Endless Evolution As A Skeleton In A Game-Like World
Chapter 39: [39] Red Hall (1)

Chapter 39: [39] Red Hall (1)

In less than a few minutes, the king’s hall had descended into utter chaos!

The mages did battle in the sky, unleashing thunderous spells that shook the hall. Flashes of colours painted the ceiling, the archers unleashed a flurry of blows, the air black with blurry arrows, while the swordsmen were being caked with blood, grime and sweat!

Screech!

Darius’ sword met the blade of the knight, sparks erupting as their edges ground against each other, seconds before he was pushed back a step.

They exchanged more blows, the sound of reverberating steel spreading through the room. Each blow caused a shock to travel through Darius’ arms, it was as though he was striking his sword against a mountain.

’Just how strong is this guy?’

If strength was the only problem, then maybe Darius would have had a chance, but that was not the case.

Strength, speed, technique and even battle IQ. He was completely outclassed by the monster.

The knight’s sword carved a path towards his neck, the move effortlessly flawless. Darius grunted as he nearly tripped trying to evade the attack.

Clang!

Two players jumped in front of the attack, blocking the strike, or at least, Darius thought they did...

It was almost like a mirage. One second the two players were standing, and in the next their heads were cascading into the sky.

[###### has passed on to the beyond. His game has ended.]

[##### has passed on to the beyond. Her game has ended.]

"Fuck!" He jumped back a few steps before screaming at the top of his voice, "Hero’s Stance!"

Then he slammed his foot against the ground, and almost immediately, a shockwave cut through the room, an invisible circle closing in around them.

The players next to him felt the effects almost immediately. Their fear had been banished from their minds, and their entire bodies were filled with overflowing energy.

It rumbled within them like a tempest, as though at any second... it would burst.

’Hero’s stance is a class-exclusive skill that allows me to buff those in my circle, while simultaneously adding debuffs to any enemy that steps inside of it.’ Darius thought, nursing his aching arms.

As long as they were inside his circle, they would have the advantage!

Darius heaved a breath, wiping the sweat that threatened to cloud his vision.

His heart was pounding like war drums, his skin was itchy, and his armour felt like a burden.

"Damn it..."

He had long given up on the hope of saving everyone. But please, even if only half remained!

The knight stared at the invisible line as though he could see it, his eyes narrowing on the spot where it began.

"What? Don’t tell me you are scared after you killed my classmates like worms!"

The knight stared at him, his face an emotionless mask.

"Come on in! I’ll make sure I send your head to your bastard king!"

<•••>

"It is fast!" Soo-jin leaned back as a lance sliced a lock of hair off, the steel blade inches away from her eyes.

She rotated her body and knocked the lance to the side with one of her tails, while the other two charged at him from both sides.

The goblin managed to evade the first tail, but the second one latched onto its arm, pinning him in place.

Then suddenly, Bella jumped atop the tail, daggers in hand as she raced for its neck.

Swish!

Bella swung her dagger, hoping to decapitate it, only to fail. In the last second, the high goblin had pulled out a dagger of its own, stopping her attack midway.

"Tch!" Bella hissed. "Blood Spikes!"

Multiple spikes made out of blood suddenly flew into the goblin, and even in its restrained state, it managed to dodge most of them, leaving only a few to dig into his gut.

The goblin coughed up blood, then hissed.

Swoooosh!

Suddenly, his glaive glowed red hot, energy condensing around the staff. Soo-jin immediately let go of the blade, jumped back, and wrapped her tail around Bella, pulling the girl away from harm’s way.

BOOOOM!

The spot where Bella had been a few seconds ago caved in, the white tiles blackened and shattered beyond recognition.

The goblin staggered forward, using its glaive to support itself as blood gushed out of his wound, yet, his eyes were filled with bloodlust.

"Die!" One of the players, a minotaur, swung her battle axe from its blind spot, but in an instant, the goblin’s glaive flashed, and the player was split into two uneven halves.

[Samantha has passed on to the beyond. Her game has ended.]

’This does not make sense.’ Soo-jin hissed in her mind.

Every single one of the goblins felt like bosses in their own right. Already, an appalling number of players had died, while some were severely injured.

The goblin took a step forward, and then it vanished, appearing right in front of them.

’A foot technique?!’

Its glaive cleaved through the air at lightning speed, but Soo-jin moved before it, already knowing in what direction it would swing.

She sidestepped a number of attacks, both of them moving so fast that it was as though they were in some sort of dance.

Although she could see his attacks before they came, she was still finding it hard to keep up with the lancer, his lance techniques were simply too advanced for someone of her level.

But there was one advantage Soo-jin had that the goblin did not.

Numbers.

Bella suddenly lunged at it from the side, her fist flying towards its face. The goblin’s eyes darted in her direction, it swung its glaive around its body, then slammed the side of the weapon right into her stomach.

She coughed out blood, the air knocked out of her lungs. But before she was sent flying, Bella used her blood manipulation to send the blood flying into his eyes.

Stab!

That second was all Soo-jin needed to drive her tail right through its chest, flinging the goblin’s lifeless body to the side.

"Finally..." she frowned.

That was their first kill.

<•••>

The goblin knight stared at Darius for a moment longer, before attempting to step onto the field. But just as his feet entered the circle, Darius appeared in front of it like a phantom. His sword caught the light as he swung.

He was so fast that it was almost as though he teleported.

Clang!

The goblin managed to escape in time, but not completely. The sword crashed into its helmet, kicking it off and nicking the goblin’s cheek.

"Darius, that was amazing!" One of the players praised him, but Darius was panting.

’I can’t use this skill forever...’ Moving that fast at this level is putting a strain on his body.

The goblin placed a finger on the bloody mark on his cheek, drawing blood. He brought the finger to his lips, licked it, and then smiled.

It was a sinister smile, one that caused Darius’ skin to crawl.

Swoosh!

The goblin tossed his sword to the side and unhooked a dagger from his belt. Daggers were definitely faster than swords, but what good would a dagger do him?

Without a hint of hesitation this time, the goblin stepped back in.

Of course, Darius was there to receive him, only that this time, it was a whole other experience.

Clang!

Darius’ blade and the dagger clashed, causing sparks to drift into the air. ’How did he manage to catch that?’

Sparks of light filled the space as their weapons ground into each other, each person trying to cut down the other.

Darius had been confident in his skill a few minutes ago, but now, that confidence had been completely shattered by the knight before him.

But Darius was no pushover.

He drove his elbow right into the jaw of the goblin, snapping its head back, and then two players jumped at it from both sides, latching onto its arms.

"Hold it steady!" Darius charged, driving his sword forward.

Everything was perfect.

Darius’ sword inched closer to his chest, the blade already piercing through its thick armour...

It was meant to die, the battle was meant to be over. But just in the very last moment, the knight unleashed its aura—

The two players were blown away like tumbleweeds, and then the knight swiftly ducked underneath Darius’ blade, a sinister smile on its lips as the weapon slipped right above him.

Bang!

Rotating his body from his position, he kicked a player in the chest with a force so great that Darius heard his ribs crack.

[Saki has passed on to the beyond. His game has ended.]

The other player screamed and swung at its head, but the knight suddenly turned around and caught the blade between its teeth.

The player’s legs shook like jelly as it stared into those intense red eyes.

"F-F-F-F-F-FUCK!"

Crack!

The sword shattered like glass, and the player felt his trousers grow wetter by the second...

His entire body was shut off by a punch to the liver that sent a shock throughout his body, but he was not allowed to collapse.

The knight riddled his body with more blows, shattering his bones like twigs, before delivering a final hit that shattered his skull.

[Calvin has passed on to the beyond. His game has ended.]

"ARGH! You bastard!" With his eyes moist with tears, Darius tackled the goblin to the ground, hacking and stabbing the monster with his dagger.

His heart felt cold, his mind was vacant and his nostrils burned with fire.

Everywhere he turned, all he could see was death. The notifications plagued his eyes, the sound of screams, his ears, and blood his skin.

It was a nightmare.

This was a nightmare.

Lost in the madness that threatened to consume him, Darius was no longer thinking.

He could not see that the knight had brought up his dagger, or that it was now poised at his heart.

But there was one person who did. Up in the air, Vanessa, the grand mage was in a never-ending battle with the goblin mage.

She was being assisted by Olivia and Daffodil, and yet they had not managed to defeat the monster.

Vanessa was the main attack force so she had to be focused, even a second of distraction would be enough to change the tide of battle.

But when she heard Darius scream, no matter how much she tried to stop herself, no matter how Daffodil screamed at her to focus... Vanessa looked.

She raised her hand at the goblin knight and sent an earth spell that shattered its head to mush.

It was only then that Darius noticed the dagger that was inches away from his heart. He turned up to where Vanessa was floating...

"Ness?"

A tear slid down the Grand Mage’s eyes, because she knew that that moment of distraction was all the goblin mage needed.

"VANESSSA!!!" Darius screamed as though he could tell what would happen next.

Vanessa smiled. "I’m sorr—"

FWOOOSH!

Her body was suddenly consumed by a flood of raging fire, leaving nothing but ashes behind.

[Vanessa has passed on to the beyond. Her game has ended.]

The world suddenly felt intensely dark.