Chapter 454: Death Knight
Just then, a piercing sound tore through the air, making everyone's eardrums ache. Hundreds of Bone Demons let out savage howls as Necrofire Bombs, thick with the stench of death, rained down one after another...
The Bone Demons, more than a hundred meters away, launched their attack first.
"Not good!"
Almost the moment the piercing sound erupted, everyone knew something was terribly wrong. Necrofire Bombs were the Bone Demons’ strongest attack—each one packed the force of an Archmage’s full-powered strike. If it were just a single bomb, nobody here would even flinch. But reality was far crueler: it wasn’t just one. It was hundreds!
Hundreds—just imagine that...
That’s almost like the Arcane Wheel’s strongest blast at the mid-tier Essence Relic level!
And that’s not even the worst of it—Necrofire Bombs were laced with corpse toxin, a trait unique to undead creatures, with terrifying corrosive effects. Even a Title Archmage couldn’t afford to ignore that kind of poison.
"Boom..."
Hundreds of Necrofire Bombs exploded at once—the sheer force was staggering. In a flash, the ground trembled and mountains shook. Almost instantly, dozens of ice walls radiating a chilling aura sprang up, encircling everyone just before the bombs hit. After the deafening blast, the sound of cracking echoed in their ears. The ice walls were riddled with holes from the violent explosions—most had already melted away...
Surrounded by the skeletal horde, the group found that even a simple low-level spell could fell a skeleton warrior. After all, the lowest rank among them was a seventh-level Archmage—against these basic undead, it was effortless.
But soon they realized that the skeleton warriors seemed endless, surging toward them in waves—and among them, bone fiends would occasionally appear...
Within mere seconds, the group was swallowed by the undead army.
Yet at that moment, the black mound suddenly shuddered violently, emitting a thunderous crash as if struck by something. The rubble and bones atop it rattled and tumbled down in the tremor.
"Crack!"
A streak of black sword light, as if descending from the heavens, swept across with overwhelming force. Instantly, a massive fissure split the black mound, and a blinding red glow leaked from the darkness within. Along with it came a terrifying aura—a nightmare beast cloaked in red flames, over two meters tall, emerged step by step from the gap and let out a sky-shaking roar.
The endless skeleton warriors seemed invigorated, their assault growing even fiercer.
"My god... that's a Nightmare Beast—a high-tier hell creature, at least level thirty or above..."
As the roar echoed, everyone trapped by the undead horde noticed the Nightmare Beast, nearly struck speechless by shock. Then they saw—a skeleton sat astride the beast...
The skeleton looked utterly ordinary, no different from any other skeleton warrior, except for its battered black armor and the long sword in its hand, now corroded and rusted.
"Death Knight..."
Surrounded by the skeletal army, Leon only needed a glance to know this was a formidable foe. The sword light that split the mound had been unleashed by that skeleton atop the Nightmare Beast...
Leon could hardly believe it—there was a Death Knight here! Death Knights were genuine high-tier undead, with even the weakest at level thirty. Judging by the strength of that sword aura, this one could easily be level thirty-six.
And the Nightmare Beast itself was no pushover...
When they first arrived, Leon had pushed his magical gear to the limit, inspecting everything carefully and finding no sign of a Death Knight. The countless undead alone were enough to keep them busy. Only when the mound was split open did he realize another powerful undead had been lurking here all along.
Before their arrival, the Death Knight was most likely dormant.
Dormant undead have soul flames so faint they're barely detectable. Back in the Bone Plane, a bone fiend had also been asleep, but its slumber was brief, so Leon could sense it then.
But now things were different...
The Death Knight before them had likely slept for centuries—maybe nearly a thousand years. Its soul flames had dimmed to almost nothing, their fluctuations impossible to detect.
Perhaps because of its long slumber, the soul fire in the Death Knight’s eye sockets was extremely faint, as if it might go out at any moment.
The appearance of a high-tier undead here was extremely dangerous for Leon and his companions. Where there was one, there could easily be another...
Leon said nothing. Summoning his avatar of fire, he flashed forward with a burst of flame, charging straight at the Death Knight. The air became stiflingly hot, and a streak of fire sliced through the chaos, followed by a barrage of flame spells exploding around the Death Knight.
"Who are you to dare disturb Lord Ragulin's slumber..."
The Death Knight let out an enraged roar, but when he saw Leon shrouded in flames, the soul fire in his eye sockets shrank back, flickering less violently than before.
He hesitated, unable to fathom why the young mage made him feel a twinge of dread. With a swing of his frigid sword, waves of deathly energy surged toward Leon.
"Ragulin? Your name is Ragulin? Who are you, and how did you end up as an undead here...?"
Leon knew it was the effect of his Undead Nemesis trait, though such high-tier undead weren't greatly affected.
Still, fighting a Death Knight while possessing Undead Nemesis would weaken the knight somewhat.
He was genuinely curious—why was there a high-tier undead here...?
This was the second floor of the Wizard's Spire. Without some special reason, a high-tier undead shouldn't appear here at all.
Casting Haste on himself, Leon retreated quickly, muttering obscure incantations while his hands formed intricate gestures. The ambient fire element surged to its peak...
"Foolish human, do you even know where you are? Trespassers will never be forgiven by His Highness Barris..."
Fire spells rained down on the Death Knight, exploding with deafening booms. Sparks flew, charring three or four spots on the knight’s back. Such damage might seriously injure a high-tier magical beast, but to an undead, it was barely a scratch.
The Death Knight’s body recoiled, eyes locked on Leon. Suddenly, the Nightmare Beast beneath him howled and lunged at Leon as a streak of fiery red. The surge of fire elements provoked another furious roar from the Death Knight...
"His Highness Barris?"
Leon grinned—he had found his answer. On the eighth floor of the Wizard's Spire, the Three-Eyed Hidden Wolf had mentioned that Barris secretly led a group into the Turan Mountains to assassinate Longlegs, but failed. The Death Knight before him must have been one of Barris's men.
And the Death Knight had been formidable in life—likely a Sword Saint. What Leon couldn't figure out was why he became undead after death.
Could Barris have orchestrated this?
Leon raised his rune shield, bracing against the Death Knight's relentless assault. The Doom Staff flashed before his chest, bursting with dazzling light, as he poured mana into the Wheel of All Magic. Endless low-level spells surged forth like a torrent.
"Boom!"
Dazzling spells tore through the air, detonating on the Death Knight's skull. Even with its formidable bone structure and magical resistance, the relentless spell barrage produced a chorus of cracks. At last, a piece of bone was blasted away, revealing a barely visible hairline fracture on the knight's skull...
Normally, undead were notoriously difficult to kill. If the Death Knight had suffered these injuries as a magical beast of the same rank, it would already be gravely wounded.
Fire spells rained down on the Death Knight, exploding with deafening booms. Sparks flew, charring three or four spots on the knight’s back. Such damage might seriously injure a high-tier magical beast, but to an undead, it was barely a scratch.
The Death Knight’s body recoiled, eyes locked on Leon. Suddenly, the Nightmare Beast beneath him howled and lunged at Leon as a streak of fiery red. The surge of fire elements provoked another furious roar from the Death Knight...
"His Highness Barris?"
Leon grinned—he had found his answer. On the eighth floor of the Wizard's Spire, the Three-Eyed Hidden Wolf had mentioned that Barris secretly led a group into the Turan Mountains to assassinate Longlegs, but failed. The Death Knight before him must have been one of Barris's men.
And the Death Knight had been formidable in life—likely a Sword Saint. What Leon couldn't figure out was why he became undead after death.
Could Barris have orchestrated this?
Leon raised his rune shield, bracing against the Death Knight's relentless assault. The Doom Staff flashed before his chest, bursting with dazzling light, as he poured mana into the Wheel of All Magic. Endless low-level spells surged forth like a torrent.
"Boom!"
Dazzling spells tore through the air, detonating on the Death Knight's skull. Even with its formidable bone structure and magical resistance, the relentless spell barrage produced a chorus of cracks. At last, a piece of bone was blasted away, revealing a barely visible hairline fracture on the knight's skull...
Normally, undead were notoriously difficult to kill. If the Death Knight had suffered these injuries as a magical beast of the same rank, it would already be gravely wounded.