Zo, gather intelligence.
The rest of you, advance, commanded the goldenhaired leader.
As they had no reason to conceal their presence.
The moment they landed, the undead within the fortress had already detected them.
Suddenly, the ground trembled violently, and a massive magical array shimmerred to life.
It was then that the leader noticed a formation buried beneath the earth not far ahead.
A colossal skeletal hand burst forth from the soil, followed by the immense head and body of a skeletal creature.
A tremendous roar echoed, startling all living beings in the vicinity, causing even the goblins of the goblin king's city to scurry away in fear.
The howling wind forced the temple knights to shield their faces with their shields.
The golden-haired leader was takenback.
As expected, there was indeed a royal level undead among them.
It had been years since he had encountered such a being.
Initially suspecting external manipulation, but now it was clear that these undead possessed their own consciousness.
A terrifying beam of energy surged forth as the gigantic skeleton descended like a meteor, wreaking havoc in its wake.
Merely this one skeletal creature could unleash such destructive power.
The golden-haired leader stepped forward, his shield gleaming with golden light, successfully blocking the skeletal creature's ray without budging.
He raised his silver long sword high, unleashing a tremendous golden slash directed at the skeletal beast, then charged towards it with fervor.
The creature, despite its immense size, traded agility for sheer destructive force, leaving it unable to evade the Golden Strike.
Its massive hands crossed in a desperate attempt to shield its head where its soul fire resided with a thunderous crash.
Even the colossal body of the skeletal monster was pushed back.
Its enormous hand severed and plummeting to the ground.
As its hand fell, the creature's vision cleared, revealing the goldenhaired leader soaring high above, even surpassing the height of the skeletal monstrosity.
Gripping his silver sword with both hands, he plunged downward.
At that moment, the skeletal creature had no time to defend or retaliate.
The clang resonated as the leader's silver sword pierced the creature's skull.
The powerful golden light piercing through its enormous form.
The flames in the skeletal monsters eyes gradually extinguished, and the white bones that constituted its body scattered.
At that moment, the goldenhaired leader leaped gracefully, landing perfectly behind.
Although he had effortlessly dispatched the skeletal creature, he did not allow himself to relax.
For he perceived that within the necroantic fortress, more than one king- level being had emerged, engaging in battle alongside the other paladins.
At that moment, the knight named Zas approached the goldenhaired leader.
Captain, there is a teleportation array within the fortress.
This is not their stronghold.
What? So many undead are not gathered here.
From where have they been teleported? To what extent has this situation developed? SAS, I hereby command you to return to the division immediately and report this matter.
Yes, Captain.
Chapter 307.
The melee mage, a relentless tide of undead surged forth from the fortress walls, stumbling and charging toward their foes.
While an innumerable host of aerial specters ascended into the sky, the six corner towers and a necroantic fortress unleashed their onslaught, enveloping the entire battleground.
The sheer number of undead was magnitudes greater than that of the paladins, with tens of thousands converging upon them, encircling their ranks.
In stark contrast, the paladins numbered a mere hundred, most of whom were of the commanding echelon.
It was not long before several apprentice knights of the commanding level faltered and fell to the undead.
A few royal paladins fared slightly better as the royal undead defending the fortress were few in comparison.
Yet the majority were not as fortunate, facing an overwhelming tide of foes outmatching them 100fold.
The golden-haired leader unleashed his domain, annihilating the surrounding common undead.
In that moment he contemplated their fortunate status as paladins for otherwise.
Slaying such a multitude would be a herculean task, exhausting even the most stalwart among them.
He seemed to recall the terrifying accounts of the undead calamity chronicled in the ancient tomes within the sanctuary.
No wonder the angels sought to eradicate the undead without mercy.
Lost in thought, the goldenhaired leader murmured to himself.
"Captain, there is simply too many undead, and it seems there is no leader among them.
" "What shall we do?" a knight shouted, seeking guidance from the goldenhaired leader, for they could not afford to engage in a feudal struggle against the horde.
The words of his comrade snapped the leader back to reality.
Indeed, the royal undead lacked a commanding figure, suggesting that their unseen master was absent from the fry.
Destroy the fortress, then retreat.
Swift and decisive action, the goldenhaired leader declared, channeling his strength as he charged toward the undead fortress, obliterating all obstacles within his domain.
The royal undead attempted to impede his advance, but they were thwarted by the other knights who rallied to protect their captain.
Among the paladins, the goldenhaired leader was undoubtedly the most formidable, and the task of dismantling the fortress, fraught with potential perils and unforeseen events, naturally fell upon him as their captain.
As a sensient structure, the undead fortress sensed the goldenhaired leader approach, redirecting all its assaults toward him.
Yet, these onslaught could not hinder his progress.
He shattered undead projectiles with his sword, dispatching them with ease.
The energy projectiles emanating from the core above the fortress were effortlessly deflected by his shield, allowing him to reach the very face of the necroantic stronghold.
With a single swing of his sword, the goldenhaired leader completely shattered the fortress's protective barrier.
Confronted by the towering gateless skeletal walls, he leaped forth, ready to ascend.
At that moment, a white figure appeared at top the walls, swiftly followed by a massive scythe.
Startled, the golden-haired leader instinctively raised his shield in defense.
Clang, a tremendous force struck him, sending him crashing down to the ground, where he staggered back a few steps.
Lowering his gaze to his shield, he noticed a long, dark scratch marking its surface.
The golden-haired leader gazed at the white figure before him.
At that moment, Bayou had leaped down from the fortress above, standing defiantly opposite him, wielding a massive black and red scythe.
However, Bayou was not alone.
During their standoff, dozens of undead surged forth from the depths of the necroantic fortress, all unmistakably of the royal class.
Even a goldenhaired leader was takenback by the site.
There were simply too many, over 30 royal beings.
The royals swiftly dispersed, forming an encircling formation that ens snared all the temple knights, preventing any chance of escape.
Curse be it.
This horde of undead was far more formidable than anticipated.
The goldenhaired leader gripped his weapon tightly and charged towards Bayou.
Although she was of a different race, he was unaware of her pivotal role among the undead.
As for the necromancer lord, he dared not speculate, believing that such a level of power was beyond the current capabilities of her kind.
Yet, given her formidable strength and uniqueness, eliminating her might well be the key to turning the tide.
Clang Bayou swung her scythe, engaging in combat with her opponent.
The two exchanged blows in a dazzling display of skill, neither gaining the upper hand for the moment.
Through numerous close quarter skirmishes, Bayou's combat experience had sharpened her melee techniques to a level that rivaled her adversaries.
The scythe, now deafly wielded by her, became an extension of her will.
When faced with foes such as angels and temple knights, by you's dark magic served as the ultimate test of her prowess.
If her strength equaled that of her opponent's holy light, it would signify their parody.
However, at this moment, she found herself at a disadvantage, indicating that the goldenhaired leader was indeed of a higher tier.
After exchanging blows for over a 100 rounds, the goldenhaired leader seemed to have gauged by usabilities.
As time progressed, he began to feel a throbbing headache emanating from the bell attached to her scythe.
Suddenly, the golden-haired leader unleashed a surge of power, his silver sword shimmering with golden light, launching a flurry of strikes towards Bayou.
She briefly defended with a dark barrier, but soon realized her magical energy was depleting rapidly, prompting her to teleport out of the strike zone.
This, however, played into her opponent's hands.
He raised his silver sword skyward, and countless golden sword shadows descended from above, a lesser version of an angel skill.
Bayou evaded deafly, but the golden-haired leader did not remain still during his incantation, he pressed the attack once more.
Unable to evade while countering, Bayou resorted to enveloping herself in a dark barrier and continued to engage the golden-haired leader.
The golden sword shadows striking Bayou would consume vast amounts of her magical energy.
Yet, they also landed upon the goldenhaired leader, who absorbed their impact to bolster his next strike.
Bayou quickly found herself at a disadvantage in close combat.
As a melee class, the Temple Knights were formidable, and given that her opponent was of a higher level, maintaining parody in close quarters was commendable in itself.