"Leif!"
Kael's pupils contracted. He had seen Leif's portrait on the wanted posters and recognized him instantly.
Not just Leif—the two powerful Darkwing Mages behind him, both at the peak of seventh-level strength, immediately drew Kael's attention.
"That's Leif, and the other two!" Magnus of the Holy Temple also snorted coldly, his gaze filled with deep wariness as it flickered between Leif and the two Darkwing Mages beside him.
While Magnus and Stellan remained relatively composed, the others were visibly shaken. The sight of such a massive undead horde surging toward them sent waves of terror through the group.
"T-this many undead?!"
"Damn it! Weren't we told Leif entered the ancient ruins alone? The Sacred Council's intel was wrong!" someone from the Hera Academy shouted.
Kael frowned. He had already guessed that Leif had taken control of a large number of undead, but he never expected the scale to be this overwhelming!
Thousands of undead creatures marched in orderly ranks, their advance shaking the earth violently and kicking up clouds of dust. This undead army was Leif's greatest trump card.
Earlier, Leif had dispatched undead scouts to track Kael and the Holy Temple's forces. When he learned that the Holy Temple had joined forces to attack the undead castle, he simply sent his undead legion to crush them outright—eliminating both the Sacred Council and the Holy Temple's forces in one fell swoop to remove any future threats.
Leif's gaze swept over the crowd before he suddenly let out a sinister chuckle. "Heh heh, so there really are a few big fish here! Especially the Holy Temple's lot—all above seventh-level. Perfect for strengthening my undead legion!"
Currently, Leif was focused on expanding his undead army to complete his final undead legion project. However, while his forces were vast—numbering in the thousands—their quality fell short of his expectations. Most were only sixth-level undead beasts, with seventh-level ones being rare, and only four reaching eighth-level.
The Holy Temple's members were all at least seventh-level. If he could kill and convert them into undead, his legion's power would rise to new heights!
Thus, Leif's first target was the Holy Temple's group.
"We have no retreat! If we don't kill Leif, these undead will tear us apart—and we'll end up becoming undead ourselves! Listen to me—kill Leif!"
Seeing the panic among the group, Magnus roared, his voice booming like thunder, jolting everyone back to their senses.
Faced with the onslaught of thousands of undead, Magnus remained unshaken, his absolute composure alone enough to draw admiration—and put Kael on guard.
And Magnus was right. Against Leif's army of thousands, they were as insignificant as ants. There was no way to resist.
Their only hope was to cut off the head of the snake—kill Leif. Only then might they have a chance to survive!
"As expected of Magnus, one of the Holy Temple's most talented geniuses of this generation."Leif sneered. Magnus's suggestion had indeed struck a weak point. After all, Leif himself was only at the peak of seventh-level. If he died, his undead legion would collapse instantly.
But would Leif be so easy to deal with?
Let's not forget—he had played both the Sacred Council and the Holy Temple like fools.
Kael shook his head. He understood Leif better than the others. According to the Sacred Council's records, Leif was a seventh-level mage who had mastered a Domain—comparable to Arcane Laws!
"Kairo, Heath, let's give the Holy Temple's little ones a grand welcome!" Leif cackled, his focus immediately shifting to the Holy Temple's group.
After all, Leif didn't know much about Kael and his companions—Kael had only risen to prominence in recent months. Moreover, the Holy Temple's Light Magic naturally countered undead beasts, making them Leif's greatest threat.
With a cold laugh, Leif waved his hand, and his undead beasts surged forward.
The vanguard? All seventh-level undead beasts!
Leif was cunning and cautious. His four eighth-level undead beasts—numbered One to Four—remained as mounts, shielding him just in case. The rest charging out were seventh-level undead beasts, along with his two subordinates, Kairo and Heath.
With these two at the peak of seventh-level, bolstered by the seventh-level undead beasts, they posed a lethal threat to everyone!
It was like tigers among sheep!
Kairo and Heath were both seventh-level peak experts. Only Magnus and Stellan could stand against them—for the others, it would be suicide.
"Devouring Wind!"
Heath raised his staff, chanting an incantation. In an instant, a black hurricane surged forth, teeming with venomous insects and ants within its swirling darkness—a tempest laced with deadly poison.
"Fall back!"
Magnus's expression shifted as he swiftly retreated. At the same time, he tapped his staff and shouted, "Sacred Purge!" The moment the words left his lips, radiant light erupted, sweeping across the battlefield and dispelling the darkness with holy magic.
But his warning had come too late.
Heath's attack had been aimed at the three from Hera Academy!
BOOM!
Amid the howling gale, the poison seeped into their bodies. The trio let out agonized screams as a sinister black energy rapidly spread across their skin, consuming them entirely.
"Ah—!"
"Help... save me!"
Among the group, the Hera Academy members were the weakest—some hadn't even reached seventh-level, barely at the high-tier of sixth-level. They stood no chance against Heath's assault!
Their bodies turned pitch-black and rigid, limbs swelling grotesquely. Even from a glance, Kael—with his expertise as an alchemist—could tell the poison had already taken root.
Soon, the three were entirely covered in a sickly black-purple hue, their figures shrouded in a faint, ominous mist before collapsing to the ground, convulsing violently.
The others paled in horror. The enemy's magic was too bizarre and terrifying—likely bordering on dark magic.
"It's corpse poison," Kael recognized immediately. Darkwing Mages, who dealt with corpses daily, were practically monsters themselves. Their dark magic was tainted with toxins, the most notorious being corpse poison.
"Don't get close. Stick to fire and light magic if possible." He warned Amelia and Ethan, casting a Flame Shield over them. Fortunately, these two were strong enough to hold their own, unlike the fragile Hera Academy trio who couldn't withstand a single strike.
"Alaric, we need your help now—stick to the plan!" Kael swung his arm urgently. With the situation critical, their only hope lay with the Unicorn Rhino herd.
"No problem! Watch the greatness of Lord Alaric!" Alaric bellowed excitedly, "Brothers, charge!"
Earlier, when Leif arrived, Alaric and his herd had hidden in the forest as Kael instructed. Now, they burst forth in full force.
Dozens of Unicorn Rhinos stampeded out, their massive bodies plowing forward without hesitation.
"Charge, brothers! Crush these damned undead! Kill that Darkwing Mage! Follow me, and there'll be meat for all!" The entire Unicorn Rhino herd surged forward, joined by other high-tier magical beasts—most of them at least seventh-level.
"Unicorn Rhinos?! So many of them?!" Leif, seated atop his eighth-level undead beast, staggered as if struck, nearly toppling off his mount.
Heath and Kairo were even more horrified, their legs nearly giving out beneath them.
"By the abyss—what's happening?! Why is the entire Unicorn Rhino herd here?!" Heath shrieked, his eyes bulging as if witnessing doomsday itself.
"Charge, brothers! Do as I do—ram straight through! We are tanks! WE ARE TANKS!" Alaric led the charge at the forefront, roaring the phrase Kael had taught him.
This had been part of Kael's plan all along…
"The moment I give the signal, just gather all your strength and charge. Those undead won't stand a chance—you'll be unstoppable, like tanks!"
Though Alaric didn't fully grasp what "tanks" meant, he threw himself into the charge with all his might.
In an instant, the rest of the Unicorn Rhinos followed suit, stampeding wildly. A hundred massive beasts thundered forward—enough to make Leif's blood run cold…