A bitter wind swept over the sinister manor, and ghostly flames merged into a rolling sea of clouds, like specks of starlight glittering amid the gloom of dark clouds.
A clear cry tore through the clouds. An elegant, long-limbed stork beat its wings and soared into the sky, then dove like an arrow loosed from a bow. Just before touching the ground, it neatly folded its wings, spun lightly, and flung the two large crates hooked in its claws into the cluster of skeletons with ghostfire blazing in their eyes.
The skeletons were drawn over by the sound of the crates shattering. The nearest one shook its creaking jaw, carried its sword, and swaggered over with an arrogant strut. It tilted its head at the scattered planks, its bony face showing a strangely human look of confusion.
Suddenly, a green figure broke through layer after layer of obstacles and burst from the ground like a fresh spring bamboo shoot. The skeleton froze.
The next second, a green fist smashed hard into its nostril. With a howl, the skeleton landed on its backside, its sword and shield flying away.
Then came a rapid series of whooshes. Several lively green figures shot into the air, and in an instant, the center of the garden looked like a lush green canvas unfurling—or a palette of green paint overturned. More than a hundred emerald cabbages charged into the skeleton horde, fists waving.
For a while, all that could be heard was a barrage of smacks, thuds, and crashes. One Assault Cabbage threw a left hook followed by a right hook; the next used an uppercut and a launching strike; the one after that, a fighter cabbage, unleashed a twelve-hit aerial combo. The skeleton guards that went up looked utterly vicious, while the piles of