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Starry landed another strike to the forehead!

And it was a Critical hit!

Still encased in the ice, the Skeleton Archer Commander’s eyes were filled with shock. It seemed he never expected to die after just two strikes. Meanwhile, on the other side, Zane took the Corrosive Claw attack head-on.

As expected, Corrosive Claw reduced Zane’s Defense by 30. However, with his current Defense at a solid 85.5, even after the reduction, he was still as sturdy as a fortress. Adding in the damage reduction from Bone Shield, this level of damage was completely manageable!

An eye for an eye!

The Undead Alpha’s defense successfully dropped by 5, and a layer of green venom spread across its body.

Zane followed up with a Normal Attack, dealing 341 damage to the Alpha before activating Sprint! He tried to circle behind the Undead Wolf, hoping to land a rear attack bonus or something similar.

But the Wolf Alpha countered immediately, activating Rapid Stride. With Elna’s Blessing still active, their speeds were now evenly matched! For a moment, it looked like they were caught in a high-speed chase.

“I never expected… the Gray Wolf Clan would produce a talent like you,” the former Wolf Alpha remarked with emotion.

“I also never expected that the former Alpha would become a lapdog for a necromancer,” Zane retorted mercilessly.

“You! You’ll pay the price for your arrogance!” The Alpha bared its fangs, a surge of powerful dark energy gathering in its maw. It was about to attack! Yet, in Zane’s eyes, the buildup seemed painfully slow. In a moment of instinct, he leaped high into the air, lunging toward the Alpha!

The Dark Breath attack missed completely.

Swoosh!

Zane didn’t bother landing back on the ground. Instead, he latched onto the Alpha’s back and unleashed a flurry of attacks.

…It was an incredibly awkward riding position. Even Starry, who had just finished off the Skeleton Archer Commander and rushed over to assist, was momentarily stunned by the bizarre sight.

“I… I can’t hold on much longer…” Elna’s voice was barely more than a whisper, weak and frail.

Starry quickly snapped out of her daze, realizing now was no time to be distracted, and immediately joined the battle. With no suspense, the Alpha was overwhelmed and slain. In truth, once an archer was forced into melee combat, their fate was already sealed.

Seeing the battle concluded, Elna withdrew her Blessing and collapsed to her knees, utterly exhausted.

“Elna!” Starry called out in concern.

“…So, you recognized me from the start.” She removed the hood of her black cloak, revealing a withered, pale face—so ghastly white it was almost sickly. Her hair had turned a dull, ashen gray, and there were hardly any traces of life left in her features.

Yet, even in such a state, she smiled. It wasn’t a beautiful smile—far from it. If anything, it was unnerving. But both Starry and Zane could tell—it was a genuine, heartfelt smile.

“Can you… still hold on?”
“I won’t die just yet.” She shook her head weakly. “You… should leave. This is enough…”
“Why?” Starry pressed. “Shouldn’t there still be someone pulling the strings behind all this?”
“He… is not someone you can handle. And… you must go, now. If you don’t, it’ll be too late,” Elna rasped.
“Don’t stop halfway through your sentences! We just took down those two, didn’t we?” Starry insisted, though in reality, they had only won because of Elna’s Blessing…

Suddenly, the Talisman of Exorcism on both Zane and Starry began to glow intensely, activating at full power. Upon seeing this, Elna’s expression darkened with despair, “Too late… He’s already here.”

Both Zane and Starry instinctively turned around. A figure in a black robe was slowly approaching them. Yet, not a single footstep could be heard. Even his presence was so faint it was almost imperceptible.

Starry, unshaken, pointed her Autumn Moon Sword at him and demanded, “Are you the necromancer?”

“Oh?” The voice was rich and magnetic, carrying an air of amusement. It sounded like a man in his thirties, though Starry suspected he was likely an ancient monster in disguise.

“So, it was you who killed my servants?” He seemed puzzled—how could a mere girl achieve such a feat? Could it have been Elna? Impossible. In her current state, she barely has enough strength to stand, let alone defeat both the Commander and the Alpha. As for that Gray Wolf… he had dismissed it as irrelevant.

“That’s right,” Starry replied firmly, assuming a battle stance, prepared for an immediate attack.
“I did it alone. They had nothing to do with it,” Elna interjected, her voice steady. “Let them go.”
“Interesting. Even after becoming one of the undead, you still protect humans?” The necromancer sneered. “Do you even realize…? The empire abandoned you long ago.”
“…That’s impossible,” Elna murmured. “They were sent by Aegis… My brother hasn’t given up on me.” Her voice was filled with longing.

The mysterious man burst into wild laughter. “Hahahahaha!”

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

His laughter grew so intense that he seemed on the verge of tears.

“Elna! …You still don’t realize you’ve been deceived?!”

“What?!” Elna was bewildered.

“This little girl and that gray wolf—they weren’t sent by anyone! They only ended up here because they stumbled into a trap! Tell me, who in their right mind would entrust an exploration mission to two little nobodies like them?”

“…” For a moment, Starry didn’t know how to respond.

“Is that true…?” Elna asked softly, but in her heart, she was desperately praying that reality matched her hopes.

Faced with Elna’s pure and unwavering trust, Starry found herself unable to lie to her. “…Yes.”

The moment the words left her mouth, the light in Elna’s eyes—died. It was just like when they first met. No… perhaps now, she was even more completely broken.

“What a heartbreaking expression,” the mysterious man remarked with a teasing tone. “Little girl, I really must thank you. If it weren’t for you, who knows how much longer it would have taken her to finally wake up. But now, thanks to you, she’s completely lost hope. What a perfect twist! The power of Wishkeeper is about to— ahem.” He quickly stopped himself from revealing too much.

“As a token of my gratitude, I’ll overlook the fact that you killed my servants. You may leave. Elna should have already told you where the exit is, correct?” He extended his hand politely, gesturing toward the way out.

What kind of sick joke is this?!

“Elna! Wake up! Wake up!” Starry’s heart ached as she looked at Elna’s lifeless expression. But no matter how she called, Elna didn’t respond at all.

Starry! Forget about Elna for now! If we take down that b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲, maybe we can still save her! Zane’s voice in her mind snapped her back to reality.

“You b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲!” Starry gritted her teeth. In an instant, she activated Thousand Flash Steps, charging straight at the mysterious man.

Wait for me! Don’t rush in alone! Zane shouted.

“Oh?” The mysterious man was intrigued by Starry’s audacity. This little girl—did she still not understand the sheer gap in power between us?

A dark magic ring, shrouded in black energy, expanded outward from the mysterious man, rapidly sweeping across the battlefield.

But Starry wasn’t blind—she could see exactly how dangerous that attack was. At the very last moment, she arched her back in an impossibly flexible motion, bending her body in a way that resembled an advanced yoga pose.

“Fascinating.” The mysterious man clapped his hands. “I’ve decided—you’ll make a fine addition to my collection!”

Author’s Note:

This marks a major turning point in the story! Please hang in there… Also, ladies and gentlemen, feel free to comment or roast me—I still don’t know if there are any plot holes here.（´＿｀）

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