David Tru

When Green entered the underground ruins, a magnificent, solemn Pyramid came into view, but the young man and the two girls he had seen earlier were gone.

Green paid them no mind. Judging by the distance and structure between this place and the abandoned office building above, the sounds of the fighting up there could hardly have reached this far. As for where the young man had gone, it did not matter. Green had never planned to sneak in without a sound.

He approached the Pyramid slowly, keeping his guard up. Soon, he sensed energy pulsing from it—vast and ancient, like a primordial beast lying dormant. It left him vaguely uneasy.

Green frowned and walked another dozen meters. Gradually, he felt an invisible force field interfering with his connection to his Undead summons. The interference was not severe, though. As long as they did not stray too far, it would have little effect.

Somewhat reassured, Green summoned his Skeleton Soldiers again, one after another. They formed a battle line and advanced on full alert until they reached the Pyramid's entrance.

It was a square stone doorway more than two meters high. The door stood open, and stairs climbed into the darkness beyond. A chill wind blew from within, sending a shiver down the spine, as though stepping inside meant entering some dreadful, terrifying place.

As a Necromancer, Green was hardly afraid of such an atmosphere. He ordered his Undead Troops inside and followed them, Magic Staff in one hand and gun in the other, alert to everything around him. They climbed for several minutes without reaching the top. Green frowned, then guessed what was happening: some form of spatial magic had stretched a short passage to several times its length. The space inside the Pyramid could not be judged by its exterior height of a dozen or so meters.

But even spatial magic had its limits. After another dozen meters, they finally saw an exit, with light beyond it.

Green halted the troops and ordered Maxim to turn invisible and scout ahead. He activated Visual Synchronization to see what lay inside.

Maxim's figure flickered and vanished. The next moment, Green's view passed out of the stairwell and into a pyramid-shaped hall larger than a football field. Not a single pillar broke up the vast space. Floating in midair, Maxim had an even clearer view.

At the center of the hall stood an Obelisk engraved with intricate Runes. A sphere of light hung above it like a miniature sun, illuminating the entire hall.

Beneath the Obelisk, more than a dozen people sat cross-legged in a circle, light radiating from their bodies. A huge ring-shaped Magic Circle had formed beneath them. It turned slowly, drawing a steady stream of Psychic Energy from the sphere above the Obelisk.

Through Visual Synchronization, Green was seeing the images Maxim sent back. Maxim's eyesight was excellent, and despite the distance, he could make out the people clearly. Among them were the young man who had been outside the Pyramid and David Tru, Pontiff of the Tower of Yin Spirits.

Green had seen portraits and photographs of David Tru, the cult leader, in more than one dossier. He had to admit the man was handsome and charismatic. Before founding the Tower of Yin Spirits, David had been an actor, performing in films and plays. He had even made a modest name for himself in those circles. Yet in just a few years, he had become the leader of the most rampant cult operating in Northwest Province.

Green felt a flicker of wonder, but he did not hesitate. Before the enemy noticed him, he ordered an all-out attack.

In an instant, dozens of Skeleton Soldiers, Ghouls, and Ghosts poured out of the stairwell. They charged forward while holding their formation.

Maxim did not join the attack. He stayed aloft like a relay satellite, allowing Green to maintain Visual Synchronization. Looking down as his Undead Troops charged, Green felt as though he were playing a real-time strategy game.

Meanwhile, the dozen or so people seated beneath the Obelisk noticed the disturbance. They rose to their feet, abandoning their efforts to keep the Magic Circle running.

The interruption infuriated David Rute at the center of the Magic Circle. Or perhaps he was no longer David Rute, but part of the consciousness of an evil Yin Spirit descended from Beyond the Void. David Rute slowly opened his eyes and stood. His usually calm, handsome face twisted into a vicious, crazed expression. Yellow light flashed in his eyes, and white vapor streamed from his mouth as he let out a low growl.

The core members of the Tower of Yin Spirits around him seemed used to the sight. Perhaps they had joined that obscure organization precisely to gain some of the power bestowed by the Void Yin Spirit. Once they received it, they too would become like this.

"Who dares interrupt the ritual to worship the True God?" David Rute roared. When he saw that the intruders were Undead creatures, contempt flashed in his eyes. "Rotting refuse that won't stay dead dares blaspheme the True God!" He raised his black Magic Staff. A sphere of light formed at its tip, crackling with black sparks. With a fierce sweep, he sent it hurtling toward the Undead Troops.

Green could not tell what kind of magic it was, but it was nowhere near the Arcane Missile Doctor Wilkins had used to blast Xivir Rute. For one thing, the black lightning sphere moved far more slowly. The Ghouls and Skeleton Soldiers at the front were all agile. They scattered to either side in a rush, forming a swallow-wing formation and exposing the Zombies behind them—the slowest, but toughest, of the lot.

An instant later, bang! The black lightning sphere struck a Zombie. The impact and explosion knocked the creature, which weighed over a hundred kilograms, head over heels. Its heavy iron chest plate was charred black and dented inward. Yet the Zombie got up as if nothing had happened and kept charging.

As a Necromancer, though, Green knew that blow had been far more serious than it looked. Only a Zombie could have taken it, relying on its thick hide and abundant vitality. Even so, it had lost nearly half its life force. Only because it was an Undead creature had its fighting strength remained unaffected. An ordinary Ghoul or Gun Skeleton Soldier would probably have been left hanging by a thread—or killed outright.

That strike also gave Green a measure of the Pontiff's strength. David's control and understanding of magic remained at the level of an Intermediate Apprentice. He had merely used the Void Yin Spirit's power to force his spells up to the level of an Advanced Apprentice. Green was not intimidated by an opponent like that. With everything else set aside, either Maxim or a Hard-Skin Ghoul could kill him alone.

David Rute, however, seemed unaware of this. He had great faith in the power granted by the Void Yin Spirit he worshiped. When his first strike failed, he frowned and immediately swung his Magic Staff to prepare a stronger spell. This time, he intended to unleash his most powerful attack and settle the fight in a single move before the horde of Undead reached him.