"Skeleton King... I hope things aren't too difficult for the second brother and his crew."
The long-unheard sound made the skeleton on the throne open its eyes.
Who I am?
Wang raised his hand, and from a unique perspective unlike that of ordinary people, he could clearly see the bone arm devoid of flesh and blood.
A skeleton? Have I become an undead?
Wang was somewhat puzzled.
While top-tier necromancy is practically equivalent to resurrection, there are also regular forms of necromancy.
The skeleton is the most common image of the undead.
A powerful warrior in life, if left with an unyielding obsession after death, can also use this power to become an undead.
The strongest among them is called --
[King]
Well, from this perspective, his identity hasn't changed.
He rose from his throne, dust falling from the gaps between his bones.
He can hardly remember his memories of his previous life; only the obsession that kept it alive is becoming increasingly clear.
Fighting!
Fight the strong, kill them, steal their skills, and become stronger!
And then... what should I do next?
The soul fire flickered in Wang's empty eye sockets. Old people just don't remember well, but it doesn't matter, he'll remember someday.
As for now...
Wang looked down at the intruder, and the strange head, so different from that of the living, filled him with disappointment.
Weak undead have no value in fighting.
The king waved his hand, and the usurpers he had killed slowly rose to their feet.
Gregor looked at the army of skeletons surrounding him and silently placed his hands on the hilt of his sword.
"As expected... it's still a soulless, inanimate object."
The Skeleton King, who had intended to reclaim his throne, suddenly turned around and stared intently at the figure below.
The skeleton archers raised their weapons in unison, unleashing a dense rain of arrows at the figure in the center.
There's a saying in the martial arts world that when someone wields a weapon with the ultimate martial arts skills, even rainwater can't fall on them.
Of course, legends are just legends.
Swords, spears, halberds... no matter how fast you wield them, there will always be gaps. Can anyone truly reach the legendary level?
The greatsword grazed the arrow as if it were wiping a drop of water; the figure beneath the throne was demonstrating the true meaning of martial arts.
Master of all martial arts – the pinnacle of martial arts!
The figure was clearly in the middle, yet the arrow shot straight towards it as if passing through a phantom.
A volley of fire ensued, and the skeleton army turned on each other.
You can't be wrong!
The Skeleton King drew the long swords from either side of the throne, shaking off the dust that was swirling above.
That was the aura of a strong person, that was...
The aura of a king!
Gregor's observation of the Skeleton King's unusual behavior was naturally astonishing; he exclaimed in surprise at its overly human-like actions:
"You... are conscious?"
What an impolite question! In the past, simply opening the mouth would have resulted in being beheaded.
Wait... when was "before"?
The soul fire in the Skeleton King's eye sockets trembled slightly, and Gregor assumed that the other party understood his meaning.
In the past, he would have definitely pulled the other person aside and questioned them thoroughly, but now that his brothers were out of contact, Gregor just wanted to leave as quickly as possible.
"Hello, this was not intentional. I've gotten separated from my brothers, and I hope to find them."
"Could you open the door to the next floor? Or do you know where the door is?"
With Gregor's combination of words and gestures, the Skeleton King followed his train of thought.
He seems to have this ability, but when and by what did he acquire it?
Who cares! As long as I can fight!
The vortex gate opened behind him, Gregor instinctively stepped forward, only to stop abruptly.
The sharp long knife sliced through the stone floor, leaving deep marks as if cutting butter.
Gregor looked up; the Skeleton King was sharpening his twin blades.
Beat me, then you can come over.
"... I don't have time to argue with you."
Gregor drew his sword, feinted as the Skeleton King attacked, and then tried to pass by him.
The next moment, the Skeleton King appeared before him even faster.
The Assassin's Acceleration?
Gregor was stunned by the skill his opponent used, while the Skeleton King's joy was replaced by rage.
Where are you going!?
The combined strike of the two swords came crashing down. Gregor raised his sword to block it, and was about to adjust his position to land against the wall when...
The Skeleton King raised his hand, and Gregor felt his footing slip as he expected, his entire body flying outwards.
A window? Where did you get a window?
Gregor's figure flew backward, and soon he could see the entire building in front of him.
Castle?
The view is downwards, with a dense cluster of dilapidated buildings forming a city below.
A city? How could there be a city inside Dungeon?
He landed smoothly, and as Gregor was astonished by what he saw, the figure that followed him plummeted from the sky.
Boom--!
The blade sliced through the dust faster than the figure. Gregor raised his sword to block the longsword, angrily saying:
Does it really have to be this way?
Clang--!
The Skeleton King pressed down with brute force, and Gregor used the momentum to swing his longsword away, taking a few steps back.
Click click click...
Lacking vocal cords, the Skeleton King's teeth and bones collided together, producing a harsh, grinding sound.
Is that a smile?
Gregor raised his twin swords, turned sideways, lowered his center of gravity, and assumed the stance appropriate for facing a tall enemy.
The Skeleton King raised his twin swords once more.
Gregor charged forward, ignoring the Skeleton King's bloodthirsty blade, and went straight for the enemy's head.
So arrogant!
What was the king's attitude?
That's how it should be!
Wang was overjoyed, and his pace quickened, like a train roaring forward at full speed.
As the sword and blade clashed, sparks flew through the air, revealing that the king's weapon was no ordinary object.
Power is above me.
Gregor drew a conclusion, then rolled over to dissipate the force and sped backward.
But how could the king allow such delicious food to escape?
Charge!
Each step the king took shattered the ground, and each swing of his sword tore through the air and cleaved stone pillars, yet the soul fire in his eye sockets grew increasingly impatient.
Why are you running away? A warrior like you deserves to experience the most brutal fighting...
Come at me head-on!
As if understanding the king's request, the warrior stopped retreating and, as his right foot stepped into the ground, his entire body began to turn upside down.
The effect of the Spartan Kick: delivers a very powerful kick.
By the way, he's really powerful.
Bang--!!!
Caught off guard, the Skeleton King only had time to hold his twin swords horizontally in front of him before delivering a powerful kick to the point where they met.
Like a warrior's rebuttal to a previous fallacy, the king retreated rapidly in the same manner as the warrior before.
One building, two buildings... like dominoes, countless houses collapsed under the impact.
Gregor clicked his tongue slightly. Was the building so fragile that it couldn't trigger the stun effect of Power Strike?
Unaware of his opponent's thoughts, Wang thrust his weapon horizontally into the ground, creating a ripple of earth. After several dozen meters, he finally stopped his retreating trajectory.
Looking up, I saw scratches that stretched across the entire block.
A series of booming sounds rang out, announcing the arrival of the soldiers.
Gregor's figure leaped swiftly across the building's rooftops, his scarf trailing a vibrant red tail; each step he took was accompanied by the collapse of a building.
As expected! You're just as happy!
The king strode forward, while the warriors...
"Get out of my way!"
Seeing the castle behind the Skeleton King and knowing that the portal was inside, Gregor moved even faster.
The two figures drew ever closer, their auras clashing fiercely, creating visible ripples, but this was merely a clash of auras.
Closer! Closer! And then, dual swords against dual blades!
The two swords and two blades clashed together, one above the other.
Gregor released his grip, and in the instant the twin swords flew into the air, he grabbed the back of the blade and nimbly flipped over.
Like a butterfly fluttering among flowers, Gregor swiftly followed the longsword to the king's arm.
By grabbing the joint and exerting force from all four limbs and waist simultaneously, he managed to twist the bone arm completely off.
The knife and arm fell to the ground, but Gregor nimbly rolled away and caught the falling swords.
"Is this enough?"
The soldier said this.
Yes, in a normal duel, having your weapon taken away is already considered a loss, let alone losing an arm as well.
In response, Wang picked up the arm, twisted it a few times at the joint, and put it back in place.
"Click click click..."
The twisting friction seemed to mock him, and the Skeleton King shook his arm.
I'm just a skeleton; that doesn't count as a win.
"..."
Gregor's chest heaved, as if trying to calm his anger.
Finally, he raised both swords.
"Then I'll grind you to dust!"
The shadow of the Dark Grand Knight appeared behind them, making the warrior appear even more ferocious, while the Skeleton King was momentarily stunned.
A knight... he felt like he'd seen a knight somewhere before?
But the king's thoughts were quickly overshadowed by the atmosphere of battle, and the two charged at each other once again.
Unlike their previous brute force, the two seemed to have started a contest of speed.
The dazzling blade light danced in a semi-circle, with the two blades standing on opposite sides, creating a small tornado around them.
A nearby high-rise building, affected by the commotion, collapsed and fell, but before it could hit the two people, it was sliced to pieces by the crisscrossing blades.
The king was so joyful that even those who disliked fighting could sense it.
His will was so strong, and his martial arts skills were so formidable!
And who is the king's opponent at this moment?
The ear-piercing explosion was like a thunderclap, and the suddenly accelerated slash seemed to cut the air in front of it into pieces.
Rumble--!
The building behind Wang instantly shattered, Gale swept through, destroying the block dozens of meters in front of him.
Fragments and debris shot into the sky, turning it a deathly gray!
Affected by the attack, the Skeleton King raised his arms, his chest wide open.
Just as Gregor was about to finish the fight with a single horizontal slash, that strange acceleration returned.
The twin swords slashed down with unnatural speed, still the same swift and fierce killing move.
Gregor swiftly sidestepped, his twin blades slicing down close to his chest and back.
A difference of just a few centimeters could have chopped Gregor in half.
But in this seemingly critical moment, Gregor suddenly remembered the mace.
She's also dual-wielding; is she going to memorize the Skeleton King's moves to practice with him later?
Unaware that his "dance partner" was thinking of someone else, the Skeleton King excitedly quickened his attack.
Two figures passed each other, and Gregor's keen intuition allowed him to react in time and dodge most of the attacks.
However, his body was still affected by the aftershocks, with dense, scratch-like bloodstains appearing on half of his arm and ribs.
When?
Recalling his sudden increase in speed earlier, Gregor realized that his speculation about Assassin skills might have been proven true.
The previous one was acceleration, so this one is... Shadow Evasion?
Give it a try!
Gregor raised his sword and charged again.
Power Strike! / Shadow Evasion!
Both simultaneously amplified their next attack, and the violent impact spread outward from the focal point, sending the two figures flying in opposite directions.
As the pain shot through his arm and side, the force of the impact propelled Gregor high into the air.
He's not invincible after all...
Gregor sighed inwardly, using the momentum to flip in mid-air and stand firmly.
Power Strike, to both feet!
Boom--!
The wall where he landed cracked with a crash, sending rubble flying, while Gregor embedded his feet into the clock tower wall, suspending himself steadily in mid-air.
Lowering his head, the Skeleton King steadied himself with his longsword.
The moment their eyes met across the distance, the two of them suddenly shattered the building beneath their feet.
Their figures suddenly blurred, shooting at each other in mid-air like two bolts of lightning.
Try that one...
[Strength]
From the Skeleton King's perspective, Gregor's falling size appears to expand by one size.
No, it's not an illusion.
The bulging muscles on his arms couldn't even be concealed by his arm guards... This guy!
Boom--!!!
Gregor twisted his body, combined his two swords, and slashed down with the amplification of rotation and gravity.
The Skeleton King parried with his crossed swords, his shinbone plunging straight into the ground, leaving a deep crater.
[Agile]
The suddenly accelerated slash was also dodged, and the Skeleton King felt a sense of foreboding, while Gregor, using the momentum to flip over, had already started the next phase.
He's right above us now.
Power Strike, dual swords!
The raised twin blades caught the sword's edge, and at the same time, the power of the skill was assessed.
Target hit, success.
Impact on building... ground, successful assessment.
Click!
Skeleton King's body stiffened, Gregor activated [Power] again, using a Power Strike to forcefully suppress his opponent.
As a result of the battle, the Skeleton King's knees suddenly broke, his shinbones shattering into dust, with his thigh bones embedded in the ground.
"Should we continue?"
The warrior approached the king, looked up, and the cross-shaped star and the soul fire met each other's gaze.
In that exchange of glances, the warrior witnessed the end of a king, stabbed to death on his throne by his own knights.
In that exchange of glances, the king also witnessed the tyranny of another king.
Screams, plague, curses... It was a king slaughtering his own people.
He remembered! He remembered!
My enemy is the tyrant, my enemy is myself!
They severed the heads of the knights who opposed them and pieced them back together with the bodies of horses.
It's only natural that a tyrant who commits such acts would be betrayed by his knights.
You... are also a tyrant, and a tyrant kills another tyrant!
Gregor slashed horizontally with both swords, then leaned back and rolled to dodge.
The Skeleton King roared silently, and the shadow beneath his feet forked and spread, as three unharmed Skeleton King rose from the shadows.
"... A clone?"
Having confirmed that the Skeleton King before him indeed possessed the Assassin's skill set, Gregor was on high alert.
Instead of the expected encirclement attack, the Skeleton King summoned clones and broke off their leg bones to replace his own.
The Skeleton King stood up again, seemingly sensing Gregor's doubts, and a silent rage spread in his eyes.
I am the king!
"Feel sorry..."
An apology, born of his distrust of the king, was offered, but Gregor did not lower his weapon; instead, the afterimage behind him grew even more intense.
"But I'm their boss."
The moment he finished speaking, Gregor had already leaped into the air.
Using the tall building as a springboard once more, he leaped with both feet, instantly Power Strike [Berserk], [Strength], [Agility], and [Reflection].
Pale white ripples vibrated on the sword's edge, amplified by the Power Strike, resembling the appearance of an old man with Whitebeard.
But that's not enough; I don't have time to play with you anymore.
Gregor wielded the Dark Grand Knight's Sword, and a blood-red sword shadow enveloped him, like a falling tower.
At the same time, the excessive use of enchantments made Gregor hear the call of someone.
[Can just anyone become a champion? The Nameless Knight... I will follow in your footsteps!]
[The Nameless Knight... I really want to know what he looks like]
[Does anyone understand why I said the Nameless Knight and the Black Knight are the official couple? What's the Black Iron Knight anyway?]
Hmm... is this what faith is all about?
After removing something rather odd, Gregor fell like Meteorite.
Below, the Skeleton King, watching everything, roared silently.
Shadow Evasion, the function that should have concealed his presence, was discarded by Wang; he only wanted a straightforward and open confrontation.
Enhance! Enhance! Enhance!
The limits of necromancy... but it's still not enough!
Speed up! Speed up! Speed up!
The moment the charge was completed, the Skeleton King fearlessly soared into the wind.
Like Icarus chasing the sun, flying towards the Meteorite that was destined to destroy him.
Click--
With a crisp shattering sound, the blade and both arms instantly turned into fragments, the sword's momentum undiminished as it pierced straight into the shoulder blades.
As the sword shadow fell from mid-air, Wang felt a sense of peace in his heart for the first time.
There are still so many things I can't remember... What's my name? Where did I come from? Why am I here?
However, none of this should be important...
The king's gaze swept across the dilapidated city below, where occasionally one or two skeletons could be seen wandering among the ruins.
After all, I'm already dead...
Haha, yeah, after all, even the country was destroyed.
I must be a failure, whether as a king or a warrior.
Boom--!!!
The attack, carrying the king's figure, crashed to the ground, the violent circular impact sending surrounding buildings flying and creating a massive sandstorm.
Before the smoke had cleared, Gregor took the initiative to swing his sword and disperse it.
Inside the enormous crater, the Skeleton King lay, his body split in two, his bones riddled with cracks.
An undeniable defeat.
Upon seeing the victor, the Skeleton King struggled to his feet, his body shattered.
With his arm broken, the Skeleton King fell to the ground.
He got up, his lower body shattered, and he fell down again.
Repeatedly, Gregor did not interfere; that was a matter of royal pride.
Finally, with the help of a piece of rubble, the Skeleton King, whose chest was still relatively intact, managed to prop up his head.
Come on, take the life of this loser!
The king waited, head bowed, to be slaughtered, while the warriors...
"Alright, you're wearing it now."
Gregor put the fallen Crown back on the king's head, then walked past him.
"Now that you're no longer stopping me, there's no need for us to continue fighting."
"..."
Feeling the weight of the Crown on his head, the Skeleton King felt an urge to laugh.
Unfortunately, a skeleton without vocal cords can't laugh.
But... how foolish!
How can someone who uses kindness to overcome anger be a tyrant?
I never imagined that even my eyesight would deteriorate after I died...
The soul fire in the Skeleton King's eye sockets burned fiercely.
But!
He wasn't completely senile; the victor should take the reward, it was the king's gift.
No refusing allowed!
The shattered bones, swords, and even the Crown... after emitting a dazzling light, disintegrated into specks of light, chasing after Gregor's figure and flying away.
Meanwhile, Gregor, who had returned to the castle, also saw the newly opened purple portal next to the white portal, and the treasure chest that had risen up.
Do you want to go to the next level?
Gregor pondered that if everyone was on a separate level, then leaving after clearing the level was indeed the best option.
But what if they encounter danger...?
With his mind made up, Gregor immediately walked toward the portal leading to the next level.
At the same time, a figure emerged from the white portal beside them.
"Boss?"
"Third brother!"
The newcomer was none other than Gorth. After encountering danger due to the previous anomaly, he was also worried about the others.
Instead of leaving, they also entered the next level.
Gregor observed Gorth's body.
"What's wrong with you? You look so... weak?"
"It's a long story."
"Then let's make it short."
"..."
Gorth summarized his experience in a fast-paced version, and Gregor felt a chill run down his spine.
"You're number one, I'm number two... Does that mean one of the second and fourth brothers is on the fourth floor?"
"No! You go back through the white portal first, I'll go straight to the next level!"
Just as Gregor was about to act, the stream of light outside the window finally caught up with him.
Gorth cautiously prepared to launch an attack, but was stopped by Gregor, who seemed to have sensed something.
"What's this?"
The light swirled around the two of them for a long time. Gregor reached out his hand, and the light converged into a miniature skull wearing Crown.
[The Lord's Gift]
Gregor stared at it in silence for a long time, but finally couldn't help but complain.
"Don't I have a more positive image?"
Realizing this was probably another "character card," Gorth didn't ask why and instead put away the treasure chest next to him.
"Necromancer Staff... Is this boss being this generous?"
Gorth muttered to himself, while Gregor shook his head.
"Just an annoying, troublesome guy."
"Then I'll take it seriously..."
After putting the supplies away, Gorth looked up.
"Everything's packed, boss, let's go to the next floor together."
"No, I can go by myself."
[Ding-dong]
Just as the two were about to argue about whether to go to the next floor together, a familiar group notification sounded.
The two were overjoyed.
The communication has been restored, which means that either Vera or Vane has completed the game.
The two happily opened the Group Chat, only to be met with an announcement that plunged them into despair.
[Group Announcement: Vera... is dead]