Called Upon in a Crisis

"Nether Separation Shield!"

Su Zhe felt someone yank him backward. A flash of silver appeared at the edge of his vision.

Boom!

The next instant, Zhou Sining appeared before him with a diamond-shaped silver shield as tall as a person, blocking the blood-red mass that had come out of nowhere!

The mass burst the moment it struck the Nether Separation Shield, and thick scarlet liquid quickly coated its entire surface.

Ssssss—

Bubbles rose from the shield. The liquid was clearly corrosive.

A strong impact triggered the Nether Separation Shield's counterattack.

A dark blue spike shot from the silver shield and streaked into the heap of corpses, its tip gleaming coldly!

It pierced every Undead in its path before burying itself in the frozen earth.

"My Nether Separation Shield! I just redeemed it!" Zhou Sining's heart bled.

He had barely used his 688-point Nether Separation Shield before it took a corrosive hit, and its only counterattack had been wasted because he had no clear target.

Nothing could have been more infuriating.

Zhou Sining scanned the area below, but he could not pick out the Warrior Level Undead that had ambushed them amid the endless sea of corpses.

He left the hidden Undead alone and turned to help Su Zhe, whom he had pulled out of harm's way.

"Are you all right, Officer Su?" Deputy Commander Jiang Bowen hurried over after hearing what had happened.

"I'm fine. I owe Zhou Sining my life this time. Otherwise, I'd be dead." Su Zhe still sounded shaken.

This was what fighting on the Outer City Wall was really like.

Unlike the safe environment set aside for students to gain experience, even a seasoned Intermediate Mage could be killed here at any moment by a powerful Undead lurking in the shadows!

Su Zhe glanced at the scarlet liquid on the shield, and his face fell. "It uses poison. It's most likely a Corpse Undead. Those things aren't big, so they're hard to find."

"What do we do? It can see us, but we can't see it. If we don't deal with it soon, the whole war zone will be in danger," Zhou Sining asked.

Su Zhe did not answer. He stood, climbed onto the Sky Eagle's back, and resumed commanding the battle.

"A Warrior Level Corpse Undead has appeared in the war zone. Its location is unknown. All units, fall back three paces and switch to a defensive formation! Water Mages and light mages, form groups of three and spread out among the squads to protect the main force! I repeat, all units switch to a defensive formation! All units switch to a defensive formation!"

The Military Mages acted quickly. Within a dozen seconds, the Fire Mage unit Zhou Sining was with had fallen back. Instead of casting once every ten seconds, they cast once every twenty, conserving Magic Energy as much as possible while putting safety first.

In less than a minute, defensive teams of Water Mages and light mages reached the front of the formation.

They held spells at the ready and stayed on high alert so they could put up a defense the instant danger struck.

As Su Zhe finished directing the entire war zone's change in tactics, Jiang Bowen grabbed the radio hanging from his chest.

"Third War Zone, East City Wall Second Line, requesting support! A Warrior Level Corpse Undead has appeared. It fires highly toxic, corrosive attacks and is extremely hard to detect. Requesting Intermediate Mage support! Requesting Intermediate Mage support! I repeat, a Warrior Level Corpse Undead has appeared. Requesting Intermediate Mage support!"

The radio crackled back almost immediately. "Copy. Every war zone is under attack by special Warrior Level enemies. We've requested support from the Magic Association and are assigning it by urgency. Estimated arrival at the battlefield: two hours. Hold out at all costs!"

"Fuck! Did we kick over the Undead's nest tonight? How does everyone have an emergency? If we can't find that Warrior Level Undead, people could die at any moment!"

Jiang Bowen's eyes went wide as he cursed, but no answer came over the radio.

Su Zhe returned to the wall. After Jiang Bowen filled him in, he let out a helpless sigh.

All he could do was keep commanding the battle while searching the tide of corpses for that cunning Corpse Undead.

"Can't we request an Advanced Mage?" Zhou Sining asked Su Zhe when he found a moment.

The deputy commander beside Su Zhe snorted. "Students really are naive. If we had even ten percent more Advanced Mages, we wouldn't have to recruit independent mages to help every year."

"Most Advanced Mages hold important posts," Su Zhe added. "If things get bad enough for them to leave those posts and come to the battlefield themselves, we'll probably already be dead."

Zhou Sining nodded thoughtfully.

"If our war zone had just one more Intermediate Mage, we could work together to lure that thing out and kill it. We wouldn't be stuck on the defensive like this," Jiang Bowen said.

Su Zhe shook his head. "There's nothing we can do. The Ancient Capital has always been short-handed. We can't expect university students and independent mages to stay here year-round like we do. Besides, a group of students at the Ancient Capital's universities drop out or take leave every year because they can't stand the duty shifts."

Zhou Sining heard their exchange and thought for a moment. "You only need one more Intermediate Mage?"

"To deal with that thing, we need at least three. One to oversee the battle, one to draw it out, and one to attack. That's how we've always done it."

"What? Don't tell me you're an Intermediate Mage." Jiang Bowen meant it as a joke.

"I can try to break through right now, but I don't know if I'll succeed."

Jiang Bowen's expression stiffened.

"Confidence is good, kid, but too much of it isn't."

What a joke. It had taken Jiang Bowen ten whole years to advance from awakening his Magic to Intermediate Level, even with three years of training in the military.

If an eighteen-year-old high school student could break through to Intermediate Level, how were ordinary people like him supposed to live with themselves?

"Then go ahead and break through. Right here. As long as you stay away from the edge of the wall, your life won't be in danger," Jiang Bowen said.

Zhou Sining frowned. Something about that remark rubbed him the wrong way.

"Jiang Bowen! Watch yourself!" Su Zhe snapped.

After years of working together, Su Zhe knew Jiang Bowen had a bad habit of making cutting remarks.

But this was a battlefield, and Zhou Sining was only a high school student. As deputy commander, Jiang Bowen had no business speaking to him with such sarcasm!

Boom!

Before the words had faded, an explosion rang out nearby.

The three looked up. A hole had been blown through a Fire Mage unit not far away.

Thick scarlet liquid flowed across the wall, hissing and bubbling.

"Stay away from that liquid! It's poisonous!" Jiang Bowen shouted, sprinting over to check the wounded.

More than half the defensive team of light mages and Water Mages had been injured!

"Radiant Light: Purification!" Jiang Bowen swiftly traced a Star Track and passed a ball of dazzling light over the wounded.

"Water Mages, use Water Barrier with the purification!"

"Yes, sir!"

The medical team arrived quickly, and Jiang Bowen helped load the wounded onto stretchers.

"Quick, get them to the hospital. Tell them they need light mages for treatment. They've been contaminated with Corpse Poison—we can't let the deathly energy enter their bodies. The remaining two Water Mages, fall back and tend to your injuries. Li Xiaoliu, call another defensive mage team over here."

Only two or three minutes had passed, and the hidden Warrior Level enemy had attacked again.

Before they could react, an urgent command blared over the loudspeakers!

"Emergency notice! Emergency notice! Groups of Warrior Level enemies have appeared on the First, Second, and Third Battle Lines of the West City Wall! Groups of Warrior Level enemies have appeared on the First, Second, and Third Battle Lines of the West City Wall! A Commander Level enemy is suspected to be advancing! A Commander Level enemy is suspected to be advancing! All available Intermediate Mages, proceed to the West City Wall immediately to provide support! All available mages, proceed to the West City Wall immediately to provide support!"

"I repeat, all available Intermediate Mages, proceed to the West City Wall immediately to provide support!"

Su Zhe's expression changed. Another blood-red mass hurtled straight toward them!

"Watch out! Light Blessing!" He hurriedly cast Intermediate Magic, blocking the lethal strike just in time!

"Fall back farther!"

"Sir, if we retreat any more, we won't be able to see what's happening below. Our spells won't be able to take out the Undead vanguard effectively, either," a Fire Mage said.

"Damn it! We have to find that bastard!" Su Zhe's face was grim.

The fighting at the West City Wall was fierce. Every Intermediate Mage who had been due to come here had been sent there instead.

If they could not deal with this hidden Undead themselves, there was no telling how many people would die tonight!

He turned to Zhou Sining. "Are you sure you can attempt to reach Intermediate Level?"

"I can try, but I can't promise I'll succeed." Zhou Sining understood how dire the situation was.

"I have a Fire Element Star Chart Book someone gave me. I was going to sell it, but it looks like I'll have to use it now."

Su Zhe took out a scroll and pressed it into Zhou Sining's arms. "It isn't fair to ask a student like you to join a battle this dangerous. But please—I'm counting on you to break through!"

With the Star Chart Book, Zhou Sining could cast Fierce Fist even if he had only just broken through.

And his fire was no Mortal Fire. If he and Su Zhe worked together and landed a direct hit on the Corpse Undead, they could seriously wound it even if they could not kill it.

Zhou Sining stared at the scroll for a long moment.

"I'm an adult, and I took this assignment of my own accord as a Hunter Mage. Of course I considered the possibility of danger."

He looked up at Su Zhe. "Don't misunderstand. I don't have some heroic urge. I'm only saying I'll do my best."