As Khajiit emerged from the underground passage, his smooth, bald head caught the dim light.
His cold, indifferent gaze swept past the gaps between the surrounding undead, scanning the temple's exterior.
Barren tombstones.
Lifeless trees.
Not a single undead in sight.
His eyes narrowed.
Something was wrong.
When Khajiit first claimed this cemetery, he had deliberately stationed low-level undead around the temple—not only to ward off intruders but also to serve as an early warning system.
As their master, he shared a connection with his undead minions. If that connection were severed, he would immediately sense it.
Of course—
This arrangement had been set up over a year ago. In that time, he had come to realize that almost no one ventured into this cemetery.
Let alone the depths.
So he had allowed that connection to lapse.
To a necromancer, losing undead was no concern—as long as their corpses remained intact, he could simply reanimate them.
But now—
Not only were his undead gone, but there were no remains.
No scattered bones.
No tattered corpses.
Nothing.
This wasn't a simple extermination.
His undead had been lured away.
"They came prepared."
"And…"
"They're not alone."
The thought surfaced in Khajiit's mind, but his expression remained unchanged—cold and unreadable.
This was E-Rantel, a border city with no powerful adventurer squads to pose a threat to him.
And as far as he knew—
No one worthy of his concern lived here.
If there was a challenger—
It had to be someone from outside E-Rantel.
"How foolish…"
"You will regret provoking a noble necromancer in this forsaken place."
A dangerous aura began to radiate from his frail-looking frame.
Stepping fully out of the underground passage, Khajiit moved forward, and the low-level zombies flanking him instantly parted to clear his path.
Then—
His gaze locked onto something in the distance.
Suspended about a foot or two above the ground, hovering exactly 100 meters away, was—
An Angel Guardian.
Its holy aura was unmistakable.
In this pitch-black cemetery, the divine light radiating from its form made it impossible to ignore.
But rather than focusing on the angel itself—
Khajiit's instincts screamed at him to be wary of something else.
"This is too obvious."
"A deliberate distraction."
His fingers twitched slightly.
Then, with a flick of his wrist—
"Mana Detection."
A pulse of scanning magic spread outward, sweeping the area.
The spell returned its results instantly—
🔹 The Angel Guardian—100 meters ahead.
🔹 Another magical signature—50 meters to his left.
However—
In his direct line of sight, there was nothing in that direction.
Then—
The invisible presencemoved.
It was rushing toward him.
"Tsk."
A sneer formed on Khajiit's lips.
"Did you really think you could hide from me?"
His left hand snapped up, his fingers splaying open—
"Negative Light!"
A dark purple beam of magic burst from his fingertips, cutting through the night.
BOOM!
The spell collided with the invisible entity, causing a surge of magical energy to ripple outward.
The force knocked the target back, momentarily disrupting the stealth effect.
In that instant—
The Angel Guardian, once hidden by the Camouflage spell, was forcefully revealed—its entire form now visible against the backdrop of the night.
"This…"
For a moment, Khajiit was stunned.
He had expected a thief or some stealth-capable opponent, yet standing before him was—
An Angel Guardian?
"Two Angel Guardians… two casters of divine magic?"
No—
Was the invisibility effect from earlier a Second-Tier "Non-Visualization"?
Or was it some other form of concealment magic?
"A divine spellcaster and a magic-based spellcaster?"
The thought flashed through Khajiit's mind in an instant.
Then—
A sudden hoarse voice erupted from behind the distant Angel Guardian—
"Human Race Greater Charm!"
"!!!"
Khajiit's eyes widened in alarm.
"Mind of Undeath!"
He instinctively activated the countermeasure magic, his voice dropping to a sharp whisper.
A surge of negative energy flared around him—
But—
Nothing happened.
There was no sensation of mind control magic.
No force attempting to enslave his mind.
His already pale face darkened, taking on a bluish tinge.
"You bastard!"
From the shadows, a figure in a black robe emerged.
Sakeer's features remained obscured, his form blending into the darkness as he stepped out from behind the Angel Guardian.
"Just a little greeting."
A dry, raspy chuckle escaped his lips.
Without hesitation, his eyes flicked to his status panel—
[Skill Point: 41 → 40]
🔹 Skill: Mind of Undeath (3rd Tier)
🔹 Cost: 15 MP
🔹 Effect: Grants immunity to psychic magic, hypnosis, and other mind-control abilities.
Sakeer's gaze returned to Khajiit, his lips curling slightly beneath the hood.
"Not bad at all."
Khajiit had two things he wanted—
A Skeletal Dragon.
And Human Race Greater Charm—a mind-control magic specifically designed to enslave humans.
Even the name alone carried deep-rooted malice toward humanity.
Originally, this magic had been developed by subhuman and monstrous races for the sole purpose of dominating mankind.
Without a proper countermeasure, resisting such enslavement magic would be nearly impossible.
That was why humans had developed their own defense—
🔹 Mind of Undeath.
A magic specifically designed to counteract the control of Human Race Greater Charm.
For high-level Magic Casters, mastering this spell was essential—because the moment they fell under mind control, the battle would be as good as over.
Sakeer chuckled hoarsely, the sound carrying through the night.
But to Khajiit, it was mockery incarnate.
Khajiit's eyes flickered, his grip tightening around the black staff in his hand.
To him, this was nothing more than a test—
A pathetic attempt to gauge whether he had defenses against mind control magic.
And worse—
A waste of his magic power.
A childish trick.
"Only the weak rely on such petty tactics."
His voice turned ice cold.
"Fool."
"You have no idea what true power is."
He planted his staff into the ground, his glare piercing through the dimly lit cemetery.
"Enough of your games—call your allies out."
"I don't care why you're here anymore."
"I'll show you what happens to those who anger me!"
His voice echoed through the cemetery like a death knell.
"Companions?"
A smirk tugged at Sakeer's lips.
"Sorry, there are no such things."
He shrugged casually, extending a gloved hand.
In response, the Angel Guardian, which had been knocked back by the Negative Light, immediately recovered and flew back to his side.
It had fulfilled its purpose—
To draw Khajiit's attention.
And judging by the necromancer's reaction—
The plan had been a complete success.
This—
Was the advantage of superior intelligence.
As the Angel Guardian hovered before him once more, Sakeer's eyes flickered downward—
Toward its armor.
Where there was once shining silver plating, there were now dull, corroded patches.
Pockmarks of rusted decay marred the once-pristine metal.
"Negative Light…"
The spell's corrosive effect had taken its toll.
And that meant—
Just as undead had natural weaknesses to Holy and Fire magic…
Divine beings had weaknesses, too.
"Still hiding?"
Khajiit's expression twisted into a sneer.
"Fine. Then I'll kill you first—"
"And deal with your allies after."
He didn't believe for a second that Sakeer was alone.
Yet—
He was slightly taken aback.
Two Angel Guardians?
Summoning two at once wasn't ordinary magic.
Was it due to a special magic item?
Or a unique summoning system?
Either way—
It didn't matter.
"Your tricks won't save you."
A dangerous gleam flashed in his eyes.
"Prepare to wail, fool."
"I'll make sure you appear before your allies in the most miserable state possible."
With a sharp motion, Khajiit slammed his black staff into the ground.
At the same time—
The Orb of Death in his other hand began to glow with eerie black light.
(End of Chapter)