Age of Ascension: Forging an Immortal Realm from Nothing

The sea of undead roared and churned. A few monsters managed to break through the storm of projectiles and reached the perimeter, wildly attacking the [Withered Wood Wall]. But their numbers were few, and the moment they were touched by the wall's "wither" effect, they weakened, becoming easy pickings for the towers.
Meanwhile, at the rear of the undead army, a small team moved with ghost-like stealth.
A Skeleton Summoner was diligently at work, pulling creature after creature from the earth. Curiously, the ground never seemed to sink or crater, no matter how many skeletons crawled out. Clearly, they weren't actually buried there; it was some kind of special summoning magic.
Suddenly, a mournful, whistling sound cut through the air. The battle cry of Qin. The summoner instinctively turned its head, just in time to see a crossbow bolt flying at its face.
WHOOSH—! THUNK—!
The bolt punched straight through its skull, sending the head flying a dozen meters before it clattered to the ground. The headless body staggered, then fell. Another Summoner turned, sensing the attack, only to be hit with a follow-up volley.
THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!
The concussive force of the bolts shattered its bony torso into fragments.
More summoners noticed the commotion and were about to react when a wave of frost descended from nowhere, freezing them in place. Ten swift figures burst from the mist, their halberds flashing as they impaled the helpless skeletons, finishing them with a brutal downward thrust. In the blink of an eye, the entire patrol was dead. The Great Qin Vanguards then melted back into the fog, once again becoming ruthless hunters stalking their prey.

…
Back at the wall, the battle raged on. The towers thundered without cease. Wu Chi stood alone, a one-man logistics crew, frantically repairing defenses and restocking munitions, holding back the endless tide.
In the mist, the assassination continued. In just a short time, the Vanguards had already taken out over a thousand Skeleton Summoners, and the undead sea had visibly thinned.
Following them, Qin Keqing felt… awkward. She was a hero, the appointed leader of this squad, and yet… the Vanguards were basically babysitting her. In terms of combat instincts and killing technique, she was leagues behind them. They were cold, efficient, and lethally precise. They couldn't one-shot the Elite Summoners, but even those tougher monsters stood no chance against their coordinated assault.
The concussive bolts, the piercing halberds, the razor-sharp swords… beneath their bronze masks, not a single Vanguard showed fear or hesitation. Step by relentless step, they cut a bloody path through the darkness.
Caught up in the intensity, Qin Keqing did her best to learn and keep up.
The squad found their next target: a cluster of about fifty summoners, led by eight Elites. As they closed the distance, just as the skeletons were about to sense them…
WHOOSH!
WHOOSH!
WHOOSH!
The crossbows sang their deadly song, and the ten warriors charged. Behind them, Qin Keqing took a deep breath, raised her Precious Mirror, and unleashed a torrent of frost.
…
The fight was intense.
And from the depths of the mist, a massive, blurry figure emerged. It was bone-white, seven or eight meters tall, its skeletal frame seeming to ripple and flow like liquid mercury. It had been there for a while, just… watching. And it had noticed them. It had been stalking them for a very long time.
"Gakaka!"
The soulfires in its skull danced. The creature's enormous body began to phase, turning completely invisible in an instant. Undetectable by sight, by radar, by any normal sense, it was as if it had stepped into another dimension. A twisted, malevolent face materialized in the void as it closed in on them.
800 meters… 500 meters… 300… 100 meters!
The monster's body writhed, its bones contorting [N O V E L I G H T] into long, withered spears dripping with corrosive energy. It took aim at the backs of Qin Keqing and her soldiers.
This thing was a master of the ambush. It moved in absolute silence, emanating no killing intent. It was cunning and methodical. It had observed for a long time before deciding to strike.
HSSSS—!
Space itself seemed to warp. The monster let out a silent roar, its massive form exploding forward, crossing a hundred meters in an instant, its spear-like limb slashing down at Qin Keqing.
She was going to die. She was dead.
The monster's invisible face twisted into a cruel grin. But in that infinitesimal fraction of a second, just as it leaped, just as its spear began its fatal descent… an ethereal, gentle voice echoed through the mist.
"One Gulp…"
"To Swallow the Heavens!"