Final Bone Mad Machines

Sea of Divine Grace Academy.

The "Everwatching Obelisk" has been activated, and a pure white magical shield descends like a canopy, completely enveloping the entire academy. The surface of the shield is also covered with fine runes, which ripple gently in the wind and reflect a pearly luster.

Grand Master Shitelike stood inside the defensive shield, his gaze piercing through the semi-transparent light barrier, fixed on the direction of the Divine Might Prison. The distant sky was stained leaden gray by the smoke of battle, and the faint sounds of fighting echoed among the mountains, the intensity of the battle was self-evident.

His fingers unconsciously rubbed the hilt of the sword, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force.

Shitelike quickly received an urgent order from the school principal, Javier: "Immediately organize the Divine Grace Knights and send them to provide support!"

This was already part of the attack response plan, and without hesitation, Shitelike immediately issued the order, "Third and fourth squads, remain at the academy to ensure its safety! First and second squads, follow me!"

The knights quickly assembled, their silver armor gleaming with a cold light. Just as the column was about to depart, the adjutant on lookout duty suddenly shouted a warning:

"There are enemies on the hillside!"

Shitelike suddenly turned his head. On the hillside leading to the Divine Might Prison, a group of gray-white figures had appeared out of nowhere. At first, there were only a dozen or so, but soon, their numbers increased rapidly like a plague, exceeding one hundred in the blink of an eye, as if they had crawled out from underground.

As they gathered, the Magic Power fluctuations in the air grew stronger and stronger—it was necromancers!

These enemies maintained just the right distance, making them easy to intercept while avoiding the range of the Sea of Divine Grace Rune Cannon.

The knights suddenly cried out in surprise. Dozens more burly figures appeared in the necromancer formation—judging from their distinctive thick fur and unique head shapes, they were Bearfolk Clan warriors!

Shitelike was utterly astonished. The remnants of the undead, who should have been wiped out, had actually managed to organize such a large fighting force!

Who is pulling the strings and organizing this behind the scenes?

However, Commander Shitelike had no time to think about these things. Orders were absolute, Shitelike had only one task—

Slash through the enemy lines and rush to the aid of Divine Might Prison!

****

Above the hillside, the necromancer held their position.

Bowers stood on the rock at the forefront of the column, squinting at the gleaming silver-armored knights in the distance, then suddenly grinned, "Two hundred-man squads? Tsk, that's a lot."

At this moment, the binding ring around his neck was gone, replaced by a faint white mark. The necromancers behind him were also freed from their restraints. They stood in various postures, and the mountain wind blew, causing their tattered robes to flutter like countless flags that had regained their freedom.

"You think highly of us, don't you!" Newman lazily swung his bony legs. The half-human skeleton sat on the shoulder of a giant skeletal bear, carrying an exaggeratedly designed bass guitar with strange runes engraved on its surface.

The skull bear carries a power supply, effects pedals, speakers, and other equipment on its back, resembling a mobile stage. The juxtaposition of electronic devices and the skull bear's skeleton creates a somewhat absurd aesthetic.

Next to the skull bear, Gospel had already set up the drum set, but it was discovered that only two of the four No. 24 steel bars remained.

"God said, 'Who moved my drumsticks?'" the Gospel proclaimed.

"Let's just pick up a couple of stones from the ground and make do," Bowers said, then suddenly burped, releasing a strong smell of minced scallions and meat.

"I made it!" Hansite, who had changed into a blue outfit, came running up, panting. He wiped the sweat from his forehead; the coal dust that hadn't been cleaned off left black marks on his forehead, resembling some kind of wild totem.

Everyone assumed it was just stage makeup, and no one thought there was anything wrong with it.

Hansite slung his electric guitar over his shoulder, and with a light sweep of his fingers across the strings, a burst of exhilarating sound erupted.

"You little bear cubs! Cheer up!" he shouted, his voice brimming with passion, "Let those little devils on the other side see what Death Bone Metal really is!"

"Roar--!" The dull thuds of the bearmen pounding their chests sounded like war drums. Many necromancers even imitated them, resulting in their ribs cracking and some even coughing from the pounding.

The comical scene drew laughter from the crowd, instantly dispelling the tense atmosphere.

Many others followed suit, scooping up handfuls of dirt from under the snow and smearing them on their foreheads to create three streaks.

"Teacher Hansite, how many songs will you be singing today?" a member of the necromancer group asked with a grin.

"Let's see how well you perform," Hansite grinned. "If you can't win, I'll keep playing. If you win, we'll call it a day!"

"How can the better you perform, the less reward you get?" Protests rose and fell. Everyone had a smile on their face, not at all like they were about to face a life-or-death battle.

Below, the Divine Grace Knights had already lined up, their lances like a forest, their horns raised. The somber atmosphere contrasted sharply with the joyful laughter on the hillside, as if they were two completely different worlds.

****

The launch site in Sheltered Valley.

The last four Red Apricot Missile were steadily placed on the launch pad, and the black and white skeletons were carrying out the final fuel filling work.

Two of them are equipped with high-explosive warheads made of alchemical explosives, while the other two are thermobaric warheads made of air fuel.

At this point, all twelve missiles required for the entire operation were in place.

These missiles, along with some other weapons, not only exhausted the ethanol and ethylene oxide produced over the past month, but also depleted Su Ming's reserves and the large amount of supplies provided by Princess Dafulin.

While it's really satisfying to blow things up, the resources are consumed like water flowing away.

He increasingly realized the importance of productivity. If he could increase productivity tenfold, what need would there be for any complicated schemes to conquer the mere Divine Might Prison!

If it could be increased a hundredfold, a thousandfold... the entire other world would tremble!

The real-time battlefield footage transmitted back by Rainbow One remained clear and stable. On the screen, the allied necromancers and bear-men mixed forces occupied the high ground on the hillside, holding a commanding position and forming a stalemate with the support forces of Sea of Divine Grace.

The two sides were on the verge of exchanging blows, and the air seemed to be filled with invisible sparks.

A great war is about to break out!

Su Ming's thoughts drifted back to an hour earlier, to the scene when he gathered the students of the First Construction Regiment in the Sheltered Valley Square.

"Gentlemen." He rubbed his dry eyes, looking somewhat tired. He had barely slept a wink last night, as the preparations for the battle were extremely complex—grouping and deployment, intelligence verification, and tactical implementation, each of which consumed a great deal of energy.

****

Su Ming simply strolled to the front of the crowd and began to speak freely.

"I have three announcements to make. First, today we are going to attack the Temple of Light's Divine Might Prison to rescue the nearly one thousand necromancer friends imprisoned there. I'm sure you all already know this." He cleared his throat, his gaze sweeping over the crowd. "Those willing to cooperate, please step forward!"

"Splash--"

A series of footsteps sounded, and many people stepped forward without hesitation, even before Su Ming finished speaking.

In this brutal purge, every necromancer endured countless hardships. The tragic stories depicted in the recent stage play are a true reflection of these people's lives.

"I won't hide anything from you all," Su Ming continued, his tone calm yet undeniably serious, "If we launch an attack, quite a few people... won't make it back here."

"Report!" a trainee shouted.

"Speaking!"

"If we don't fight, we won't get back here!" the student declared resolutely. "Only by fighting can we survive!"

"Report!" another student stepped forward. "If we don't go, won't the Temple of Light come after us?"

"Very good!" Su Ming clapped his hands vigorously, his eyes flashing with approval.

Dharma masters are a group that is not lacking in wisdom, and the vast majority of them have already attained sufficient enlightenment.

More trainees stepped forward one after another. In the end, apart from a dozen or so who chose to stay, more than a hundred necromancers chose to go into battle. Some of them showed struggle and hesitation, but still took that step with determination.

"Next, I have the second announcement," Su Ming's tone softened slightly, "Today's breakfast is scallion and pork buns! I hope everyone enjoys it!"

Laughter immediately rang out from the crowd, and the tense atmosphere eased considerably.

"And then there's the third thing!" Su Ming's expression turned serious again, his voice low and firm. "We're wanted criminals, simply because we're necromancers." He stretched out his hand, his palm gathering necromantic Magic Power, a ghostly light swirling within. "We possess immense power; we are the kings of the battlefield. That's why we're being targeted!"

"But at the same time, we are not strong enough!" Su Ming's voice suddenly rose, "Our weakness in individual combat makes us seem weak and vulnerable. This is the real reason why we are framed, why we are tainted, and why we are slaughtered, butchered, and enslaved!"

"We want to live with dignity, and there are only two directions," he said, holding up two fingers. "First, increase the size of our group! That's why we're here—after today, a thousand more like us, who have suffered so much, will join us!"

"Second, innovation!" As his words fell, several skeletons, perfectly integrated with machinery, stood up, their 100mm thick cannons gleaming with a chilling light.

"Necromancers don't have to be confined to the skeletal form; we can find other paths to become the most powerful and well-rounded combatants!"

"I will lead you to a brand new path!" Su Ming's voice was as solemn as a vow. "We are the undead of the apocalypse, and also the pioneers of a new era!"

The next moment, the restraining rings around the necks of the more than one hundred necromancers who stepped out of the queue disintegrated, and the fragments fell to the ground with a clanging sound, signifying the complete removal of the restraints.

"Welcome to the Final Bone Mad Machines Guild!" he announced loudly.

A deafening cheer erupted instantly, echoing throughout the entire Sheltered Valley like thunder!