Bro, I'm not an Undead!

...

Skullius consciously took in heavy breaths as if hyperventilating.

His chest heaved up and down while water leaked profusely from him.

Words could not perfectly describe his emotions, nor could his Discount Human body.

To make it clear that what he saw was true, Skullius felt his soul tremble!

It quivered and shook as if lightning traced over it, bursts of pain and shock erupting from deep within as the fake human looked on ahead in horror.

No doubt, his soul was affirming that he was in the presence of the one who lorded over his soul!

But how was HE here?!

How?!

Why?!

"S... Somanda..." Skullius mumbled softly to which Actuass who was watching from behind tilted his head and turned to the skeleton that was addressing the very same person he was after.

'They know each other? What's going on?' the Green Neolist head couldn't wrap his mind around this sequence of events.

Tulnas stole a glance at Skullius as he figured that this young man was not as oblivious as he was to what was going on despite shaking like a leaf!

There was more to this man even after all they already knew?!

Actuass took the brief silence to inquire and inform.

"I was just about to capture this man and take him in for—"

"Leave us," Somanda ordered, interrupting Actuass with his raspy voice as he flicked his fingers at the man who was behind him without looking back, the body of the Green Neolist head bursting into a dark flame that swallowed it whole and left charred, smoking chunks that crumbled in less than a second!

...!

What..?!

Everyone blinked and just like that, someone they considered to be a powerful adversary had been eradicated!

Yet, no one spoke a word or even gasped.

This skeletal body, SoSei, was a treasure that could exhibit partial-sentience yet at the same time be used to carry a portion of Somanda the Arch-Lich's consciousness to interact with Actuass.

Unfortunately, because of certain Universal rules, it had limited usage and now, this was the last time it could function as contrary to Actuass' intent to use it at a critical moment in the future, it had spawned for personal gain unrelated to the Green Neolist objectives.

The skeletal body moved as thick flames illuminated the space in red, Somanda peering through Skullius as his teeth went to produce a sound the Discount Human hadn't heard of in a while but with a different tune.

Chachachachacha!

Laughter.

Unlike the comical one he was used to, the tough bones on this construct smacked against each other to produce a sound akin to planks clapping against each other.

Yet this sound horrified Skullius.

"How fascinating the makings of Direction can be... I am a step away from touching them, but here I stand marvelling at how our paths crossed so soon. I expected to see you much later, but who would have thought that when you ran from me, you fell into my Jurisdiction still!" Somanda's voice leaked with a twisted green identifiable within it.

Skullius subconsciously took a step back as he trembled.

'No....' he thought.

The red flames that seemed to want to devour all things focused themselves on the Discount Human and just as it had happened on that very day...

That fateful day...

Skullius was bound by a force he couldn't see!

His body firmly held in place.

The memories that rushed into his head from this experience were by no means pleasant, and the Discount Human found himself losing all his hope.

His soul continued to crackle and pop as if it was about to explode as it reacted to Somanda who took steps forward to approach Skullius.

"Look at you, donning flesh without a care when you had long forgotten what it was like. And now you forget your deathly roots instead! Don't delude yourself. Come. Let me send you back where you belong. Let me rip your soul and send it back to that little girl... Surely, your soul yearns for it. Or better yet, I could reforge it to undeath instead and fill its void with the light of the undying... chachachachacha!"

'No...' Skullius thought with panic.

Back to that...?

Back there when he now knew the truth?

About how his bonds with Bonet and the rest were just false friendships born from sorrow?!

No!

It couldn't be.

It can't be.

To die and be wholly trapped in that ice prison with whoever the heck that girl was?!

No!

Skullius felt his soul tremble heavily, its build twitching violently as Somanda approached, which made it actively take damage!

The pain was immense!

It was cruel!

Skullius almost buckled as he continously felt his will dwindled, from his eye, a subconscious tear falling from the duct as it expressed his unwillingness to keel!

But this wasn't the thick of it!

[An external force assaults your soul. Doom Factor 2 takes advantage. 27%]

..!!!!

'NO!' Skullius screamed in his mind as a wave of pain acted as seconds over the torment he was already enduring.

Yet...

"Either way. Whichever you choose. This proves that even Direction knows you're MINE! Chachachachacha!" Somanda said as he started to cackle loudly while extending his hand to Skullius' face.

The Discount Human felt his will finally sink.

His silver eyes reflected the dark green bony hand of the beyond legendary treasure SoSei as in his very soul, Skullius felt helpless.

He breathed out as he felt his struggles amount to nothing after all this while.

It was over.

How could he deliver himself from this?

SWISSSHHH!

Between Somanda and Skullius, a figure suddenly appeared!

A figure donning blue and black armour.

It stood before Skullius and held Somanda's hand with both of its own, a flashing blue light flickering from behind the helm!

....!

Skullius' eyes were forced to take this in.

Red Rage!

Once again, his Apostle stood between him and adversity!

Skullius' mind clicked!

Something sparked within him in that moment!

Hope!

This was the second time Red Rage was giving him this feeling when he was being overwhelmed, a trait of an Apostle, of a Pelvis Boar-Man!

The armoured figure bravely stood before Somanda, trying to push back his hand!

This was insane!

"Hmmm? What is this here? A puppet of your making with your newfound powers?" Somanda voiced. "A pity."

The Arch-Lich's fingers arched as they flicked at the Apostle with a seemingly lazy force!

Immediately, flames consumed the Apostle in its entirely!

...!

'NO!'

Skullius' mind was rocked to action as even when he couldn't voice his rage and pain in this moment, he expressed it through action!

A plume of darkness exploded from his body with a shocking intensity as he activated [Advanced Evil Production], expelling all the [Evil Darkness] he could with all his mana in one go!

The [Evil Darkness] which gushed out filled a great portion of the cavern as right after this occurred, Skullius immediately called out internally what he considered to be the best move in this situation!

Crude World Projection!

A dark figure rose from Skullius' restrained body!

It loomed over the sea of darkness that covered everything before willing the darkness to obey his will with its his moving hands!

All the darkness rushed to Skullius' physical body and formed a compact sphere that covered it and Red Rage!

In the next instant, the terror stricken Projected form of Skullius burst away at a shocking speed, the sphere following after him with the same velocity!

Those that remained were stunned, except Somanda who looked at Skullius' figure that was bolting away with fervent flames that raged with excitement before he followed, cackling and ridiculing.

"SCURRY AWAY, SKULLIUS! LET'S SEE TO WHICH END OF THIS WORLD YOU CAN RUN TO! TO WHICH PLANE YOU CAN ESCAPE WITH PATCHED UP RAG OF A SOUL!"