"Tch, I thought I'd get to kill two of them. What terrible timing."

Lee Shin-Woo huffed. He'd only killed one of the undead heroes hidden amidst the beasts, yet the Beast General was already coming to intervene. He couldn't even imagine how much influence Ethan Cruz had on the Beast General.

"Still, I can't just sit here and do nothing... Alright, let’s fall back to join Retadane."

"What about them?" asked Jin.

"They can wait. Seems like they're only going to act after the heroes are fatigued."

Lee Shin-Woo and Jin began to move. The surviving beasts nearby gritted their teeth and charged, but once Jin started sprinting at full speed, there was nothing they could do to stop him.

Jin was so fast that he zipped past the mob like lightning, leaving beasts aflame and scattered in his wake. No one was able to see him clearly.

[Stoppppp!]

As they attempted to rendezvous with Retadane, a boulder suddenly flew towards them. Lee Shin-Woo threw his Breath of the Lightning God at it and broke it apart. Immediately after, a bear-shaped beast charged at them.

[Lv7 Werebear Suranta Bennett]

[I won’t allow you to come face to face with the Beast General! Be a good boy and...]

"I don't have time for that!"

[Keuk!?]

Lee Shin-Woo charged without waiting for it to finish. The level 7 elite blocked his sword with its thick front legs, surprised.

[You’re stopping my attack head on!?]

"Heuuup...!"

[This is...lightning...!?]

Lee Shin-Woo concentrated, and the lightning wrapping around his sword surged suddenly before spreading across the bear's body.

Suranta wasn't an elite in name only. It fortified its body with a skill in response, but that turned out to be the worst move it could make. When two skills clashed head on, the higher leveled one would triumph!

[H-How can this be? My skill is...!?]

The lightning enveloped its body and burned bright, eating through its fur and skin, as well as the skill it activated. Suranta was shocked when it realized that Lee Shin-Woo's lightning had essentially canceled its skill. Lee Shin-Woo grinned and lunged at it with his Breath of the Lightning God.

"Nice… Rest in peace!"

[Kahak!]

Lee Shin-Woo would even be able to convert all the mana on the battlefield into lightning through his intense 'breathing'; this was child’s play in comparison. With Bursting Thunder, he thrusted his lightning-cladded sword forward, splitting the bear in half. Although it was indeed a level 7 elite, Lee Shin-Woo had easily taken it down in less than 30 seconds!

[You have acquired 7,194,070 Perium.]

[You have acquired the Lv7 Werebear Suranta Bennet's front foot bone.]

Lee Shin-Woo absorbed the bone immediately, but his Strength and Endurance only increased by 7. Its lousy magic led him to the conclusion that the bear was in the lower echelon of level 7s.

"Hoo. What's with the attitude? Your level’s the same as mine."

“Are you going to go kill the Beast General now?”

"Let's think about that after I level up."

Even at this very moment, the Beast General was chasing after Lee Shin-Woo. He could tell what state the battlefield was in based on how the Beast General was moving. Unfortunately, it wasn't Lee Shin-Woo's style to fight the general head on.

"Run, Jin. That reliable old lady will protect us."

"Just make sure you don't say that in front of her."

Jin ran quickly even as he grumbled. Now that the Beast General was coming for them personally, the surrounding beasts swarmed up to stop them, but...they were no match for Jin's sprint.

He was like a meteor as he shook off any and all pursuers and ran straight to Retadane! Retadane soon noticed them whilst crushing nearby beasts and yelled in surprise.

"Lee Shin-Woo!?"

"Retadane, the Beast General is coming this way!"

"You really do the most outrageous things... Stay behind me!"

[Kuoooooooooooh!]

As soon as Lee Shin-Woo regrouped with Retadane, the Beast General screamed and pushed through the nearby beasts. It couldn’t have been anyone else, but...Lee Shin-Woo was still caught off guard when he saw him.

"That's the Beast General...?"

[So many annoying pests have gathered in one place! I'll round you up and kill you all!]

The giant undead yelled and charged. Its entire body was composed of bones. Lee Shin-Woo couldn't believe it. The Beast General was a skeleton!

The higher level an undead, the more they resemble a human, so it made sense that Lee Shin-Woo would be shocked when he saw…the skeleton wolf. However, it looked incredibly formidable, perhaps exactly because it was a skeleton! Lee Shin-Woo had suspected the skeleton to be a stand-in of sorts for the general, but he checked the name and confirmed that it wasn't the case.

[Lv7 Bone Werewolf - Beast General Jilun Pelta]

"It really is the Beast General..."

"Indeed. No one can even come close to his savagery and cruelty; he’s known as the Tyrant of the Battlefield...! We should take him out while we have the chance!"

[Kuheu, what do we have here? It's the little lady of the Retadane house! What a joyous occasion. I've always wanted to eat you up!]

The moment she saw the Beast General, Retadane's red eyes lit up eerily, and she charged forward. She swung her flail with unimaginable force and imbued it with her inherent magic, making it glow with blinding light.

[Kuhak! Keuk!?]

The flail cleaved through the air, and the giant bone wolf boldly took it head on. It opened its mouth wide and caught the flail. The moment they collided, the Beast General made a truly awful sound.

[Kuhak... How have you become so strong!?]

"How funny for you to still be trapped by what once was... Keep yourself buried in the past and choke on it!"

"Buried in the past... Pfft."

Lee Shin-Woo looked on and acquired some useless information, like the fact that Retadane said some really childish things when she fought! But...

But she is truly powerful. It’s clear in her overwhelming physical strength and the magic she has imbued the flail with. Moreover...

Those were all her own abilities... The undead were nothing compared to the power of light. Even now, Lee Shin-Woo could feel Retadane converting a portion of the mana spilling out from her body into light. It was so radiant that most undead would cower at her approach!

Undead were maintained by darkness magic, but Retadane's light magic denied the root of their existence and put them in their proper place... In other words, she was sending them to their death. And the Beast General was no different.

[Keuk, this light magic...!]

"As the last light priest on this land...I will exterminate all undead!"

The Werewolf's fingernails glowed blue as they clashed with Retadane's flail in the air a few times. In terms of force, they were evenly matched, but whenever her weapon came into contact with him, the Beast General would become noticeably more fatigued. Short of reaching level 8, the Beast General wasn't able to deal with the light permeating the entire area!

[Alright... I admit you're no longer a coy maiden anymore... Now that it's come to this, I'll fight you with my true form!]

"What? We're on the second phase already?"

The Beast General admitted that he couldn't let this go on and retreated to recuperate. Lee Shin-Woo had been watching their fight and trying to analyze it. He couldn't help but feel disappointed after seeing the Beast General get hit a few times!

"Lee Shin-Woo, how long do you intend to just sit there and watch? You're the one who lured him over here."

"Of course I'll help. Haha. I was just looking for the right opportunity since it's so hard to keep track of your movements, Ms. Retadane."

Lee Shin-Woo was done being a spectator. If he could, he would've waited until the Beast General showed the trick up his sleeve, but he couldn't possibly do nothing when Retadane was staring at him and asking for assistance.

Moreover, there was something Lee Shin-Woo had overlooked: Retadane would eventually get tired with the continual use of mana and stamina. After all, she was human rather than undead! Even now, her breathing had become more haggard, albeit only slightly. This was obviously the opportunity Ethan Cruz was looking for, and he couldn't just let her be.

"Beast General, it's my turn!"

[Kuha. You're going to face me now?]

"You despoiled my seniors’ corpses! I'll take your life in revenge!"

That was as embarrassing as anything Retadane would say. Lee Shin-Woo powered through and rushed forward, giving Retadane the time to catch her breath. He concentrated his mana into the Breath of the Lightning God, and the Beast General smiled at him with disdain like he found him ridiculous.

[In the end, you will all serve His Majesty... As proof, I'll take you first!]

At that moment, splitting sounds came from the Beast General's body as his bones broke apart—that was what Lee Shin-Woo assumed was happening anyway—The broken parts were repaired with new bones, which tangled and intertwined in a complicated manner. The Werewolf was growing! He was transforming!

[Kureureureureu... Kuhaaaaaah!]

The Beast General had been quite large to start with, but now he was two or three times bigger. Sharp bones protruded from his back, resembling thorns. Then more sprouted on his arms, down to the back of his hands, his abdomen, and even all the way down to his legs!

His entire body was now covered in bone armor, which made it difficult to even make out his original form. There was one thing Lee Shin-Woo could be certain of, however, and that was the Beast General's strength had increased significantly!

[The strength of the twelve generals is absolute and cannot be measured with mere levels! Levels and magic are ultimately nothing but numbers! I'll kindly teach you that lesson through physical experience!]

"Werewolf transformation... I didn’t expect you to develop that technique even further as an undead."

Retadane focused her light magic into her flail and gritted her teeth. Lee Shin-Woo could grasp a thing or two about what she said. A little while ago, Bisher Moon had explained something related to this to him.

The Beast Tribe had a human form and an animal form, but through magic, they could blur the line. With a transformation technique, they brought out the beast’s unique characteristics and temporarily increased their strength.

However, high rank members of the Beast Tribe could go one step further and surpass their limits, further reinforcing their bodies or even awakening an unknown specialty that defied the logic of the world. At the time, Lee Shin-Woo had written it off as them transforming into a fantasy beast, but...

[Thorn Wolf. That's my special ability... Keuk, keuk. I’m trapped by what once was? Fool. I have gained a new body and became stronger than you could ever imagine!]

"Keuk...!"

With that declaration, the Beast General charged straight at Lee Shin-Woo. Lee Shin-Woo calmly blocked the blow with his Breath of the Lightning God, but was pushed back by the Werewolf’s ridiculous strength. This shouldn’t happen, especially when his momentum was empowered by Jin’s speed!

[I'll skewer both you and your horse...!]

"Tch!"

Lee Shin-Woo had thought the Beast General's transformation was over, but the sprouting thorns continued to get larger and larger before attacking Lee Shin-Woo and Jin in concert!

The pair tried to get away, but Lee Shin-Woo’s Breath of the Lightning God got stuck between two of the general's claws. What was worse, more thorns were sprouting between the claws, wrapping around his blade like vines. It was honestly quite disgusting.

Normally, he would’ve detonated the Breath of the Lightning God, or summon another weapon to block the general's attack, but Retadane was watching him right now. He couldn't show off those skills. In that case...

I have to go with Bursting Thunder!

Lee Shin-Woo rapidly circulated his mana and pushed it into his Breath of the Lightning God. He used High Rank Mana Bone as a base to activate Mana Acceleration, manifesting magic that would be effective against the general! He made use of High Rank Combat Sense as well in order to calculate the optimum course of action...!

"Heup!"

[Kuhak!?]

For a moment, the lightning reached its peak. The electric discharge burned the general's claws and thorns instantly, and the freed Breath of the Lightning God moved at lightning speed, cutting through all the thorns that had been coming their way!

The crackling lightning cut through dozens of thorns in a fraction of a second. The precision of the attack was goosebump-inducing, and the power tremendously destructive. No matter how many thorns came at him and obstructed his vision, Lee Shin-Woo was able to cut them all down with optimal moves.

Huh...?

At that moment, Lee Shin-Woo had a realization completely unrelated to Bursting Thunder.

How am I able to see those thorns and cut them down all at once?

Combat Sense and his connection with Jin might have amplified his reflexes, but there was something else; he was certain of it. It felt like he could perceive the thorns instinctively before his senses picked them up. Yeah, it was as if he could see the right course of action before it happened...

[You're quite powerful as well...! I'll crush you!]

"I've had just about enough of you doing whatever you want!"

Before Lee Shin-Woo could figure out an answer, Retadane, having caught her breath, took the opportunity to swing her light-imbued flail at the Beast General.

[Keuk!?]

"Don't leave me behind!"

'Stop talking like a guy who has been dumped by his girlfriend!'

Shocked, the Beast General attempted to retreat, but it was now Lee Shin-Woo's time to pay him back! He was weak compared to Retadane or other level 8s, but his 'breathing' and the subsequent Mana Acceleration it triggered converted the area's mana into lightning, delaying the Beast General for a fleeting moment. That small span of time was enough for Retadane to get a direct hit on the Beast General.

[Kuhak!]

"That ability just now... That was good. Let's talk after we take him down!"

"Okay!"

Like Lee Shin-Woo, Retadane had also been analyzing his fight with the Beast General while catching her breath, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. Now was the time to make use of the information she’d gleaned to push the general back!

[Kuhu... Coming after me, the Beast General, with only the two of you!?]

The Beast General had made use of the force behind Retadane's strike to retreat and activated an ability to restore his bones. Then he threw a taunt at them with bravado, while inwardly he felt intimately threatened; if things went wrong, he might die before their plan was even set into motion.

And thus commenced the battle between the strongest hero duo and one of the twelve generals.