As Leo completed the incantation, a wall of fire enveloped the orcs.
Keeeee!
Seeing the orcs turn to ashes in an instant, Leo dispelled the magic.
Looking at the skeletal remains of the orcs, Lunia and Eiran took a step forward.
“Wait.”
“Huh?”
“What?”
Lunia and Eiran stopped in their tracks.
Leo, who had stopped them, stared intently at the orcs.
Goo-!
The skeletons of the orcs emitted black smoke and floated into the air.
Click, click-
The bones aligned one by one, forming skeletons.
Lunia and Eiran's faces tensed up.
Until now, all the undead had emerged from the ground.
They had been lying in wait, summoned in advance.
But this time was different.
The monsters that had just become corpses were now rising as undead.
“Is there a necromancer nearby!”
Lunia's eyes narrowed sharply.
Whoosh-!
She summoned the phoenix's magic and became vigilant.
Eiran, too, armed himself with Anima's armor and readied his sword and shield.
Clack, clack, clack-!
The orc skeletons, now armed, charged forward.
Lunia, smirking, raised her palm.
Whoosh-!
A small sphere of fire formed on her palm.
It was a Fireball, the most basic fire attack spell.
Though simple, the spell's power varied greatly depending on the user's skill.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh-!
The Fireball multiplied rapidly.
Seeing this, Leo's eyes lit up.
‘At her age, to cast a rapid succession of spells to this extent?’
The technique of casting the same spell multiple times simultaneously.
While the technique itself isn't difficult, performing it at high speed is a challenge even for veteran mages.
‘To pull it off with just her natural talent. Impressive.’
While Leo was genuinely impressed, Lunia's Fireballs engulfed the orc skeletons.
Boom-!
The explosion of fire instantly shattered the orc skeletons.
“Easy.”
Lunia, smirking, looked around.
“I've taken care of all the low-level skeletons you're using! Now, show yourself!”
Lunia's fierce voice echoed throughout the winter forest.
But the only response was the echo of her own voice.
“Huh? He's not coming out? Then I'll blow this whole area to pieces...”
“There's no necromancer around. Stop.”
Seeing Lunia raise her hand to cast a powerful spell, Leo grabbed her wrist to stop her.
“Leo, you saw it too, right? The orcs turning into skeletons.”
Looking at Lunia's puzzled expression, Leo calmly explained.
“What just happened wasn't caused by a necromancer."
“Then what was it?”
“A curse.”
“A curse?”
Lunia's eyes widened.
Eiran also looked puzzled.
“Is there a curse that creates undead?”
“The Curse of the Dead.”
“The Curse of the Dead? I've never heard of it.”
Seeing Lunia's tilted head, Leo looked surprised.
“Don't they teach curses in Seirun?”
“We, we do! It's just that we haven't covered that part yet! Even in the same subject, the pace can be different!”
“Even so, it's a famous curse.”
“Ugh?”
Lunia flinched.
“Elves have strong resistance to curses, and the blessing spells from the Star Magic make it easier to deal with them compared to other races. Curses are one of the most powerful attack methods of demons. You shouldn't be lazy in your studies. Even Luna has suffered from curses many times.”
“Ugh?”
Unable to refute, Lunia shifted her eyes.
“The Curse of the Dead... Is it the curse of the Lich King, Hell Kaiser?”
Eiran asked cautiously.
“Yes. Eiran, you know well.”
“I know it well because it often appears in the tales of the Great Heroes.”
Seeing Eiran's bashful expression, Lunia felt even more intimidated.
“So, what is the Curse of the Dead? If it's related to a Legion Commander, it must be a dangerous curse, right?”
“The Curse of the Dead is a dangerous curse that continuously summons undead in the area.”
“What?”
“The place where the curse is cast becomes a land of death.”
Eiran, trembling with fear, turned pale.
“So, what? Are you saying Tartarus is planning a large-scale attack on Elsabekia?”
If undead were summoned endlessly, it would be a serious threat.
“No. Not exactly. Even with the Curse of the Dead, powerful undead can't be created unless Hell Kaiser casts it himself. It was probably cast by one of Hell Kaiser's subordinates.”
Leo glared at the forest.
“But if Hell Kaiser is involved, it's certain that Tartarus wants something in this forest.”
“What could the Legion Commander want?”
“Hmm. For example...”
Leo stroked his chin.
“An item related to the Great Hero?”
“An item related to the Ancestor?”
“Then it would be a huge find!”
“Who knows. We'll find out when we get there...”
Leo's expression suddenly changed.
Seeing Leo's sudden change in demeanor, the two elves also shuddered.
Whoosh-!
A cold blizzard swept through.
Through the blizzard, a crimson gaze flashed.
“Hahaha- Welcome, hero candidates.”
Seeing the Death Knight, who emitted a fundamentally different aura from the undead they had faced so far, Lunia's face hardened.
“A Death Knight?”
“Yes! My name is Kargor! A proud knight serving the great Lich King and the harbinger of death for you!”
Crack-!
Goo-!
As Kargor plunged his greatsword into the ground, the surrounding plants turned black.
Death energy began to seep from the ground.
Crack! Crack, crack, crack-!
From the ground, a massive number of undead emerged.
Not just skeletons, but zombies and ghouls.
Even corpse chimeras.
All kinds of undead appeared.
“Despair! Tremble in fear! You will regret coming to this forest! Hahaha!”
Grrrr-!
Kargor's laughter and the roars of the undead echoed.
With a chilling smile, Kargor looked at Leo.
“You won't be able to escape today.”
“I'll take on the Death Knight. Eiran, you deal with the undead. And Lunia, cast the strongest spell you can.”
“Yes!”
“Got it.”
“Hm? So you've chosen to face me this time?”
“I'll take you on.”
“Huh!”
Kargor laughed lowly at Leo's words.
Dark aura flowed from Kargor, who readied his greatsword.
Leo drew his sword and summoned Zerdenget's aura.
Whoosh-!
The flames of the phoenix burned fiercely.
Facing each other.
Whoosh-!
Leo's body vanished as if it had disappeared.
“Amateur!”
Kargor swung his greatsword behind him.
Boom-!
The greatsword, swung at an incredible speed, was blocked by Leo's longsword.
Kargor's eyes glowed.
He had expected Leo to be pushed back, but Leo held his ground.
Crack-!
Leo's veins bulged as he pushed his sword forward.
Leo's sword forced Kargor's greatsword back.
Seizing the opening, Leo didn't hesitate and lunged into Kargor's guard.
“Haha! Fool! Did you think I was an ordinary human knight?”
Seeing Leo, Kargor sneered and released dark aura.
Goo-!
The dark aura enveloped Leo.
“Hahaha!”
Whoosh-!
But Kargor's expression hardened as he saw Leo break through the dark aura.
As if he had anticipated it, Leo's sword, wrapped in flames, burned fiercely.
Leo's sword, drawing a crimson line, aimed at Kargor.
Boom-!
Kargor barely blocked Leo's attack with his greatsword.
But the fierce crimson flames seemed to devour everything.
“You're not an ordinary kid!”
Leo and Kargor's pure knightly skills were on par.
In a fight with such an opponent, the deciding factor was experience.
And Kargor was confident in his experience.
He thought it was absurd for a first-year student from the Hero Academy to overwhelm him with experience, given his vast battle experience as a Death Knight.
But that was Kargor's mistake.
‘He sees through all my moves!’
Leo's experience, gained from countless battles, was on a different level from Kargor's.
Seeing Leo's emotionless eyes, Kargor felt a chill.
The flames of the phoenix pierced Kargor's greatsword.
Sizzle-!
The intense heat began to melt Kargor's sword.
Whoosh-!
In an instant, Kargor's body dispersed.
‘Phantomization.’
Using one of the Death Knight's techniques, Kargor retreated hastily.
‘I need to use the undead army to wear him down!’
Whoosh-!
A small sun appeared in Kargor's eyes.
With blinding light, the surrounding snow melted rapidly.
Lunia, who had cast Scorching, shouted at Kargor.
“Die! You bony bastard!”
A massive sphere of fire flew toward Kargor.
The undead caught in the flames were instantly incinerated, leaving no trace.