The carriage shook violently. Dust rained from above, and the sound of something massive striking the ground made the wheels screech to a halt.
Haru leaned forward, eyes narrowing. The sky ahead burned crimson.
He opened his system and scanned the area.
> [Scanning…]
Lv. 71 — Elven Vanguard Commander
Lv. 73 — Spirit Archer
Lv. 70 — Elementalist of the Silver Grove
Everyone—every single one—was above Level 70.
They weren't ordinary soldiers. These were experts, veterans who had fought for centuries.
Yet every single face wore fear.
Haru felt his chest tighten.
If they look like that… then what about me?
Before he could think further, the carriage suddenly stopped.
The driver shouted, "We can't go further! The line's broken—this is as close as we can get!"
Haru jumped down. The moment his boots hit the dirt, the ground trembled beneath him.
The air was thick with smoke and blood — the stench of mana burns and decaying flesh.
Every second, the earth moved.
Every breath, something exploded.
Every step, someone fell.
It wasn't a battle anymore — it was slaughter.
In front of him, elves clashed with endless hordes of undead.
Rotting knights in black armor swung rusted swords, every strike releasing a cloud of black mist.
Elven archers fired rapid volleys — their arrows glowing silver — piercing skulls one after another.
But for every corpse that fell, three more crawled from the shadows.
An Elementalist raised his staff, shouting,
"Flame Spiral!"
A tornado of fire erupted, burning a line through the undead ranks — only for skeletal hands to rise again from the ashes.
"Damn it—they're reforming!" yelled another.
Haru drew his sword, the A+ Aura Blade humming with power as crimson light surrounded the blade.
"Mana Reinforce," he whispered. His muscles surged, his veins glowing faintly blue.
He charged.
The first undead swung its blade — Haru blocked with his shield, countered with a crushing slash that cleaved the creature clean in half.
Another came — he twisted, slashed horizontally, the aura exploding outward and slicing three more at once.
Elven soldiers behind him shouted,
"Who is that—?"
"Is that the human Ranker?"
"Support him!"
Bolts of light and elemental bursts followed Haru's path as he tore through the front line.
But even with their combined force, the undead tide didn't stop.
In the distance, a massive silhouette rose — a figure wrapped in torn black robes, holding a crimson staff made of bone. Its eyes glowed purple with pure malice.
He activated his system, scanning through the chaos—
then the screen flickered and froze for a heartbeat.
> [Target Detected: Dullahan – Fourth General of the Abyss]
Level: ???
A shockwave tore through the battlefield.
The world turned black for an instant — and then BOOM!
The Dullahan swung its blade.
It wasn't a slash — it was a black crescent of destruction, roaring through the land.
Black Dust Slash.
The very earth split apart.
The shockwave sent dust spiraling into the sky, cutting through ranks of elven soldiers like paper.
The pressure made Haru's knees buckle — his vision blurred — his sword arm trembled.
All around him, elves collapsed to their knees, crushed by pure killing intent.
Even Haru, the Ranker, could barely breathe.
His hands shook, his heartbeat loud in his ears.
"Wha—… what the hell is this power…" he muttered, biting his lip hard enough to draw blood.
The Dullahan stood tall in the distance — a headless knight of pure nightmare, black armor pulsing with runes of red flame.
Its long blade dripped with shadows, and every step it took made the ground whimper.
Just as it raised its sword again—
a streak of crimson light cut through the smoke.
Someone was running.
Faster than wind, faster than sound — a blur of red hair, her cloak burning like fire in the storm.
An elf, beautiful yet fierce, wielding a gleaming twin-bladed spear that danced with flame.
She leapt high, crashing her weapon down against the Dullahan's sword.
BOOM!
A blinding flash.
A shockwave rolled through the battlefield, pushing back dust, fire, and corpses alike.
Haru shielded his eyes. When the light faded, he saw her — standing her ground against the General of the Abyss, her red cloak fluttering in the wind.
The soldiers around began to shout in disbelief—
An elven knight shouted from behind,
"The First Princess—!"
Aeriswen Velyrion.
The eldest daughter of King Illendir.
The flame of the Silver Grove.
Her voice carried across the battlefield, strong yet trembling with urgency.
"All forces, fall back!" she shouted, swinging her spear to block another incoming blow.
"Retreat! This is not a battle we can win!"
The Dullahan roared — a hollow, metallic scream that shattered the trees.
Every step it took made the earth quiver.
Aeriswen stood between her people and the monster, her aura burning brighter and brighter, the flames wrapping around her like wings of light.
Haru's eyes widened as he felt it — her power, her resolve.
Even with all his levels and skills, he couldn't move.
He was witnessing a real war — one between monsters and legends.