Stronger as They Fight (Seeking Follow-up Reads)

As Battle Squad 3's skeletons thrust out their attack, the second wave of battle began.

Unlike the first wave's Black Ghoul Shadows, the second wave's Black Ghoul Shadows hadn't increased much in level, but their movements were far more agile.

When the skeletons thrust their attacks, they actually dodged backward.

But these Black Ghoul Shadows were simply too numerous. Even if the ones in front dodged, the long spears still struck the Black Ghoul Shadows behind them.

And just then, the Black Ghoul Shadows that had dodged the spear thrusts actually leaped up, pouncing toward Battle Squad 3.

Seeing this, Gu Xi knew the plan had changed.

"Battle Squad 4, block them."

Under Gu Xi's command, the original plan to lure the enemy leader out for battle was directly abandoned, and the defensive forces were quickly deployed.

As soon as Battle Squad 4's skeletons heard the order, they raised their shields and charged forward.

Just at that moment, the Black Ghoul Shadows landed among Battle Squad 3's ranks. Their arms had visibly thickened, and they smashed directly into the skeletons.

Battle Squad 4's shields rose to block the strikes, but from the clash, it was clear these Black Ghoul Shadows had already found the skeletons' weakness.

All of Gu Xi's skeletons were the most ordinary kind. Not only had their levels not yet risen, but even if they had, the skeletons' strengths and weaknesses couldn't be changed.

As undead, skeletons had the advantage of needing no morale, and piercing attacks dealt little damage to them.

Blunt heavy strikes, however, had a damage bonus against skeletons.

The first wave had barely ended, and the enemy had already discovered Gu Xi's weakness, immediately changing their attacking force's combat style.

This caught Gu Xi somewhat off guard.

But for now, he could still hold. After Battle Squad 4 charged forward, they quickly stabilized the battle line. Meanwhile, Battle Squad 3, now free from threat, unleashed their full potential.

Positioned behind Battle Squad 4, their long spears thrust forward rapidly, striking the Black Ghoul Shadows charging in.

Because the street was only this wide, and with various roadblocks in place, the number of Black Ghoul Shadows that could actually reach the front line was limited.

Only about thirty or forty Black Ghoul Shadows were engaged in the direct fight. Those behind wanted to join in but couldn't squeeze through.

They could only wait for the front ones to be killed before pushing forward.

So with Battle Squad 3 and 4 working together, the situation was stabilized for now.

And Gu Xi took this opportunity to look at the Ghoul Shadow Head among the Black Ghoul Shadows.

Though the situation differed from the plan, Gu Xi still understood that the key lay with the enemy leader.

Seizing this moment of respite, Gu Xi observed the Ghoul Shadow Head's condition.

This Ghoul Shadow Head, like the one from the first wave, was a massive existence.

But its appearance was no longer like a normal human's. It had three arms. Its right arm was as thick as a normal person's thigh, holding a large wooden club.

Its left side had two arms, both normal human thickness, but having two arms grown together was the greatest abnormality of all.

One of these arms held a large blade, the other a battle axe. As it advanced, they swung up and down, clearly showing these weapons weren't just for show.

As it moved forward, the Ghoul Shadow Head sometimes ignored its own kind, kicking aside nearby Ghoul Shadows.

But there were still too many Ghoul Shadows in front of it, and with more crowding in from all sides, the path was blocked, keeping the Ghoul Shadow Head from reaching the front battle line quickly.

But Gu Xi couldn't only consider the current situation. He knew clearly that if the Ghoul Shadow Head got close to the front, the battle would spiral out of control.

Now Gu Xi had to think not just about how to kill all the enemies, but also about preserving as many troops as possible.

"Battle Squad 1, attack."

Gu Xi waved his hand, sending the signal.

As soon as Battle Squad 1's Skeleton Head saw Gu Xi's gesture, it immediately led its men from the rear, charging toward the Black Ghoul Shadow forces.

Like in the last battle, they used their ambush tactics to clear the enemies before them.

But this time, the Black Ghoul Shadows had learned to counterattack. When Battle Squad 1 killed a batch of Black Ghoul Shadows, their movements were spotted by the others.

These Black Ghoul Shadows stopped in their tracks and turned to face Battle Squad 1 head-on. With Battle Squad 1 joining the fray, the Black Ghoul Shadow ranks became disconnected front to back.

This was something Gu Xi hadn't anticipated.

In this situation, Gu Xi decisively deployed Battle Squad 2.

"Prepare for battle. Charge directly at the Ghoul Shadow Head."

As Gu Xi gave the command, he pointed toward the Ghoul Shadow Head.

"Corpse Explosion!"

At Gu Xi's command, three skeleton corpses piled among the roadblocks exploded.

The blast wave sent shattered furniture flying into the nearby Black Ghoul Shadows.

The Ghoul Shadow Head at the explosion's center took the most damage. A large wardrobe smashed directly into it, the heavy cabinet knocking it flat.

Just as the Ghoul Shadow Head tried to get up, Battle Squad 2 arrived.

At that moment, all members of Battle Squad 2 raised their Two-Handed Swords high as they charged forward.

They concentrated all their strength into their swords, and as they reached the Ghoul Shadow Head, they brought the blades down with heavy force.

As they charged forward, they had already locked onto their target, and upon reaching him, they swung their longswords with full force.

The Ghoul Shadow Head had three arms, but the explosion had just knocked him to the ground, with a heavy wardrobe pressing down on his left hand. When Battle Squad 2 rushed over, he was lowering the club in his right hand, preparing to shove the wardrobe off himself.

One could say the Ghoul Shadow Head was at his weakest moment now.

Many longswords struck his body, and he had no chance to dodge.

He took every single sword strike head-on.

But the Ghoul Shadow Head was, after all, of a higher level. Despite being slashed so many times, he still hadn't died. Instead, taking advantage of the blows, he rolled on the ground, trying to get back to his feet.

Gu Xi had been watching the enemy's every move.

The moment he saw the Ghoul Shadow Head roll onto a skeleton corpse, Gu Xi pointed at that spot.

"Corpse Explosion!"

Boom!

The skeleton corpse exploded with a bang, blasting the Ghoul Shadow Head, who had just rolled on top of it, into the air.

Then a ding sounded in Gu Xi's ear.

[Killed Ghoul Shadow Head (Level 3, Elite). You gained 83 experience points. Due to cooperative kill, each participating Summoned Creature gained 7 experience points.]