As we clashed blades, I was caught off guard by one of the undead skeletons that threw their shield at my face, blocking my vision.

Before I could even have the time to cut it down or swat it away, a spear pierced through the shield. Wood and metal splintered apart, and the spear continued towards my face.

At that time, all my thoughts froze, and everything went silent. Time slowed down for me, and my body moved before a thought could even form—it wasn’t something planned, nor had I ordered my body to move.

No. My body had just moved on pure survival instinct.

The spear’s head didn’t pierce my face, but cut the left side of my cheek and went past my face, only stopping when it sank into the ceiling.

For a second, I just remained still with my head still tilted to the side. I could hear my heartbeat right inside my ears.

Shit, I had almost died.

The skeletons had the intelligence from when they were still alive, so it was no surprise that they used a shield to block my vision and perform an attack right through it.

At that moment, from the wound I got from the spear attack, I felt a foreign energy seep into me, and suddenly, my body felt heavier.

I had been cursed.

The skeletons didn’t wait and launched at me again, their weapons aimed at all my vital points.

Getting out of that shock, I tried to move my body, but it felt heavier. It wasn’t at the point where I couldn’t block their attacks, though.

Mana ran wildly in my arms, and with a swing of my katana, I blocked an axe from cleaving through my shoulders.

I lifted my right leg and avoided a sweep.

Something screamed from my left, so I ducked, and a sword cut through the air instead of my neck.

A knee headed towards my face, so I blocked it with an open palm. I was already swinging to cut the leg, but a hammer was already descending behind my back, and it wouldn’t be funny if that landed.

Five tentacles made of darkness shot from my back and blocked the hammer. The bridge shook from the impact.

With a war cry, my tentacles elongated and slapped the undead skeletons away from me.

Thankfully, they didn’t fall off the bridge since it was wide enough to accommodate all of us.

Sigh.

I sighed, but the undead skeletons were already upon me again, not giving me a chance to breathe.

I could feel the curse affecting my body, but it was to a small degree. I was glad that it was a curse that affected my stamina and not depleted my mana.

But it would be worse if I got hit again—that would stack the curse that was already upon me. So I had to avoid getting hurt again at all costs.

A sword screamed from my left. I dodged and twisted my body and kicked the skeleton in the face so hard that the skull cracked, and it was sent flying away.

My tentacles launched to my left side and grabbed a spear, stopping it from impaling my left side. The tentacles wrapped around the spear and broke it into pieces, leaving the skeleton unarmed.

My katana flashed and sliced through the skeleton’s rib, slicing the core in half.

[You have slain a Low Greater Monster, Undead Skeleton]

I didn’t have time to watch the slain skeleton turn to dust when the archers had finally loaded their arrows and launched them in the air again.

I pressed my feet forward, and a wall of darkness rose above me. The arrows hit the wall, and the wall trembled at their power.

Sensing another attack from my left, it was the skeleton holding the big hammer which was aiming at my chest. So at my will, a spike of darkness came out of the ground right below the undead skeleton, and before the hammer hit my chest, the darkness spike had pierced the undead skeleton’s core.

[You have slain a Low Greater Monster, Undead skeleton]

The hammer fell out of the skeleton’s hands, which turned to ash.

Another one had fallen.

Six remained.

Even though I had killed four of the skeleton’s companions, they relentlessly attacked me as if it didn’t matter at all.

They had no sense of companionship—after all, they didn’t have any feelings at all.

I let my fortress on the other side crumble, therefore leaving Ezio exposed, but I knew he would be fine.

My mana was getting consumed fast with it on, and since I wasn’t behind it, it was useless to keep it on.

We kept clashing and clashing. My sword wrapped with darkness energy, leaving black arcs in the air as I blocked and attacked the skeletons.

Out of the six remaining undead skeletons, four were spearmen with shields, while the other two were a swordsman and an axeman.

Hell, they moved like crazy together. Their attacks were coordinated—if one was about to be slain by me, one of the spearmen would thrust its spear to stop me from doing so.

The axeman fought like a butcher. Each one of its attacks carried the force to chop my limbs off, but I never let it land on me and dodged every single attack with my quick reflexes.

However, the one who was dangerous was the remaining swordsman. That guy wielded the sword like he was alive—each of its attacks was calculated and meant to kill.

Some of his attacks had feints that I had almost fallen for if not for my quick thinking.

He was a hell of a warrior and probably was a terrifying opponent when he was alive, but unfortunately died in this mountain.

My swordsmanship was no less than the skeleton swordsman’s, if not more beautiful.

I never forgot nor stopped doing the first principle of wielding a sword—footwork.

My footwork was so good that despite me being affected by the curse, I dodged every single attack.