At the main entrance of the demonic cult's base, located on the southwestern side of the mountain, Lusian, Emily, Adela, Charles, one hundred nineteen knights, and twenty mages prepared to begin the assault.
To the north stood Leónidas with forty-nine knights and ten mages. To the east, Keitaro and Iris, along with twenty-two adventurers and Jaiden Jenkins, led twenty-nine knights and five mages. Finally, on the western side, Albert commanded thirty-nine knights and ten mages.
The force had been strategically divided to surround the cult's base and strike from multiple directions. Each leader commanded a considerable number of soldiers and mages, giving them enough strength to carry out the assault.
Lusian ordered a group of forty knights to advance while the mages prepared a large-scale wind spell. With his knowledge of the game—the very world Erwin had once completed—he knew that when fighting the undead, black mages often used an area spell that created a fog capable of strengthening those creatures and poisoning anyone who entered its range.
Moments later, as the knights approached the cave entrance, a dense mist began to spread around it. Rotting corpses burst from the ground, and several members of the demonic cult emerged from the cavern itself. Among them stood a Lich wielding a halberd.
The moment Lusian saw it, a chill ran down his spine.
Following his orders, the mages unleashed their wind spell, dispersing the mist. The clash between the knights and the undead erupted with ferocity. Still, the creatures seemed to rise faster than they could be cut down.
Lusian made a quick decision and ordered twenty more knights forward, leaving sixty in reserve to provide support and rotate with the wounded or those who had exhausted their mana. Meanwhile, the mages took turns maintaining their spells.
Although there was only one mage with light affinity—particularly effective against the undead—the fire mages stepped forward, casting Inferno spells. With support from four wind mages, they incinerated enemies that came dangerously close to the knights, who were already being overwhelmed by sheer numbers.
"Where are they all coming from?" Emily asked.
"The cult must have desecrated every grave in the nearby villages," Lusian replied. "You need corpses to create undead. They don't just appear out of nowhere. That's why some are rotting… and others are nothing but bones."
"Then… how many bodies could there be?"
"Thousands. Maybe more. The good thing is they're not that strong—but their numbers are the real problem. If we're not careful, our knights will run out of mana," Lusian explained.
"I thought this would be easier…" Emily murmured, lowering her gaze. "I can help the mages too."
She cast an area Purification spell, but its effect was weaker than expected. The disappointment on her face was immediate.
"Isn't that strange?" Lusian said, watching the faint light fade. "Light and darkness can't touch… so how is it possible for them to take physical form through mana?"
"What are you talking about?" Emily asked, intrigued.
"You," Lusian replied calmly. "You've been trying to create a stronger light spell, haven't you?"
"How do you know that?" she asked, surprised.
Lusian smiled and pulled a scroll from his pocket, unrolling it to reveal a detailed diagram of a light spell.
"Because I'm working on the same thing. Look—I'm trying to enhance my dark magic."
He chanted for about twenty seconds, and a beam of darkness struck an undead. It staggered… but kept moving.
"As expected, dark magic isn't very effective against the undead," Lusian said.
Emily watched, fascinated, and asked him to teach her.
"It's not that hard," Lusian said. "Don't try to give light a physical form. Just focus on intensifying it."
"You really expect me to understand that?" she asked, doubtful.
Lusian smiled.
"It's hard to explain with words—but try. You have the talent to figure it out."
His words seemed to give her confidence. Emily nodded and began channeling her mana differently, determined to refine her light magic.
Meanwhile, the squad's light mage was running out of mana, despite having destroyed countless undead with his Light Arrow spell, which dealt severe damage to the endless enemy ranks. Less than ten minutes into the battle, several knights were already wounded, and a couple had fallen to the cult's mages.
The situation would have been disastrous if not for the knights' legendary-grade armor and weapons. Each of them also carried a superior artifact that enhanced their magical affinity.
Gradually, the number of undead began to dwindle. They no longer appeared in overwhelming waves.
Then the Lich stepped forward.
Around it, ten corpses clad in the armor of Erkhan knights rose from the ground.
"Damn it! High-level undead!" Lusian shouted, immediately recognizing the threat.
"They must have found fallen knights… this is going to be a problem," Charles said, frowning. He turned to Lusian. "My lord, I request permission to join the battle. The knights won't hold out long against the Lich and those undead."
Lusian nodded.
"Go. Take Umber with you."
But Umber didn't move.
"He won't leave your side while you're in danger, my lord," Adela said firmly. "I'll send Aureus instead."
Understanding the importance of using everyone's abilities to their fullest, Lusian ordered the water-affinity mages to cast spells along Aureus's path. The strategy worked—the mages positioned themselves behind the knights and unleashed powerful water spells.
Seizing the moment, Aureus activated his ability, Frozen Mantle.
As the water struck the undead, their ranks began to freeze. The damage wasn't great, but it gave the knights enough time to close in and destroy them.
The combination of the knights and Aureus's freezing ability allowed them to wipe out large numbers of enemies. The strategy proved effective, weakening the cult's forces and allowing the group to advance.
The Lich, along with its undead knights, launched a brutal assault against the Douglas forces, killing several knights. The situation turned critical—until Charles stepped forward and engaged the Lich directly.
Meanwhile, the remaining knights fought the undead while the mages supported them with powerful fire spells.
Charles used wind bursts from his own magic to amplify the flames, increasing both their power and precision. Even so, it was clear he would eventually fall if the other knights failed to eliminate the undead quickly.
At that moment, Lusian, recognizing the gap in power between Charles and the Lich, decided to intervene.
He moved toward the battlefield and shouted to Emily to stay with the mages—for her own safety—and avoid close combat.
The Lich struck, forcing Charles back with a blow from its halberd. He lost his footing and fell.
The weapon rose for the finishing strike—
—and a beam of light slammed into the Lich's right arm.
Emily.
She had completed her spell.
Taking advantage of the opening, Lusian unleashed a series of dark spells at the Lich. They didn't deal significant damage, but they drew its attention away from Charles.
In that instant, Umber lunged forward.
The beast clamped its jaws around the arm holding the halberd, biting down with brutal force—
so powerful it nearly tore the limb off.