Chapter 316 - 168: Palamede

The addition of the Tattooed Skeletons dealt a devastating blow to the Bear Goblins. They were no match for the Power Skeletons and Ox Demons, unable to withstand a single exchange. With the Physical Skeletons providing protection, they couldn’t even land a hit on the Power Skeletons and Ox Demons. All they could do was take a beating, with no chance to fight back.

Having escaped the pursuit of the Wolf Riders and the Close Guard, the Speed Skeletons rejoined the fray, continuing their slaughter of the Bear Goblins. The number of Bear Goblin casualties rose rapidly.

"Damn it! What are those guys doing? Hurry up, the Bear Goblins are about to be wiped out!"

The Goblin Commander’s eyes were red with fury. These weren’t your average trash goblins; every single loss was painful. But the newly arrived Undead were focusing exclusively on killing the Bear Goblins. In just a short while, dozens had already died. How could he possibly stand this?

To make matters worse, the battlefield was a chaotic mess. The goblins were all crammed together, preventing the Wolf Riders from using their speed. The Close Guard fared even worse; they were slow to begin with, and now they were moving at a turtle’s pace, inching forward bit by bit, getting run circles around by the Speed Skeletons.

A Physical Skeleton spotted the Wolf Riders and the Close Guard trapped in the crowd, then glanced at the Bear Goblins.

"Go kill the ones on wolves and the ones in full armor. Leave the rest to us," it said to the Speed Skeletons via the Soul Network.

A Speed Skeleton, having just decapitated a Bear Goblin, was standing on the headless corpse. After receiving the message, it stood on its toes to get a better look, then replied with a single word in the Soul Network: "Okay."

It spun around and charged toward the Wolf Cavalry.

Everyone was packed together, and the Wolf Cavalry’s formation had fallen into disarray, its members scattered. One Wolf Cavalryman saw a Speed Skeleton charging at him and was overjoyed, swinging his sword down.

Blood sprayed through the air.

He hadn’t hit the Speed Skeleton, but a goblin in front of him that was blocking the way. The Speed Skeleton had already changed position, and with a flick of the Bone Saber on its arm, it sliced across the cavalryman’s neck, lopping off his head.

The Speed Skeleton was getting the hang of it now. ’I’m weaving through an army of thousands without a scratch! This feels amazing!’

In the rear of the Vanguard Army, Zhang Peng’s timing had been perfect. He’d struck when they were completely defenseless and caught them off guard. The 3,000 Barbarian Hammer Warriors he deployed were responsible for the bloodthirsty slaughter, while the ambushed Headhunter Race and Lizardmen were responsible for the bloodcurdling screams.

Although the Barbarian Hammer Warriors were no match for the Elite Heavy Hammer Skeleton Warriors, they were still a proper Combat Sequence. Combined with the element of surprise, the Vanguard Army had to expend considerable effort to halt their offensive momentum.

They could no longer worry about the goblins at the front. The priority was to eliminate the Skeletons in the rear, and they had to do it fast. Otherwise, if the goblins couldn’t hold the line, they’d be in serious trouble.

Special units from among the Lizardmen and the Headhunter Race were also mobilized, charging toward the Barbarian Hammer Warriors.

...

The battle raged from night until dawn, ultimately ending with the Vanguard Army suffering heavy losses and retreating.

Of the nearly fifty-thousand-strong Vanguard Army, less than half managed to escape, leaving behind a ruined camp and a field littered with corpses.

The Undead didn’t escape unscathed, either. The Barbarian Hammer Warriors suffered over two thousand casualties under the counterattack of the Lizardmen and Headhunter Race, essentially wiping them out as an effective force. The Frenzied Giant Tusked Boars lost over two thousand, and the Dark Skeleton Desert Wolves lost more than five thousand. The losses were not insignificant.

And this was the result *after* catching the enemy off guard with a surprise attack, which had already shattered the Vanguard Army’s morale at the start of the battle. Their morale plummeted further due to heavy casualties, which is what finally forced them to retreat.

Had the Vanguard Army pressed on, the Undead would have likely been annihilated.

Zhang Peng received news of the victory and came to provide support. It took two trips to haul all the corpses from the battlefield back to the Undead Fortress.

This time, although he had lost a significant number of Undead, Li Ziyu felt it was well worth it. At the very least, he had gained the upper hand in terms of morale and had repelled the Vanguard Army.

The Alliance Army was composed entirely of elites, but that was also its greatest weakness. They weren’t a unified whole; they were drawn from various Tribes. This made morale extremely crucial. If he had let them fight an easy battle, they would have been very difficult for him to handle.

Defeating their Vanguard Army and crushing their morale would have a significant impact on them.

The Undead Race didn’t need to consider morale. Their loyalty was infinite, and they would never betray him. This meant that even if they fought down to the very last Undead on the battlefield, they would never retreat.

Besides, hadn’t he acquired over twenty thousand corpses? They could provide a new wave of Soul Energy, so boosting his combat power again wouldn’t be a problem.

Of the more than twenty thousand corpses, goblins accounted for over half, with the remainder being from the Headhunter Race and Lizardmen.

As soon as the corpses were transported back to the Undead Fortress, Li Ziyu immediately had the system begin decomposition. The sooner he got the resources, the sooner he could churn out more troops.

[Decomposed Bear Goblin +1. Obtained: Skeleton x2 units, Elite Goblin Ears x1 pair, Soul Energy x50 units]

[Decomposed Lizardman +1. Obtained: Skeleton x1 unit, Lizard Hide x1, Soul Energy x50 units]

[Decomposed Red Hat Goblin +1. Obtained: Skeleton x1 unit, Elite Goblin Ears x1 pair, Lively Eye Pupils x1 pair, Goblin Skin with Magic Power x1, Soul Energy x120 units]

[Decomposed Goblin Wolf Knight +1. Obtained: Skeleton x1 unit, Elite Goblin Ears x1 pair, Goblin Fang x2, Soul Energy x100 units]

[Decomposed Goblin Guard Warrior +1. Obtained: Skeleton x2 units, Elite Goblin Ears x1 pair, Hardened Nails x10, Soul Energy x100 units]