The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage-Chapter 180

Two abnormally powerful undead emerged amid the chaotic battlefield, slipping through the ranks unnoticed.

As the division commander trembled above, mumbling in shock, the elite assassins of the Third Unit quickly regained their composure.

The first wave of casualties was taken by surprise. Those who attempted to retaliate were instantly overwhelmed by the sheer difference in power, their deaths swift and merciless. By the time the remaining soldiers managed to regroup into formation, their numbers had already been halved.

They attempted to take down the intruders in groups of fifteen, but by then, it was too late.

The rogue undead had seemingly accomplished their objective, disappearing through a cyan portal.

The rest of the undead army vanished along with them.

"This... what the hell...?"

"This is insane."

"Half of us... are dead..."

Only thirty of them remained.

Over thirty had perished in an instant.

A swift, ruthless strategy—strike and retreat.

But calling it cowardly would be meaningless. This was war, and war was strategy.

Clenching their teeth in frustration, the surviving assassins muttered amongst themselves.

"As infuriating as this is, things will change once the captain arrives."

"Yeah..."

"We just have to wait for him."

"Those bastards knew they couldn’t win once he showed up, so they struck while he was away."

"For now, we return to hiding."

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Following the orders left by their commander, the thirty surviving members of the Third Unit concealed themselves once again.

Despite the devastating losses, they maintained their composure, preparing for the next attack.

Yet, their inexperience revealed itself in a critical oversight.

The bodies of their fallen comrades were nowhere to be found.

Unaware of this anomaly, they remained hidden, waiting for the undead legion’s return.

They vowed that next time, they would not be caught off guard.

But time passed.

And neither the elite undead nor the general undead forces reappeared.

Confused and unable to comprehend the situation, they had no choice but to wait in silence.

Beyond a small cyan portal, two figures watched them.

Barfur and Leonic, their respective cyan and navy blue eyes gleaming in the dim light, observed the scene.

–Barfur, our lord has confirmed that the mission was a success.

–Hah, well then, should we rejoin the main force?

–That would be best.

With those words, Leonic and Barfur closed the portal and disappeared from the scene.

It was a portal Seong had deliberately left open.

And as the two undead generals took control of it, they reappeared in an open plain far from Basilica.

The empty expanse of land seemed like an ordinary wasteland—one of many gaps between labyrinths.

Yet, what stood in that barren space was anything but ordinary.

A bat beastkin, bearing the remnants of a human visage, stood with a face contorted in fury.

The Third Unit’s division commander.

His razor-sharp fangs were bared, his eyes fixated with murderous intent on one figure.

"Shivren!!! You bastard!!! How dare you betray us!!!"

And with that enraged cry, battle erupted.

8.

Shortly before the undead army’s assault...

The Third Unit’s division commander, Noirtein, was on his way to report to the king.

As a high-ranking bat beastkin, he still retained much of his human appearance—a trait that made him exceptionally powerful.

Although he had not served as an assassin for long, he was highly regarded for his swift thinking and sharp instincts.

His emotions had yet to be fully suppressed, unlike some of his comrades, but he was a promising talent, known for his efficiency.

Thus, Noirtein moved without hesitation toward the royal palace.

With his membranous wings spread wide, he darted across rooftops at astonishing speed.

Yet, something gnawed at him.

‘Why do I feel uneasy?’

There was no reason for him to be anxious.

And yet, the unease persisted.

A warning from his instincts.

Was it because he was about to report the existence of a traitor?

If so, who could the traitor be?

There was one prime suspect.

‘Assassination Unit Two’s commander, Shivren.’

The recently returned leader of the Second Unit.

Unlike the Third Unit, which specialized in direct combat, the Second Unit excelled in espionage.

And Shivren was particularly gifted in intelligence gathering.

If he had defected and was now feeding information to the enemy...

‘Impossible.’

Shivren had no reason to betray them.

Emotionless and methodical, he had no personal motives.

Why would someone like him defect?

Then, a chilling thought surfaced.

What if Shivren was already dead?

What if his corpse had been reanimated into an undead spy?

The enemy was clearly a necromancer—or perhaps, multiple necromancers.

Had they already turned Shivren into one of their own?

‘No. That can’t be it.’

Just today, when the king declared war, Shivren had been present.

And he had not reeked of death.

His aura had been unchanged.

Could a necromancer truly create such a high-level undead?

Noirtein didn’t know.

He knew too little about necromancy.

‘Is the spy watching from above instead?’

On that suspicion, he instinctively lifted his gaze mid-flight.

The sky was thick with dark clouds, illuminated only by glimpses of the crimson moon.

But there was nothing unusual.

Dismissing the thought, he continued toward the palace—until he spotted a familiar face standing on a rooftop.

‘Shivren?’

Why was he here?

Noirtein halted his flight, suspicion creeping in.

Shivren turned his head, sensing Noirtein’s presence.

"Noirtein. What is it?"

His voice was utterly devoid of emotion.

That alone confirmed it.

Shivren was still Shivren.

And yet...

"Undead forces have appeared near the eastern walls. I’m heading to the king to report the situation."

"The east? That’s in the direction of Ninyaru."

"You don’t mean to suggest those cat merchants are controlling the undead, do you? Or did you see something in Ninyaru?"

Noirtein’s sharp questioning made Shivren nod slightly.

"I did."

And at that moment, realization struck Noirtein like a bolt of lightning.

Shivren had seen the necromancers at work.

So why hadn’t he reported it?

The moment Noirtein understood the implications, he tried to flee.

Shivren was a stronger fighter than him.

If he was a traitor, then running was the only option.

But as soon as he spread his wings to take flight...

A pit of darkness materialized beneath him.

Hands of the abyss seized his limbs.

And then—

A second chasm opened, swallowing him whole.

The next thing he knew, he was no longer near the palace rooftops.

An endless plain stretched around him, with Basilica’s silhouette faintly visible in the distance.

Dazed, he staggered in confusion.

A cyan portal shimmered open before him.

And from it, Shivren stepped out.

Seeing him, Noirtein’s rage erupted.

"Shivren!!! You traitorous bastard!!!"

Seething, Noirtein lunged—

–Hahahaha!!! A battle it is!!!

"For our Lord, I would charge into hell itself!"

"Hmm~ A vampire, is it~?"

–L-Lord has ordered us to keep him as intact as possible, s-so... please die quietly?

–Is this the one we’re offering to our master?

–Well, he’ll be just like us soon enough, so no need to worry~

–PIIIIIIIIEEEEEE!!!

–KYYYYAAAAAAA!!!

"Hahaha, you’re scaring him! Let’s finish this quickly."

Seong’s entire legion materialized.

Faced with their overwhelming presence, Noirtein instinctively took a step back.

But behind him, a book radiating destructive energy was already in Seong’s hands.

"It’s been a day, right? That means Helena’s resurrection skill should be ready."

The moment Seong spoke, his subordinates’ gazes shifted.

Moments ago, their intent had been to capture their target with minimal damage.

Now, the command had changed.

They had been granted permission to kill.

With that silent understanding, the undead under Seong’s command lunged at Noirtein.

The first to act was Seong himself.

The Tome of Ruin in his hands pulsed with magic, and a wave of destructive energy surged outward.

The very fabric of space twisted around Noirtein’s right shoulder.

CRACK.

"AAARRRGGHHHH!!!"

Agonizing pain overtook him as his entire right shoulder was wrenched off—

Ripped away by the warping of space itself.

Ordinarily, in Eternal World, severing a body part required a certain threshold of damage.

Yet this spell ignored such restrictions, tearing his arm away instantly.

Seong marveled at the magic’s sheer power as he stepped back, allowing his subordinates to close in.

With his dominant arm lost, Noirtein’s combat abilities plummeted.

He had no way to withstand their relentless attacks.

Still, he was no ordinary enemy.

He was classified as a Hidden Raid Boss.

He managed to hold on for several minutes.

Even when he entered his second phase—his monstrous transformation—Seong’s subordinates remained unshaken.

They toyed with him.

They crushed him.

He never stood a chance.

Shivren had lost some of his former power after being [N O V E L I G H T] revived, but it didn’t matter.

Once Noirtein finally fell, Seong and his subordinates approached his corpse.

Using Helena’s power, they restored the missing parts of his body.

Even in death, his body could be healed.

Then, Seong activated Death’s Creation, preventing the corpse from rotting.

Summoning an ordinary undead, he fused it into Noirtein’s remains, the process similar to how he had revived Shivren.

Yet, the most critical step remained.

"W-what? I was... I was definitely dead...?!"

Noirtein’s soul, still disoriented, drifted above his reanimated body.

Seong reached out—

And absorbed his memories.

[You have demonstrated abilities surpassing your current stats due to 'Unknown Power.']

[Strength +3, Agility +2, Stamina +2 (Permanently Increased).]

A surge of power coursed through Seong’s body.

Then, Noirtein’s soul let out a delighted laugh.

"Ah! Aaaah! Shivren! So that’s why you betrayed us!!! Hahaha!!! Then I, too, shall serve the esteemed one!!!"

It was an expected outcome.

With Noirtein’s soul infused into his undead body, he had become a perfect replica of his former self.

Seong grinned.

Both the Second Unit’s commander and the Third Unit’s commander had now been turned into spies.

Using Helena’s Abyssal Rift, he sent them back to Basilica.

Everything was proceeding smoothly.

Now, all that was left was to wait.

But...

‘Seriously, when are they coming?’

The White Knights still hadn’t arrived.

Scratching his head in mild frustration, Seong pondered.

‘Maybe I should do a little more in the meantime?’

Perhaps it was time to send in some standard undead troops—just as a warm-up.

But for their enemies...

This would be far from a warm-up.

It would be a devastating blow.

And so, once again, the eastern wall of Basilica found itself under siege.

Hours Later

At long last, the White Knights neared Basilica.

Silberion, gasping for breath, caught sight of the city walls.

Only to freeze.

"W-wait... Hah... Hah... Why does it look... like it’s already falling... before we even started attacking...?"

Something had already happened.

Something huge.

She couldn’t even catch her breath before Seong walked up to her.

"Ah, you’ve finally arrived."

Under any other circumstances, his tone would have irritated her.

But Silberion was too exhausted to care.

She could only nod weakly.

Then—

"Well then, shall we begin the real attack?"

"...???"

Wait.

That wasn’t the real attack?!

Then... what would happen when the real attack began?

More importantly—

‘D-do we even matter in this battle...?’

For the first time, she doubted if they were needed at all.