Silver Skeleton

When he first took independent command of a battle, Lord Hudson had been under immense pressure. But seeing the enemy charge straight ahead so foolishly, his suspended heart settled again.

"First group of archers, ready—fire!"

As soon as the words fell, more than a hundred arrows flew out in a scattered volley. Several Rebel Army soldiers at the forefront were instantly shot into pincushions.

Seeing this, Hudson secretly rejoiced. It had not been in vain that he had gathered all the hunters in the army together. Though they could not fire in perfect unison, at least their aim was decent.

"Second group of archers, ready—fire!"

"Third group of archers, ready—fire!"

The rain of arrows filling the sky could not halt the Rebel Army's charge. Driven by the Courage Potion, everyone unleashed extraordinary potential.

Staring at the corpses strewn across the ground, the Grey-robed Elder could no longer bear to watch. He had come to seize provisions, not to throw away lives.

They had not even reached the enemy camp gate, yet they had already suffered more than a hundred casualties. He had not brought many troops with him this time; if they kept throwing lives away like this, they would be finished.

"Great Lord of Skeletons above, your most loyal servant hereby offers these sacrifices and humbly beseeches your descent."

At the very moment the incantation was spoken, the five young girls pushed forward to be bled began transforming amid agony, their flesh gradually becoming indistinct.

The bizarre scene made cold sweat pour down Hudson's back as he directed the battle. His instincts told him he should stop it.

Unfortunately, the old man was a full mile away, with Rebel Army troops between them. There was nothing he could do to stop the ritual.

They thought far too highly of him. They were actually using a method they had not even employed during the battle of Ethel Fortress against him.

Reason told him that the more critical the moment, the less he could panic. To bolster his own courage, Hudson silently told himself, Perhaps this evil magic isn't that powerful.

If it were truly invincible, capable of changing the outcome of a war, they would have used it during the battle of Ethel Fortress. Why wait until now?

Time passed second by second. The five young girls had already become five skeletons overflowing with resentment. A smile gradually appeared on the Grey-robed Elder's cold face.

As he continued chanting, he gestured for his subordinates to pour a pile of potions over the skeletons. Under the influence of mysterious power, the potions fused with the skeletons. Their white bones began changing color, radiating a silvery-white glow.

Suddenly, the five skeletons leaped to their feet, seized the people beside them, and directly devoured their souls. The Grey-robed Elder's expression changed drastically. He hurriedly shook the staff in his hand and sternly rebuked, "How dare you!

"I am a servant of the Lord of Skeletons. I summoned you here to collect sacrifices for my master. Go at once!"

As if wary of something, the five skeletons that had intended to attack the old man all revealed fearful expressions. After a brief hesitation, they immediately shifted targets and charged straight toward Hudson's camp in the direction indicated by the staff.

Every Rebel Army soldier blocking their way became food for the Skeleton Monsters. Witnessing this, the serf soldiers' legs trembled in terror.

As the Skeleton Monsters drew near, Hudson shouted, "What are you all standing around for? Get to your posts!

"Tom, take some men and fetch the lamp oil. Prepare any other oil you can find as well. I'm going to burn these piles of broken bones.

"Spearmen, get ready! Aim at those five monsters and await my command!"

Though "Silver Rank Skeletons" were formidable, they were not invincible. In terms of combat strength, they were only slightly stronger than human Great Knights, and far inferior to Silver Knights of the same rank.

To Hudson's supply convoy, these five Silver Skeletons were a threat. But if they had been thrown into the battle of Ethel Fortress, they would only have been fit to serve as cannon fodder.

Fire restrained undead creatures. Hudson estimated that Count Pierce, who rode a Flame Lion, could keep these five Silver Skeletons occupied.

Of course, the Church was the most professional when it came to dealing with undead creatures. With priests assisting them, handling these things would be twice as effective with half the effort.

"First group of spearmen, fire!"

At Hudson's command, more than a hundred Disposable Spears shot toward the five Silver Skeletons. A series of crackling sounds rang out. The spears were either knocked aside or cut in half, and only a few spearheads fulfilled their mission.

Any other creature would have been seriously wounded by spears piercing its body, but to these skeletons, it was completely insignificant.

"Second group of spearmen, fire!"

"Third group of spearmen, fire!"

Wave after wave of spears flew out. Hudson secretly rejoiced that he had been cautious and had not used these weapons against the Rebel Army in advance.

Otherwise, they would have had no choice but to engage in close combat now. Ordinary arrows posed almost no threat to these monsters.

Without mages, they could not directly attack the Skeleton Monsters' Soul Fire. They could only use the clumsy method of smashing their bones apart.

After five consecutive rounds of throwing, the Skeleton Monsters had reached the camp gate. Neither the chevaux-de-frise nor the pits they had arranged could stop their advance.

The previous attacks had only broken a few of the Skeleton Monsters' ribs and left several marks on their bodies.

"Pikemen, launch the first round of attacks. Great axe wielders, second round. Broadsword unit, third round. Warhammer unit, fourth round..."

Hudson issued his orders methodically. Yet as he did so, he could not help inching backward.

After all, he was only a novice little knight. Asking him to raise a sword and hack at skeletons was still quite a challenge.

Relying on human-wave tactics—or rather, on the intense pressure of Lord Hudson personally leading the Supervision Team—the allied forces finally held back the five Skeleton Monsters.

The casualties were best left unmentioned. In any case, the figures were truly heartbreaking. If not for the Guilt by Association system Hudson had established, along with his timely execution of deserters as a warning, the Skeleton Monsters would likely have shattered their morale already.

Of course, the main reason they managed to hold the line was that these five Skeleton Monsters were not very intelligent. They only knew how to slaughter endlessly and did not chase after Hudson, the commander, to kill him.

Seeing that the allied forces had not fallen into chaos and had instead organized resistance, the Grey-robed Elder's face in the distance grew increasingly pale.

He had paid no small price for these five skeletons. Yet judging from the current battle, things were not developing as he had expected.

The Skeleton Monsters seemed to be slaughtering all around them, but the damaged bones on their bodies were also growing more numerous. Two of them had even lost arms and legs.

"The camp gate has been breached! Pass down the order: the entire army will follow the Skeleton Messengers and attack! We cannot leave the enemy any chance to catch their breath!"

The order was given, but no one moved. Only then did the Grey-robed Elder realize that his guards had also been casually killed by the five Skeleton Monsters.

Because the Skeleton Monsters had indiscriminately slaughtered friend and foe alike, the Rebel Army soldiers had deliberately taken detours. Even after the Skeleton Monsters charged in, no one had been able to follow in time.