Chapter 230: Sword Slays the Witch

It was deep night, and the vast majority of the town's residents had already fallen asleep.

Lei En circled around the outskirts of Dasom Town, using the darkness to creep toward the courtyard that Dinglaji had mentioned.

He didn't need to look back; the voice of all things heard Dinglaji and Bolin's footsteps, and the two still followed.

Soon, the three stood silently against the wall outside the courtyard, listening to the sounds within.

Inside the wall, three people were clearly present, yet there was no verbal exchange.

One after another, they lifted boxes from the wagon into the rooms, then quickly emerged to continue hauling, like silent laborers.

Lei En heard a fourth heartbeat in his ears; it was faint, ticking lightly every few seconds like a corpse's, easily overlooked.

"Undead Wizard!"

Lei En made a judgment in his mind.

Undead Wizards wield necromantic spells, commanding undead creatures to fight, but they themselves are not necessarily undead beings.

Many people cannot distinguish between Dark Wizards, Undead Wizards, and Liches.

Dark Wizards plunder the souls of intelligent races, stripping out the Arcane Element, forging it into a Law Seal that merges with their own soul to boost their power.

Such methods are brutal and intolerable, yet they have nothing to do with Undead Wizards; Dark Wizards are not undead beings either.

Dark Wizards who stray eventually worship some evil deity, such as the deceiver Lo Xi, the Black Emperor Ban Ke, the Blood God Ha Ka Si Nu, the Disaster Dragon Ti Ya Xi Si, and so on; most are local deities of Ai Lun E Si, with little connection to the Abyssal evil gods.

Undead Wizards, however, are certainly the minions of the Abyssal evil god "Lord of the Dead".

They pray to the Lord of the Dead, receiving a "blessing"—or rather a curse—that lets them absorb demon souls of undead creatures into their own soul, linking them to the Abyssal netherworld and granting mastery of death spells.

This is extremely similar to the Ten Thousand Spirits Wizard, differing by only one character.

Ai Lun E Si has long been rumored that the Ten Thousand Spirits Wizard originated from Undead Wizards, because they are so alike, and Undead Wizards appeared far earlier than the Ten Thousand Spirits Wizard.

In essence, Undead Wizards are a wizard specialization belonging to the Soul Command school.

Dark Wizards generally belong to the Law Seal school.

When they first begin, Undead Wizards are not undead beings; they appear no different from other spellcasters.

Only when their lifespan nears its end, or they are stuck at a bottleneck for years without advancement, do Undead Wizards perform an Undead ritual to transform themselves into Liches.

Liches are undead beings that retain their memories and powers from life; as long as the Soul Box remains intact, they are immortal.

However, not every Lich is an Undead Wizard; some may be other spellcasters transformed, continuing their prior magical research.

Undead Wizards are not all Liches; they may still be living humans.

At present, the Undead Wizard in this courtyard is a living person, but corrupted by death's power, his bodily functions are severely damaged, barely different from a corpse, hence the heartbeat is so slow and weak.

The items on the wagon were quickly moved, and the sounds inside fell silent.

Lei En waited a few minutes, raised his hand and gestured a few signs to Dinglaji and Bolin; he intended to go in and strike the opponent directly.

Dinglaji shook his head repeatedly, thinking it was too rash.

Bolin also disagreed.

Lei En, however, did not want to delay any further.

If he didn't know the Undead Wizard was brewing poison, he could still patiently wait, return to the castle, muster forces to surround the courtyard, and capture the enemy alive.

But he couldn't take that risk; the sooner it was resolved, the better—he didn't want to wait even a quarter hour.

"You wait outside; I'll go in alone," Lei En signaled silently with his mouth.

Dinglaji understood and instantly felt depressed.

He couldn't fathom why this demon hunter was so impulsive—had he gone too long without slaying monsters and couldn't hold back? If he messed up and let the Undead Wizard escape, how would he report to the Earl of Glamorgan?

Before he could intervene, Lei En's figure vanished abruptly, then a faint sound rang from the wall as an unseen silhouette slipped over it.

The now‑invisible Lei En landed lightly.

【9】 This courtyard was small; judging by its layout and the building's dilapidated state, it seemed long‑term rented—a two‑story cottage with five or six rooms, a kitchen and a stable, capable of housing a dozen or so people.

The courtyard is not large; judging by its layout and the building's age, it seems to have been rented out for a long time, and the two‑story small building has five or six rooms, a kitchen and a stable, and can accommodate a dozen‑plus people.

The wagon was parked aside, and the horses were hauled into the stable.

Lei En scanned the area, confirming no magical wards or traps, then crossed the courtyard to the door.

The door was tightly locked, enchanted with a spell.

Peering through the crack, Lei En heard three breaths behind the door; three figures sat motionless, neither speaking nor sleeping, clearly not normal humans—apparently possessed by vengeful spirits, placed there by the Undead Wizard to guard against intruders.

The Undead Wizard himself was busy in the adjacent room.

From there came a few low roars, interspersed with the clatter of glassware, and a faint foul odor drifted out of the room.

Lei En contemplated for a few breaths, finalizing his combat strategy.

He stepped to the doorway, picked up a stone and tossed it toward the courtyard's corner.

Plop…

The stone's thud rang loudly in the quiet night, instantly startling those inside; with a bang the door swung open and two figures rushed out.

One was the ranger who had driven the wagon earlier, the other a third‑rank Iron Guard.

Both sprinted past Lei En, completely unaware that someone was concealed by the door, patrolling the courtyard vigilantly yet seeing no enemy, their eyes full of confusion.

Lei En turned and entered, colliding head‑on with a third person possessed by a vengeful spirit.

It was a Mid‑stage berserker, holding a massive axe and standing on guard.

Silently, Lei En slipped behind the berserker; at that moment a hoarse voice sounded from the next room, its tone icy, barely recognizable as female, and she asked in a deep voice, "What's the situation?"

As she spoke, a gaunt woman in a robe stepped out; her looks were striking, yet her expression was cold, her crimson phoenix eyes revealing a terrifying gaze, her skin pallid, clearly not that of a normal person.

Lei En's Soul Eye saw through her; she was a Ninth‑level Undead Wizard.

The berserker shook his head, about to reply.

The Undead Wizard's face changed dramatically, staring at the berserker's back, and bellowed, "Get out of there!"

Simultaneously, brandishing his bone‑like staff, a bone spike materialized from nothing, two meters long and as thick as an arm, its black‑tipped tip resembling a long spear, which he thrust forward with a booming sound.

The berserker's expression turned horrified, thinking the Undead Wizard had suddenly dealt a death blow.

He hadn't even had time to react, puff—.

A silver longsword pierced out from his chest at the heart, spraying blood.

The silver blade ignited with high‑temperature flames that spread over the berserker's entire body, and an invisible wraith screamed as it fled from the corpse.

Lei En's body became visible.

He grabbed the berserker's corpse and flung it forward, perfectly blocking the undead Wizard's bone spike; he drew the silver sword from the corpse, its runes brightening, the flames blazing, and rushed straight at the undead Wizard.

This silver sword came from the legendary Demonkin hunter named Gaitan; it has a single enchantment called 'Flame Blade' that can consume stamina to generate high‑temperature fire.

The Demonkin hunter's silver sword was forged from a 'Wei Che Secret Silver' alloy, originally a bane of monsters, and the Flame Blade makes it deal even greater damage to monsters.

"Demonkin hunter, you're courting death."

The female undead Wizard let out a shrill scream, filled with the aura of death.

It was a howl of terror.

The sound wave swept over Lei En's head, but had no effect, and his steps did not pause for even half a second.

Two bone claws burst from the ground, trying to seize Lei En's feet, but they grasped nothing.

In an instant, the silver sword had already reached the undead Wizard's face, and the flame on the blade reflected a hint of red on her pallid visage.

Puff!

The silver sword struck a tangible 'white bone shield,' provoking a violent vibration.

A crack appeared on the shield, but it ultimately could not be shattered with a single strike.

Lei En furrowed his brow.

A longsword, after all, is not a war hammer and cannot fully exploit its power advantage; the undead Wizard's white bone shield is also tougher than a typical caster's shield.

Before he could swing a second sword, the undead Wizard's counterattack arrived.

She planted her staff into the ground, and death energy erupted beneath her feet, forming a visible black aura centered on her that pushed everything outward.

Boom!

Lei En had nowhere to dodge; the 'Death Nova' struck him, blasting him far away.

A layer of semi‑transparent elemental armor materialized, shielding part of the spell's impact; he adjusted his posture mid‑air, planted his feet on the wall, and used the wall to thrust forcefully.

With a rumbling roar, the partially blocked wall collapsed.

Lei En turned around at a faster speed and rushed back.

An undead creature over three meters tall was summoned, blocking the path. It seemed to be cobbled together from thousands of bones, forming a crude monster that barely resembled a humanoid; its misshapen bone claws gripped a thick beast leg bone, wielded as a war hammer.

Skeletal construct!

Despite its seemingly discordant structure, it moved swiftly, swinging the hammer‑like leg bone down.

Lei En pressed forward relentlessly, swinging his sword upward to meet it.

As the blade's flame flickered, the hard leg bone was cleaved in two; Lei En collided directly with the skeletal construct, his massive force toppling the huge monster and crushing it toward the undead Wizard hiding behind.

The undead Wizard froze for a moment.

The Demonkin hunter's strength has never been great, yet the skeletal construct, weighing two to three thousand pounds, was knocked down.

This caught her off guard; to avoid being crushed by her own summon, she hurriedly retreated, and the 'Rotting Ray' she was casting was forced to halt midway.

But after taking two steps back, a broken table leg tripped her foot, causing a sudden stumble that nearly made her fall.

Before she could regain her balance, a silver sword blazing with flame slammed down on the white bone shield.

Bang!

A burst rang out; the shield did not shatter, but a massive force knocked the undead Wizard to the ground.

She lacked a blink‑type teleportation spell, scrambling backward desperately, but it was too late.

Lei En chased after her, gripping the sword hilt with both hands, and thrusted down with all his might!

Flames erupted from the silver sword; the white bone shield held for less than half a second before finally breaking, and the silver sword immediately pierced through, stabbing into the undulating chest of the undead Wizard.

"Ah..."

The witch let out a painful scream.

Lei En flicked the silver sword upward, gutting her and cleaving her head in two, silencing her scream abruptly.

I couldn't hold out last night; I overestimated my speed...

(End of Chapter)