Luring them into the area with the knight statues, the two joined forces for a slaughter.

For two Level Six Transcendents, dealing with a Knight Commander who was only Level Five was child’s play.

It only took a moment.

The squad of knights was nearly wiped out.

Even their formidable Level Five Knight Commander, who tried to escape, was caught and crushed to death by a Rune Giant Hand that had formed from a stone statue.

RUMBLE...

Giant hands of earth and rock erupted from the ground. They lifted the corpses of the many knights from the Holy Fierce Sun Church and delivered them one by one onto the Ritual Altar.

Within the gray mist, watching these numerous, well-ordered magical hands move in perfect coordination, the Undead Assassin Tutor, Rosian, was momentarily lost in thought.

A moment later, he seemed to understand.

"Heh heh... What an impressive technique!"

Watching Zorn, who was busy with something on the Ritual Altar, he spoke up. "I’ll go lure some more powerful Knights over."

"Alright. Be careful. Those Harvesters might be disguised as members of the Knight Order."

"Got it!"

And with that, Rosian’s figure vanished into thin air.

The corpses of the Level Three, Four, and Five Transcendents were lifted up.

Zorn let out a low chuckle.

’As an Evil Spirit Wizard, I’ve yet to display my most ferocious and cruel techniques. But things are different now. I can unleash all of my brutal methods as I please.’

He thrust his right hand toward one of the corpses.

The Wandering Soul within was dragged out.

Before the Wandering Soul could even plead for mercy, Zorn had already tossed it into the Ritual Altar.

Then, under the effect of his Life Absorption skill, the corpse’s flesh rapidly disintegrated.

It turned into a viscous stream of blood that cascaded down the steps of the Ritual Altar.

The thick, cloying scent of blood immediately filled the air.

GURGLE...

The Ritual Altar seemed to come alive, greedily absorbing the flesh and blood that was rich with Life Force.

’Live sacrifices would have been perfect, but using these freshly killed Knights... the effect isn’t that much worse.’

’It is a bit cruel... but the Church and the Harvesters will be the ones to pay the price.’

Zorn then repeated the process.

The Wandering Souls of over a dozen knights from the Church Knight Order were thrown into the Ritual Altar and their flesh-and-blood corpses were absorbed. All of this was then nourished by the Calamity Black Mist.

A terrifying Divine Curse was brewing in the depths of the Ritual Altar.

A few minutes later, Rosian returned, having lured over another squad of knights. This time, there were even more of them—seventeen or eighteen in all.

The two joined forces once again and wiped them out completely.

Watered by the Wandering Souls and fresh blood of this second wave of Knights, the once grayish-white Ritual Altar now glowed an eerie blood-red, with crimson patterns beginning to emerge on its surface.

Rosian was curious as he watched the strange, miraculous scene unfold, but he didn’t ask any questions.

"There’s a lone Knight wandering in the deadwood forest to the right."

"He looks like he’s only Level 4, but that’s a disguise. He’s a Level Six Forbidden Knight and a member of the Harvesters."

"He must have sensed the fighting here and is slowly approaching. Use a surprise attack to lure him over."

Zorn, the Controller of the Ritual Platform, commanded swiftly.

Rosian immediately crept silently in the direction Zorn indicated.

Soon, Rosian spotted the Forbidden Knight Zorn had mentioned—one who appeared to be Level 4 but was actually Level Six.

’His technique for concealing his aura and Level is impressive.’

As an Undead Assassin, however, his own Insight was not to be underestimated.

As he drew closer, he could sense that the man’s stated Level 4 Sequence Level was merely a facade.

[Shadow Stab]

A hazy afterimage suddenly appeared behind the Forbidden Knight.

The cold, green Jade Dagger, reflecting the deathly gray mist, stabbed toward the Forbidden Knight’s neck.

CLANG!

The cold Jade Dagger was easily blocked by the Forbidden Knight’s Hand Shield. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

The veteran Knight seized the opening, grabbing the Long Spear from his back and whipping it around in a deadly arc.

VMMMM!

The gray mist, along with the afterimage created by the Shadow Stab skill, was blasted apart by the Forbidden Knight’s spear.

He instantly locked onto the Assassin’s position.

The veteran Forbidden Knight gave chase immediately.

He chased him into a hazy, mist-filled area where a field of toppled statues, both large and small, was faintly visible ahead.

The Forbidden Knight’s pupils narrowed. He scanned his surroundings for a moment.

He caught the faint scent of blood, but after carefully assessing the area for a moment, he didn’t sense any significant threat.

According to the intelligence he had received, this layer of gray mist posed no threat to him.

Besides, there were already several Level Six Harvesters on this third level of the mist, disguised as members of the Knight Order.

’If a fight breaks out here, the others will definitely sense it. Once we engage, we’ll have a clear advantage.’

With that thought, the Forbidden Knight raised his Long Spear and charged straight in.

The moment he entered the statue-filled area of gray mist, the Undead Assassin, Rosian, crept up behind him like a shadow of death.

"Die!"

An explosive roar thundered out. The Forbidden Knight’s previously ordinary-looking Long Spear suddenly surged with terrifying Forbidden Power.

Rosian deftly blocked with his Jade Dagger.

DANG!

He effortlessly parried the ferocious blow.

His feet dancing nimbly over the sandy ground, Rosian closed in on the Forbidden Knight, moving as swiftly as a phantom.

His two reverse-gripped Jade Daggers reflected the Breath of the Undead that glowed deep within his emerald-green pupils.

Rosian’s assault was ferocious.

But this Level Six Forbidden Knight was equally battle-hardened.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

He repeatedly blocked Rosian’s attacks with his Hand Shield and even managed to counterattack with his Long Spear from time to time.

In the heat of battle, Rosian fought as he retreated.

As he was drawn deeper into the gray mist, after unleashing a fierce volley of attacks, Rosian suddenly pulled back.

The Knight, just as he was about to give chase, suddenly sensed that something was wrong.

He tightened his grip on his Long Spear and scanned his surroundings warily.

WHOOO...

A wave of deathly sound, as if surging from the Abyss itself, suddenly descended upon him.

’This is bad!’

The Forbidden Knight’s expression changed drastically.

He gripped his Long Spear tightly.

A mist of blood spewed from the gaps in his armor.

A crimson Forbidden Blood Shield materialized around him, spun into existence like a cocoon as the Forbidden Knight forcibly summoned it.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

A volley of Forbidden Curse Scythes rained down.

However, the bizarre Forbidden Blood Shield blocked the bulk of their power. The subsequent Forbidden Curse Scythes that landed on the Forbidden Knight’s crimson armor could hardly threaten the Level Six Knight.

Just as the Forbidden Knight was trying to figure out how to escape...

RUMBLE...

The ground began to shake. A colossal, blood-red hand suddenly burst through the gray mist and descended upon the Forbidden Knight like a falling mountain.

The reflection of the colossal, blood-red hand filled his pupils.

A crimson light erupted from deep within the Forbidden Knight’s pupils.

"HOLD!"

He roared hoarsely, mustering all his strength to summon more of the forbidden blood mist’s power.

But just as the massive Ancient God’s Hand descended...

POP!

The Shield the Forbidden Knight had raised shattered like a soap bubble.

The colossal hand crashed down instantly.

"No—"

The Knight roared in grief and fury, his eyes seeming to split at the corners from rage.

BOOM—

The earth shook, and the screaming stopped abruptly.

As the Ancient God’s Hand dissipated, the Level Six Forbidden Knight had been smashed into a pile of bloody pulp.

Even his equipment was crushed beyond recognition.

A Level Six Knight, renowned for his Defense, had been instantly killed in a single blow.

Such was the power of the mighty Ancient God’s Hand.