[You are facing an irrational number of opponents with only a small handful of allies. Through Rebellion, all stats have increased by 16%. All effects have been shared with your partner.]

"Wow, the hell is all that?"

"He's called the Beast General, right? As expected..."

The Beast General was a Werewolf, a level 7 elite, and led a force of beasts. Thus, his undead troops differed significantly from any of the twelve generals' troops Lee Shin-Woo had seen thus far.

"They're huge...!"

"Bears, tigers, wolves... Why are animals part of the Empire? It looks like a hoard of monsters rather than an Imperial Army."

"They have the bodies of beasts but the minds of humans. Don't get reckless, or you'll be dead before you know it."

Surprisingly, the Beast General's force was only about 10,000 strong. Anyone would be hard-pressed to call it a large army. However, they all radiated danger. It was unexpected that all of them were elites rather than regular soldiers; each and every one had trained themselves to the very limit.

"They're all at least level 4. That's ridiculous."

"We won't lose. We can do this."

"Leave the rear to me. I'll protect Llo...everyone."

The heroes surveyed the undead with unease and raised their weapons. Lee Shin-Woo did the same. The sight of sparks crackling along his Breath of the Lightning God surprised his fellow heroes.

"Lightning element...!?"

"That's the first weapon I've seen with such intense lightning. Did you get it from the Goddess’s Garden?"

"I'll be going first!"

Lee Shin-Woo yelled and charged forward while riding on Jin’s back. Ethan Cruz had already decided on a strategy and a battle formation, but if Lee Shin-Woo did exactly as Ethan Cruz said, wouldn't he be playing in the palm of his hand? After all, Lee Shin-Woo had to hide his abilities in this battle.

"O-Oh no! Lee Shin-Woo! Wait, why is that horse so fast!?"

"That idiot...! Let's go too!"

"Erian, back him up before he's overwhelmed by the undead!"

"Understood!"

The other heroes acted in a hurry. Of them, Seira Von Retadane's weapon was the most striking; it was a flail, an iron mace covered in sharp spikes attached to the handle by chains.

"Huaaaaaahp!"

The sight of a slender woman swinging a flail gave even the other heroes pause.

"R-Retadane, that's your weapon...?"

"I was sure she was a light mage."

The beasts spotted the heroes soon with their keen eyes. The sound of a horn rang through the battlefield, and the giant undead beasts in the forefront rushed forward.

[You hero scums, how dare you so fearlessly challenge the Beast General's forces!]

[We'll turn you all into undead and have you join our army!]

[Get ready... Keok!]

Lee Shin-Woo quickly charged into the vanguards and crushed them with the Breath of the Lightning God, looking like a streak of explosive lightning itself!

Riding on top of his mount, he provoked his enemies with a bold declaration, "I'm hero Lee Shin-Woo! I'll burn you all to a crisp. Come at me if you dare!"

"Has he always been so impetuous...!?"

"Follow him! It'll be dangerous if Jilun Pelta comes personally!"

The other heroes followed Lee Shin-Woo and clashed with the beasts. Both Lloyd H.K. and Mentes Orun wielded a sword in one hand and a shield in the other. They differed in that Lloyd was skilled with his sword, while Mentes used his shield better. A shield wasn't good at penetrating an enemy's defense, but it enabled them to take on a portion of the swarming enemies at a time and fight safely while Lee Shin-Woo did his thing.

"Heuryaaaap!"

[Keheok!]

[Kahk!]

[S-Stop them! We're being pushed back!]

Meanwhile, Seira Von Retadane swung her flail around, crushing multiple enemies with the attached iron mace.

She easily pulled the mace back and spun it once more. The beasts were shocked at the sight and attempted to go into defense, but it wasn't very effective. With another swing, she made quick work of dozens of beasts.

"I'm here too!"

"If you're going to support me, do it right!"

The archer, Erian Ruparte, and the mage, Ethan Cruz supported the heroes from the rear. Although Erian was still level 6, she not only shot a ton of arrows at once, but a great force had been put into said arrows. Meanwhile, Ethan Cruz attacked with incredibly powerful darkness magic, inflicting damage upon the Beast General's forces.

[Kuoooooooooooooh! Those who look down upon the Empire... Kneel!]

By the time the heroes broke through the enemy lines, the Beast General Jilun Pelta’s voice resounded through the battlefield, announcing his arrival.

Befitting his name, the Beast General's lion roar was wild and brimming with bloodlust. So much so that heroes with lower stats flinched and tensed up.

Is that it? Lee Shin-Woo thought, thoroughly underwhelmed.

Not only had he experienced powerful shrieks and gotten used to them before, he was also somewhat of an authority in the field; he reckoned he could write a one hundred page thesis on shrieks. Thus, it was easy for him to shrug the effects off.

However, he was unsure whether he could defeat Jilun Pelta one on one. Like Metafel, the Beast General was on the cusp of level 8. There was some worth in risking his life in battles in order to advance his skills, but this wasn't the right time for that.

Moreover, there's something I need to do.

Killing the beasts and cutting down their numbers? No, his job wasn't something so trivial. His original objective was to protect the heroes and kill Ethan Cruz! What he needed to do right now was...

Kill all of Ethan Cruz's subordinates that are hidden amongst the beasts.

Hiding something so small amidst the huge beasts was the optimum strategy. However, Lee Shin-Woo already knew of the existence of the undead heroes and could spot them easily.

Moreover, this mana... Ethan Cruz's mana is making it easier to find them.

Ethan Cruz had probably intended to help his subordinates find the heroes more easily amidst the chaotic battlefield with his mana. However, Lee Shin-Woo was using it against the man. He analyzed Ethan Cruz's mana and followed it, allowing Rem to locate the undead heroes, who were all connected to Ethan Cruz!

Rem?

[I have found all of them. Four of the six can be approached, while the other two are by Jilun Pelta’s side. I will guide you to them, Master.]

Good. What a nice GPS you are.

The battle had only just begun, and none of the heroes had died thus far. Ethan Cruz planned to order his subordinates to strike when the heroes were fatigued, but...

'Now!'

'I'm going!'

The moment Rem shared the route it charted, Jin ran with explosive speed! No matter who stood before him, charged at him, attempted to catch him from behind, or dropped from the sky to attack him, none could stop Jin from moving forward; every single one of the beasts ended up flung away.

In an instant, all eyes were looking for Lee Shin-Woo, but because the battlefield was filled with giant monsters, his allies failed to keep their gazes on him.

"Lee Shin-Woo, that idiot. Where is he!? Umph!"

"We’re left with no choice. We have to calmly kill the monsters in our immediate vicinity. Don't break rank. If you stray too far, we won't be able to support you, and it'll become dangerous for us too... Wait, Retadane!"

"Huooooooooooooooh!"

Lee Shin-Woo wasn't the only one who didn't follow Ethan Cruz's orders. Retadane was running wild swinging her flail with extreme vigor.

She was skilled with the weapon. The iron mace glowed blindingly and cleaved through the air without any impediment. Whenever she struck an undead, the undead vanished into nothingness without the chance to even make a sound.

"What... I guess we don't have to worry about her."

"But she's human. She'll get tired soon. Hoo, there're a lot of people we have to look over. Moreover, how far did Miss Kratia take Prince?"

"Don't you think they're preparing a huge attack of some sort?"

Lloyd and Mentes Orun synchronized their movements and pushed the undead back; while doing so, Mentes discreetly smacked his lips. Kratia and Prince hadn't been buffed, so he would have to work extra hard to procure them. Retadane would be an even bigger problem.

I’m most wary of Lee Shin-Woo, but I should be able to subdue him. That’s one thing down. What should I do about those two mages?

At this rate, Mentes Orun would have no choice but to leave those two to Ethan Cruz's reinforcements. In any case, he would focus on taking down Lloyd for now.

If they were able to procure Lee Shin-Woo and Lloyd, all that left to do was wait until Retadane was fatigued. With the help of Ethan's curse and the strength of one of the twelve generals, they should be able to take her down without much difficulty.

...I'm sorry, juniors. I wanted to see the Empire purified too. Unfortunately, life doesn't always go the way you want it to.

But at that moment...

"Wait! There are undead seniors working alongside one of the twelve generals!?"

A booming voice penetrated and rang through the battlefield. It was none other than Lee Shin-Woo.

"To think you'd hide amidst the general's troops and go after your juniors. How pathetic. Don't worry. As your junior, I will correct your mistakes and put you to rest!"

"...Seniors?

"..."

Lloyd tilted his head at Lee Shin-Woo's proclamation, and Mentes stiffened as their plans went awry. Meanwhile, Retadane stopped swinging her flail and broke into laughter. If they didn’t understand the meaning behind Lee Shin-Woo’s warning, they had no right to be here.

"No matter who it was, or why they used you, I'll get revenge in your stead! Huaaaahp!"

'Hey, aren’t you better at acting than this!?'

Lee Shin-Woo completely ignored Jin's jub and attacked the first undead Rem located. The undead hero fought back with its greatsword, but there was no way Lee Shin-Woo would be pushed back by a similarly leveled undead. It was the same story even if he didn't use his darkness element.

[Kyahak!]

"Ah, I see you can't even speak...! Have a taste of this lightning!"

No matter how much stronger the undead hero had gotten under Ethan Cruz's command, it couldn't overcome Lee Shin-Woo's Rebellion and Rule of Bone. He killed the attacking beasts nearby with ease and went on to the undead hero. As soon as Jin's rear hooves touched the ground, they charged forward!

"Heup!"

[Keuk!]

Lee Shin-Woo applied Shadow Horn to his thrust and broke through the undead hero's greatsword with a single blow. Then he flung the shards into the air with his Breath of the Lightning God and split the heads of the attacking monsters!

"Don't interrupt my final conversation with my senior!"

[Kuaaaaaaahk!]

His rage caused the monsters to flinch. The moment they retreated, Lee Shin-Woo pushed the undead hero back and burrowed his sword into its head within a few seconds. The lightning lingering in the sky was the only evidence of his swift attack and suppression of his opponent.

[You have acquired 2 Secret Shop permits and 28,115,470 Perium.]

[You have given peace to a comrade who walked a path they could not return from. You have partially cleared the quest, and have acquired 1 Secret Shop permit. The maximum level of Invisible Heart has increased by 1.]

"Kuheuk... I won't forget your sacrifice, Senior!"

Good. Now there were only five left. Lee Shin-Woo picked up the level 7 bone and immediately used Bone Reinforcement before standing straight, his eyes shining. At that moment, Rem reported to him from the sky.

[The Beast General is coming your way, Master!]