Chapter 25: Undead Lord

The convulsing centipede suddenly lashed out, its massive body twisting violently, as one of its countless skeletal legs struck the Assassin.

​BOOM!

​The Elite Skeleton Assassin was sent flying, spinning through the air before landing on its feet and sliding dozens of meters across the dirt.

​The giant creature continued convulsing, and the countless offspring scattered throughout the battlefield did the same. Their bodies writhed uncontrollably, as though they were all tied to a single nervous system.

​The four elites remained vigilant with their weapons raised, ready for a final attack.

​Yet none came. The trembling only continued.

​Then—

​SKREEEEEEEEE!

​The broodmother released one final, agonizing screech. Its body collapsed, and the offsprings collapsed alongside it.

​Silence descended upon the clearing.

​The Knight lowered its blade slightly. The Tank pulled itself out of a crater. The Assassin rose from its crouch, and the Archer lowered its bow.

​The battle was over. Or so they thought.

​A few moments passed before the Archer suddenly stiffened.

​Something was wrong. Very wrong.

​It immediately alerted the others. The three elites froze, their soul flames flickering in sudden apprehension.

​The Archer was right, there had been no system notifications for experience gains or Lord Coins.

They had received nothing.

​The pressure in the clearing suddenly intensified, making the air itself feel suffocatingly heavy. Instinctively, the four elites turned back toward the corpse.

​CRACK.

​A deep fracture appeared along the wound the Assassin had carved open.

​CRACK. CRACK. CRACK.

​More fissures followed as the entire carcass began splitting apart from within.

​The elites immediately raised their weapons.

​BOOOOOOM!

​The corpse exploded, showering the area in jagged bone fragments.

​The Knight raised its blade, the Tank lifted its ruined shield, the Assassin vanished into a shadow, and the Archer ducked. Bone projectiles rained across the battlefield.

​When the dust finally settled, something stood where the broodmother had once been.

​It was a humanoid, female, that was nearly three meters tall. Her skin was unnaturally pale, so pale it resembled polished ivory. Crimson eyes glowed within a face that was equal parts beautiful and horrifying, framed by two long black antennae that twitched as she observed the clearing.

​Behind her stretched a pair of enormous moth wings. They were bone-white with intricate crimson patterns running across their surface, scattering particles of silver dust into the air with every subtle twitch. Around her neck rested a thick mantle of snowy insect fur, framing her face like a royal cloak.

​Yet despite her elegance, nothing about her felt beautiful. Every primal instinct screamed danger, predatory, monstrous, and absolute.

​The four elites instinctively tightened their grips on their weapons.

​The creature slowly raised her head, then flashed them a smile, a grin dripping with undisguised malice.

​[Immature Bonedevourer]

Grade: Elite ★

​The moment the notification appeared—she vanished.

​BOOM!

​The Tank reacted instantly, stepping forward to defend. Yet before it could fully lock its shield into position—

​CRASH!

​A clawed fist struck the center of the Refined ★★★ Bone Shield. The reinforced surface caved inward, and the Tank was launched backward, crashing through multiple dead trees before finally grinding to a halt.

​The Knight and Assassin moved simultaneously. Aura coated the Knight’s blade while mana surged into the Assassin’s daggers, both attacking from opposite flanks.

​Yet the Bonedevourer merely flapped her wings.

​BOOOOM!

​A hurricane-like gust erupted outward, blasting the Knight and Assassin away and shattering their coordination.

​The creature’s crimson eyes then shifted toward the Archer.

​The Archer had already drawn its bow, activating [Deathmark Sight] as its soul fire burned intensely. It released the arrow.

​Yet before the projectile could travel even a meter, a pale hand caught it. Effortlessly.

​The Bonedevourer tilted her head, her smile widening.

​The Archer immediately attempted another shot, but the creature disappeared again.

​The Archer’s soul fire flickered in confusion. Gone. It couldn’t see her.

​Then... she appeared directly in front of it.

​Her clawed hand shot forward, gripping the skeleton’s skull.

​BOOM!

​The Archer was slammed ruthlessly into the ground. The earth exploded, spreading deep cracks outward for dozens of meters as the Archer’s skull fractured from the impact.

​The Knight, Tank, and Assassin forced themselves back to their feet, their soul flames blazing furiously as they rushed toward their fallen comrade.

​Yet the Bonedevourer merely watched them approach, a cruel smile spreading across her face.

​She could have killed the Archer instantly. Instead, she maintained her crushing grip around its skull, deliberately waiting for the others to arrive.

​She wanted them to watch.

​After all, these fragile undead had interrupted her evolution... and for that, she intended to make them suffer.

....

[Warning!]

The danger level of Bonefang Wastes has increased.

Previous Classification: Low

Current Classification: High-Low

​[Alert!] Elite Skeleton Knight has entered Critical Condition.

[Alert!] Elite Skeleton Tank has entered Critical Condition.

[Alert!] Elite Skeleton Assassin has entered Critical Condition.

​Cassian’s pupils contracted violently. "What?!"

​Beside him, Nyxara opened her eyes instantly. The sudden alarm carved into her Lord’s face was impossible to miss, and her own expression hardened into solemn focus.

​"What has happened, my Lord?"

​Cassian continued staring at the glowing warnings, his voice dropping into a grave, icy register. "It’s the elites. They’re in trouble."

​Nyxara’s eyes widened. She tried to sit up immediately, but a sharp wave of agony shot through her fractured frame, forcing her back down into the grave pit with a quiet gasp.

​Cassian turned toward her, placing a hand near her shoulder. "Don’t force yourself."

​Nyxara relented, yet a look of deep regret washed over her face, guilt filling her violet eyes.

​"My Lord... I am sorry." She lowered her gaze, her fists tightening against the healing foam beneath her. "I should have listened to your command from the beginning. Had I drawn upon your mana sooner, I would not have exhausted myself so completely."

​The Champion bit her lip before bowing her head. "Because of my hesitation, I was injured... and now, when your soldiers desperately require aid, I can do nothing but lie here recovering."

​Her shoulders trembled faintly. "I failed to make proper use of the strength you entrusted to me, and now I cannot even assist the elites in carrying out your will. For that, my Lord, I am truly sorry."

​Cassian stared at her for a moment before shaking his head. "There’s no need to apologize, Nyxara."

​The Champion looked up, her violet eyes searching his face.

​"You only acted the way you did because you were worried about my safety," Cassian said softly, leaning his head back against the stone grave wall. "You were afraid drawing too much mana from me would cause permanent harm. That’s not a mistake, if anything, it shows your loyalty and responsibility."

​Nyxara remained silent, listening intently.

​"Besides," Cassian continued, a faint smirk touching his lips, "even if I had told you my mana was boundless from the very beginning, would you have actually believed me?"

​Nyxara opened her mouth to speak, then paused. After a long moment, she slowly shook her head. "...No, my Lord."

​"Exactly." Cassian turned his gaze toward the dim, mist-shrouded ceiling of the Cemetery pit. "Truthfully, nobody would."

​Infinite Mana was a phenomenon that defied the basic laws of the Lord’s Domain. It wasn’t something anyone simply accepted at face value.

The only reason Nyxara had begun believing it was because she had personally felt the endless tide during the battle against the Treants.

​Had their positions been reversed, Cassian doubted he would have believed it either.

​"So stop blaming yourself."

​Nyxara bowed her head once more, the tension in her posture visibly easing. "...Yes, my Lord."

​Cassian nodded in satisfaction before redirecting his full focus back to the Lord’s Ledger floating in the air.

​Right now, brooding over past missteps wouldn’t solve a thing. His elite squad was still out in the field, and judging by the mounting urgency of the alerts, they had run into something exceptionally dangerous.

​His eyes narrowed as he analyzed his options. He needed a solution, a remote tactical intervention.

​Suddenly, an idea sparked in his mind.

​Cassian immediately opened the Elite Skeleton Archer’s status panel, his gaze locking onto the list of available abilities:

​[Deathmark Sight]

​[Lone Shot]

​[Rapid Shot]

​Cassian’s eyes lit up. The more he looked at it, the more feasible the concept became.

​A slow, cold smile spread across his face. "Interesting..."

​Nyxara tilted her head slightly from the foam. "My Lord?"

​Cassian’s smile widened into a dangerous grin. "I think I just found a way to turn this entire situation around."

​His eyes remained fixed on the Archer’s skill interface. Through the soul link connecting him to his summons, he could feel the elite squad struggling desperately against an overwhelming foe.

​Yet instead of anxiety, a surge of dark anticipation began building in his chest.

​Because if his theory proved correct... the creature pinning down his soldiers was about to learn a very painful lesson about fighting an Undead Lord.

....

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