The moment the commander's blade dropped, the mountain pathway erupted with thunder.
The skeletal cavalry surged forward, their steeds pounding the black stones with the fury of an avalanche. Spears lowered in gleaming rows, angled to impale the lone figure standing in their path. Dust, grit, and the stench of rotting flesh rose in waves as the charge bore down on Stephan.
He didn't move. His Ossuary Sword hummed faintly in his hand, absorbing the soul energy already lingering in the air. His eyes narrowed as his irises flicked left to right at inhuman speed, calculating every movement, every hoofbeat, every trajectory.
"Come on," Stephan whispered, lips curling into a grin. "Closer…"
Arrows shrieked through the air before the cavalry even reached him. The skeletal archers on the ridges above loosed in volleys, their bows creaking like breaking bones. The sky rained jagged shafts, black feathers cutting across the horizon.
Stephan moved. One step, then he vanished.
