Heim Territory — Mountain Town.
Deep within the eastern mines behind the settlement, in a section of the mountain long thought abandoned, something unusual was happening.
This mine lay about twenty li east of the town's coal pits — already well inside the outer reaches of the Beast Forest.
At that moment, Hel was quietly leading Arwin and a small company of undead toward the site, moving through the woods like shadows.
Not far ahead, at the mouth of the mine, a garrison of roughly three hundred knights stood guard.
"One Earth Knight, thirty High Knights, and three hundred Intermediate Knights…
That old fossil of a Duke really didn't hold back,"
Hel muttered as she observed from a distance through the gloom.
After half a day of careful reconnaissance, she had a good grasp of their strength.
Formidable, yes — but not beyond what her undead army could handle.
"In a moment, I'll cast the Nightfall Barrier.
Arwin, you and your riders charge straight in.
Leave one alive for interrogation."
"As you command, my lord."
Arwin vaulted onto his mount. Behind him, twelve Skeletal Heavy Cavalry did the same in perfect silence.
Yes — for the first time, her knights had actual mounts. And that was thanks to Arwin's most recent "hunting expedition."
Not only had he returned with an enormous horde of undead, but also with mountains of beast corpses from the forest.
Using those remains, Hel had successfully summoned dozens of Undead Horses through the Necrotic Sigil.
The odd thing was — no matter what kind of creature's body she used, whether it was a wolf, bear, or lizard — the ritual always produced the same result: a skeletal horse.
A strange but convenient kind of magic.
These mounts were no ordinary beasts either — each one possessed Tier 4 power. After all, Hel had fused the corpses of over eleven thousand magical beasts to create them. Strength was guaranteed.
Of the batch, thirteen were reserved for Arwin and his riders. The rest, however, weren't particularly useful for now.
So Hel experimented — and discovered another fascinating application of the Necrotic Sigil:
Elemental Crystal Refinement.
By fusing undead essence and purifying the soul fragments within, Hel could create higher-grade Elemental Crystals.
Even better, by using her ability to erase lingering soul imprints, she made these crystals much easier for people to absorb — drastically accelerating growth.
With this method, she managed to refine nine crystals in total:
One Tier 5 Elemental Crystal,
Eight Tier 4 Crystals.
Lily and Anna's strength had fallen a bit behind recently, so Hel gave each of them two of the Tier 4 crystals — but not before upgrading their innate traits to gold-tier talents.
She hadn't forgotten Sebas and the others either — each received two as well.
The final Tier 5 crystal? She kept that one for herself.
While its effects weren't as potent as a crystal refined from a living being, the elemental energy within was still enough to elevate her to Grand Magus level.
In this world, when you have both talent and resources, ascension really is that easy.
But back to the battlefield.
After quickly deploying the Nightfall Barrier, Hel nodded to Arwin.
In the next instant, Arwin and his twelve skeletal riders thundered forward — a black wind ripping through the night — charging straight toward the camp.
However, the knights stationed there weren't the drunken rabble of Black Mountain Fortress.
The moment the undead cavalry breached the perimeter, the entire camp snapped to attention.
Horns blared, soldiers armed themselves, and disciplined voices echoed through the mountain pass.
Even when they saw that the attackers numbered only thirteen, not a single man relaxed.
They were Mandrake Knights — the elite of Duke Mandrake's forces.
At their head stood a broad-shouldered man with crimson hair, clad in ornate plate armor etched with noble sigils. In his hands gleamed a mithril lance, dwarf-forged. His warhorse snorted plumes of steam through its armored helm.
Staring down the charging undead riders from atop the slope, the red-haired commander barked orders with grim precision:
"Archers — fire at will!
Knights — prepare to charge!
We have the high ground; the advantage is ours!
All units, follow me!"
He spurred his mount and charged first, three hundred thirty knights thundering after him.
Even Arwin's riders faltered for a moment at the sight.
Seriously?
They'd expected the enemy to hold position — to use the camp's fortifications and terrain. Breaking through would've cost time and maybe a few casualties.
But instead, the opposing commander had chosen to charge downhill into them.
Either the man was overconfident… or he'd vastly underestimated his enemy.
In an ordinary, non-magical world, three hundred thirty-one knights against thirteen would have been a one-sided slaughter.
But this was not that world.
Thirteen Earth Knights versus three hundred Intermediate Knights was the real definition of one-sided.
The only resistance came from the thirty High Knights — and even they barely lasted a few exchanges before being trampled underfoot.
One devastating charge — that was all it took.
Arwin and his undead cavalry punched straight through the enemy line, leaving behind a trail of shattered lances and mangled corpses.
Nearly a hundred knights fell in that single impact — among them more than a dozen mid-tier warriors.
"All… all of them are Earth Knights?"
The red-haired commander, Aldon Mandrake, stared at the retreating riders, shock and disbelief tightening his face.
Thirteen Earth Knights — attacking this small outpost? Impossible.
Could the mine's secret have been exposed? Had the Kingdom's Royal Knights discovered it?
No other force could possibly field so many Earth Knights — not even the entire Mandrake Duchy had more than ten.
But no matter who they were — he was a Mandrake, and he would not fall here in disgrace.
He gritted his teeth, fury flooding his veins.
"All units…"
His eyes burned crimson as he bellowed, word by word:
"Burn your blood — fight to the death!"
Instantly, a red mist erupted from every knight's body. Their strength surged violently, weapons glowing with bloody light.
"Mandrake Knight Corps, Second Battalion — CHARGE!"
With a roar, Aldon spurred his beast forward, leading the final charge straight at Arwin.
He had crossed lances with the undead commander once already — and nearly been unhorsed in a single strike. But now, empowered by the Blood Ignition Secret Art, he was confident he could bring the monster down.
Yet the moment their weapons met again — a massive shockwave rippled through the air. The rebound force nearly tore the lance from Aldon's grip.
And then, from beyond the clash, came a cold, almost casual voice:
"Apologies, my lord ordered me to keep one alive…
So I was holding back before.
But it looks like—"
A faint grin crept into Arwin's skeletal face.
"—that won't be necessary anymore."