(Sorry about the inconsistent uploads. I've been doing a lot of housework. Small landscaping outside and installing Ethernet throughout the house.)
With the three, well, now four if you consider Taurus, surrounded by several hundred skeletons, with no other path forward, I took the lead and lunged into the horde first, slamming my fist into the face of a large skeleton-monkey, crushing it into bits. "I'll crush you all!" As I stomped onto the skeleton-monkey's chest, it ignited the other skeletons and prompted them to mindlessly charge toward us.
If it were any other situation where countless weak enemies surround us, I would've leaped deep into the horde, killing as many as possible; however, knowing that there was a good chance this was connected to the one who controls death, I not only needed to save my strength, but I couldn't distance myself too much from Lucy and Cana, who knows if someone was watching.
'Even with my enhanced senses, I can't sense anyone, but that just makes me more nervous.' I trusted my senses greatly, but I didn't solely rely on them, as I knew there were probably magics out there that could perfectly counter them. Clicking my tongue in frustration, I continued to enhance only my senses, not touching my body as I was already plenty strong enough to tear through these lifeless skeletons; it would just take some time.
"Lucy, Cana! Don't stray away from each other and protect each other's backs!" Standing atop a T-rex's back, I leaped into the air, glancing at Lucy and Cana as they fought against the onslaught of skeletons before thrusting my hand into its head and tearing it apart, killing it.
"Got it, big bro!" With a glance my way, Cana threw multiple cards at the approaching skeletons, destroying their limbs and allowing Lucy to finish the job by crushing their skulls with her magic whip, something I had gifted her since her previous whip was just a normal one and wouldn't be helpful in most fights. "Fu, this whip is amazing!"
Watching them for a bit longer, I shifted my focus to the horde of skeletons once I was confident they would be able to handle themselves; Cana was usually a drunkard, but she was an S-class candidate mage, she was one of the strongest within our guild, not to mention a veteran so I'm sure fighting beside her will help Lucy's growth as well.
"Hah! Got it!" "Lucy, behind you!" "Haha, don't worry, I'll protect you, Lucy! Just promise me that you'll let me feel your breasts afterwards!" Listening to their conversation, I crushed every skeleton I came across with just a few attacks, leaving behind a path of broken bones; however, even with my speed, it didn't seem like they would come to an end any time soon.
'The fact they're continuing to mindlessly charge must mean no one is controlling them. This probably is just a trap for anyone who gets too close.' As if to solidify my guess, I encountered a human-sized skeleton, causing me to click my tongue as I crushed its head with a kick. 'Must've been one of the hunters.'
This seemingly endless wave of skeletons continued for numerous minutes, and while I was fine, having fought for so long, I could see signs that Lucy was reaching her limit. As for Cana, she was still holding firm, but she wouldn't be able to properly fight while protecting Lucy. 'Tsk, how many are there? I thought there were only a few hundred, but I've already killed over three hundred!' Clicking my tongue, I crushed yet another skeleton, this time that of a Vulcan, before leaping into the air, high enough to get an aerial view.
However, by the time I reached the peak of my jump, I was already sporting an ugly expression from what I saw. 'There are still several thousand left, and it looks like there is more pouring out from the direction of the mountain.' As gravity took hold of me, I thought about using Fairy Law; I was confident I'd be able to instantly defeat the skeletons, but in the end, I shook my head, lowering my arms.
'No, it's not worth it. Against this many enemies, it'll consume a lot of magic and leave me vulnerable; if the one who controls death is truly here, using Fairy Law would be equivalent to offering our lives to him.' It was irritating that I was forced to walk on eggshells, but there wasn't much to be done; falling, I stomped onto the ground, cracking it and causing every skeleton to briefly lose balance as they stopped.
Charging to where Lucy and Cana were, I crushed every skeleton in my way until I reached my little siblings. "Was that big boom you?" Asked Cana, slightly exhausted as she consciously threw cards, creating small explosions upon contact, while Lucy dealt the finishing blows. "H-How many more? I-It feels like we've been fighting f-for hours." "It's only been 20 minutes." "What!?" "Talk later, c'mon, we're retreating for now. I'll carve a path; just stick close and deal with any skeletons that get close. Taurus, you bring up the rear."
After giving my orders, I retraced our steps, taking the same path we had used to get here, while the three followed closely, destroying any skeleton that tried to hinder us. After a few minutes, we finally escaped from the horde.
Turning around, we glanced at the skeletons, watching as their wisp-like eyes vanished, followed by their collapse onto the ground, leaving a covering of bones. "Ha, thank goodness, I'm nearly out of magic power. I wouldn't have lasted even three more minutes. Taurus, return." "No! Boobies!" Ignoring the horny minatour, I let Cana and Lucy recover while I stood guard.
"How many skeletons did you kill, big bro?" "Close to 350. What about you and Lucy?" "Almost 200… There should've only been a few hundred, but even after killing so many, it remained endless. Were the ones we defeated coming back alive?" Furrowing her brows in confusion, Cana scratched her head while gazing at the land we had just broken free from.
"I won't rule out that possibility, but I doubt it. An endless stream of skeletons was coming from the direction of the mountain; if we continued fighting, we would've been overwhelmed." "Looks like we need to get to that mountain then; the problem is, how are we going to do it?" Reaching into her purse, Cana grabbed a small canteen, though before she could drink from it, I quickly consumed everything before handing it back to her.
"You, son of a-" "Simple, we'll use the same tactic we used to retreat. The only reason we stayed in one place and fought was that we thought there was a limited number of skeletons; now we know better. Also, no drinking. How many times do I have to tell you?" Grabbing Cana's head, I gently shook her whole body before walking to a tree while her expression twitched in anger.
"Then why did you drink? Isn't that hypocritical, big bro?" "Hmph, please, everyone's at least a little hypocritical. Besides, I wash away any harmful effects from beer with my magic; you can't. Now sit down and recuperate." Scoffing in annoyance, Cana still listened to my words and sat against the same tree as Lucy, recuperating her lost magic and regaining stamina.
While they did that, I carefully searched our surroundings. Although I thought it unlikely that anyone was watching us, given the mindless actions of the skeletons, I was still cautious; however, it was for naught, as I found nothing.
Returning to the duo while holding a rabbit by their ears, I plopped down and waved my hand, creating small trees with wood-make magic before breaking them off and making a campfire, which I then lit by using fire-make magic. 'Learning those two magics was well worth it.' This magic has helped me numerous times in the past when I was forced to camp in a place without proper cooking tools.
Setting a stone atop the campfire, I used my nails and skinned the rabbit before placing it atop the stone. "Now, we wait." An hour ticked by rather quickly, with me flipping the rabbit several times. After adding some salt and pepper, I quickly consumed it.
"Not bad. You sure you two didn't want one?" Biting the thigh bone, I glanced at Lucy and Cana, who were both eating jerky while shaking their head. "W-Were're good, big bro… Also, aren't you worried about an infection or disease?" "Heh, if a normal infection or disease could harm me, I'd long since be dead." Flashing Lucy a smile, I tossed the rest of the bone into my mouth and stood up, stretching a bit in the process.
"Alright, you two ready? We're heading to the mountain, where the person responsible probably resides, so conserve as much magic power as possible." "Yep, got it." "Understood." "Let's go then. Follow my lead."
Stepping back onto the bone-covered ground, it didn't take long for the skeletons to quickly form, though we weren't concerned, as we've got a plan. Just like when retreating, I took the lead, Lucy and Cana took the sides, while Taurus covered our back. "Moo, boobs are best, but butts are nice as well." "Focus on the damn mission or I'll rip your head off your body by the horns."
Shooting a glare at Taurus, who seemed to rein in his horniness, I grunted in annoyance and began to head to the mountain while we dealt with the skeletons in our way.