"Let's get the first things out of the way."
The one known as Ater began by raising a finger, pointing the tip upwards.
"Darkness…"
In an instant, a swirling sphere of darkness, sparking with purple crackles of energy, appeared at the top of his pointed finger.
It shot up into the sky, scattering the moment it reached a high enough altitude.
Once the sphere exploded, it created a thin layer of purplish black darkness—like a veil—that covered the sky and shrouded the immediate vicinity.
In a mere moment, all of the Mercenary Gang members were within the massive dome of darkness.
'What did he just do?' Claudius wondered to himself as he stared above him.
They could still see the moon hanging in the sky, as well as pretty much everything else.
The world was just a bit darker, but apart from that, there was no issue at all.
'If his goal was not to take away our vision to restrict our mobility, then what was it?
"Don't look so concerned. This doesn't affect you in any way, so ignore it." Ater smiled, and Claudius felt like those words were directed at him in particular.
It frightened him.
"Now then, it'll be a waste of time to entertain you all any further, and I'm pretty bored, so I think I'll just end this quickly."
Before Claudius could properly process and analyze what he just heard, Ater pointed his finger towards the crowd and muttered words.
"Dark Possession."
In that instant, a powerful pulse radiated from Ater, filling the entire space in an instant.
"G-guh!" Claudius felt something slip into his consciousness, but he quickly shrugged it away.
His body felt cold, but he overcame it all through his sheer willpower.
Blinking rapidly and shrouding himself in energy, he woke up from whatever slumber he must have been experiencing.
However, what he saw next was perplexing.
"UWAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"
"SAVE ME! SAVE MEEEEEEEEEE!!!"
"I'M DYING! UWAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
"HELP MEEEEEEEE!!!"
"MOMMY! DADDY!"
Multifarious voices filled the air behind him, and Claudius could hardly recognize any of them since they were yelling on top of each other.
What he knew, however, was that they all belonged to the members of the Mercenary Gang.
He heard thuds, meaning that most of them had collapsed—either in their knees, their backs, or their stomachs.
Claudius could hear wriggling. If he listened closely, itching and gnashing teeth could also be heard.
In essence, throes of despair filled the air.
Claudius was tempted to look behind him to look at his men and confirm what was going on.
However, he knew only death awaited if he did so.
The man before him, Ater, was living proof of that brute fact.
"I thought you wanted to end things quickly." Claudius asked.
His comrades were most likely experiencing anguish as a result of some kind of mental attack.
It was far from the quick end that Ater promised.
"You and I have different views regarding time." The response was smooth and downright hideous.
"An hour is a mere speck of a second for me. A day is not even worth a minute."
As the man approached Claudius, he already knew he couldn't win—not the way he was now.
'I have to use it—my Trump Card!'
Beside him were the stationary Heads of Destruction, all of them in an equal state of mental anguish.
Claudius was the only one who had fought it off.
He looked at Feyu… at Shuri… and he instantly knew he wouldn't be able to save them.
'If I try to help them, my life will be forfeit.'
Fernand and Phobio were also invalid, so he was completely left on his own.
'I am sorry, but… for my survival… I must do this.'
A bitter feeling permeated Claudius' heart as he crouched and placed his hand on the earth.
He had always thought he would do anything to attain power and live comfortably, but now… he wasn't so sure.
The hesitation he felt was too real.
That didn't stop him from making the choice, regardless.
"[Ultimate Sacrifice]."
~VWUUUUUUMMMM!~
A sudden blackness suddenly swept through the area like quicksand, easily filling the ground surrounding him with dark shadows.
'Anyone in the range of my shadow becomes a sacrifice…' Claudius thought bitterly as he spent all of his energy expanding his range to accept as many sacrifices as possible.
… Until he filled the entire battlefield.
Every single ally with him fell within his range, though somehow his shadow didn't reach Ater.
'As expected. He's a Necromancer, after all…'
Claudius felt the burden on his body as he began the process.
Black patches—appearing like hands—began to stick to the bodies of those who were caught in his darkness.
It pulled them under.
As if they were slowly drowning in an ocean of ink, the bodies began to get submerged in the muck.
'There's no going back now!' Claudius gritted his teeth
His body aged faster. Hair began to fall out of his head, and more wrinkles decorated his body.
His breathing became heavy, but he didn't stop.
"Do you think I'll just stand here and let you complete the process?" Ater asked with a grin, making an attempt to approach.
Of course, Claudius was no fool.
He already knew that, despite the lax attitude his enemy had shown thus far, he could always act at any time.
… Especially in a dangerous situation.
'At least, I now know that the final results of this Skill is dangerous to him.' Claudius smiled, activating his last Enchanted Item to give him a final burst of energy so he could utilize another Skill.
'[Abyss Call]!'
He summoned every single Undead in his arsenal—from high-
grade to the lowest of them all.
They all emerged from dark circles beneath, each of them only having one purpose.
"Attack that man!" Claudius screamed.
~WHOOOOSH!~
They all charged at the enemy, like the loyal troops that they were.
Claudius already knew that they wouldn't be able to win. However, they could surely restrain the enemy until it was finally time for his Skill to fully blossom.
And so, the clash began.