"Begin~"
"Yes!"
At Elena's command, the surrounding elves responded instantly, moving in perfect unison.
Along the towering walls, thousands of elves raised their bows at the same time, their lips moving in synchronized incantation.
In an instant, a massive magic circle manifested in the sky. Its brilliance was dazzling, illuminating nearly half the heavens.
"Is that… a combined spell?" Kurose Akira murmured, eyes fixed on the magnificent formation above.
The circle drew upon the mana of thousands of elves—its sheer power was likely approaching that of a forbidden spell.
"Wipe them out!"
Elena's order rang out decisively. Thousands of elves drew their longbows, aiming toward the immense magic circle overhead.
The moment her command fell—
Arrows streaked across the sky like meteors, shooting straight into the heart of the formation.
At the same time, the magic circle erupted in radiant violet light, painting the sky in colors reminiscent of an aurora.
Bathed in that glow, each arrow seemed to gain an otherworldly power. A faint purple aura enveloped them as they descended like a torrential storm toward the distant skeleton army.
In the next instant—
Thunderous explosions roared across the battlefield.
The arrows fell like meteors into the skeletal ranks, each one detonating with blazing violet flames that swallowed entire clusters of undead soldiers whole.
The flames spread rapidly, surging outward and engulfing the battlefield.
Under that overwhelming inferno, the hundred-thousand-strong skeleton army was reduced to ashes in moments.
When the fire finally died down, nothing remained but scorched earth.
"…Such flawless coordination. On the Magic Continent, only the elves could achieve something like this," Lucia said with genuine admiration.
While the Holy Church possessed similar combined magic, it was nowhere near this scale—at most, a few hundred participants.
And even this wasn't the elves' limit.
Centuries ago, the Elven Queen had led tens of thousands of high elves in a unified incantation. The power they gathered had reached a forbidden tier—enough to annihilate even a demigod.
"The hearts of the elves are deeply connected to the World Tree. That natural bond allows for unparalleled synchronization," Elena explained with a smile, turning toward Lucia.
"…'They'?" Lucia repeated, slightly puzzled.
"Oh~ my mistake," Elena corrected herself with a soft laugh. "I should say… 'we.'"
Then her gaze shifted back to Akira.
"The reason I invited you here, Guild Master Akira, is to ask for your help in locating the Undead Lord. Our scouting teams have already detected its presence, but certain factors are preventing them from advancing further."
[New Quest Acquired — Commission from the Elven Kingdom!][Objective: Locate the Undead Lord!][Rewards: Gold +10, EXP 100,000, Legendary Item +1]
"A legendary item…?" Akira's eyes flickered with interest the moment he saw the reward.
"Understood. Leave it to us."
He nodded and accepted the quest without hesitation.
"One more thing," Elena added. "Once you've completed this mission, please visit the Elven Kingdom again. I sense that Palos's seal is reaching its limit—we may require your assistance."
"…Got it."
Akira's thoughts stirred.
Although Palos's seal was supposed to last a week, its power had been gradually weakening during the ritual to aid the Elven Queen.
"Let's move."
Without delay, Akira led his guild members toward the direction where the undead forces had advanced.
In no time, they reached the front lines.
There, an elven reconnaissance squad had already been waiting.
"You're finally here!"
A blue-haired elf beamed with relief the moment she saw them.
"Elena said you detected the Undead Lord's presence, but couldn't proceed further," Akira said, addressing her directly. "What exactly is stopping you?"
"It's the death aura! Please, follow us."
The elves quickly guided Akira's group toward the location where they had sensed the Undead Lord.
Their destination was a hidden, eerie cave.
From the outside, it appeared unremarkable. But a chilling cold seeped out from its depths, carrying an unsettling presence.
Inside, a faint blue glow flickered—like countless wandering spirits drifting through the darkness.
"So this is the place…" Akira narrowed his eyes.
He could clearly smell the stench of decay—a nauseating odor that felt as though it had drifted up from the depths of hell itself.
Even standing at the entrance, warning signals of "Danger" continuously flashed within his vision.
"Yes! This is it!" the elves confirmed.
After observing for a moment, Lucia's expression turned grave.
"The death aura here is abnormally dense. Even with the protection of holy light, we wouldn't be able to endure it for long."
"I'll go," Loserine said, stepping forward without hesitation.
Akira glanced at her.
As an undead, Loserine was naturally immune to death aura.
But sending her alone into an unknown area was too risky.
He turned to Mare Rhine.
"Mare Rhine, go in with Loserine."
Mare immediately frowned. "Me? Human, I'm not undead! That death aura will erode my body too!"
Even as a Destruction Dragon, she wasn't immune to its effects. Sending her inside was practically—
Akira raised a brow in mock surprise. "You're a dragon of destruction. Don't tell me you're afraid of a little death aura?"
"You—!"
Mare clenched her teeth, but then suddenly broke into a proud grin.
"Hmph! Of course not! I am a dragon—how could I fear death itself? Fine, little undead, I'll accompany you!"
"…Mm."
Loserine gave a small nod and stepped into the cave.
Mare took a deep breath before following her inside.
The moment she crossed the threshold, Lucia flicked her fingers—golden light wrapped around Mare, forming a protective layer.
As the two entered, Akira immediately activated the Adventurer's View, closely monitoring their situation.
The cave interior was pitch-dark, visibility nearly nonexistent.
Fortunately, as Guild Master, he could adjust the brightness of the interface, allowing him to see clearly.
But even after walking for quite some time, Mare and Loserine encountered nothing.
No creatures. Not even a single skeleton.
"…There's nothing?" Akira frowned at the screen.
"There is! There definitely is!"
The blue-haired elf—Xiao You—hurriedly spoke up.
"I can sense it! There's a powerful monster inside… its presence… it makes me uneasy. It will definitely threaten our homeland!"
"You can sense it?" Akira's brows knit together.
"I… I can't explain it well, but I can feel it…" Xiao You said shyly, her voice trembling slightly.
Noticing her anxiety, Beafli and Beaflo stepped forward to comfort her.
"Don't be scared, Xiao You. The Guild Master is a good person!"
"Yeah! Just tell him what you feel!"
Encouraged by her companions, Xiao You gradually calmed down.
Taking a deep breath, she spoke again.
"I can sense it… it's extremely powerful. Its aura is… comparable to Her Majesty, the Queen."
"…As strong as the Elven Queen?"
Everyone's expressions froze.
The Elven Queen was one of the strongest beings on the Magic Continent.
Even the Level 99 Pope of the Holy Church couldn't guarantee victory against her Level 96 power.
And now—
This cave housed something on that level?
Akira found himself hesitating.
Should he summon Canlutia here as well?
At that moment, Mare's voice suddenly rang out from within the cave—filled with fury.
"Damn it! I smell that bastard!"
Her tone was laced with pure hatred, like she had found her mortal enemy.
Akira's brows lifted slightly.
"That Life Dragon…?"
He immediately realized—
It had to be Mira Aure, the Life Dragon.
"That's right! It's her!" Mare growled through clenched teeth. "I would never forget her scent. She's here!"
"Calm down. Don't collapse the cave," Akira warned.
Mare took a deep breath, trying to steady herself, though her voice still simmered with rage.
"If she's really here… I'll tear her to pieces!"
"There's something here."
Loserine's voice followed shortly after.
Everyone immediately shifted their focus to her perspective.
At the deepest part of the cave—
A corpse sat silently.
Its hands rested atop a jet-black sword. Though its armor was heavily damaged, it had not decayed with time. Instead, it emitted a strange, eerie glow.
"…A human corpse?" Akira murmured.
Despite the many humanoid races in this world, this one bore no non-human traits.
Even more strangely, its bones shimmered with an unnatural black sheen, like polished jade.
"This isn't the Undead Lord… so who is it? And why is it here?"
Based on the Elven Queen's information, the Undead Lord was a serpentine being—clearly different from this human corpse.
"I'll check it out," Mare said, stepping closer.
"Don't touch it!"
Lucia's sharp warning cut through the air.
Everyone immediately turned toward her.
Her expression was tense—far more serious than before, as if she had sensed something beyond comprehension.
Akira's heart tightened.
Lucia… was the Pope of the Holy Church.
For someone like her to show this level of alarm—
That corpse was definitely not normal.
"It's a seal," Lucia explained. "This corpse… is acting as a seal. As for what's sealed within… I cannot determine. But for safety—do not touch it."
"A seal…"
Akira's gaze returned to the corpse.
Mare had once mentioned that Mira Aure had been sealed somewhere.
Could this be it?
"She's in there! Mira Aure—she has to be!" Mare's crimson eyes burned as she stared at the corpse.
But ever since joining the guild, her once-impulsive nature had tempered.
And under Akira's authority, she restrained herself, not daring to act recklessly.
"If this isn't the Undead Lord's hiding place, then pull back for now," Akira said. "Don't worry. Once we're strong enough, I'll help you find her—and take your revenge."
"Hmph."
Mare snorted, but obediently complied, leaving the cave alongside Loserine.
Seeing that, Akira let out a quiet breath of relief.
If Mare had insisted on touching the corpse, it might have triggered an uncontrollable disaster.
Before long, the two emerged.
"Good work." Akira smiled, reaching out to gently pat Mare's head.
She put on a displeased expression—clearly thinking, I'm not some little girl who needs comforting!—
…but didn't resist.
When Akira turned to Loserine, however, he dropped the idea entirely.
"Let's head back."
"…Mm."
She nodded, her expression as calm as ever.
Just as the group was about to leave, Ivsha suddenly noticed something on Loserine's armor.
"Wait—what's that?" she asked, startled.
Everyone's attention snapped toward Loserine.
On her armor was a lump of pale pink, viscous substance.
Akira reached out and grabbed it.
Immediately, information appeared before his eyes:
[Life Substance (?): A substance originating from a Life Dragon, containing extremely potent vitality.]
"…Life Dragon's substance?"
Akira's expression shifted.
Did that mean—
The Life Dragon really was sealed here?
At that moment, a faint voice echoed in his mind:
"…Human… can you help me?"