"Ice magic," the knight said with a cold smile. "The human whose body I took was a general of the Ancient Kingdom. His skill was freezing entire battalions alive."

Raito's eyes darkened. "Ice magic… Great."

The knight lifted its blade, frost swirling around it like a storm. The temperature plummeted instantly.

Raito exhaled, steam escaping his lips. "I was already having trouble with their strength. If they can use magic too…"

He dashed forward, blurring through the cold mist.

Before the knight could finish its chant, Raito appeared in front of it, dagger aimed straight for its throat.

CLANG!

A massive sphere of ice materialized between them, blocking the strike. His dagger jammed deep into the frozen barrier.

"Tch!" He tried to pull back, but frost began creeping up the blade toward his arm. He kicked off the ground and jumped back, shattering the ice wall with his momentum.

"What the hell…" he muttered under his breath.

The knight laughed, the sound echoing like shards of glass.

"Impressive… but that was only the beginning."

Ice surged again, sealing the entire hall in thick, crystal-blue frost.

Raito glared, eyes glowing with violet light.

"So be it… Let's see how your ice holds up against a hundred percent of me."

The knight tilted its head slightly, frost radiating off its armor in waves of pale blue light.

"Well… you haven't seen it yet," it said, voice echoing like a hollow wind through the frozen air.

Raito's instincts screamed.

Then

CRACK!

The ground beneath him exploded as a spear of ice shot upward from below. He reacted instantly, leaping back just before it could impale him.

"What the hell?!" Raito hissed, landing lightly on the edge of the crumbling floor.

The surface split apart, ice spreading like veins across the ground. Dozens, no, hundreds, of jagged ice shards rose, transforming into long, gleaming spears pointed straight at him.

[Warning: Enemy Skill: Ice Magic: Active]

[Status Effect: Movement Impaired – 20% Speed Reduction]

Raito sprinted across the frost-covered floor as spear after spear erupted behind him, narrowly missing his legs.

"Tch… I knew this ice magic was going to be a problem."

The knight suddenly thrust its arm forward, summoning a massive block of ice and launching it toward him.

Raito blurred, splitting into two afterimages. The block obliterated one illusion into purple shards, while the real Raito slid under it, eyes blazing.

"Got you"

But the knight had already appeared in front of him, sword raised.

CLANG!

The strike landed with brutal force, sparks bursting into the cold air. Raito grunted, blocking with his dagger as the shockwave slammed him downward, the ground cracking beneath his feet.

Before he could regain balance

SHUNK!

An ice spear shot up from below, piercing into his back.

Raito gasped, blood spilling across the icy floor. He dropped to one knee, his breath sharp and ragged. "Damn it… this is going to be a hard one."

Then his expression hardened. "Alright. I didn't want to use this yet."

He extended his hand forward, dark energy swirling around his arm like smoke.

[Skill Activation: Summon: Hunter Domain Familiar]

[Entity Summoned: Lich]

The ground beneath him trembled. A rift of black energy tore open, and from within it, a shadowy figure rose, tattered robes dragging across the floor, a skeletal hand gripping a staff that pulsed with glowing violet runes.

"I summon you from my Hunter Domain… Lich!" Raito roared.

A thunderous wave of mana burst outward, shaking the frozen ruins.

The knight stumbled back, frost vapor swirling off its armor. "What… what is that thing?!"

The Lich's empty eye sockets ignited with violet flame. It raised its staff slowly, and a deep, resonant hum filled the air.

BOOM!

A translucent barrier surrounded it just as the knight swung its sword. The blade struck the barrier, sending out a burst of mana and light that rattled the entire chamber.

[Lich Skill: Dark Barrier: Active]

[Durability: 87%]

The knight slid backward, gripping its sword. "Impossible… that creature deflected my strike?!"

Raito floated above them, black aura flaring like fire. His wounds began closing, dark crimson light stitching his body together.

[Passive Skill: Life Drain: Healing in Progress]

[HP Recovery: +350 per second]

He looked down, smirking coldly.

"You wanted to see what I could do?"

Raito landed slowly, his boots touching the icy ground with a faint crack. Frost swept across the vast chamber. The Lich floated before him, its hollow eyes glowing with eerie violet light as the temperature plummeted.

In an instant, the entire space froze over. The broken floor, the shattered walls, everything turned to pure ice.

The Lich raised its staff, encasing itself in a barrier of dark mana. Its power was immense, but Raito could see the strain.

"It's holding its ground," Raito muttered, eyes narrowing. "But it's not enough."

He clenched his fists, thinking fast. It can't access its full skill set…

Then an idea struck him.

"Wait. If I can share my command authority, I can unlock its abilities."

He swiped his hand through the air, summoning his interface.

[Status Window: Open]

Lines of glowing text appeared before him. He scrolled rapidly until he found it

[Skill Link Option Detected: Share Command: Lich Familiar]

[LP Cost: 50]

Confirm Skill Transfer?

"Yes," Raito said, tapping the icon without hesitation.

The system beeped.

[Skill Shared Successfully.]

The Lich, who had been barely holding its barrier, suddenly turned its skeletal head toward Raito. The purple fire in its eyes burned brighter, alive again.

Then

BOOM!

It thrust out its arm, and from the frozen floor, black mist surged upward. One after another, undead soldiers began emerging, skeletal warriors wrapped in tattered armor and frost.

"Over a hundred undead…" Raito whispered, watching in awe.

The Mireborn Knight roared, swinging its massive sword as the undead rushed in. Dozens were cleaved apart instantly, only to reassemble moments later.

[Undead Regeneration: Active]

[Command: Swarm Assault]

The room trembled as the clash echoed through the ruins.

"This won't stop me!" the Mireborn Knight snarled, cutting down wave after wave.

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