A Great Tonic

A Courage Potion was not a stupidity potion. It could make people bloodthirsty and combative, but their instincts remained intact.

Faced with terrifying things like skeletons that could not distinguish friend from foe, everyone wanted to stay as far away as possible. Who would willingly approach them?

Knowing this, the Grey-robed Elder was still unwilling to accept it. If he did not seize the chance to charge into the main camp, this operation would fail again.

No longer caring about maintaining his lofty image, the Grey-robed Elder personally appeared at the rear of the formation and sternly ordered the Rebel Army to keep up with the Skeleton Monsters.

"Pour the fire oil on them! Burn these piles of skeleton trash!"

The moment the words fell, torrents of fire oil engulfed the five Skeleton Monsters, turning them into five mobile flaming skeletons in an instant.

Hudson could vaguely smell scorched bones. From time to time, he also heard heart-rending roars, the terror that came from the depths of their souls.

Perhaps provoked, perhaps making a final desperate struggle, the Skeleton Monsters being consumed by the flames grew even more frenzied, forcing the coalition soldiers back step by step.

"Hold the line! These monsters are about to be finished!"

Hudson did his best to rally them.

Although he knew the Skeleton Monsters were at their most frenzied right now, and fighting them at the front meant dancing with death, Hudson had no choice.

One general's success was built upon ten thousand bones. A commander's greatest taboo was being soft-hearted. The more it was at times like this, the more rational he had to remain.

Worthy of Silver Rank skeletons, even after the fire oil burned out, they were still full of life. Only a few more bones had shattered from their bodies.

Clearly, that fire had still been effective. Without the slightest hesitation, Hudson gave another order. "Pour water on them!"

With a burst of sizzling, countless cracks instantly appeared across the once-sturdy skeleton frames. At the sight, the panicked soldiers' morale immediately soared.

Soldiers wielding massive hammers rushed to the front and unleashed a barrage of attacks on the Skeleton Monsters.

Although they still suffered considerable casualties, Hudson felt it had all been worth it as he looked at the bone fragments scattered across the ground.

When one Skeleton Monster shattered, its Soul Fire, no longer protected by bones, flew out and darted wildly around the camp.

Before Hudson could react, he collided head-on with the Soul Fire. The Mysterious Compass lurking within his body suddenly stirred, and then that was that.

They were all energy. Magic Crystal Stones and Magic Cores could both serve as food for the Compass, so consuming a little Skeleton Monster Soul Fire did not seem so hard to accept.

At that moment, the remaining four skeletons no longer appeared to Hudson as hateful enemies, but as energy packs delivered right to his door.

Judging from the Compass's reaction, swallowing the Soul Fire of one Silver Skeleton was more effective than devouring more than a dozen Magic Crystal Stones.

Without any surprise, after holding on for a while, the four severely weakened Skeleton Monsters all became food for the Mysterious Compass.

With the threat of the Skeleton Monsters gone, Hudson felt more than half the weight lift from his heart, even though the enemy had already charged into the camp.

"Fall back to the third line of defense! Archers, provide cover!"

Breaking through two defensive lines in one stroke could be called a great victory. Yet the Grey-robed Elder in the Rebel Army camp was not happy in the slightest.

The five skeletons he had placed such high hopes on had been defeated too quickly. Although they had completed the initial plan, their results were far from satisfactory.

They seemed to have taken several hundred ordinary enemy soldiers with them, but dozens of their own men had also died at the hands of the Skeleton Monsters.

He had originally thought that once they tore through the enemy camp gate, they could charge straight in. He had not expected the opponent to be so cautious. Even after the main camp was breached, there was a second defensive line, then a third...

Although none of the defensive lines were particularly sturdy, consisting only of several rows of wooden cheval de frise and fences, they still posed a threat to charging soldiers.

The instant they were blocked by the obstacles, the enemy archers began firing. The roadblocks could only be cleared under a rain of arrows, and with the Rebel Army's crude equipment, someone fell with every step forward.

The elite grain-burning squad he had placed such high hopes on was supposed to infiltrate in secret, but they had been forced to charge at the very front and become a suicide squad.

The scene was too miserable to watch. In an instant, more than half of them were lost beneath the arrow rain. Other than cursing his subordinates for their incompetence, the Grey-robed Elder realized there was nothing he could do.

Summoning skeletons again was nothing more than wishful thinking. How could performing such a heaven-defying dark art come without a price?

The Grey-robed Elder appeared unchanged, but in truth, the opposite was the case. If not for the protection of the Lord of Skeletons, his soul would have long since been devoured by the world of the Undead.

Seeing that the potion's effects were about to end, the Grey-robed Elder stomped his feet in anxiety. The more flustered he became, the more likely he was to make the wrong decision.

Under the Grey-robed Elder's command, countless Rebel Army soldiers launched wave after wave of desperate assaults, leaving even Hudson, who was directing the battle, greatly shaken.

He had seen people who did not fear death, but never ones this reckless. If the Rebel Army had tens of thousands of men, there would have been no problem with simply piling up lives.

But the defenders clearly outnumbered them now. Even if they tore through every defensive line with such a suicidal style of fighting, what then?

After surveying the battlefield, Hudson estimated that the Rebel Army's casualties had already exceeded twenty percent. If this had been a normal army, it would have collapsed long ago.

The Courage Potion had numbed the Rebel Army soldiers' nerves, making them bloodthirsty and combative, but the constant sight of comrades falling around them likewise stabbed at their nerves.

Fear began spreading through the Rebel Army soldiers' hearts. Yet the delayed awareness brought by their numbed nerves made them continue fighting on instinct.

From the lookout platform, Hudson picked up his bow and fixed his target on the Grey-robed Elder.

The arrow tore through the air like lightning, but unfortunately, a soldier suddenly rushed in front of him and happened to block the arrow for the Grey-robed Elder.

The close call made the Grey-robed Elder's soul nearly leave his body. As a mage, he was not skilled at close combat.

Without the slightest hesitation, the Grey-robed Elder decisively chose to retreat. His instincts told him that if he did not run now, he would soon be meeting the Lord of Skeletons.

Casting one lingering glance over the battlefield, the Grey-robed Elder hardened his heart and fled directly into the woods, vanishing from Hudson's sight in an instant.

Though he had failed to achieve complete success, Hudson was not annoyed. Instead, he was exceptionally delighted.

That arrow had merely been meant to frighten the Rebel Army commander. He had not expected that from over one hundred and fifty meters away, he would still take down a Rebel Army soldier.

An extraordinary performance?

The thought had barely crossed his mind before he drew another arrow and fired at a Rebel Army leader.

With a sharp whoosh, a Rebel Army leader over one hundred meters away was struck by the arrow and fell.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."

Within one hundred and fifty meters, anyone he set his sights on could not escape death. Such precise accuracy made even Hudson wonder whether he had become a master archer.