With the Unicorn Rhinoceros Alaric secured, Kael finally exhaled in relief, a weight lifting from his shoulders. With Alaric's aid, he now had a fighting chance against Leif and his undead army.
Facing that horde of undead alone would have been a nightmare.
Now that Alaric had regained its strength, the beast was practically bursting with excitement, eager to return to its tribe immediately.
Kael didn't stop it. They agreed that once Alaric claimed leadership of the Unicorn Rhinoceros tribe, it would regroup with Kael without delay.
From Alaric, Kael learned the tribe's location, and with the Snowbear Beast as his guide, tracking them down wouldn't be difficult. Kael wasn't worried about Alaric either—magical beasts were far more straightforward than humans. With its power fully restored, Alaric was back at its peak. In the world of beasts, strength ruled supreme, and reclaiming the throne would be no challenge.
"Don't worry, Kael! I, the great Lord Alaric, will definitely take the throne! I was born to be the king of the Unicorn Rhinoceroses! Heh heh…" Alaric chuckled, brimming with confidence now that its strength had returned.
"Good. I'll be waiting for your good news." Kael smiled, patting the creature's shimmering scales.
In the blink of an eye, Alaric was gone—a peak eighth-tier beast moved at terrifying speed.
"Let's go too. You did well this time." Kael praised the Snowbear Beast, whose contributions had significantly improved Kael's opinion of it.
"Heh, as long as we kill that damned old bastard Leif!" The Snowbear Beast shared Kael's hatred for their common enemy.
Leaving the cave, Kael took out his communication crystal and reached out to Amelia. Though the crystal had limited range, the instant connection confirmed she was nearby.
"Amelia, where are you?" Kael asked curiously, sensing she must be nearby.
"Kael? You're finally out? We're to the east, just like you said..." Amelia's voice through the communication crystal was filled with both delight and urgency. Ever since Kael had mentioned the cave, she had been anxiously awaiting further news.
Hearing the mix of joy and worry in her tone, warmth spread through Kael's chest. "Got it," he replied with a smile, immediately heading toward Amelia's location.
She was indeed close—less than a kilometer away.
When Kael arrived at the small depression where Amelia and Ethan had set up two tents, he found Amelia standing outside, her silver armor accentuating her graceful figure, her delicate features as lovely as ever.
"Amelia!" Kael called out, casually tossing the Snowbear Beast into the Moonlight Dusk Space before striding over and pulling her into his arms.
Holding her close, Kael was struck by her softness despite the armor. Her body felt like polished jade, smooth as silk, and he couldn't resist tightening his embrace.
"You—" Amelia's starry eyes shimmered with a mix of reproach and affection as she gave a half-hearted push against his chest.
Of course, Kael had no intention of letting her go. His arms remained firmly around her slender waist, a mischievous grin playing on his lips.
Meeting his teasing gaze, Amelia's flushed cheeks deepened in color, her delicate brows knitting in mock annoyance.
"Ethan could come out any moment..." she protested, her voice laced with nervousness as she batted away Kael's wandering hands.
"Relax, my spirit sense is watching. I'll know the second he moves," Kael chuckled, his enhanced mental power now making Ethan's every action transparent to him.
"Peak seventh-tier?!" Amelia, ever perceptive, immediately noticed Kael's dramatic surge in strength. Shock gave way to exhilaration—he was now just a step away from becoming an eighth-tier Archmage. If not for the constraints of the ancient ruins, he might have already broken through.
Of course, the leap from seventh to eighth tier was no small hurdle. The more solid Kael's foundation and the deeper his reserves, the greater his eventual breakthrough would be.
With Kael's current accumulation, advancing to the eighth tier would be as smooth as flowing water, without the slightest hindrance. Moreover, given his exceptionally solid foundation, his power upon breakthrough would undoubtedly be even more formidable.
"How did you manage to advance again in just a few short days?" Amelia's eyes shimmered like autumn water, filled with wonder.
"Heh, let's just say I had an unexpected encounter. And as for the Darkwing Mage Leif... I've made some progress there too." Kael smiled, proceeding to explain in detail, leaving Amelia even more astonished.
"So, with the Unicorn Rhinoceros tribe on our side, we actually stand a chance against that Darkwing Mage Leif?" Amelia fixed her gaze on Kael.
Kael clasped her delicate hand. "Yes. But right now, we need to locate Leif's hiding place as soon as possible."
"Actually... we might have some leads on Leif." Amelia suddenly blinked mischievously.
"You've found something?" Kael's interest was instantly piqued.
"Exactly. While you were gone, Ethan and I scouted around. The number of undead in these ruins has been increasing rapidly. The further east we went, the more undead we encountered—and in several locations, we even found castles similar to the one we faced before! Some of those undead fortresses even house seventh-tier undead beasts... We suspect Leif is likely hiding in one of them." Amelia explained in one breath, a faint smile on her lips.
"I see..." Kael grew even more alert. Multiple castles like the last one? A single undead fortress held hundreds of undead beasts—several would mean an army of thousands!
What troubled Kael even more was that these undead required no food, no supplies... and their numbers only grew with time.
There was only one solution: a swift and decisive strike.
This was something Kael knew, Amelia knew, and of course, Ethan knew as well.
Kael squeezed Amelia's hand and suddenly grinned, lowering his voice. "Ethan's coming."
Sure enough, as soon as he spoke, a faint rustling sound reached their ears. Ethan, having heard the commotion, stepped out of his tent. Clad in armor, he looked much the same as before—though his gear was now battered and cracked. Despite his usual imposing demeanor, there was a hint of weariness about him.
Clearly, the past few days of fighting hadn't been easy on him either.
Seeing Ethan approach, Kael subtly released Amelia's waist but kept hold of her hand. Smiling, he said, "Ethan, still awake at this hour?"
He wasn't wrong—it was already deep into the night, the moon hanging high in the sky.
"Well, you've got a beauty keeping you company. Meanwhile, poor me..." Ethan joked, but then his expression abruptly shifted.
"You—how the hell did you reach the peak of the seventh tier?!" His eyes widened in disbelief—the first time Kael had ever seen him so thoroughly stunned.
And who could blame him? Kael's progress was nothing short of staggering. Since entering the ancient ruins, he had broken through multiple times in rapid succession, leaving Ethan—still stuck at mid-seventh tier—far behind.
"Kael, you... Damn it. I always thought my talent was decent, but you... you're just..." Ethan trailed off, muttering under his breath, "A freak. An absolute freak."
The three of them—Kael, Amelia, and Ethan—used the late-night hours to discuss their strategy against the undead, determined to resolve the looming threat.
But elsewhere...
...
Deep within an undead fortress.
The towering, desolate castle loomed ominously, its surroundings steeped in deathly silence and an oppressive, eerie dread.
At its center stood a short, wiry man draped in a dark mage's robe. His gaunt, pallid face was half-hidden beneath the hood, his entire being exuding a chilling, lifeless aura—terrifying to behold.
The Darkwing Mage—Leif!
This was Leif himself, hailed as the strongest mage below the Archmage tier, a master of quasi-domain powers. Even the Holy Temple and the Sacred Council had been powerless against him within these ancient ruins. With his strength, even ordinary eighth-tier experts stood no chance!
Flanking Leif were two grim-faced figures clad in black robes, standing silently at his sides.
And before them—an endless sea of undead.
A vast, blackened tide of death, an army of countless undead!