The speed of the skeleton was shocking, but just as shocking to Anthony was the fact that he was able to keep his guard up against the creature without being immediately overwhelmed. With a surge of adrenaline pumping through his veins, he maneuvered his weapon with deft precision, parrying the crashing rain of blows being sent toward him in the way that Edgar had shown him.

  Long, black claws slammed against the glowing red blade in Anthony’s hands, knocking him back a half step each time they connected from the sheer physical power of his undead opponent. His brow began to furrow as he realized the monster’s claws were too strong to be damaged by his empowered blade, dispelling any notion he had of a simple victory.

  Even so, he was holding up remarkably well. Anthony, with his strength prior to cultivating The Fractured Path, would not have survived even a few breaths against such a powerful foe. Even before this fight began, he had already been well aware that he was growing much stronger. For example, exercises that had once been quite useful for his training, had steadily lost their ability to strain his muscles in a way that would actually strengthen them.

  If the fight kept going like this, he was confident he could find a way to overcome the massive demonic skeleton, he just needed to continue to evade its deadly sweeping claws. Unfortunately for him, the one-on-one duel didn’t last much longer, as a second skeleton quickly found its way into the room, likely drawn by the violent bursts of noise generated from their clash.

  The second skeleton was shorter than the first, walking on four legs like a beast as it moved swiftly into the chamber, with the same telltale demonic horns adorning its skull. Anthony’s heart dropped when he caught sight of the new enemy, and the monster did not waste any time before charging straight toward him. He barely managed to maneuver his blade around in front of its vicious horns as it crashed into his side.

  Though he was successful in keeping the sharp tips from piercing his body, the impact alone knocked the wind from his lungs, sending him sprawling across the hard stone floor. Before he could rise to his feet, the first skeleton was already upon him, forcing him to roll to the side in a clumsy panic to avoid the claws raking across the cold stone toward him.

  He tried to roll again to gain some distance, but his back pressed up against the platform at the center of the room. The monsters seemed to suddenly become unusually desperate to kill him at that moment—so much so that the second skeleton barreled into the first in its eagerness to reach him.

  As the first skeleton stumbled from the sudden impact, Anthony seized the moment to scramble up the side of the platform. He found himself just below the eight long legs of the spider demon statue, its surrounding piles of offerings scattering beneath his hands and knees as he squeezed his body beneath the massive demon god, using its legs as protection.

  He whipped around just in time to see the second skeleton charging like an enraged bull. Anthony began to kick his feet against the messy ground as he shuffled backwards, hastily scrambling to the far side of the statue as his feet sent a spray of items scattering in all directions.

  As the creature closed the distance, Anthony raised his sword to shield himself, expecting the monster to crash straight through the relatively thin stone legs of the statue. That, however, was not to be. His eyes widened as he watched the skeleton halt its charge mere inches before striking the stone.

  Then the monster flinched back, its gaze flicking up to the statue before it took a few slow steps backward, then stopped, staring at Anthony as it remained in place. The first skeleton mirrored the second’s actions, rushing toward him until it nearly collided with the statue—only to recoil and retreat back beside its companion, both now silently watching him.

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  What the hell is going on?

  Anthony sat perfectly still, catching his breath, his gaze locked on the two skeletons. Minutes passed, and when it became clear they weren’t going to attack, he cautiously inched closer to the statue’s legs.

  A suspicion formed in his mind, but he needed to test it. Keeping his eyes on the monsters, he slowly extended the tip of his sword beyond the perimeter of the statue’s legs. Nothing. Exhaling slowly, he retracted his sword and, after another deep breath, stuck one hand out instead.

  Instantly, four sets of inky black eye sockets snapped toward his hand. Anthony yanked it back before the skeletons made another move, satisfied that he had tested their reactions enough. Settling deeper beneath the statue, he rubbed his chin, staring up at the stone demon towering over him.

  Are they afraid of this statue? Or do they maybe think I’ve become one of the offerings? Either way, this buys me some precious time.

  Anthony’s mind raced, searching for a way out of his predicament. Things looked dire, and a part of him considered staying put, hoping Pom would be able to return to Highwarden on her own to get help. It was tempting—until Elara’s face surfaced in his mind. His team leader had been whisked away by some malevolent force, dragged screaming, deep into the bowels of this terrible place.

  I can’t just sit here and do nothing. It might be too late for Elara by the time help arrives…

  Gritting his teeth, he glanced up at the skeletons. Their thick bones were too strong for him to cut through—at least not with the weak nexus key he was wielding. That thought settled heavily in his mind, and his expression hardened as he realized the course of action he needed to take.

  I’ve got to create a new nexus key, and it needs to be one that's as powerful as I can make it. With that, I might actually stand a chance of killing these things.

  Anthony’s anxious heart began to settle the moment he had formed a workable plan. He had always been good at focusing his mind on the task before him, using that effort to keep his emotions in check.

  The first thing he did was clear a space beneath the statue to meditate, but as he worked, his curiosity piqued at the various offerings surrounding him.

  I shouldn’t just push this aside—there might be something useful here.

  With the torch he had lit earlier sitting at the far side of the room, the dim light barely reached him. Forced to rely on his nexus, he channeled energy into his sword, letting its glow illuminate the scattered objects around him as he began to sift through them.

  Most of the offerings had long since decayed—old food reduced to bones and lumps of mold. He quickly discarded those, pushing them aside in a growing pile of useless refuse.

  Minutes passed, and Anthony began to think he had wasted his time. But just as he was clearing away the last few items, a faint blue sparkle caught his eye.

  Frowning, he reached down, brushing away the debris before his fingers closed around a small, round object the size of a coin. He lifted it closer to his face as he squinted his eyes..

  Then, his mouth slowly drifted open, as his eyes widened.

  No way…

  Clasped between his fingers was a glasslike blue gemstone with a very distinct pattern inside of it, radiating a chilling power. A sharp numbness spread through his fingers just from holding it, but he was too excited to concern himself with that.

  His arm slightly trembled in anxious anticipation as he carefully turned the stone over in his hand, inspecting it from every angle to be absolutely certain.

  This is… A S-Stone of the mind?!?

  He had seen such an item depicted in his cultivation journal—the magical pattern inside the center of the stone was singularly unique, and probably the only reason he even recognized it. Heart pounding, he yanked the journal from his bag, hastily flipping to the correct page.

  Laying the small gemstone beside the illustration, he studied them side by side. Each stone had an intricate snowflake-like pattern at their center.

  A near-perfect match.