Evolving My Undead Legion In A Game-Like World

Chapter 861: Resistance

Not only could Renn feel it, Arianne, her tamed beast, Spartan, Michael, and many other participants who were still conscious sensed a subtle resistance building around them.

Even someone who had never stepped into a constructed realm before but possessed a bit of knowledge would immediately understand what was happening. Simply put, they did not have much time left in this place.

"It’s a bit ahead of schedule, but at least nothing too bad happened," Michael joked lightly, a faint smile touching his lips.

Renn looked at him and, after a brief pause, returned a smile of his own. It was smaller and less carefree.

"It wasn’t exactly perfect either," Renn said quietly. "Because of that evil spirit’s scheme, some people actually lost their lives in this realm."

His voice remained steady, but the weight behind his words was unmistakable.

Michael fell silent. He did not look away, but his gaze sharpened slightly.

"...I know," he said at last.

He exhaled softly.

"As long as we’re alive," Michael added calmly, "it’s fine."

It was not indifference. It was practicality. The dead could no longer be helped. The living still had a path forward.

Renn held his gaze, then nodded. "You’re right."

His expression softened faintly. "And... thank you for saving me."

The gratitude was simple and direct. There was no dramatic bow or exaggerated display, just sincerity.

Renn did not question Michael about the figure. He did not ask what truly happened. He understood that if Michael wished to explain, he would have done so already. If not, pressing would only complicate matters. Trust did not always require answers.

Renn adjusted the unconscious prince over his shoulder as the rejection force around them intensified.

"I shouldn’t take more of your time," he said. "Looks like we’re being kicked out anyway."

A faint distortion wrapped around both of them, pale light outlining their silhouettes as the expulsion began.

Michael gave a small nod but did not step back. "Not yet," he said calmly.

Renn paused.

Michael’s gaze shifted briefly toward the distance. "I still need to go back," he added. "Arianne is out there."

And his undead, Michael added silently in his mind.

He did not elaborate further. He simply did not allow the process to complete. His mana subtly anchored him in place, resisting the pull for just a moment longer.

Renn smirked faintly. "Aren’t we going to see each other outside anyway?"

Michael let out a quiet huff. "Probably."

They shared a brief laugh.

The light around Renn intensified, wrapping him and the prince like a cocoon as space distorted violently.

Then it stopped.

The light flickered once and vanished.

Renn’s smile faded first.

The distortion collapsed, the air snapping back into place with a low tremor. The outline of expulsion dissolved like mist.

Yet the pressure remained, stronger now.

"That’s not normal," Renn muttered.

Michael did not answer immediately. His eyes slowly lifted toward the sky.

The realm was still rejecting them. The force pressing against their existence had not weakened, but they had not been expelled even though the process had clearly begun.

That meant only one thing.

Something was interfering.

Renn adjusted his grip on the prince. "Shouldn’t I be expelled?" he asked quietly.

"You should," Michael replied, voice calm but distant.

The realm had lost its owner. Its internal system was purging foreign presence, and yet it had failed.

Something was definitely wrong.

Renn’s jaw tightened. At this point, he was starting to regret listening to his master’s suggestion to come here.

"So what’s stopping it?"

Michael’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"I don’t know," he said honestly. "But be careful."

Renn’s gaze sharpened. "Careful of what?"

"Anything," Michael replied. "If the realm is rejecting us but can’t expel us, then something is resisting the rules. That doesn’t sound good."

He glanced toward the direction he had come from, then back to Renn’s face.

"If you can, go meet your other teammates and check how they’re doing," Michael said. "Or wait for me here. Either way, don’t wander without a reason."

Renn hesitated for a moment, weighing it.

Then he nodded. "It’s better I check on them. The prince and I ran past them earlier. If I trace my path back, I should find them."

Michael did not argue. He only gave a short nod. "Good. Don’t take risks."

Renn adjusted the unconscious prince on his shoulder, then offered Michael a quick, smaller smile.

"You should be safe too," he said.

Before Michael could reply, Renn turned and sprinted off.

Michael let out a quiet breath.

His thoughts shifted to another figure.

Uga.

Michael shook his head slightly. "Hopefully he’s alright," he murmured.

Then he turned and dashed off in the opposite direction, following the path he had taken earlier.

It did not take long for him to see some familiar figures.

Because he had run above them before, he found them where he expected.

Three bodies lay scattered across the cracked terrain.

His teammates.

They looked weak. Their faces were pale, their breathing shallow, their mana almost nonexistent.

But they were alive.

Michael did not waste time.

Without thinking too much about it, he extended his mana and wrapped it around them carefully, lifting them off the ground like weightless stones, and dragged all three with him as he made his way toward Arianne.

Soon, Michael was back at the place where he had left Arianne.

Arianne was still where he had last seen her.

Spartan stood protectively at her side. The lion’s mane bristled slightly as Michael approached, but the tension eased the moment he recognized him.

Arianne looked up.

For a brief second, relief flashed across her face.

Michael slowed to a stop. The three unconscious teammates floated behind him, suspended by controlled threads of mana. He did not speak immediately.

Instead, he extended his will toward Spartan.

Without resistance, the undead was drawn back into the Damaged Coffin of the Forgotten. The transfer was smooth and silent, leaving only a faint ripple in the air where he had stood.

Michael preferred not to leave his undead exposed when something unknown was interfering with the realm’s rules.

Only after Spartan was secured did he fully turn his attention to Arianne.

"How are you?" he asked calmly.

Arianne stared at him for a moment, as if confirming he was truly there.

"I..." Her voice faltered slightly before she steadied it. "I feel weak. But normal."

Her hand instinctively moved to her chest.

"The strange presence is gone."

Michael studied her carefully, extending a thin strand of perception toward her core. Her mana was indeed reduced but stable. The external influence that had once wrapped around her had completely vanished. To be certain, Michael still used his Eyes of Truth on her.

That confirmed it.

Good.

Michael gave a faint nod. "That’s expected," he said. "The realm lost its owner. The borrowed enhancements are fading."

Arianne’s gaze shifted to the three figures floating behind him. "You found them."

"They’re alive," Michael replied. "Just drained."

Arianne exhaled softly, tension leaving her shoulders.

She hesitated for a moment, then spoke again.

"Sir Mic... even though the enchantment disappeared, the knowledge I got from the skill orb is still in my mind."

Michael’s eyes shifted back to her. "The knowledge?" he repeated.

She nodded slowly.

That was news to him.

Michael had never used the skill orb himself. He had deliberately avoided it, so he had no personal reference for how it functioned once the realm collapsed.

His gaze sharpened slightly. "You’re sure it’s still there?"

"Yes." Arianne closed her eyes briefly. "I can recall it clearly. The structure of the techniques, the circulation paths, even the theory behind them."

Michael fell silent.

Then he gave a small nod. "That makes sense," he said calmly.

Arianne looked at him.

"The skill orb likely acted as a transmission medium, not the source," Michael explained. "The enchantment we felt was probably a temporary amplification. But the knowledge itself was directly imprinted into your consciousness."

He paused.

"When the realm lost its owner, all borrowed energy began to withdraw. But information is different. Once it integrates into your mind, the realm can’t reclaim it unless it specifically anchored the knowledge to its own structure."

Arianne absorbed his words slowly.

"So it’s mine now?"

"Most likely," Michael replied.

He studied her again through Eyes of Truth, confirming there were no lingering threads or hidden anchors embedded in her mind.

Nothing abnormal.

Just fatigue.

"That’s fortunate," he added. "You gained something real from this, at least."

Arianne’s fingers tightened slightly against her sleeve, emotion flickering briefly in her eyes.

But before she could say anything else, the air around them distorted again.

"Sir Mic... should we leave now?" Arianne asked softly.

Her voice was steady, but her eyes were searching his.

"I can feel it," she continued. "The realm is trying to expel us."

She hesitated briefly.

"I haven’t initiated it yet. I was waiting for you."

From her words alone, Michael understood.

Unlike Renn, she had not attempted to trigger the expulsion.

No wonder she asked that question.