The horde of skeletons closes in, their weapons gleaming under the dim, deathly sky.

  It’s time to use it.

  Finally.

  I press my hand against the cracked stone beneath me, feeling the heat of my mana surge to life. My voice rings out in the silence.

  "Bind and ignite them—Ignis Vinculum!"

  A red circle bursts into existence at my feet, ancient fire symbols glowing as they spread outward.

  The moment the skeletons step within its radius—

  Boom!

  A violent explosion erupts around me, a storm of fire and heat swallowing the entire battlefield. The force blasts the undead backward, their souls shrieking as they burn away in a brilliant, searing light.

  I squeeze my eyes shut. The fire is too bright, scorching the world around me.

  When I finally open them again…

  Nothing remains.

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  Only ash and bones.

  I exhale, coughing. My entire body shakes from the sheer power of the spell.

  "This spell… it’s too heavy…"

  But before I can rest—

  A sound.

  A deep, horrifying sound.

  Like the echo of a horse’s gallop, but distorted. Wrong.

  I turn.

  A massive blade swings toward me at terrifying speed.

  I barely dodge, twisting my body just in time—

  But pain explodes through my left hand.

  I scream.

  I stumble backward, clutching my wrist. My breath catches in my throat when I see—

  Four fingers. Gone.

  Blood pours from my hand, dripping onto the scorched ground.

  My heart pounds as I lift my gaze.

  The monster before me is unlike anything I’ve faced.

  A massive, armored knight sits atop a skeletal horse, its body wrapped in tattered, blackened cloth. Hollowed eyes glow deep within its helmet, burning with something far worse than rage—pure hunger.

  A Death Knight.

  I scramble to my feet, pain screaming through my nerves.

  "Please aid me, Light!" I chant, forcing every ounce of mana into a healing spell.

  Nothing.

  My magic doesn’t respond.

  "What’s happening!?"

  I try to run, but the undead steed surges forward, closing the distance instantly.

  I barely dodge as the knight swings again. Its massive sword tears through a nearby tree like butter, splitting the trunk apart with terrifying ease.

  I can’t fight this.

  Not like this.

  I try again. Desperation floods my voice.

  "Light! Light! Take my mana!"

  Still nothing.

  Tears sting my eyes, a mix of pain and terror. My bleeding hand trembles as I dodge attack after attack, but the knight is too fast.

  Another strike. The blade tears across my arm, leaving a deep gash.

  I reach for my sword.

  I lift it.

  It shatters instantly in my grip.

  I grab my bow—

  Cold.

  I freeze.

  My breath catches.

  I look down.

  A massive, jagged sword is sticking through my stomach.

  …So that’s it.

  The hardest raid.

  The Abyssal Spire.

  The blade is pulled free. Blood pours from my body.

  I collapse.

  The world tilts, spinning as the sky darkens above me.

  Blink.

  My body feels cold. My limbs heavy.

  Blink.

  The knight turns, its dead horse galloping into the shadows. The last thing I see is its glowing eyes staring back at me.

  Blink.

  The world fades.

  The sound of the wind disappears.

  Then—

  Darkness.