Sneak Attack

The day dragged on slowly, and as night fell, all the people outside prepared for a desperate fight for survival. Aware of the approaching evil, they used all the resources at their disposal to create rudimentary weapons, such as wooden spears that could be thrown.

Fear was evident in the eyes of those hiding in leaf-made huts, blending in with the nighttime shadow. However, a few hours later, when darkness completely engulfed the forest, everyone realized that they couldn't even see their own hands a few inches away, despite the full moon and stars shining brightly in the sky.

Guided by the glow in the sky, a peasant mentioned something that could instill deep terror in everyone if mentioned a day earlier. "I've seen something similar when my village was attacked by a necromancer... life and light... everything is being devoured by the power of death."

Everyone looked toward the imposing nearby mountain, where their savior and hope resided. Soon, a sense of security swept over them, calming their minds. They couldn't see the mountain or anything near it; it was as if all the darkness and evil in the world were converging on that place. It wasn't just the light that had disappeared; no sound of animals or anything else could be perceived in a vast area. The power of the entity protecting them seemed to transcend both life and death. They loosened their grip on their weapons, feeling that no evil could match the deep and unfathomable presence of the divine skeleton.

In the middle of the night, inside the dark cave of the mountain, a bloody and malevolent rune lit up, radiating sinister power. Quickly, six other smaller runes also lit up.

"Finally, all that Qi has been refined. Not having meridians to store it and putting it into those runes carved into the bones was a great idea, Bruno," Alm commented.

"Yes, now we are officially a skeletal Elder Lich! Or rather, an undead Overlord!" Bruno replied excitedly.

"Carving runes like weapons into your bones is something impossible and deadly for any living being. Normally, undead creatures don't have the intelligence to attempt something like this, but the potential of it can be hard to measure."

"Undead beings are troublesome, but they can be easily countered if the opponent possesses a Yang power capable of contaminating their essences. There are countless runic formations created by cultivators for defense and attack. We can cover the bones with various different methods without worrying about collateral damage. After all, the body is already dead," Alm analyzed, impressed.

"Even if the bones turn to dust, if we accomplish the mission, it will be a complete victory. We have the tactical advantage and no constraints compared to the enemy," Bruno commented.

"Great, the energy we obtained was enough for seven useful runes. We just need more Qi and information, and a river of blood will flow through these lands. We still have time. Let's go," Alm said eagerly to test their new sinister capabilities.

Outside, everyone heard the cadaverous footsteps echoing from inside the cave, and quickly, light returned to the surroundings. When they directed their gaze toward the footsteps, they saw a skeleton shrouded in a black cloak that seemed to be made of the purest death energy. Against all expectations, everyone ran toward it and bowed in awe of that figure.

'...Is this some kind of cult, by any chance?' Bruno remarked, intrigued.

'It does seem like it,' replied Alm.

'We gain nothing by saving all these people. We only needed the child. We can use them to create more death energy. If we torture them all in a creative way, the energy will be even more intense,' Alm continued, observing the admiring looks directed at them.

'How are we going to restore the balance between life and death if we massacre everyone? Don't be an idiot.'

'If we need to kill many people, at least they will be our insurance to complete the mission,' Bruno replied, while the skeleton waved to someone in the distance.

The blue-eyed child then immediately ran toward the skeleton without hesitation. Suddenly, a guttural and sinister voice echoed, "Your name was... Corin. I will depart, and you will be responsible for taking care of everyone. You are old enough to cultivate; do not disappoint me."

The skeletal fingers touched Corin's forehead, and a red rune gleamed intensely, changing the entire surroundings. The rune fixed itself on Corin's forehead and suddenly went out as if it had never existed.

Corin instantly collapsed on the spot, and the sinister voice resonated even louder, "Everyone can sleep without worries. I will personally confront the nearby necromancer."

Everyone immediately fell to their knees, and then a chilling wind swept through them all, making the sacred skeleton disappear instantly. A woman picked up Corin, who had fallen and carried him to an improvised tent. Everyone dropped their weapons immediately and fell into a deep sleep that night, without a trace of doubt regarding their savior's words.

***

"Are you an idiot by any chance? How could you give one of our few runes to that child, you bastard?" Alm spoke sharply.

"I gave much more than that rune; he has the potential to reach the pinnacle of a universe. Now he possesses something that doesn't exist in this primitive world: knowledge," replied Bruno.

"The rune was one of the weakest we created. Even if it's only etched into his soul, it may be useful in an emergency. Don't be so stingy; we need to perform good deeds to avoid following the same path as in the past," said Bruno, while Alm continued to grumble.

The night still had much to offer, and the necromancer was completely recovered from the internal injuries of the previous day. It took some time for him to try to explain to the other dark generals who were fighting in different places against the living why he had not followed the Queen's plans and attacked.

He would never admit a personal failure, such as summoning a skeleton too powerful and failing to control it, causing a problem and injuring himself in the process. Therefore, the excuse used was a sneak attack by the enemy, which caused internal turmoil among them.

However, they were unaware that, strangely, on the other side of the battlefield, their enemy was terrified after a scout found a camp completely massacred. Well, some soldiers were still magically in deep slumber. Soon, they concluded that it was a sneak attack by the enemy and gathered to seek solutions. Both sides thought the other was responsible for their misfortunes. Too bad, it was the mighty Divine Skeleton's doing!