Bro, I'm not an Undead!

It was true.

The Penetrator was leagues weaker than the Hybrid Luman.

In all truth, if Skullius was using the Hybrid Luman form, he could clear out this Cluster and its General easily before even running out of his natural reserves of mana.

Yet, as he had set out to do, Skullius decided to grow the Penetrator's strength through these three missions.

He wasn't up for making things easy for himself.

"Stall them for me. Both of you," Skullius commanded both Yuyui and Ferex.

The rushing footsteps and flapping of wings could already be heard as the twenty-some Cluster beasts who had been in the pool rushed to save their companion and see who was doing this.

Was it one of their own?

Was it some kind of invader?

They didn't know.

The Penetrator who started to sink into focus only needed a minute.

Just a minute and everything would be fine.

The scales would be shift dramatically!

As his bony palm rested on the captured creature's abdomen, the activation of a skill in progress, a terrific event was near the horizon.

Yuyui trembled at Skullius' words while Ferex immediately shot out from the bushes they were using as cover and went on to meet the enemies!

"But...what am I supposed to do? I can't fight" Yuyui asked with a distraught face.

"Just do anything you can," Skullius said before committing his focus to the creature he had bound by the Chains of Damnation.

With a quick appraisal using his guidance field, he saw the name of these creatures.

They were simply named the Fire Breeders.

The one Skullius had captured was pretty weak and was one of the few out of the bunch that had a white core, albeit a very bright one, which was why he had targeted it.

As was the passive effect of the Chains of Damnation around this Fire Breeder, this poor Cluster beast felt a tremendous amount of pain just from being in contact with the thick, black items.

It screamed and struggled but this did not hinder Skullius' work.

He activated a skill that was near its evolution.

One that he knew was going to create monumental opportunities for him.

[Elevated Mana Manipulation].

...

Ferex retained his invisibility but with the Pseudo Spirit Walker's Hide on, he could only exercise a limited degree of power and flexibility with the Unlimited thread.

Most of his enemies here had blue cores which meant regular attacks wouldn't work against them as their bodies were stronger.

But that was alright.

His duty was to stall.

The Fire Breeders shot in Skullius' direction, most of them flapping their blackish red webbed wings as they flew while the rest merely ran!

One of these Fire Breeders which were undoubtedly some of the weaker ones, puffed it's cheeks, its face distorting – its red eyes getting smothered by its inflated cheeks which glowed a bright orange as it filled up with something hot!

The creature spat out a voluminous amount if boiling magma that flashed through the air as it hurtled towards Skullius who was utterly focused on his guinea pig's core!

He didn't move at all.

Ferex dispelled his invisibility, retracting the Hide of his body as he rushed up ahead, leapt into the air and let his Unliving Thread run wild, a massive, sturdy shield being formed that blocked the magma!

The shield held tens of tiny sparkling arrays that glowed blue, an additional boost to defence granted to the construct as a result!

Sadly, it was still burnt and Ferex's appearance caused the many different Fire Breeders to split, some going after Skullius while the rest rushed to the Hound while generating shots of magma within their bodies!

Ferex's glowing sockets flared with light as he dispelled the shield he had formed and manifested additional legs on his body before rushing in the opposite direction!

His speed was nothing to scoff at as he crossed a vast distance within seconds but the blue cored monsters he was facing against easily caught up and shot down at him, one of them landing a clean hit on the Apostle!

Its hand blazed with heat while turning red, fire spitting from its dark scales!

The punch it gave to Ferex sent him flying but midway through the air, another Fire Breeder caught the Hound and blasted at full speed towards the ground while yelling incomprehensible words!

The two pounded into the ground heavily, causing a shudder in the immediate surroundings!

At the same time, some of the Fire Breeders that rushed to Skullius were faced with Yuyui in their line sight.

In their minds, they had to get through her to reach Skullius but the Pinnacle Occuluthon was merely standing there while quivering!

She looked at the flying and running Cluster beasts that looked human, their mouths open as they hurled what one could safely assume were insults with angry visages!

They all barked aggressively and Yuyui was greatly affected.

She wasn't used to this.

She couldn't fight but..

"WAIT!" she called out in a loud voice while stretching out her hands.

Her face and gesture as she yelled prompted a reaction from the Fire Breeders. Given the universality of facial expressions and gestures that came with having arms, legs and similar facial structures, the Cluster Beasts halted for a bit.

In their minds, Yuyui was trying to negotiate or surrender.

Something always sparked amusement in all creatures when seeing a vulnerable face and these creatures were no exception.

"Um..." Yuyui said, shocked that her desperate attempt to fulfill her master's words worked. "Uh...I..uh..."

The creatures got closer to Yuyui who swallowed gallons of saliva in fright.

"Do you...like music..?" she asked with a constipated smile, receiving no answer to her question as only aggression met her halfway.

This didn't stop her from assuming that her hostile audience in fact wanted to hear a song though, as she cleared her throat and began to sing in an awkward voice.

"The bowels that I know go round and round,

Round and round,

Round and round,

The bowels that I know go round and round,

All to the...uhm..."

Yuyui's flow was cut off by her immense fright...on top of how the reception to her song was terrible, to say the least.

One of the Fire Breeders grew impatient and angry. Unlike most of the others, it had two thick and long horns and was a full head taller.

Its large hand which had tough nails at the fingers darted forward and ripped into Yuyui's throat, gripping whatever it could as it then pulling it out!

Blood splattered everywhere as Yuyui's torn neck leaked 'function juice' everywhere.

The girl's eyes bulged as the atrocious pain caused her to fall, her mind losing focus of any goal she had at this moment.

Yuyui writhed on the ground before dying seconds later, the Fire Breeders she had been holding off chuckling or scoffing as they rushed to Skullius who was a few tens of meters ahead behind the shrubbery.

Was this an attempt at hiding?

How pitiful!

The Fire Breeders soon arrived behind the shrubbery to see the figure of a... a skeleton?!

A walking skeleton had captured their companion?!

What was this?!

Some of them drew back in caution and fright.

They may not know what an undead was, but a pile of walking bones in any culture wouldn't be considered anything good!

This skeleton was doing something to their peer!

What was it?

A vengeful spirit?

A angry and deceased father brought back by some ritual?

What?!

"WAIT, PLEASE!!!" a voice called from behind the Fire Breeders.

The Cluster beasts turned behind them, attracted by the familiarity of the sound when...

...!

Huh?!

They all looked at each other, then at the ground!

The corpse of the girl they had just killed was there!

Bruh...!

So...what in the Cluster...?

"It's...it's weird, I know," Yuyui said with a cheesy smile, obviously sympathising with the Cluster beasts' confusion.

They all lost the urgency they had in this moment as suddenly, everything was turning on its head.

None of this made a modicum of sense!

Fortunately for them, this confusion didn't last long.

VWOOOO....

...!

With a serene hold and casual overwhelming intensity, a sudden shift gripped everything within a mile's radius.

VWOOOOOOO....

The flaming leaves on the trees and shrubs within this forest suddenly burned fiercely, giving the poorly lit world a bright saturation and highlight of sunset light!

VWOOOOOOOOOOOOO.....

The air turned still, like one giant block of ice, battling the grip of breath from all living creatures

in this moment.

It rebelled.

It resisted.

FWUUUUUUUUUU...

All this was being caused by the mana.

Someone...had gripped ALL THE MANA that was within a mile's radius firmly....