan Monty and failed to ascend to Sky Rank, losing much of its power, Leon wasn't surprised—he'd orchestrated it himself.
No, actually—it was Lord Shaun who did it.
Back in the study on the ninth floor, Leon had learned from Lord Shaun that Barris, who left behind the Bloodline Curse, still had a surviving soul. Leon had secretly asked Lord Shaun to tamper with Solan Monty's body. For Lord Shaun, a master of such arts, it was a simple task.
That's how they managed to outwit Barris so thoroughly...