God-Tier Awakening: The Dead Can Still Level Up

Chapter 56: Struggle in Vain

As the situation continued to deteriorate, the captain climbed out of the broken wall while clutching his chest.

The arm he had used to attack the Green Priest was badly twisted, with the bones clearly broken beneath the skin.

Several students flinched as he gritted his teeth, grabbed the damaged arm, and forced it back into position.

He tore a strip of cloth from his uniform and tied the arm tightly against his body before stepping back toward the defensive line.

"We cannot defeat him alone," the captain said. "Everyone who can still fight must help."

He looked across the soldiers and contestants gathered behind him.

"Do not try to overpower him just avoid his attacks, support each other, and keep him occupied until the commander comes."

The Green Priest laughed as the book floated beside him.

"You can do nothing, insects. Stop struggling and accept your deaths, becoming sacrifices to our great God is the only honour creatures like you will ever receive."

Several contestants trembled under the pressure spreading through the corridor.

The members of Squad Hellhound still moved into formation, while the stronger students slowly took positions beside them. Miao Tianhe, Han Zhen, the pink-haired mage, and several others prepared their weapons and talents.

A few weaker contestants instead began moving toward the rear, trying to hide behind the injured, the captain noticed them and gave them a cold look.

"Anyone who refuses to participate will be eliminated from the competition and permanently rejected from military recruitment."

The students stopped and one of them stared at him in disbelief. "You expect us to fight that monster?"

"I expect you to help the people standing between you and death," the captain replied.

"Nobody is asking you to face him alone, protect the wounded, reinforce the barriers, or distract him from a distance, but anyone who hides while others fight will never wear a military uniform."

The contestants who had been retreating looked at one another before reluctantly returning.

Some moved toward the injured, while others stood behind the stronger fighters and prepared their talents.

Varkhiel remained in front of Xingluo with his massive sword raised. Beside them, the pink-haired mage lowered her staff as frost began spreading beneath her feet.

The Green Priest looked around at the newly formed line and smiled. "Good, struggle together."

The chained scythe began rotating beside him as green light spread across the open pages of the book. "It will make your despair far more pleasing."

The Green Priest swung his scythe and several green chains shot across the corridor.

The soldiers at the front moved together, two raised reinforced shields while the others struck the chains from the sides, preventing them from wrapping around the formation.

"Second line, attack!" the captain ordered.

Three soldiers stepped through the gaps and released their abilities. A spear covered in fire struck the Green Priest’s book, while two blades cut toward his chest and legs.

The priest pulled his scythe back and blocked the first blade, but the second opened a wound across his thigh.

Before the soldiers could continue, the third eye on his forehead released a green beam.

One soldier raised his shield and took the attack directly. The beam pierced through the metal and struck his shoulder, throwing him into the people behind him.

"Replace him!" the captain shouted.

Another soldier immediately stepped forward and closed the opening while two others dragged the injured man behind the defensive line.

The contestants assigned to support moved quickly. Some helped stop the bleeding, while others reinforced the soldiers with barriers, healing skills, and ranged attacks.

Miao Tianhe attacked from the right side with two soldiers beside him. Han Zhen remained near the centre, using his shield to block the priest’s chains whenever they passed through the front line.

The Green Priest laughed as his floating book turned another page and several symbols appeared across the corridor floor. "Move!" Wuxia warned.

Xingluo jumped back as green spikes burst from the ground. Varkhiel stepped in front of her and cut through two of them with his sword, while a nearby soldier pulled another contestant away before the third spike could pierce his leg.

Squad Hellhound continued pressing forward, one soldier caught the priest’s chain around his shield and wrapped it twice around his arm.

"Now!"

The others pulled together, dragging the Green Priest off balance, the captain rushed in with his uninjured arm and drove his weapon toward the man’s chest. The priest blocked it with the small scythe, but Varkhiel’s sword came down from the other side and forced him to retreat.

Xingluo followed behind the Soul Sentinel and struck the priest across the ribs. The pink-haired girl raised her staff, freezing the ground around his feet before looking toward Varkhiel.

"Cool summon."

Xingluo gave her a forced smile while retreating from another chain. "Thanks."

The Green Priest tore his feet free from the ice and released a burst of force.

The soldiers at the front crossed their shields, but the attack still pushed the formation several metres backward. One shield shattered, and two soldiers were thrown against the wall.

Before the priest could attack them again, Han Zhen rushed forward and blocked the scythe with his own shield.

Miao Tianhe struck from behind him, forcing the Green Priest to turn.

The captain used that moment to pull the injured soldiers away. "Rotate the front line!" he ordered. "Anyone who cannot hold a weapon, move to the wounded!"

The soldiers changed positions without hesitation. Those with damaged armor fell back while the remaining members of Squad Hellhound stepped forward.

The priest attacked again and his chain wrapped around one soldier’s leg and pulled him across the floor, but another caught his arm before he could be dragged into range.

A third soldier struck the chain with an axe, breaking the mana surrounding it and freeing him.

The Green Priest’s third eye opened wider and several beams crossed the corridor.

Varkhiel blocked one with his sword, while two soldiers raised barriers in front of the weaker contestants, another beam passed through the defence and struck a soldier in the stomach.

He dropped to one knee, but the people behind him caught him before he fell. Wuxia remained near Xingluo, watching every movement of the priest’s book and third eye.

"The book is turning again, move right."

Xingluo followed the warning just as another chain passed beside her head. She rushed forward with Varkhiel, forcing the Green Priest to divide his attention between them and the soldiers.

The Soul Sentinel struck from above while Xingluo attacked low. At the same time, the captain and two members of Squad Hellhound closed in from the sides.

For several exchanges, the priest was forced backward. A soldier’s blade cut across his shoulder, Varkhiel’s sword struck the book away from his body, and Xingluo’s fist landed against his chest.

The Green Priest finally lost his smile, he caught one soldier by the throat and threw him through a door, then spun the chained scythe around his body.

The weapon tore through the front line, the captain blocked part of the attack, but the force reopened the injury across his chest and pushed him back. Two soldiers were cut across their armor, while another collapsed after the chain struck his head.

The priest raised both hands and a wave of green energy spread through the corridor and threw soldiers and contestants in every direction.

Several struck the walls, while others fell across the broken floor. The pink-haired girl created an ice barrier around the wounded, preventing the wave from reaching them, but cracks immediately spread through it.

When the attack ended, many people were injured and several soldiers could no longer stand, and some contestants had already lost consciousness.

Blood covered the floor and walls, but the defensive formation had prevented the Green Priest from killing anyone.

The remaining members of Squad Hellhound stood again and returned to the front, even the injured captain forced himself upright, holding his weapon with one arm.

The Green Priest looked at him and laughed. "Do you think holding me here is enough?"

The captain tightened his grip.

"No one is coming," the priest continued. "This place has been sealed by an essence of our God hidden inside me, even your commander will need an hour to break through."

He raised the scythe while the floating book opened beside him. "By then, every one of you will be nothing more than puddles of blood."