"I await your order."
The warrior zombie's voice rumbled through the chamber like distant thunder, sending a chill down Leon's spine. There was an unsettling intelligence behind those burning eyes. This was not mere mindless animation; this creature could think, adapt, and kill with purpose.
Leon fought to maintain his composure despite the shock. "Kill the three. Leave their leader."
He gestured to his other undead. "The rest of you, stand back."
The Elite Grave Mage and assassin retreated to defensive positions. This battle was meant for his newest creation.
With a sudden burst of energy, the fight erupted into chaos.
Kalden struck first, golden energy blazing around his enhanced limbs. He launched into the air, his fist trailing fire as it slammed into the warrior zombie's chest.
The impact sent shockwaves through the stone walls, and dust rained from the ceiling. Any ordinary undead would have shattered under such force.
Yet the warrior zombie absorbed the blow without flinching. Its mantis blade swept upward in a flawless counter, slicing through Kalden's reinforced gauntlet as if it were paper. Steel and bone parted with a sickening sound.
"Impossible!" Kalden gasped, staring in disbelief at his severed fingers.
Desperate, he attempted to backflip away using his air-step technique. Golden light formed platforms beneath his feet, allowing him to bounce between invisible surfaces.
The warrior zombie closed the distance in one fluid motion. Its massive hand caught Kalden mid-leap, fingers wrapping around his skull like a vice.
With one brutal squeeze, the bone cracked, and brain matter leaked between spectral fingers. Kalden's body hit the ground with a wet thud.
Serik's chains were already in motion. Rune-etched metal serpents whipped through the air, wrapping around the zombie's legs and right arm. The hunter pulled with all his strength, trying to topple his target.
The warrior zombie yanked backward, sending Serik flying through the air like a rag doll, chains snapping taut. He crashed into the zombie's waiting fist.
His chest collapsed inward with a sound like breaking wood. Ribs punctured his lungs, and blood erupted from his mouth in crimson geysers. The chains fell limp as their master succumbed.
Minseo circled like a hunting cat, her three forms weaving between each other in hypnotic patterns. Curved blades flashed as she attacked from multiple angles.
The warrior zombie tracked her absolute position with predatory focus. Its free hand batted aside phantom strikes while the mantis blade parried her genuine attacks.
With desperate speed, she lunged, all three forms converging on the zombie's blind spot. Two illusions dissolved on contact as her real blade sought the gap beneath its arm.
In a swift motion, the warrior's hand closed around her wrist mid-strike. Bone ground against bone as its grip tightened.
Minseo twisted frantically, trying to vanish into shadow. Her stealth technique flickered but failed to activate.
The zombie's other hand found her neck. With one sharp twist, vertebrae separated with a soft pop. Her body crumpled beside her teammates.
The chamber fell silent, save for the sound of dripping blood. Three ARES hunters lay motionless in spreading pools of crimson, while the warrior zombie stood among the carnage, its mantis blade gleaming with fresh gore.
Marsen Virell dropped to his knees, hands shaking. "Wait—please, I can pay you! Name your price!" Panic cracked his voice. "I'll get you into the ARES Guild. My brother's Tobias Virell—he'll pay anything—just don't kill me!"
Leon's expression remained cold and unyielding. "I don't care about your money."
Desperation twisted Marsen's features. He gathered mana with trembling hands, pouring everything into one final attack. Fire erupted around him as he conjured an Inferno Disk twice the size of his previous spells.
The massive disc screamed toward Leon, radiating lethal heat. Stone began to melt in its wake.
The warrior zombie stepped between Leon and the blast, raising the mantis blade high before bringing it down in one perfect arc.
The Inferno Disk split cleanly in half, both pieces detonating against the chamber walls and washing everything in superheated flames. Yet Leon remained untouched behind his guardian's bulk.
Marsen coughed, blood trickling from his nose where the magical backlash had struck him. "Wait! Do you know who my brother is? Tobias Virell will—"
Leon raised his mana gun, his expression still unreadable. The weapon bucked once in his grip.
The shot ripped through Marsen's forehead, blasting out the back of his skull in a spray of bone and brain matter. His body toppled backward, eyes wide with a shock that would never fade.
Silence reclaimed the chamber. Four corpses lay scattered across the blood-slicked stone, while the warrior zombie stood motionless at Leon's side, awaiting further orders that would never come.
Leon's other undead emerged from their defensive positions. The Elite Grave Mage's blue flames flickered, perhaps in approval. The assassin moved to check the bodies with professional thoroughness.
Leon knelt beside Kalden's corpse, methodically searching through his gear. He found enhanced gauntlets still humming with residual magic, a belt pouch heavy with silver coins, and combat boots reinforced with steel plates.
Everything went into his inventory space. Waste nothing. Leave no trace.
From Serik's body, he retrieved broken chain fragments and a storage ring filled with emergency supplies. Minseo's gear included exceptional throwing knives and a stealth cloak shimmered with enchantments.
Marsen's equipment was the most valuable. His ARES Guild badge alone would fetch a hefty sum on the black market. His fire-enhanced sword still radiated heat, and a communication crystal pulsed with unread messages.
Leon crushed the crystal beneath his boot. Whatever Tobias Virell wanted to say would remain unheard.
The warrior zombie observed its master with patient intelligence. No questions. No judgment. Just a silent observation as Leon stripped the dead of anything useful.
This was the harsh reality of a hunter's life: kill or be killed. Take what you need from those who fail.
Leon stood among the carnage, examining a golden relic from Marsen's personal collection. The artifact pulsed with contained mana, likely worth more than most F-Ranks earned in a year.
"Let's see if they brought anything good," he murmured.