Chapter Thirty-Two

I have always hated the undead, even in my games with Alice. Ambrose gripped his axe and tapped his core, fueling his various skills as he went to work. Infernal flames ignited the bleached bones of the skeletons that sought to kill him. The skeletons manifested weapons of dark violet mana, summoning them out of thin air.

Ambrose didn’t waste time questioning it; he just kept killing, bones exploding, cracking, and bursting apart as the Infernal Paladin slashed and hacked through the legion of nightmare bones. The skeletons, for their part, did not just stand by and allow their slaughter. They moved in and attacked, slashing him with their axes and swords or attempting to bash him with large mauls and war hammers.

The problem for the skeletons was that Ambrose’s shield was simply too good. Fire pulsed outward, repelling any attack and lashing out with dark red flame as a rebuke for even trying. Arrows whizzed through the air, slamming into his shield with deadly force. Ambrose slashed a few out of the air but otherwise ignored them as his shield did its work.

He hadn’t activated sanctuary yet, as he was ever conscious of his mana. He had plenty of it, and so far, it hadn’t been a major problem, but that was precisely because he kept a passive eye on it. Also, he didn’t really need it. He ducked under a skeleton overhead slash, reached out and grabbed the monster, and used [Infernal Infusion], and the skeleton was flooded with his power, exploding into abyssal flame; Ambrose chucked the skeleton monster forward like a fastball.

It rocketed forward in a blaze of dark fire, blasting through its comrades like knocking down bowling pins, lighting them up with fire. Ambrose wasn’t done. He activated [Recall], and the skeleton flew back towards him, destroying more of its fellow undead.

Ambrose hefted his axe and, with a powerful slash, hacked through the flying oncoming skeleton bound to his power. He sheared it in half, pieces of it collapsing to the ground. He wasn’t sure that would work, but the undead weren’t considered living things.

An idea conceived itself within his mind, and Ambrose put his axe away. Noelle tightened around him to not trip him up, excitement buzzing through her as she picked up on his thoughts. An arrow nearly took him through the head, but his shield burned it to falling ash before him as Ambrose pushed off on his back foot and ran forward.

Ambrose began to tap skeletons as he ran, touching any of them he could touch. He used [Infernal Infusion] with each touch, lighting them up with his power. A vast blaze of abyssal fire washed over the area as each skeleton Ambrose touched went up like a torch. He bowled through a particularly tight group of undead, infusing them, as he turned around and darted to the right.

It took a lot of running, but he felt certain he had infused every skeleton he reasonably could.

Time for the fun part; Ambrose set his mouth into a small smile. He rushed to the center of the corridor, skeletons still trying to kill him all the while.

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Ambrose held up a palm and clenched it into a fist, flooding his shield with more mana, flaring the flames outward, and activating [Recall]. Nearly every skeleton that had been infused flew toward Ambrose as if being sucked into a black hole or pulled there by an incredibly powerful magnet.

Every single one being pulled slammed into Ambrose’s shield of fire. He was surrounded by a cocoon of bone and writhing skeletal faces, the dark light of their eyes flickering in a pulse of horrific light. Clicking filled the air with a cacophony of clacking bones. The fire spread forth, incinerating the undead in a tempest of hellish flame and the smell of burnt bones and sulfur.

Before long, all Ambrose could see was white ash that fell before him as if poured out of a massive urn. It left a small circle of ash that expanded outward from Ambrose, who was in the center of it.

[You have defeated Cursed Skeletons-Level 87 x85. You have gained increased experience in defeating scores of foes beyond your level. You have advanced to level 90 and may choose two new skills. In addition, Noelle has grown. The cloak now grants +10 to all stats and has gained some of your strength.]

Ambrose blinked. He hadn’t expected to gain nearly six levels. It had also taken almost fifteen levels to gain more skill options. I guess things slow down a tiny bit in D-Grade. Ambrose considered what the System said about Noelle. Until now, he hadn’t manifested the Arcane White Tiger. He had nearly lost her when Vivienne had taken her, and he got the sense that she was still a cub.

I’m afraid. Ambrose closed his eye at the realization. He was no shrink, but it was undeniable that he was simply scared of losing the tiger. Noelle had been a comforting presence on his journey, from how her thoughts felt to how she wrapped around him almost protectively.

If he manifested her, she would face the danger he faced, which meant she could die. Ambrose felt his jaw clench and his heartbeat just a little faster.

We all die, son. It’s inevitable. You can either let that control you, or you can live. Live your life spitting defiance in death's eyes.

His father’s voice. He couldn’t allow death to determine how he acted.

Eye hardening, Ambrose manifested Noelle.

Noelle shifted from his back, rising up and unclasping herself from him on invisible strands of will. The cloak pulsed once, twice, and in a whisper of power, transformed into her Arcane White Tiger Form.

She was all graceful, sleek predator. Young but clearly growing, lean muscles rippled under her coat. Her eyes were swirling orbs of incandescent blue, glowing with power. Her claws needed the ash she stood upon and fire the exact same shade of red and black that Ambrose employed with his smite rippled along her paws in dancing flame.

Ambrose was soul-bound to her, and he could bring up her stats with a thought.

[ Name: Noelle

Race: Arcane White Tiger (D-Grade Mythic Item)

Level: 90

Traits: Soul-Bound: Strength, skills, and level based on soul-bound partner.

Stats: Undetermined. Strength Based on “Ambrose.”

Skills: [Infernal Smite-Rare], [Arcane Lightning-Epic], [Arcane Shift-Epic]

Ambrose blinked and then began to chuckle. His chuckles turned into a full-blown laugh that bounced from stone to stone. Noelle was more than capable of handling herself. She purred, sending him warmth and love as she pushed her head against him. Ambrose took off a gauntlet and ran a hand through her silken soft fur.

He pondered her skills and instantly knew what they did. Arcane lightning would crackle along her body, granting her speed and power and giving her a ranged attack. Arcane shift was what allowed her to shift her form from cloak to tiger. Ambrose had a feeling it would be able to do more later.

It was time for Ambrose to see to his skill upgrades and stat allocation. After that, he had an avatar to take care of.