David remained noncommittal regarding Duane’s words. Staying here with Duane was purely suicidal. However, the rewards of killing the skeletal zombie and his curiosity about Duane’s treasure trove made David itch with anticipation. What kind of esper was Duane exactly?
Based on the current situation, David believed that Duane must have awakened as a metal-type esper. This would explain why his control over metal was significantly stronger than that of an ordinary esper. When David corroded one of his daggers using his corrosion ability, Duane simply picked up a piece of scrap metal and reshaped it into the form of a dagger using his telekinesis. Although not as good as his previous Adamantium dagger, it still appeared incredibly sharp and emitted a cold gleam.
This made David decide to stay and observe. Perhaps this person could become his next ally. So David said to Duane, “Since we’ve encountered it, there’s no reason to leave. How about we have a little competition and see who can kill this zombie first?”
After speaking, David smiled slightly at Duane and immediately manifested his Spatial Blades in his hands. The next second, he raised the dual blades and rushed towards the skeletal zombie. A surge of overwhelming battle intent raged within him, to the point that Duane couldn’t react in time and only saw David whisk past him like the wind.
“Impressive!” Duane couldn’t help but marvel and a hint of excitement appeared on his face. It was a joy to fight alongside a powerful warrior and truly experience the thrill of battle. He gripped the machete and steel dagger in his hands, following David as they charged towards the skeletal zombie.
In the blink of an eye, David arrived in front of the skeletal zombie. He swiftly swung his Spatial Blades, aiming for its neck with a ferocious strike. The Spatial Blades erupted with an ethereal and elusive trajectory, appearing faintly in the void, while the blade emanated a chilling light. Meanwhile, the skeletal zombie had already entered an undying battle state.
At the moment David raised his Spatial Blades, the zombie burst into mad laughter and swung its bone knife to parry the attack. The Spatial Blades clashed with the bone knife, causing space to distort suddenly, accompanied by faint explosive sounds.
David wasn’t surprised by this turn of events. He had only used one-third of his strength with that strike. He simply wanted to assess the opponent’s abilities and whether they were worthy of the title of a combat zombie. After this strike, the skeletal zombie seemed to enter a fanatical combat mode. It forcefully pressed down its bone knife and suddenly stepped forward, trying to corner David in the corner of the factory.
With a light leap backward, David created some distance between himself and the zombie. He understood the zombie’s strategy, attempting to force him into a corner to gain the upper hand. But David wouldn’t let it succeed so easily. He employed a “dog walking” tactic, retreating while enticing the zombie to chase after him.
The bone knife in the hands of the skeletal zombie unleashed swift and fierce attacks, aimed at David’s vital points. However, every single strike was effortlessly resolved by David. Watching the zombie’s desperate efforts, David couldn’t help but shake his head.
Just then, Duane finally caught up. Observing the skeletal zombie’s relentless swings of the bone knife, he didn’t hesitate. He immediately used his machete to perform a “Mount Splitting” move directly towards the zombie.
“Beast, don’t be so arrogant, go to hell!” With a furious roar, Duane’s machete emitted a resounding clang. The skeletal zombie realized the danger and quickly turned its head to face Duane. But instead of evading, it altered the trajectory of its bone knife in a sinister manner, aiming directly for Duane’s airborne body.
“damn! This guy is so damn cunning!” Duane exclaimed as he saw the bone blade approaching. His heart tightened, and he quickly had to retract his Ironbreaker sword. While sheathing the sword, he crouched down and leaped into the air. The bone blade of the skeletal zombie grazed his scalp closely.
Duane was instantly drenched in cold sweat from the fright. He didn’t expect the strength of this guy to be even more terrifying than the legends. He was stronger than some awakened esper abilities. As he landed, the skeletal zombie ceased its attack on David and charged towards Duane instead.
This made David stop in his tracks, standing there with an amused expression, observing their battle with interest.
The skeletal zombie’s fighting spirit remained fierce, and its bone blade became increasingly ferocious. Each strike pushed Duane to the point of barely being able to defend himself. Just as Duane executed a carp jump to narrowly evade a “ground-sweeping slash” from the skeletal zombie, he turned his head and glanced at David.
Seeing David standing there, watching the show, Duane couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his mouth. Good Lord! I’m here, in a miserable state, being beaten up by this animal. And there you are, savoring the spectacle?
Helpless, after another somersault, Duane promptly opened the black iron box from his pocket again and quickly reached inside with his right hand. He pulled out a straw man about the size of a palm.
“Oh? Another treasure?” David remarked, even more intrigued now. .
Duane held the straw man in his hand, bit his finger again, and then dropped his fresh blood into the heart cavity of the straw man.
“Serve my purpose!” After completing these actions, Duane solemnly uttered these words, and decisively threw the straw man in front of the skeletal zombie.
Instantly, the palm-sized straw man rapidly expanded. In the blink of an eye, it grew to the size of a full-grown adult. The transformed straw man rushed forward, confronting the skeletal zombie’s attacks, engaging in a fierce battle. This finally gave Duane a moment to catch his breath.
“Puppet?” David suddenly spoke as he watched the straw man fiercely fighting against the skeletal zombie. He didn’t expect that Duane’s treasure trove would still have this kind of treasure. The so-called Body Puppet was when an esper could summon objects to act as their puppets to aid them in combat. The strength of the summoned puppet varied based on the summoner’s level of power.
In his previous life, David had seen some espers summon small animals like cats, dogs, or weasels as their body puppets. However, this was the first time he had seen someone like Duane summon a straw man that could expand in size.
“This guy is a living treasure trove!” David couldn’t help but exclaim, watching the straw man. At the same time, he secretly made up his mind. He was determined to take away two treasures from Duane today, considering them as gifts for staying behind to fight alongside him.