CHAPTER 38: FIGHTING AN ENTIRE ARMY OF UNDEAD SKELETONS

Leon stood alone on the broken battlefield, facing an army of Burning Skeletons. His enhanced eyes could see further than a normal human’s being, yet he couldn’t find the end of these monsters.

All of them were just Tier 1 Monsters whom he could easily crush individually, but the sheer number of them put so much pressure on him.

’I need to protect them!’

With that thought and determination burning in his eyes brighter than ever, he brandished his short swords and ran towards the incoming horde, which was led by the peak of Tier 1 Burning Skeletons.

He crashed into them like a herald of destruction that brought them nothing but permanent death. Various weapons flew at him as every Burning Skeleton in his way lunged at him.

Leon quickly used Sprint Boost and spun as the spinning blades slashed off many Skeletons in the way and also helped him dodge every single attack coming at him.

But that wasn’t the end, as more Burning Skeletons lunged at him. This time, there were even archers, so he couldn’t even stop for a moment to take a rest.

His feet moved in sync with his mind and shifted his position so swiftly and precisely that all the arrows missed their target. But it also put him amidst the heat vents and the Burning Skeletons.

Realizing that he had no way out, he used Iron Skin, which made his body have a metallic glow, and it was followed by a quick use of Sprint Boost.

Leon slammed into two Burning Skeletons while swiping his swords at the others. The flames set his clothes on fire, but fortunately, the battle suit was resistant towards high temperatures.

Coupled with his Iron Skin, he barely managed to get out of it unscathed. But repeated use of skills so frequently was putting a toll on his body, and there was no time for rest.

’Shit!’

Leon had been keeping an eye on the area that led to Denver and the others all this time. The Burning Skeletons were dumb enough to target him since he was gathering so much attention, but it was different for Lava Imps.

He caught three Lava Imps moving towards the wall, and his breath hitched. If they even reached close to Denver and the others, they would do heavy damage even if somehow Denver managed to kill them.

Leon cut off one more Burning Skeleton and then shifted his momentum back towards the wall as he ran rapidly amidst the crowd of skeletons.

He was sweating buckets, his muscles spasmed because of overload, and the dark miasma had also begun to affect him slightly.

Moving through the horde of Burning Skeletons was harrowing and difficult, as he was also running away from the arrows that were constantly trying to skewer him. Yet, he couldn’t focus his attention on the archers.

But he pushed himself forward, and it was then he saw how close the Lava Imps were to the wall, and some of the strongest Burning Skeletons had also begun to follow them.

’Fuck it!’ Leon sliced open the ribcage of the Skeleton and then, using its leaning figure as a base, he jumped and soared into the sky.

His face was assaulted by terrible heat, and cracks formed on his cheeks as moisture instantly got vaporized.

Leon had just accidentally passed through a heat vent, but fortunately, he had taken precautions and had activated the Iron Skin, so the damage was still lowered.

But he didn’t seem to care about his injuries as he extended his hand back and then hurled the sword in his hand towards the Lava Imps in the distance.

The blade cut through the air and reached the Lava Imps in no time, striking its core precisely. The impact shattered the core, making the Lava Imps bulge and explode in a loud explosion.

Everything within a few meters of the Lava Imps was impacted by the explosion, and since there were more Burning Skeletons and Lava Imps there, they were also caught up in the explosion.

Just like that, the chain of explosions began, which decimated everything in a large area before the wall. Every single Burning Skeleton was turned into ashes, which just showed the damage a Lava Imp did after death.

Nonetheless, it did clear a lot of area, which meant that Denver and the others would be safe for the time being unless more monsters tried to approach them.

But it didn’t come without a cost. Because he focused to aim precisely at the Lava Imps and was also in the air, he couldn’t avoid the arrows properly.

As he crashed onto a Burning Skeleton, shattering its skull with his bat, he found an arrow skewering his left hand below the shoulder.

’Tsk! This will restrict my movements now.’ Leon tried to ignore the pain and clenched his muscles, which snapped the wooden arrow in half.

’How did it even go through my Iron Skin? Oh! The heat vents!’

Leon rolled forward and swiftly took out the arrow as the wound began to bleed immediately, but he just roughly tied it up in his sword’s leather sheath to stop the bleeding.

Then, he was back on the battlefield, fighting the hordes of the Burning Skeletons. But now, his efficiency was dropping as his body demanded rest and a healing period. And he also had a half-functional arm now.

Even his stamina was giving up on him, but he was still pushing hard, and it was clear from his labored breaths and the slowing down of his reaction speed.

He was barely dodging the attacks by relying on luck now. His lungs were screaming for air, his muscles demanded release of tension, his legs were giving up on listening to his mind’s command, and even his mind was asking him to just give it a moment of rest.

Everything was getting overwhelming. No Level 11 Awakened was supposed to fight so many Peak Tier 1 Monsters on their home ground in their best condition.

Yet, here he was, doing exactly that.

He had even lost count of the monsters he had killed and the time that passed since the start of the battle.

His mind was fixated on two things: protect his teammates and slaughter every single monster in sight.

His every movement, every slice of his sword, every smash of his bat carried his pent-up frustrations. And he pushed himself even further.

[Corrupted Miasma is trying to enter the Host’s body. Immediate rejection commenced.]

[For the next five minutes, Host won’t be affected by the Corrupted Miasma, but it will come at the cost of his Essence.]

Leon felt his Essence drying up but didn’t care. Or he simply wasn’t in a state of caring since he couldn’t even spare some time to think for himself properly.

Just then, the ground beneath them quaked once again as if an earthquake had struck, and wide cracks began to form on the ground, from which Leon could even see the lava deep down.

That was where the heat vents were made from.

Leon had a bad premonition about this sudden change, so he didn’t hesitate to activate his Iron Skin again even if his Soul Core was running dry on Essence, and dashed towards Denver’s location.

But he caught sight of something that took his breath away.

The brick walls on the sides collapsed as a tall knight in armor walked out from there. Crimson fire blazed in its eye sockets, and it emitted a presence that demanded attention.

Flamebound Knights—Tier 2 Monsters from the second sector.

’Why the hell are they here?’