Chapter 227 - 207: Resurrected Skeleton Soldiers

Chapter 227: Chapter 207: Resurrected Skeleton Soldiers

"Fall back! All the way to the rear!"

This time, Benduin took the initiative and moved to the very front.

’Since my blood has already been drawn, I should be the one protecting the Lord Baron.’

Colson did the same. He controlled Senya, joining Benduin in taking a defensive stance.

Budar glanced at Vili. Seeing Vili nod and give him an affirmative look, he, like Vili, fell back behind Colson and the other two.

"Bring it on!"

A layer of yellow earth suddenly materialized before Benduin, forming a massive, hard shield.

Just as he brandished his Iron Spear, preparing to charge forward and fight, he suddenly noticed that the hundred or so vines had stopped a hundred meters away.

The vines still struggled, trying to stretch forward, but they couldn’t advance another inch.

"The vines have a limited attack range!"

Colson instantly pinpointed the problem.

A moment later, his heart eased slightly.

According to Vili’s speculation, as long as the Extraordinary Tree couldn’t confirm that none of them possessed royal blood, they would be safe for the time being.

’Are we temporarily safe...?’

Budar’s tight grip on his sword hilt loosened slightly, and he gently wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead.

’Are we really safe?’

Although the vines had stopped advancing, the sense of urgency in Vili’s heart remained. It felt as if something unsettling was still about to happen.

Just as he had that thought, pale purple flower buds suddenly sprouted on the surfaces of the hundreds of vines at a visible rate.

The buds bloomed in the blink of an eye, and then, clouds of pale purple pollen scattered into the air.

A gust of wind materialized from nowhere, blowing the pale purple pollen directly toward Vili and his group.

"This is bad!"

Vili’s expression changed drastically.

The tangible attacks from the vine-like tentacles could be blocked to some extent, but something like pollen couldn’t be prevented from reaching their bodies, even if they held their breath.

"Quick, get behind the opening in the shattered rock!"

Vili shouted.

But as it turned out, the pollen was much faster.

Before any of them could react effectively, the pollen washed over them.

Everyone instinctively held their breath, covered their mouths and noses, closed their eyes, and tried to cover every inch of exposed skin with their clothes.

But it was useless.

Vili had wrapped himself up tightly, but he could still feel some of the dust-sized pollen seemingly pass right through the surface of his clothes to touch his skin.

For a moment, his skin felt warm. Then, the blood in his veins began to race, and his heart started pounding.

It wasn’t just Vili; Budar, as well as Colson, Benduin, and Senya—the three who had their blood drawn—all felt the same sensation.

"What should we do?"

Benduin had just formed a circular earthen defense in front of himself, but it still failed to stop the pollen from seeping through.

Benduin felt a roaring in his head, as if he could pass out and collapse at any moment—a result of his blood flowing too quickly.

No one answered Benduin, because everyone was experiencing intense discomfort.

Suddenly, Benduin, the weakest of them all, felt a warm stream in his nasal cavity, followed by the overwhelming smell of blood.

Crimson blood trickled from his nostrils, eyes, and eardrums.

"Benduin!"

Vili had been about to use his own Fighting Spirit to suppress Benduin’s boiling blood, but he suddenly felt a warmth at the tip of his own nose.

In an instant, all of them were bleeding from their nostrils, eyes, and the corners of their mouths.

WHOOSH!

The blood leaking from them suddenly transformed into five streams of pale red mist. As if pushed by the wind, the mist shot directly into the distant vines, which then retracted back into the trunk of the Extraordinary Tree.

"Everyone’s blood has been extracted!"

Vili realized the problem in an instant.

The discomfort within everyone’s bodies began to fade, but at the same time, their hearts clenched with dread.

"Let’s go. We have to destroy this tree!"

The one who spoke was Budar. Besides Vili, he was the most clear-headed among them now.

He knew perfectly well that this Extraordinary Tree was the root of their troubles.

Although its displayed abilities were terrifying, destroying it seemed to be the only way to resolve their current predicament. After all, none of them knew what kind of trouble they would face if they were identified as not having the blood of the Cold Lion Duke Royal Family.

"Go!"

Vili instantly agreed.

Before, they had avoided a direct confrontation, worried about getting injured and having their blood taken. But now, there was clearly no need for such caution.

"Hah!"

Benduin once again took the lead, a belly full of pent-up anger ready to be unleashed.

Vili and the others followed close behind.

VWOOM!

Just as they got within two hundred meters of the Extraordinary Tree, the brilliant white light emanating from its crown suddenly dimmed by a third.

Then, pale golden pollen appeared in its crown once more.

This time, however, the pollen drifted toward the heads of the armored Skeleton Soldiers holding Long Spears in the four corners of the room.

’You’ve got to be kidding me...’

Colson’s mouth twitched. He was the first to sense a flicker of life suddenly rise within the Skeleton Soldiers.

"Lord Baron, I think we’re in trouble."

Colson swallowed hard and said to Vili.

Vili had also realized by now that big trouble was coming.

He glanced at the distant Extraordinary Tree and saw that its thorny vines were extending out again.

He looked again at the Skeleton Soldiers in the four corners. Dark green flames now flickered in their once-empty eye sockets. Their motionless bodies began to tremble slowly, and they stiffly raised their Long Spears. Their armor plates scraped against each other, creating the sound of grinding metal.

"They’re... alive?"

Benduin and Budar only realized the terrifying truth after seeing them move.

CLANK! CLANK! CLANK!

The Skeleton Soldiers took a step in unison, all turning to face Vili’s group. Their movements were slow at first but then began to quicken as they raised their sharp, deadly Long Spears and charged ferociously toward them.

"Run! Retreat! Get back behind the opening in the rubble!"

Benduin roared.

The dense mass of nearly three to four hundred Skeleton Soldiers made Benduin’s scalp tingle with fear.

"No!"

Budar immediately refuted Benduin’s suggestion. "If we fail to hold them back, we’ll be trapped in that narrow passage. It’d be a death sentence!"

"Budar’s right."

Vili gripped his Cross Sword tightly. Watching the Skeleton Soldiers surging toward them from all sides, his face was grim. "Their Power of Life is somewhere between that of a Transcendent and an ordinary person. If I’m not mistaken, their strength should be below that of a Junior Knight but above a Senior Knight’s Squire. So, we still have a chance to win against these Skeleton Soldiers."

"But while we fight, everyone must stay wary of that strange, blood-sucking Extraordinary Tree. It might try to ambush us."

Vili added as another reminder.

"The Lord Baron is right. The enemy isn’t that strong."

Budar continued, following Vili’s line of thought. "There are just a lot of them. The Lord Baron has the strength of a Senior Knight, and the rest of us aren’t weak either. The only thing we need to worry about is being pinned down by a large number of Skeleton Soldiers. That’s the real danger."

"Split up."

Vili glanced at Budar, then urgently said to the others, "Colson, you stay with your Speaker. Budar, you look after Benduin. Don’t bunch up; it’ll be too easy to get surrounded."

"Yes, sir!"

The others all responded instantly.

Vili hesitated no longer, charging directly toward a group of Skeleton Soldiers.

Fearless, Vili instantly activated the Fighting Spirit Power and Power of Justice within him. He swung his Cross Sword fiercely, unleashing an indomitable wave of Sword Qi imbued with Frost Power and the Power of Justice that shot toward the Skeleton Soldiers.

CRASH!

The five Skeleton Soldiers at the very front were sliced in half at the waist, their skeletal bodies severed.

The residual Frost Power and Power of Justice that spread out also damaged several nearby Skeleton Soldiers.

’As expected, the Power of Justice is effective against these Skeleton Soldiers.’

Vili could clearly see that the Power of Justice had a strong corrosive effect on them.

’In that case, the driving force behind these Skeleton Soldiers must be Malice Power.’

’But...’

Vili’s gaze fell upon the Skeleton Soldiers that had been cut in half at the waist.

After being separated from their upper bodies, their lower halves immediately stopped moving. Their upper torsos, however, continued to swing their weapons. But without their legs, they could only lie in place, unable to move an inch.

Soon, they were trampled by the Skeleton Soldiers coming up from behind.

With a CRUNCH, CRUNCH of cracking bones, the dark green flames in their eyes finally vanished, and all traces of life left their bodies.

"Everyone, be careful! When you fight these Skeleton Soldiers, try to smash their heads! Otherwise, they can still move even if they lose a part of their body!"

Vili shouted to the others after discovering this.

SWISH!

Another blast of Sword Qi flew from Vili’s Cross Sword.

This time, Vili’s target was clear: he was aiming for the Skeleton Soldiers’ skulls.

POP! POP! POP!

Skull after skull exploded, and the dark green flames vanished.

The terrifying Skeleton Soldiers were proving to be utterly fragile before Vili.

’As expected of the Lord Baron...’

This was the thought that simultaneously crossed the minds of the others present.

The combat techniques and immense strength Baron Vili displayed as he mowed down these Skeleton Soldiers were breathtaking.

Compared to a nobleman, he was more like an unstoppable warrior who crushed everything in his path.