Chapter 345: Falling Trap

The seven Froods were still descending toward Darion and Marrick. Their bodies were massive, claws extended, mouths open. Their entire attack was built around the momentum of their jump.

Darion watched them carefully. Then he did something he hadn’t really done since before becoming a Necromancer.

He summoned knights.

Not elite undead commanders. Not Yuimons. Just ordinary undead knights.

But this time, Darion wasn’t simply summoning them and giving them a basic command such as Protect me. He gave them something much more precise. He began mentally assigning their exact positions. Where they would appear. Which direction they would face. How their legs would be positioned. Where their bodies would land. Most importantly, what they would be striking.

Darion had reached a point where he could use his undead almost like pieces on a battlefield. He didn’t need to simply tell them what to do anymore. He could determine exactly where they needed to be at the right moment. His eyes remained fixed on the incoming Froods.

Honestly... their tactic wasn’t bad. They had studied their opponents before attacking. They had identified Darion and Marrick as the most important targets. They had used their incredible jumping ability to bypass the Yuimons’ formation. They had attacked from above, where Darion’s defenses were less obvious.

Darion almost respected it. ’Not bad.’

If he’d been less experienced, or if this had happened much earlier in his journey,he might have fallen for it. But this wasn’t some ordinary fight. This was his battlefield. And he had one advantage the Froods had completely failed to account for. His undead didn’t need to be present before he summoned them.

Darion’s lips curled into a faint smile. ’Maybe in another dimension, I would’ve fallen for something like this. But not in this dimension. Not in this timeline.’

Darion could have simply ordered the Yuimons to open their mouths and tear the Froods apart as they descended. That would probably have been the easier solution. The five Yuimons were already positioned around them, their jaws capable of becoming a wall of teeth waiting for the creatures. But Darion didn’t do it. Instead, he stuck with his plan.

He watched. He waited.

The Froods continued falling. Their enormous bodies cut through the air. Their claws stretched toward Darion and Marrick. One of them was directly above them. Another approached from the side. Seven creatures. Seven targets. All convinced that they were about to reach their prey.

Marrick finally realized just how close they were. His eyes widened. "MY LORD—!"

He was about to shout. Darion didn’t move. He simply waited.

At the exact moment the Froods entered the predetermined positions—BOOM!

Undead knights suddenly materialized. They appeared beneath the falling creatures.

The Froods’ eyes widened. They didn’t expect anything to be there. Not in the slightest. Their entire tactic relied on the assumption that they had already bypassed Darion’s defenses. They hadn’t considered the possibility that new enemies could simply appear in their path.

Darion had.

Four undead knights were positioned for each Frood. Their legs were deliberately angled upward. Their bodies were braced. Their feet were aimed directly toward the creatures’ necks. Seven groups. Four knights per target. Twenty-eight undead knights in total. Every single one positioned specifically for one purpose.

Break the neck.

The Froods continued falling. They had no time to change direction. Their claws were still stretched toward Darion. They were almost there.

Then—THWACK!

The first group of undead knights caught the falling Frood. Its neck violently collided with their positioned legs. CRACK!

Another group. THWACK! Another. CRACK! The sounds overlapped almost immediately. Seven massive bodies crashed into the perfectly positioned undead knights. THWACK! CRACK! THWACK! CRACK! THWACK! CRACK! The collective sound of bones snapping filled the forest.

To Darion’s ears... it sounded like ASMR. He watched with an almost satisfied expression. Every Frood landed limp. Their necks had been completely broken. The seven creatures that had seemed so dangerous only moments ago were now dead before they ever reached their intended targets.

The bodies collapsed onto the forest floor. Silence returned.

Darion looked at the seven corpses. Then the system responded.

[Congratulations on killing seven frauds.]

Darion stared at the notification. His eyebrow twitched. ’Frauds?’ He almost laughed. Of course the system had to make the joke for him.

He walked over to the first Frood. Marrick remained on the horse, staring at the aftermath in complete disbelief. Darion crouched. He placed both hands against the creature’s chest. Necromantic energy began flowing from his palms. The corpse twitched.

Darion repeated the process with the others. One by one, he placed his hands on their chests. Greenish energy spread across each corpse. The bodies briefly responded to his power. Then—BOOM. The seven Froods stood from the ground, ready to serve. He sent them to his inventory.

Their corpses were now safely stored inside his undead animal inventory.

Darion immediately checked his system.

[STATUS]

Name: Darion

Title: Baron of Percvale

Class: Necromancer

Rank: Master [NEW!]

Territory: Percvale (Border Domain)

Territorial Resonance: Low (Starving-aligned — Improving)

[ATTRIBUTES]

Strength: 124

Agility: 110

Endurance: 128

Vitality: 111

Perception: 113

Intelligence: 153

Willpower: 130

[Knight Undead Inventory: 236/250]

[Animal Undead Inventory: 136/200] [+7]

[Skills:

Death Perception

Distant Command

Borrowed Sight

Escort]

He scanned through the newly updated information, mentally taking note of the Froods and the changes to his inventory. The fight had been clean. Efficient. Exactly what he needed before marching into a hostile city.

Darion straightened. Marrick was still staring at him. The expression on Marrick’s face made it obvious that he was still trying to process what just happened.

Darion looked toward the road. Harrowhold was still waiting. He turned toward Marrick.

"Mount."

Marrick immediately obeyed. He settled onto the horse and took the reins. Darion climbed onto the horse behind him. Before leaving, Darion looked back at the forest. The seven Froods were gone. Another useful addition to his growing collection.

Darion then dismissed the undead knights. The Yuimons disappeared as well. Edric Vorne released the horse and vanished. Within moments, the forest was quiet again. Only Darion, Marrick, and the horse remained on the road.

Marrick guided the horse forward. Darion settled behind him. The horse began moving again. Their destination remained the same. Harrowhold.

Darion watched the forest road stretch ahead. Whatever waited for them there, they were getting closer.