The Ruined Death Knight

"KGaaooooh!" Howling to the sky as if responding to her lieges command, Skull Claw´s body started to change.

The bones in her legs started to grow together with the sharp metal-like claws and her ribs started to shrink and bend inwards while her teeth seemed to become much bigger.

Her overall body seemed to become slimmer by using the [Body Manipulation] talent, but at the same time, she turned to look more ferocious and deadly to others.

Digging her claws into the ground a sudden dark mist exploded within her stomach, engulfing her whole body except her skull in the dark mist.

In the next instance, she dashed with incredible speed towards one of the portals that her liege commanded towards.

The new masked magic caster that appeared and saw Skull Claw coming towards them didn´t sit idle and waited for the undead to close the distance.

By their command, the Arcana Mutants started to rush towards the undead while the magic caster started preparing their various spells.

The first to come in contract with Skull Claw were the mutants.

Each of them had a different kind of body part.

Some Sharp talons for their nails while others had claws of some kind of animal. The common theme on all of them was that each of them was built to kill and held the power of the lowerer-ranked 3rd-tier experts.

As they lost their minds by becoming the monsters they were, they gained power that more than 90% of the whole world's population could achieve.

Alas, this very fact was their biggest weakness that they had.

Once one of the mutants came close enough to Skull Claw, the dark mist itself swept through him and showed him to the side like a broken toy.

The mutant that was sent flying had two large chunks of meat cut from his chest and even one of his legs was cut off.

The Dead Mana shrouding around her claw made the flesh around the wound of the mutants rot at speed clear to the naked eye.

The mutant in question tried to stand up and continue marching toward his enemies, but after a large amount of black blood escaped from his body, the mutant collapsed to the ground motionless.

The other mutants who threw themselves towards Skull Claw experienced a similar fate.

The dark mist around her body hid her actual body, but once the mutants came close enough in the mist and saw her claws of her and swung their modified hands, all they experienced was hitting the dark mist.

The reason for that was the two combinations of magic spells being [Dark Mist Robe] and [Dark Mist] itself.

The [Dark Mist] covered a large amount of dark mist to the surroundings and by Skull Claws' control, the dark mist surrounded her body.

By combining this spell together with the [Dark Mist Robe], a skill that covered the user's movements in a similar dark mist, it became a skill that made her seem like a phantom.

These two very two skills were the reason why her species were called [Death Hound]. They will create an environment where it was already hard enough to see their original body with the [Dark Mist] spell while leaving after images of their body with [Dark Mist Robe].

Suck kind of move created the image of [Death Hound]´s being undead similar to a wraith which had an ethereal kind of body. But in truth, it was all a deception.

Skull Claws case though was a bit more special.

Since there was a huge number advantage on the side of the mutants, she was bound to get hit and suffer damage, that would have been the case if she was a normal [Death Hound]

Alas, Skull Claw managed to gain the skill [Temporarly Ethereal Body] which allowed her to spend her own mana to let physical attacks pass through her body as if she were truly a phantom.

Of course, the rate of her mana decreased at a rapid rate, but so were the numbers of the mutants.

Thanks to her [Body Manipulation] talent, she could move each of her limbs in an unorthodox way, allowing her to attack enemies from her side without turning her body around at all.

She was strong, so strong that Skull Claw could kill several of the mutants, but there was a limit.

The mutants showed incredible vitality and were unwillingless to lay down even after a mortal wound. Accelerating the amount of mana spent on Skull Claw.

And things turned for the worse when the magic casters finished their own spell and shot them towards Skul Claw, forcing her to receive a huge amount of damage.

If things continue like this, Skull Claw's demise was certain.

And Danzel knew that this would happen if Skull Claw fought all those enemies alone.

Alas, they weren´t alone.

The remaining knights charge and went to help out Skull Claw with Borg the druid providing support by raising the roots from the ground and enlarging them to bind the mutants and possibly break their legs.

Sarah the elve archer sniped down the flying magic caster in the air and couldn´t provide support.

As for the rogue Kenn and a few other knights went to help Danzel with the second portal who was currently taking part in a slaughter.

***

Going back a few minutes back in time, where Danzel send his command...

`Skull Claw, show me how much you grew.´

Although Danzel said that to Skull Claw, he actually didn´t have the privilege to stand to the side and observe Skull Claw at all.

Although Danzel didn´t know the strength of the other three mercenaries too well, Danzel figured out that he was the strongest in a close-up fight.

And with the overwhelming numbers of enemies and the fact that more could be summoned from the portal, Danzel had to quickly cut down the numbers and disrupt the magic casters that were opening the portal.

Raising his old shield in front of him, Danzel dashed with incredible speed thanks to [Swift Movements] and [Shield Charge].

Each step of his left a mark on the ground as he fearlessly charge at the enemies.

He was so fast that the newly appeared masked magic caster became shocked.

`Who is this guy!? At this rate, he will come for our head!´ They thought in unison as they commanded the mutants to charge at him.

They were magic casters directly tough by the disciplines of the "Magus of the Tower". An elite group of magic casters who have undergone harsh combat training and are equipent with the latest magic items of the Arcana kingdom.

The mask that each of them wore had the enchantment to grant one the ability to use flying magic at the cost of some of their mana and the metal spears that they used to create a teleportation portal were a direct creation of the "Magus of the Tower" himself.

It was a one-use item that needed at least 4 men with the metal spike to create a portal for their troubles to come. After it was used it would self-destruct so that the enemy doesn´t get his hands to study the magic item.

It would also self-destruct if the one using the mana wasn´t the one authorized.

And just like the "Magus of the Tower", they had magic gauntlets that served as their staffs and robe that made it easier to perceive mana and control it.

But even such an elite magic caster felt a sense of extreme danger coming out of the dark knight charging toward them. After all, they were only of the 2nd-tier.

Their seniors of theirs and other great mages went to participate in the war against Berum after all.

Their colleagues who notice Danzel's quick advantage also became worried and changed the target of their spell.

Soon enough 4 the magic caster send out their huge fireballs toward Danzel's path while the others targeted Sarah.

They did so to give the newly arrived magic caster time to cast their own spells as no sane human would continue running even after knowing that a barrage of flames came at them.

Danzel though was no human.

Running straight at the portal, he was soon engulfed by the huge fireballs, surprising the onlookers.

Even a 3rd-tier would had receive burns enough to kill them if, of course, they haven´t suffocated yet.

In the next second though, the dark knight charges out of the flames as if they didn´t exist in the first place.

"Impossible!"

"Idiot, prepare your spell!"

"Arcanic Mutants! Kill him!"

Following the orders of the masked magic casters, the mutants charge right toward the dark knight.

But as soon as the first mutant came in range to hit the dark knight, he was directly rammed by the shield and sent back flying with his chest caved in.

Having lost some of his momentum, the dark knight raised his sword and swung it in the air, releasing an ominous dark green wind blade.

The wind blade being too fast and them too close at it, a total of 4 mutants were cleaved in half together with a dark green after image of them before disappearing.

Usually, even if the mutants had their whole heads destroyed, they would still be able to move.

But now the mutants that had the bottom part of their body cut, should in theory be able to still crawl for several minutes before dying.

Alas, after getting hit by the ominous dark green wind blade, they immediately became motionless.

After that, Danzel continues pushing forward, leaving his own team in the back staring dumbfounded at his slaughter.