This thing was no pushover!
At that moment, apart from the Skeleton Archers Tasia had summoned, this was the only creature in the Execution Room.
Though they were all skeletons, this hulking figure glowing blue was clearly in a different league from those two frail Skeleton Archers.
The two Skeleton Archers raised their bows and fired.
"Tw-ang!"
"Tw-ang!"
After two taut twangs of the bowstrings, two powerful arrows shot toward the giant blue skeleton.
At such close range, the arrows struck it almost immediately.
[-6]
[-6]
Two pitiful single-digit damage numbers appeared above its head.
"Looks like this one won't be easy to handle."
Zong Shen raised an eyebrow.
As soon as he finished speaking, the blue skeleton in the Execution Room struck back.
It swung the cleaver in its hand horizontally at the Skeleton Archers.
[-63]
[-63]
Two glaring damage numbers appeared.
But that wasn't all.
As it pulled its cleaver back, it raked it across the Skeleton Archers again, leaving two streaks of crimson flame.
[-50]
[-50]
The flames began to blaze fiercely along the cuts in the Skeleton Archers' bodies.
A level 10 Skeleton Archer had 220 health. After that attack, each had only 107 left.
This blue skeleton was a powerful fighter. Its slashing damage even surpassed that of the Wolf Cavalry.
"Colby, throw your Capture Net!"
"Tasia, have the Skeleton Archers fall back!"
Zong Shen quickly issued his orders. He'd sent the Skeleton Archers in to scout, but he couldn't just let them get wiped out.
They could still deal some damage from farther back.
At Colby's word, he grabbed the Capture Net hanging at his lower back and threw it without hesitation.
The net spread out in front of the blue skeleton, dropping over it and pinning it in place.
The Capture Net was a skill with a forced control effect, and skill-based nets couldn't be destroyed.
Meanwhile, the Skeleton Archers began to retreat, leaving the Execution Room.
Seizing the opportunity, Zong Shen focused his attention on the blue skeleton and checked its attributes.
[Blood-Burning Demon Skeleton Lv. 16 (Green)] [Race: Undead] [Slashing Damage: 61–64] [Health: 468/480] [Armor: 30] [Skills: Heavy Cleave (Uses its full strength to deliver a cleaving strike, dealing 1.5 times its slashing damage. Has a 15% chance to destroy an equipped item, reducing its durability to zero. Cooldown: 8 hours), Passive Skill—Blood Burn (Attacks inflict Blood Burn, igniting the target's health and dealing 50 fixed damage once)] (A Blood-Burning Demon that withered away. After countless years of resentment nourished its bones, it became an Undead Skeleton Warrior. Beware its cleaver—it will be a formidable foe.)
An elite monster—and a powerful one at that!
With these stats, a single hit would cost them over a hundred health in an instant.
If it used Heavy Cleave, it could seriously injure Zong Shen or Tie Zhu in one blow. They were both fragile, with less than 200 health.
By then, Colby's Capture Net had run its course.
The Blood-Burning Demon Skeleton strode out, its body covered in black light armor.
Inside its horned, demonic skull, two ghostly blue flames flickered.
That was where the blue glow came from.
"Arvid, Bjorn, take turns using your Capture Net skills to buy us time to fall back."
"Everyone, use ranged attacks as much as possible."
"Keep moving and circle it. Don't fight it head-on!"
After giving his orders, Zong Shen retreated first and laid out their battle plan.
Against a monster this powerful, with high health, strong defense, and devastating damage, they couldn't just charge in blindly, or they'd suffer heavy losses.
At Zong Shen's command, everyone began to fall back. Arvid used his Capture Net skill, pinning the skeleton in place for another three seconds.
At the same time, Zong Shen and Tie Zhu retreated, tossing damaged iron bars scattered outside the cells into the middle of the corridor.
They crossed several broken bars over one another, creating a makeshift barricade.
Then everyone stopped in place.
With a powerful enemy before them, the soldiers needed little direction to attack with all their might.
The Wolf Cavalry began hurling their short spears.
[-8]
[-8]
[-38]
Two short spears struck its light armor.
They dealt only 8 damage each.
A third struck its unprotected shoulder blade.
It dealt full damage and pierced straight through the Blood-Burning Demon Skeleton's shoulder blade.
Tasia also chanted Double Necrotic Arrow.
Two black Necrotic Arrows shot out like streaks of lightning.
They slammed into its chest.
[-75]
[-72]
Two high Magic Damage numbers flashed above it.
Tasia's Magic Damage varied slightly, but Double Necrotic Arrow Lv. 10 had a 1.5 multiplier, making it terrifyingly powerful.
The damage was explosive.
But the spell also cost a whopping 40 Magic Value, draining a tenth of Tasia's reserves in one go.
The Skeleton Archers were firing away, too.
[-6]
[-6]
Zong Shen drew his Hunting Crossbow.
Using the Strategy Module's crosshair, he fired a precise bolt that struck the Blood-Burning Demon Skeleton in the eye socket, snuffing out one of the ghostly blue flames inside.
[-59]
[-30]
Zong Shen's base piercing damage was 51. The Bent Crossbow Bolt added 8, bringing the total piercing damage to 59.
As for the extra 30 damage, it was probably related to the extinguished blue flame.
Every skeleton seemed to have two flames in its eye sockets.
Only then did the Blood-Burning Demon Skeleton break free from the Capture Net's three-second restraint.
But in just those three seconds, everyone had dealt a massive burst of damage.
The Blood-Burning Demon Skeleton had only 178 health left.
Then Bjorn, one of the Wolf Cavalry, used his Capture Net skill as well.
The Blood-Burning Demon Skeleton had just regained its freedom and taken a beating. It hadn't even managed two steps before another net caught it and pinned it in place.
Control and damage—an all-purpose strategy for taking down monsters!
If the Blood-Burning Demon Skeleton had been intelligent enough to speak, it would probably have started cursing by now.
How humiliating! This was just too humiliating!
A mighty elite monster with such powerful stats, yet it was being pinned in a corner and beaten senseless.
So far, apart from attacking those two expendable Skeleton Archers once in the Execution Room, it hadn't so much as laid a finger on Zong Shen's group.
"Tasia, hold your fire. Save your Magic Value!"
"Boys, keep those short spears coming! Aim for the unprotected spots!"
Zong Shen issued another order.
At the same time, he reloaded his Hunting Crossbow.
He aimed for the other eye socket.
"I'll put your damn eye out!"
The two Skeleton Archers were still attacking tirelessly.
A dazzling string of damage numbers appeared.
[-8]
[-38]
[-38]
[-6]
[-6]
[-59]
[-23]
The Blood-Burning Demon Skeleton's health dropped to zero. Its bones scattered across the floor, and several glowing bundles of rewards appeared where it had fallen.
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