The sound of footsteps on dried blood and scattered body parts in every direction made the fifty-member search team freeze in front of what could no longer be called a village. They stood in horror, staring at the surroundings.

A young, blue-eyed, blonde-haired female knight removed her silver helmet and sighed, shaking her white cape, now stained with blood.

"A twenty-thousand-strong army, without a single intact corpse, and most of them missing… Only a monster could have done this."

As she spoke, an elderly man in armor approached her and pointed towards the center of the village.

"Baroness, considering the significant damage in the village center and the scattered bodies, this creature must have a powerful explosive ability and the capability to fly."

Baroness Henrietta, the wife of Baron Oscar, was a hardworking woman who had endured countless hardships to establish a knighthood order despite not being of noble birth. She had faced a difficult life but had achieved great success. Now, however, she and her knighthood order—the Knights of the White Sky—were looking despairingly at the land where her husband was last known to be.

"We're heading to Solar to report this to the Count. Even a Viscount wouldn't be able to handle such an incident alone."

All of her knights placed their hands over their armor and hearts.

"For the Light!"

She, too, performed the knighthood salute.

"For the Light!"

Tears welled in her eyes, but she could not allow herself to shed them. With difficulty, she dragged herself towards the horses stationed outside the blood-soaked site.

She could never have imagined that her husband's killer was merely a few dozen kilometers away, testing his newly acquired abilities.

Hazard extended his right hand forward, channeling all his mana into summoning the dead from the Abyss. A purple void opened before him, expanding and trembling violently.

Hazard watched with fascination. He had only left himself fifty mana to sustain his own existence, but his gaze remained fixed on the dark lightning crackling from the violet portal—despite lacking eyes.

A second later, a long, clawed, black hand emerged. Soon after, a beautiful, nude woman with black hair and black eyes stepped forth, approaching Hazard.

Unlike third-rate protagonists or awkward virgins in the presence of women, Hazard felt no embarrassment. Though he had no clear recollection of his past life, even the woman's alluring form and flawless skin held no appeal for him. He attributed this, at least in part, to the fact that he was now undead.

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As she approached, a thousand knights surrounding Hazard instantly drew their swords, forming an impenetrable barrier around his neck. Thousands of blades poised to strike from every direction locked her in place.

Hazard, momentarily pausing, called upon his system to analyze the entity before him.

[Madian, Rank 1 WarlordAn undead entity from the Abyss, possessing high intelligence and comprehension. Her specialty is mind-affecting magic, with exceptional skill in dream manipulation. She is distantly related to the succubi of the demon race.]

Realizing that the entity posed no threat to him due to his undead nature, Hazard signaled his knights to lower their weapons.

Madian stepped closer but did not kneel or bow before him. Instead, she began running her hands across his skeletal frame.

Hazard felt nothing from her touch. Gripping her hand, he effortlessly pulled her closer, his superior strength evident despite her being a Rank 3 Warlord. Staring into her eyes, he tightened his grip, causing her beautiful, human-like face to distort in pain.

Her lips stretched unnaturally, her mouth opening wide as she let out a piercing scream.

Though Hazard was immune to her sonic attack, his bones developed slight cracks, and he lost a fifth of his health. Seeing this, he grabbed her by the throat and lifted her, attempting to slam her into the ground.

[You need to understand the strong dominate the weak!]

Before she could hit the ground, Madian vanished from his grasp. Hazard turned his gaze towards the portal, but it had already disappeared.

Suddenly, a hand slammed into the back of his skull, and before him, Madian appeared again, driving her knee into his exposed cranium. Before he could react, another Madian swept his legs from beneath him, sending him crashing to the ground.

In just a few moves, Hazard realized he had lost half of his health. But the real issue was the three identical copies of Madian surrounding him.

Hazard, from his prone position, observed them carefully. His undead vision and mana sensitivity allowed him to identify the original from the fakes.

Madian and her clones lunged at him, attempting to finish him off. However, the clones' heads were severed in an instant by the surrounding knights, turning to ash upon death. Meanwhile, the real Madian was pinned down by dozens of knights.

Hazard, having correctly identified the original, stood up and approached her. A knight planted a boot on her back, gripping her long black hair—so long it touched the ground—and yanked it upward like a rope.

[You almost killed me!]

With a powerful kick to her face, he inflicted significant damage, causing her expression to contort in agony. She reverted to her true nightmarish form, but Hazard was no stranger to her transformations. Placing his foot on the back of her head, he forced her face into the dirt, muffling her sonic attack into the ground.

Once her attack subsided, Hazard lifted her by her hair again. She had returned to her human appearance, blood dripping from her lips—but she was smiling.

[Why are you smiling?]

No response.

Hazard truly considered killing her on the spot and claiming gold in exchange. However, the cost of acquiring a Warlord-ranked entity was enormous. If he were to buy such a warrior, it would cost him a fortune.

Minutes passed, and he remained indecisive. Even in the Demon Kings' Store, there was no contract or seal strong enough to bind a Warlord-class entity.

Frustrated, Hazard returned to his castle's balcony, issuing one final command.

"Release her outside my domain. Anywhere beyond the ten-kilometer perimeter of my rule."