The sky darkened once more. Clouds twisted in unnatural spirals as if reality itself bent under the weight of what was to come.
It was a bad premonition from his allies' perspective. It was by far dreadful and spine chilling. They managed to deal with the problem and now, another one arrived.
It felt luck was not on their side. Especially this enemy that was a bringer of the bad luck. They immediately gulped their saliva and then they gritted their teeth. They braced for another impact of the enemy's attacks.
From the fractured shadows of the forest and shattered ruins, new terrors stepped into the battlefield. Each clad in necrotic armor, their weapons dripping with cursed flame, their auras oppressive and steeped in death.
[Undead Knight Commander – Level 100]
[Ghoul Summoner – Level 100]
[Wraith Executioner – Level 100]
[Warning: Combined Threat Level – Catastrophic]
Sigh, another one...
When will this battle end?
How can we win this one?
They were now muttering and then watched their leader.
A chill passed through the air like a silent scream. Rein felt the sheer weight of their presence, an overwhelming force that could destroy even the strongest battalion. But he did not falter. His breath steadied. His eyes narrowed. They watched their master and still, they did not lost hope.
"They've brought out their elites," Rein muttered under his breath. "Fine then… I'll answer in kind."
He raised his arm, magic already swirling through his veins.
"Summon: Evolved Monsters!"
[Skill: Summon Evolved Monsters – Activated]
In an instant, the world responded. The earth trembled and split open with deep cracks. Arcane sigils pulsed on the ground as towering beasts burst forth like rising titans.
[Primordial Basilisk – Level 100]
[Vampire Bats – Level 100]
[Purgatory Snake – Level 100]
[Fenrir Wolves – Level 100]
[Devil Spider – Level 100]
[Hell Salamander – Level 100]
[Thunder Eel – Level 100]
[Iron Tortoise – Level 100]
[Arctic Turtle – Level 100]
[Wind Mantis – Level 100]
Monstrous roars echoed as his forces gathered, basilisks hissing with venomous intent, spiders clicking their metallic limbs, wolves snarling with frost-tipped breath, and salamanders crackling with hellish fire. The battlefield was now a warzone, and Rein stood as their commander.
The Wraith Executioner was the first to strike. It flickered forward in a shadowy blur, teleporting inches from Rein and bringing down a massive scythe wreathed in cold death. Rein reacted on instinct. He conjured a blade formed from compressed wind and fire, parrying the strike with a deafening clash. The impact created a shockwave, cracking the nearby earth and forcing even the summoned beasts to brace.
"Snake and Basilisks, neutralize the Summoner! Wolves and Bats, flank the Knight Commander! The rest support and strike the Wraith!" Rein barked, his voice laced with command.
The creatures obeyed, surging into formation. The Purgatory Snake slithered with speed, unleashing plumes of acidic mist. Basilisks fired petrifying beams at the Ghoul Summoner, forcing it to shield itself. In retaliation, the summoner lifted its decayed hands and opened rifts in the air, dozens of ghouls spilled out, groaning and crawling with grotesque hunger.
Rein didn't wait. He conjured a massive wall of fire, a blazing inferno that washed across the field and turned the ghouls to ashes. But the enemy did not relent. The Knight Commander barreled through the flames, his greatsword cleaving down like judgment itself.
Rein's Devil Spider intercepted with metallic silk threads, wrapping around the Knight Commander's limbs. For a second, it was enough. Then the Knight roared, severed the threads with one sweep, and charged again.
The Vampire Bats, in a flurry of wings, descended. They latched on, siphoning tiny fragments of life energy. The Knight howled, swinging at them with vengeful strikes but they were agile, swift, and relentless.
Meanwhile, the Wraith Executioner freed itself and phased through shadows to assault Rein again. Its scythe cut through the air with ghostly speed. Rolan ducked, rolled, and unleashed a combo of spells, ice spears, lightning bolts, and molten magma. The explosions tore apart the terrain, creating unstable ground and elemental traps.
Still, the Wraith struck. A slash connected, launching Rein backward. He crashed into stone, bones cracking from the blow. Blood sprayed from his mouth.
But…
Golden light engulfed him. His body pulsed with energy. Muscles repaired. Bones realigned. His skill [Ultra Regeneration] activated automatically. Faster than even the Undead General's. He rose from the crater like death denied.
"I'm not done," he growled, eyes burning.
The Ghoul Summoner paused. Even from a distance, it sensed it.
"What… is he?" it croaked in fear.
"I'm the end of your cycle," Rein snarled. "And I'll erase you from this world."
He raised his hand.
"Release the slimes. Release the mimics. Then Absorb."
[Skill: Absorb evolving to Gluttonous Devourer – Initiated]
[Evolution Complete]
[Warning: High Resistance Detected – Countermeasures Engaged]
A thick fog of soul energy billowed from his palm. The ground quaked again. Slimes oozed forth, mimics materialized like twisted chests with fangs, and they charged, devouring everything in their path.
They latched onto the three undead elites, binding them. He fused the soul fog with elements: fire, ice, electricity, weakening the spectral armor that protected them. They howled in pain as their forms flickered, destabilized by the onslaught.
Then he focused.
Gluttonous Devourer activated fully.
The battlefield went silent for a moment, then the souls were dragged, screaming, into the abyss of Rein's power. One by one.
[Wraith Executioner – Absorbed]
[Undead Knight Commander – Absorbed]
[Ghoul Summoner – Absorbed]
The system window flooded his vision. Rein didn't wait.
"Solomon," he called, "Preserve their souls. Keep the mana molecules stable. I want them summoned by me."
[Affirmative]
[Processing…]
[Creating skill: Taming]
[Skill Successfully created]
[Stabilizing souls… 1%… 14%… 39%… 67%… 89%… 95%…]
[Taming complete]
[New Skill Created: Summon Undead Grandmasters]
Rein stood among the flames and craters, surrounded by his monsters, his aura radiant with victory.
He had turned the tide. They immediately were now his summons.
"How? How did you do that? My summons...they are mine!" The Lich Overlord bellowed in anger.
And now, their strength were his to command. Making the Lich bellowed in anger.