"Brothers, follow Lord Leon! Charge! Lord Leon will lead us into battle with unmatched bravery!"

"Don't worry, as long as Lord Leon is here, none of us will get hurt!"

"Lord Leon doesn't even need Miss Finniel's blessing—he's just that powerful!"

Voices of numerous Hunters rang out around them. A stiff, unnatural smile crept across Leon's face. At this point, there was no chance of going back to look for Finniel again—he had no choice but to grit his teeth and press forward.

He was a high-tier Silver Hunter, a prodigy from one of the great families of the Holy City. How could he possibly allow himself to appear weak or unimpressive?

Leon stole a glance backward, looking toward Ed.

In his mind, Ed must be feeling the exact same regret as he was—regretting turning down Finniel's blessing, now suffering in silence.

Yet no matter how carefully Leon observed, Ed's expression remained perfectly composed. In fact, there was a hint of excitement flickering in his eyes. Not even the slightest trace of discomfort could be seen.

Leon sneered inwardly:

"Such a faker, Ed. There's no way you can keep up this act forever. Once the battle really begins, I'll make sure you're humiliated—let's see if that doesn't change Finniel's opinion of you!"

Ed, having noticed Leon's glance, offered him a faint smile.

If Leon hadn't insisted earlier that Ed could stand behind him, Ed wouldn't be enjoying things this comfortably right now—simply watching as his progression steadily climbed higher.

Soon enough, under Eng's lead, the group entered the basin.

Countless low-level Undead Monsters blocked their path forward. Under the expectant gazes of everyone around, Leon gritted his teeth, raised his long sword glowing with golden light, and charged forward at the front of the group.

The other Hunters from Dorey City followed closely behind him. As for Eng and the three other elite guards from the Morton Family, their eyes remained locked on the shadowy figure atop the Mountains of Bones, as well as several high-level Undead Monsters stationed at the foot of the mountain.

It wouldn't be their turn to act until the group reached the base of the Mountains of Bones. Until then, the task of clearing the path fell to the Hunters of Dorey City—and to Leon.

Ed remained still. The current situation—with Dorey City's Hunters and Leon holding the front lines—was more than sufficient to deal with the outermost layer of low-level Undead Monsters. For now, he could afford to wait and simply enjoy the steady progress being made.

[Progress toward High-tier Silver breakthrough: 22%]

[Progress toward High-tier Silver breakthrough: 23%]

[Progress toward High-tier Silver breakthrough: 24%]

...

Although only low-level Undead Monsters lurked at the outermost edge of the basin, their sheer numbers were more than enough to make things frustrating.

Especially for Leon—he was already starting to feel the toll on his stamina. And without any blessing to protect him, the oppressive environment here was growing increasingly unbearable.

But all of it—every bit of discomfort and exhaustion—was worth it.

As long as he could make Finniel believe he was a true hero, and change the way she looked at him, no amount of pain or hardship would matter!

With a fierce swing, he slashed down a low-level Undead Monster, then took a moment to catch his breath. Instinctively, he turned to glance at Ed.

Everyone else was fighting tooth and nail, but Ed—he looked like he was on vacation.

Leon felt an overwhelming urge to shout some mocking remark, but then he remembered—it was he who had told Ed he could stand behind him.

His regret only deepened. He looked at the dense mass of low-level Undead Monsters in front of him, sighed helplessly, and raised his longsword once again, charging toward the next creature.

At this point, all Leon could do was silently pray that Finniel was watching—that she would witness all of this and be moved by his courage.

But just as Leon was locked in fierce battle, the surrounding low-level Undead Monsters suddenly scattered. The sound of skeletal hooves echoed through the basin—the Undead Hunter Knight from before had arrived, riding his Skeleton Warhorse, stopping just a short distance from Leon.

A deep, chilling voice rumbled from within the knight's helm:

"Arrogant fool… prepare to meet your death."

Then the Undead Hunter Knight launched into a full-on charge toward Leon.

Leon took a deep breath, gripped his golden-glowing longsword tightly, tensed every muscle in his body, and engaged in a deadly clash with the fearsome knight.

Meanwhile, the powerful Undead Monsters that had previously been waiting at the base of the Mountains of Bones now moved with the knight—beginning to actively obstruct the Dorey City Hunters.

The battle instantly became more chaotic… and more dangerous.

Even Ed was finally forced to join the fight. A few low-level Undead Monsters—clearly lacking any sense—had locked onto him as their target.

Without hesitation, Ed shouted out,

"Leon! Time to keep your word! I've got dangerous monsters over here!"

Leon, still locked in a life-or-death struggle with the Undead Hunter Knight, turned to glance toward Ed's position.

And that single glance nearly made him cough up blood in rage.

Dangerous monsters?

Those were just the most basic Undead Skeletons!

Leon clenched his teeth hard. The opponent in front of him—the Undead Hunter Knight—was the real threat here!

His stamina was already worn down, and this oppressive environment only made things worse. If he didn't have a golden longsword capable of restraining Undead Monsters, he'd already be seriously injured!

Damn you, Ed!

You'd better pray I survive this—because when I do, I swear I'll make you pay!

Leon's resentment toward Ed was growing stronger by the second. If Ed hadn't been the one to speak up and reject the blessing, Leon wouldn't be in such a miserable state right now. Everything would've gone far more smoothly, and he wouldn't be struggling so much!

The thought suddenly sparked an idea in Leon's mind—Ed didn't want to fight, did he? Then he'd force Ed into the battle!

For example, he could slowly guide this Undead Hunter Knight right toward Ed's position.

Perfect.

Leon began subtly shifting his position on the battlefield, slowly but surely luring the Undead Hunter Knight closer to where Ed was standing.

In the midst of the chaos, no one else noticed Leon's strange behavior—no one except Eng and the three elite Morton Family guards. They immediately sensed that something was wrong.

Eng sighed inwardly. A high-tier Silver-level Undead Hunter Knight was definitely not something Ed could handle. After all, Ed no longer had the means to temporarily boost his strength to low-tier Gold.

And no matter what else, Ed had helped the Morton Family once before. Eng couldn't just stand by and do nothing.

He prepared to act, intending to eliminate the Undead Hunter Knight before it could become a serious threat.

However—at that very moment—something changed.

At the summit of the Mountains of Bones, atop the enormous Throne of Bones, a solitary and formidable figure slowly rose to its feet.

A wave of cold, death-charged energy instantly swept across the battlefield, plunging it into eerie silence.

Countless Undead Monsters retreated.

Even the Undead Hunter Knight and the other high-level Undead Monsters abandoned their targets and began slowly backing away.

Seeing this, Eng immediately shouted,

"Everyone, stay alert!"

Leon was now just a few steps away from Ed. He looked at how perfectly his plan had been unfolding—he was so close to finishing it.

And then it all fell apart.

He couldn't help but curse:

"Shit! Damn it!"

No one noticed Leon's frustration—not even Ed—because at that very moment, the Elf Undead standing atop the Mountains of Bones had begun drawing its massive two-handed sword.

Its proud and twisted voice echoed like a ghost in everyone's ears:

"Have you all grown so eager... to embrace the scythe of death?"

Before the eyes of all present, countless white bones erupted skyward, spreading downward from the summit of the mountain in a sweeping wave.

The Elf Undead—dragging its enormous two-handed blade—began stepping down the staircase, one slow, deliberate step at a time.

The once-chaotic, deafening battlefield now held only the sound of its footsteps.

Each step pounded like a drum against their hearts—an invisible weight pressing down on them all.

Eng inhaled sharply and muttered,

"Strong… very strong. It must be on the verge of breaking through to high-tier Gold."

He understood one thing clearly: if the Elf Undead was descending from the Mountains of Bones on its own accord, then the battle's focal point was about to shift.

From here on, it would come down to a clash between the top-tier combatants on each side.

But before that, Eng had something to say.

Raising his voice, he called out:

"The Holy City needs the Undead Crystal. If you're willing to hand it over, we'll leave—right now!"

The Elf Undead, standing suspended in midair, paused ever so slightly.

Then, all present heard his response—

"The Holy City? What is that supposed to be?"

"Since you've come here, don't even think about leaving. This place… will be your final resting ground."

His voice dripped with pride and disdain.

Only now did the group finally get a clear look at the Elf Undead's true appearance.

He stood around 1.9 meters tall, his frame thin and pale—corpse-like, completely devoid of color or life.

Straw-like hair hung messily over his face, concealing his features. His body was clad in battle-worn armor, dented and scarred from long-forgotten wars.

The massive two-handed sword slung across his back contrasted starkly with his emaciated build, an image so jarring it almost looked surreal.

When the Elf Undead finally stepped down onto the ground, facing the Morton Family guards and the Dorey City Hunters, he slowly lifted his head.

What emerged was a face like a chiseled sculpture—cold, elegant, and deathly still.

But his once-distinctive elven ears had long since rotted, oozing dark liquid from within. The sight was grotesque and horrifying.

His gaze swept across everyone on the battlefield—each look laced with contempt. Then, with one hand, he raised the massive sword and pointed it directly at Eng and the others.

His tone was calm, but his words echoed with chilling arrogance:

"Undead Monster. Philoctetes. Remember my name—it will be your honor to fall before it."

Philoctetes' eyes flickered slightly as his gaze shifted—landing on the direction where Melissa and Finniel stood.

For just a fleeting moment, sorrow and pain passed across his face like a dying ember.

Only Ed caught that subtle shift.

He noticed that the Undead Monster named Philoctetes had looked specifically toward where Melissa was standing.

And in that instant, Ed became certain—Melissa had some kind of mysterious connection to the elven race.

As the standoff between the two sides continued, Leon stared at the Elf Undead's ears and muttered with a puzzled tone:

"Is that what elves are supposed to look like? Huh… not even close to how the legends described them. Not pretty at all."

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