Bro, I'm not an Undead!

When manipulating corpses, Ashema couldn't heal them as well as Skullius could, restoring function to their more sensitive aspects. He was only capable of repairing their bodies and adjusting them for exceedingly efficient physical performance by employing his perfected blood.

That said, this allowed the corpses to use his blood abilities just as well as he could, and if there was something Ashema could match Skullius in, it was his ability to use his blood in a way that was reminiscent of the Preeminent Attegoth.

Carrying his intent, managing complex tasks freely without Ashema's input…

The blood was capable of this.

…And that was why the attack that came for Skullius was perfectly placed.

The thralls Ashema had created had all met up with the birds he sent out, and they were transported to four different locations where they gathered the blood within their bodies, and with Ashema's consent, compressed it to the point where it could barely be seen.

Then, the first thrall fired.

By cocking back its torso and puffing up its chest, it collected the compressed blood in its mouth and spat it out comically!

No sound came immediately after the shot was fired, not at all visible to the naked eye save for the blasted, misty ring of air that signaled its launch. However, the thrall's body from the neck up exploded, and only after it swayed to fall did a thunderous noise, like an echoing clap ensue, shaking the green surroundings.

No time was elapsed at all from the moment of the launch, to the blood attack's arrival right next to Skullius' head. 

…!

The Hybrid Luman was a little startled.

If not for how he felt the mana around him parting like torn bread in the face of the microscopic attack, he might have not noticed before it was too late.

The blood sent his way was shaped like a needle, or perhaps more like a short string, and despite its size, Skullius felt an ungodly amount of force behind it. 

Indeed, it was powerful, after all, Ashema called it:

"Godspeed Blood Thread."

Skullius' figure warped out of the way at the last miniscule bit of time. Perhaps because of its size or maybe its speed, his default defense in this form – his light – didn't work.

Thankfully, he was still fast enough to dodge.

However…

He didn't manage to dodge the second attack which came right when he barely dodged the first.

Ashema, hidden in the darkness, a short distance from Skullius grinned while overlooking and directing everything.

"Got you."

The Blood Thread pierced Skullius' body as he looked to his side, surprised that he didn't notice it quickly enough, and…

WHOOOOPH!

The air seemed to explode as the attack came with its horrendous force that could have easily pierced through a powerful Incandescent Stager on full guard… and passed seamlessly through Skullius' body as though it was merely an illusion.

…

Ashema froze.

What had just happened?

He saw it.

He saw it clearly, but he couldn't comprehend it.

His Blood Thread had just phased through Skullius body as though it didn't exist!

The dark creature grinned nervously.

Light. Light…

'Don't tell me he's actually…' he thought.

Was this man…actually just made of intangible particles right now?!

Ashema immediately held off the third and fourth Blood Thread attacks.

"Looks like you're running out of tricks," Skullius said as he looked at the well of darkness Ashema was hiding in. "Your darkness is mediocre and yes, you can't beat up light, even with such a small but powerful blood attack. My attempts at dodging gave you the impression that I was afraid your attack would hit me, didn't they? Well, sorry. I was just annoyed by the fact that your blood attack might be as fast as I am is all."

Ashema shook his head.

"Seriously?" he said, and in an instant, the darkness he was dipped in vanished along with him, appearing somewhere far and on the ground.

Just as he took a breath, Skullius appeared above him.

"What's next?" he asked lightheartedly.

Ashema smirked.

This was beyond what he imagined.

A foe like this would have been great to fight… if he could actually touch them.

What was even up with that?

Oh, well…

Two birds rushed to his side and conjured gaping ovals of darkness that seemed to revolve endlessly.

Beyond the unique mutations of the residents of the Under, there was also their ability to control darkness. It was a natural phenomenal born from how there was no sunlight that reached the Under. The whole place was like a ginormous cavern that existed under Aigas with its own rules and laws some similar and some completely different from what the residents of what was above were used to.

One of these dissimilar rules was how the passing millennia without genuine light caused all creatures in the Under to develop an unusual affinity for darkness, and more than that, darkness became a friend.

As it were. Ashema just wasn't the most proficient at using it. Thus…

"You were right. My darkness isn't enough, and my abilities certainly won't work. Not like this. But…my kind thrive on our numbers," Ashema said.

From one of the two dark pools beside him, black, much like liquid seeped out and splattered on the ground and its soil, then a figure slightly taller than Ashema stepped out.

Different from the keen, intelligent look in Ashema's eye though, its two, golden eyes devoid of whites or pupils had a feral glare to them. Its body was covered in ashen, partly black fur, its short arms restlessly quivering at its size. A long tail whipped the air as it finally came out of the portal fully and set its eyes on Skullius.

"Is this your next move, then?" Skullius asked. "You're a curious bunch, all of you."

"We are…" Ashema said with a grin, and from the next portal, a torrent of darkness came out.

No, it wasn't that.

It was a massive flock of birds – vulture-like – great beaks, all of them as black as the coal.

As they rose up, they created a tide of darkness that hurtled towards Skullius righteously.

Ashema leapt on the wave along with the other creature to emerge from the portal and together they ran over the birds towards the Hybrid Luman.

Skullius saw the wave and chortled.

He had an inkling about what Ashema was trying to achieve.

Things were getting exciting, and Skullius was up for raising the bar for absurdity. 

As surprising as it might have been, all he had demonstrated so far was merely the prowess of [Son of Luserus], not his ability with [Just Light].

It was only when he combined the two that the true value of his powers was revealed.