The powerful explosion left the ground overturned, carving out a massive crater that could only be described as a canyon.

    In reality, such a colossal blast might have been impossible, but this was a game.

    The sheer magnitude of the destruction left everyone stunned and motionless.

    Even the trio who had been leading the charge—Junhyuk, Kurosawa Ren, and Mayrin—froze, along with the players who had been moving forward to join the battlefield.

    It was a scene so overwhelming that words failed everyone.

    Even the ever-boisterous Mayrin couldn’t manage her usual laughter.

    As silence fell, all eyes turned to the sky, where the leaderboard floated like a scoreboard, mocking their efforts.

    Even Seong, the source of the destruction, felt a pang of surprise.

    “That was stronger than I expected.”

    It made sense. He had never detonated such a large number of undead in a single chain reaction before.

    Perhaps it was true—necromancers were at their peak on the battlefield.

    Seong surveyed the decimated Legion of Calamity from above as though searching for something.

    “Now, where’s the commander?”

    After some time, his gaze landed on a figure in the distance—a skeletal knight clad in armor.

    However, something unusual caught his attention.

    Next to the skeletal knight, clinging closely, was a faint, turquoise form.

    The sight made Seong tilt his head in confusion.

    “A ghost?”

    Why would a ghost be here?

    4.

    The ground trembled as small stones rolled about, cracks spreading like veins across the earth.

    It was as if an earthquake had struck, yet the skeletal knight strode forward unfazed, clad in full armor and gripping a massive sword.

    No roar of command.

    No rallying cry.

    No intelligent gaze scanning the battlefield.

    Those days were long gone.

    How long had it been?

    The knight didn’t know.

    Once, it had rampaged across the land, annihilating countless villages and cities.

    When there was nothing left to conquer, it had fallen into a deep slumber.

    Now, it had awakened.

    Why?

    It couldn’t say.

    It had lost its soul and its reason.

    It had awakened, so it would kill.

    Kill everything on this land.

    For what purpose?

    The knight didn’t know.

    The only thing it was certain of was that the force that had disturbed this land must be why it had awakened.

    Raising its sword, it commanded its soldiers to advance.

    Though the once-vast army had been reduced to a fraction of its former size, that didn’t matter.

    As long as it killed, its ranks would grow.

    The skeletal knight’s hollow eyes darkened like bottomless pits as it began its march.

    Next to it, the turquoise ghost—a form only Seong could see—bowed its head and muttered:

    “So this is the disgrace I’ve become before my new master... It would’ve been better if even my soul had been obliterated.”

    The ghost shuddered at the sight of its own body, now an object of shame.

    “And Noctrynnium seems to be nearby, too... If that little miser sees me like this, I won’t have the strength to hold myself together. Please, someone stop this...”

    5.

    The Legion of Calamity.

    As the name suggested, it was a disaster incarnate.

    An endless tide of enemies swarming forward.

    Individually, they were weak and insignificant, but in numbers—tens, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands—they became an unstoppable force, like a tsunami sweeping away everything in its path.

    It was the very embodiment of the saying: "Even small things, when gathered, can move mountains."

    Kurosawa Ren, who wielded his daggers like a storm, spreading shadows that tore through the Legion.Junhyuk, who unleashed wide-range elemental attacks with devastating effect.Mayrin, who wielded her radiant spears to incinerate the Legion in explosive bursts of light.And Seong, the Demon King, who summoned his undead army to sweep across the battlefield like a tide of death.Fiora, transforming into a small dragon, spewed destructive breath attacks.Noctrynnium, summoning massive arms, swept the field and detonated them for wide-area damage.Valtar, spreading crimson blood, carved through the Legion with devastating efficiency.Barfur, true to his title as the First Corps Commander, shredded the Legion while commanding his own undead forces to turn the tide.

    As the battle dragged on, the Legion of Calamity continued to grow.

    If this continued, it was only a matter of time before they were overwhelmed.

    Seong needed a solution.

    Should he step in with a large-scale attack?

    “No.”

    While he still had powerful area-of-effect skills like Plague Burst, Falling Thorns, and Black Sun at his disposal, using them now wouldn’t decisively change the battle.

    They could buy some time, but the mana cost would leave him drained, turning a temporary advantage into a strategic blunder.

    What was the best choice?

    The answer was obvious.

    “All four of you, hold your positions here.”

    “Understood, my lord.”“Haha! As expected of the Lord! I, Valtar, shall pave the way to victory from here!”“U-Understood! P-Please be careful!”“Barfur, First Corps Commander! Following orders!”

    Despite their differing personalities, Seong’s lieutenants obeyed without question.

    Noctrynnium grumbled but complied, while Valtar laughed heartily. Fiora expressed concern, and Barfur, perhaps out of nervousness, reverted to his regional dialect.

    Leaving the battlefield to his lieutenants, Seong flew toward the edge of the Legion of Calamity.

    As Seong shot forward like a missile, the viewers erupted in confusion.

    “Wait, what???”

    “Where’s he going???”

    “Why is he leaving his summons behind???”

    “Isn’t a necromancer supposed to stay with their army???”

    Even Rapid Guild, typically composed and professional, sent him a frantic message.

    [Rapid: Where are you going?!]

    Unbothered, Seong replied casually:

    [Seong: Going to deal with the commander. We won’t win like this.]

    [Rapid: What?!]

    [Seong: If this continues, most players will run out of mana and stamina, and we’ll be overrun.]

    It was an unarguable point, leaving Rapid Guild with no rebuttal.

    Without another word, Seong continued his flight.

    The deeper he flew into the enemy lines, the more flying undead like banshees and gargoyles swarmed toward him.

    “KYAAAAAAHHH!”

    “SCREEEEECH!”

    Unfazed, Seong conjured a turquoise spear in one hand and hurled it without hesitation, piercing a banshee through its forehead.

    With his other hand, he summoned a black projectile and fired it into a gargoyle, obliterating it on impact.

    Shuuuuuuu!

    BOOM!

    The banshee disintegrated, its head shattered, while the gargoyle’s body crumbled into dust.

    But the banshee and gargoyle were merely the vanguard.

    More enemies swarmed toward Seong, determined to prevent him from reaching their commander.

    Seong extended a finger.

    From its tip, a drop of dark crimson blood formed.

    Normally, his blood magic would produce bright red blades, but this time it was different.

    The drop darkened into a sinister shade, tinged with purple, as it grew into hundreds of cursed blood swords.

    The blades gleamed ominously before launching into the air, each one targeting a banshee or gargoyle.

    The sky filled with crimson arcs as the blades struck their targets, exploding on impact.

    BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

    Those that weren’t destroyed outright were infected by the toxic curse, crashing to the ground in agony.

    The curse spread further upon impact, enveloping the surrounding undead in a bloody mist.

    This skill, Plague of Blood, wreaked havoc on the Legion.

    The ground was soon drenched in crimson fog, the air thick with the stench of decay.

    Even the viewers, who had been flooding the chat with messages, fell silent as they watched the scene unfold in awe.

    Seong had single-handedly decimated tens of thousands of enemies in moments.

    But rather than revel in the destruction, Seong continued forward as though it were nothing.

    Finally, he reached his destination.

    Standing before him was a skeletal knight clad in tattered armor and wielding a jagged blade. Despite its worn appearance, it exuded an overwhelming presence.

    This was the commander of the Legion of Calamity.

    Beside it, a faint, turquoise ghost materialized, grumbling:

    “To meet the heir in such a disgraceful state... Foolish body! Can’t even tell heaven from earth!”

    Seong smirked beneath his mask.

    “This might be more rewarding than I thought.”

    At that moment, a notification appeared in his field of vision.