The next day came heavy.

The air around the town felt tighter than before, as if even the wind had slowed, unwilling to move too freely across a place that had already seen too much death in just a few days.

On the walls, the guards were already in position long before anything appeared.

No one joked.

No one spoke louder than necessary.

They had learned.

They knew what was coming.

Far from the town, across the open field that had once been stained with blood and half-buried weapons, something moved.

Thousands of figures marched forward in slow, synchronized steps, their movement steady, almost unnaturally consistent. No wasted motion. No hesitation. Just a single, unified advance.

At the center of it all, a carriage rolled forward.

The skeletal horse pulling it let out a hollow, rasping sound, its empty eyes flickering faintly as it stepped over uneven ground without slowing.

Inside, Aiden sat quietly.

His posture relaxed, one hand resting against the side as his gaze remained forward, unfocused, as if he was already watching the battle unfold in his mind before it had even begun.

Outside the carriage, Carrion walked at the front, his presence like a moving blade cutting through the air itself. Vermis drifted somewhere to the side, her steps light, almost playful, though the faint movement of insects around her told a very different story.

Behind them...

The army, three thousand and more.

Aiden spoke softly, not even raising his voice.

"This time," he said, "we will destroy this town."

Carrion didn’t look back.

"It will fall," he replied.

Vermis smiled faintly.

"I hope they struggle," she added. "It’s more entertaining that way."

Aiden didn’t respond.

His eyes had already shifted forward.

Toward the town.

---

On the watchtower, Ren Kai stood at the front, his hands resting lightly on the stone edge as he looked out into the distance.

At first, it was just a line.

A thin, pale line stretching across the horizon.

Then it grew, and grew.

Until it became something else entirely.

A mass.

A moving wall.

Shen Lu stepped up beside him, squinting slightly, as if his eyes were trying to deny what they were seeing.

"...What the hell..." he muttered under his breath.

Then he let out a low breath, almost a laugh, but there was no humor in it.

"Wow," he said, shaking his head slowly. "These are all skeletons?"

No one answered him immediately.

Because the answer was obvious.

Hao Jin leaned forward slightly, resting his arms on the edge, his usual relaxed expression completely gone now.

"That’s not just a few thousand," he said quietly. "Look at the formation... they’re packed tight."

Cai Wen’s gaze sharpened.

"And they’re not breaking formation either," she added. "That’s not mindless movement. Something is controlling them properly."

Ren Kai didn’t speak at first.

His eyes moved across the army slowly, taking everything in, the spacing, the rhythm, the way even the smaller movements seemed... intentional.

Then his gaze settled at the center.

The carriage.

"...There," he said quietly.

The others followed his line of sight.

Shen Lu frowned.

"A carriage?"

Hao Jin narrowed his eyes.

"Thier leader, perhaps?"

Voss climbed up the steps behind them, his boots hitting the stone with a steady rhythm before he stopped beside them.

He took one look.

And his expression hardened immediately.

"...Damn," he muttered.

Even he hadn’t expected this.

Not like this.

"They’re more than before," he said. "A lot more."

Ren Kai gave a small nod.

"They’ve been harvesting every battle," he said. "This is the result."

Below them, the alarm horns began to sound.

Echoing across the entire town.

"They’re here!"

"All units to position!"

"Prepare to engage!"

The defenders moved quickly, but there was a difference this time.

They weren’t panicking.

But they weren’t confident either.

Because what was approaching them now...

Was no longer something they could dismiss as just another wave.

Shen Lu exhaled slowly, gripping the hilt of his weapon.

"...So this is what we’re up against," he said.

----

The carriage rolled to a slow stop.

Not because anything blocked its path.

But because it had reached the distance Aiden wanted.

The skeletal horse lowered its head slightly, letting out a hollow breath as the entire army behind it came to a gradual halt. The synchronized steps faded, leaving behind a silence that felt heavier than the march itself.

Then the door opened.

Aiden stepped out.

His boots touched the ground without a sound, yet the moment he appeared, the air seemed to shift, subtle but unmistakable. The undead nearby grew still, their already rigid forms becoming even more disciplined, as if his presence alone tightened every movement, every command.

Graveknit followed closely behind.

Beside the carriage, a massive undead beast shifted its weight before lowering itself to the ground. Its skeletal frame was far larger than any normal creature, its spine ridged with jagged protrusions, its empty eye sockets faintly glowing as it obediently bowed its head.

Aiden glanced at it briefly, then stepped forward and took his place on its back, settling into a seated position as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

From there, he could see everything.

The town walls.

The movement of soldiers.

The flicker of weapons catching the light.

And more importantly...

The presence.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"...There are a few strong ones," he said quietly.

Graveknit stood beside the beast, his hollow gaze fixed on the distant walls.

"Yes, my lord," he replied. "Their aura is more refined than the others."

He paused for a brief moment, as if examining something more carefully.

"Their insignia," he added. "They should be from the Clear Water Sect."

Aiden’s gaze lingered on the watchtower.

He didn’t need to see them clearly.

He could feel them.

Then his attention shifted slightly.

Toward Carrion.

Carrion stood at the front of the army, unmoving, his weapon resting at his side, his posture steady like a drawn blade waiting to be released.

Aiden’s voice came calm.

Simple.

"Carrion."

Carrion turn immediately, and kneels.

"I’m here," he said.

Aiden’s gaze remained forward, fixed on the walls of the town, on the defenders preparing themselves, on the inevitable clash that was about to begin.

"Let’s start."

There was no rise in his tone.

No dramatic weight.

Just a quiet command.

But the moment those words left him... Everything moved.

The ground began to tremble again, not from chaos, but from sheer volume as thousands of undead surged forward in unison, their formation tightening as they advanced, their movement no longer just steady...

But aggressive.

Behind them, Vermis let out a soft laugh, her figure already drifting along the flank.

"Finally," she said, her voice light, almost delighted.

On the walls, the defenders saw it.

And this time...

There was no doubt left.

"They’re charging!"

"Positions, now!!"

On the watchtower, Ren Kai’s expression hardened.

"This might be the last battle to defend this town." he said.

---- 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

The distance closed fast.

Too fast.

What had once been a slow, grinding advance turned into something far more aggressive the moment Aiden stepped onto the battlefield. It was not just movement anymore. It felt like the entire army had been given a pulse.

A will.

From atop the undead beast, Aiden raised one hand slightly.

And everything answered.

A faint, dark pressure spread outward from him, invisible to the eye, but impossible to ignore. It moved through every undead under his command like a tide, sinking into bone, into hollow frames, into the very thing that kept them standing.

His skills activated almost naturally, like breathing.

Undead Dominion settled over the field first.

It was quiet, almost subtle, but its effect was absolute. Every skeleton straightened, their movements tightening, their coordination sharpening to a level that no ordinary army could match.

Then came Death Aura.

A cold, oppressive presence spread outward from Aiden, brushing past both sides of the battlefield. The undead grew more aggressive, more relentless, while the living felt something else entirely.

A weight.

A chill that crawled into their bones.

Some tightened their grip on their weapons.

Some hesitated for just a second.

That second was enough.

Aiden’s hand lowered slightly.

"Undead Reinforcement."

A pulse of energy flowed through the army. The skeletons surged forward, their strength rising, their strikes carrying more force than before.

And layered over everything...

Bone Density Reinforcement.

The change was immediate.

A soldier brought his sword down with full force, aiming to split a skeleton from shoulder to chest.

The blade struck.

The bone cracked.

But it didn’t break.

The skeleton stepped forward instead of falling back, its empty gaze locked on him as it drove its weapon forward.

The man’s breath caught.

"...What...?"

He didn’t get to finish.

Around him, the same scene repeated.

Blades hit bone.

Hammers slammed into ribs and skulls.

But instead of shattering, the skeletons endured.

They pushed through the blows, and fought back.

"They got stronger!" someone shouted.

Panic began to creep in.

Because the advantage they had relied on... was gone.

Aiden watched it all without moving.

Then he lifted his hand again.

"Bone March."

The effect rippled instantly.

The undead accelerated.

What had already been a relentless advance turned into something overwhelming. They closed distances faster, struck quicker, pressed harder.

The defenders barely had time to react.

"They’re too fast!"

"Hold the line!"

But the line was already bending.

Aiden’s gaze shifted, calculating.

Clusters of defenders, tight formations. They are erfect targets.

"Bone Spear."

Dozens of sharp projectiles formed behind him, then shot forward in a rain of white streaks. They pierced through gaps, through armor, through bodies that had been focused on the frontline.