Bro, I'm not an Undead!

Opungale enjoyed a lot of natural benefits. The barrier that had naturally formed around it since the Giants had taught the Sif how to properly acquaint themselves with nature was one example. The compliance of all the natural resources on Opungale was another.

The Deathly Ruse – a bouquet of daffodils bound by Mythical grade tethers – was the greatest benefit of all.

It might not have formed naturally, but it was a resource that grew on Opungale, perhaps sensing the welcome of the Sif and their unspoken promise to care for and respect it.

(A/N: Refer to Ch.988.)

Oddly enough, however, the Ruse could only be used by the King and Queen's eldest children who had El Sif blood purer than their own. It woke, activated, and slept only by their commands. The two had powerful traces of the long-extinct Luminants, after all, stronger than those in anyone else on Opungale.

The Death Ruse was a natural director of life. It could store billions of lifeforms as seeds and preserve them over a long period.

During the battle some time ago, where the Maqians had come to Opungale to slaughter the Sif and take the great continent as theirs, the King and Queen's eldest children had awakened the Ruse and had it devour all the Sif on Opungale, all in the name of preservation.

Undoing such a large-scale usage of the Ruse took some time, and up till now - since the raid led by the Ode of the First Horn sometime ago - Opungale had only been populated by a handful of people – the High Family. Darwel, who was yet to grow into an expert capable of defending her nation like her older siblings had been seedified as well.

…But Skullius was able to undo the Seedification in a blink.

Maximum Catalyst's Reversion forced the Ruse to reverse the Seedification and in the present time, seeds were shooting off everywhere from it. The seedified Sif were sent back to the places where they had been seedified and returned to their normal forms.

It happened in a matter of seconds.

Before long, Skullius had located where Darwel and her personal guards Sevill and Viccil were after being restored and warped them to the King and Queen who were waiting patiently at the Royal Mansion in Gauurdfell, a distance from the action.

"And it begins. I hope they can be quick about this," Skullius said to Uyuniya as they waited.

The Void user wore a small smile and patted his shoulder.

"You made a good impression, tomato flinger," said Sila. "That's why they agreed to this as long as Darwel consented."

The Hybrid Warmoth could only sigh, releasing his frustrations in a breath.

He had split off from the King and Queen before using Maximum Catalyst on the Deathly Ruse. Since he intended to send Darwel, Sevill and Viccil their way, he figured it would be good for them not to see him at first. That would make it easier for the two royals to convince Darwel to do what was required of her.

It was going to be delicate business, almost as delicate as Skullius himself had had to be when he explained to Queen Embrell and the King about it.

Skullius imagined it was going to be easier for the King and Queen though. They didn't have to bear with Kintar, who had been an absolute enemy of progress with her goat-like laughs when Skullius was trying his best to keep a serious face.

Thankfully, Uyuniya was a saving grace.

Earlier, she and Elita hadn't quite gotten to softening the Queen and King for Skullius' sake because of the sheer number of things that needed to be explained before they announced that the friendly four-armed monster wanted to mate with their daughter.

The terrestrial Void User managed to give all the reasons why the High Family should tolerate the absurd proposal, which was why they had even agreed to this in the first place. She was good at making delicate matters seem diplomatic and reasonable.

"Don't look so glum. No woman - nomatter the world - can get aroused when her man is expelling such a negative pressure," Uyuniya said to the Hybrid Warmoth.

Skullius scoffed.

"Am I man though?"

"You're built like one." Uyuniya slapped Skullius' back. "Fix your posture – push your chest out. Look bold and rigid. Act like you know what you're doing."

"Stop pressuring me, damn it! Flesh you!"

"You're not giving me much of a choice. I AM NOT about to let a fellow Void user embarrass themselves and all of us to a mortal. I'd possess you and do the deed for you if I could."

"You… you have got to be kidding me! What's wrong with you? I thought racism was your only flaw. You're insane."

"I'm looking out for you. You have subordinates eagerly awaiting the results of your performance. If you fail, they'll lose all respect for you."

"You're exaggerating, Uyuniya. How is thi—"

"Look at her!" Uyuniya was pointing at Kintar who was rolling on the ground, wheezing.

"I…I can't!" she cried as the laughter choked her.

Skullius scowled at her before turning back to Uyuniya and sighing. The Void user drew closer to him.

"Listen to me. Just follow my steps. There's a lot more to this than just the deed. You need to set the mood. Frankly, this form of yours is too intimidating. Personally, I'd be thrilled if my lover had twenty fingers, but I think that princess isn't used to such things. She likely prefers the simple stuff. Go vanilla, just this once. Can you not change your appearance?"

Skullius had been about to retort harshly, claiming that he didn't have a form that wouldn't terrify Darwel more than his Hybrid Warmoth form... when he remembered something.

[Mystic Macer]!

Hadn't Unnio Lak explained that this skill, which had formerly been [Depths of the Core] was applied by Nullmancers to change the form of their body?

He had!

Suddenly, Skullius saw a spark of hope. He found that he missed [Flesh It Like You Mean It] and its evolved forms a lot. He wouldn't have needed to worry if he could have continued to be the Hybrid Luman for 24 hours.

"You know what? I can change my appearance," he said.

Uyuniya grinned.

"Thank Oslac," she said with relief. "Now here are the other little tips that can make help you perform outstandingly."