Chapter 79: Chapter 77: Mighty Generals as Numerous as Clouds
...
On the battlefield, the scales of victory were rapidly tipping in favor of Lynch’s Undead Army.
The goblin forces were already a motley crew with uneven combat strength and loose organization. How could they possibly withstand such a slaughter?
And among the Undead Army, the most dazzling performer was naturally the Bone Mage, one of Lynch’s most trusted commanders.
Surrounded by a cluster of personal guards, it waved the well-worn Magic Staff gifted by its master, and a dense wave of death energy swept across the battlefield like a tide.
Wherever the energy passed, corpses burst open one after another, rising again as Skeleton Servants.
These newborn Skeletons included goblins, Tidal Fishmen, and even many who were originally Skeletons themselves.
After all, the earlier fierce battle between the goblins and the Fishmen had left the ground littered with corpses.
Under the Bone Mage’s telepathic command, they picked up the weapons they had used in life—or simply brandished their bony claws—and joined the various divisions of the Undead Army, launching into a merciless slaughter against the enemy.
It had to be admitted.
The Bone Mage’s Skeleton Resurrection Skill was now far more efficient than its master, Lynch’s.
Thanks to its outstanding performance, the number of Undead Corps snowballed, their total forces quickly surpassing four hundred and continuing to climb steadily.
The encircled goblins suffered heavy casualties, and it wasn’t long before their morale completely collapsed.
The dozens of remaining little green-skinned monsters forgot all about spoils of war and mermaids, screeching as they scattered and fled, cursing their parents for not giving them two more legs.
At this moment, the Tidal Fishmen clearly realized that someone even fiercer had arrived.
In the distance, an old Fishman Shaman holding a Coral Staff let out a series of sharp, urgent hisses.
The Tidal Fishmen, who had still been tangling with the remnants of the goblin forces, abandoned the fleeing green-skins. Turning their spears, they charged toward the Undead Corps with strange GURGLING cries.
In the face of the army of death, the two forces that had just been fighting to the death finally reached a fragile consensus.
Deal with the Undead first.
"Oh? They’re finally joining forces?"
From his hiding spot, the corner of Lynch’s mouth curled into a slight smile. He didn’t look worried at all.
’But so what if they team up?’
His Undead Army’s overall strength was a far cry from what it used to be.
More importantly, his elite Soul Fire units, who were gradually coming into their own, needed some halfway decent battles to temper themselves and grow.
"Free rein. Show me what you’ve got," Lynch commanded through the mental link. "Whoever performs best gets priority for enhancements~"
The next instant.
The aura of the Undead Army on the battlefield shifted abruptly, each squad becoming far more aggressive.
Bone Jade took the lead.
This Skeleton Warrior, already at Tier One Peak, had scorching Soul Fire burning in its eye sockets as it led its most powerful elite troops to charge left and right.
Wherever it passed, the already chaotic formations of the Fishmen and goblins were carved up and shattered even further.
Bone Wolf, on the other hand, displayed a completely different style.
It led eight goblin wolf-rider Skeletons, ghosting around the edges of the battlefield to pick off fleeing enemies and continuously expand their gains.
As for Bone Shadow, it gave up commanding the Skeleton Servants. It used the reef-filled terrain to vanish from Lynch’s sight, appearing one moment in the shadow of a Fishman leader to slit its throat with a dagger.
The next, it burst from the shadow of a reef as a Fishman Shaman was trying to chant a spell. It not only kicked the shaman squarely in the balls, interrupting the casting, but also plunged its dagger in through the creature’s eye socket.
Hiss~
Even Lynch, watching from the shadows, couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath at the sight, feeling a phantom ache in his own crotch.
’Recalling the time I fought Bone Shadow when it was alive, I was lucky I was so clever and alert. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable.’
After killing the Fishman Shaman, Bone Shadow immediately vanished into the shadows again. Who would be the next unlucky soul?
However, when it came to the most visually stunning presence on the battlefield, it was undoubtedly old Black Corpse.
Although Lynch had not yet reached Tier One and hadn’t learned the Zombie Enhancement Skill, this old Black Corpse, by virtue of its own long-term accumulation, was already the most powerful being under Lynch’s command.
Its muscles were iron-black, and its skin was as tough as an old rhinoceros’s hide.
It had no weapon, nor did it need one. Its iron palms and sharp claws were the most terrifying weapons of all.
It was like a tireless steel chariot, plowing through the enemy ranks.
Ordinary harpoons and Bone Knives striking its body left, at most, shallow white marks.
But a casual slap of its palm could send a sturdy Fishman Warrior—shield and all—flying. The Fishman would be dead from shattered bones before it even hit the ground!
Even when facing special units like the Fish Giant or Bear Goblins, Black Corpse showed no fear. It would often charge forward, tanking their attacks, then grab the enemy and either slam it violently to the ground or simply tear it apart.
Wherever it went, Fishmen and goblins were sent flying, creating a perfect environment for the trailing Skeleton Corps to deal damage.
Even...
Even the Fish Priest, whom Lynch had previously looked down on, suspecting it of "slacking off," was now starting to shine on the battlefield, making Lynch see it in a new light.
The fellow was as cautious as ever, sticking close to the Bone Mage and freeloading off its personal guards’ protection.
At the same time, its Magic Staff was constantly waving as it directed four other soulless, "vanilla" Skeleton Mage units—temporarily under its "jurisdiction"—to provide methodical magical cover.
"SWOOSH~ SWOOSH~"
"BOOM! BOOM!"
Streams of water arrows and volleys of Fireballs shot from the tips of the Skeleton Mages’ staves. Although their power was far less than when they were alive, it was still Magic, and the damage was considerable.
The Fish Priest’s "own" Water Arrow Skill had also seen a massive power boost. At the same time, it had awakened a new Water Magic spell: "Water Shield Skill."
With a flick of its bone staff, it cast a water shield on a friendly unit.
The water shield looked flimsy, but it could effectively deflect and absorb several harpoon strikes before shattering with a POP! once its energy was depleted.
Although the water shield’s defense was far inferior to a Magic Shield, on this low-intensity battlefield, using it at a critical moment could perhaps save a key Undead Unit.
"A little interesting~"
Lynch stroked his chin, feeling he had truly underestimated the Fish Priest.
However, Lynch wondered if it was his PUA that had caused it to unleash its potential.
Looking across the entire battlefield...
Bone Jade’s valiant charges, Bone Wolf’s agile hunts, Bone Shadow’s lethal ambushes, Black Corpse’s peerless crushing power, the Fish Priest’s cowardly... er, steady damage output, plus the Bone Mage holding down the rear and endlessly creating new Soldiers...
Under Lynch’s command, there was truly a sense of "a legion of fierce generals, each displaying their unique prowess."
And just as the Undead Army’s momentum was unstoppable and victory seemed certain...
Suddenly.
"RUSTLE RUSTLE RUSTLE!"
On the flank of the battlefield, a thicket of bushes near the forest shook violently, and eleven figures suddenly burst out from within.
Leading them was an unusually tall and muscular goblin warrior.
It had dark green skin, wore a Beast Bone Crown, and its fierce eyes held a hint of cunning. It radiated an extremely tyrannical aura, more than twice as strong as an ordinary goblin warrior’s.
Apparently, this was an elite goblin warrior that had reached Tier Two.
...
