Chapter 228 - 208: Eliminating the Skeleton Soldiers

Chapter 228: Chapter 208: Eliminating the Skeleton Soldiers

In an instant, Sword Qi crisscrossed around Vili.

The combination of a Senior Knight’s Frost Power and a Two-Engraving Hanged Man’s Power of Justice made Vili unstoppable before the horde of Skeleton Soldiers.

The Skeleton Soldiers swarmed forward, their footsteps shaking the ground. They brandished Long Spears, their faces hideous as they let out hoarse, deep roars. Yet, despite the terrifying sight, they failed to inflict any real harm on Vili.

They tried to surround him, but their movements were too slow to trap him.

’Is this the work of a Necromancer?’

Vili wondered as he cleaved through the skulls of the Skeleton Soldiers.

Necromancers were considered taboo among Mages, and they were one of the primary targets of the Holy Light Knight Order that Vili had previously encountered.

’Indeed! Only with a fearless heart can one conquer all enemies and dispel all evil!’

Benduin’s heart burned with passion as he watched Vili’s fearless charge.

He let out a low shout, and his already thick arms seemed to swell even more. If not for the ochre Earth Mage’s Power swirling around him, one would never guess he was a Mage.

Benduin brandished his Iron Spear, shattering the skulls of one Skeleton Soldier after another.

At the same time, Benduin divided his focus, casting Earth Magic to keep the Skeleton Soldiers from getting too close.

But soon, Benduin’s initial fervor began to wane.

His draining stamina and Mana made his movements sluggish.

On several occasions, he was nearly run through by a Skeleton Soldier’s Long Spear.

’Damn it!’

Benduin felt the Skeleton Soldiers closing in. Soon, he would be completely pinned down.

At this rate, he would likely end up skewered like a pincushion.

Just as Benduin was about to be overwhelmed, a beam of Sword Qi shot past, shattering the skulls of the surrounding Skeleton Soldiers and instantly relieving the pressure on him.

"Keep your distance from them. It’ll be a problem if you get pinned down."

It was Budar who had intervened; he had not forgotten Vili’s order to protect Benduin.

Benduin pursed his lips, seemingly ungrateful. He thrust his spear forward, extinguishing the dark green wisp of flame in the eye sockets of a nearby Skeleton Soldier. "Thanks, Pirate Leader."

Meanwhile, Colson and Senya coordinated with far greater synergy.

Senya was now in her fully non-human form. Devoid of fear, she became a blur darting between the Skeleton Soldiers. Every swing of her tail and slash of her claws crushed another skull.

As for Colson, he skulked behind Senya, constantly infusing her with the Power of Nature.

He played the role of a perfect support. Only when a Skeleton Soldier got too close to avoid would Colson counterattack. However, his direct combat abilities were weak; if not for Senya, he would be in an even more awkward position than Benduin.

「Time ticked by.」

Under the group’s relentless assault, the number of Skeleton Soldiers dwindled rapidly.

’It’s almost over...’

Around Vili, Skeleton Soldiers fell one after another, collapsing into scattered bones.

Vili attacked with incredible speed, his body brimming with Fighting Spirit. Before him, the Skeleton Soldiers were like ripe wheat in a harvest field, cut down row by row.

After finishing off a group of Skeleton Soldiers before him, Vili turned to the densely packed ranks still surging forward in the distance. For the first time in battle, he unleashed his power as a Junior Mage.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

A continuous stream of fireballs materialized around Vili and shot violently into the dense horde of Skeleton Soldiers.

Although the Fireballs lacked the lethal power of his Sword Qi, they had the advantage of a wider area of effect and a more sustained impact. They couldn’t destroy the skeletons in one hit, but they could burn away parts of their frames, significantly hampering their combat ability.

Vili then charged in again, cutting down the disorganized Skeleton Soldiers.

’When did the Lord Baron learn Flame Fighting Spirit?’

Colson’s brow twitched as he noticed Vili’s attack.

For a Knight, cultivating a single elemental Knight’s Breathing Technique was sufficient. Few would ever attempt to learn two just to have multi-elemental attacks. Due to compatibility issues, the difficulty of learning a second Knight’s Breathing Technique was at least five to ten times greater than the first. With that much effort, it was far better to focus on mastering one element.

So, Colson was utterly baffled to see Vili suddenly use a flame-based ability.

It never occurred to him that the fireballs erupting from Vili’s side originated from Mage’s Power.

"That doesn’t look like Flame Fighting Spirit..."

Benduin was now beside Colson.

Between them, they had eliminated over a hundred Skeleton Soldiers. Though the creatures were fearless, they weren’t truly Extraordinary. The fight had drained much of their stamina, but they had managed to cut down the troublesome horde. Now, with fewer enemies remaining, grouping up to finish them off was the better strategy.

"That looks like... Mage’s Power..."

Benduin’s voice was laced with disbelief as he said it.

But when Vili had cast Fireball, he had distinctly felt the fluctuation of the Fire Element. As a Mage himself, he knew for certain that the flame had been fueled not by Fighting Spirit, but by Mage’s Power.

"Are you saying the Lord Baron is also a Mage?"

Colson grunted, struggling to crush the skull of a Skeleton Soldier that got too close. His tone was utterly dismissive of Benduin’s words.

’A Knight who is also a Hanged Man is already rare enough. How could he possibly be a Mage on top of that?’

Benduin’s stamina was nearly gone, his face beaded with sweat. Hearing Colson’s dismissal, he didn’t have the energy to argue. He just lowered his head and focused on the approaching Skeleton Soldiers.

Budar, however, who had remained mostly silent, had a flash of shock in his eyes. His instincts told him that Baron Vili might just be a man who worked miracles.

Vili, of course, was unaware of their thoughts. Even if he had known, he wouldn’t have cared.

’Thank goodness these aren’t truly Extraordinary... otherwise, we’d be the ones buried here...’

Looking at the dwindling number of Skeleton Soldiers on the field, Vili’s mind began to settle.

Even if something was stronger than a Senior Knight’s Squire, as long as it wasn’t truly Extraordinary, the difference was like heaven and earth.

Even so, Vili remained cautious with every move.

He deliberately increased the distance of the engagement, luring the Skeleton Soldiers away from the Extraordinary Tree.

There was no telling if the Extraordinary Tree would launch a sneak attack during the battle.

"Die!"

As Vili unleashed a final blast of Frost Sword Qi, the head of the last Skeleton Soldier before him was shattered.

Of the more than three hundred Skeleton Soldiers, Vili had slain two hundred by himself. The remaining hundred or so were wiped out by Budar and the others.

Benduin was trembling all over, his face pale. After finishing off his last Skeleton Soldier, he collapsed to his knees. His weakened condition was a stark contrast to his powerful physique.

It wasn’t just Benduin; the others were also on the verge of collapse. If not for the need to stay on guard against the Extraordinary Tree, they probably all would have collapsed to the ground.

The Skeleton Soldiers weren’t particularly strong individually, but their fearlessness and sheer numbers had made them incredibly difficult to handle.

"Lord Baron, this strange tree..."

Budar, who still had some stamina left, walked up to Vili.

Gazing at the Extraordinary Tree in the distance, its hundreds of thorny vines extended, he quietly asked for Vili’s decision.

"There’s no other way. We have to destroy it..."

Vili said thoughtfully, "None of us have the blood of the Royal Family. We’ll probably only find the way forward by breaking through these obstacles..."

Vili adjusted his clothes and weapon, then walked toward the Extraordinary Tree, Cross Sword in hand.

He had meant to cut it down earlier but had been interrupted by the Skeleton Soldiers. Now, with nothing in his way, Vili was determined to destroy it completely.

"I’ll handle this myself."

Budar started to follow, but Vili waved him off.

’They’ve lost too much stamina,’ Vili thought. ’At this point, they’d only be a liability.’

Facing the eerily twisting vines, Vili unleashed a dozen Fireballs.

With the Mana reserves of a peak Junior Mage and his practiced skill, Vili performed the action effortlessly.

FWOOSH!

The instant the fireballs touched the vines, they instinctively recoiled.

’Just as I thought. Plant-based Extraordinary creatures have a natural fear of fire...’

Vili no longer hesitated. Flame and frost wreathed his Cross Sword.

He charged toward the trunk, casting Fireballs to blast away any vines that blocked his path.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

Beams of Sword Qi, laced with frost and flame, hacked repeatedly at the trunk of the Extraordinary Tree.

The thrashing vines intercepted most of the attacks, but many still struck the trunk, leaving behind scorched and frozen scars.

’Is this all the resistance it has...?’

A smirk touched Vili’s lips. It seemed that aside from the pollen it used to draw blood, none of the Extraordinary Tree’s other attacks were life-threatening.

Vili started to understand. ’No wonder it woke up those Skeleton Soldiers when it sensed our attack. It knew its own abilities were limited and was worried for its safety...’

Although it was only a plant, Vili could sense human-like emotions and thoughts from the Extraordinary Tree, as if it were a thinking, reasoning animal.

"This ends now!"

A burst of flame erupted, instantly incinerating all the vines in front of him.

Vili leaped into the air, and his sword, wreathed in an intertwining dance of flame and frost, plunged deep into the trunk of the Extraordinary Tree.