Night in the desert was deceptive.
A curtain of cool stillness blanketed the dunes, but beneath the surface, violence brewed. The stars shone with surgical clarity above the encampment of Blackstone Haven, but Kael saw none of them. His mind was already beyond the horizon—where enemies waited behind stone and canvas.
In the War Council chamber, the plan was finalized.
"Three-prong advance," Kael said, gesturing over the map. "Wraith Zephyrs will hit the perimeter and cut off escape. Nira leads the second wave with the bone archers and frost-bound units. I'll approach directly with the main force."
Aria smirked, one leg draped lazily over the edge of the stone table. "And me?"
"You'll do what you do best," Kael said without looking up. "Slip through shadows. When the rogue lord reveals himself, you take out his summoning core."
Her grin widened. "Oh, I do love a good sabotage."
Sera stood beside Kael, dressed in fitted battle robes stitched from enchanted bone silk. The Scorchfrost Juggernaut loomed behind her, already crackling with ambient fire and mist.
"You ready?" Kael asked.
She gave a sharp nod. "We'll burn them together."
Kael knelt, pressing his hand to the desert floor.
[System Command Initiated – Summoning Deployment: Primary Strike Force]Deployment Units:
Bone Juggernauts x3
Ember Revenants x6
Necrotic Archers x12
Soulbound Hounds x2
Wraith Zephyrs x3Total Command Cost: 620 Mana (Applied Bonus: -15% via Lord Necromancer Class)Deployment Complete. All Units Loyal. Ready for Battle.
The sand trembled as the summoned army rose.
Undead constructs snapped into formation, glowing eyes fixed on the dark bluffs in the distance. Smoke and ash swirled from their bodies, the result of Kael's earlier fusion experiments.
A hiss of wind from above signaled Nira's signal.
Time to move.
The rogue camp had been more organized than anticipated. Spiked barricades, watchtowers manned by archers, sentries with enchanted bolas. But none of it mattered.
Because they didn't anticipate fusion.
Kael raised his hand, the mark of the Global Lord System glowing faintly beneath his gauntlet.
"Break them."
[System Skill Activated: Deathmarch Aura – Tier 2 Lord Buff]Effect: Increases Undead Unit Speed and Damage by 20% for 10 minutesCooldown: 30 minutes | Mana Cost: 400
The battlefield ignited.
Scorchfrost Juggernauts surged forward, slamming through barricades in a storm of ice and fire. Revenants spewed gouts of flame at the watchtowers, while Zephyrs tore through enemy ranks with screeching wind scythes.
From the eastern ridge, Sera let loose a series of fusion-enhanced arrows, each crackling with unstable energies.
Behind her, Nira and the archers provided covering fire—precision shots that neutralized mages before they could finish incantations.
Kael strode directly into the chaos, blade drawn, his own aura wreathed in death magic.
[System Alert: Enemy Troop Casualties – 43%]Lord Influence Radius Expanded – +15 metersKael EXP: +540 | Passive Ability Gained: Undying Command – Nearby Undead Units regenerate 3% HP per second in combatSera EXP: +290 | Fusion Affinity IncreasedNew Title Earned: First Fang Breaker
The enemy was retreating—except their leader.
From the command tent at the rear of the camp, a tall figure emerged.
Rogue armor. Black sun insignia. Dual-blade construct armor gleaming with illegal enhancement runes.
"You've done well," the rogue lord said, voice coated in venom. "But you tread where only corpses belong."
Kael narrowed his eyes.
"Then allow me to lead the parade."
The rogue's blades lashed out, hurling dark crescents at Kael's chest.
[System Alert: Duel Initiated – Lord vs. Rogue Lord]Opponent: Lord Alnex [Class: Void Duelist – Rank: Epic]Level: 32 | Status: Enraged | Buffs Detected: Shadow Clone x2, Blade Echo, Corrupted ReflexesRewards Upon Victory:
Rogue Lord Core
Skill Scroll: Shadowrift Slice (Epic)
1x Lord Rank Token
+10 Reputation (Necrotic Faction)**
Kael raised his bone-forged blade, deflecting the first strike with a loud clang. The second hit his side—but his reinforced armor flared with a protective sigil from Sera's earlier enchantment.
Alnex blurred forward.
Kael's mind slowed the world.
His soul pulsed with necromantic energy as he activated his newest ability—unlocked after reaching Level 25 just yesterday.
[System Skill Activated: Soul Anchor Reversal]Effect: Reflects 50% of all soul-type or shadow damage for 5 secondsCooldown: 5 minutes | Passive Benefit: +10 Soul Resistance
The rogue lord staggered as his own magic carved into his leg.
Kael capitalized instantly.
Blade thrust.
Bone magic surged.
Chains of spectral force erupted from the ground, snaring Alnex's limbs.
A final blow from the Scorchfrost Juggernaut crashed into the battlefield, pinning the rogue under fifty tons of burning frost.
He screamed—and the scream went silent.
[System Alert: Enemy Lord Defeated – Alnex]Rewards Gained:
Lord Core (Fragmented) x1
Shadowrift Slice (Skill Scroll – Epic)
EXP: +1400 (Kael) | +450 (Sera) | +210 (Nira)
Title Unlocked: Rogue Bane
Quest Complete: Sever the Fang (Part 1)
New Quest Unlocked: Sever the Fang (Part 2 – The Dune Chapel)
Bonus Objective Complete: Enemy Lord Captured (Body Preserved)Skill Extraction Available – Use Lord Core? [Y/N]
Kael exhaled.
"Bind the body," he ordered. "We'll tear his secrets out."
Nira knelt beside the still form. "What now?"
Kael turned toward the horizon. "Now we finish what they started."
The spoils were immense.
Gold. Rare resources. Enemy maps. And the Lord Rank Token—which Kael stored for a future evolution.
Sera, now glowing with experience, had unlocked another branch of her Fusion Path.
[System Alert: Fusion Evolution Branch Discovered – Elemental Dominion]New Skill: Fusion Override – Allows user to forcibly control fusion results when combining Tier 1+ elementsRequirement to Unlock: Fuse Three Advanced Elemental Cores with Undead HostWarning: May Cause Fusion Instability if Attempted Without Mastery Level B
Kael watched her eyes dance over the System screen with awe.
She was changing. Rapidly.
A danger and a miracle both.
His hand brushed the small of her back. "Proud of you."
She flushed pink. "I just want to be strong enough to stay by your side."
As Kael turned back to his seat, a new alert appeared across his personal interface.
[System Quest: Rise of the Sovereign – Chapter II]Objectives:
Establish 2 Additional Outposts
Defeat 1 Supreme Beast
Recruit 1 More Unique-Class CompanionProgress: 2/3 (Companion Missing)New Harem Slot Unlocked: 4/6 FilledPotential Candidate Detected: Awaiting Trigger Event in the Crystal Ruins
Kael smirked.
Things were only just beginning.
And soon… the System would know why the Undying Sands had chosen him.