Surprise Attack
"For the queen!"
Those were the shouts from the few Skeleton Warriors charging in the front. They cried out loudly, their bodies shrouded in a swirling black mist—it seemed they had charged forward only after being buffed by the Bone Warrior's 'Fear Roar'.
"Ugh!"
The leading Skeleton Warrior thrust his sword into a mercenary's chest. With a sharp pull, the mercenary fell, his life ended on the spot.
The other mercenaries had intended to help, but three Skeleton Warriors had formed a wall to split the battlefield. Fearful of the undead, none dared cross over to support their companion.
Now directed by Serea, the Skeleton Warriors used divide-and-conquer tactics to pick the mercenaries off one by one. In just a minute, more than six mercenaries had already fallen.
"Ahhh! Help us! Monsters!"
Amidst their wails and terror, the mercenaries were plagued by a single thought as they fled:
Are these really just skeletons?
Low-tier skeletons shouldn't have such strength or speed, let alone such disciplined movement or coordinated tactics.
At this moment, Odura stepped out of the leading carriage. When he saw the five skeletons, shock overtook his face.
"Nether Undead!"
Odura cried out in alarm. Others might not know, but he certainly did—these monsters were no ordinary skeletons.
As the apprentice of Imperial Great Mage Desert Gale and a disciple of the Ailera Empire, he had once read about the undead in a tome from the imperial library.
That book had specifics about the 'Nether Undead', which was why he recognized these creatures.
According to the book, ordinary undead skeletons and Nether Undead looked similar, but were in truth, entirely different beings.
The former attacked the living on instinct alone, undeveloped and low-tier monsters.
But the latter were different. They were born from the power of death, and it was said that only mighty undead sovereigns could have such formidable Nether Undead as subordinates.
As Nether Undead, they were the undead race's main combat force: loyal, tireless, and born for battle.
That wasn't even the most terrifying part. What made them legendary was their ability to grow and evolve without end; ordinary undead skeletons were nothing but trash compared to them.
However, since the last demon invasion, this extremely rare monster had scarcely been seen.
So why had five of them appeared all at once today?
Odura's confusion gave way to greed as his gaze upon the five skeletons filled with possessiveness.
And why did these monsters spark this desire...
Because Nether Undead possessed tremendous combat power and potential for evolution, making them the ideal choice for a mage's familiar.
Though using undead familiars would surely draw the displeasure of the 'Church of Light', Odura wasn't from the Holy Empire. To become stronger, he was willing to try anything.
Besides, there were five Nether Undead. If he could bring a few back as offerings to his master, his standing in the old man's eyes would skyrocket—
By then, should his teacher feel pleased, bestowing him with a forbidden spell or an advanced meditation technique would be more than possible.
After all, these were extremely rare members of the undead, and every mage dreamed of such a tank-type familiar.
Capture them!
This thought seared itself into Odura's mind. It was his opportunity to advance as an apprentice mage—his road to great fortune. He had to seize it.
"Master Mage, save us!"
A cry for help pulled Odura back to reality. He saw as the five skeletons charged forward once more, cutting down three more mercenaries.
With Serea controlling them, the five Skeleton Warriors worked in perfect concert, cutting through the mercenaries like chopping vegetables.
Seeing the coordinated fighting of the Skeleton Warriors, Odura's greed grew even stronger.
"Perfect synergy. With such a powerful unit of familiars, none of my master's other disciples could compete with me!"
Immersed in the undead's organized slaughter, Odura cared nothing for his mercenaries' lives.
After all, they were only tools—trash he'd hired for the price of a single potion. Their lives meant nothing to Odura.
In fact, to ensure there'd be no witnesses to the attack on the Otto Kingdom's princess, he'd planned to clean them up himself afterwards. Now, the skeletons were saving him that trouble.
"Master Mage, please help us!"
A mercenary had escaped to Odura's side, his lips trembling in terror, but his pleas only irritated Odura.
"Shut up!"
"But those monsters—"
Before he finished, Odura kicked him aside.
Bang!
The mercenary fell to the ground, only to see the Skeleton Warriors charging swiftly toward him.
Those monsters had already killed many of their companions, most in a single strike. They had no power to resist, and the seven survivors now retreated over the corpses of their comrades to Odura's side.
Seeing this, the mercenary desperately tried to crawl behind Odura for cover.
"All of you, charge forward!"
But with that single command from Odura, the mercenary and the rest of those seeking his protection froze in place.
Serea glanced up at Odura, then showed an expression of 'so that's how it is'.
He merely saw these people as tools; he'd hired them just to frame them for the attack on the royal family.
He was an imperial agent sent to disrupt the alliance marriage, aiming to prolong the war against the Otto Kingdom!
The truth was revealed. Serea started looking for an opportunity to end him with one blow. In her view, any potential enemy must die—especially one who might expose her whereabouts.
But before that, she needed to remain hidden—a last resort.
Thinking of this, Serea took a step back and held her breath. If no one turned around, no one would even notice she was standing there.
"But Master Mage, those monsters..."
"Charge! Ten gold coins each, paid immediately after the battle."
The mage looked at the Skeleton Warriors, his voice cold as he spoke.
Hearing this, the mercenaries froze. That number rocked them to the core.
Ten gold coins—what did that mean? Their original payment for this job was only one gold coin each, enough to live well for half a month, maybe a whole month if they were frugal.
Ten gold coins was an astonishing fortune to them.
As expected, on hearing this, the fear faded from the seven remaining mercenaries, replaced by greed and desire.
When a heavy reward is offered, there will be brave men to take it—and with a mage's support, perhaps they wouldn't die.
With reckless hope, the seven stood before Odura, willingly forming a human shield for him. That was exactly what Odura needed in order to cast spells with peace of mind.
(To be continued...)