It wasn’t the first time something like this had happened to Uriel; what occurred right after he first woke up was still fresh in his mind.

This situation worried him. It wasn’t normal to feel like only a few minutes had passed and then, suddenly, hours were gone. If this was just an instant, what would happen if he stayed like that for too long? Would he starve to death or something?

Somehow, he felt that if he kept moving forward, he would find an answer.

But for now...

He had to deal with what was in front of him.

Being the tank meant he would always be at the front of the battle, facing whatever horrors they encountered head-on.

Uriel took another heavy step.

But this was just plain abuse.

He took another step as negative energy crashed against his body.

"Even if I’ve got more resistance than average, even I have a limit, guys!" 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

"Come on! Comrades, eternal glory awaits us!"

Anastasia was incredibly brave. For her to be the most confident right now, despite being the smallest, meant the negative energy would affect her last.

"Hold on, Uriel! If we get just a little closer, I’ll send that bastard straight to hell!"

Honestly, Uriel still wasn’t used to hearing Ininise swear.

"I’m sorry!"

Even so, Uriel kept advancing. The upside was that the negative energy also healed Anastasia’s skeletons.

The downside, however, was that they couldn’t move forward while dealing with the skeletons summoned by the necromancer.

"Now, Uriel, we’re ready!"

"I’m dropping—don’t miss!"

Uriel lowered his body, and both Miguel and Ininise made their throw.

The crimson spear and the golden spear flew together.

The necromancer’s body, unlike that of his skeletal servants, was made of flesh; so when Miguel’s golden spear pierced him, a massive hole opened in his stomach, followed by Ininise’s heavy crimson spear, which blew his head into a thousand pieces.

Immediately, the remaining skeletal soldiers collapsed to the ground, unable to continue existing without their summoner.

This was their chance to pass through the gate and enter the second zone. According to the others, this place should be full of monsters that had chased previous groups when they tried to enter the city.

Uriel pulled a small golden stone from his pocket and clenched it, feeling his energy and vitality slowly recover.

The next battle would be tough, and he needed to be at one hundred percent.

Uriel approached the portal behind the necromancer and stepped through.

Before him stretched an overwhelming sight—zombies, skeletons, and necromancers. There were too many: at least a dozen. If all of them unleashed waves of negative energy, Uriel wouldn’t last more than a few seconds before collapsing.

But Uriel wasn’t alone.

Miguel stepped through the portal right behind him, carrying a small icon of Soliel, which he raised.

Suddenly, the bodies of all the group members began to glow, shielding them from the negative energy.

The necromancers unleashed their power, but the energy seemed to bounce off Uriel’s body, almost as if it were fleeing from him.

An absurdly expensive repellent.

The enemy skeletons were still recovering, but at least the group wouldn’t suffer instant death anymore—that was something.

Uriel raised his hammer and smashed it down onto a skeleton’s head.

Dust scattered everywhere as Uriel looked toward his targets. This would never end as long as the necromancers remained alive, so his job was to stay close to those who could attack from long range.

Vladimir, nearby, had a similar role, though he focused more on protecting Anastasia.

He moved wildly across the battlefield, using his fists to tear enemies apart. As he did, a macabre smile spread across his face, as if he were enjoying every second of it.

Some skeletons were torn to pieces, but he never stopped; he kept switching targets like an unstoppable killing machine.

Uriel was glad he wasn’t his enemy.

Ininise’s and Miguel’s spears flew again toward their targets.

Two enemy necromancers fell, along with their summons. The pressure eased slightly.

However, a skeleton with a sword and shield managed to get close to Ininise during that brief opening—but Uriel wasn’t about to let anything happen to her.

With his body, he blocked the sword strike, which shattered into pieces upon hitting his armor.

Uriel swung his hammer again, sending the skeleton’s body—and its weapon—flying apart in midair.

The dance of the hammer didn’t stop. Uriel used much of his energy swinging it repeatedly against his opponents.

The white dust from shattered bones slowly began to coat the hammer, giving it a pale hue.

"ROAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

Suddenly, a deep roar echoed from the depths of the crypts near the exit of the zone.

Heavy footsteps pounded against the ground, like a galloping horse.

Glowing red eyes lit up from within one of the crypts. A massive skeletal wolf emerged from the darkness.

Its target was Vladimir, who had pushed deeper into the enemy lines in his frenzy.

Vladimir noticed the beast and responded without fear. He looked almost delighted to have something new to destroy. The wolf charged, and Vladimir met it with a powerful punch to its jaw.

The massive wolf staggered, its jaw slightly cracked, but quickly charged again, striking Vladimir with its long tail—a whip of several kilos—sending his body flying.

Uriel stepped forward quickly to take his place.

He couldn’t let it advance toward Anastasia. Vladimir would be fine, right?

Now Uriel stood before the skeletal wolf. Unfortunately, he couldn’t take the initiative like Vladimir could—his attacks were easier to read, so he depended entirely on the enemy choosing to strike first. Luckily, the wolf didn’t hesitate.

It lunged at Uriel, jaws wide, confident after facing Vladimir; but Uriel preferred enemies with large bodies—more to crush.

As the wolf tried to bite him, Uriel pivoted, using the motion’s momentum to slam his hammer into the creature’s side, sending it crashing down with several broken bones.

But its body reassembled itself moments later. There had to be another necromancer nearby feeding it energy.

At that moment, several skeletons rushed the wolf—three of them—trying to pin it down. Uriel knew exactly who it was.

Anastasia had finally relieved some pressure.

"Comrade Uriel, I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long."

Her red hair flowed behind her as she charged forward with her massive demonic arm.

"AAAAAAAAH!"

Negative energy surged toward several of the remaining necromancers. While it healed undead creatures, these necromancers were still human—so Anastasia’s power tore through them effortlessly.

A gigantic black hand, formed from pure negative energy, materialized and crushed multiple necromancers.

It was a macabre sight—their bodies drained of life, shriveling like dried husks.

Ininise and Miguel quickly arrived.

"Where’s the necromancer controlling this wolf?"

Miguel scanned the area, unable to find him.

Uriel had the same question.

"I’ve been looking, but he’s probably controlling it from much farther away. If we can’t find him..."

"Then we just smash it until it can’t recover anymore, right?"

Ininise wore her crimson armor.

It was strange: on one hand, it had a thick, heavy breastplate like a knight’s; on the other, the lower half resembled a long mage’s skirt. It didn’t seem suited for combat... was she even wearing anything underneath that?

What the hell are you thinking? You’re distracting me. Of course I have another layer of armor underneath—what do you think I am, a pervert?

Ininise’s ghostly voice slipped into his mind.

She moved forward. Her spear wasn’t ideal against the skeletal wolf, but it seemed she had no intention of using it.

She stepped into a range where the spear was useless. The wolf tried to bite or crush her, but she was far more agile, even in that strange armor, easily slipping past its attacks.

And when she got close—

A wave of fire erupted from her hand, engulfing the wolf’s body in flames.

The power of a mage combined with the combat ability of a warrior... what an absurd ally they had gained.

Ininise turned back and looked at Uriel with a triumphant smile.

Uriel just hoped, with all his heart, that she hadn’t run out of mana again.

The flames clung to the skeletal wolf, devouring it piece by piece. Its bones cracked, blackened, and collapsed under the relentless heat. This time, when its body fell apart, it didn’t reform.

A heavy silence followed.

Then—

The remaining skeletons, now without enough necromancers to sustain them, began to crumble one after another. The battlefield, once filled with overwhelming pressure, slowly emptied until only scattered bones and fading wisps of dark energy remained.

Uriel lowered his hammer.

Vladimir walked back toward the group, rolling his shoulders as if nothing had happened. A faint bruise marked where the wolf had struck him, but he didn’t seem to care.

"Too easy," he said, though his tone carried a strange disappointment.

Anastasia, on the other hand, let out a relieved laugh as her skeletons collapsed into piles of bone.

"Comrades! Another glorious victory!"

Uriel exhaled slowly.