Aeldara casually crushed the Necromancer's Soul Fire.
A wisp of green smoke dissipated into the frigid air.
She didn't even glance back, as if she had merely brushed away an unsightly speck of dust.
"The Blighted Legion... Mograss..."
Aeldara rose to her feet, her crimson eyes gazing into the depths of the Frost Path.
Even the wind and snow there seemed tainted by an ominous, deathly stillness.
"All units, prepare for ambush."
Over a hundred Silent Watch Knights sprang into action instantly.
They moved without a single extraneous sound, their movements perfectly synchronized, like a precise and cold war machine.
One group swiftly cleared the battlefield, dragging the undead remains deep into snowdrifts to bury them.
Another group established concealed ambush positions on the slopes flanking the mountain pass, utilizing the terrain and deep snow.
Their movements were dazzlingly fast, a proficiency ingrained in their very bones.
In just a few short minutes, the snowy field, which had just witnessed a massacre, returned to its original tranquility, as if nothing had ever happened.
Only the lingering scent of death in the air silently testified that this place had once been a graveyard for the undead.
Aeldara issued a series of short, precise commands in rapid succession.
"Rangers and Mages, fall back three hundred meters and establish a ranged fire support position."
"First Squad, east slope. Set Frost and Rune Traps. I want them to lose half a leg the moment they step in."
"Second Squad, directly in front of the pass. Construct an Illusion Barrier centered on that corpse to create the illusion that the undead are still regrouping."
"Third Squad, skirmishers. Once the battle begins, eliminate the enemy's spellcasters immediately."
"Yes, Commander!"
The knights' response was perfectly synchronized, without a single wasted word.
Then, dark figures melted into the swirling snow, vanishing without a trace—efficient, precise, the ultimate killing machines.
Lin Qingyue watched in awe.
Professional. Far too professional. This level of execution, this tactical discipline... it's textbook-perfect.
They march out all cheerful, thinking they're off to conquer the world, only to step right into the trap we've laid at their doorstep. What a lovely demise.
She glanced back at her own team.
A boisterous little sister, a stoic Mage with a rich inner monologue, and a shy Ranger who might blush at any moment if things got too intense.
Never mind. We're the main characters. Our job is to provide surprises, not discipline.
"What about us, Commander? What do we do?" Lin Xiyue asked, her hands itching to join in as she watched the knights' professional preparations.
"Your auras are too... 'alive'," Aeldara explained calmly, glancing back at them. "The undead are extremely sensitive to the presence of life, especially a creature like Mograss. If you get too close, they'll detect you before they even enter the ambush zone."
Right. So she's complaining that we're too healthy? Lin Qingyue grumbled silently.
"You three, fall back behind that ridge over there," Aeldara ordered, pointing to a higher ridge in the distance.
"It's far enough that you won't be detected. Once the battle starts and they're distracted, you can move in based on the situation."
"Roger!" Lin Qingyue gave an "OK" sign. "Let's go, sisters! To the VIP viewing platform!"
She patted her sister's shoulder and led her toward the spot Aeldara had indicated. Su Wan and Xia Lian followed close behind.
Su Wan's face remained impassive, but the frost elements gathering around her grew more active, clearly indicating she was storing power for the upcoming battle. Xia Lian, on the other hand, looked tense. As she walked, she repeatedly checked her quiver and short blades, making sure everything was in perfect order.
The four of them quickly reached the mountain hollow. The vantage point was excellent, offering a clear view of the entire mountain pass and the open ground beyond. The thick snow and massive boulders provided natural cover.
"Sis, do you think the Commander and her team can win?" Lin Xiyue whispered, peering over a snowdrift. "That Necromancer mentioned Mograss has reassembled the Scar of Sorrows' elite 'Blighted Legion.' They might be even stronger than the last group."
"Don't worry."
Lin Qingyue lazily flopped down beside her sister. She reached into her storage space, the "Purified Miniature Church," pulled out a pack of beef jerky, tore it open, and handed half to her sister.
"You're forgetting who we're talking about," she said. "Look at the Commander's expression. Does she look like she's heading into a tough fight?"
"That's the face of someone picking up her kid from kindergarten and, while she's at it, utterly obliterating the bully's entire family, household registration and all."
Lin Xiyue took the beef jerky. After a moment's thought, she decided her sister's analogy, though strange, made perfect sense. Reassured, she focused on chewing her jerky.
"Sister Qingyue, do you have any more?" Xia Lian whispered from the side, her cheeks slightly flushed. In the tense atmosphere, food seemed to be the best sedative.
"Sure, sure, plenty to go around." Lin Qingyue pulled out another pack and handed it over.
Su Wan watched the three of them, a hint of exasperation crossing her icy face. But in the end, even she couldn't resist the aroma of the beef jerky and silently extended her hand.
And so, just outside the Frost Path ambush zone, an utterly bizarre scene unfolded.
Below, deadly traps lay hidden, and Death Knights stood poised for battle.
Above, four girls from another world, each with a pack of beef jerky, munched away, waiting for the show to begin.
Time crawled by in suffocating silence.
The blizzard intensified, until only the howling wind filled the world.
At the mountain pass, the Silent Watch Knights had become ice sculptures, motionless in their ambush, their wills and bodies long since merged with the frozen land.
Lin Qingyue finished her last piece of jerky, dusted off her hands, and yawned.
This BOSS is taking forever to show up. No sense of timing at all. If it doesn't hurry, I'm going to fall asleep.
Just as she was about to doze off, a flicker of movement finally appeared deep within the pass.
A deathly aura, so thick it seemed tangible, surged from the other side.
The aura was cold, malevolent, and saturated with hatred for all living things. In its wake, even the snow and wind took on a grayish, decaying hue.
The surrounding temperature plummeted several more degrees.
It's here!
Lin Qingyue instantly snapped to attention, sitting up straight.
Lin Xiyue immediately tucked away her snack wrapper and gripped her shield and longsword.
Below the ridge, Aeldara slowly raised her hand.
Behind her, all the hidden knights silently tightened their grip on their weapons.
A black army appeared at the far end of the pass.
They weren't walking so much as gliding forward like a field of moving tombstones. Their steps were heavy and synchronized, marching to death's unique rhythm, poised to drag this pristine snowscape into the abyss of the dead.
Leading them was a Death Knight mounted on a colossal Skeletal Nightmare.
He was clad in jet-black heavy armor carved with countless wailing faces, and in his hand, he held a Runed Greataxe radiating an ominous purple light.
Simply by sitting there, he exuded an overwhelming aura of despair and tyranny.
Beneath his helmet, his eyes burned not with flames, but with two bottomless voids.
Mograss!
Even from hundreds of meters away, Lin Qingyue recognized him—the Death Lord who had ambushed Aeldara last time.
This entrance, this aura... the pressure is maxed out.
As expected of the arch-villain who's earned the Commander's long-held hatred. He really looks the part.
Behind him were hundreds of elite Death Knights, each mounted on a Skeletal Warhorse.
This was the Blighted Legion, the core assault force of the Undead Race.
Thick Death Energy flowed across every knight's armor, and the Soul Fires burning in their eye sockets were a pure, spectral blue—a sign of their rank far surpassing ordinary undead.
The aura of this army was worlds apart from the ragtag vanguard that had come before.
Mograss was cautious. He reined in his mount, halting at the entrance to the pass.
His eyes, burning with spectral blue Soul Fire, scanned the surroundings warily.
Something felt wrong.
The death energy here... was too faint.
It was as if... it had just been "cleansed" by something.
"Halt!"
He raised his hand, his deep voice echoing through the blizzard.
The entire Blighted Legion stopped instantly, their movements perfectly synchronized and disciplined.
Hoh, he's pretty sharp, Lin Qingyue commented inwardly.
Too bad. It's useless now. You've already walked into the trap.
Just as Mograss was still hesitating, a black figure erupted from the snow on the slope to his front-left, without any warning!
Aeldara!
Her speed was blinding, leaving an afterimage against the pure white snow.
The Runic Magic Sword in her hand was already unsheathed. On its blade, ice-blue runes lit up one by one, emitting a bone-chilling cold.
"Mograss!"
Her clear, cold, furious shout exploded through the pass like a clap of thunder!
Mograss's Soul Fire contracted violently. He whipped his head around, only to see an icy blade already inches from his face!
"Aeldara!"
He roared in a mix of shock and fury, hastily raising his greataxe to block.
CLANG—!
The ear-splitting shriek of metal tore through the blizzard.
A visible shockwave erupted from the point of impact, instantly blasting away the accumulated snow and revealing the dark, frozen earth beneath!
The ambush had begun