Thoren had long since lost count of how many stairs he had descended. At first, he carefully kept track of every step, forcing himself to remain alert and aware of his surroundings. However, after passing the five hundredth stair, he finally abandoned the effort entirely.

The endless staircase twisted constantly with countless curves and sharp turns. The deeper he descended, the more the passage resembled a living maze designed to confuse and isolate intruders.

Every corner looked identical to the previous one, and every shadow seemed darker than before.

The air had become heavier.

The atmosphere felt suffocating.

Just as Thoren prepared to take another turn, the undead Echo Scarabs suddenly released a violent wave of vibrating sound that echoed throughout the narrow passage.

Hum. Hum! Hum!

The vibrations intensified rapidly.

Through the mental link connecting him to the undead creatures, Thoren instantly understood one thing.

They were no longer alone.

The undead Echo Scarabs continued humming frantically without pause. Even without directly seeing the approaching threat, the sheer intensity of the vibrations allowed Thoren to understand the terrifying truth.

A large number of enemies were approaching.

Fast.

Very fast.

Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!

The chilling sounds echoed endlessly from below the staircase. Suddenly, Thoren’s perception detected movement within the darkness.

Serpentine shadows emerged.

The Dust Naga.

"T This..."

Thoren’s pupils contracted violently.

Inside the cramped staircase passage, dozens of terrifying Dust Naga slithered upward at frightening speed. Their massive bodies scraped violently against the stone walls, producing horrifying screeching sounds that pierced the air.

Even within the darkness, their oppressive presence sent cold shivers racing down Thoren’s spine.

Their shifting translucent bodies resembled living nightmares crawling directly from the depths of hell itself.

Whoosh!

One of the Dust Naga lunged forward violently. Its massive serrated mouth opened wide, revealing countless rows of jagged teeth ready to swallow Thoren whole.

Danger exploded within Thoren’s mind instantly.

Every strand of hair across his body stood upright. His instincts screamed desperately.

Without hesitation, Thoren issued a command through the soul connection.

"Chain Combo!"

Boom!

The undead Storm Tyrant exploded forward like a raging beast unleashed from imprisonment. Its enormous hammer swung overhead with overwhelming destructive force before crashing downward mercilessly.

The Level 27 Dust Naga was smashed directly into the stone wall.

Crack!

The entire staircase trembled violently. Massive debris rained down from the ceiling as spiderweb fractures spread across the stone surface.

Half of the Dust Naga’s head shattered apart instantly. Flesh and sand exploded outward in every direction. Yet despite such horrifying damage, the creature still remained alive.

Its broken body coiled violently while hissing with savage fury.

It was preparing another attack.

"What terrifying defense!" Thoren exclaimed inwardly.

However, he possessed no time for shock or hesitation. The situation had already become fatal.

Any mistake would result in death. Without delay, Thoren unleashed the power of his awakened soul completely.

[Awakening Soul!]

Boom!

A terrifying soul aura erupted outward from Thoren’s body like an invisible tidal wave. The surrounding air distorted violently under the pressure.

The incoming Dust Naga froze briefly. Their movements paused for a split second as fear instinctively surged through them.

Yet the hesitation lasted only moments.

The Dust Naga hissed madly before charging forward once again with even greater ferocity.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The battle exploded instantly into full chaos.

The undead Storm Tyrant stood at the forefront like an indestructible fortress. Its colossal hammer descended repeatedly like heavenly judgment crashing upon sinners.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Each strike pulverized stone and flesh alike.

Dust and shattered debris filled the staircase continuously.

Bang!

One elite undead servant was struck directly by a twisting Dust Naga tail. The force behind the attack was monstrous.

The servant flew backward violently before crashing into the wall hard enough to create deep fractures within the stone.

Even with their power weakened significantly, the Dust Naga remained horrifying creatures.

Their attacks were savage beyond reason.

They possessed no fear.

They cared nothing for survival.

Kill one, and another immediately replaced it.

Within such a narrow battlefield, enemies like these were absolute nightmares.

Thoren’s expression darkened immediately.

Without hesitation, he summoned hundreds of undead servants simultaneously.

If the enemy intended to drown him beneath overwhelming numbers, then he would answer with an undead army of his own.

The moment the undead appeared, the entire staircase passage became suffocating.

A thick aura of death erupted violently throughout the battlefield.

The savage aura emitted by the Dust Naga collided directly against the overwhelming undead presence.

The pressure alone felt unbearable.

Terrifying.

Oppressive.

Deadly.

Thoren retreated swiftly behind the undead formation while maintaining absolute control over the battlefield through the mental network.

At the same time, he repositioned his strongest servants strategically.

The undead Royalty Stonewall advanced immediately beside the undead Storm Tyrant.

Beside them stood the undead Elite Jackal Beastman.

The three powerful undead instantly became the core of the defensive line.

If not for the Peak Bronze grade armor protecting the undead Storm Tyrant, the massive undead warrior would have already been torn apart long ago.

However, with the arrival of the two peak elite undead servants, the entire battlefield shifted dramatically.

Whoosh!

The undead Royalty Stonewall swung its cold blade horizontally with brutal force.

The sharp weapon sliced directly through a Dust Naga body segment, severing flesh and sand apart instantly.

Hissssss!

The Dust Naga shrieked painfully before collapsing violently onto the staircase.

Beside it, the undead Elite Jackal Beastman roared fiercely while swinging its massive club in a devastating arc. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Boom!

Three Dust Naga were blasted backward simultaneously. Their bodies smashed violently into the creatures behind them, creating complete disorder within the advancing horde.

Behind the three strongest undead stood ten elite undead servants organized carefully into two assault groups.

Under Thoren’s precise commands, the elite undead attacked together with ruthless coordination.

Every target was assaulted simultaneously from multiple angles.

The ordinary undead servants remained behind them as reinforcement troops. Most of them were undead Jackal Beastmen armed with crude weapons and damaged armor.

Any Dust Naga that somehow slipped past the first defensive layers was immediately intercepted by the ordinary undead soldiers.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The staircase transformed into absolute carnage.

Tail strikes smashed violently against shields and armor repeatedly.

Weapons clashed endlessly.

Roars and hisses filled every corner of the battlefield.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Undead servants crashed against the walls nearly every second. Bones shattered constantly while armor fragmented apart beneath the overwhelming attacks.

Yet the undead possessed no fear.

They rose repeatedly.

Again and again.

Their hollow eye sockets burned intensely with blazing soul fire. Their weapons rose and descended endlessly as they hacked violently at everything standing before them.

The staircase floor became littered with broken corpses and shattered debris.

Hundreds of Dust Naga had already fallen during the battle.

Yet more continued appearing endlessly from below.

The surviving Dust Naga slithered directly over the corpses of their own kin without hesitation.

Their piercing hisses intensified continuously.

The deeper portions of the staircase trembled beneath the overwhelming movement.

Then suddenly, a far more terrifying hiss echoed from deeper within the horde.

The sound alone caused Thoren’s expression to change instantly.

Before he could locate the creature responsible, a sharp whistling sound sliced violently through the air.

Bang!

A terrifying spear formed entirely from compressed sand erupted from the darkness.

The attack struck the undead Elite Jackal Beastman directly in the chest.

Boom!

The powerful impact blasted the elite undead backward violently. Its massive body smashed into several undead soldiers standing behind it, sending them tumbling across the staircase.

Instantly, a dangerous opening appeared within the defensive formation.

The waiting Dust Naga surged forward immediately.

Their savage mouths opened wide hungrily.

However, Thoren reacted instantly.

"Cover the breach!"

The undead Royalty Stonewall moved without delay and stepped directly into the opening.

At the same moment, shield wielding undead servants rushed forward rapidly while axe wielding undead soldiers reinforced the weakened area.

The defensive line barely stabilized once more.

Yet before Thoren could relax, another sand spear screamed through the darkness again.

This time, he was prepared.

"Shield!"

A shield wielding undead servant stepped forward fearlessly before slamming its shield outward.

Boom!

The entire staircase shook violently upon impact.

The undead soldier staggered backward several steps while cracks spread across the shield surface.

However, the attack had been blocked successfully.

Thoren’s eyes narrowed sharply.

Somewhere within the darkness behind the Dust Naga horde, a far more dangerous enemy was hiding patiently.

Before he could devise a strategy, a horrifying sensation exploded throughout his body.

Danger.

Extreme danger.

Every instinct within him screamed violently.

All the hairs across his body stood upright instantly. From deeper below the staircase, an overwhelming wave of compressed sand energy rushed upward at terrifying speed.

The attack completely filled the narrow staircase passage from top to bottom. There was absolutely nowhere to evade.

The deadly sand strike approached like a raging storm determined to annihilate everything before it.

In the blink of an eye, the devastating attack had already reached him.

Thoren did not think further.

He simply reacted instinctively.

"Grave Shift!"

****

[AN: Please support this book with your golden ticket and power stones.]

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