Chapter 753: Apocalypse Knight

"Desen, retreat immediately!"

Lei En took out a voice transmitter and gave the battalion commander Desen of the Gunwing Knight Order the order.

The notorious name of the Black Soul Knight Order has been spread throughout the Ai Lun E Si world for over a thousand years; as the most elite force of the Disaster Legion, its backbone consists entirely of high-level and above Death Knights, with the proportion of Legendary High-rank Death Knights approaching one-fifth.

The legion uses Death Knights as its command structure, supplemented by ten times as many evil spirit cavalry.

One Death Knight leads ten evil spirit cavalry, forming the smallest combat squad. Death Knights are equipped with spectral skeleton horses that can briefly run while stepping on air, wearing rune armor and weapons forged from Saron dark iron; the evil spirit cavalry's equipment is slightly inferior, but still far surpasses ordinary undead.

The quality and quantity of the Black Soul Knight Order can be called the strongest extraordinary legion in the world.

The Abyss Knights forged by the Eternal Chosen may not be weaker in strength, but they are slightly inferior in reputation and slaughter.

The greatest difference between the two lies in numbers.

In terms of individual strength, Abyss Knights may be a bit stronger, but compared to their numbers, they may be less than one-tenth of the Black Soul Knight Order.

No one knows how many members the Black Soul Knight Order has.

When this terrifying undead army deploys, it is often thousands; tens of thousands are trivial, and the largest recorded instance was when the Death Lord personally led an attack on the Lamon Empire, allegedly with the Black Soul Knight Order numbering two hundred thousand!

They excel at overwhelming enemies with numbers far exceeding the foe, leaving a barren dead zone where not a blade of grass grows wherever they pass.

At this moment, Lei En, through the Thundercast Celestial Soldier's vision, saw the Black Soul Knight Order.

The Soul Eye judged that this undead army is entirely high-level and above, while the Gunwing Knights, having been founded only a few years ago, despite rapid strength growth, have less than one-third reaching Mid-stage; such a massive disparity cannot be compensated by equipment.

If we do not wish the Gunwing Knight Order to be annihilated, retreat is the only way.

The Black Soul Knight Order surged out of the portal quickly, yet orderly, grouping ten evil spirit cavalry per squad, each led by a Death Knight.

They wear jet-black armor, shimmering with eerie blue runes; even their warhorses are clad in thick armor, the horse heads have hollow eyes burning dark green flame, and none of the four legs have any flesh—dry bones connect to hooves, stepping on smoky death energy as they walk in the air.

The portal hovers several hundred meters above the ground; the Black Soul Knight Order erupts like a black torrent, spewing out and racing in the high sky toward Gotham.

When the Thundercast Celestial Soldier discovered it, over two thousand had already surged out.

A massive death force rose to the sky; even from afar, the Thundercast Celestial Soldier and the Gunwing Knights felt a tsunami-like impact crushing toward them.

The Gunwing Knights were bathed in golden holy light, gripping their assault rifles and longswords, battle spirit igniting in their chests.

They were fearless.

However, battalion commander Desen received Lei En's command and shouted loudly, "Lord's order, we retreat immediately."

The Gunwing Knights riding bronze warhorses showed unwillingness on their faces.

Since swearing loyalty to the Lord and becoming Gunwing Knights, they have been invincible on the battlefield; this is their first retreat without fighting. Even though this enemy is so powerful, they still trust the ranged advantage of the charge to win.

Even when colliding head‑on with the enemy, the bronze warhorse's 'wild gallop' merges their breath into one, not weaker than the Black Soul Knight Order.

Thinking this, the Gunwing Knights merely slowed their flight speed.

"Retreat!"

Desen shouted again, "Whoever dares disobey the Lord's command, be slain on the spot!"

In the shout, he was the first to turn the bronze warhorse's direction, looping a large arc in midair, changing from east to west, flying toward Gotham. With his example, the subordinate captains hurried the knights to follow, completing the full turn within half a minute.

Looking back, the Black Soul Knight Order's speed was much faster than expected, the distance now only three to four li.

If delayed a few more minutes, the two legions would clash head‑on.

The Gunwing Knights felt immense pressure, the breath of death force like terrifying waves pounding their hearts, striking their souls. Even at such distance, a face‑to‑face battle would likely leave few after one charge.

They finally realized the enemy's might was far beyond what they could resist.

"Fortunately..."

The Gunwing Knights let out a sigh of relief.

The bronze flying steed is a true flying mount; its speed is comparable to ghost warhorses and spectral skeleton horses, less endurance but greater burst, enough to return to Gotham before being caught.

Several bronze warhorses did not retreat with the unit; instead they scattered in all directions, and on their backs were not Gunwing Knights but riders clad in golden armor.

"Thundercast Celestial Soldier!"

They will serve as Lei En's eyes to monitor the Black Soul Knight Order.

Only the Extreme Warrior Corps can oppose the Black Soul Knight Order; upon first sighting the enemy, Lei En gave orders to the Extreme Warrior Corps.

First and second squads burst from the highland fort, summoning a fire dragon into the sky.

Third squad remains in place.

The commotion on Gotham's east side quickly reached the western walls; Kestajin turned his head first, gazing at the black torrent in the sky, and said gravely, "Black Soul Knight Order!"

He focused for a few seconds, then said quickly, "Their warhorses cannot sustain high‑intensity flight; they will land before reaching Gotham. We should split half of the Three‑Hammer Legion, forming a line with the Iron Shield Guard to block their charge."

"No need, the Three‑Hammer Legion continues to guard the walls," Lei En rejected the King of the Hills' proposal.

Kestajin glanced at the wall; the undead army was still assaulting an unfinished breach over four li long, but under the fire of the Electric Light Cannon, no undead could approach within five hundred blades of the breach.

Half of the Three‑Hammer Legion formed a defensive formation at the breach, yet had no chance to fight.

This is a waste of troops.

He tried to advise, but Lei En said, "Watch for the elite undead's surprise attack on the wall; I will go stop the Black Soul Knight Order."

As the words fell, his figure vanished.

The Eye Demon Elder's demonic soul, with the Seven‑Ring Teleport, lets Lei En no longer rely on the Void Gate, combining with the Eight‑Ring Key's effect to teleport precisely to the target.

He appeared several hundred meters away from the massive portal high in the sky.

Lei En already grasped the Thunder Hammer, his back spreading a pair of broad metal wings; his gaze swept, instantly seeing through the portal's details.

The portal's other end lands over three hundred li away, maintained by four Liches working together.

They are all Legendary High‑rank, with no Holy Soul Lich.

The portal continues to endlessly spew Death Knights; beyond it lies a vast wasteland, endless waves of Black Soul Knights, at least thirty to forty thousand.

Obviously, when the battle on the wall began, the portal was already opened.

At this moment, over two thousand Black Soul Knights have landed on Shield Island.

"Hm."

Lei En instantly grasped the situation, and at the same time, the Lich on the other side of the portal immediately sensed the enemy's arrival. A Lich clad in a splendid magical robe flashed into view, its withered, chicken‑claw‑like hand gripping a staff; a point of its fingertip instantly triggered several spells.

A squad of Death Knights erupted with ice and death energy, charging at Lei En.

The vanguard was a Legendary High-rank Death Knight.

The rest were all Legendary Low-rank, well‑armed, riding swift Spectral Skeleton Horses; keeping pace with the Lich's spells, they reached Lei En in the blink of an eye, coordinated flawlessly, brandishing dark‑energy rune greatswords that delivered attacks of varying effects.

A transparent spherical force field expanded, centering on Lei En and enveloping him.

The Lich's spell entered the field and vanished instantly.

"Anti-Magic Field!"

The Lich guarding the portal let out a hoarse scream.

Immediately, it watched the Death Knights enter the Anti-Magic Field; the enchantments on their rune armors failed one by one, the magical effects on their swords vanished completely, and they surged forward to the enemy.

The human's body instantly swelled to over three meters tall and swung a war hammer at the charging Death Knight.

Boom!

Like a sudden thunderclap, the sky trembled for an instant.

Lei En activated Thunder Rush; titanium‑golden feathers behind him flapped wildly, accelerating, unleashing the purest terrifying power, and the war hammer pulverized the Death Knights and their warhorses blocking the path into dust.

Bang bang bang bang…

It smashed through ten Death Knights as if cutting rotten wood, the war hammer's force waning; the last was a Legendary High-rank, its eyes flickering with blue flame, wielding a rune greatsword to deliver the strongest strike in centuries, slashing Lei En's neck.

Clang!

Sparks flew, and the rune greatsword shattered piece by piece.

Before the Death Knight could react, Lei En's war hammer struck its chest; the armor forged from Salon evil iron proved as fragile as paper, its undead body and the Spectral Skeleton Horse beneath exploded into sky‑splitting fragments, leaving no bones behind.

In an instant, the entire squad of Death Knights was annihilated.

The distant Lich's eyes flickered with flame, and it fled into the portal without hesitation.

But it was already too late.

As Lei En's hammer blasted the Death Knight, his left hand gathered a titanium‑golden holy sword; silver‑blue thunder flames ignited on the blade, and with a raised swing he unleashed a Thunder Slash!

Because the Anti-Magic Field was active, he could not cast spells; Flash, Electric Flash Teleport, and Psychic Leap were unavailable, making Thunder Slash his fastest means of movement.

Swish!

A sharp, whistling thunderclap rang as Lei En locked onto the Lich, sword and all, and slashed forward.

Lightning streaked across the sky.

In an instant, Lei En appeared before the portal. Behind him, a dozen Black Soul Knights charging out were sliced in half.

The Lich's figure emerged.

It was enveloped by the Anti-Magic Field, which interrupted its Flash; its magical robe, staff, and all protective magical items failed. The Eight‑Ring Anti-Magic Field suppressed spells below Eight‑Ring level, and the Lich instantly judged that although it had mastered Eight‑Ring Spells, it had no chance left.

The Lich abandoned resistance, calmly watching a blade of thunder flame slash toward it.

With a 'puff', the head fell.

Lei En frowned; the Lich's soul was not absorbed, and it would soon revive in a Soul Box, meaning he would meet it again.

At that moment, Death Knights swarmed around like a tide.

Lei En glanced at the massive portal; the Anti-Magic Field could not affect it, so he withdrew the field. He let the undead weapons strike him, cast for half a second, and emitted a deafening blast, a steel‑like shockwave exploding outward in all directions.

Magic Burst Force Field!

The surrounding Death Knights and evil spirit cavalry were instantly blown to fragments, instantly clearing the surrounding space.

The portal was violently shaken by the Magic Burst Force Field, yet it did not collapse.

Lei En did not rashly charge into the portal.

He flicked his shoulder, releasing the Mirror Image Technique. Ten Mirror Images appeared around him; two stayed in place to block the portal with him, while the other eight Flashed or used Psychic Leap, winged swiftly to chase the Black Soul Knights rushing toward Getan, commencing slaughter.

War Trample!

Magic Burst Force Field!

Thunder Cloud Storm!

Electric Ray!

Spiritual Energy Storm!

The Mirror Images each employed tactics, like wolves ravaging a flock, crazily slaughtering the Black Soul Knight Legion in the sky; silhouettes with dark‑golden wings collided head‑on with the enemy, unharmed, while fragments of the Undead Army's corpses rained down.

Many Legendary Death Knights within the Black Soul Knight Legion fought back bravely, yet before Lei En's Mirror Images they were as helpless as lambs.

Their attacks on the Mirror Images left only shallow marks.

Simultaneously, Lei En and two Mirror Images blocked the portal; no matter how many Death Knights surged out, none could breach the three‑person defense line.

Lei En could destroy the portal at any time.

But he does not wish to.

Closing this portal, the Lich could still open one elsewhere; better to let it harvest souls, causing greater damage to the Cataclysmic Army. The soul power of Black Soul Knight Legion members far exceeds that of ordinary undead—a single one can match several.

After only half a minute of fighting, Lei En had converted over two thousand units of electricity.

"Close the door!"

"Shut the portal!"

Lei En was in the midst of a killing spree; one of the four Liches maintaining the portal shouted loudly.

Besides those four Liches, there were a group of spellcasters bound by Death Knot Seals, more than a dozen Liches and Undead Wizards; they watched Lei En block the portal, yet none dared to act.

No caster wanted to face an enemy wielding an Anti-Magic Field.

"Get out!"

"You trash!"

A roar echoed opposite the portal, the hoarse voice clanging like metal, grating to the ears, yet Lei En found it oddly familiar.

Immediately, he saw a tall, pitch-black figure approaching the teleportation gate.

Its whole body was covered in black, heavy armor; this set of armor was extremely large, standing over two meters tall, with a distinctive design—two spikes shooting up from the helmet, and sharp iron spikes on the pauldrons, elbows, and greaves, the entire body tightly encased, not an inch of skin exposed.

Dark green eerie light seeped out from the joints of the armor.

On the helmet's visor lay a pair of evil eyes, likewise emitting dark green light, as if inside the armor was not a body but something far more terrifying.

It gripped a massive two-handed warhammer.

Lei En saw this death knight and that hammer, and immediately recalled it.

Ailong*Ruwennaite!

A few years ago, this guy fought me in Weizelan; back then I was only level six, and I defeated him by stacking six‑five layers of power amplification. Just as I was about to annihilate him, the Death Lord intervened and saved him.

The Soul Eye took a look; after several years, it had grown stronger.

"A Saint‑rank powerhouse!"

Lei En instantly felt a hint of apprehension; the Saint‑rank death knight is the Death Lord's most powerful minion, and they have a special title—Heaven Initiate Knight!

(End of chapter)