Aeldara retrieved a scroll bearing the Silvermoon Insignia from her breast. Her fingertip traced across the scroll's surface, causing rapidly forming Elvish runes to glow faintly.
Having finished writing, she handed the scroll to one of the most agile Elven Rangers under her command.
"Take the secret mountain pass on the western flank. Return to Silvermoon City at full speed and deliver this directly to Her Majesty the Queen."
Aeldara's voice was flat and emotionless.
"Inform Her Majesty that the undead are the masterminds behind the thefts. Request that she mobilize the Royal Mage Corps to seal the exit of the Frost Path."
"Yes, Commander!"
The Ranger saluted solemnly, accepted the scroll, and vanished into the blizzard in an instant.
Half a day later, the group's pace visibly slowed.
The world had been reduced to a suffocating expanse of pure white. Before them loomed a majestic mountain range, an insurmountable barrier that silently proclaimed the region forbidden to the living.
The air was bitterly cold, as if attempting to freeze their very souls. Their exhaled breath condensed into fine ice crystals the moment it left their lips.
Though the Skeletal Warhorses were immune to the extreme cold, the deep snow, which now reached halfway up their shins, severely hampered their progress.
"Dismount, everyone. We proceed on foot," Aeldara ordered tersely, swinging down from her mount.
The knights under her command moved as one, the friction of metal and leather coalescing into a muffled roar, devoid of extraneous noise.
As soon as Su Wan stepped into the snow-covered region, her entire being seemed to light up.
She spread her arms wide, embracing the frozen world.
The ice elements drifting in the surrounding air surged toward her with frenzied intensity, imbuing her fair cheeks with a healthy blush.
Simultaneously, the cold no longer bothered Lin Qingyue and the others nearby.
An Ice Element Mage entering a snow mountain map? This is like going home, or returning in glory, the kind where the whole village throws a feast.
Lin Qingyue inwardly clicked her tongue, marveling at the swirling aura of Magic Power around Su Wan.
Just then, a white figure slid out from behind a snowdrift ahead—the Ranger on reconnaissance duty.
He silently signaled Aeldara with a series of hand gestures:
Enemy presence detected five hundred meters ahead, at the mountain pass. Approximately three hundred, formations scattered, condition fatigued.
The crimson flames in Aeldara's eyes flared violently.
She mouthed a single word, voiceless but unmistakable:
Kill.
Oh, ho? Running into a loot box right out the gate?
Lin Qingyue instantly perked up.
Crouching low, she followed the main force as they stealthily approached a snow-covered slope with a high vantage point. Peeking over the edge, she spotted a motley undead force emerging from the narrow passage between the mountains.
The undead column stretched long and thin, its Skeleton Soldiers burdened with icicles that hampered their movements. Each creak of their grinding bones echoed through the icy air, a chilling, grating sound that made teeth ache.
The Ghouls and Necromancers interspersed within the ranks were equally listless.
Crossing the Frost Path had taken a tremendous toll on these undead constructs.
They had never imagined that within this forbidden zone—a place they considered their absolute sanctuary, untouched by life—an elite force born to hunt them had already laid a deadly trap.
The moment the order was given, Aeldara surged forward!
Her figure tore through the blizzard, carving a pitch-black trail of death across the pure white world.
Behind her, the Silent Watch Knights surged into motion simultaneously.
They were silent, surging shadows of death, their footfalls muffled by the deep snow as they descended upon the exhausted column like a tidal wave.
A black tide crashed into the undead's loose formation with unstoppable force!
Aeldara's rune-etched sword flashed with cold light, and the front rank of Skeleton Soldiers shattered into a shower of bone fragments.
Only when the bones had scattered across the ground did the rear ranks of the undead belatedly realize—enemies!
But it was too late.
This wasn't a battle.
This was a slaughter.
The Knights were the most efficient reaping machines, silently wielding their weapons with precision. Each strike claimed a soul with lethal accuracy.
With a furious roar, Lin Xiyue charged straight into the densest part of the undead horde, shielded by Immovable Mountain. Holy Light erupted in a blinding burst, instantly crippling a large swath of enemies.
Perched at a high vantage point, Xia Lian relentlessly drew back her longbow, Dark Night Starwhisper. Each arrow flew silently yet unerringly, piercing the skulls of undead officers and extinguishing their Soul Fires.
Su Wan's Blizzard, now far more massive than before, descended with terrifying force. Countless ice blades howled through the gale, freezing undead bodies and tearing their souls apart.
A frontal sneak attack! Completely circumventing the "chivalrous spirit" rule's penalties! Perfect!
Lin Qingyue, twirling her staff idly, felt a sudden surge of enlightenment.
The undead commander, a High Necromancer, watched helplessly as the situation crumbled. The two points of Soul Fire in his pale, skeletal face flickered violently.
He pulled a black amulet from his robes and began chanting a spell, preparing to crush it.
"Trying to run?"
A crisp voice echoed from the distance.
"Did you ask my permission?!"
The Necromancer instinctively looked up.
A massive pillar of pink light filled his entire field of vision.
The beam, trailing extravagant streamers of light, hurtled toward his face along an utterly nonsensical, erratic path.
What the hell is that?!
The Necromancer's final thought flashed through his mind.
The next moment, the pink beam slammed into him.
There was no pain.
Only an overwhelming sense of "warmth"—
a "holiness" that made his soul scream and tremble!
Vast amounts of life energy scorched his undead essence with terrifying intensity!
"Aaaaaaah—!"
The amulet in the Necromancer's hand clattered onto the snow, and the nearly completed teleportation portal collapsed.
Clutching his head, he emitted a inhumanly shrill scream as he writhed wildly in the snow.
Witnessing this spectacle, the knights instinctively slowed their sword strikes by half a beat.
Aeldara's figure materialized behind the crazed Necromancer, her slender fingers outstretched.
Pure Death Energy coiled around her fingertip as she gently tapped the back of his head.
The scream cut off abruptly.
The Soul Fire in the Necromancer's eye sockets instantly froze solid.
The world grew still.
Aeldara grabbed the Necromancer by the scruff of his neck, tossing him into the snow like a tattered sack.
Then, she extended her finger again, channeling another strand of Death Energy—this one diametrically opposed to the previous one.
Hum—
The Soul Fire in the Necromancer's eye sockets flickered violently, pulsed a few times, and returned to normal.
He regained consciousness and opened his eyes.
A cold, expressionless face loomed inches away.
Beneath it, crimson eyes burned with infernal intensity.
"Silent Watch... Aeldara..."
His voice trembled, fear rendering him incoherent.
"My patience is limited."
Aeldara gazed down at him, her voice utterly devoid of warmth.
"Speak. Where is Mograss?"
At the mention of Mograss's name, the Necromancer's body shuddered violently. His Soul Fire contracted sharply, yet a raspy, cold laugh escaped his lips.
"Hmph... Don't think... you can extract... any information... from me..."
Before he could finish speaking, Lin Qingyue approached, a disturbingly friendly smile plastered across her face.
"Commander, leave this tough nut to me. My Skill is remarkably effective against stubborn mouths."
Aeldara glanced at her and silently retreated half a step, granting her tacit approval.
Lin Qingyue crouched down, flashing the Necromancer a perfect eight-tooth smile.
"Hello there, Mr. Bonehead. I have a proposition for you."
She extended a finger, a faint pink light coiling around its tip.
"I can let you relive that 'warmth' from earlier."
"But it's only one percent of the full dose," she explained with a sweet smile.
"It's administered every three seconds, continuously."
"See? This dose won't instantly obliterate your soul, but it will allow you to clearly experience the joy of being filled with life energy. Isn't that wonderful?"
The Necromancer's Soul Fire flickered wildly, radiating primal terror.
"You... you Pink Demon!"
"Now, that's not very nice," Lin Qingyue said, tilting her head. "This is called 'Infusion of Love and Truth.' Care to try it?"
The pink light at her fingertip gently touched the Necromancer's forehead.
Zzzzt!
Ah...!"
A brief, suppressed scream.
This wasn't mere pain; it was a deeper, more fundamental torment.
It felt as though his entire soul were being submerged in boiling Holy Water, every thought, every fragment of consciousness, repeatedly burned, purified, and torn apart.
"Oh? Looks like the dosage is just right." Lin Qingyue nodded in satisfaction, her smile growing even sweeter. "Then let's do it again to reinforce the effect."
Zzzzt!
Ah—!"
Watching from the side, Lin Xiyue felt her scalp crawl. She quietly leaned closer to Xia Lian and whispered, "Xia Lian, don't you think... my sister is starting to sound more like a villain?"
Xia Lian's gaze drifted nervously, unable to meet the sight of the "healing" session. She could only nod slightly and swiftly.
Su Wan interjected coldly, "The undead don't count as people."
"Patience, there's more to come," Lin Qingyue replied, preparing for the third round of "healing" with evident relish.
Zzzzt—
"Ahhh! Stop! Stop! I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!"
The Necromancer's mental defenses completely crumbled.
Betraying Lord Mograss would have dire consequences.
But this torture was far more terrifying!
"Now you're talking," Lin Qingyue said, withdrawing her fingers with a satisfied smile. "See? Just a little tender loving care can make a soul so honest."
"Rest assured, Commander will grant you the most gentle release once you've revealed everything you know."
She gestured toward Aeldara standing beside her.
Aeldara nodded silently.
She didn't say a word, but the murderous intent that radiated from her—the promise that she meant exactly what she said—weighed heavier than any words.
The Necromancer's Soul Fire contracted violently. Under the specter of eternal torment, his pathetic loyalty crumbled instantly.
"Behind... behind us!"
Without hesitation, he betrayed his superior.
"Lord Mograss is right behind us! He's reassembled the Scar of Sorrows' elite Blighted Legion and is preparing to personally lead them south through the Frost Path to oversee the campaign!"
"We're just the vanguard, responsible for scouting ahead and clearing obstacles!"
The moment these words were uttered, Lin Qingyue and her companions' hearts tightened.
They hadn't merely stumbled upon a weary remnant of an army; they had encountered the vanguard of the undead's main invasion force!
The true horde was close behind!
Yet Aeldara's expression remained utterly unchanged.
Neither tense nor surprised, she calmly listened to the Necromancer's wailing, the crimson glow in her eyes only intensifying.
"The Blighted Legion... excellent." Her voice was soft, yet carried a bone-chilling cold. "Saves me the trouble of hunting them down myself."
A faint curve finally appeared at the corner of her lips.
It wasn't a smile.
It was the cold, cruel curve of a hunter gazing upon prey that had fallen into its trap, a blend of ruthlessness and satisfaction.
Old grudges and fresh hatreds would be settled here, in this frozen wasteland!