Differences Before Death

But when he tried to flee, there was no escape.

Every time he mustered all his strength to break out of the encirclement, a Taunt Totem landed precisely on a Skeleton Warrior.

The Taunt Totem couldn't control him for long, but it was enough to drag him back into the fray.

Every time he exhausted himself smashing the Taunt Totem carried by a Skeleton Warrior, the next one was already prepared, ready to drop at any moment.

With six Skeleton Shamans tending to him meticulously, Blood Crow had no chance to leave the battlefield.

Blood Crow's mercenaries charged up the city wall behind him. But reaching the wall changed nothing.

Kurd City had more than just Skeleton Warriors and Skeleton Shamans—on the walls, Skeleton Knights, Bone Spirit Assassins, Spirit Cat Warriors, and other Transcendental Skeletons were waiting to greet Blood Crow's mercenaries.

While Blood Crow was besieged, his men fell one after another on the Workshop District's city wall, unable to regroup with him.

In this battle, the outcome was already clear. Blood Crow couldn't escape the attrition from the Skeleton Warriors and Skeleton Shamans.

Blood Crow's mercenaries dwindled, soon to be slaughtered by the Bone Spirit Rangers and other Transcendental Skeletons.

This powerful mercenary company, ranked among the top in the Pioneer Territory and boasting a second-tier low-level knight, was about to be annihilated in Kurd City.

"Repulse!"

On Kurd City's battlements, the Flame Skeleton Mage's psychic voice rang out.

A ring of fire spread outward in all directions, centered on Medivh.

As the Repulsion Fire Ring expanded, a hidden assassin was forced into view, her clothes riddled with holes burned by the flames.

That assassin was none other than Night Crow. She had downed an invisibility potion, aiming to assassinate Medivh.

"To make it this far, you've got some skill!"

Watching Night Crow pushed back by the Repulsion Fire Ring, Medivh offered a rare compliment.

To slip past the Transcendental Skeletons on perimeter alert, Night Crow's stealth ability was worthy of recognition.

Too bad she hadn't counted on Medivh having a Flame Skeleton Mage by his side—her stealth couldn't evade the skeleton mage's psychic detection.

"Die!"

Night Crow was an exceptional assassin. Finding no escape, she showed the courage of the doomed.

She pressed forward through the lingering waves of the Repulsion Fire Ring, enduring the magical flames as she thrust forward, aiming to stab Medivh to death.

Clang...

The clash of dagger and longsword rang out with a despairing note. Night Crow only then realized Medivh was a first-tier high-level knight.

She was an assassination-type first-tier high-level knight, weaker in strength than Medivh, an Earth Knight.

"Grasp of Flame!"

"Fire Dance!"

Battle Qi clashed. As Night Crow's body stiffened, the bone tome in the skeleton mage's left hand lit up, and a flame-shaped hand seized her.

At the same time, Audrey, standing at Medivh's side, drew her sword and attacked, unleashing a flame battle skill.

The way of assassination: first strike takes the momentum, second strike drains it.

After two failed assassination attempts, with no retreat left, Night Crow was quickly beaten to severe injury and captured by Audrey.

"Medivh, what do we do with her?"

With a sword at her throat, Night Crow remained silent. Audrey glanced at her, then looked up to ask Medivh.

"Kill her."

Appreciation was one thing, but that didn't mean Medivh had any intention of taking her on as a subordinate.

Night Crow was indeed capable and easy on the eyes, but she wasn't someone Medivh had trained himself—there was no trust to be had.

Besides, the Bone Spirit Assassin who'd come up with the scheme to use a tiger to drive out a wolf was no slouch. He had loyal skeletons to use; there was no need to bring in a prisoner with unclear motives.

Medivh's decisiveness caught Night Crow off guard. She'd thought the Necromancer would try to persuade her to surrender.

After all, a first-tier high-level knight counted as a strong player in the Odyssey Region.

With death looming, Night Crow didn't beg for mercy or surrender. She lifted her chin slightly, letting the sharp blade slice across her neck.

She remained silent until her vision went dark.

"A fine warrior!"

Night Crow's every move made Audrey sigh with faint regret.

Too bad they served different masters. If Night Crow had been born and raised in Kurd City, Audrey would have befriended her.

"Lord Necromancer, I am willing to pledge my loyalty to you!"

After Night Crow's death, only Blood Crow was still fighting within Kurd City's bounds.

Unable to win and unable to flee, the Transcendental Skeletons watching from the sidelines pressed down on him with immense pressure.

Blood Crow knew that if he kept fighting like this, he would die. He shouted toward Medivh, hoping to defect.

Medivh gave no reply. The battle continued.

"Master Mage, I am willing to sign a slave contract with you!"

The battle dragged on for a good while longer, and the Blood Crow, his wounds growing ever more severe, abandoned all dignity to beg for his life.

Yet he still received no response. Medivh was only a half-baked mage; he knew no spirit contracts.

Even if Medivh did, he would not accept the Blood Crow's surrender.

Medivh was merely a mage apprentice and did not believe a spirit contract could fully control this ambitious second-order knight.

Medivh could create Transcendental Skeletons and had a bright path ahead; there was no need to risk absorbing an unstable element.

Faced with death, Night Crow and Blood Crow showed different reactions, but the outcome was the same.

The Blood Crow's death marked the fall of the Blood Crow Mercenary Group.

"So they planned to move house?"

While cleaning up the battlefield, the skeletons unexpectedly found a large amount of wealth in the Blood Crow Mercenary Group's temporary camp.

Medivh had thought the Blood Crow Mercenary Group's legacy would fall to some passerby in the Pioneer Territory, but it turned out the Blood Crow was confident he could take Kurd City and had brought his belongings along when he came.

The Blood Crow Mercenary Group truly had emptied their nest; they left few people at home and carried their valuables with them, unafraid that someone might rob their treasury while they were away.

This was an unexpected windfall. Medivh gave it a brief glance and handed it over to his little steward, Audrey, to tally.

Among those things, few interested him; they were not as practical as a batch of aged bones.

"So it was you, Wester!"

Not all of the Blood Crow Mercenary Group were killed. The skeletons captured some prisoners and tortured them for information, probing their origins and the purpose of their search for Medivh.

Those mercenaries had weak wills and confessed truthfully to the reason the Blood Crow Mercenary Group had attacked Kurd City.

Only then did Medivh learn that Wester had prepared a surprise for him even before he arrived in Odyssey.

A second bounty—Wester really did look out for him!

Medivh coldly muttered Wester's name; this was an enemy he would kill without fail.

To deal with Wester, Medivh had to prepare for conflict with the Hobarton Family.

The Hobarton Family was no wild force without backing like the Blood Crow Mercenary Group; it was a noble family with a long legacy.

Take Medivh's father, for example—he had died on a battlefield in another world, a third-order high knight in life.

Medivh's father was not the family's strongest; the Hobarton Family had fourth-order knights.

The Hobarton fourth-order knights would not be driven by Wester to move against Medivh.

The upper echelons of the family would not interfere in the struggles of the lower ranks.

But if Medivh wanted to kill Wester, he would certainly have to get past the Hobarton Family's fourth-order knights.

The Hobarton Family encouraged competition, but that did not mean they supported kin killing kin.

Just like Wester, he had to hire assassins in Odyssey to kill Medivh.

At least on the surface, he could not use the Hobarton Family's power to attack Medivh.