Bro, I'm not an Undead!

1366  Get Back (1)

Skullius was taken by complete surprise. He had been so honed in on the Doom Knight and what was happening with the Pestilent Vault Key that he hadn't even seen the massive deer head coming. But now that he thought about it, that might not have been his own oversight.

The deer head was, of course, a conduit conjured by Rias EverSword when he was using his terrifying Imagining Technique, but as it appeared, he wasn't alone. He was with someone Skullius was starting to hate almost as much as he hated the High Lich Somanda.

While immobilised, pressed on the ground by something he couldn't see, Skullius saw two figures standing on the antlers of the deer's head.

One was a tall, broad-shouldered man with long dark hair, and sharp, almond-shaped eyes that let out a grey sheen, as if polished. He had the look of someone old, yet young, experienced yet fresh. His cloak, darker than the night, was still as stone upon his body, hiding a majority of it.

He looked down at Skullius, a broad grin on his face.

Yes, Skullius hated him so, so much.

Beside the Immoral was the youthful figure of Rias EverSword, sallow, with medium length black hair spotting hints of blue at the edges. His large, honey-coloured eyes hid many dark experiences, memories, knowledge… deep powers.

He truly was the ghost of the masked necromancer, Actuass.

He too gazed down at Skullius with not a trace of fear in his eyes.

Skullius scowled. He tried to free himself but it seemed impossible. Sila gave him a side glance as he sidled next to Araeyn who was cautious and smart enough not to move hastily right then.

Kenno was only just now stirring after his body was healed. He let out a barely audible, "Oh, boy… is that who I think it is?"

Fulgardt heard him and smiled, but did not entertain him. Instead, he continued to address the Hybrid Warmoth.

"Well, it took you an awfully large party to barely beat such a lowly opponent," he said as he tapped on an antler branch twice with his foot. "With my… limited knowledge of Deities turned Undead, this wasn't even a high-ranking Doom Knight. It was but a fledgling Deity that got the misfortune of being hunted down by a Lich. I wonder, were you actually proud to defeat it?"

Skullius' response was a deeper scowl.

Fulgardt chuckled.

"Or, maybe a fellow Insurgent Magnus like you – however substandard – had it all figured out, and was just threading through with efficiency in mind? Was that it? Ah, a man after my own heart. Unfortunately, I still don't see you as a successor, brat," he said and climbed down the antler branches languidly. He shook his head. "Tell me. Why are you stubbornly restraining that great power I sensed earlier? I for sure didn't imagine it. You were willing to use it against me but… not against this foe? I'm flattered, but also… vexed."

Again, Skullius' only response was a scowl, but this time…

There was a great flash as his [Sagacious Antiphon of Dawnlight] was applied to Elita, Aurolio and Uyuniya, healing them. They were up in a blink, assessing the situation.

"Quaint," Fulgardt said, and Skullius felt whatever was holding him down stretch out and slam both of the ladies into the ground!

…!

'What the hell? I thought he couldn't harm me as long I know his secret in the Labyrinth?' Skullius thought, confused. Unless there was a great degree of technicalities involved, being slammed into the ground definitely counted as harm!

Of course… it could be that it wasn't Fulgardt who was controlling whatever was pressing Skullius down.

At once, the Hybrid Warmoth's attention rushed to Rias.

Fulgardt seemed to see through Skullius' thoughts right then.

"Yes, yes, it's as you guessed," he said airily, continuing down the antler. "The Realm rank tool, Mood Vine. It is pretty good at restraining… anything, really. I subdued it and had my little companion here use it in my stead. I always loved partnerships. Too bad they often end in betrayal," Fulgardt suddenly looked up. There was nostalgia in his eyes. He then turned to Rias. "You can go about your business now. And make it quick. Whatever this discount Magnus did to that Deity is still spreading."

Rias wordlessly obliged. He climbed down the antler in a flash and landed on the ground, facing the deer's great snout which was planted into the ground.

It was then that Skullius noticed something… off about him.

No. It wasn't just off. It was… impossible.

There was a pressure coming off of Rias that had no business riding a Master.

Yes, Rias, as far as Skullius knew, was only a Master, even with Actuass' powers and knowledge. He had sensed it when they met earlier.

But, no.

The boy wasn't a Master anymore.

He wasn't an Incandescent Stager.

He wasn't a Transcender either!

…!!!

A potent power was coming from his soul, one different from anything Skullius knew to be possible before one reached Divinity!

The boy had reached the peak of Aigas' power system – the Beyond the Veil Stage!

Skullius gaped. How was that even possible?

Creeds? Rules? Did they have such loopholes?

No way! That couldn't be!

Fulgardt was immensely pleased by Skullius' expression.

The deer head groaned and adjusted, steadying itself on the ground, jaw-first. Its mouth then opened eerily wide to reveal not moist, pink flesh walls, a tongue, and a channel to a gullet at the end of it, but a strange, nebulous place, much like a boundless fantasy sky littered with dark green mists and black waters that splashed over the great teeth of the deer.

Sitting in two straight rows within this seemingly infinite space were almost fifty thousand people, straight-backed and dazed. Their eyes were murky hues of green and black; they saw nothing… or perhaps, everything.

At the far, far end, where their rows of men and women ended, was the Doom Knight, seated in a lotus position, still under the effect of Maximum Jaqquezjaqqz.

Rias casually stepped into the mouth and it closed behind him.

It appeared then to Skullius that the Immoral and the ghost of the masked man intended to use the Doom Knight for something. Something sinister. Had they been watching his whole battle, waiting for the opportune moment to steal his kill?

08:22

'I know Fulgardt wants to create a weapon that can reach the Broader Existence using Rias' Imagining Technique, and that to do that, Rias has to reach Divinity, but…'

…And then Skullius' face fell.

"You bastard…" he muttered, fury bulging like a balloon within him. "You're really going to do it right here?"

Fulgardt's grin grew wider, twisted.

"Depends on what you mean, but, oh what the heck… YES!" he cried jubilantly and sat with a loud thud on one of the antler branches. "Oh, YES!"

Uyuniya and Elita gave Skullius odd looks. It was clear they would have appreciated it if he filled them in on what exactly he had figured out, but the Hybrid Warmoth seemed too lost in his own agency to think of them.

He activated his [Legion Eyes] at once, and Fulgardt gave an intrigued, "Oh!"

Everything immediately around the Hybrid Warmoth turned black… and then white, and then red, then gold, and then blue, and then a nasty reddish-brown, and then…

'THERE!'

Skullius saw it, more branch than it was vine – the thing that was holding him down!

His [Legion Eyes] allowed him to see the world in 64 different states, and one of those 64 allowed him to see the Mood Vine.

It was enormous, tree-like, and with a texture like a snake's skin.

Once Skullius saw its entire body, he cut it down using three especially driven [False Ticklers], and a moment later, he, Uyuniya and Elita were free!

While the latter two were still readying themselves, though, Skullius had already charged at Fulgardt.

'I won't let you, you arrogant sockethole!' he resolved. 'You made a big mistake by coming to do it right in front of me!'

His middle and ring fingers crossed together and Skullius was already paying the price to bring the War Body into play through [Instant Embodiment of Perfection]. A price of 200 Amras units was required and 100 more every hour it remained active!

Fulgardt recognised Skullius' drive. He received it grinning, as always. He had been prepared.

However…

Right then…

Right then… a cosmically unfunny joke was recited.

[The Primeval Deity 'JOISEN ANTERRAS' has invoked the terms of his LIMITED CONTRACT with you]

[The Ream rank, Exotic Parlous Nature, 'Second Divine Sinew' is in use…]

[45,677 Amras units have been expended to create a double for 'JOISEN ANTERRAS']

[…]

[…]

And right then, all of Skullius' remaining Amras reserves were depleted and his activation of [Instant Embodiment of Perfection] …failed.

Both the Hybrid Warmoth and the Immoral gaped in surprise and disbelief.

Skullius collapsed, feeling immensely defenceless and absolutely staggered that this could have happened now of all times, and by sheer...chance?

His enemy, the Immoral, on the other hand…

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAA…. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!"

Fulgardt laughed so hard, the entirety of Aigas heard it; tears flew from his eyes and spittle sprayed from his lips. His eyes turned into twisted little crescents and his face contorted into something terribly devilish.

No human could have laughed so meaningfully, so joyfully.

To Skullius, the mocking laugh might have been the same as Somanda's. Cold and genuine.

The guidance field added on, as Fulgardt's mirth persisted, growing, even.

[You have received a message from JOISEN ANTERRAS]

[…]

[Perhaps this will get your attention, little anomaly. Who are you to keep us waiting?]

There was no friendliness in the message.

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