The dead forest remained silent.
No leaves rustled.
No birds sang.
Even the cold wind had disappeared.
Thousands of blue soul flames floated between the gray trees, casting an eerie glow across the lifeless land.
Not a single undead moved.
Not one raised a weapon.
They simply...
Watched.
The expedition stood frozen.
Every soldier gripped their weapon tighter.
Every heartbeat echoed like thunder in the overwhelming silence.
Ben slowly lifted his shield.
"Everyone..."
"Hold formation."
The twenty elite soldiers immediately locked their shields together.
CLANG!
Dennis glanced toward his own troops.
"Second line."
His soldiers stepped into position without hesitation, creating a second defensive wall behind Base 101's warriors.
George swallowed hard.
"I've fought monsters..."
"I've fought goblins..."
"But this..."
He looked toward the endless sea of blue flames.
"...this is something else."
Kael tightened his grip on his Frost Spear.
Thin strands of icy mist drifted from its blade.
His sharp eyes searched every shadow.
"If they charge..."
"We won't have much room to maneuver."
Leon stood at the very front of the formation.
His eyes never left the forest.
"They're waiting."
Ben frowned.
"For what?"
Leon answered without looking away.
"Orders."
A chill ran through the expedition.
Inside Sam's mind...
Rex's calm voice echoed.
Commander...
Multiple high-level soul signatures detected.
Primary target remains unidentified.
Sam slowly rested a hand on the hilt of his sword.
"So..."
"They really do have a leader."
Affirmative.
Then...
The horn sounded again.
BOOOOOOOM...
The earth trembled beneath their feet.
A second blast echoed through the Necropolis.
BOOOOOOOM...
Then...
A third.
BOOOOOOOM...
Silence returned.
Something changed.
The thousands of blue soul flames turned in perfect unison.
Not toward the expedition.
Toward the depths of the Ancient Necropolis.
Heavy footsteps echoed through the dead forest.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Every sound was slow...
Measured...
Deliberate.
A figure emerged from the darkness.
He was nearly eight feet tall.
Ancient black armor covered his body from head to toe.
Unlike the rusted equipment worn by the surrounding undead...
His armor remained flawless.
A brilliant blue soul flame burned behind the visor of his helmet.
In one hand...
He carried a massive greatsword.
The blade alone was taller than an ordinary man.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
The armored warrior stopped nearly fifty meters away.
Then...
He drove his sword into the earth.
BOOM!
The ground shook.
To everyone's astonishment...
He released the weapon.
Lowered his head.
And bowed.
Complete silence filled the battlefield.
George's jaw dropped.
"...Did..."
"...did he just bow?"
Ben couldn't believe his own eyes.
"That's impossible."
Dennis narrowed his gaze.
"This isn't a mindless undead."
"No..."
"It's a knight."
The armored figure slowly raised his head.
His voice echoed like steel grinding against stone.
"Commander of Base 101..."
Every soldier instinctively raised their weapons.
The undead knight ignored them.
His burning blue gaze remained fixed on Sam alone.
"I welcome you..."
"...to the Ancient Necropolis."
Even Rex fell silent for a brief moment.
Sam took a single step forward.
"You know who I am?"
"I do."
The knight's answer came without hesitation.
"The Eternal King has awaited your arrival."
A ripple spread through the expedition.
Ben looked at Sam.
"You've... never been here before, have you?"
Sam shook his head.
"Never."
He returned his attention to the knight.
"Who is this Eternal King?"
The undead commander was silent for several seconds.
Then he answered.
"He is the First King of Death."
Those words struck the battlefield like lightning.
Even the soul flames seemed to burn brighter.
The knight slowly reached for the hilt of his greatsword.
Every soldier tensed.
But he did not draw it.
Instead...
He spoke one final sentence.
"My King wishes to know..."
"...whether you have come as his successor..."
The blue flames surrounding the expedition erupted higher.
"...or as his enemy."
Silence.
No one dared breathe.
No one dared answer.
Far beyond the endless ranks of the undead...
Something ancient had opened its eyes.