The rest of the Nine Heads turned their attention toward Alexander, sensing the surge of his energy.

"It seems he's encountered a strong undead,

" the Fourth Head remarked.

The situation had escalated into a full-scale battle as the Nine Heads fought against the overwhelming number of undead. They knew they had to eradicate every last one of them; if even a few found their way to the surface, it could spell disaster.

They couldn't allow that to happen.

A minute passed, and though tens of thousands of undead had already been destroyed, their numbers showed no sign of dwindling. The group had no choice but to split up, spreading out to obliterate the undead across a wider area, much like the Third Head's devastating AOE spells.

Boom!! Boom!!

A series of explosions erupted across the battlefield.

Alexander was at the far end, moving at high speed. His figure flashed as he exchanged blows with the death knight, all while skillfully dodging the skeletal dragon's attacks.

"Join and submit to the family... It's the only salvation,

" the death knight growled. 'Family? I have no idea what this guy's talking about,' Alexander thought, mildly confused. He couldn't make sense of the so-called

"family

" of the undead. There hadn't been any sign of undead here in the past, and if any had appeared, it must have meant that the people who once lived here had been transformed.

Swoosh!!

Alexander shifted his body to the side, raising his hand. In an instant, pillars of rock erupted from the ground, launching the skeletal dragon into the air.

He brought his palms together, fusing wind and water.

"Storm Destroyer!

"

The death knight raised its sword high, dark energy surging from the blade. With a swift motion, it slashed through the powerful wind and water attack.

The scale of the battle intensified with each passing second.

Boom!!

At that moment, powerful energy fluctuations erupted from the battlefield, drawing the attention of everyone around.

Even Alexander, locked in battle with the death knight and skeletal dragon, was momentarily distracted.

The skeletal dragon seized the opportunity. It opened its massive jaws, unleashing a powerful black beam.

Alexander gritted his teeth as the force blew him several kilometers away.

Boom!!

Eight Head glanced up, spotting two distant figures radiating an ominous, dangerous aura.

"What is that?

" he muttered, a frown creasing his face.

The rest of the Nine Heads also sensed the overwhelming energy. They couldn't help but look up, their gazes locking onto the two figures whose power far surpassed that of the undead they had been fighting.

"As expected... there are stronger undead here. This could spell disaster for the cities on the surface,

" Fourth Head remarked, his tone grim.

Souta also observed the situation closely. From the start, he had sensed something unusual about these undead, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

He turned his gaze toward the horizon, wondering what lay beyond.

'These undead... they're different from the ones I've encountered before,' Souta thought.

A question nagged at him: Where had these undead come from? Could they have been the original residents of this ancient ruin, turned undead by some unknown force?

"Submit and join the family. I'll give you a minute to decide,

" a voice echoed in their ears, resonating with an eerie power.

At that moment, several towering structures emerged from the ground, each radiating a strange energy. These majestic towers, standing at over a hundred meters tall, amplified the power of the undead in the vicinity.

It was clear now that these undead were not mere mindless creatures. They operated like an organized force, with a clear hierarchy, and their leaders seemed to possess high intelligence.

Souta shook his head as he listened to the words of the two undead hovering in the air. Flesh burst from his arm, devouring dozens of undead that charged toward him.

"This could be a real threat to the Hall Plains... so I should start doing my part,

" he muttered, watching as his arm returned to normal. He stepped forward, cracking his neck, his gaze locked onto the two undead.

Up until now, as they searched for the key, Souta had hung back, letting the others handle the challenges. He hadn't sensed anything that could truly endanger them. But this time was different. The aura exuded by the two undead in the air was far greater, and much more dangerous.

"These undead need to be stopped here.

" Souta slowly rose into the air.

The two undead watched him with keen interest. One was a man, the other a woman. Unlike the other undead, which were nothing more than bones, these two still had flesh, though their pale skin suggested a complete lack of blood. Both were clad in long robes.

They weren't ordinary undead; they were Grand Night Ghouls-an advanced form of undead creature.

Alexander wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth as he stood up. He turned his head, spotting Souta floating toward the two ghouls.

"So he's handling those two...

" Alexander muttered to himself.

"Then, I just need to focus on defeating my own opponents.

"

He glanced at the death knight and the skeletal dragon, readying himself for the battle ahead. Alexander raised his hand, and the ring on his finger began to emit a bright light.

"If you think you're the only one with a high-level artifact, you're wrong. Let me show you how to truly wield the power of an artifact.

"

His voice echoed confidently. He knew that the sword and armor of the death knight were dark-grade artifacts-once belonging to one of the ancient residents of this ruin.

Without wasting any more time, Alexander dashed forward, colliding head-on with the death

knight.

Boom!!

Souta, hovering in the air, glanced briefly toward Alexander. He noticed that his comrade had resumed his fierce battle with the skeletal dragon and the death knight.

'This will probably take ten minutes...' Souta calculated, estimating how long it would take for them to finish off these undead.

"Time's up. What a shame,

" the ghoul woman said, her voice cold and taunting.

"If you'd just accepted our offer, you wouldn't have to face death.

"

The aura surrounding the two ghouls intensified, causing the entire area to tremble.

"Well, let's see...

" Souta smiled, slowly unsheathing the Vajra Sword Saya.

"You'll pay dearly for your arrogance. Your death is certain,

" the ghoul woman grinned, her

eyes glinting with malice.

Beside her, the ghoul man's gaze was icy, his aura now reaching its peak.

In response, Souta unleashed his own energy.

The two forces collided mid-air, causing violent friction. Sparks exploded in every direction

as the air crackled with power.

In the next instant, their figures vanished, and shockwaves rippled through the air as they

exchanged rapid blows.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The Nine Heads watched, their expressions grim as they felt the intensity of the battle.

"We need to destroy those towers,

" Fourth Head said, his tone serious.

The other Heads nodded in agreement.

The power of these undead far exceeded their expectations. If they suddenly emerged on the surface, it would bring a catastrophic calamity. The undead could easily turn the entire southern lands into a wasteland before the Dragon Council could even respond. Fortunately, they had uncovered this threat before it was too late.

They dashed in different directions, unleashing all their mana without reservation. Combat arts, spells, and equipment skills were used to their fullest to enhance their combat prowess.

Their figures streaked through the towers with the intent to destroy them.

The scale of the battle had reached a point where they could no longer hold back.

Swoosh!!

Souta released several energy blades, which the two ghouls dodged with ease. He kicked off

the air and activated his Second Mode, shadows spreading out from his body. Most of his combat arts and spells were dark-attribute.

The ghoul woman wielded lightning power. She moved with blinding speed, darting left and

right. Her nails elongated into deadly claws as she swung them in a lethal arc, targeting

Souta's neck.

Souta reacted swiftly. He raised his sword to parry the ghoul woman's attack, then stepped forward and kneed her in the stomach before slashing with his sword.

"Cross Moon!

"

The ghoul woman opened her mouth, unleashing a burst of lightning that engulfed the

massive crimson energy blade. The lightning wave not only destroyed the energy blade but continued to surge forward, aimed directly at Souta.

Souta was momentarily taken aback by how easily his attack was countered. He tightened his grip on the sword, causing blood to seep from his palm and coat the blade.

He kicked off the air and slashed through the lightning wave, cutting it in half. The blood on his sword spread out, dispersing the lightning in moments.

He had activated numerous skills, some of which diminished his opponents' abilities while others enhanced his own strength. The fact that his opponents could still keep up despite these advantages indicated their formidable power. They were strong enough for him to regard them as threat.

"Isn't this quite interesting? Let me see just how strong you really are.

"

Souta's grin widened.

In an instant, a heavy gravitational field descended over the battlefield, flattening thousands

of skeletons under its immense pressure. Shadows seemed to come alive, rising slowly from

the ground.

"Undead! Come forth!

"