Swish!
The sudden attack caused the horde to turn and look towards him. While his location was discovered, he was able to take down more than two dozen zombies with one swing.
A series of notification appeared in front of his eyes, which he proceeded to ignore in favor of slaying more. At present, they seemed to be little more than mindless automatons, seeking the nearest still-living being for reasons unknown.
An involuntary wave of shudder went down his spine. He doesn't intend to find out the hard way.
"There," all of a sudden, Agrippina spoke up, floating in the air while pointing at the stage. Five women, their limbs all twisted in strange ways. seemed to struggle on the stage. Around them, the sets and cables have fallen, yet not even sparks remained as all the electricity has been shut down long ago.
"I could sense something from the middle girl," she pointed at a girl standing close to the mic stand.
The girl held the thing as if her life depended on it, even gritting her teeth. When she saw Skylar, she opened her mouth as if to call for help, yet her pleading expression and words died in her mouth, leaving only the senseless moans.
"What did you sense?" Skylar dodged a swipe from the zombies by ducking, then retaliated by kicking it on the stomach.
"Heh, why don't you find out?" she smirked and asked back, "One thing, though, you don't need to worry. I will make sure you remain alive, my other half~"
"You talk like you are a paragon of virtue, which you certainly aren't, lady," Skylar fired back with a teasing tone while sidestepping another attack. He hit the zombie with the blunt end of his scythe, then he slashed at it and several others, creating another series of notification.
[You have extracted 10 soul essence!]
[You have extracted 5 soul essence!]
[You have extracted 8 soul essence!]
"Anyway, what are these for?" Skylar asked.
"You haven't collected enough, but you'll see in just a bit,"
"Should I kill all of these, then? It's tedious,"
"Want me to do that for you?"
"Nope! No thanks for that offer, you are suspicious," Skylar answered. Then, he swung his scythe in a circular direction, felling every single zombie around him,"
"This might as well be an endless endeavor," he thought. Seeing no other options, he decided to trust her words. Although he was unable to truly discern what his partner have seen, he saw a slight, thin multicolored glow on the middle woman struggling on the stage.
Using his scythe as a deterrent, Skylar ran forward, felling the zombies who dared to come too close. As he had expected, one fatal slash would be enough for him to take their soul essence and render them no longer a threat.
As if sensing his intention, the horde started to close in around the stage, trying to entrap him.
Hah!
Skylar took a deep breath, jumped, and stepped on one zombie's head, using it as a foothold to get onto the stage. Then, he slashed at the four other people at the stage.
For a moment, the girl's eyes widen. Yet, as quickly as it appeared, her expression changed back into a pained grimace. She reached out, her fingers twisted into strange patterns.
"Sh-- No-- A-- Wh--"
Their cacophony was enough to give him a headache.
Skylar then slashed at the woman with the aura. With one attack, she fell, blood staining her beautiful blue clothes.
[You obtained 50 soul essence!]
He noted that in death, she looked serene. Her dyed brown and ash grey hair went down to her mid-back, creating a curtain draping over her body. She had worn a form-fitting dress, showcasing her modest curves.
"No, you fool," Agrippina flicked at the middle of his forehead, "My intuition was right. She is just unconscious. Don't let her touch the constant light rain, or we will have a repeat of this."
Their conversation was interrupted as a howling scream echoed through the sea of zombies.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrgh!"
Their shrill scream sounded like a lament. Luckily, Agrippina managed to cover Skylar's ears at the last second, shielding him from the effects.
"Dammit," she winced while floating higher, staring in barely covreed disgust at the crowds. Like a colony of feral wolves, they all now focused on climbing the stage.
"Use my power, Skylar," she spoke in a commanding tone. It was a contrast from the playful, beautiful lady image she had exuded in their first meeting, "Right now, this is the only option. They will not relent otherwise."
He scooped the unconscious woman on his arms. Then, step by step, he backed away until his back hit the back wall of the stage. There was a wild, crazed look in the zombies' eyes now, and out of the corner of his eyes, he had seen some zombies claw and kick their fellow zombies without regard.
Before, the zombies mostly moved in a more careful, yet strange manner, and now, they were like a crowd of starving animals trying to grab the last piece of premium meat.
"Dammit."
Although Skylar attempted to ward them away with his scythe, they were relentless, and his agility was reduced with someone on his arms.
"Accept my power, Skylar, or we all are finished here,"
She was even more demanding now. As the words left her lips, a chill bloomed in his heart, causing his teeth to clatter against themselves. His hands and fingers started to feel numb.
"You..."
Loath as he is to admit it, she was right.
He could not save anyone with his current power. He had to become stronger. For now, there was no choice but to rely on his Divina System, whom he was unsure about the allegiance of thus far.
Although he sensed that she truly does not wish him harm, the unspoken meaning of what it meant to have the Divina System bothered him.
Yet, there was no time to quell his doubts. It was either accept and take the chance, or survive and die.
"Fine," he said, as he ducked to dodge a swipe from the sea of enraged zombies, "Do what you will,"
"Good choice."
Skylar tried not to think of her too-wide smile too much.
The chill spread to his entire body, but now, it was less forceful and felt more like a gentle ocean wave. His vision blurred at the edges, and then, he could not even move his finger. It was as if he was a prisoner in his own body.
Unknown to him, the black cloak he wore has now been stained pure white, mottles of gold appearing alongside the creeping stark color. In the middle, the cloak split, allowing the cloth to flutter as if they were a pair of wings.
The pure-black blade of the scythe froze, turning into ice. Each movement of the scythe was followed by a trail of sparkling snowflakes. His hair had turned white as well, and fangs peeked out from his upper lip.
[Manifestation of Sixth Divina: 57%]
[Partial Thysania Mode - has been activated!]
[All stats have been boosted by 57%!]
[Passive: Unrelenting Chill has been activated!]
"Now, watch,"
Agrippina has disappeared, and now, her voice echoed at the same time as Skylar's through his mouth.
True to her words, he could now only watch as she started the slaughter.