[Advanced Death Magic: Blood Deprivation]
[Advanced Death Magic: Bone Dragon Summon]
With three spells cast in succession, the massive draconic beast that had been blocking the tunnel entrance instantly shriveled up.
Moments later, it collapsed into a heap of bones, transforming into several skeletal ground dragons that crawled out from the passageway.
At the same time, three eerie, blood-red crystals appeared in Hel's hand—high-quality bloodstones condensed from the creatures' life essence.
Though the way behind her had already been cleared and she could have retreated safely, Hel clearly had no intention of doing so.
She might be cautious—preferring certainty over risk—but that didn't mean she was spineless.
Being looked down upon and treated like an ant stirred something defiant within her.
Her earlier retreat wasn't because she couldn't win—it was because she didn't want unnecessary losses.
Now, however, her patience had run dry.
With a sharp command, her troops that had been falling back suddenly reversed formation and charged back toward the plaza.
Three skeletal ground dragons flanked the sides, shielding their advance.
But even with the protection, the enemy's continuous bombardment made their progress painfully slow.
Though the Radiant Gold Shields absorbed most of the direct damage, the sheer concussive force that rippled through them was staggering.
Even the Flame Adjudicators could only inch forward step by step.
As for the weaker fourth-tier fighters—they were barely moving at all.
Still, they advanced.
After what felt like an eternity, the enemy's artillery fire began to taper off, perhaps because their guns overheated or their munitions ran low.
Hel seized the opportunity.
Her forces surged forward, closing more than half the distance.
They were nearly at the plaza when—
—the enemy changed tactics.
This time, the incoming shells didn't explode midair.
Instead, they split apart, scattering thousands of tiny projectiles that rained down like metallic hail.
The damage wasn't nearly as devastating as the explosive rounds—especially against the skeletal dragons.
Most of the pellets simply passed through the gaps between their bones harmlessly.
Hel frowned.
If they had access to such effective explosive rounds, why use scattershot?
Were they low on ammo?
Or… was the commander on the other side just an idiot?
No.
That wasn't it.
In the next instant, Hel realized the truth.
Every pellet that struck released a burst of chilling frost energy.
Soon, the battlefield was shrouded in freezing mist.
Ice crept across the Radiant Gold Shields, over the skeletal dragons' bones, and across the very ground beneath Hel's army.
But it didn't stop there—
the frost spread like a parasitic curse, crawling up their legs and armor.
Even those with battle aura found their defenses slowly crystallizing with frost.
Within moments, some of the fourth-tier fighters were completely covered in ice.
As for Hel… she fared even worse.
Without battle aura to protect her, and reacting just a fraction too late to cast a counterspell, her lower half was frozen solid.
"Unbelievable. Bullying us mages just because we've got glass bones and paper skin, huh?" she grumbled through chattering teeth.
Seeing the frost creeping further up, Hel made a decisive call.
She ordered her skeletal berserker commander to cut off her entire lower body.
Then, with grim practicality, she had it lift her torso and set her atop the Flame Adjudicator's shoulders.
She'd realized something important—
with her current frail body, she'd only slow the others down… unless she got creative.
So she did.
From her spatial ring, Hel drew out several ingots of Radiant Gold, quickly inscribed enchantment words, and shaped them with magic.
Moments later, a massive, gleaming metal helmet formed atop the Flame Adjudicator's head.
Hel nestled her upper body neatly inside it.
The five-meter-tall warrior now had a half-meter-high golden helm—making it look as though it wore a tall, pointed wizard's hat.
"Perfect," Hel smirked. "Now I'm piloting a mecha."
With her position secure, she stowed away all the remaining fourth-tier fighters into her spatial ring.
Yes, the spatial ring—normally a vacuum where no living creature could survive.
But undead and mechanical beings didn't need to breathe, making it a perfectly fine storage space.
As for the three skeletal ground dragons—
they were simply too massive to fit.
Once preparations were complete, Hel rallied her remaining three subordinates and ordered another charge.
This time, though they were fewer in number, every one of them was fifth-tier.
Under the Flame Adjudicator's massive shield, they surged forward once more—
and finally reached the plaza.
Only then did Hel see the enemy clearly.
Beside the colossal thirty-meter-tall mech stood dozens of smaller ones, each around ten meters high.
The earlier bombardment had come mostly from these units.
[Name]: Goblin Prototype Light Mech
[Rank]: Tier 3
[Stats]: Strength 132, Magic 132
[Description]: A specially engineered exosuit developed by goblins seeking to overcome the frailty of mage bodies.
...
[Name]: Goblin Mark II Light Mech
[Rank]: Tier 4
[Stats]: Strength 276, Magic 276
[Description]: The second-generation goblin mech, featuring enhanced long-range alchemical weaponry.
Perched atop these mechs were tiny figures clad in metallic armor—
goblins wielding rocket-like weapons, relentlessly firing toward Hel's forces.
So that's where all the artillery came from.
"Really? We're just not pretending anymore, huh?
Magic world? Sure. But now we've got full-on Gundams?" Hel muttered dryly.
But jokes aside, she knew better than to underestimate them.
She ordered the Flame Adjudicator to continue advancing under the shield, charging the enemy head-on.
Meanwhile, the Snow Elf Assassin Queen slipped behind it, waiting for an opening to strike.
The Skeletal Berserker Commander broke formation, sprinting directly toward the massive thirty-meter mech.
As Hel's strongest fighter, the Berserker Commander's gear had been upgraded significantly.
During the earlier battles against the spherical mechanical soldiers, Hel had little to do besides managing spell arrays and collecting loot—
so she'd spent her downtime forging new equipment.
Now, the Berserker Commander was fully clad in epic-grade mithril armor, boosting its combat power to 504—nearly equal to the enemy's giant mech.
Confident and unburdened, it tossed aside its Radiant Gold shield (too heavy to sprint with) and gripped its mithril greatsword tightly.
After all, its mission wasn't to tank hits—it was to take down the boss.
That's why Hel hadn't bothered crafting Radiant Gold gear for it.
Freed from its weight, the skeletal warrior exploded into motion.
With a single stomp, it shot forward—then vaulted into the air with another kick.
Even as countless spells rained down, it twisted and weaved between them like a dancer, avoiding every blast.
In seconds, it was upon the colossal mech.
It swung its blade.
A pitch-black arc of energy, ten meters long, carved through the air, slashing toward the mechanical giant.
Hel, watching from behind, was stunned.
"Wait… my skeleton's this strong?
How the hell did I not know that?!"