The Twisted Savior

"Now this is an army," Alder whispered to himself, his eyes gleaming with a profound intensity as his gaze lingered on the surging undead horde.

Their momentum was building up, their swords slicing any foe they come across, arrows piercing those at the back.

The spearmen pushed back any who dared to slip through, their skeletal bodies unyielding in their determination.

The march was turning into a resounding success, the undead leaving a trail of terror in their wake.

Any who crossed their path, be they soldier or unfortunate civilian who happened to be out at the wrong time, trembled with fear.

The once-quiet streets of Marston now echoed with the screams of the fallen, as soldiers fell by the numbers, their forces dwindling.

From all fronts, hordes of skeletons marched on, leaving chaos in their wake. The earth shook beneath their feet, the sound of their approach striking fear into the hearts of all who heard it.

They were getting closer to their destination, no soldier standing in their way, their numbers tumbling all around them.

Now, only a few meters from the castle walls, Alder moved forward with his army of undead. "Quite the fight they are putting up here," he laughed, his gaze flicking to the status screen by his side.

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{~STATS~}

Level: 07

Health: 301/301

Mana: 345/495

Strength: 159

Defense: 120

Agility: 118

Endurance: 101

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Alder's strength was growing, the more soldiers who fell the more his strength grew, and with each level, another horde of undead would join the fray.

Some stayed with the squad in front of him, while others were sent to join the rest of the squads, and of course, his guards, composed of 500 skeletons, stood watchfully by his side.

As the battle raged on, a soldier, battered and bruised, his iron plate armor dented and scarred, stumbled backwards, his eyes blazing with desperation. "Bastard... What is it that you want from us?!" he screamed, his voice hoarse from shouting.

Alder's gaze flicked to the soldier, his expression unreadable. "You know," he began, his voice low and measured, "it pains me to do this to you. But If only you'd surrender, then this would all end."

Some of soldiers exchanged skeptical glances, their faces etched with confusion and despair. What did this monster mean?

Why did he seem to take pleasure in their suffering?

Alder's expression was growing more twisted with every passing moment, the screams of those who fell seemed to light a fire in him, one long forgotten.

He truly was taking pleasure in their misery.

"Why should we yeild to a demon who brought undead into our city!?" the soldier from earlier retorted.

But Alder merely sighed, his shoulders shrugging in a gesture of resignation. "Very well," he murmured, his voice dripping with some form of twisted pleasure. "Surrender wasn't much of an option anyways."

With the last of his words, the undead army surged forward, their swords and arrows slicing through the air, cutting down any who dared to stand in their way.

The soldiers fought valiantly, but they were vastly outnumbered, and soon, they found themselves surrounded, their backs to the wall.

The screams of the few soldiers soon went quite, as Alder and his undead were the only ones left in a bloodied city.

Marston was to fall tonight, this seemed to be a decision taken by the gods themselves. For no matter how much it's citizens struggled, this was just too much.

An unending number of undead was flocking them from all sides, arrows piercing any stupid enough to try to flee the confines of the city.

The last of the soldiers took their last breath, now all that waited was the castle... It's walls now only lay a few meters away from Alder's reach.

"Keep on charging, the castle gates are in sight... ." Alder's voice echoed in the minds of his undead minions, urging them forward.

Their goal was the gate ahead, the gate that would lead them into the castle, now nothing stood in their way.

As the undead army pushed forward, their pace suddenly began to slow, and at the front, their numbers were falling just as much.

A sudden surprise that skook Alder. He wasted no time and used his skill to take a peek into one of the undead's vision.

Kngihts stood in his way.

Wearing tight, slim armor made from a strange, golden material, the royal family's sign, the head of a lion, stood proudly at their chest plate.

Their leader, a towering figure with a strong jaw and piercing blue eyes, stepped forward, his voice ringing out across the battlefield. "Hear this, invader! I am Redrick Veln Bright, Vice Captain of the Royal Knights," the knight declared, his voice ringing out across the battlefield.

"We are the sworn protectors of the royal family, and our strength shall not falter against your undead nor will we yield... Turn back now, for you shall not pass through here!"

As if on cue, the skeletons halted their charge, their empty eyes fixed on Redrick, awaiting Alder's next command.

The Royal Knights stood tall, their armor glinting in the faint light of the crescent moon. The air was heavy with tension, the only sound the creaking of armor and the distant moaning of the undead.

Alder's response was a burst of laughter, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "What a pleasant speech," he clapped his hands, the undead parting to allow him to pass. "Now, I hope such a speech wasn't for naught... Don't disappoint."

On command, one of the skeletons threw their sword forward and with a swift dash, Alder closed the distance between himself and the Royal Knights.

Though caught of guard by his new found speed, he was able to grab the sword thrown out, and as he appeared before the knights, his sword was swing down like an arch on the bewildered kngihts.

Quick to respond, the knight targeted raised his sword, blocking Alder's attack. However, the force of the blow caused him to fall to his knees.

Without a chance to get back to his feet, Alder's foot met the knight's stomach, sending him tumbling to the ground. The sound of crunching armor and the knight's pained groan filled the air.

Without hesitation, Alder switched his sword to his left hand and with a thrust, he peirced the heart of a kngiht by his side.

The action jolted the other knights back to reality, and as if to redeem themselves, they launched a flurry of attacks.

Alder slid back, avoiding a wild vertical swing. With no time to waste, he pulled his sword from the knight's heart sending his lifeless body to crumple to the ground.

The smile on Alder's face grew wider as he swung his sword horizontally, barley grazing the knight who had just attacked.

Caught of guard by the sudden counterattack, The knight didn't have time to recover, as Alder was instantly in front of him, his sword inches from his neck.

A flash of memories flickered in the knight's eyes as his head rolled through the air, his body also crumpling to the ground.

"Ahhh, how long it's been... I haven't held a blade in such a long time, I was worried that I might have forgotten how to use it, though I'm ashamed to say that my movements have gotten clumsy."

Alder's declaration sent shivers down the spines of the remaining knights.

Redrick, the Vice Captain, roared, "Attack! Give him no time to breathe!"

The remaining knights charged, but not even mid way through their charge, when the distance between them and Alder finally began to wane...

Arrows rained down on them from the sidelines, taking down two unsuspecting knights, as for the others, they barely managed to block the arrows with their swords.

"Give him no time to breathe?" Alder repeated as he swung his sword, taking down another knight too focused on the arrow lodged in his abdomen.

"Now then.... That's eleven more to go," he muttered, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

A sword sliced through the air from the right, its blade glinting in a low silver hue. Alder managed to dodge the attack, his movements precise as if it was natural.

But as he prepared to counterattack, another sword swung from behind him, its blade biting deep into the air mere inches from his spine.

Alder's sword, already in motion, pulled back with him as he used it to deflect the oncoming attack.

The sound of clashing steel echoed through the battlefield, the two blades meeting in a shower of sparks. But Alder was not given a moment's respite, as three knights charged towards him, their swords at ready.

The distance between them closed rapidly, the air thickening with tension as their attacks came closer and closer to reaching Alder.

In the midst of it all... Another volley of arrows came, their aim true to their mark, But the knights were prepared, their swords quickly raised to deflect the arrows.

The distraction, however, was enough to give Alder the opening he needed.

With a swift kick, he sent one of the knights stumbling back, and as his body twisted, his blade swung towards another knight who was too distracted by the incoming arrows to defend himself.

The sword bit deep into the knight's arm, severing it at the elbow. A scream pierced the battlefield as the knight's sword-wielding hand fell to the ground, his cries of agony cut short by a sword piercing his brain.

One of the knights, realizing he was alone with Alder, tried to retreat, but his back met the tips of three spears wielded by Alder's undead minions.

The knight's screams were music to Alder's ears as he watched him fall to the ground, his body twitching in agony.

"This should be enough now," Alder said, his voice dripping with satisfaction as he surveyed the distressed state of his opponents. "The skeletons can handle the rest. For now, I'm curious to see what their Redrick there can do."

With a wave of his hand, Alder sent his undead minions charging forward, their orders to overwhelm the disordered formation of the knights.

It was then were the battlefield descended into chaos, the sound of clashing steel, bones falling to the ground, and the screams of the dying filling the air.

Alder, meanwhile, moved forward, his eyes fixed on the leader of the knights, who had yet to participate in the battle.

A sly smile spread across his face as he anticipated the challenge ahead. The leader, a towering figure with a strong jaw and piercing blue eyes, stood tall, his sword at the ready.

In a flash of steel, Alder vanished, leaving behind a trail of shattered earth beneath his feet, a second later he reappeared, his sword swinging down towards Redrick.

The Vice Captain raised his sword, meeting Alder's blade.

The clash of steel on steel sent sparks flying, and the sound of clashing swords echoed through the battlefield.