“My ability alone won’t finish him off?” Snow scowled. “What does that mean?”

  “It means what you’ve heard. I hold no desire to sugarcoat truths, young man. Laius was a powerful king in his final cycle. He wielded powers far superior to what you humans can do. And the fact that he controls all these cursed creatures means he still has his powers despite losing his mind to a curse.”

  Death explained calmly. Her face was always emotionless unless when she tried to mimic human facial expressions.

  “You will need the the clairvoyant’s summon and the seer to look further into the future if you are to defeat him.”

  Snow looked back at Shin and sighed. As he had predicted, the seer could hear the Wraith’s voice.

  Rita stayed silent as she tried to replenish the zenshi she lost when fighting the cursed soldier earlier. She was familiar with the invisible wraith that haunted her captain each time he manifested his Aura. Also, even though she couldn't see the Wraith, Rita could tell from their expressions that Shin also had the ability to see it.

  Shin looked at the wraith and lowered his head in a bow.

  Death smiled at his acknowledgment. “This man bears a gift from the god of fate, the concept of Revelation, just like most diviners. However, you barely try to use your powers. Like seeing multiple timelines at the same time.”

  Snow was taken aback by Death’s words. Was Shin really that powerful?

  “ I have tried it before, but it's very exhausting and my reserves aren’t that much to begin with. What if I… ”

  “Die? Tsk…I’m sure you will die either way if you don’t try.” She cut him off. “Aside from Snow. You, Shin Royu reek of my presence. You’ve died many times in your mind and have watched your friends die multiple times. You’ve twisted fate in the past and that has twisted your future.”

  The wraith floated toward him and said, with a harsh and cold tone:

  “…I record each death for I’m the element itself. You will obey, for I am your salvation, Shin."

  Shin exhaled calmly and nodded.

  “I will.”

  Rita stood at the altar and watched the Snow and Shin interact. The scene looked very strange in her eyes. To her, the two men were talking to each other. And yet, there was a third member in this conversation.

  When Snow spared a moment to look at her, she quickly turned her attention to the runes engraved on the altar.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  ‘Gods…I feel so awkward right now.’

  ***

  After devising a plan, Rita summoned her divine creature. The creature resembled a small red sparrow with a pair of small curved horns on its head. Its feathers looked like a mix of both scales and feathers that protected it and made it as fast as a fighter jet from the old world.

  Its master, Rita, was now in light silver armor with a torn red cape hanging on her shoulders. The cape was a monument passed down to her by a friend who happened to die while fighting the Mind Wraith.

  Snow and Shin led the way as they descended the flight of cracked stairs leading to the main floor where the undead king had made himself a throne.

  Rita shivered and her summon itself trembled as they continued to descend. The grip on her rapier tightened as she channeled more zenshi into it to make it stronger.

  As they got closer to the first floor, she casually sent some concerned looks at Snow who had been silent the entire time. He had transformed his nanoskin armor into a black steel armor that easily matched his aesthetic as someone who was a servant of death.

  When they arrived at the end of the stairs, they were met by the eerie silence and the sight of large erect dark red pillars stretching up to the ceiling wall. At the end of the room was a dark lone figure seated alone on a gigantic red stone throne.

  Rita’s face turned white and her blood froze when its dim green eyes met with hers.

  Finally…they had come face to face with the Cursed General known as the Undead King who was oddly silent as if not bothered by their presence. But it was obvious why he wasn't bothered by them.

  His presence was much superior to what the three of them could muster.

  Now that she had a better look at him, Rita realized that the humanoid cursed creature was more human than she thought. He had long black seaweed hair with a crown over his head, dry grey rotten skin, and was adorned in slightly damaged onyx armor that appeared to be cut from the same material as the one the shrines were made from.

  Shin also froze and manifested a glaive into reality. He didn’t let the Cursed General’s presence overwhelm him as he stared at the quiet being ahead.

  After a brief silence…

  Snow took the first step forward…then the second…then the third and continued moving forward with a stern look. His footsteps echoed with intensity, reverberating like a war drum as he slowly approached the silent Undead King with only his sword and Aura active.

  Then, once he was close enough….

  “Attack now!” Shin bellowed and Rita quickly sent a mental message to her summon to survey the room.

  The small bird spread its wings and burst into a speed that shattered the sound barrier with an intense boom. It flew in a line heading to the undead king at a powerful speed then started flying around as Rita borrowed its sight to search for anything odd. The sparrow’s eyes sent back fragmented images of glowing runes embedded in the pillars and the subtle shift of dark energy.

  At the same time, Snow jumped into action. His beautiful sword ignited with the ethereal blue flames of his zenshi which were reflected in his serious brown eyes.

  The entire tower trembled when he pounced forward and appeared in front of the cursed general. Before he could swing it though, Shin let out a desperate yelp after looking into the future.

  “Your left!”

  Immediately, Snow trusted his companion and sidestepped to the right. Shortly after his maneuver, hidden runes appeared in his previous position and black flames shot out of them. Even at a distance, he could feel their intense heat.

  ‘Traps?’

  Taking that into note, Snow continued running forward and jumped with his sword gripped between both hands. He was planning to unleash the flames in a single downward slash.

  However, before Snow could swing his sword down, The Undead king's eyes flicked and Snow's sword ended up crashing into an invisible dome, a resonant hum echoing as his energy dispersed through the stone floor beneath. He felt the reverberation run up his arms, teeth clenched as he jumped back and landed with great force.

  Unfortunately for the Undead King, these three had already been informed of the Cursed General’s abilities.

  Just then, Rita dismissed the summon after using it to study the runes around the undead king.

  "Analyzed and processed." She smirked as soon as she understood how to counter the barrier. To avoid the traps and straining Shin’s foresight, Rita used the walls to move around.

  She and Snow were currently the strongest summoners the entire unit had.

  Aside from the skilled fighters like Lord Artemis Valentine and Lady Luna. Snow, Rita, and Lady Lena were the strongest ascenders and the only ones capable of taking down a threat as powerful as the undead king without paying with their lives.

  Rita’s heart hammered in her chest as she leaped to the side, her eyes catching the flicker of the undead king’s gaze. ‘I have to make this count,’ she thought, focusing all her energy into her blade. Once her attack was ready, she thrust her rapier into the barrier and let all the zenshi in it shatter the energy barrier.

  As soon as the barrier collapsed, Snow swooped in with his weapon, swinging it with great purpose…