At this moment, his bones had transformed into a texture like pristine white jade, smooth as finely crafted porcelain.The soul flames within his eye sockets and chest glimmered like sapphires, flickering softly.
Lixuman had no time to indulge in the intoxicating surge of power. He scrambled out of the crater carved by Pound's horn and surged forward, fleeing away from the battlefield.As he ran, he invested all remaining attribute points into Spirit, raising it to 16—after all, magical potency depended upon Spirit.
He hadn't gone far when a horde of low-tier succubi blocked his path—over a dozen in number.Damn it.
These succubi must have fled here upon seeing Pound's rage, seeking refuge from the chaos.
Lixuman forced himself to remain calm, allowing his bones to regress, restoring the coarse, withered texture of a low-tier skeleton.The succubi, now able to discern him within the shadows, relaxed slightly.
"Not a human… merely a low-tier skeleton."One muttered.
"How did a low-tier skeleton get here?"A taller succubus frowned.How could a skeleton defy Pound's command and leave the battlefield?
Lixuman feigned stupor, wandering through the group toward the deeper forest.
"Fireball."
In the next instant, with no warning, a fireball hurtled toward him.The succubi had made their move.There was no longer any pretense possible.
Lixuman nimbly sidestepped, brushing past the fireball with ease.The succubi, acting only as a precaution, had not expected a low-tier skeleton to evade their attack.They froze, astonished. This was a low-tier skeleton?
"Wind Vortex!"Lixuman raised his hands, summoning a fierce gale.The two nearest succubi were torn from the air and flung to the ground.
Then, slamming his hands into the earth, he simultaneously unleashed Earth and Water magic.
"Swamp!"Vast stretches of ground transformed into soft, sucking mire, engulfing the succubi as flames surged, consuming two of them.
[Notification: Killed Succubus lv12, Experience +200][Notification…]
Now lv13 and wielding Elemental Magic lv2, Lixuman was theoretically a first-tier elemental mage.Yet he had never formally studied magic; this was not incantation, but the raw instinctive power of his elemental skeleton nature, manipulating the elements directly.
"This skeleton possesses intelligence!"The two fallen succubi were the first to succumb, and the tall leader's voice rang out in alarm.
All others snapped to attention, beginning a counterattack.
Lixuman swiftly retreated, stomping his feet to churn the swampy ground.Mud and water splashed, momentarily impeding the flying succubi, as he dove deeper into the forest.
"You two, inform Lady Lucia of the situation here.Perhaps her experiment succeeded, but this skeleton possesses intelligence and has concealed itself."The tall succubus waved, delegating orders to the others.Two took to the air to return to the battlefield, the rest pursued Lixuman into the forest.
Branches and brambles scraped against his bones, but he dared not pause, hunched and fleeing desperately.Yet several succubi remained in pursuit, relentless.
Lixuman's scapulae stretched, connecting with his ribs and vertebrae, forming a pair of menacing bone wings across his back.This was the [Bone Wings] skill acquired from Pound's horn.It was his first flight, and at lv1, he could not predict the outcome—but there was no time to adapt; failure meant death.
He scanned the sky, locking onto the nearest low-flying succubus.Suddenly, he came to a halt, pivoting with explosive force.His toe and fingertip bones elongated into sharp claws.Leaping to a tree trunk, he scaled it with all four limbs, claws sinking deep into the wood, and propelled himself toward the succubus.
The succubus flapped frantically to evade, unleashing wind magic toward him.Lixuman unleashed his bone wings, accelerating through the gale, grasping the succubus.
The creature wobbled midair."Got you."The grinding of bone sounded in the succubus' ears, sending a chill down its spine.Blue flames burned silently in his hollow eye sockets.With no hesitation, his bone claws pierced its throat.
[Notification…]
"Fireball!""Wind Blast!""Degradation!"
The remaining succubi encircled him, unleashing a torrent of spells.Using the corpse of the fallen succubus as a stepping platform, Lixuman spread his bone wings, kicked off with his leg bones, and leapt to avoid the spells.
Three of them, warrior-class succubi, streaked toward him, claws black as night, agilely striking at his bones midair.The remaining magic-wielders provided ranged support.
Lixuman showed no mercy.He ripped off a rib to form a bone sword, its azure flames immediately engulfing the blade.His left arm's bones writhed, forming a long, narrow shield.
Witnessing an elemental mage assume a warrior's stance, the close-range succubi's worldviews shattered.He used elemental magic to stabilize his posture midair, flapped his wings, and propelled himself toward the nearest succubus.
The succubus swung its claws; Lixuman blocked with the bone shield, then slashed with the flaming bone sword, scorching the air with explosive force.
The succubi's claws were repelled effortlessly, their preconceptions shattered.A flurry of wind magic and bone sword strikes pierced one succubus' neck.
Lixuman grabbed the corpse, activating [Super Strength], hurling it at the pursuing succubi.
"Damn it!"The two behind cursed, their hatred for this skeleton peaking.
Lixuman spared no mercy.He hurled a fireball over the corpse, detonating it to knock back the two succubi.Spinning swiftly, he extended his bone sword into a spear, wind magic swirling around it.
"Withering!"He thrust the spear, spinning through the wind, piercing a succubus' arm.He ripped another rib to form a sword, intercepting two incoming fireballs.
Despite his [Elemental Resistance], the explosions at such close range seared him painfully.
"Bone Growth!"The bone spear embedded in the succubus' arm writhed, extending, slicing through flesh and crushing bone.
"Aaaah!"The succubus screamed in agony.
Lixuman lamented the waste, preparing to strike again, when a tremor surged through his marrow.His left arm, formed into a bone shield, instinctively raised to protect his neck.
A black line slashed across the arm, severing it neatly.From the shadows, a tall succubus emerged, her dagger glinting with lethal intent, aimed straight at Lixuman…