The commander, Reyv patiently watched as the coalition kept their barrage at the barrier.

With the entities from the upper floors finally gone and 'satiated' after dismantling the great library and final existence core of the Serahaim Tri-Elves. News about the secrets of 'Timelessness' circulated everywhere.

To Reyv it was nothing but an obvious prank. How could the beings from the higher floors ever share such things. It was obvious just from their gaze that they did not place us as equals. They didn't even bother to wipe out the remaining native first floor tri-elves, clear about their stance on the 'cattle' that had run of somewhere in the near endless first floor of Avalesk.

There was a saying that the lower floors would have long been wiped out had there not been a level suppression in place to protect each floor. Still, the equipment, skill and experience required to survive in the higher floors are so wide that other people wouldn't even dare breath in the same area as these people whenever they visited the first floor.

Beings from higher floors, prank or not...

That of course didn't stop the 'Great Coalition' of the Three kingdoms to form, easily gathering a thousand soldiers each after being nugged by the support of the Order of the Righteous Flame.

The Order of the Righteous Flame which existed up to the fifteenth floor was set on 'Setting straight' the wrongful doing of beings unaffected by the passages of time, which of course Reyv thought was nothing but an excuse to extort the minority.

If they really wanted to set things straight, why not target the Elves who are connected to the Great World Tree that spans across all floors? The demons and their vestiges don't grow old either. Same as spectrals and the more powerful undead.

'Fucking hypocrites.' Reyv grunted then sighed.

For all the complaining he did, he somehow find himself standing and watching the bombardment of the final barrier, currently, as the leader of the Great Coalition.

As the freaking leader. Reyv still couldn't believe it himself.

He had been quietly rising the ranks when he got assigned to the damn expedition after several leaders failing again and again due to what everyone had to call 'vast' difference in power and experience.

Reyv had no choice but to agree. Seeing the elves cast spells far stronger than the standards of the first floor. Maneuvering magic and sword play as if they're parts of each other, it was no wonder that those achievement hungry commanders whom he replaced died again and again.

Reyv felt that he was lucky even. The situation had already been mapped out through sacrifices, now that they know that the remaining Serahaim didn't have an existence Core to revive on, everything was clear. Reyv only had to focus his commanding, sending waves of armies till the poor tri-elves tire out or they innevitably decrease in numbers and eventually get overrun by the coalition.

All he had to do now is to just make sure that he capture some elves, salvage anything valuable to be sent as gift to the leaders... And then keep himself alive until the end of the campaign.

All in due time.

...

Gruesome months later, Reyv beamed in excitement as the barrier finally started cracking. He had made sure that the majority of the coalition was well rested, keeping the bombardment up through a strict rotation of personnel. Once the barrier falls, the 3000 strong army along with the paladins and priests of the order will lay siege on the castle. Capturing and enslaving the remaining Serahaim for the priests, and collecting Loot and artifacts for the three power hungry kings.

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Just a few moments more when...

Reyv felt something wrong. His instincts couldn't grasp it. but it was there.

Something terrible is happening, but he has no idea what. Looking away from the cracking barrier he noticed some troops missing, well that's a given however strict he was, soldiers would find themselves toiling around the camp as you give them free time.

It was natural as they do not enjoy the same level of satisfaction as seeing the barrier dim and crack day by day. They did have promotions waiting for them after this, but not to at the same level as leading a coalition for three kings and a religious faction that spans up to the 15th floor.

Still, the feint sense of terror didn't vanish. He walked inside the camp, only to find most of the tents, empty. Ordering the soldiers they found well hidden remnants of battle and assassinations. Tent by tent deliberately made to look 'normal' was found.

Checking the coalition interface he found that there were only 2100/3000 people alive. The rest would either have left the range of the coalition, or have died...

Panic and adrenaline rushing in, Reyv quickly activated his communication crystal to sound the alarm, the looping echo reverberated as the alarm sounded, at the same time however, gigantic weapons made of bones started falling from the sky like it was raining meteors.

*Boom!* *Boom!* *Boom!* *BOOM!*

Explosions wrecked everywhere and fire blazed through out the whole encirclement... Powerful looking skeletons revealed themselves everywhere and then chaos started to ensue.

'Fucking hell.'

Reyv cursed as he was forced to watch the coalition slowly become drained of it's numbers. The skeletals weren't like the undead puppets that lack autonomy. It was as if they had minds of their own. Their form, look and equipment differing from one another.

Skeletons at the size of ogres, animals, normal humans and even children ran rampant across the battlefield.

They skillfully dodged, and cleaved through the soldiers, defeating the more powerful soldiers through mindbogling teamwork. Only a few of them dying, with some outright vanishing as if teleported away before they met their end.

There was also the ridiculous ability of the some of the more overpowered skeletons whom blinked from one battlefield to another. Steamrolling through the whole encirclement utilizing their ability to instantaneously move from one battlefield to another.

'Just what the hell is happening!'

Reyv roared in frustration. He wanted to kill as many skeletons as he could. But as soon as he was about to deal a crushing blow the skeletons would either move in ways outside of their own movements, empower with themselves with mana, or just outright float in the air. He swore he could even see and hear the skeletons smirk and throw insults at him as if taunting him, effectively making him grit his teeth even further.

He knew that he was being isolated but he could do nothing of it.

The level 30 or so 2100 remaining soldiers, will sooner or later become new skeletons. The Coalitions own necromancers already dead by the time he found out of the result.

He didn't know if it was badluck, or his own carelessness. Was there even a necromancer on the first floor able to command the undead like this? How high would even your perception stat have to be in order to command undead at such a wide area of activity.

This was just stupid.

Reyv almost crushed the hilt of his sword in anger. Just a few minutes more and it would all be over. Why did it have be when they were about to break the barrier.

With the distractions and victory being outright grabbed before his eyes, Reyv had his limbs decapitated before he knew it.

In front of him was a skeleton holding a gigantic sycthe. It had three horns on its skull and it's sockets where it's eyes should have been were looking at him as if disappointed.

It didn't kill him.

The Screams of horror continued throughout the battle. Being liften by a skeleton from behind, he was forced to view the horror of his failures.

New skeletons kept rising, and the army kept screaming 'Find the necromancer'. But there wasn't any. Even the healing and holy affinity of the Order's paladins and priests didn't have any effect on the supposedly 'undead.'

Nothing but actually overpowering them worked. But the skeletons would either save the other skeletons or a 'thug' or any scene of absurdity would happen again.

If that wasn't problem enough, the rain of gigantic weapons never stopped destroying the siege weapons as well as the camp in minutes.

Explosions replaced by screams then by pure silence.

.

As if on purpose, Reyv found himself seeing the Scythe weilding skeleton for the second time before his vision faded, as his soul returned to the ressurection pool. As soon as he woke up, he wondered...

'How the hell was he going to explain all of that?'

Reyv wanted to just cry.

...

... ...

To be continued.