"Sizzle~"
As if verifying something, a piercing Psionic Energy shriek, audible only to the skeletons, suddenly rang out.
Before Bastion Lord Gelan could react, a voice powerful enough to send shivers down his spine echoed in his mind:
" Gelan, you did a great job."
That was... the voice of Osmond, the Border Garrison Warlord.
A thought echoed in Gelan's heart: It's over.
"The fortress was raided, and although it received a plea for help, the reinforcements always arrived too late."
"Not only that, but they also tried to shirk responsibility and cover up their defensive mistakes."
"Even though he has loyal subordinates, he'd rather bribe them than report the truth."
Osmond's voice gradually turned cold:
"Do you know what your fate will be according to the military law of the Skeleton Alliance?"
Gelan's upper and lower teeth made a series of clanging sounds, like a defeated rooster, as he whispered to the finger bone:
"To be executed."
"Very good, at least you still remember military law."
The voice on the other side of the finger bone had a slightly more "human" quality, but it had already changed its target audience:
"[ Hard Armor ] Please forgive my absence, sir. I will return here immediately to receive your punishment after dealing with Gelan."
"Can."
The voice of [ Hard Armor ] finally rang out, a voice devoid of sorrow or joy, like that of an utterly ruthless general:
"Do not show favoritism, otherwise..."
"Understood."
Osmond, the warlord, spoke quickly, while [ Hard Armor ] abruptly cut off the communication after giving his instructions.
Clearly, this time [ Hard Armor ] had no intention of overstepping its bounds and allowed Osmond to handle the affairs within its own territory.
After the skeletal councilor left the communication channel, Osmond's voice came through again, but this time it wasn't just Colin and Gelan who could hear it; all the skeletons and Soul Returner within a certain range could hear it:
Release the finger bones and step back.
Without a word, Colin immediately released the finger bone, and the group of people around him also took a step back, making room for a space about five meters in diameter.
The finger bone, which clearly only had communication functions, floated in the air, then rapidly swelled, Drain the surrounding Psionic Energy.
Although the onlookers didn't get any popcorn, they all started recording, eager to see how the Border Garrison Warlord would teleport over.
Putting aside the fact that players love to record events, the methods of teleportation in the World of Disorder are indeed quite diverse:
Traditional mages like Willow and Nuowa typically teleport using magic circles or incantations.
Characters like Seraphina, who are inherently extraordinary, rely more on their innate powers, such as directly tearing through space.
At this moment, a large group of Soul Returner watched as the finger bone expanded like a vortex, absorbing Psionic Energy, until finally, in a flash of light, the runes on it turned into countless starlight-like fragments.
Then a half-body phantom appeared in the air above the sandcastle.
It was a rather large skeleton. Although the shape of its ribs and spine was no different from that of a human, its size could be described as that of a "giant".
At first, players only thought that this legendary Border Garrison Warlord only had half a body, but after closer inspection, they quickly realized...
This guy didn't actually teleport here; instead, he projected his upper body here.
Seeing this, several players who played the role of corporate slaves in real life expressed their feelings:
"Oh, it's a video conference."
Just as everyone was relieved, they saw that Osmond, the warlord, was already looking at a corner of the sandcastle.
It wasn't Colin's place, nor Gelan's place, nor even the places of the grunts and the Soul Returner, but...
The location of the Jingguan (a mound of deadly skulls).
The sight of a four-sided pyramid formed by more than three hundred heads came into view of a Border Garrison Warlord.
A surge of Psionic Energy suddenly swept across the entire sandcastle. Even though they knew that the figure before them was not in Descent true form, many skeletons instantly became timid and hesitant.
"Very good, this is the gift the Empire left me."
Osmond's voice was deep, yet clear and distinct, reaching everyone's ears.
At this moment, Bastion Lord Gelan of the Barrier was already kneeling on the ground with great ease, his whole body trembling and convulsing, as if he had seen some great terror.
Just as he was about to explain further, everyone saw the half-illusory image of the giant skeleton in mid-air grab at Gelan on the ground.
Amidst everyone's astonishment, the sounds of bones cracking suddenly rang out.
With a series of cracking sounds, Gelan, a mid-level officer and Bastion Lord on the central border of the Skeleton Alliance, was crushed into bone fragments and bone powder.
From beginning to end, he didn't have a chance to explain anything, or even utter a sound of pain.
Although the proportions weren't that exaggerated, in the players' eyes, the phantom killing Gelan was like crushing a slightly larger potato chip in reality.
The translucent, illusory hand released its grip, and fragments of bone fell to the ground with a clattering sound, the crystallized pieces ringing out even more crisply.
Meanwhile, Osmond, the Border Garrison Warlord, completely ignored the already undeniably dead Gelan, and instead turned his gaze to Colin:
" Colin, the Knight Guardian of Sandcastle Number Fourteen and concurrently Commander of Central Border No. 15."
Upon hearing the warlord address him by his rank and name so formally, Colin immediately realized that the time had come.
He snapped out of his dazed state and instantly knelt on one knee, making sure his back was perfectly straight.
"From this moment forward, you are the Bastion Lord of Sandcastle Number Fifteen on the central border, and I am your direct superior officer, Osmond, the Border Garrison Warlord."
"All the military equipment and supplies that were originally intended for Gelan will be allocated to you, and you will also take over his large sandcastles."
"I hope you do better than him, otherwise..."
Gelan's fate was already clear and didn't need to be described in words, and Colin immediately nodded firmly:
"Your subordinate understands. Your subordinate will do everything in his power to resist the imperial army. If the territory falls, you may execute me at any time."
"Very good."
The phantom Osmond nodded:
" The Bastion Lord's credentials..."
He suddenly looked down at the body of Gelan, who was beyond dead and beyond shattered:
"It's in this pile of bones. Look for it yourself. I didn't crush it."
Having said that, he turned his gaze to the heavily armored skeleton soldiers behind him, his tone becoming serious once more:
Where are the Hard Armor Heavy Cavalry?
"Whoosh!"
The well-trained, heavily armored cavalrymen saluted the phantom in unison, the clanging of their armor creating a deep, resounding sound that was both muffled and awe-inspiring.
"From this moment forward, you will be under the command of Bastion Lord Colin of the Stronghold. There must be no mistakes, understand?"