Bro, I'm not an Undead!

The call of one of the two who had been guarding the way into the Aurora had alerted everyone, not just the Maqian raiders. The bound Sif gained a glimmer of hope; they perked up, bright expressions appearing on their faces as they expected to see vigour-filled Sif warriors of the highest caliber storming the burning Aurora to overwhelm the enemy.

Such a thing didn't happen though.

There was no army of Sif. 

However, a savior had come.

Skullius hung in the air, courtesy of his gravitational mana.

"There's so many…" he said to himself as he saw the cordon of desperate hostages looking around for any sign of salvation. He sighed.

Coming to the rescue of these people wouldn't have been his first order of business if he could help it. Unfortunately, there was a persistent nag within him that appealed to his Luminant side from the surrounding greens which truly felt like they were seconds away from uprooting themselves from the ground and chasing after those harassing the inhabitants of Opungale.

Skullius felt a constant urge, a constant sense of urgency pushing him to play the savior of the Sif.

He exhaled.

"The only benefit I can see from intervening personally is perhaps getting an easier time getting Darwel. Her mother will probably fight me if I don't do something to earn her trust. <Sigh>. I might have told Luserus that there are many candidates present for me to use to give him descendants with Luminant blood, but I've yet to meet another…ripe El-Sif. Hmmm, didn't Darwel say she had siblings? She hasn't mentioned or introduced them yet…" Skullius said to himself.

That was indeed true.

The Sif Princess had said something like that.

Skullius was hoping that these siblings had a semblance of gender variation to them, and perhaps greater number wouldn't hurt. If he could find two of them as females, that would be phenomenal. Surely, if Darwel was subservient, reverent even, to the current him, they would be too. All El-Sif besides the King and Queen would probably view him favorably.

His deal with Luserus would prove useful with two or three mates; willing mates. 

'Maybe if I become strong enough, I'll just reach Divinity and void that arrangement altogether. It's not like we made a contract. I have a feeling keeping to it will be somewhat tiring, not to mention tedious, after a while,' Skullius thought.

As he thought of the possible routes he could take in the case that Darwel was the only one who was willing to mate with him, he saw Maxim battling three Maqian Masters. She looked to be having a blast, exploiting the speed granted to her by his skill [I Am The World] to completely overwhelm them while testing out how her technique, Planate High, was boosted by the active effect of [Gradius Order Halo]. 

The results were phenomenal.

Maxim didn't take that long to take out one of the Masters by flattening his spine with her technique and taking the chance to kill him. By speed blitzing another of the three, she used her overwhelming strength while bolstered by [Gradius Order Halo] to beat him to death quite brutally.

"I almost forgot how cruel she can be," Skullius said, amused. His figure then began floating forward towards the centre of the Aurora.

There, Skullius saw a brisk figure darting here and there, bobbing and weaving, avoiding attacks from Maqian warriors with ease. 

It was Vali.

She, for what was probably the first time in her life, had donned a less suggestive piece of clothing – a rather fat cloak that hid the slender leather armor she was wearing underneath. She wasn't going heavy on offense like Maxim. Instead, she seemed to be sizing up her opponents who relentlessly cast different types of attacks her way. The synchronicity between their long, mid and close-range fighters was ridiculous. 

Despite the crowding of attacks, none of them ended being dealt against allies. They all fell on Vali who managed to dodge each time, though narrowly.

"They are quite organized..." Skullius commented.

Seeing Vali's movements impressed him all the more, however.

She applied minimal effort and movement for dodges and perhaps even less for her blocks, which weren't followed up with counters. 

"Is she trying to learn their fighting styles?" 

Skullius assumed that's what she was doing.

This went on for a longer while, and the Hybrid Luman took the chance to study the captives and the powerful spellcaster who remained among them.

It was a Shaman, a Master. 

Like Skullius, he was analyzing Vali from afar.

'That staff…' Skullius thought as his senses honed in the staff the Shaman wielded, whose length was nearly twice his height with a curl to its head. It had an ominous pressure to it, one that Skullius found to be quite interesting. 

It didn't feel generalized, like how certain tools could be used by any regular Joe. This staff seemed to be tailor made for Shamans, and thus spotted a funky energy more fitting for bearers of such classes.

'Hmmm, I wonder if that Shaman himself made the staf—"

…!!!

Suddenly, Skullius felt a familiar surge of energy and turned, leaving behind his thoughts.

Its source was coming from Vali who had created distance between herself and the six assailants she had been battling who kept dashing about in an attempt to confuse her.

Skullius watched her closely.

Her eyes twinkled as though saturated with stars, and she gave a light smile.

Beside her, a great lilac flame formed.

She was using her version of the Imagining Technique!

From the flame – the conduit – a simple, double-edged sword fell out and Vali caught it with a thick grip.

Then...

"Well damn," Skullius said with a spark of excitement, and the slightest bit of panic.

Immediately, golden half a skull marks appeared on the foreheads of the thousands of Sif captives, and in the next instant, they were flashed away just in time.

If they had stayed a moment longer…

Vali's eyes rolled back into her skull and with a sway, and then a brilliant stance that had all the passion in the world, she slashed across with her mundane sword!

[Swordmaster's Quiescence] was in use. 

Skullius recognized it in an instant!

It was this skill… which allowed Vali to cut a decent portion of the Aurora with her blade not even reaching any of the things that it carved in two cleanly, regardless of their flimsy defenses!