Lin lan tightened his grip on the short dagger and melted into the scattered piles of bones, moving inch by inch toward the Skeleton Warrior.
Even without that eerie blood-red blade, the thing was terrifying. Its presence alone crushed newborn skeletons with raw pressure. Compared to it, they were nothing more than brittle toys.
A head-on fight?
Not happening.
Lin lan waited.
The newborn skeletons surged forward in waves, reckless and endless. Each assault drained the Skeleton Warrior just a little more. It was winning—but it had to work for it.
And then, just for a heartbeat, it turned.
Its back was exposed.
Now.
Lin lan dropped low and lunged forward. No hesitation. No second thought. He swung with everything he had, driving the blade straight toward its skull.
Thud.
Bone fragments flew.
But the skull didn't shatter.
Only a thin crack spread across its surface.
You've got to be kidding me.
That thing's tougher than a damn turtle shell.
The instant the thought crossed his mind, danger slammed into him.
The Skeleton Warrior roared.
It spun like a storm, bone blade screaming through the air as it came down on him.
Crimson light exploded outward.
Lin lan twisted aside at the last possible moment. The strike missed him by inches—but the dozen skeletons behind him weren't so lucky. They were swallowed whole by the blade's glow, reduced to dust in an instant.
The Skeleton Warrior didn't slow down.
It went berserk.
Crimson slashes tore across the Skeleton Wasteland, ripping sand and stone from the ground like paper.
Run?
No.
Lin lan planted his foot and charged straight in.
If he pulled back now, those blade arcs would tear him apart. Close range was his only chance. A terrible one—but the only one.
He pushed his agility to its limit.
Dodging. Rolling. Cutting in and out of the chaos.
Each time his short blade flashed, it struck the skull.
Tiny cracks. Barely visible.
But they were adding up.
One strike.
Then another.
His focus narrowed to a single point.
Miss once—and he was dead.
The Skeleton Warrior began to falter. Its movements lost that overwhelming momentum. The swarm was wearing it down, and Lin lan was carving away at its foundation.
Then—
His foot caught on something.
His balance slipped.
Cold shot through him.
No. No no no—
The Skeleton Warrior was already there.
Its blade swept sideways, a red arc of death cutting straight toward him.
Lin lan threw up his short sword.
Snap.
The blade shattered like paper.
Damn it!
He abandoned the broken weapon instantly, rolling backward and grabbing two nearby skeletons. He hurled them forward without thinking.
The Skeleton Warrior cleaved them apart in a single casual swing.
But that heartbeat was enough.
Lin lan snatched an iron sword from the ground and faced it head-on.
The Skeleton Warrior roared again, rage spilling from it as it charged.
But the newborn skeletons surged in, blocking its path.
Another opening.
This one had to be it.
There would be no third chance.
Lin lan let out a sharp howl and surged forward. The iron sword flashed downward, heavy and decisive—like a wild goose falling from the sky.
Thud—
The blade slammed into the Skeleton Warrior's skull.
The sound of cracking bone rang out, clear and beautiful.
The skull split open.
Momentum carried the strike through its entire body, slicing it clean in half from crown to pelvis.
The Skeleton Warrior froze.
Then its frame split apart, collapsing with a hollow clatter as deep white soul flames spilled free.
"Caw—caw—caw!"
The newborn skeletons flailed their arms wildly, their shrill cries echoing across the wasteland.
A newborn skeleton…
had killed a Skeleton Warrior.
In the Skeleton Wasteland, that was unheard of.
For a brief moment, the surrounding skeletons stared at Lin lan with instinctive fear—and awe.
Then the moment passed.
Chaos returned.
They rushed the soul flames, clawing at each other, killing without hesitation.
Lin lan ignored them.
His eyes were locked on the fallen weapon.
The blood-red bone blade.
That was always the goal.
The moment his fingers closed around it, murderous intent surged up his arms and slammed into his skull. His soul flame trembled violently, shaken by the blade's ferocious will.
Lin lan gritted his teeth.
Not happening.
He forced the invading aura back down, pouring it into the blade instead.
Crimson light bloomed.
The glow thickened, pulsing like a living thing.
Lin lan roared and swung.
A foot-long arc of blood-red blade aura burst forth.
He swept it in a wide circle.
Explosions thundered as newborn skeletons were torn apart, shattered into fragments.
He froze.
Then laughed.
"So this is what a real weapon feels like."
Before, taking on two newborn skeletons was pushing his limit.
Now?
Four. Five. Gone in a single casual swing.
His strength had jumped an entire tier.
He glanced at the remaining skeletons scrambling for scraps and lifted the blade again.
They were no longer useful.
Crimson light flared.
One sweep.
Another.
Every skeleton it touched shattered instantly. In moments, the battlefield fell silent, pale white soul flames drifting through the air.
A massive harvest.
Lin lan inhaled deeply.
Soul flames streamed into him as he activated the Eight Desolations Soul-Refining Technique. Eight silver vortexes formed, pulling in soul energy, refining it into death essence, guiding it through his bones in a precise sequence.
The flow grew stronger.
What had once been a stream became a surging river.
His soul flame flickered—then expanded.
Thumb-sized.
Its color slowly deepened, shifting from pale white toward deep white.
Silver light seeped from his bones, forming an elliptical halo that lifted him gently into the air.
Lin lan let everything else fade.
Warm energy flowed through him, repairing cracks, washing away grime, reshaping his bones. They grew harder. Lighter. Stronger.
Comfort spread through him like a hot spring.
He almost groaned.
Which was ridiculous—he was a skeleton.
But the sensation was real.
Time lost meaning.
When the silver halo finally faded, Lin lan opened his eyes.
His bones were flawless. Clean. Solid.
He flipped twice in midair, then paced back and forth.
Lighter. Faster.
Dangerously agile.
Even better—his bones were tough. A solid strike barely left a mark.
That embarrassing trick where his head popped off?
Never again.
He turned inward.
The soul flame burned deep white now.
Beautiful. Powerful.
Lin lan let out a slow breath, satisfaction filling him.
At last.
He had taken the first real step on the path of rebirth.