Chapter 517: Warming Up

“What’s going on?” Damenevsky asked as he approached Li Ziyu, having just woken up.

He’d been in a foul mood lately. Every day he woke up to nothing but a sky full of swirling sand—dirty and desolate.

Bebuta came over too, feeling just as bored as Damenevsky.

“Ah, you’re both here.”

“One of my outposts is under attack. We’re heading over to help now.”

Seeing the two of them, Li Ziyu gave them a quick rundown of the situation.

The moment they heard there was a fight, the two battle fanatics’ eyes lit up.

Li Ziyu saw the look in their eyes and raised an eyebrow.

‘These two are powerful reinforcements with exceptional combat abilities.’

‘Heh, this is in the bag.’

Soon, the Undead Fortress arrived near the Soul Base Station that was under attack.

Through the Gemstone atop the Great Tomb, Li Ziyu saw the “people” attacking the Soul Base Station.

It was a dozen or so Crocodile Men, each carrying an odd, crescent-shaped Great Saber.

These Crocodile Men were in a semi-crouching posture. Even hunched over, they seemed much taller than the Skeleton Undead. Li Ziyu estimated they were at least 200cm tall. If they were to stand up straight, they would be even taller—likely over 300cm.

The Soul Base Stations on the frontiers were usually simple setups: just the station itself and a group of Low Level Skeleton Undead.

Although there were only about a dozen Crocodile Men, they moved with ease among the nearly one thousand attacking Skeleton Undead. Even when surrounded, they showed no panic, breaking free from the encirclement with just a few swift movements.

‘Not Dragon Lizards, but Crocodile Men?’

‘I was wrong. Does this mean it’s not He Zhiping who’s returned, but that some other Lord has discovered this place?’

Li Ziyu’s brow furrowed as he watched the ferocious Crocodile Men.

‘This is not a good sign.’

Among the Crocodile Men toying with the Skeleton Undead, one who was much better dressed than the others suddenly froze. He looked up in a specific direction, as if he had sensed something.

The raging sandstorm of the Desolate Land of Death prevented him from seeing what it was.

He scraped his foot against the ground.

A tremor.

The tremors were getting stronger!

‘It’s not Cavalry.’

“A Lord! A Lord is coming!”

Realizing what was happening, the Crocodile Man roared to his comrades.

The other Crocodile Men were startled by his cry. They immediately stopped fighting and gathered around him, vigilantly surveying their surroundings.

The vibrations grew more intense. Whatever it was, it was heading right for them.

By now, even the slowest of the Crocodile Men could feel the tremors.

They lived on a Mobile Fortress themselves and had encountered others before, so they were no strangers to this heavy, thrumming vibration.

The sandstorm grew more frantic, swirling violently.

The lead Crocodile Man squinted into the sandstorm, straining to see what was ahead.

K-CHUNK, K-CHUNK, K-CHUNK rang out.

A colossal object parted the sandstorm and appeared before their eyes.

The high walls, the towering structures, the eerie glow of Soul Fire…

Undead!

An Undead Fortress!

‘It’s the enemy’s reinforcements!’

Before the Crocodile Man could say anything else, a dark figure burst through the sandstorm and fell from the sky.

BOOM!

The ground buckled, leaving a deep crater.

A man slowly rose to his feet.

He was a sturdy-looking Human, carrying an oddly shaped War Axe.

Huh?

A Human?

A Human came out of an Undead Fortress?

The Crocodile Man was baffled for a moment, and then he thought of his own Lord.

Although they were all Crocodile Men, their Lord was, in fact, a Human.

‘Then this person before me… could he be the Undead Lord?’

‘If he really is the Undead Lord, this is perfect.’

‘As long as we kill this Undead Lord, we can get away!’

The Crocodile Man had seen several Lords of Mobile Fortresses, and without exception, they were all Human.

Just ordinary Humans, the pathetically weak kind you could kill with a single poke of a finger.

‘So what if this guy is holding an axe? He’s still just a weak Human.’

At this thought, a vicious glint appeared in the Crocodile Man leader’s eyes.

‘Against an Undead Fortress, we have no chance. We’re dead for sure.’

‘Every Mobile Fortress has tons of Warriors. A dozen of us would be wiped out in an instant.’

‘But if we can kill this Human first, the Undead will surely fall into chaos. We can escape during the confusion.’

‘If we report this to our Lord when we get back, we might even get a reward.’

With that thought, the Crocodile Man no longer hesitated. He blurred into motion, swinging his Great Saber as he charged the Human with the War Axe.

“I…”

Damenevsky had just gotten to his feet and was about to make an introduction when he saw the Crocodile Man rushing him.

Its massive body cast a shadow that enveloped Damenevsky completely.

Its great, Tusk-filled mouth gaped open, looking as if it could swallow him whole.

Even more terrifying was the Great Saber. It seemed larger than Damenevsky himself. A single swing wouldn’t just cut him in half—it would turn him into paste.

“Get lost!”

With a furious roar, the Crocodile Man leader was sent flying backward. He crashed into three of his comrades before finally coming to a stop, landing flat on his back with blood trickling from his mouth.

Crocodile Men were tough, with thick hides and flesh. Besides, Damenevsky hadn’t used much of his Power. So the creature didn’t die; he just lay there, having a complete existential crisis.

‘What just happened?’

‘How did I end up flying?’

‘How could this Lord’s Power be so immense?’