This necromancer is going to seduce the beautiful girls who are already dead.

After eliminating all his enemies, Abyss immediately turned his attention to Skal.

Skar also went all out. A veteran of countless battles, he had his own rhythm. He chanted a spell in a low voice and then cast a gravity spell on the Abyss.

"Hmph, experience counts!" A smile immediately appeared on Skar's lips.

Although Abyss could make good use of his fusion magic abilities, he knew very little about other magic, only a few basic spells used by apprentices. He was helpless against the gravity spell released by Skal.

The Abyss, now made of steel, possessed incredible defensive capabilities. However, his weight had increased seven to eight times, and with the addition of gravity magic, his current weight was considerable. Every step he took on the ground left a crater, making every step extremely difficult.

“So, how are you going to fight me now?” Skar laughed smugly. “What other tricks do you have up your sleeve? Show them to me. Or you could dispel your fusion magic now and turn into something like wood—then I can just ignite it with my magical lightning. That would be quite a sight. I know fusion magic has a cooldown period, so you can’t switch it at will.”

“I will defeat you!” Abyss replied. His voice had a metallic quality.

Just as his tone suggested, Abyss's actions also demonstrated his unwavering will. Although affected by the gravity spell, his weight had increased to several hundred kilograms, he was still pushing his physical limits, walking step by step toward Skar.

"Have you run out of tricks?" Skar laughed. He already sensed that Abyss had no more tricks up his sleeve, and indeed, what could he possibly do in the last few months? At most, he could only transform from an ant into a stronger one.

Ding—Ding—

Abyss moved with difficulty, his goal still Skar. However, even with his best efforts, taking a single step took him several times longer than an average person.

Skar laughed cruelly: "Looks like you're still not giving up. Well then, what do you think you'll do?"

As he spoke, Skar took several steps back.

These few steps seemed like an insurmountable chasm to Abyss, who could no longer even take a step.

But Abyss did not give up; his eyes remained fixed on Skar, burning with hatred.

"Hahahaha... I don't know what the point of your perseverance is. If you're heading in the wrong direction, all your efforts will be in vain..."

Snapped!

Skar's taunts came to an abrupt halt, a crisp, slightly viscous cracking sound echoing across the quiet night battlefield from his side and behind.

Chapter 153 Two young men came to deceive and launch a sneak attack.

Skal's eyes widened, and without uttering a word, he fell straight down.

On his skull was a gaping hole the size of a goose egg, still gushing blood. His body then began to convulse, and his lower body began to defecate and urinate. His brain was completely destroyed; he was beyond dead.

Behind him stood a petite figure, Leona.

Leona wore a victorious smile, her whole body trembling with tension and excitement. She didn't forget to put a hand in her mouth and let out a loud whistle to signal to the villagers that Skal was dead.

The gravity spell cast on the Abyss lost its effect due to the caster's death. The Abyss's body, which had been almost crushed into the ground, suddenly became light, and he was finally able to straighten up. He let out a long sigh of relief and looked at Leona, who was standing behind and to the side of Skal, still trying to catch her breath.

Leona was holding a sling in her hand; it was the very thing she had just used to kill Skal.

Leona, who was brought here by the villagers, had her hands bound with thin leather ropes. But that was just an illusion. The bandits were used to being tyrannical and didn't notice such a detail—how could anyone be so extravagant as to bind a prisoner's hands with leather ropes?

That wasn't a rope used to bind Leona at all; it was a sling. Leather slings were more flexible and could launch more lethal stones. The principle behind this inexpensive ranged weapon was simple: a rope with a leather pouch in the middle to hold stones. The stones were loaded into the pouch, and then the rope was held by one end with one hand, spun rapidly four or five times, and finally one end was released, sending the stone flying with extremely high initial velocity—and Leona used a lead bullet, making it even heavier.

This weapon didn't require much arm strength from the user; with just a little practice, it could be operated. After rotating it four or five times, the linear speed provided by the rope was enough to easily send the stone flying a great distance. More than a thousand years ago, when martial arts and various weapons were not yet developed, trained militiamen wielding slings were a highly cost-effective type of soldier.

Although the accuracy of this weapon is questionable, Leona is, after all, a martial arts genius in the real world who can use various weapons, and she can still make some use of it in this world. She has only been using the slingshot for a day or two, and she can already guarantee its accuracy within twenty meters.

Abyss's relentless advance towards Skar wasn't actually aimed at killing him personally. Although he had mastered the new magic Skar had developed over many years, he wasn't so arrogant as to think he could defeat an experienced mage.

Therefore, his displayed bravery and determination were merely to attract Skal's attention. An enemy whose body had turned to steel and who was walking towards him with a sharp blade was obviously more likely to arouse suspicion than a village girl who was panting from the ground shaking when her transformation was dispelled.

Leona didn't waste the time Abyss bought her; her lead bullet shattered Skar's skull, instantly turning his brain into mush. This powerful and arrogant mage died at the hands of a village girl.

There were a few surviving bandits present, all of whom were severely injured and unable to resist the Abyss. Seeing that their strongest member had been instantly killed, they were all terrified and knelt on the ground, begging for mercy, just like the villagers had been doing earlier.

At this moment, the villagers finally made their appearance. Although most of them had never been on the battlefield, they had all experienced fighting to some extent. Therefore, when they learned that they could now clean up the mess, they rushed out from all directions with perfect coordination, holding weapons such as sickles, clubs, pitchforks, and axes, and attacked the surviving bandits—they didn't need so many prisoners, just one or two would suffice.

Although the villagers of the Empire are mostly simple and honest, they can be quite ruthless when they get angry, and none of them are easy to mess with.

"Leona, are you alright?" Abyss ignored the bandits who were still lying on the ground crying and wailing, walked up quickly, grabbed Leona's shoulders with both hands, and asked with concern.

Leona coughed twice, her voice hoarse. She had been lying on the ground, absorbing the force of the boulder's fall evenly, and had suffered some internal injuries. But she still wore a pained yet happy smile: "I'm fine... just a little breathless... hehe, I think I broke a rib, I'll have to get Grandpa Drein to treat me..."

“It was too dangerous. I was even thinking of asking someone else to come in your place…” Abyss looked at Leona, who was covered in dust and dirt, with self-reproach.

“Others can’t do it, only I know how to use the slingshot. If it were someone else, they wouldn’t be able to hit me.” Leona shook her head. “Besides, when the villagers used the catapult, they coordinated very well with you, didn’t they? They just missed me, and the landing point was exactly the same as the one we had scouted out beforehand.”

This time, after Leona's series of persuasions, the villagers finally realized that if they did not resist, they would only face death. So, all the villagers who could help stepped in.

A group of people helped complete the catapult, which Leona had drawn from memory but had not yet finished building, and the accuracy was personally calibrated by the learned Dr. Drein; a nimble young man became a scout, and Dr. Drein used him to create an opening in the barrier to investigate.

The enemy's exact location; several skilled craftsmen in the village were responsible for using catapults to launch stones and transforming them into steel to hold the Abyss on the stones—the stones were only able to fly out smoothly because Dr. Drein used his last bit of magic to open a large hole in the barrier.

This time, Leona not only united the entire village but also achieved a victory against overwhelming odds. The only loss was that Leona herself suffered internal injuries and will likely need some time to recover before she can move normally again.

“As you arranged, the villagers will present the heads of these bandits to our lord. That bandit group has suffered a heavy blow this time, and I think the Earl will send troops to punish them. I will be their guide then.” Abyss said softly to Leona. “Leona, thanks to you, you saved everyone, and you saved me too.”

Leona chuckled憨厚ly, "Hehe...it's nothing..."

Abyss didn't continue speaking. Instead, he gazed into Leona's eyes and pressed his lips to hers. The gesture was somewhat domineering yet incredibly gentle, making Leona feel weak all over and panicked.

"No, no, no, no!" Leona suddenly jolted, placing her hands between her legs to block her "husband's" approaching lips. "We can't do this!"

This Abyss is just a figure from a dream world! He's not actually the Abyss! He only has the appearance and a few features of the Abyss. If they actually kissed, wouldn't that be...?

Just as Leona deflected the Abyss, the scenery before her eyes began to slowly melt away.

Chapter 154 The Results of the Trial

Leona slowly opened her eyes, and what came into view was a bright, shimmering magic circle, with water-like magic flowing gently through the circle's circuitry.

The pain and tension she had felt in the illusion vanished as it dissipated. Leona turned to look around; the seven Moon Knights were slowly opening their eyes, while Abyss, the illusionist, was already stretching lazily to the side.

“Leona, the trial is over. I’m sorry, we didn’t design any further procedures, so you won’t be able to see how things develop,” Nicola said, walking up to Leona first.

"Can the Abyss see what's happening inside that illusion?" Leona asked, almost as if possessed.

She clearly cared a lot about her trial results, but the first question that came to her mind was this one.

If ABC finds out that Leona called him "husband" in the illusion, putting aside whether he might say something strange that is hard for ordinary people to understand and embarrass Leona, just the fact that he knows that she once called him "husband" is enough to make Leona feel terrible.

“Abyss? He can’t.” Nicola knew what Leona was worried about, and smiled slightly as she said to Leona, “In our magic circle, Abyss is just a source of magic and a node to maintain the magic’s effect. He himself cannot interfere with the trial. This was set up by us to ensure the fairness of the trial, to prevent illusionists from being bribed by the trial participants—and such a thing has actually happened before, but the illusionist did not agree at the time and even told us.”

"Hmm? What's going on inside?" Abyss blinked, looking very curious.

"It's nothing!" Leona puffed out her chest and said fiercely, "Don't ask! You boys shouldn't listen to that!"

“Oh, okay.” Abis immediately turned his face to the other side.

"So... how did I do in the trial?" Leona finally started to worry about her trial.

Although she had repeatedly tried to build her confidence and believed that her impromptu performance in the trial would satisfy the seven Moon Knights, at this moment, she felt as uneasy as a student who had just finished an exam and hadn't yet received the answers. She wondered if her performance met the examiners' standards and if she would lose points.

Upon reflection, although she had successfully defeated the powerful enemy in the previous illusion, the methods she used were not honorable. According to the chivalric novels she had read, a brave knight always confronts the enemy head-on. Even if the enemy uses tricks and schemes, he will be defeated, then become stronger through training, and finally defeat the enemy in a direct confrontation.

Throwing stones at an enemy from behind to kill them doesn't sound like something a knight would do; it sounds more like a sneaky thug.

The magic circle was dispelled, and Abyss and Sheila stood obediently to one side, waiting for the judgment of the seven Moon Knights.

“We need to assess your performance during the trial, and the results will be available soon.” Ilana smiled kindly and nodded to Leona. “Please wait a moment. The seven of us need some time to discuss whether you are qualified to join the Moon Knights.”

"Okay...okay!" Leona immediately stood up straight, nervously waiting for the Moon Knights' scores.

The Moon Knights didn't waste any time; they formed an arc in perfect unison and stood in front of Leona to begin their judgment.

“Leona is really quite different from people from over a thousand years ago,” Ada said first. “If this illusion didn’t automatically deduce based on our thoughts, Leona probably would have made a mistake halfway through.”

“Yes, indeed, many of their performances were beyond my expectations.” Nisha nodded seriously.

“First, we have to tell you, Leona, although your actions were unexpected, you are indeed the first person in the history of our trials to pass them perfectly,” Nicola told Leona at this moment. “Many people fail before they can even get past half of the process, and of course they are disqualified on the spot.”

"Huh? Is this trial that difficult?" Leona asked, her eyes wide.

“Yes, when we designed this trial, the design direction was actually ‘a desperate situation fraught with danger’,” Nicola said. “Therefore, we didn’t even expect anyone to be able to complete this trial; we just wanted to see a person’s various qualities during the trial. And you actually passed the trial in a way we never thought of.”

"So...so you didn't intend for anyone to defeat that mage?" Leona stared in disbelief, then jumped in surprise. "Did I misunderstand? I...I...I didn't mean to! I just wanted to complete this trial properly."

Ada gestured to Leona with her hand, signaling her not to rush, and then said, "I can tell you about the outcome of our trial: half of the people went in and did good deeds for the villagers every day, helping this family and that family. When the mage appeared, they were completely unprepared and died along with the entire village; a quarter of the people sensed the danger hidden beneath the peaceful life, but in the end, they chose to flee the village, which also led to a tragic end. The other quarter of the people, like the knights praised in some stories, bravely charged forward—dying in vain, but quite heroically."

“And you, you were quick to sense the crisis and prepared in advance, taking timely countermeasures. When a powerful and invincible enemy appeared before you, you made full use of all the resources at your disposal to defeat him,” Jayka said. “But the way you defeated him was not honorable. You used a sneak attack, and you were a reserve force; someone else was the one who led the charge.”

“I have never heard of any knight using a sling to kill an enemy,” Nancy said, shaking her head.

“And you’ve put others in danger as well.” Helia sighed softly.

Leona fell silent, looking pitifully at the seven Moon Riders, unsure of what to say.

It seems... this time it's hopeless.

“But who says a knight can’t launch a sneak attack?” Jayka suddenly smiled. “We’re not pedantic dogmatists. Our philosophy is that, as a knight, your reasons for doing things are more important than the way you do them.”

“You used a slingshot to kill the enemy, which was very clever of you and really opened my eyes,” Nancy added.

“You were all already in danger, and you led everyone, taking even greater risks to gain victory and the right to choose your own destiny. I think that’s reasonable.” Helia nodded slightly.

"Huh?" Leona was a little confused by the Moon Knights' sudden change in attitude.

“Let me summarize. Your approach surprised us, but it also delighted us. Although you didn’t meet our expectations perfectly—no one should live to meet someone else’s expectations. So, you’ve successfully passed the trial, and we believe you’re qualified to be one of us.” Nicola took two steps forward and took Leona’s hand. “Well then, Leona, welcome. You are now the eighth knight of the Moon Knights.”

Chapter 155 A Septet Dedicated to the Deceased Princess

Leona's eyes widened at first, seemingly in disbelief, but soon joy blossomed on her face.

"I...I did it!" Leona cupped her face in her hands and pinched it hard—of course, as an undead, she couldn't feel pain now, but she still knew that she wasn't dreaming.

“Yes, you performed very well. You are qualified to be one of us. Your character is also worthy of being called a knight.” Jayka also stepped forward, her gaze towards Leona very gentle. “The knightly spirit of the Empire is not about molding people into a certain shape, but an invisible force that gives people faith and fighting spirit. And you, although we have never seen your fighting style before, that does not prevent us from judging that you possess the knightly spirit.”

The other Moon Knights huddled around Leona, treating her with even greater kindness than before.

Ada patted Leona on the shoulder: "Do whatever makes you happy. We're not kidding. Swear an oath with us and we'll stamp the Moon Knight's emblem on you. Then you'll be one of us."

"I did it! I did it!" Leona finally believed she had achieved her greatest wish in life after hearing Ada's confirmation. Overjoyed, she raised her hand high among the Moon Knights and shouted to the Abyss, who was standing there smiling in their direction, "ABC! Sheila! Did you see that?! I did it! I'm a Moon Knight now!"

Abyss gave Leona a thumbs up: "I saw it! Well done, Leona!"

"As expected of Miss Leona! I knew Miss Leona could do it!" Shera also turned towards Leona, cupping her hands into a megaphone and responding loudly.