CHAPTER 121: CHAPTER 121 : WORLD EVENT (9)

Chapter 121 : World Event (9)

The realization sparked curiosity, but he didn’t have time to dwell on it.

The Undead Archer turned toward him. Her glowing eyes narrowed slightly, and for the first time, the players saw her hesitate.

She could feel it. This newcomer wasn’t like the others.

Axton smiled faintly.

"Surprised you lasted that long," he said, his tone calm yet sharp.

The Undead Archer tilted her head, studying him with a curious glare. The hole in her abdomen from his earlier blow was still open, yet she stood tall, unfazed by the gaping wound.

Axton, on the other hand, looked almost casual.

He hadn’t used a skill. Not a single one. Just a plain Iron Fist.

And still, his attack had torn through her body like paper.

The surrounding players were frozen, watching the silent exchange between man and monster.

For a few long seconds, neither moved. The tension thickened, heavy enough to choke the air.

Then, Axton lifted a hand.

With a faint shimmer of dark energy, a weapon materialized in his grip, its black blade whispering with curses.

...The Cursed Blade.

The Undead Archer’s hollow eyes flickered again, this time with something that resembled emotion. Fear? Anger? It was hard to tell.

But instead of attacking, she did something none of them expected.

She reached for another arrow.

Her movements were slow... almost deliberate.

Then, to everyone’s shock, she turned the arrow’s tip. Not toward Axton, but toward herself.

"Wait... what is she—" one of the players stammered.

Before he could finish.

Stab!

The sharp, blackened arrowhead pierced straight through her own chest.

Gasps erupted all around.

Axton’s eyes narrowed, watching closely as the arrow sank deeper. The Undead Archer didn’t scream.

She didn’t even flinch. Instead, she smiled faintly — a small, haunting curve of her pale lips — as cracks of shadow spread across her body like shattered glass.

The dark energy around her began to surge, pulsing violently.

"...She’s activating something," Axton muttered, tightening his grip on the Cursed Blade.

It was obvious that something was up.

The players started to back away instinctively.

In the next instant, the Undead Archer’s body began to dissolve into black ashes. The glowing fragments of her soul scattered condensing into the ground along with the ashes, leaving behind only a faint echo of her laughter — low, broken, and sorrowful.

Then...

There was silence.

Axton lowered his blade slowly, his gaze lingering on the spot where she had stood.

"Suicide... or a ritual?" he murmured, half to himself.

The ground where she’d fallen shone faintly, as if something unseen had been left behind, a trace of power, or a curse yet to awaken.

The players looked at Axton, unsure whether to speak or run.

But Axton’s expression remained unreadable with his eyes remaining fixed on that spot.

******

It didn’t take long for the change to begin, just as Axton had suspected. It was a good thing that he was not in a rush to go, believing that he had truly won the battle.

The ashes that once made up the Undead Archer’s body began to stir, rising slightly above the ground before spiraling into a small, twisting vortex. It was like black storm, threatening to ravage everything in its path.

Axton’s eyes narrowed. He was not surprised since he suspected that something strange was about to happen.

He scoffed softly and shook his head. "Of course..."

The swirling of the ashes intensified, exuding an incredible amount of dark energy.

Within moments, a new form emerged from the vortex. This figure was taller, darker, and far more terrifying than the Undead Archer that they remembered.

However, they were still one and the same.

Her entire body was now pitch black, her skin cracked like burnt stone. Her face had become a skeletal mask, and in her hand, she wielded a bow and arrow. Unlike before, her weapons were both thicker, more sinister, and brimming with a fearsome power of death.

One touch and life could be instantly snuffed from the target.

’She transformed into this...’ Axton thought grimly, staring at the new form curiously.

Indeed, it was fearsome and intimidating, but not to him.

Ding!

[Undead Archer — Harbinger of Death]

[Grade: Unique]

[Level: 40]

[Magic Attack: 4050]

[Defense: 3850]

[Agility: 4000]

[HP: 5000 / 5000]

As her stats flashed across the interface, gasps rippled through the ranks of nearby players.

"She evolved!" someone cried.

"We’re dead. Nothing can really save us now. We’re all dead!"

Panic spread like wildfire, engulfing every player present as they felt utterly helpless before the new Undead Archer’s figure.

Players stumbled back, tripping over the uneven ground, trying to put as much distance as possible between themselves and the monster that had just been reborn.

Even if they could not see her status window, every single one of them knew — this was no ordinary enemy anymore.

The Undead Archer raised her bow. The air grew cold as she nocked not one, but four massive arrows at once.

Axton turned slightly, glancing at the crowd of frightened players behind him.

They wouldn’t last a second if she released those arrows. He clenched his jaw.

He had to act.

The moment the bowstring was pulled back, dark energy pulsed violently through the air.

She fired.

The four arrows split midair and multiplied.

In a blink, the sky was filled with hundreds of shadowy projectiles, each one leaving trails of deathly mist behind.

The number was enough to wipe out half the players in a single strike.

Axton didn’t hesitate as he sprang into action as well.

[Clone]

A flash of light erupted beside him as a perfect copy of himself appeared.

"Handle the arrows," Axton said curtly.

The clone nodded and rushed forward.

Meanwhile, the real Axton dashed straight toward the Undead Archer.

He raised his hand.

"Come forth... Vorlic, the Undying!"

A black summoning circle ignited on the ground beside him.

A towering figure emerged, armored in dark steel, a faint blue fire burning in its hollow eyes.

...The Undead General — Vorlic, the Undying.

"End her quickly," Axton ordered.