[A/N: Shorter chapters for now!]

  When I looked back, she and a few other guards were already just ten meters away from me.

  Ten. That was nothing.

  Their boots pounded against the dirt in ruthless rhythm, armor clanking, spears angled forward like the teeth of some metal beast about to clamp down and tear me apart. The female commander led them, her red horsehair crest flowing behind her like a banner of execution.

  “Don’t let him escape!” she barked.

  I turned forward and sprinted toward the biggest tent in the camp. Skipping past the storage and medical areas, I aimed straight for the massive central command structure. Thick canvas stretched high and wide, reinforced poles holding it upright like the ribs of some colossal animal. Guards had once stood around it; important people had walked in and out of it.

  I had enough. I was done running, done dodging, and absolutely done being chased like some pathetic rat scrambling through enemy territory.

  I sucked in a deep breath as I ran, lungs screaming, legs trembling from overuse. Then I shouted at the top of my voice.

  “Reanimate everyone except the elf giant!”

  The words tore from my throat like a battle cry soaked in desperation.

  [Skill: Reanimate has been successfully used.]

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  The ground trembled—mildly, but noticeably. Cracks spidered through the dirt behind me.

  And then—hands burst through the soil. Pale, blood-stained, and rigid.

  Like all the times I had used this skill, my army crawled from underneath the ground like corpses rising from a forgotten graveyard. Fingers clawed into the earth, pulling torsos upward. Helmets emerged, followed by weapons. One by one, the fallen soldiers I had claimed returned to the surface, their eyes empty, loyal, and silent.

  The female commander skidded to a halt.

  “What the hell—” one of her guards gasped as a dead comrade grabbed his ankle from below.

  The ground betrayed them. Spears were knocked aside. One soldier was dragged down screaming before his voice was abruptly cut off by the blade of a reanimated elf.

  My brute rose fully, dirt cascading off his massive shoulders. The female elf samurai emerged beside him, sword already angled toward the nearest living target. The Shielded Spear Elves formed instinctively, creating a solid, impenetrable wall.

  “Hold them!” I commanded, not looking back.

  They obeyed without question. Steel clashed against steel, the impact of living against dead ringing through the camp like a brutal symphony.

  The female commander recovered quickly. “Regroup!” she shouted. “Focus on the caster!”

  I was already at the tent. I grabbed the heavy flap and yanked it aside, slipping inside.

  The interior was dim compared to the glaring daylight outside. A large table dominated the center, maps spread across it. Banners hung from the supporting poles, bearing symbols I did not recognize but felt instinctively hostile toward.

  And at the far end stood a figure. Tall, armored, and entirely still.

  This one felt different—heavier, older, and radiating authority in quiet waves. His armor was darker than the others, layered with engraved patterns that glinted faintly. A long cloak draped behind him, pooling slightly against the ground.

  Instead of surprise, he looked… patient.

  “Soooo…,” he said calmly, his voice deep and measured. “You are the disturbance.”

  I straightened, chest rising and falling rapidly. “Are you the boss?” I asked bluntly.

  He tilted his head slightly. “I am the one who governs this gate.”

  My hands clenched. Outside, I could still hear the chaos: my undead clashing with the living, the shouts, the sound of metal striking bone, and the female commander yelling orders.

  I glanced at my system interface briefly. The Rank A Elf Giant’s soul pulsed faintly in my reserves… heavy, powerful, and unstable.

  The armored figure watched me silently. “You reek of death,” he said. “Necromancer.”

  “Yeah,” I replied, wiping blood and water from my face. “I get that a lot.”

  He slowly drew his weapon. A long blade. It was neither oversized nor flashy, but the air around it distorted faintly.

  “You will not leave this place alive,” he stated simply.

  I looked up at him, “Fine, let’s see who wins then?”