Bro, I'm not an Undead!

Skullius had strayed quite far from the original spot he had confronted Ashema, but by tapping into the Preeminent Attegoth's sensory capability while using his skills like [Graceless Hunter] and [Greatest Mana Manipulation], which covered the entirety of Opungale, he managed to see the result of Demion's Dance using the uncanny, dark portal against its user.

As the fact that Ashema's armor could absorb impacts had already been established, Demion's Dance targeting Ashema's neck became a reinforced maneuver. The second it passed through the gateway to emerge in a spot tens of kilometers away, it was already locked onto its flesh piece of choice through the Preeminent Attegoth's vision. Swiftly, it sliced through Ashema and he grunted in pain.

Skullius grinned.

Using [I Am The World], he flashed with the same given coordinates provided by the Graceful Monolith to reach Ashema, mounted him from his large shoulders and planted his palm on the creature's forehead; between his large, twisted horns.

The Hybrid Luman sneered:

"Heh, I win. [Immoral Authority]!"

A plume of darkness surged out with erratic vigour to sink into Ashema's orifices.

For maximum effect, Skullius kept the golden half a skull mark on the Bashful Abomination – as it was in his storage – so that he could use the affix which allowed him to increase the affinity of [Evil Darkness] to A as long he was in contact with the zhanmadao. 

With this, he increased the chances of [Immoral Authority] working on strong opponents, even if it was only a Special skill. 

'Now let's see what the Under looks like and what these bastards are planning to do.'

The thick, more potent [Evil Darkness] sank deep into Ashema as he convulsed, blood spraying from his neck which was barely being held together by fibers of flesh.

…

…

'What's wrong?' Skullius frowned deeply.

Nothing.

Nothing was registering.

There was no influx of memories. There was no extraction of skills and abilities.

The hell…

"HAHAHAHAHA!" Ashema laughed manically… and all the darkness that had sunken into him spilled out violently. "You would use darkness on me?! A child born in a sunless land, below and far from the light!"

Skullius clicked his tongue, but he wasn't having this loss.

There was no way he was going to lose in a clash of darkness.

Using [Evil Darkness Meshing], the evolved form of [Evil Darkness Weaving], he held the plumes of darkness scattering everywhere in place and forced them back towards Ashema.

The dark creature too exerted effort and the darkness barreling towards him stopped and inched back towards Skullius!

The Hybrid Luman was more infuriated than anything else.

'I accounted for his ability to control darkness… even my kind of darkness. How is he doing this? Do all his kind have such an ability?' he thought.

To add insult to injury, the blood which had been spraying from Ashema's neck stopped. It jumped back into his body and formed threads that linked the severed halves of his neck, drawing them together and sewing the wide, fatal cut shut. Then, around the uncanny dark creature, the pools of blood he had formed into a cocoon before gathered around him again as he heaved magical effort into pushing away the darkness.

And thus, the struggle continued.

Skullius found that his control over darkness was superior to Ashema's, but he wasn't able to mobilize the darkness to use [Immoral Authority] again. Ashema resisted fiercely. 

The darkness between the two trembled, inching this way and that as it seemed to boil in conflict.

Then, something Skullius had never seen occurred.

The darkness imploded soundlessly, leaving nothing behind.

…

Ashema and Skullius were left stunned at what had just happened for next second. 

It seemed neither of them, especially Skullius in particular, who knew that [Evil Darkness] couldn't be destroyed, only dispersed, could believe it.

"Judging by the look on your face… That must be something new to you too," Ashema said, his eye fixed on where the darkness had been.

Skullius didn't confirm or deny, but it was clear to Ashema that he was right.

"Hahahaha! If that move was your only method of gathering information from me, then you're out of luck. It would seem our abilities are very, very similar. Moreso than I thought. Yet, this makes me even more interested in you. I really want to know where you got the ability to manipulate darkness on such a level," Ashema said as his scythe appeared in hand once more.

He then put his gourd to his mouth and chugged down a lot of the blood that was stowed within it.

Skullius meanwhile digested what he had just said.

'On such a level? That isn't the point. My ability to control darkness comes from the Fruit of World Myths, and [Evil Darkness] is an element formed from it. If anything, the fact that this creature can control it is the bigger mystery, not the other way around…' Skullius thought.

Ashema grinned at him after wiping his mouth.

"Shall we continue? Or shall we settle this with more…civility? We could just talk…" he said.

"I'm not too inclined to bargain with a monster like you just yet. I've rarely committed to verbal compromise with inhuman creatures…" Skullius lied through his teeth. 

Ashema scoffed.

"Well said!"

Once again, he rapid-fired blood arrows right at Skullius from his mouth. They numbered in the hundreds, all soaring at unreal speeds to pierce the target.

Skullius was rushed out of the way.

He appeared on the ground, among the clustered Maqians who had been attacking the latest Aurora whose inhabitants he had saved.

…!!!

Skullius' arrival cast a wave of shock among the Masters he was standing shoulder to shoulder with, however, the ungodly descend of the blood arrows was even more appalling.

They crashed into the Maqians like meteors, demolishing the wide land they had been standing on, the impact they caused almost prompting the ground to leap each micro-second. Of course, the men and women that were smacked into before this happened, were blown into bloody chunks that scattered everywhere, yet the true target of the attack walked out of the carnage unharmed.

The remnants of a layer of darkness Skullius had cast around himself dissipated as he took calm steps, with four Incandescent Stagers – one Maqian and three Sif – looking on as an astounded audience.

Skullius paid them little mind. They already appeared quite wary given that they had been spectating the fierce battle between himself and Ashema from the ground.

The latter flew down with his eye on Skullius and Skullius alone.

He grinned.

"Killing more of these flesh bags only works in my favor. You know that, right?" he said, and the blood from the slaughtered Maqians, rushed his way in heavy volumes.

Skullius scoffed.

"I'm aware…" Skullius said before glancing at the Incandescent Stagers around him with his blank eyes. "It won't matter for long. You've actually forced me to consider breaking down your abilities one by one until I've stripped you bare. And for starters…"

Skullius raised his hand and Demion's Dance came flying into his grip.

At the same time, his free hand became encased a brilliant, blinding golden white glow that forced everyone to squint.

The Hybrid Luman, a master of [Just Light], was about to work wonders that would leave their mark on the whole of Opungale.