"Now."
Mira moved first, the shadows restraining the Fortress Commander had barely finished tightening when she appeared beside his warhorse again, both daggers cutting rapidly across every opening she could reach.
One slash crossed his arm, another slipped beneath the damaged breastplate and two more struck the wounds already opened across his side.
[Fortress Commander: 58.7%]
The Commander roared and pulled violently against the shadows, causing several of the restraints around his body to immediately begin cracking.
Death Energy gathered inside Karl’s hand and condensed into Death Severance as he rushed forward, while the skeletal Greyfang attacked from the opposite side and clamped its jaws around the warhorse’s rear leg.
The horse stumbled and Karl immediately stepped through the opening and Death Severance cut diagonally across the Commander’s chest before he immediately moved away again.
[Death Mark applied.]
[Fortress Commander: 51.3%]
Leon had already moved as he stored his sword and pulled a heavy battle axe from his storage equipment, Qi immediately spreading from his arms and covering the weapon.
"Move!"
Karl shifted away as Leon stepped forward and swung with everything he had.
The axe crashed directly into the Commander’s damaged breastplate and a violent metallic sound spread across the road.
The remaining armour finally shattered, Unfortunately Leon’s weapon followed it.
Cracks raced through the axehead before the entire thing broke apart, sending several pieces spinning across the stone.
Leon stared at the broken handle inside his hands. "Seriously?"
The Fortress Commander tore one arm free from Mira’s restraints and drove his spear directly toward him.
Leon threw the useless handle aside and pulled out his shield before the attack could reach him.
Qi immediately spread across its surface.
"Stone Guard!"
The spear slammed against the shield and Leon was forced several steps backwards, but his stance remained stable and the shield held.
Mira appeared behind the Commander again and both daggers struck through the openings left by his shattered armour before she immediately retreated.
Karl raised his free hand.
Hellfire.
Dark flames erupted directly across the exposed wounds and the Commander released an angry roar as the fire spread across his chest.
[Fortress Commander: 23.6%]
The remaining shadows finally snapped apart and his warhorse charged forward the instant it regained freedom, but the skeletal Greyfang slammed into its side before the beast could build enough speed.
The two crashed across the stone and the Commander was thrown from the saddle.
He rolled once before forcing himself upright, his spear already thrusting toward Karl.
Karl stepped sideways and narrowly avoided the spearhead before Death Severance swept across the Commander’s exposed arm, forcing his weapon slightly off course.
The Commander immediately tried to recover but Mira was faster.
One of her daggers entered through the damaged armour across his back and forced him forward, while Karl stepped in and drove a kick directly against his exposed chest.
The Commander staggered toward Leon, Leon looked at the approaching knight and then down at the enormous shield still inside his hands.
A grin appeared across his face.
"Oh, this works."
Qi gathered across his arms and flowed into the shield as he stepped forward and swung the entire thing from the side.
The reinforced edge smashed directly against the Commander’s exposed head.
His remaining Health disappeared instantly and the massive knight remained standing for barely another second before the spear slipped from his fingers and his body collapsed onto the road.
His warhorse fell almost simultaneously.
[Fortress Commander defeated.]
[EXP obtained: 6,300,000.]
[Team distribution activated.]
[EXP received: 2,100,000.]
[Level increased: 10 → 11.]
Warm energy immediately spread throughout Karl’s body as another level strengthened his attributes.
Leon lowered his shield and checked his status.
"Level 11."
Mira glanced at her own interface. "Twelve."
Karl barely paid attention to either of them, his gaze had already moved toward the fallen Commander and the enormous warhorse lying several metres away.
There was something considerably more valuable he wanted, Karl approached the corpse and extended one hand.
Death Legion.
Death Energy flowed outward and entered both the Fortress Commander and his fallen mount.
The warhorse reacted first as its body darkened while glowing red lines gradually spread across its legs, chest and neck.
Red Soul Fire ignited inside its eyes as the enormous beast slowly pushed itself back onto four legs.
The Fortress Commander rose immediately afterward, his damaged armour remained across his body, but glowing red runes now covered the metal and continued across the exposed sections beneath it.
The Commander reached down and picked up his fallen spear, his undead warhorse lowered itself slightly and the knight climbed onto its back before turning silently toward Karl.
Leon stared at the mounted undead for several seconds.
"Okay, that is actually pretty damn cool."
Karl smiled slightly, Compared with the ordinary skeletons most new Necromancers began with, a Level 30 Fortress Commander and his warhorse were considerably better first additions to an undead army.
"Let’s move."
The open city gates waited directly ahead, Karl sent the Fortress Commander forward, with the skeletal Greyfang moving beside the horse while he, Leon and Mira followed several steps behind.
The silence surrounding the city disappeared almost immediately after they entered. Dozens of figures were already waiting throughout the first street.
Some wore the damaged armour of city guards, while others appeared to have once been ordinary civilians.
Their clothing was torn and dark veins spread across their pale skin as they slowly turned toward the newcomers.
Karl focused upon the nearest guard.
[Corrupted City Guard]
[Level: 31]
[Classification: Elite]
His attention shifted toward another figure.
[Corrupted Believer]
[Level: 29]
[Classification: Elite]
Karl raised one eyebrow, there were barely any ordinary enemies among them. The nearest corrupted guard suddenly released a scream and rushed forward.
Every creature behind it followed.
"Here they come!" Leon shouted.
The Fortress Commander lowered his spear and his undead warhorse immediately charged into the approaching group.
Several corrupted believers were thrown aside by the impact before the Commander’s spear pierced through one City Guard and carried it several metres backwards.
The skeletal Greyfang attacked beside him and intercepted another group attempting to move around the horse.
Together, the two undead formed an effective front line, Karl moved behind them as Death Energy condensed into Death Severance again.
A corrupted guard broke through and swung its weapon toward him.
Karl lowered his body beneath the attack and Death Severance cut across the creature’s stomach, tearing through both its damaged armour and the flesh beneath it.
The resistance was considerably weaker than Karl expected, his current Level was low, but the attributes provided by his God-Tier talent and twenty-one-star class compatibility were anything but ordinary.
The guard tried to attack again but Karl stepped inside its reach and drove the staff across its neck and the creature collapsed.
Leon rushed past him with Qi covering his sword and collided with another City Guard, while Mira disappeared into the surrounding shadows before striking repeatedly at enemies already occupied by the undead.
The battle quickly spread throughout the street, another corrupted believer fell nearby.
Karl raised one hand.
Death Legion.
Death Energy entered the corpse and a few seconds later the dead believer pushed itself upright and immediately turned against the creatures it had been fighting beside only moments earlier.
Karl raised another suitable corpse soon afterward and then another, with every enemy that fell his side gradually became larger.
By the time they reached the end of the first street, several newly created undead were already following behind the Fortress Commander and skeletal Greyfang.
The next group waiting ahead was even larger, Karl smiled slightly when he saw them.
"Keep going."
The Fortress Commander charged first.
His warhorse repeatedly broke apart the enemy formations while the Commander absorbed most attacks aimed toward the front.
The skeletal Greyfang protected whichever side became exposed, giving Leon and Mira considerably more freedom to attack.
Karl remained directly behind the front line and fought alongside them, whenever another suitable enemy died, Death Legion raised it again.
The group that had entered the city with only three professionals and two undead gradually became a small force moving through the ruined streets.
Their experience continued increasing just as quickly, One Elite fell and then another.
Every kill was divided equally between the three members of the team.
Leon cut down another corrupted believer before glancing toward Karl, who had already released Hellfire again while Death Legion pulled another corpse back onto its feet.
"Damn, how the hell are you spamming skills like this? Aren’t you running out of Mana?"
Karl only shrugged. "Don’t worry about it."
He raised the Death Stick and another wave of Death Energy gathered around him.
It would practically be an insult to Monarch’s Evolution if I didn’t abuse the one-tenth Mana consumption.
[Level increased: 14 → 15.]
Karl dismissed the notification and continued forward, more corrupted guards emerged from the surrounding buildings while several believers rushed toward them from another street.
The Fortress Commander met them directly.
Leon moved along his right side with his sword covered in Qi, while Mira slipped between the shadows created by the surrounding buildings and repeatedly attacked from their blind spots.
Karl followed behind them as hellfire erupted across another group before Death Severance cut through the nearest injured guard.
[Level increased: 15 → 16.]
By now, Leon had completely stopped complaining about Karl choosing Insane Mode.
He was too busy fighting and the undead army continued growing around them, replacing the enemies they killed with new soldiers of their own.
Several minutes later, another Elite collapsed beneath Karl’s attack and a warm energy passed through his body again.
[Level increased: 16 → 17.]
Karl glanced toward Leon and Mira.
Leon checked his panel almost simultaneously.
"Seventeen."
Mira nodded. "Same."
Before either of them could say anything else, a deep cracking sound suddenly spread across the entire city and everyone stopped.
Karl slowly raised his head, thin cracks had appeared across the dark clouds covering the sky.
They spread rapidly above the surrounding buildings before converging toward the enormous cathedral standing near the centre of the fallen city.
Another violent crack echoed overhead and the clouds directly above the cathedral split apart.
A massive opening appeared through the darkened sky and seven figures emerged from within it.
Long priestly robes moved around their bodies as they slowly descended toward the city below.