Chapter 42

"Ah———!!!"

Accompanied by a piercing scream that seemed to come from hundreds of people at once, the originally pure white ground began to crack and shake. It was only at this moment that Rijie realized in shock that the whiteness covering the entire room was not stone slabs, but a sea of white bones! They were tightly packed together, covering the ground without a single gap, and at first glance, one would only think it was ordinary stone.

Thinking about this, Rijie couldn't help but feel a chill down her spine. She could imagine what would have happened if she had walked into the room without any precautions. Staring at the sea of writhing bones, Rijie glanced at Rod beside her in surprise. How did he know?

Noticing the girl's surprised gaze, Rod didn't explain much. He couldn't say that he knew because he had died here once before...

And now wasn't the time to think about such things.

"Rijie, prepare to attack, with all your strength."

The white sea of bones had already retreated, revealing the black, dirty stone floor beneath. The atmosphere in the room changed dramatically. The scene, which had previously seemed like a beautiful dream, finally revealed its sinister face. The only thing that seemed out of place was the statue, which, even surrounded by countless bones, remained beautiful and pure, as if untouched by the mire.

However, Rod had no time to admire this beautiful menace. After giving Rijie the order, he rushed into the room. At the same time, a fresh red card appeared in his hand, transforming into a ring of red lotus flames around him.

"———!!!"

Dozens of bone-connected arms reached out to grab Rod, but they were burned back by the flames before they could reach him. Although summoned spirits don't truly die, the pain of being torn apart didn't stop the Flame Killer from lashing out in anger.

Unfortunately, the black hound didn't get a chance to do much before Rod sent it out again. The attack of the bone sea wasn't very threatening, but it was numerous. Rod didn't have any large-scale attack spells at the moment, and Rijie's positive energy could only barely harm the enemy. While a steady approach was a good choice, it would take much more time and energy.

So Rod decided to use a kamikaze tactic, treating the Flame Killer as a living bomb.

The poor black hound, though reluctant, had no choice but to run forward. Rod helped it fend off the arms from all sides, not out of kindness, but to make it go deeper.

Sure enough, the numerous bone arms soon put Rod on the defensive. Facing the claws trying to grab him, Rod decisively stepped back, throwing his summoned spirit forward. The mindless creatures didn't seem to notice anything amiss and soon dozens of arms flew out from the bone sea, grabbing the black hound and dragging it in.

"Boom!!!"

Soon, a violent explosion sounded, and the bone sea trembled. Thousands of fragments flew out, like a shower of flowers, and fell to the ground like snow.

Rod's hand flipped, and a fresh red card appeared again.

Fortunately, summoned spirits couldn't rebel. Otherwise, the poor black hound, which reappeared from the flames without its previous ferocity, would have run away as far as possible if not for the contract. It looked at Rod with a deeply resentful gaze, but Rod ignored it, whistling to signal the Flame Killer to charge again.

Thus, the battle resumed.

The mindless undead didn't understand why the thing they killed kept reappearing. They tore the black hound apart each time it attacked, but the cost was repeated explosions—the Flame Killer's self-destruction wasn't easy to withstand. After several rounds, the bone sea had lost a third of its mass, and it began to roll and coalesce, trying to fill the gaps. However, it didn't notice that Rod had quietly approached.

Having completed a task before, Rod knew the problem with this creature. The bone sea, which looked deadly, was just a decoy. The real mastermind was the statue in the center, which seemed inviolable.

"Rijie, raise the shield!"

With limited cards, Rod quickly made a decision and gave the order to the girl behind him.

Soon, a thin golden barrier enveloped Rod. This time, when the bone arms attacked again, Rod didn't retreat. Instead, he held his sword and charged forward.

As the sword flashed, the bone claws near Rod shattered. In that moment, Rod's figure blurred, and he leaped forward like a shadow.

With the Shadow Flash activated, Rod's speed increased several times, but it didn't reduce the danger he faced. As creatures that relied on numbers, speed wasn't a big problem for them. Soon, countless arms reached out from the sea, grabbing at Rod. The sharp finger bones scratched against the golden barrier, making a screeching sound. But soon, the arms retreated as if they had touched a hot stove, emitting low moans.

Rijie took action.

She raised her hands, and beams of positive energy descended from the sky, shattering the bone arms that tried to block Rod's path. Bone fragments flew everywhere.

Although this wasn't a formal positive energy attack spell, Rijie's half-angel heritage made up for the lack of power. The bone sea, as if doused with fire and oil, began to tremble, and the screams of anger filled the air. Soon, a stream of bones spread out from the side, rushing towards the door.

At this moment, Rod's body began to fall.

He wasn't an angel, and the Shadow Flash, which could instantly boost his speed to the limit, had a time limit. Moreover, gravity wasn't just a concept—Newton clearly disapproved of Rod's attempt to challenge his authority and decided to give him a lesson he would never forget.

The bone sea was right in front of him, and without momentum, Rod couldn't reach his target. If he fell into it, he would surely be torn to pieces.

But Rod didn't think so.

He extended his hand, and a summoning array appeared, followed by a green card spinning out.

Soul Bird.

The green bird circled around Rod, and the swirling wind immediately stopped his descent, giving him a moment to catch his breath. Then, he gritted his teeth and leaped forward again.

This pause gave Rod the space to win. When he leaped again, he was already above the statue. Looking down at the smooth, white statue, Rod apologized in his heart, then gripped his sword and swung it down.

But things didn't go as smoothly as Rod had hoped.

"Swish, swish!!"

As Rod swung his sword, dozens of bone spikes shot up from below, aiming at the young swordsman in the air. But soon, a pair of wings appeared in front of Rod, blocking the spikes.

"Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud!!!"

The sound of heavy impacts, the wings flickered as the bone spikes hit them, and glowing feathers fell, adding a touch of beauty. At this moment, Rod's sword was less than a meter from the statue.

"Whoosh!!!"

A gust of wind.

Rod felt a shadow flash past his eye, followed by a powerful impact from the side. Losing his balance, he was thrown against the wall. Seeing this, Rijie was shocked and stepped forward to help Rod. But the sharp bone spikes and arms attacked again, forcing her to retreat.

"Mr. Rod!"

"Ugh..."

Rod groaned, leaning against the wall to stand up. He felt aches all over his body, and his feet felt like they were on soft cotton, unable to find a center of gravity. At this moment, the wind blew again.

Almost by instinct from years of gaming, Rod turned his head, narrowly avoiding the sharp object that came with the wind. Only then did he see what it was.

It was a long, bone tail, raised high and coiling around the statue like a snake. After two misses, the tail became more cautious, quickly retracting and coiling, with the sharp bone tip raised high, waiting for the best moment to strike.

Five meters.

Rod quickly calculated and had an idea.

At this moment, the enemy seemed to lose patience with the intruder. The bone sea, which had already gathered, rose high and surged towards Rod, who was leaning against the wall. In an instant, the white flood completely engulfed the corner.

"Mr. Rod!"

Seeing this, Rijie felt dizzy and almost fainted. Her mind was blank, and she didn't know what to do next. Although she knew it was dangerous, the confidence Rod had brought her made her subconsciously believe he could handle it. Now, the stark difference between reality and her expectations left her stunned, even failing to notice the approaching bone claws.

But it was only for a moment.

The surging waves suddenly surged, and shards of light swords flew out, shattering the solid cage. The bone sea, enraged by the prey's struggle, roared and attacked again, trying to eliminate the threat.

But this time, they failed.

The white waves were split in two, and a powerful whirlwind swept through, tearing a shocking gap. Rod, standing in the middle, raised his sword, and a bright starlight flickered at the tip.

Rod took a half-step forward, raised his right hand over his head, and swung it forward.

The white sword blade flew out of his hand.

Sensing the danger, the bone sea, which had been screaming, didn't retreat but instead advanced, layer upon layer of bone walls rising and rushing towards Rod. The long tail bone lashed out, aiming for Rod's face.

Rod lowered his hand and tilted his head slightly.

"Swish."

The cold, sharp bone spike passed by him again, but this time, it wouldn't get another chance.

At the same moment, the bone waves, which had been so fierce, crumbled like a child's toy blocks, scattering and falling. Driven by the momentum, they moved forward two more meters before stopping harmlessly at Rod's feet.

Rod looked up, following the direction of the bone spike, and saw the sharp sword blade deeply embedded in the beautiful statue.

Soon, a web of cracks spread. At the same time, a system message appeared before Rod's eyes.

[Base Opened]

"Click."

With a light sound, the bone spike that had pierced the wall beside Rod's face shattered.

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