Chapter 298 162: Departing for Home

"Stop right there!" Li Ziyu shouted at the Speed Skeleton, his eyes narrowed.

At his command, the Speed Skeleton's figure instantly sharpened, no longer the indistinct blur it had been just moments ago.

Li Ziyu circled the Speed Skeleton and discovered that its weapons had also changed. The four swords on its arms and legs looked peculiar; not only were they extremely streamlined, but they also seemed to have undergone other evolutions.

"What happened to your swords?" Li Ziyu asked curiously.

The Speed Skeleton looked down, raised its arms, and shook its legs. Four incredibly sharp swords unfolded silently, radiating a bone-chilling cold.

Li Ziyu frowned. Though the four swords had changed, their original form was still discernible. The transformation wasn't as drastic as the Physical Skeleton's Shield or the Power Skeleton's Hammer. 'Did I get it wrong? Has the development of the Speed Skeleton's swords not been that significant?'

"That's it?" he asked, looking at the Speed Skeleton.

The Speed Skeleton moved away from Li Ziyu, stopping at a distance and gesturing for him to watch. Then, its body shuddered.

SHING—

The four swords instantly transformed, unfurling like four transparent wings.

The Speed Skeleton looked smug, appearing like a butterfly about to spread its wings and take flight.

Wings?!

Li Ziyu was stunned once again. The Physical Skeleton had produced a skeletal version of the Anti-Hulk Armor, and now the Speed Skeleton had come up with butterfly wings?

No, those weren't ordinary wings. He stepped forward to observe them more closely and couldn't help but gulp.

Those weren't wings at all! They were countless small blades, each the length of a finger and as thin as a cicada's wing, layered like scales to form the transparent wings.

'This thing looks incredible!'

Li Ziyu quickly had the Speed Skeleton give a demonstration. He had a feeling that the once-weakest Speed Skeleton had now become terrifyingly powerful.

The Speed Skeleton was more than willing to demonstrate its abilities for its master. It first started to run, moving so fast it created afterimages. Then it leaped into the air, using the transparent wings to glide.

Oh?

'So it really can fly with those wings. It can't fly high or fast, but it's genuinely flying.'

Upon landing, the four wings abruptly disintegrated into a shower of falling feathers. They were the same cicada-wing-thin blades, but instead of hitting the ground, they began to spin in the air, orbiting the Speed Skeleton.

'Damn, if this thing gets on a battlefield, with a trick like that, wouldn't it become a living meat grinder?'

'It's too fast to catch, and it's surrounded by blades that are hard to detect. Absolutely deadly.'

'It's so strong, and it works for me!'

Li Ziyu thought, completely satisfied.

The Physical, Power, and Speed Skeletons were all Lower-Rank Patterned Skeletons, the very bottom tier of the Tattooed Skeletons. If even these Lower-Rank Patterned Skeletons had undergone such drastic changes, then how much stronger would the Frenzied Skeleton—a Middle-Rank Patterned Skeleton—and the Dark Skeleton—an Upper-Rank Patterned Skeleton—be?

With the first three Tattooed Skeletons setting the precedent, Li Ziyu's expectations were raised, and he turned his gaze to the Frenzied Skeleton.

The Frenzied Skeleton had undergone a massive transformation; it was almost unrecognizable. It looked completely different from before. Its bones were now blood-red and would occasionally shed what looked like burnt ash, though from where, he couldn't tell. In addition to the color, its very form had changed, sprouting numerous Bone Spikes that gave it a truly menacing appearance.

Its teeth had grown sharper, no longer resembling Human teeth but those of a Wild Beast. Its Soul Fire burned with extreme vigor, brimming with vitality. The two vertical blue-and-black stripes on its face were still present, making it look more and more like a member of a medieval Barbarian Race.

Furthermore, two large axes with crescent-shaped hooks hung on its back. The axe blades were sharp, their ends were serrated, and the pommels were fashioned like spearheads—weapons born for the single purpose of slaughter.

A simple skeletal evolution wouldn't be enough; this was a Middle-Rank Patterned Skeleton, after all. The Frenzied Skeleton's changes weren't merely skeletal; it had also evolved mystical abilities, with a continuously expanding Aura pulsing at its feet.

Li Ziyu didn't know the Aura's function, but it was undoubtedly related to Magic. It might even be a group-wide buff.

Violent, arrogant, fierce, menacing—all these words perfectly described the Frenzied Skeleton now. Based on its appearance alone, they were a perfect fit.

Given that the Frenzied Skeleton was an unruly sort, Li Ziyu had no intention of making it demonstrate its abilities as the Speed Skeleton had. It would have plenty of opportunities to show off in the future battles against the Cancerous Tumor Alliance Army.

The last one was the Dark Skeleton, for which Li Ziyu held the highest expectations. It was the only Upper-Rank Patterned Skeleton.

But when Li Ziyu looked over, he was a bit baffled. 'This one… doesn't seem to have changed much at all.'

Compared to the previous four Tattooed Skeletons, the Dark Skeleton's changes were truly minor. Its bones had gone from pale gray to dark gray—a much deeper and glossier shade—and it now wielded a weapon resembling a Scythe of Death. And… that was it.

'That's all?'

Li Ziyu felt a pang of disappointment, yet he wasn't ready to accept it. Frowning, he circled the Dark Skeleton a few times, and suddenly noticed something odd about its shadow.

The five Tattooed Skeletons were clearly standing in a row. Logically, since the Dark Skeleton had changed the least, its shadow should have been the smallest of the group. Yet, what Li Ziyu saw was the complete opposite. The Dark Skeleton's shadow was long and robust, much larger than the shadows of the other Tattooed Skeletons.