Bro, I'm not an Undead!

Several minutes prior…

"Oh, so that's how you do it?" Skullius said without turning back looking back at Ashema. His hand was on his chin, stroking it carefully while his blank eyes were stuck on the design beneath his feet.

The wide carpet of massive skulls with huge gems shaped like wings sticking from them was odd to stand on, even for him who was responsible for the design.

The Preeminent Attegoth from this high up looked even more majestic and domineering than from a distance. Skullius recalled its lesser grandeur from back when he first summoned it because of a Task. It had been a marvel back then, allowing him to take down Kenno, a Master, while he was only an Advancer.

He had used it again on several occasions as a great support unit – against Hobbu Gobbu and Rias in the Premium Age Royale – but its previous strength wasn't as remarkable as it was now.

"It's rather simple, isn't it?" Ashema said, lugging his scythe over his shoulder with a grin. "I doubt manipulating darkness for you came as easy. But, I don't doubt that you'll be able to replicate the specific method we use. Hell, what you use now hasn't shown itself to be inferior, has it?"

"No, it hasn't. But I do need to understand niche styles like yours for what I need to do," Skullius replied as he dropped and caressed the skull he stood on.

Ashema had been expositing how his people used darkness and how it ended up developing traits that had nothing to do with darkness itself.

All of it was useful information to Skullius. Was it applicable? Probably not. At least not immediately. His affinity with [Evil Darkness] was not quite fully realized yet. On top of that, he had cheated his way into reaching the A rank for it, and such a thing didn't give him much understanding of darkness, but only bolstered his efficiency with it.

This had its merits though. Skullius had not created the affix on the Bashful Abomination not just because he wanted to acquire the full power of [Evil Veneration]. It also wasn't to superficially raise his affinity to darkness either.

There was a trump card involved that when used, would achieve two of his goals at once.

'Let's shelve that for a bit,' Skullius thought and sighed.

"So you said your people, the Carven, simply don't need to expend energy when using your many different abilities, right? Courtesy of Boron?" he asked Ashema.

The dark creature looked at him and smiled toothily.

"That's right. Are you thinking of offering your allegiance to Lord Boron? That could be arranged, you know."

"No. Nothing like that," Skullius said and he closed his eyes. "It seems like I can't erase the costs of activating my abilities unless I use Divinity. But, perhaps I can use a certain skill's privilege to my advantage."

Skullius felt the positions of every skill etched into the Preeminent Attegoth.

He located all skills related to [Just Light] and a devious smile appeared on his face.

At the same time, using his Graceful Monolith's vast range, he honed in on the positions of the Ode and old hag he had seen on the shore.

He wondered what they were up to now.

"Hmmm. Looks like things are moving quicker than I imagined," Skullius said.

Those two had confronted the Queen and Darwel far from his position.

That didn't bode well.

He recognized that that bold Queen must have her own plans. The way she held herself and spoke suggested it… and also the fact that she was the dominant one between the two absolute royals.

"Whatever her plans are, I should probably prepare to add on to them…"

"Who are you talking to?" Ashema asked with a laugh.

"Shut up," Skullius said as he summoned Demion's Dance into his hand. The green-bladed hanger with the golden hilt looked eager to be swung. It even sent shuddering waves through the Hybrid Luman that suggested so.

At this point. Skullius decided that he had delayed the inevitable enough.

"Do it," he commanded the sword.

At that moment, Demion's Dance's blade cracked.

Since the Premium Age Royale, the sword had been eagerly awaiting the time when it could finally reach its fullest capabilities without obstruction.

It had held back because of the Royale rules, and it had held back because Skullius told it to hours ago, but now… it was free.

CRACK! CRACK!

Its blade shattered into tiny green fragments that revolved around the golden hilt which remained in Skullius' grip. Said hilt seemed to crack as well, and soon, it too exploded into golden shards, some reduced to dust, that swirled around the Hybrid Luman.

Ever since Demion's Dance became complete, it had begun to do things the Skullius who picked it up way back, the Labyrinth of the Yoke, wouldn't have ever been able to guess.

It had been an ordinary saber at the Rare grade, then a hanger at the Legendary. Now…

Right then, an unexpected interference rushed in, breaking the ecstasy that the Hybrid Luman and his sword were enjoying.

Skullius first sensed it through the Preeminent Attegoth. Some massive rose out of the ground. It was a great bundle of daffodils.

Oddly, right after it stood straight, the Attegoth sensed the presence of almost the entire population of Sif vanishing!

"Hmmm?" Skullius frowned, highly concerned, but then…

[The Deathly Ruse gives its humble greeting]

[The Deathly Ruse wonders if you wish to be seedified?]

Skullius narrowed his eyes at the notification.

"Seedified?"

This was an alien term to him, but he swiftly understood what it meant once the Preeminent Attegoth honed in on the 'vanished' Sif.

He didn't quite understand everything to do with the flowers, but it was clear…

"I see. So that's what her plan was. I didn't think even those plants would be submissive to me though," Skullius said with a laugh. "No."

With the Ruse's influence denied cast his mind back to the glinting shards of Demion's Dance around him seemed to whisper to him.

No, they were actually whispering to him!

[Unmatched Sword Sense] seemed to be working wonders.

It had always been Skullius' suspicion that a sword like Demion's Dance would have a consciousness. Perhaps that wasn't as clear when it was still suppressed by the fact that he had yet to become a person worthy enough to use it, but now…

The shards of the sword began to gather once again in his hand, the spicy fragrance of a unique energy oozing as an advanced weapon was formed.

A Mythical grade Demion's Dance!