“Despicable humans! Who is trying to sacrifice you?!”
“Kill all these humans!”
The succubi were also provoked.
They had no intention of explaining either; they hadn't planned on letting so many humans off anyway.
The two sides clashed.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Li Xiuman dashed toward the edge of the battlefield.
Although Lumina didn't understand what was happening, she immediately followed Li Xiuman.
“Hey, what's going on?”
“Shh, stay close to me. We'll talk once we get out of here. I won't abandon you.”
“Consider this payback for misunderstanding you earlier.”
Li Xiuman said, full of “tender affection.”
Lumina didn't understand what was going on, or why this skeleton had suddenly become so slick.
But at this moment, their goals were aligned: to escape amidst the chaos.
Thus, the two formed a united front.
As a Mid-Tier Adventurer Swordsman who could infiltrate a Count's fortress alone to steal, Lumina's skills were naturally extraordinary.
Coordinating with the Mage Li Xiuman, she managed to carve a bloody path through the battlefield.
Almost there, almost there.
“I've got your back. No one will hurt you.”
“Just charge ahead with peace of mind.”
Li Xiuman's voice echoed from behind Lumina.
Though his voice was a bit slick, with Li Xiuman's coordination, Lumina indeed felt much more at ease.
In the high sky, Lucia casually repelled the charging guards, finally snapping out of her confusion.
She seemed to have been set up.
That despicable skeleton had used her to kill his enemies.
Damn it. How could there be such a cunning, despicable skeleton in this world?
It was already astonishing enough for a skeleton type to possess a will, so how could it be this crafty?
Lucia still held a stereotypical view of skeletons.
After all, she had studied skeletons thoroughly, which was precisely why she looked down on them from the bottom of her heart.
She quickly scanned the battlefield for any sign of the skeleton.
Wasting her strength on these humans was utterly foolish; capturing that despicable skeleton and leaving early was the best course of action.
Soon, Lucia spotted Li Xiuman and Lumina.
The two had already reached the edge of the battlefield together and were on the verge of breaking through the encirclement.
After all, with Li Xiuman being a highly accomplished Mage and Lumina an outstanding Swordsman, they were currently invincible, carving out a blood-soaked path.
“Don't even think about it!”
Seeing this, Lucia hurriedly flapped her wings and dove toward Li Xiuman and Lumina's position.
Any guards attempting to stop her were easily torn to shreds.
“Skeleton, that female succubus is rushing over!”
Seeing the unstoppable Lucia, Lumina cried out in alarm.
“I know. I will protect your back.”
“Just charge ahead with peace of mind.”
Li Xiuman's voice rang out once more.
It was just as slick as before.
Lumina had no choice but to trust him. After supporting each other to break through, she had developed a shred of trust in Li Xiuman.
After all, Li Xiuman had guarded her back the entire time, never abandoning her, allowing her to focus solely on what lay ahead.
It had been a long time since she last felt supported by a teammate.
Relying on a dependable teammate once in a while didn't feel half bad, Lumina thought to herself. Enduring a few attacks, she swung her longsword even more vigorously, unleashing her martial techniques.
“Don't think you can escape!”
Lucia drew closer and closer.
She raised her arm high as pitch-black dark energy condensed in her hand, forming a spear.
“Stay right there!”
From a distance, Lucia threw the spear with force. It tore through the air, shooting directly toward Li Xiuman's position.
The guards along the path scrambled out of the way.
By now, the guards had also realized something was off.
These demons didn't seem to be targeting them specifically.
However, their races were mortal enemies, and both sides had already beaten each other senseless. It was impossible to stop now.
Facing the incoming pitch-black spear, Li Xiuman raised his wand high.
“Earth Wall!”
Defensive barriers of earth rose from the ground one after another, blocking his rear.
Yet in the face of the dark spear, they were as fragile as paper, easily torn to shreds.
One of Li Xiuman's arms was blown to pieces.
“Skeleton!”
Lumina cried out.
The skeleton clearly could have dodged just now.
But instead...
“I've got your back. No one will hurt you.”
“Just charge ahead with peace of mind...”
Li Xiuman spoke with difficulty.
Hearing this, Lumina shook her head.
“Stop talking! Don't say another word!”
“You are a truly good person.”
“I misunderstood you before. If only we had talked things through properly back then, we wouldn't have ended up in this situation.”
Lumina admitted to herself that she was inferior to this skeleton.
If it had been her just now, she would have probably dodged.
Yet the skeleton had faithfully kept his word, shielding her back.
Such a teammate was incredibly reassuring.
Li Xiuman stood up, swaying.
“I won't abandon you.”
“...I... probably won't abandon you either.”
Lumina didn't dare to look at Li Xiuman under his hood.
She didn't want to lie to a skeleton like this. If she faced real danger, she would probably... abandon him.
Unlike the skeleton, who was so righteous.
Now was not the time to linger. Lucia was getting closer behind them, and they had to hurry.
“Just bear with it a little longer. We'll break through in a moment.”
Without hesitation, Lumina charged ahead once more.
“I know. I will protect your back.”
Clutching his wand with his single remaining hand, Li Xiuman followed closely behind Lumina, casting familiar earth spells one after another.
Seeing that her blow hadn't stopped Li Xiuman, Lucia accelerated even further.
Since she wanted to capture Li Xiuman alive for research, she hadn't delivered a fatal strike.
But she also hadn't expected him to find an accomplice, let alone still be able to move after taking one of her attacks.
“It seems I have to show my real strength.”
Lucia took a deep breath, the bat wings on her back flapping so fast they blurred.
“Tier 3 Magic.”
“Wings of Darkness.”
A pitch-black magic circle expanded behind her back, summoning a pair of dark wings.
Both pairs of wings flapped simultaneously, boosting her speed once more and turning her into a black blur.
Within a few breaths, she caught up with Li Xiuman and Lumina, landing right in front of them. Her four wings folded shut, and dark mana swirled around her body.
“It's time to end this, skeleton.”
She said.
Li Xiuman also spoke.
“I won't abandon you.”
“Just charge ahead with peace of mind.”
“...?”
Lumina almost thought the skeleton had gone mad from the pressure.
“Are you playing dumb?”
As Lucia approached, Lumina gripped her sword, but ultimately took a step back.
“I know. I will protect your back.”
“Stay close.”
“I am right behind you.”
Lucia quickened her pace, an ominous feeling rising within her.
Using a few spells to suppress the resisting Li Xiuman, she yanked off his hood in one swift motion.
However, there was no skeleton beneath it.
There was only a well-crafted Golem.
Continuously repeating the same words.
“Charge ahead with peace of mind. I will protect your back.”
Rate on N.U.
