Boom!
Seeing Leon crash into the left wall left everyone with their mouths wide open. What the hell? Even with his strength, he had been sent flying from a single casual swing?
Anna's expression hardened, but she decided to trust him. Since he said he'll handle the boss, she'd let him. As for Cassie, she felt like this was retribution against her brother. Wasn't he the one who had sent her and Anna to face that giant monster?
'Serves him right!'
Still, she had enough confidence in him to come out on top.
They couldn't pay attention to Leon any longer, though. The undead army already closed in on them. Very quickly, battle erupted as the evolved crossed blades with the undead.
Meanwhile, Leon groaned as he dropped from the wall. Landing on his two feet, he winced slightly. Thankfully, he hadn't broken any bones and only sustained mild injuries.
'Still as strong as I can remember…'
When his team had conquered this dungeon in his previous life, they had lost two Third Level Evolved while facing the Undead King. That time, Leon was nothing more than a cannon fodder facing the undead army. However now, he was facing the Undead King itself. It was even more monstrous than the Alpha Ruin Predator that the girls had fought.
Scowling, he rose to his feet and stretched lightly. His defiant gaze locked with that of the Undead King who remained seated even after being attacked.
'How arrogant… heh~'
Snickering, he walked towards it and attacked the seated king again. And once again, Leon was sent flying.
Boom!
This time, he landed with his feet firmly planted on the wall. Then using the repelling force, he sprung back and shot at the Undead King again.
This time, his movements were calculated. When the three blades were about to hit, he twisted midair, retracting his own swords and allowing the bone sword to pass below him.
Now close to the Undead King itself, he cut at its torso, rending the black robes of royalty on it.
Clang!
Yet, his swords failed to deal any damage to its sturdy ribs.
'Oh well, what did I expect…?'
The Undead King boasted slow but powerful attacks and an almost impenetrable defense. It even had a skill—Blast.
From the Undead King's torso, a wave of invisible energy slammed into Leon and sent him stumbling down the steps.
Fortunately, he had already crossed his blades in anticipation of the attack.
Brushing off the lingering numbness in his arms, he watched as it rose to its feet, its bone sword scraping against the ground. Slowly, the Undead King began to walk towards him, making Leon tense.
The next moment, they both clashed. They separated and clashed again, and again, and again until their movements became almost impossible to follow.
The Undead King was quite slow compared to Leon, but its blows were terrifying. Each strike left Leon's arm trembling, his bones creaking. Despite its slow speed, the pressure each strike exuded could make a person freeze in fear.
Even then, Leon continued to slip between its attacks while targeting specific parts of its body—the neck, knees, and pelvis.
If he remembered correctly, the Undead King crumbled into a pile of bones after being hit in one of these spots. Unfortunately, he didn't know which specific point was its weakness. And thus, he had to endure its attacks until he found it.
'Ugh!'
He groaned as he felt the tip of the bone sword ignore his Silver Hide and dig deep into his shoulder, drawing bright red blood.
'Tch, annoying…'
He pushed the blade away with his, then crossed the blades before himself.
Boom!
The sound blast from the Undead's torso made him skid back while his bones groaned. The strength of that attack was no less than its sword.
"Alright… you did it."
Leon's voice was hoarse as he spoke. His breathing slowed, then came to a stop. His eyes glowed purple and inhuman while his claws and fangs extended. This was the first time he'd voluntarily entered his Undead Devourer form since the apocalypse system announced it.
'My heartbeat stopped? Quite interesting…'
It was a peculiar feeling that made him remember when he had regained consciousness after four days of the apocalypse. Then, he felt like his mind had suddenly shifted—cooler and more detached.
Now, he felt the same. Like he was another existence entirely, controlling a human body named Leon White.
Well, it didn't really matter, because his glowing eyes immediately locked on the Undead King's form. Now, he could see a faint gray energy being emanated by the Boss Monster.
'Death Energy…'
The name came naturally, almost instinctively. With his body in a relaxed posture, he stepped forward.
Swish!
As the bone sword came down heavily, he dodged with a minute movement. With a loud bang, the sword crashed into the ground beside him, creating cracks along the cobblestones.
"Is that an attempt at my life? Useful but inefficient."
His detached remark, unheard by the others drifted into the imaginary ears of the Undead King.
Raising his sword, he used one to block the sound blast. The force from the attack didn't push him back, instead, he used it to redirect himself and attack the Undead King.
The strike didn't connect like the boss monster expected. Instead, the blade slipped between its ribs. Then Leon grabbed a rib and pulled the Undead King close, their faces meters apart.
Two breathless faces met, then distanced.
Boom!
The bone sword struck where Leon had been standing, cracking the cobblestones again. A thin smile appeared on Leon's lips as he watched the Undead King raised its sword defensively.
'As I thought. Even these creatures feel emotions like apprehension despite being artificial. The Code 408D is truly a mystery~'
Holding only one sword, he gestured for the undead to attack.
Boom! Boom! Clang! Boom!
They clashed once again. The Undead King's movements remained slow and heavy, but it had gained some defensiveness in it. As for Leon, his movements became refined, controlled and systematic.
Every attack was with a purpose, every block was with calculated anticipation so no movement was wasted.
'When did I become this noble? Curious~'
He couldn't help but find his own fighting style questionable. It made him feel like it was something foreign, yet not.
However, it wasn't foreign at all. In his past life, Leon had learnt several sword skills and even trained with them through nothing but life-threatening experiences. Under these circumstances, how could his combat skills not grow and evolve?
Even then, it shouldn't have been this fluid. The main reason for the fluidity was because of his transformation. The Undead Devourer made him so conscious of his actions that even instinctual reactions and reflexes were calculated ahead. It was truly…
'… a convenient ability.'
The Undead King suddenly raised its sword, preparing to cut his head off after knocking his sword arm down. However, it froze.
Clack!
It wasn't that it intentionally halted its attack. Instead, its attack had been forcefully halted after having a sword strategically stuck within it. And seeing the outcome, Leon's faint smile bloomed into a full one.