Ludwig still had a couple of Weak Souls but those are going to be saved. After all the best he can do with what he has left is to level up to soul level 12 once, and since he doesn’t have a health potion, he’ll need to save those souls to emergency cases since it could heal him up.
Ludwig gritted his teeth as he eyed the Sheikh, whose chains clattered menacingly with every swing. The towering figure exuded confidence, his current chain whirling form a testament to the immense power granted by the ritual. Meanwhile, Ludwig was bloodied, battered from the fight earlier and the fight he was having right now. One would think he’s on the death’s doorstep.
He wasn’t.
“Cat got your tongue! You’re awfully quiet, BOY!” the Sheikh laughed mockingly as he whipped the chains at Ludwig who desperately dodged away, The force sent air rippling through the room, causing Ludwig to scramble sideways. finding himself backed up by the willow tree.
The souls surrounding the tree began wailing as they noticed Ludwig’s presence.
“They love the taste of the living, you know!” the Sheikh sneered, his eyes gleaming with sadistic glee.
But something strange happened. After all, he wasn’t one of the living. The souls began pulling back, retreating from Ludwig as if repelled by his presence. Their spectral forms twisted, their ethereal chains rattling, yet not one dared approach him.
“What’s going on?” the Sheikh muttered, his voice thick with confusion. “CAPTURE HIM!” he roared, pointing an accusing finger. He shouted some more, but his words fell on deaf ears. The souls completely ignored Ludwig.
“Guess you messed up your little ritual,” Ludwig sneered, a sly grin spreading across his face. “Pretty amateurish work if you ask me.” Ludwig taunted some more as he threw his weapon at the Sheikh who simply deflected it, causing the scimitar to blow up in pieces, shards of it stuck to his face making him cry out.
Infuriated, the Sheikh snarled. “SILENCE!” He whipped his chain with the full force of his rage.
Ludwig rolled to the side avoiding the blow that struck at the tree’s base. Shaking its branches the souls around it began roaring as if they themselves received the pain.
Only then did Ludwig notice Kassandra’s soul, it had the same face as her and appearance, only she looked meek and pitiful and the powerful strike from the chain seemed to harm her immensely.
The sight of her suffering ignited something deep within Ludwig. A cold fury welled up inside him, consuming his thoughts and sharpening his resolve.
“Rage? Was it? Yes…” That feeling, was something Ludwig only experienced when he pressured Thomas’s soul. Which wasn’t his own emotions, it was borrowed, but this one? This one was his. And now he was feeling it welling deep inside his heart, though he had no heart.
Ludwig pointed two of his fingers forward. Making the Sheikh frown. “[Fireball]” Ludwig said.
The Sheikh laughed, dismissing the gesture with a wave of his hand. “Are you mocking me?”
Yet his eyes widened immediately and his words were cut short as a glowing orb of fire materialized at Ludwig’s fingertips. The flames roared to life, swirling with barely contained energy.
Ludwig let go, and the ball flew like a freight train at the surprised Sheikh, “A CASTER?!” he shouted as he tried to block the blow by once again crossing his arms.
The fireball blew up in the Sheikh’s arms, singing his body and clothes and burning off half of his massive turban. His face, half of his clothes were charred black from the fire.
-280HP
You caused {Ignite} on your target.
They will take damage over time as long as their body isn’t cooled down.
Ludwig grinned, this was the first time he successfully used [fireball]
{You have learned the Spell [Fireball]}
{Your mastery over the spell [Fireball] had increased to Amateur}
Ludwig’s lips curled into a grin. It was the first time he had successfully cast the spell, and the satisfaction was palpable.
‘Good.’ Ludwig said while his hand was still pointed at the Sheikh.
“Filthy mongrel!” he roared as his body immediately began recovering while one of the corpses on the tree started burning and charring instead.
“Futile! No matter what trick you do, no matter how hard you try, you will die here! FOR I AM IMMORTAL!” the Sheikh roared as he struck the chains at Ludwig’s side. He failed to dodge this one and was grabbed by the arm, the barbs biting onto his slime flesh.
“Fuck!” Ludwig cursed as the Sheikh yanked him off his feet.
“PUNY MORTAL!” the Sheikh bellowed once again.
He raised Ludwig using the sheer force of his chains high up and then slammed the chain down with Ludwig on it. His body slammed into the ground with bone-crushing force. Enough of it to kill any mortal and make even the immortal wheeze in pain.
-180!
[Since you’re an Undead you cannot be Dazed!]
The Sheikh didn’t relent. He swung Ludwig again and again, from left to right. Each impact sends shockwaves through the floor. The final swing launched Ludwig across the room, his body colliding with the wall so hard that spiderweb cracks spread across the stone.
His shoulder dislocated with a sickening pop, and his arm tore free, leaving a trail of blood as it flew in the opposite direction. Though this was only visible to the Sheikh.
{Your arm has been removed: Acquire the debuff {Amputation}]
The notification could barely be registered in Ludwig’s and could only recognize being treated like a ragdoll. Ludwig’s form remained stuck in the wall for half a second. Before he crumpled down on the ground.
For the onlookers, what they would see was a bloodied young man, from head to toe, with an arm completely severed from him, blood pooling from his torn shoulder, while broken parts of his bones were extruding out of his flesh and bones.
Since the Soul Letting Lantern allowed him to be seen as a mortal, the current scene was far different from reality.
While for Ludwig, all that truly happened to him was…
[You have broken 62 bones in your body.]
It wasn’t as bad as it looked… but it was still bad.
Ludwig’s health had dipped to the decimal numbers.
He gazed at the Sheikh who began shirking in laughter. “Is that all you amount to? With this utterly insignificant skill of yours, you thought you could fight me?! Mortal! I have witnessed gods and devils! And I have claimed their power as mine! AND YOU DARE?!…”
Ludwig wasn’t about to stop a villain from monologuing. It was rule number one, if someone is talking shit, don’t stop them let them drop their guard. Because though Ludwig was in a terrible state, the upper part of his lip lightly curled up.
‘I should have done this before.’ He said to himself.
‘Use two Weak Souls, add ten points to wisdom,’ Ludwig muttered.
These were the final two weak souls he had on him, which came from the unfortunate Djinn who arrived late to the party. Now was the time for him to use them.
{Your Soul Level has increased by 1}
{You have recovered}
The notification informed him of his current situation. And with this, he knew he could shake things up a bit.
‘Time to get serious.’
Thankfully, the Soul Letting Lantern is making sure that Ludwig remains as what people perceive him as. Though he is completely recovered, minus the arm that isn’t attached to him right now, for the Sheikh nothing seems to change, the bloodied mess that Ludwig was in is still the same.
The lantern proved an impeccable source of deception that Ludwig is benefiting of.
Slowly he raised his hand forward, pointing it at the Sheikh. For a second, the Sheikh hesitated, thinking that Ludwig though with all the injuries he sustained and damage that he caused him was still able to use magic.
He took a defensive stance, but seeing nothing happen, he was angered, he felt as if this pitiful mortal was mocking him even in his last breath. What would a mortal even do? Without an arm, with that much blood coming out of him? Why did the Sheikh even have to worry? This was already his victory. He had won, and no one was going to take that away from him.
His courage recovered, and wariness dissipated “What? You still wish to struggle some more!” the Sheikh said and approached Ludwig slowly. The chains rattled on the ground, giving off a mortifying pressure. And just as the Sheikh had the tree behind him while facing Ludwig, the latter muttered in a sly-toothed smile.
“You’re smiling,” the Sheikh said, “In this situation? Are you smiling? I guess I hit your head a bit too much hah!”
“How did it feel?” Ludwig asked.
The Sheikh didn’t understand where he was going.
“That short-lived hope of yours?”
The Sheikh had an ominous and terrifying sensation the moment Ludwig’s words reached his ears. This boy… he still had a card under his sleeve.
“Rise Undead!”