CHAPTER 23: SKULL HEAD

" phew... does Sebastian doesn't arrive yet? why did he take so much time in going back... my hands were very scratchy now to touch and take a look at that material called mithril."

Calix wiped his trickling sweat on his forehead and looked up in the sky while stretching his back.

" Ackk.. sigh ... I can't still be got used to this kind of sky, it was so beautiful even when it was noontime."

a group of migratory birds was flying up above the heads of Calix, and because of this, he felt a sudden unexplainable nostalgia

he remembered that they were all trying to imitate their previous world by use of quantum computers and virtual reality world, but all their efforts were pale in comparison to the actual world

Although virtual reality could copy or even surpass the real world, it was still an imitation that didn't have characteristics of vibrant vitality that only humans could feel because of their connection to their homeworld.

The essence of life that they were hardly maintaining inside their ship was now naturally flowing here on this world. The wind that blows in his body full of sweat is refreshing and lively compared to the filtered air they were just experiencing inside the ship.

" huff "

" hisss "

Anyone who could see his breath in and out would notice his extremely grateful expression that you could think that he was a crazy maniac that lost his mind.

" sigh... this was the actual definition of free...DOM!!! ( freedom) "

he spread his two arms like a madman who was finally left in a cave for a long time

because of the bright ray of sun during high noon, he didn't notice that something was falling that dropped by the birds

" pluck "

" it's raining again? "

Calix could feel that something dump landed on his face, but he dint still know what it was; then he touched it and put his finger in his tongue.

" hmm "

To his surprise, it had some metallic taste and was a little bit salty

then Calix looked at his finger and lowered his head. It was because he couldn't still figure out what was the thing that landed on his forehead.

Even when Calix saw its green color, he still got no idea. It was not enough for him to clarify what this thing was, so he decided to smell it and put his finger near his nose.

Then suddenly, Calix puked like a wasted drunkard that came from a pub and drank in that place nonstop for a whole night.

" damn! Is this poop? what the fuck!! "

The true embodiment of the sentence. Ignorance except for no one.

" This is the second time that this world embarrassed me!! Damn!! "

" My liege, the undead beast that we need s already been prepared."

while Calix didn't know where to put all his tantrums, he heard the melodic voice of Melinda at his back and thoroughly wiped the birds' feces before turning around because he didn't want to embarrass himself more further

" oh, where did you get it? "

" it was one of the beasts that were still searching in this place if there are remaining bodies to feast on. "

" can I see it "

" absolutely, my liege."

then Melisa mildly clapped two times

After she clapped her blissful hand with black-clothed gloves, a giant lesser undead was wearing heavy armor with two big swords on his back came forward holding a skinny but long-legged mysterious beast with gray scales. Its skull was exposed outside of its skin and exceptionally thin.

Then the lesser undead bowed down in one knee and put the twitching corpse of the mysterious beast into his front like he was respectfully offering it to Calix as an offering.

" they called it skull head liege. Although it was not a magical beast, its best

characteristics were its sturdy bones used for offense and defense while hunting its prey."

Calix walks near the beast, and he looks at it closely and meticulously inspects it while slowly touching the skull with his fingertips.

"The body structure was like in between vertebrates and invertebrates, but it was clearly a mammal because of its mammary glands, so it was considered vertebrates... "

Calix continuously assesses the still-warm remains of the skull head. He even touches its jaws, closes it, and opens like he was playing it, but in truth, he was checking how powerful the jaw of the skull head is when biting.

" for what I see, it was a quite powerful beast, and its simple bite can easily break a rock or bones...."

Calix was conversing with Melisa, so he didn't notice the skull head that they expected to be dead suddenly lifted its head, aiming to take a bite to Calix's body.

The action of the skull head caught them off guard, and no one thought that this beast was only playing dead all the time.

The eyes of Melisa elated inside the cover of her dark veil because she didn't anticipate the sudden danger she brought to her liege.

However, she immediately recovered to her shock, which turned into an intense fury.

"HOW DARE YOU!!!"

to her rage, the mana around them became concentrated and almost tangible, different colors of dots emerged all around, and they were connected randomly by the blue lines forming a different kind of geometric pattern

it was so majestic that almost like a mini galaxy formed in this place; however, the pressure was so intense that it doubled the normal gravity of this planet up to ten times, and it was even more to the skull head because he was facing a lot more oppression than the others from Melisa

All the internal organs of the skull head were bursting as the second passed, and he found himself sinking to the ground with a crater left behind. Different from Calix, who was only gritting his teeth and struggling to maintain his balance

"sqieckk!!"

the skull head helplessly shouted in extreme pain, and it didn't know what to do because he couldn't move to the extreme gravity that was focused on him

blood was gushing out in every hole you could find in his body; even his orifice was not exempted

" MELISA... THAT'S ENOUGH! ... DON'T CRUSH HIM TO DEATH; WE NEED TO MAKE USE OF HIS BONES "

Calix said with difficulty because of his situation; he was still affected by the residue of the gravity that she was casting now even the wrath of Melisa was not focused on him.

" I'm sorry, my liege."

Melisa slowly retracted her pressure and dispersed the mana built up in their surroundings.

the mini galaxy that formed due to the accumulation of countless colorful dots that connected by the blue line crumble like luminous sand and fall in the ground like winter snow before disappearing completely one by one until no one is left behind

After that, Melisa lowered her head, quite ashamed of what happened and didn't know what to do now, so she only chose to walk near the bloody skull head that was literally on the last line of its life because of its bloody appearance.

She takes off her black-clothed gloves and touches the skull head with her bare palm.

" SQUIECKKK!!! "

The skull head still wants to struggle even in his hopeless situation up to his last breath until he is utterly engulfed by the black fire and turns him into a fully intact skeleton version of him.

the black fire they were using was different to what the black fire that Calix used in the ritual of summoning them

while Calix used his black fire as a sacrifice to his dark hearth, and the dark hearth will make the sacrifice into a completely new being, so it will cause the skeleton to become fully intact after the ritual

while for his servant, they were utilizing their black fire on the dead as a converter of life force that they could use to strengthen their undead bodies

"I will accept any punishment even if you take the life that you lent to me, my liege."

After she turned the skull-head into a pure skeleton, she immediately kowtowed on the ground, not minding if her clothes were dirtied and drenched in the blood that skull head left behind.

Because she believes that her carelessness put her liege in a danger that threatened his life, and it was all her fault for not checking if that sneaky skull head was completely lifeless before taking it in front of him.

" .... "

Calix was completely speach less because there is no one at fault here in his perspective. No one expected that the skull-head was only playing dead and just waiting for the perfect timing to attack.

" Get up "

" I'm sorry, my liege, please give your punishment to this incompetent servant of yours."

" no need for that "

" but my liege, it was my fault for not checking... "

Melisa is respectfully speaking to him while her face is on the ground.

" I.. SAID... STAND UP! CAN'T YOU HEAR ME? "

Calix raised his voice because she was not listening to him and stubbornly asking for punishment like a masochist.

" There is no one at fault here, and I'm not blaming you. So, stand firmly and execute all the work I assigned to you correctly. is that okay? "

" yes, my liege... "

Melisa agreed emotionally.

"... and if you can do me a favor as well, don't spam the word my liege, my king, or something like that. I know you are all just respecting me, but if you add that kind of words every time you talk to me, it might become awkward in the long run."

Calix warmly smile at her before turning back where he makes the mold they were going to use

" can you inform Vince that I really need the molten iron now because I'm so excited to see my new invention as soon as possible "

" yes.. my liege."

" ahem "

" yes... I will call him right now. excuse me "

" thank you "