Corpse Island.
A squad sprinted desperately toward the coast, their faces ashen, because the news coming back from Haken was far from good.
"Something's wrong with that thing.
The skeletons I summoned are disappearing in swathes. It might be some kind of powerful area-of-effect magic."
Haken spoke. Fortunately, he was a skeleton; otherwise, they would have seen him drenched in sweat.
Although he was an Archmage, he was not falling behind in speed at all. In fact, he cut quite a striking figure, riding a chariot drawn by four Soul Warhorses, a Skeleton Staff blazing with sickly green flames in his hand. On either side stood a sturdy Skeleton Warrior, one holding a great bow and the other a long dagger-axe.
The others each used their own means as well.
Aside from Balot and Wang Chong, who were running on their own two legs, Hong Yanyan had turned straight into a swarm of bats, while the other Iron Brotherhood members knelt on the ground and activated the wheels on their lower legs to move rapidly.
"It's coming!"
Haken shouted a warning, because he had suddenly lost contact with every skeleton he had released behind them.
Three Iron Brotherhood members at the rear immediately acted, twisting their bodies 180 degrees to face backward while continuing to move forward.
Sections of their outer armor unfolded, revealing small, bright yellow nuclear warheads specially prepared for this operation.
With the enemy's strength unknown, they held nothing back, opening with a full salvo that sent a dense barrage flying behind them.
But...
They waited a long time without hearing any nuclear explosions. Instead, several deep purple, fleshy tentacles pierced the darkness and rushed toward them, sticking to the Iron Brotherhood members at the rear with lightning speed and merging straight into their bodies.
One reacted