From Human to Skeleton: Revived with Infinite System Crystals

King Griswald sighed as they walked forward through the narrow cave. "Hopefully, we are getting close to an exit or something to lead us in the next direction," he said, his voice echoing off the damp walls.

"Please stay close to me like I mentioned. You've handled enough damage and pain. I will try my—"

Suddenly, as King Griswald stepped forward, a piece of the cave floor caved in, and dozens of spikes shot from the cave walls.

"Shit, it's a trap! Everyone, stay on your toes!" King Griswald shouted, his eyes scanning ahead. He spotted the end of the cave leading to a central room. Torches placed in the walls emitted a blue flame on each pike, casting eerie shadows around the room.

Dropping his defensive stance around Lyra, he dashed forward. "King Griswald!" Lyra screamed, her voice filled with fear.

Pegasus watched in horror as metallic spikes began to summon around every inch and corner of the cave. Seeing Lyra's distress, he felt his heartbeat quicken. In a flash, he planted his foot in a low stance and threw himself forward, past everyone. He shoved Lyra out of the way, parrying almost all of the incoming spikes before one got lodged in his stomach.

The pain was immediate and excruciating, but Pegasus grit his teeth, refusing to let it overwhelm him. "Are you okay?" he gasped, looking at Lyra.

Lyra nodded, her eyes wide with fear and gratitude. "Yes, thank you, Pegasus. But you're hurt—"

"I'll be fine," Pegasus interrupted, though his voice wavered.

Nana screamed, "Watch out!" Snapping her fingers, she sent a burst of energy toward the distracted duo, shattering dozens of incoming spikes into pieces.

Master Dagon spoke up, deflecting spikes with nothing but hand strikes, batting them away as he back-stepped towards the others. "It doesn't seem these are letting up at all. We need to move. Where did King Griswald go?"

Lyra spoke up, her voice shaky. "I don't know... he saw something and started sprinting ahead."

"Oh, my dear," a chilling voice echoed through the cave. "He seemed to think he was allowed to touch the Dragoon's sealing book. But he's going to be dead shortly. Throwing him into a volcano should do the trick. But tell me, how did you manage to escape?"

Lyra felt fear and pain run down her spine as she turned around to see Gisorn in his red armor. The armor began to swirl, turning into a black pattern. "Wh-who... who are you?" she stammered, jumping back and bumping into Pegasus, who stumbled and hit the ground, his hand twitching slightly.

Ignoring Gisorn's menacing presence, Lyra looked up at Pegasus, noticing the dark blue bags forming under his eyes. "H-hey... are you okay?" she asked, her voice filled with concern.

Pegasus tried to muster a reassuring smile but failed. "Just a bit... exhausted," he managed to say, his breath coming in shallow gasps.

Gisorn stepped closer, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "You all seem to be in quite a predicament. How delightful."

Master Dagon, still deflecting spikes, growled, "We don't have time for this. Lyra, Nana, get Pegasus out of here. We need to regroup and find King Griswald."

Nana nodded, helping Lyra lift Pegasus to his feet. "We need to move now," she urged, her eyes darting nervously towards Gisorn.

Gisorn watched them with a smirk. "Run all you like. You cannot escape your fate."

"Run?! We are never getting back to my best friend by running!" Todd roared, swiping the spikes out of the way. He slid in, launching a fist at Gisorn. Gisorn sidestepped, placing his hand on the wall and laughing. "You are simply too slow. What are you, an Ogre?

An Orc? Whatever the hell you are?"

"Joke's on you, little man! I expected you to dodge. Everyone is so predictable!" Todd opened his palm, revealing a bright blue crystal. He slammed his hand together with the crystal King Griswald had planted in his fist.

Gisorn, shocked, summoned chains around him to block the attack. But as he did, a ripple of red liquid shot around him, wrapping around his chains and slamming him into the wall.

"Shit, what the hell is going on?" he thought to himself, fully summoning his pen and writing "destruction" in the air as General Mattison closed the distance, attempting to strike him down.

Moments later, a large explosion wrapped around Gisorn, pushing everyone back along the walls as thousands of spikes scattered across the ground. The air was thick with the acrid smell of burnt metal and the sharp tang of blood.

From the smoke, with black marks and covered in blood, Todd emerged, leading with a clenched fist attempting to strike at Gisorn. Gisorn caught it and sneered, "I might have overlooked you, but not again!" His voice echoed with a cold, mocking tone.

Wrapping chains around Todd's arm, Gisorn suddenly dropped him to the ground, the chains feeling like they weighed a ton. Todd felt the intense weight dragging him down before Gisorn delivered a brutal knee to his face, sending him flying across the ground as he went skidding, the rough stone tearing at his skin.

Nana followed up, snapping her fingers, her eyes blazing with determination. A brilliant explosion formed at her command, but Gisorn caught it effortlessly. With a sinister grin, he threw it back at her.

The explosion slammed into her, the force making her roll across the ground. The impact left her struggling to stand, her vision swimming. "Damn it, I'm still worn out from the previous fight..." she muttered, her voice strained with exhaustion.

Gisorn, his armor now half black and half red, stated, "I probably should have ended this much sooner, but my nicer side likes to let everyone else do the work." His voice carried a chilling mix of arrogance and indifference.

Master Dagon chuckled, a dark, almost amused sound. "Oh, come now, all we want to do is kill the Dragoon. Is that so much to ask?" he said, walking past everyone in a defensive stance, his movements deliberate and calm.

Holding his palm out toward Gisorn, a small green leaf protruded from his hand. The leaf seemed to shimmer with an eerie light. "Join us in killing the Dragoon, and you can end this frivolous attempt at defending something that is plaguing our world," he continued, his voice smooth and persuasive.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"I know you worry about us failing to kill it and it escaping and all of that... but I promise you, we are well-equipped to finally put this creature down." His eyes gleamed with a dangerous certainty, as if he could already see the Dragoon's demise.

"See this green leaf? I simply need to make this come in contact with him, and it's practically game over," Master Dagon declared, his eyes narrowing with a predatory gleam.

He walked over to some rocks and placed small leaves on a couple of them. "It's always the weakest objects that hold the most promise," he stated, his voice carrying a hint of amusement.

"I have no sword, dagger, great bow, or anything fun like that. When I was just a young child, I went to collect my weapon, excited for the adventure of a lifetime. Instead, the goddess blessed me with a pile of leaves that always flowed around me," he continued, a wry smile playing on his lips.

Gisorn sighed, his patience wearing thin. "I don't see how that has anything to do with freeing the Dragoon. You are just wasting my time at this point," he snapped. Chains with sharp edges began to materialize around him, blocking the entrance toward the end of the cave. The air grew tense with the metallic clinking of the chains and the sharp scent of impending danger.

"That is true, very true, in fact," Master Dagon replied, his tone unfazed. "While I am just wasting your time for someone to show up, I mean what I say. I spent many years not even knowing what to do with just pointless leaves flowing around me," he said, his eyes reflecting years of frustration and determination.

The leaves around him seemed to pulse with a subtle energy, hinting at their hidden potential.

Gisorn, annoyed, swiped his hand across his chest, releasing one of the chains toward Master Dagon. "I don't care," he stated coldly.

Master Dagon raised his fingertip as the chain slammed into him, releasing cracks of electricity and energy all at once. He continued, "It wasn't until a lot of tough fighting and witnessing my father murdered that I learned how strong these leaves were."

As he spoke, the leaves around him began to glow faintly, crackling with latent power. "The ability to absorb and turn any attack into energy and disperse it… in short, I am the most untouchable person you'll ever meet in this kingdom, and I have a few leaves at my disposal."

With a bright smile, Master Dagon snapped his fingers and added, "After learning how to combine with my 'weapon,' it evolved further, expanding itself using my own energy."

Suddenly, the ground beneath Gisorn began to shift and spin. A green light shined along the ground, wrapping around Gisorn before fully enveloping him in an array of green energy that culminated in a small explosion. The air was filled with the scent of burnt ozone and the sound of crackling energy.

Master Dagon tightened his hands and shouted, "Lyra! Try to close Pegasus's wound and stop the bleeding. I will do what I can now!"

Putting both his fists forward, thousands of small leaves shot out around Master Dagon, transforming the cavern into a lush, tropical cave. Leaves and branches grew along the walls, rushing forward as he saw Gisorn emerge without a scratch.

"Such a petty trick," Gisorn scoffed. "So you're hard to hurt. How will that ever handle the Dragoon? He will drain you of life like everyone else has."

"That might be the case, but even if we fail, I know someone like Legato would be able to kill the Dragoon given another chance! I know for sure he will surface back again one day!" Master Dagon retorted, his voice filled with defiant determination.

He slid in, throwing punch after punch, but Gisorn sidestepped each one effortlessly. With a swift motion, Gisorn tapped the side of his hand and commanded, "Begone."

In a blink of an eye, Master Dagon vanished, leaving only the rustling leaves and the faint echo of his last words behind.