Under the cover of night, the low howls of the undead echoed through the forest, as if moans from the depths of the earth. Standing at the front of the team, Kalle gripped his long sword tightly, his eyes as sharp as a falcon's, staring at the slowly approaching black shadows. Those undead exuded a putrid smell, and the eerie light flickered in their eyes, like evil spirits peeking at the world from the abyss.
"Daelin, prepare the barrier," Kalle said in a deep voice, the blade reflecting a cold, glinting light in the moonlight.
Daelin nodded slightly. A brilliant blue magic array appeared at the top of her staff, and the light gradually spread, enveloping the entire area and dispelling some of the darkness. Ezer stood beside Daelin, gently running his fingers along the blade of his scimitar, his eyes playful yet vigilant.
"Hey, Sykes," Ezer turned his head to look at Sykes, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. "Are these guys your acquaintances?"
Sykes stood at the rear of the team, his cloak fluttering in the wind, his expression stern. "They're not 'people'. Just fragments of the will of the abyss, disguising themselves as the living."
Kalle's gaze swept over the trembling boy among the undead horde, and his pupils constricted slightly. Although the boy looked terrified, his red-glowing eyes gave everything away.
"Stop pretending," Kalle said coldly, pointing his blade directly at the boy. "Tell me, who exactly are you?"
The boy shuddered upon hearing this, then the corners of his mouth curled into a twisted smile, and his voice seemed to carry an endless chill. "So perceptive, Kalle. It seems the 'Son of the Wolf Spirit' in the rumors really doesn't have an undeserved reputation."
The next moment, the boy's body began to distort, and his skin peeled off like shattered porcelain, revealing a pale and shriveled face. The eerie light flickered in his eyes, like ghostly flames burning in hell.
"Abyssal Walker..." Daelin frowned, her staff trembling slightly. "He's a believer of the abyss."
Kalle's expression remained unchanged, and instead, he seemed even calmer. "It seems the abyss is more impatient than we thought."
The boy—perhaps he should be called the Abyssal Walker—slowly took a step forward. The horde of undead let out a low growl as if they had received an order and rushed towards Kalle and the others.
"Attack!" With a command from Kalle, he rushed into the horde of undead like the wind. As the sword light flashed, black blood splattered. Cangzhua followed closely behind, his sharp claws tearing at the throats of the undead, each strike carrying the might of a storm.
Ezer, on the other hand, circled around the perimeter. His scimitar danced like a shadow, and each time he struck, he precisely cut through the joints of the undead, rendering them immobile.
However, the number of undead seemed endless.
**"Seal formation!"** Daelin chanted the incantation loudly and thrust her staff into the ground. A beam of light shot up from the center, trapping a large number of undead within the light screen, and they let out ear-piercing howls.
Sykes stood outside the light screen, quietly gazing at the Abyssal Walker. He slowly drew out his black long sword, and the blade was surrounded by a dark purple glow, as if responding to the call of the darkness.
"It's time to end this," Sykes said indifferently, and with a turn of his sword tip, he pointed it directly at the Abyssal Walker.
The Walker wore a strange smile. "End? No, the real 'beginning' has just started."
Before the words had even faded, the Walker suddenly spread his arms wide, and a thick black qi burst out from his body, instantly enveloping the entire area. The undead roared wildly in the black qi, their bodies swelling and transforming into even more terrifying, twisted monsters that rushed towards everyone.
"Damn it!" Ezer cursed and slashed at the monster in front of him with his scimitar. To his surprise, he found that the wound was healing rapidly.
"They're constantly strengthening!" Daelin's face changed. Her staff emitted an even more dazzling light, but those undead still fearlessly charged at the barrier, making an ear-piercing scraping sound.
Kalle cut down the monster in front of him with a single strike and looked at Sykes. "Hurry up and act!"
Sykes nodded slightly and slowly thrust his long sword into the ground. A low incantation echoed in the darkness. Then, the surrounding shadows seemed to be devoured by some force, and a large number of undead were instantly sucked into the ground. Only the Abyssal Walker was left standing in place, his body trembling violently, and he let out a painful howl.
"This can't be..." The Walker fell to his knees, his face gradually cracking, the black qi scattering, revealing a shriveled corpse that finally turned into a handful of black ashes and dispersed into the air.
Silence returned all around, with only the wind whispering in the forest.
Daelin wiped the sweat from her forehead and let out a long sigh. "Is it solved?"
Sykes slowly sheathed his sword, his voice cold. "Only for now. The Abyssal Walker is just an advance scout. The real threat is still waiting for us deep in the graveyard."
Kalle looked up into the distance. At the end of the darkness, a huge black gate stood quietly, as if wordlessly watching them.
"Let's go," Kalle put away his long sword and took the lead in walking towards the gate. "This battle has just begun."
...
When the team stepped through the gate, a rustling sound came from behind.
In the shadow that no one had noticed, a thin figure quietly emerged. His gaze was deep, and a faint smile played on his lips.
"The Wolf Spirit Graveyard..." he murmured in a low voice, his voice as if coming from the ancient darkness. "It seems the real game is about to unfold."
The man slowly faded into the darkness and disappeared into the ancient forest.