Leon and Roselia faced the incoming horde, their eyes sharp and unwavering. Leon raised his staff, beginning to chant the incantation for the first-tier Destruction spell he had recently unlocked.

    At his current tier, he could only access Tier 1 Destruction spells, but even those packed considerable power. His chant was short, befitting a lower-tier spell, and in moments, it was complete.

    "Blast Away, Bursting Fireball!" Leon commanded, pointing at the approaching horde.

    A grayish-black fireball materialized in his hand—not the usual orange-red hue of a standard fireball. This one radiated a sinister energy, brimming with destructive force. The fireball shot forward with incredible speed, a streak of dark flames tearing through the air.

    As soon as it reached the first zombie, it detonated in a fiery explosion, engulfing a 10-meter radius. The blast incinerated everything in its path, leaving nothing but ashes and scorched ground.

    "Damn, that''s powerful," Leon muttered, visibly impressed by the spell''s potency.

    Roselia, who had been watching closely, smirked. "Not bad for a Tier 1 spell. But don''t let it get to your head—we''ve got more coming."

    Leon nodded, readying himself for the next wave. "This is just the beginning. Let''s see what else these undead have to offer."

    "Let me experiment with more spells," Leon said, his tone calm but eager.

    Roselia nodded, stepping back to give him space, her weapons ready in case the situation escalated. Leon tightened his grip on his Magic Staff, his eyes fixed on the horde of undead surging toward them.

    He pointed the staff at the incoming zombies and began chanting another Tier 1 Destruction spell. A faint glow surrounded him as mana surged into the staff.

    "Lightning Spear, pierce the damned!" he commanded. A crackling bolt of energy materialized at the tip of his staff before launching forward. The spear of lightning zipped through the air, striking multiple zombies in quick succession, leaving charred remains in its path.

    "Interesting," Leon muttered, analyzing the effects before switching to another spell.

    "Frozen Fang, shatter their resolve!" This time, icy shards shot out, impaling a cluster of zombies and encasing them in frost. The cold was so intense that even the rotting flesh of the undead crumbled under the pressure.

    Roselia raised an eyebrow, impressed by Leon''s versatility. "You''re getting the hang of this," she said.

    "Not done yet," Leon replied, his voice steady as he prepared another incantation.

    "Earth Rend, split their ground!" With a sharp motion, the ground beneath the horde cracked and erupted, sending jagged rocks piercing through their ranks. Zombies were thrown into the air, their bodies torn apart by the force of the spell.

    Leon lowered his staff slightly, surveying the devastation. "Efficient. But I need better crowd control for higher-tier enemies."

    Roselia raised an eyebrow. "Impressive. But that''s a lot of mana for one attack."

    Leon shrugged, a playful grin on his face. "Efficiency isn''t the goal right now. Testing the limits is."

    Before they could move further, the ground beneath them trembled. A low growl echoed through the hall, followed by the sound of chains dragging across stone. From the far end of the room, a towering figure stepped into view—a massive zombie clad in rusted armor, wielding a colossal axe dripping with dark energy.

    "The Zombie King''s guard," Roselia said, her eyes narrowing.

    "Looks like we''ve got a warm-up before the main event," Leon replied, his grip tightening on his staff.

    The armored zombie let out a guttural roar, its hollow eyes glowing with malice as it charged at them with surprising speed. Leon and Roselia exchanged a glance, silently agreeing to work together.

    "Keep him distracted," Roselia said, darting to the side. "I''ll find an opening."

    Leon nodded and raised his staff. "Let''s see how this one handles another Fusion spell."

    As the massive zombie closed the distance, Leon began chanting again, this time combining Lightning Spear with Stone Bind. The ground beneath the zombie cracked as stone spikes erupted, immobilizing its legs. At the same time, a bolt of crackling electricity struck it, surging through its body.

    Roselia seized the opportunity, leaping into the air with her twin blades glowing faintly. She landed behind the creature and slashed at its exposed back, the sound of tearing flesh echoing through the hall.

    The zombie let out a deafening roar, breaking free of the stone spikes and swinging its axe in a wide arc. Leon and Roselia dodged in opposite directions, regrouping at a safe distance.

    "This one''s tougher than I expected," Leon admitted, wiping sweat from his brow.

    Roselia smirked. "Good. It means we''re close to the Plague King. Let''s finish this quickly."

    The armored zombie roared again, the dark energy around its axe intensifying. The ground trembled with each of its steps, and cracks spread across the floor as it raised the massive weapon.

    Leon narrowed his eyes, gripping his staff tightly. "Alright, let''s push it up a notch."

    He began chanting another spell, this time fusing Flame Wave with Holy Lance, creating a purifying burst of fire imbued with holy energy. "Burn in righteous light—Holy Flame Wave!" he called out, thrusting his staff forward.

    A surge of brilliant fire surged across the hall, its golden flames crackling with divine energy. The flames struck the armored zombie head-on, enveloping it in a radiant inferno. Its roars of pain echoed through the castle as its dark energy began to dissipate, the holy flames searing away its necromantic corruption.

    Roselia darted forward, her blades glowing with mana as she infused them with her own energy. "Void Piercing Strike!" she shouted, leaping into the air. Her twin blades sliced clean through the weakened armor, driving deep into the creature''s core.

    She is now fully utilizing her new class abilities as her Ancient Dark Magus was promoted to Ancient Battle Magus, unlike the Dark Magus which only focus on Dark Magic, this one is more powerful as she can effectively use other magic as well as unique battle magic too.