Chapter 16: Victory by Attrition (The Paladin's Collapse)
[The Battle of the Abyss]
The interior of The Immortal Sepulchre was a theater of chaotic, unrelenting warfare. The darkness, absolute save for the pale glow of the four B-Rank Blade-Guards' armor, intensified the suffocating chill of the Undying Authority.
Rudraunsh, hidden beneath the collapsed upper floor, managed the war with cold, surgical precision. The three Shadow Legionnaires were not fighting to win; they were fighting to exhaust.
One Legionnaire was dedicated entirely to stalling two B-Ranks, absorbing their powerful Light Mana slashes and reforming its smoky obsidian frame instantly, over and over. A B-Rank Paladin's single light-infused strike should have cost the Legionnaire 20% of its core stability; instead, due to the Grade 2 Undying Authority and the Sepulchre's amplifier, the cost was negligible, forcing the B-Ranks to deplete their own mana pool with every futile attack.
The second Legionnaire was applying its new Soul Chain Link ability. It purposefully took a heavy blow from a third B-Rank, letting the sharp spiritual energy of the attack momentarily latch onto its core. As the Legionnaire reformed, the venous-red Soul Chain extended and anchored onto the attacking B-Rank's armor.
"Target: Mana Depletion," Rudraunsh commanded telepathically.
The Soul Chain Link began to actively drain the B-Rank's external mana field, corrupting the energy with Necrotic decay. The B-Rank warrior, fighting a creature that wouldn't die, now felt his own vital energy being actively siphoned away. Panic flashed across his face.
[The Paladin's Despair]
A-Rank Paladin Jaewon Lee watched the brutal display, his own armor flickering wildly. He was an A-Rank, his power immense, but his training offered no solution for this impossible scenario. He was supposed to fight, not manage an immortal siege.
His Light Mana, which should have radiated hope and clarity, was being consumed by the sheer permanence of the Necrotic defense.
"Cease fire! Focus your energy!" Paladin Lee roared, his voice thick with frustration. He raised his A-Rank Light Sword, preparing a Heavenly Strike—a devastating skill that could rupture dimensions.
He aimed the strike not at the Legionnaires, but at the ground, hoping to collapse the entire warehouse and bury the Dark Mage's operation.
SHING! The blinding white light of the A-Rank strike slammed into the concrete floor near the sub-basement.
The ground fractured, but the collapse never happened. The C-Rank Mana Stone and the reservoir of Undying Authority anchored by Rudraunsh held the structural integrity of the Sepulchre together, consuming the kinetic force of the strike entirely.
"The law... the law is inverted here!" Paladin Lee realized, the spiritual dread finally setting in. He wasn't fighting a mage; he was fighting a reality anomaly.
He looked at his fourth B-Rank guard, who was still standing. "Guard Four, breach the door! We retreat and call S-Rank support! This is beyond our mission parameters!"
But Rudraunsh anticipated the retreat. The third Shadow Legionnaire materialized instantly in the guard's path. It didn't strike; it used its new Shadow Phase ability. The Legionnaire became a temporary, smoky silhouette, passing through the B-Rank guard's body and reappearing instantly on the other side.
The touch of the pure, concentrated Necrotic spiritual energy was devastating. The B-Rank guard screamed, a sound of pure agony, as his entire internal mana flow was momentarily disrupted. He collapsed, clutching his core, effectively neutralized.
[The End of the Blade]
The battle was over. The Paladin's squad was reduced to three exhausted, terrified warriors desperately trying to fend off two immortal threats, while one was incapacitated. They had wasted nearly 70% of their pooled B-Rank mana simply keeping themselves alive.
Paladin Lee was alone. He was still physically intact, but spiritually shattered.
Rudraunsh made his move. He commanded the three Shadow Legionnaires to cease their assault and simply stand, forming a semi-circle around the Paladin, their smoky forms radiating an utterly silent, terrifying finality.
"You have been defeated, Paladin Lee," Rudraunsh's voice echoed through the comms, amplified by the Sepulchre's acoustics—cold, deep, and utterly inhuman. "Your Light Domain failed. Your men are broken. Your Radiant Blade is dull."
"Show yourself, Necromancer!" Lee yelled, desperately clutching his sword, his A-Rank mana dangerously low.
Rudraunsh materialized behind the Paladin, stepping out of the deepest shadow. He kept his hood low, allowing only the cold indigo light of his eyes to be visible.
"You came here for an execution," Rudraunsh stated. "I have provided one. The execution of the myth of your purity."
Rudraunsh did not attack. He simply reached out and placed his hand—the hand that held the power of the Immortal Dao—onto the Paladin's gleaming white chestplate.
He channeled a targeted, non-destructive pulse of Undying Authority. It wasn't an attack; it was a spiritual Brand. The pulse imprinted itself onto Paladin Lee's mana core, leaving a microscopic, yet indelible, trace of the U-Rank Catastrophe.
Lee shrieked, not from pain, but from the violation of his spiritual purity. He instantly became aware that the very core of his being was now permanently marked by the darkest magic. He could never again use his Light Mana at full power without feeling the sickening conflict with the Indigo Trace. His A-Rank career was over.
Rudraunsh pulled his hand back. "You will not pursue me. You will file a report citing an S-Rank Dark Mage anomaly and the complete destruction of your team's combat readiness. You will demand the Stellar Halo treat this area as a containment zone, or face utter chaos."
He gave the order to his army: "Dismantle their weapons. Leave the men alive."
The three Shadow Legionnaires moved, effortlessly disassembling the B-Ranks' weaponry and armor pieces before vanishing instantly back into the Immortal Sepulchre.
Paladin Lee, defeated and branded, stood alone in the dark, surrounded by the remnants of his broken team and the overwhelming reality of the Necrotic Sovereign.
[The Fruits of Victory and Core Upgrade]
Rudraunsh immediately moved to secure the single most valuable spoils of the battle: the A-Rank Mana Cores from the disarmed weaponry and the scattered armor remnants, which had absorbed the Paladin's residual energy.
He quickly absorbed the high-grade remnants, feeling the potent rush of refined energy flood his system.
Personal Mana Core Capacity: 130% \rightarrow 155% of E-Rank Base. (High D-Rank Cap)
The sudden, massive influx of energy caused another ripple of change. The Undying Authority utilized the excess power to instantly expand his command limits.
"One more," Rudraunsh commanded.
Using the ambient mana of the Sepulchre and the new capacity, he instantly forged and summoned a fourth Shadow Legionnaire.
> [Summon Status: Shadow Legionnaire (x4)]
> Current Sustained Mana Cost: 40% of Total Pool.
> Army Size: 4 C-Rank Immortal Units.
>
He had started the fight with two C-Rank units; he ended it with four. His personal D-Rank capacity was growing, and his military force was exponentially stronger.
Sera emerged from her hiding place, stepping over the weeping B-Ranks and the paralyzed Paladin Lee. She stared at the four new, silent warriors.
"A-Rank defeat, four C-Rank Legionnaires, and a major personal upgrade," Sera summarized, her S-Rank awe palpable. "They won't send an A-Rank again, Rudraunsh. They will send an S-Rank."
Rudraunsh nodded, retrieving his cloak. "Then we need a defense worthy of an S-Rank. This battle was not for survival, Sera. It was a declaration. We have forced the Stellar Halo to recognize the Necrotic Sovereign."
He looked at the broken Paladin. "He will report the truth. And the world will learn to fear the Black Sentinel."
The next phase of escalation was set. Rudraunsh needed a new, high-grade catalyst for his next evolution—something that would allow him to fight S-Rank power, perhaps a spiritual entity that his current Legionnaires could not handle.