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Chapter 694: War Against Fate (III)

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

The string of flares like tiny suns emerging and fading away almost instantly, leaving large holes in the ground. However, the holes were quickly replenished with the Undead Creatures swarming forward like a colony of ants. Although they had lost a substantial amount of fighting strength, they had no intentions of backing off at all!

"Attack! Advance!"

Saiborn pointed his sword at the majestic Fortress. The spiritual flames in his eyes shone brighter. Even though this battlefield situation was out of his expectations, he didn't cower. Since the ambush has failed, we should force our way through! That's the battle style of the Undead Army!

Indeed, the magic arrows had stunned Saiborn, but so what? Magic Arrows were extremely precious, so how many could that young man possibly have in his arsenal? Saiborn had 50,000 troops and they had only lost less than one-fifth of them! How many more magic arrows would that young man have to destroy all of them?

Continue to fire at us.

Saiborn revealed an ice-cold glint in his eyes as he witnessed the flares and explosions ahead. The Skeleton Soldiers around him rushed forward like a massive wave with their swords and shields. This was only the start. The Skeleton Soldiers by the rear had also lifted their bows and fixated their eyes on the Fortress.

"...!"

As though responding to the fire arrow rain pouring from the Fortress, the Undead Army returned the favor with arrows of their own.

"Defensive barrier!"

Lize raised her right hand and commanded. Golden spiritual radiance emanated one after another and connected to form a translucent defensive barrier which protected the soldiers solidly. At the same time, the newly emerged defensive barrier deflected the incoming arrows. The soldiers beside the archers hurriedly raised their shields to prevent any 'fish that had leaked through the net' from infiltrating.

"Tsk. Just the same old stuff from the Undead Creatures."

Rhode curled his lips as the Undead Army pushed through the flames and explosions. He knew clearer than anyone what the Undead Army was plotting. The Undead Army was an expert in a war of attrition and that was their fundamental. It could be seen that Saiborn had intended to sacrifice his troops to consume the magic arrows. Even though the magic arrows were devastating with every arrow basically consisted of the might of a small-scale rockets, they were extremely costly, after all, and Rhode was confident that Saiborn wouldn't believe that Rhode would have too many of them. But...

Rhode revealed a sinister smile.

Indeed. This was true judging by common sense. Magic arrows were expensive and Rhode couldn't afford too many of them. Even if he stored them in his inventory, he wouldn't obtain too many of them in a short while. However, the magic arrows weren't prepared only recently. Ever since the day this Fortress was established, Rhode had been ready for this moment before his very eyes! Apart from producing alchemy equipment and the stone constructs, Lapis's most important job was to focus all her time and energy on the creation of magic arrows! This was also why the speed of her coming up with new inventions wasn't quick. Rhode had requested to place her top priority on making the magic arrows to respond to this situation! Moreover, even though it was a fierce battle, the truth was that Rhode was ready to aim at this situation. He had divided his archers into three squads and every squad would take turn to release the magic arrows. This was why the explosions were constantly happening on the surface. After the shooting from the third squad had ended, it was then considered the end of the wave attack. Through this tactic, Rhode could maintain powers and save time to a maximum. Even though the Undead Army pushed through, Rhode knew that he might gain a perfect victory if they didn't come up with a change of their tactic.

Right now, the amount of magic arrows in stock were enough to last them for up to five days. As long as they hung on during this time, it would surely be enough. On the other hand, it would be another question if Saiborn's Undead Creatures could hang on for that long.

The biggest advantage that the Undead Army could rely on was their ability to manipulate corpses and make them join their forces, which made it difficult for them to lose in the battlefield. This was because they were increasing their forces as they eliminated the enemies. Rhode had fought the Country of Darkness for years and he knew them inside out. The Undead Army's biggest advantage was also their most lethal flaw. Why did the Undead Army's attack stop after the Light Parliament adopted the tactic to defend their deaths? The reason was simple. They lacked sufficient corpses to turn into their troops. Their unharmed enemies hid behind the high walls, while the Undead Army suffered huge damages. Without the replenish of troops, even the formidable Undead Army would crumble.

My city walls are rock solid and I have constant, ferocious firepower. What can you do to destroy my Fortress?

"Sir! Enemies spotted in the air!"

Randolf pointed ahead. Rhode turned to find a large patch of shadow soaring across the sky as though a pitch-black cloud heading toward the Fortress.

So, it's this move.

Rhode twitched his brows. Even though the battle was going on fiercely, he felt laid back and relaxed. Saiborn was only an intermediate commander in the Country of Darkness without any outstanding feats. Therefore, his commanding skills were nothing out of the ordinary, which meant they were all the standard assault moves of the Undead Army. All of their moves in this battle were within Rhode's expectations and it was making it boring for him.

"Don't worry, I have a plan. Pass this order and ignore them."

"Yes, Sir."

Randolf left immediately. At this moment, Rhode extended his right hand and the ring embedded with a scarlet gem on his index finger flickered in a faint magical radiance.

Activate Alchemy Constructs—Divine Unicorns.

"———!"

No one noticed that on the edge of the city wall, peak of the tower, and tall platforms of the Fortress, the decoration-like Divine Unicorns had trembled. The dust that had covered them fell off and spiritual radiance emerged in their lifeless eyes. Then, they expanded their majestic wings!

Boom!

In an instant, hundreds of tall, strong Divine Unicorns stone statues soared into the night sky and split up into groups like birds hovering and dancing in the air. Under the silver-whitish brilliance of the Holy Maiden Statue, the Divine Unicorns emanated specks of light on their body. Shortly after, they streaked across the sky in circles, gathered, and hovered in midair as they glared at the enemies before them.

Hovering before them were thousands of Bone Griffins beating their wings and letting out deep, menacing growls. The Bone Griffins were one of the main air forces of the Country of Darkness. They looked as though their bodies had completely rotted with only a white skeleton left—there were no traces of any flesh or feathers. The pale blue radiance burning in their eyes and the faint spiritual radiance from the edge of their flapping wings reflected the differences between them and pure bone specimens. The pitch-black shade that spread across their white skeleton frame was the truth of them being undead spirits.

"———!"

The Bone Griffins dove in with an ear-piercing screech. At the same time, the Divine Unicorns neighed, beat their wings strongly, and flew forward. In an instant, both sides clashed.

The masses of black and white collided, merged, and broke out in a violent confrontation. The Bone Griffins exposed their sharp claws as they pounced on the Divine Unicorns. The razor-sharp claws failed to leave an obvious scratch on the white, stone-made bodies. As alchemy constructs, the appearance of the Divine Unicorns had been through unique enhancements and modifications. No matter what, Lapis was an Alchemist Master and with the unique skills from the Behermes and her high production standards, even the most basic alchemy constructs wouldn't shatter to such attacks. Facing the Bone Griffins' attacks, the Divine Unicorns thrust their horns forward like cone-shaped battering rams, which punctured their chests and extinguished their spiritual flames of life. At the same time, the Divine Unicorns stomped their hind legs on the other Bone Griffins. In the blink of an eye, the pitiful Bone Griffins shattered to the enormous impact and fell from the night sky.

Everything's going according to plan.

Rhode displayed a smile. If the Bone Griffins were light surveillance aircraft, his Divine Unicorns would be medium-sized attack aircrafts. The parties didn't belong in the same category. At the same time, Rhode let out an inward sigh of relief. Normally speaking, the Bone Griffins were the investigative units of the Undead Army while the Gargoyles were used for air warfare. The Gargoyle Legion was basically the direct subordinate of Death Knights and Necromancers. At this point in time, Saiborn had dispatched the Bone Griffins and Gargoyles were almost non-existent. This meant that Rhode's Fortress wasn't the main target of their attack. If not, the situation wouldn't turn out this way, so it was much better than Rhode had expected. He initially thought that his Fortress was the first line of defense for Paphield and perhaps the enemies might prioritize their attacks. But it seemed like... This group of b*stards totally disregarded Rhode's presence.

But... it was hard to determine if their opinions would stay this way after this battle.

Rhode looked down from the city wall.

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After two waves of constant bombards, the front troops of Saiborn's army were heavily damaged. Even though many fishes had slipped past the net of defense, they were swept away by the torrential current of the moat instantly and vanished to nowhere. Up until this moment, the defense was still solid and stable. But Rhode knew that this was only the start of the war and it was going to be a long night.

"Gillian, Marlene. Ready?"

Rhode said softly and the two young ladies nodded firmly. He swung his hand to the left and commanded.

"Get ready for the second part!"

***

Saiborn had never thought that this battle would be so tough. That's right. Ever since he had become a commander, he had never experienced such a headache when he fought with the mortals. The opponent's aggression had forced his head down. He thought that the Bone Griffins' ambush would scatter the defense and attention on the city walls so he could swarm the opponent. But he didn't expect to face so many alchemy constructs... Damn it!

Saiborn was sure that not only was the young man aware of their plans, but he was also prepared for it! It was apparent that the magic arrows had been stored for a long time. In this time and age, every elite squad possessed a formidable weapon. But a regular army definitely wouldn't have so many alchemy constructs. Saiborn was sure that these alchemy constructs were built to deal with his Bone Griffins!

In an instant, this Death Knight was horrified and fuming in rage. He clutched the rein in his hand. His head burned like boiling magma. He didn't know what went wrong. It was a top secret for them to ambush the Light Mainland, where not even every superior commanders knew about. It was impossible for the alchemy constructs to be produced at the very last minute. They must have been built for this moment!

That was an instant when Saiborn had thought of retreating to report this matter to Balende. But his pride as an Undead Creatures took the better of him. It's only a small set back, so must I give up?

"S-Sir?"

Schrodinger's voice disrupted Saiborn's thoughts and the latter glared fiercely at the flustered young man. At this moment, Saiborn suddenly felt something strange going on in the battlefield. The intensive explosions had gradually weakened. He lifted his head hurriedly and gazed at the top of the city wall where torch-like flames were burning. Saiborn revealed a malevolent smile. Of course. He knew what those things were: fire arrows. One of the most common weapons used by Humans against the Undeads.

Instead of worrying about this threatening scene, Saiborn's eyes glinted!

As expected! Their magic arrows are almost used up!

Saiborn felt a burst of excitement rushing into his head. He finally understood the enemies' tactic. It seemed like the enemies had used the powerful magic arrows to delay their advancements and forced them back. In fact, that was indeed effective. Facing this tough nut to crack, Saiborn had temporarily thought of retreating. But it seemed like the enemies were a spent force! They couldn't hang on until we retreat! They've finally used up their magic arrows! Even though the fire arrows could also deal a certain extent of damage to the Undead Creatures, such damage wasn't as significant as the magic arrows. The next thing that Saiborn could do was to make their move! He didn't know if this was a trap or not, but so what if it was? Would the enemies purposely keep their magic arrows and only launch them at a critical juncture instead? I shall let them realize what's the true assault of our Undead Army!

"Attack!"

Saiborn ordered with his sword pointed forward. The Undead Creatures gathered and swarmed forward like a ferocious wave that engulfed its way toward the mighty Fortress!

The explosions had stopped entirely. The rain of fire arrows descended from above and shrouded the Undead Army within. But they were an utterly inadequate measure. The Undead Army braved the burning arrows even as they pierced into their bodies. Some of the Skeleton Soldiers collapsed in a body full of flames, but were immediately extinguished as the wave of Undeads washed forward.

The fish has taken the bait.

Rhode let out a snort. He turned and gestured to Marlene and Gillian.

"Do it."

Chapter 695: War Against Fate (IV)

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

The Undead Army's assault was indeed full of aggression and momentum.

Gazing from above the city wall, the Undead Creatures resembled an earth-shattering, pitch-black dye running on an artist's canvas. Everything on the surface was concealed by the dense, neat, and frightening movements. If they were Humans, perhaps the most elite of soldiers couldn't charge forward as neatly as them. Even though flames were spreading around them and explosions had blasted them away, their pace was still consistent, unified, without the slightest confusion. It was this display from them that the Humans realized clearly that what they were facing was an entirely different existence.

They weren't Humans.

Many archers who had lifted their bows let out shivers. Even though they stood on the solid city wall and had the upper hand, while the Undead Creatures were swiftly vanishing before their eyes, a sense of fear and horror instantly devoured their souls. They subconsciously retreated one by one. They were afraid that the terrifying torrent would sweep them away as soon as they blinked.

They're still too inexperienced.

Rhode shook his head slightly. This was also within his expectations. This was one of the reasons why Humans, Elves, and Dwarves feared facing the Undead Army. Even Rhode dared to face them only with the help of the tall, solid Fortress, and the incomparably precipitous mountain range that had penetrated the clouds. Besides, this Undead Army wasn't the direct army of the Dark Dragon or the four legendary generals under him, but was just a small army of the four legendary generals.

Rhode definitely wouldn't consider this if he didn't have the help of the four Holy Sword Cards, Canary, Mini Bubble Gum, Gillian, Marlene, Lize, and others. Even though he was a player... No, or perhaps, it was because he was a player that he knew how aggressive the Undead Army's frontal attack was. In the game, there were no chances of winning against the Undead Army even when there were millions of players. In fact, it was also the case when Rhode killed the Dark Dragon. Back then, his guild was the number one in the game. Even though he had a large group of elite players under him, he eventually appointed Orchid Heart and Olden Rascal to lead the main army and lure the enemies away from their territories. Then, Rhode would lead thousands of men to carry out their 'backstabbing'.

Of course, it was undeniable that this was also related to the players' level limit back then, which was level 70 and the standard of Intermediate Legendary Stage. Even with the assistance of talents and equipment, it wasn't an easy task to slaughter the maxed level Dark Dragon. Due to this reason, the battle was an intense one. The thousands of elite players suffered huge losses before the Dark Dragon. In the end, only Rhode and four other players survived when the Dark Dragon was taken down. Not only that, but they were also in critical health, where their raid would fail instantly if critters pounced on them and gave a swing of their blades.

Even though there was also a problem with levels, almost all the players admitted that they had never again experienced the formidable assault of the Undead Army even when they leveled up to 85 and faced the Void Dragon's Destruction Army. Although the Destruction Army held more than double the grade of strength than the Undead Army, the players couldn't feel the same amount of 'shock' as when they faced the Undead Army.

Perhaps the first was always etched in one's memories, or maybe the players' levels were too low in the start, which was why there was some deviation from the truth to their memories. But no matter what, based on the fact that even the number one Starlight Guild only dared to ambush from the rear and not confront the Undead Army head to head showed how unmatched their assault was.

This is only 50,000 of them...

Rhode was lost in his thoughts. Although 50,000 Undead Creatures seemed a lot for Humans, they were just slightly more than a battle column in the Undead Creatures' eyes. In order to defeat them, Rhode had to use almost all the trump cards in his arsenal. This time, he didn't make Mini Bubble Gum or Canary attack them. Even though they could eliminate them all in seconds, he didn't dare to.

Yes. He was afraid.

Because he knew that this was still the primary stage of the battle. If he were to display overly powerful strength and garnered the attention of the four legendary generals, he would be doomed for sure. Although Mini Bubble Gum and Canary were on equal footing with the four legendary generals, the problem was that they lacked the legendary artifacts they had in the game and their battle strength would fall by one-third at the very least. They might be able to hold off one versus two with the legendary generals. But if more than two legendary generals were present... The results would be devastating.

This was why Rhode had chosen to hide them away. It would be great enough for Mini Bubble Gum to be kept hidden in the team and cast defensive spells to protect the soldiers once in a while. On the other hand, Canary's biggest responsibility now was to destroy the Necromancers' protection barrier and interference spells and not show herself. This was also why Rhode had chosen to partner up Marlene and Gillian. At least for now, he wasn't willing to attract the attention of the four legendary generals. Wasn't the flow of RPG games usually to first kill the critters, chief critter, medium BOSS, huge BOSS, and finally the hidden BOSS? He wouldn't be that foolish to provoke the hidden BOSSes at this stage. Only after the situation had stabilized and the four legendary generals were fully occupied would he summon Mini Bubble Gum and Canary.

As for now... they were better off doing simpler jobs.

"Do it!"

Rhode dwindled his train of thoughts and ordered firmly. At this moment, Marlene finally launched her attack!

Her incantation had come to a full stop. Her fair, slender finger also reached its final destination and she pushed her hand down!

Surging magical powers dispersed in a mysterious rhythm and they quickly showed their values.

The vast, flat ground before the Undead Army trembled, cracked, and struck out razor-sharp boulder thorns that formed an incredibly solid obstacle, which ripped through their formation. Many Undead Creatures were punctured by the ambush of the boulder thorns and vanished into powder instantly.

But this was only the start!

"All right, all you cute little skeletons!"

Gillian said in a ringing, lively voice as she emerged in the pitch-black sky. This fox-eared young lady hovered above the city wall, placed a finger on her lips, and revealed a cheeky smile. Then, she stretched her right hand forward.

"Now's the time to head home for dinner, alright?"

A scarlet card appeared and spun above her palm. Then, she raised her hand and crushed it!

———!

The scarlet card shattered into bits. At the same time, a gigantic, scarlet dazzling ritual circle shone, spun, and expanded with Gillian in the center.

Magic Symbol—Seven Hells.

That was a scene plucked out from a dream.

The Undead Creatures rushing forward came to an abrupt halt. They lifted their heads subconsciously to gaze at the illusionary beauty transformed into their most terrifying threat. Blaze flickered. Then, countless fireballs emerged from within it.

In the blink of an eye, the fireballs linked up and blasted toward the ground in an arc trajectory as though a lashed whip. A string of dazzling, gorgeous barrages filled with the hunger for murder and destruction expanded in the sky. Then, this magnificent rain of flames descended and engulfed the Undead Army.

This time, the Undead Army were completely rooted to the ground.

In fact, individual fire balls weren't powerful, but they were lethal with their massive quantities. An Undead Soldier could defend against one or two fireballs. But, what about three, four, even five of them? In an instant, the one-sided warfare had flipped around. The Undead Soldiers charged forward with their raised weapons despite the fire balls erupting on their bodies, but they collapsed one after another in a string of flares.

"Damn it! Useless pile of trash!"

Saiborn berated. He extended his arm and grabbed the panicky Vampire who was hugging a white cat in his arms.

"What are your Necromancers doing?! Didn't they learn to interfere and cancel out the enemies' spellcasting in school?! Dumb*ss! A bunch of dumb*sses! What are they doing?! Damn it, how did this happen?! Say something, you bastard!"

"S-Sir, please calm down..."

Schrodinger cowered and gazed at Saiborn's fuming expression. He didn't know how the situation turned into this. The Necromancers had been through strict and tough training. In such a battle, they held essential importance because everyone knew how terrifying the Necromancers' large-scale spells were. Therefore, Necromancers held crucial roles within the Undead Army. Not only were they needed to protect the army from spell attacks, but they also had to detect and counteract the enemies. They would immediately take actions to disrupt enemies from casting spells whenever they sensed that the enemies were charging up to release large-scale, lethal spells.

This was the reason why Saiborn was this furious. He had left the safety of this army in the hands of the Necromancers and those bastards couldn't handle this duty properly!

"S-Sir, this isn't our problem... I-It's their powerful Mages who oppressed our defenses!"

"Powerful?"

Saiborn glared coldly at the Vampire.

"How powerful can they be? Aren't all your Necromancers in the Inner Circle? Don't tell me those shameless Humans are stronger?!"

"I don't know, Sir. But, our spells have indeed been suppressed... And can't be released!"

"Damn it..."

Saiborn pushed Schrodinger aside. He lifted his head and scanned the Fortress. The constant problems left him worried. It seemed that the enemies were well prepared for this battle. Besides, if what that useless Vampire said was true, it wouldn't be easy to find formidable presences who could suppress the Necromancers. Although Saiborn had a lot of complaints about Schrodinger...

The Death Knight couldn't ponder this question anymore. The spiritual radiance in his eyes glinted. He jumped off his warhorse and drew a glaring, purple radiance in midair with his sword. Then, the blade emanating purple radiance collided with the scorching flames.

"———!"

The flames devoured Saiborn's presence instantly, leaving a deep, ghastly mark on the ground, and blasting the Undead Creatures in its path into ashes.

The radiance vanished.

Saiborn emerged once again, but he appeared miserable. His armor was stained with filthy smoke and his cape was burned with several holes. He lifted his head to the sky and gritted his teeth tightly. A fox-eared young lady was seen floating leisurely in the night sky. Behind her was a dazzling, spinning magical ritual with countless fire balls launching from within. At the same time, Saiborn witnessed the coalescing energy in its middle. Then, another matchless beam of flames launched out and tore the ground.

This time, Saiborn felt entirely powerless. He could choose to continue their assault, but he couldn't guarantee that he would succeed. Even though most of the Undead Creatures were still present, this horrible terrain had limited their advantage in quantity. Both sides were tall, precipitous mountain ranges, where Undead Creatures couldn't possibly climb over them. The only way left for Saiborn was to restrict the Undead Army within the empty space before the Fortress. It was apparent that they couldn't disperse to avoid the attacks under such a tight space.

"... Retreat."

Saiborn lowered his head and made a hard decision.

The Undead Creatures slowly retreated while the soaring Bone Griffins flew away swiftly. But Rhode kept his vigilance at the highest level. He lifted his head and fixated his vision at the distant horizon. All the way until Saiborn's Undead Army vanished entirely from the horizon, Rhode nodded in satisfaction and turned to his subordinates.

"Well done."

"Hooray!"

The soldiers on the city wall cheered in excitement. They tossed the weapons in their hands and hugged one another tightly. Many of them were newly joint soldiers and had never fought in battles between Humans, not to mention a war with the Undead Creatures. In fact, many of them fell into the pit of desperation when they first witnessed the countless Undead Creatures. If they weren't standing on this solid city wall and had the help of Mini Bubble Gum and Canary, perhaps their limbs would be so weak that they sat paralyzed on the floor.

"R-Rhode, did... we win?"

Marlene watched in disbelief while Rhode shook his head.

"This is only for the time being. The Undead Army won't give up so easily. They merely retreated to regroup after facing our unexpected ambush. Don't think that we won this battle without breaking a sweat. We have just taken advantage of them and they will present a bigger threat after stabilizing their footing."

Rhode paused and turned to Marlene.

"Inform Old Walker to report to Golden City once more. I hope to understand the current battle progress and rough direction of the Undead Army. Also, get the soldiers ready for temporary breaks and replenishments. The night is still long. They won't give us too much space to breath the next time they're here."

Rhode turned around and looked into the distant, pitch-black horizon, where endless darkness had shrouded everything.

"The battle has just begun."

Chapter 696: War Against Fate (V)

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Even though the Undead Army had retreated, Rhode didn't let loose. He simply praised his subordinates and got them to quickly get prepared for the upcoming wave of attacks. Frankly speaking, the soldiers were still too inexperienced. Just a few days ago, less than one-tenth of the 3,000 soldiers were his original troops as he didn't find suitable candidates. It was only until Orchid Heart was summoned that he slowly built on his army. He was always a cautious person, especially after he had managed a player guild and understood the dangers of blind expansion. Even though it wouldn't be a problem for him to form a 10,000 troops army with the population in his Fortress, this would cause a huge problem for him without sufficient team leaders, commanders, equipment, and foodstuff. Besides, they wouldn't have camaraderie without training and cooperation, so what was the point in having such a huge army since they would scramble to a pile of loose sand in war? Rhode had no intentions of leaving the Fortress, so he put himself into defending the city walls. It was due to this that even with the threat of the Undead Army, he only recruited 3,000 soldiers who were most fitted and that was sufficient.

But this was just the beginning.

It had been a long time since the Light Mainland and Darkness Mainland broke out into a war. Currently, only the Eastern Plains, Battle Angel Army, and Holy Knights from the Church would occasionally eliminate Undead Creatures, Demons, Cultist, and others. As for ordinary Human armies, they didn't have the experience of fighting against Undead Creatures at all. It was still the same even for Rhode who had several experienced, senior soldiers who had left the military. They were basically the same as the newly joined soldiers in the face of the Undead Army. Fortunately, Rhode had no intentions of making these soldiers the main forces against the Undead Army. If not, the Fortress would have submerged into a sea of flames without Gillian and Marlene around.

And now, it seemed like they were effective. The Undead Army had retreated temporarily while the soldiers found their confidence. But Rhode knew that he had wasted a lot of resources—Gillian's 'Seven Hells' would require a day of cool down so she could only use 'Sulfur River' and earth-shattering fireballs. But without the enhancement from the specialized spell, the damage of the fireballs would be decreased significantly. Rhode had also activated the alchemy statues in order to resist the Bone Griffins. The Soul Cores in the alchemy statues were the Human Soul Cores he had collected in the Southern battle, so they were basically defective products that would last up to five hours. Besides, Rhode was sure that the enemies wouldn't send out Bone Griffins the next time since they were aware of his alchemy air force. He would most probably face the Gargoyle Legion in the upcoming battle. He actually had intentions of not awakening the alchemy statues so soon. But judging from the capabilities of his soldiers, perhaps they would collapse in fear as soon as the Bone Griffins dove toward him, so he had no choice but to call upon the alchemy statues for support.

On the other hand, even though Marlene was a Mage in the Middle Circle, she didn't have it easy against the Necromancers. If it weren't for Canary who was secretly suppressing the Necromancers' spells, perhaps Marlene would have become useless. If that continued, she couldn't possibly bring harm to the Undead Army with the spells that she had mastered. Moreover, Marlene wasn't a perpetual motion machine either and her spiritual energy would also deplete. On the other hand, the strength of Sol's group was too limited against the huge volume of Undead Creatures. Rhode had assigned Sol's group the duty of sweeping the Undead Creatures who had arrived at the city walls through bombardments and they performed well.

As for Canary and Mini Bubble Gum, Rhode decided not to send them into battle before confirming the main direction of Balende's attack in order to prevent any accidents. This was also why the effectiveness of their presences were also limited.

The only fortunate aspect was the Holy Maiden Statue. As a legendary artifact, it could maintain itself after it was activated until Rhode shut it down. It was generally stronger than most ordinary magic tools; if not, its title as a legendary artifact would be of no purpose.

Rhode shook his head and sighed. In the game, he didn't need to consider morale at all. If his soldiers were players, they would have jumped for joy at the sight of Undead Creatures because it would bring them a whole chunk of EXP and he didn't need to motivate them or encourage them at all. Back then, Rhode's only concern was to constrain his subordinates from being overly excited. In here, not only did he need to ensure his subordinates wouldn't flee from their positions, but he also needed to think of a way to boost their morale and ignite their beliefs in victories. Rhode felt that this was a tragedy...

But this was still fine too. After putting in some effort, the soldiers' morale was boosted and there were visible changes in them, where they were no longer as timid as before. Even though their morale was still fragile, he knew that the victories from battle after battle could strengthen their confidence. This was only the start.

But Rhode still wasn't aware of the changes that the enemies would come up with.

He knitted his brows and gazed into the distance.

Bam!

A shriveled palm smashed on the solid rock table. In an instant, ice-cold spiritual flames splashed, turned into light dust, and disappeared.

Vidal glared at the battle map with gritted teeth. The spacious commander room was in dead silence apart from the whizzing night wind blowing through the tent entrance. The fluttering of flags could be heard indistinctly. It should have been the ensemble of victory. But it sounded worrying for him instead.

As the Country of Darkness's chief commander of the 3rd Northern War Zone, Vidal was confident in securing the victory in this battle. He knew how that the important role to attack the Munn Kingdom was, and it had fallen on his shoulders, but the Munn Kingdom's unique geographical location had predetermined that they would be a tough nut to crack. Before heading into battle, General Balende Nefarian had handed everything to his care and at that moment, Vidal was full of confidence. He had even promised General Balende that he would need three days maximum before they could encircle the entire Golden City!

But now, reality had given him a cruel slap!

"... Damn it..."

Vidal growled in his throat deeply. Before they headed into the Munn Kingdom, he predicted that the Munn Kingdom would put up a strong resistance. In fact, he had never respected the group of idiots in the Country of Light. Even though they were under the Light Dragon Soul's protection, he was sure that those idiots were non threatening presences and were only great with their mouths. On the other hand, the Munn Kingdom would be harder to deal with. Although the Munn Kingdom had always kept silent, was unlike the Country of Light who expressed hostility to the Country of Darkness, and was considered more of a dominion from the Country of Darkness' perspective, no one in the Country of Darkness dared to belittle their strength. Even the four legendary generals would express some envy and admiration whenever Lydia was mentioned.

Vidal knew that the Munn Kingdom would be hard to deal with, but he still accepted this mission. He was clear that the harder the mission, the more precious his victory would be. It would be an entirely different concept from when he led the Undead Army to take down more than half of the Munn Kingdom as compared to taking down more than half of the Country of Light's territories, even though the Country of Light was much larger than the Munn Kingdom in terms of territory.

But the extent of difficulties in attacking the Munn Kingdom was far harder than he had expected.

As Balende was a well-respected commander, Vidal had given plenty of considerations for this ambush. Even though the Munn Kingdom was formidable, they definitely wouldn't set up defenses in the very first minute. Of course, with their strength, they could respond quickly as soon as they detected the attack and this would require Vidal's army to be fast, aggressive, and ferocious enough in order to secure the victory. This way, even if they paid a return visit, he would have enough space to deal with them. If the Munn Kingdom was a large flat bread, Vidal's method would be as though to take a huge bite no matter if he could swallow it or not. At least that part of the bread was in his mouth and that was more than enough.

But he quickly realized that things were amiss. Almost every battle lines that he was responsible for had shown problems.

The first news he received was from the Eastern Plains. According to the report, the Undead Army had faced a tough retaliation and the Undead Creatures had even faced ambushes and suffered grave losses. At this moment, they were slowly retreating and requesting for reinforcements.

This was still within Vidal's expectations. If the Munn Kingdom was considered a tough nut to crack, the Eastern Plains would be the hardest one of all. Unlike the other territories, there were innumerable conflicts between the Eastern Plains and the Country of Darkness, where they would take place almost everyday. Both sides knew each others' roots, which was why it wasn't an uncommon occurrence for them to face retaliations. Vidal had even prepared to not take down the Eastern Plains because it would take a long time for them to accomplish it. As long as he could restrict the Eastern Plains's manpower and occupy their attention, it would be enough.

But the next news came like a bolt from the blue.

The battles by the border between the Country of Darkness and the Munn Kingdom had split up into five regions. Eastern Plains, Sygram, Dragon Canyon, Silent Field, and Paphield-Grenbell. Apart from Eastern Plains which he could abandon, he was confident in taking down the other four battle lines. He had even imagined that if he took down the four regions, his army could wrap around and take down Eastern Plain from the rear altogether. But now, the situation was far from what he had expected.

Aside from Eastern Plain, the news that came from Sygram and Dragon Canyon weren't pleasant. Even though the Undead Army had broken through the first defensive lines, they were quickly obstructed and the battle had fallen into a stalemate. And now, according to the report, although the Undead Army was advancing, their speed was incredibly slow. Sygram's and Dragon Canyon's defenses gathered quickly and there were even traces of the Battle Angel Army: one of the enemies that gave the Undead Army their biggest headaches.

If the Undead Creatures were advantageous in their massive quantities, the Battle Angels would be superior in qualities. Besides, due to their contradicting holy attributes, the Battle Angels could deal lethal damage to them. Even an ordinary Battle Angel who casually swung her sword could easily wipe out a hundred Skeleton Soldiers, not to mention a group of them. Furthermore, the Undead Creatures wouldn't be able to resist their powerful holy powers and spiritual spells without valiant strength. Moreover, it was even more so for this siege warfare.

The news from Silent Field was a little more 'encouraging'. Although the Undead Army attacking Silent Field also faced retaliation, they spotted an opening in the defensive line, broke through, and was currently invading the region. But according to the report, the residents appeared to have been evacuated before the Undead Army broke through the defenses and most of the troops had quickly retreated. It was apparent that they were building a third line of defense. But no one knew if the Undead Army could break through it too.

This was too strange.

Vidal puckered his brows. The reports indistinctly revealed an odd taste. Their attacks were supposed to be raids, and even if the enemies were aware, they should be prepared hurriedly. However, the reports sounded as though all the enemies were aware of their plans. How was it possible?

Some of the commanders like him weren't even aware when the battle would start. It was during one fine day when they were called in and given this order out of a sudden, which left even the commanders flustered. This was why it wasn't possible for the enemies react so swiftly. In fact, the battles in the Country of Light proved this point. The reports had shown that the Country of Light couldn't even put up proper defenses and was completely overrun by the Undead Army. Currently, the Undead Army had passed through the Red Leaf Riverbank that was regarded as the major road, which was much faster than he predicted. Vidal was sure that if this continued, the battle in the Country of Light would end much quicker than expected.

But why is the Munn Kingdom so hard to crack when we've already taken down almost half of the Country of Light? Are the people of the Munn Kingdom that adamant? Are they able to remain unperturbed in the face of the Undead Army's attack? This is... too illogical.

At this moment, Vidal could only wait for the report from Paphield-Grenbell. Up until this moment, Saiborn hadn't send any information to him.

Does this mean that he has succeeded? If that's the case, I should consider gathering the troops and focusing our attack on that battle line.

"Reporting, Sir!"

A Necromancer rushed into the room with a crystal ball emanating pale blue spiritual radiance in his hands. He gazed at Vidal and gave a deep bow.

"I've received news from Saiborn."

"Oh?"

The spiritual flames in Vidal's eyes glinted. Then, he took over the crystal ball and placed it on the table before him. Shortly after, Saiborn's face emerged on the surface of the crystal ball.

"Saiborn? How's the situation? Have you broken through the Paphield-Grenbell defensive line?"

"..."

Saiborn hesitated for a moment.

"I'm sorry... Sir Vidal. We..."

Saiborn clenched his teeth. It was apparent that he didn't wish to describe the situation with such jarring words. But, he had no choice.

"We... have been driven off..."

"What?!"

Vidal sulked instantly. He glared at the crystal ball and the spiritual flames burning in his eyes were as though about to melt it. After a few moments, Vidal let out a long, heavy sigh as he fixed his eyes on the Death Knight.

"Give me the details!"

He yelled at the top of his lungs.

Chapter 697: War Against Fate (VI)

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Vidal stared at the crystal ball sullenly. Even though he wasn't speaking a word, it could be seen from his expression that he was on the verge of exploding with wrath. In fact, if what Saiborn said were true... he couldn't find any areas of rebuttal to prove that this Death Knight was merely using a clumsy lie to hide his failures. Perhaps he would feel better if it was a lie. But it was a pity that he was still clear-headed.

Vidal almost agreed with everything that Saiborn had reported to him and that was referring to the Munn Kingdom being ready for their raids. The reason was simple. The Country of Darkness had investigated the situation of Paphield-Grenbell, which included the sudden emergence of a young Human overlord and the massive Fortress being built within one day. No matter if the rumors were genuine, there weren't any signs of human habitations or buildings in the past. On the other hand, it was only half a year ago when that young overlord went to Land of Atonement to build the Fortress. Vidal felt that this young overlord was well prepared. Even though it was only right for them to stay vigilant for lurking Undead Creatures by the border, this young overlord's cautiousness had surpassed all limits. It felt as though he was aware of the Country of Darkness' planned raids.

"You said... They have Mages who suppressed the Necromancers?"

"Yes, Sir Vidal. At least that's what that damn Vampire said."

"... Is it Amund?"

"I'm sorry, Sir. I didn't see him around."

"..."

Vidal puckered his brows and held his forehead. Things shouldn't have been this way. If they had investigated a little more before the raids, perhaps they could locate the source of the problems. One of the reasons that they didn't do so was because the intelligence network set up in the Munn Kingdom by the Country of Darkness had been instantly destroyed after the Battle Angel Army received the Bone List. Another reason was that it would attract the attention of the Munn Kingdom if they were to send spies to retrieve information. This was why they would rather renounce the preceding period of investigations to prevent startling the enemies.

But now, Vidal felt that they were more like an impetuous hog dashing into the hunter's trap.

The plan didn't turn out as successful as he had thought. The four battle lines ended up in stalemates while Saiborn's case was even worse. He was driven off by the enemies?!

Vidal pondered in silence. This was extremely critical on the battlefield. Every second of hesitation would bring about an entirely different ending. But he didn't care. He was considering a serious question, which might directly affect the future war situation. In the end, Vidal lifted his head and gazed at Saiborn coldly. At this moment, an ear-piercing voice sounded.

"Please pardon me for turning up despite being uninvited. I heard that you've gotten into some trouble?"

Vidal turned toward the voice. A Necromancer clad in a pitch-black robe slowly approaching him. Vidal narrowed his eyes.

"Master Simon."

Simon let out a laughter so disturbingly sharp that even Vidal couldn't help but knit his brows. Vidal held down the fury inside him as he gazed at the aged face.

"Is anything the matter?"

"Just as I've said, Sir Vidal."

Simon extended his shriveled finger and caressed his white bone staff gently. This movement looked as though a few wiggling caterpillars with self consciousness.

"I heard that you've faced some troubles? Perhaps you might need some assistance from us Necromancers? If you have the need..."

"Hey, you..."

Saiborn bared his teeth uncontrollably. Vidal stopped him from speaking and fixed his eyes on the Necromancer. After a few moments, he nodded and turned to Saiborn.

"Saiborn. I order you to retreat immediately and hand over the war zone to Master Simon."

"... Understood, Sir."

Saiborn revealed a look of disdain and rage. But shortly after, he lowered his head helplessly and accepted his fate. On the other hand, the Necromancer let out a satisfied laughter, nodded to Saiborn with a cunning smile, and placed his left hand on his chest before drifting silently out of the tent.

"Don't worry, Sir Vidal. I will guarantee your satisfaction."

Then, he vanished out of sight.

***

"Rhode, when do you think they'll attack again?"

Marlene stood on the city wall and gazed worriedly into the sky. She realized that the night sky was totally unlike what she had seen. Not only that, but the dense, pitch-black darkness had also enveloped everything before her like a thick, black curtain. Marlene knew that it wasn't only the dark color of the sky nor the dense clouds or any other ridiculous thing, but was the protection of the Dark Dragon Soul and the sky belonging to the country of death.

"I don't know. Frankly speaking, I hope they come sooner."

Rhode shook his head. In fact, these were his sincere words. If the Undead Army once again launched their attack, it proved that they were only temporarily moving back to regroup. But there would be huge trouble if they didn't respond for a long time. Rhode was only able to observe the situation in his territory, but was completed blinded by darkness in terms of the situation in other territories. Even though he knew that his Fortress was in the road that the Undead Army would take, he couldn't help but feel some nervousness as though the calm before the tsunami: unsettling and frightening.

He didn't know how the Undead Army would retaliate. It was without doubt that they would increase the number of troops, but what about their types? Skeleton Soldiers and Bone Griffins were the lowest of grades and there wasn't much pressure dealing with them. But the outcome would be uncertain if there were other types of enemies. Canary was around to suppress the Necromancers, so Rhode wasn't worried about them at all. With Canary's strength, there were almost no Necromancers who could avoid her spell suppression.

"————!"

Rhode twitched his brows. He stood up and his expression instantly turned ice-cold.

"They're here."

"Huh?"

Marlenne gazed blankly and before she could react, Rhode gave his command.

"Get everyone ready for battle immediately!"

Warning bells rang instantly. The soldiers rushed up the city walls and got ready in the quickest time possible. After driving off the first wave of Undead Army, the soldiers were beaming with more confidence and lesser fears. They readied their bows and arrows forward while the silver-whitish light column blasted into the sky and illuminated every inch of surface clearly.

But this time, the situation appeared to be different as they heard deep noises from afar.

Boom... Boom... Boom...

It sounded as though a gigantic monster was slowly stomping through the surface. Everyone felt the solid city walls trembling. In an instant, the soldiers looked at one another worriedly. Unlike the group of newbies, Rhode lifted his head and gazed straight into the distance. His familiarity with the Undead Army had reached a high enough level where he could distinguish their forces through the sounds they made.

At this moment, the truth unveiled itself before them.

"Oh my goodness..."

Many of them sucked in deep breaths and muttered under their breaths.

They were pale-green, obese, and sturdy creatures with the height of three Humans and thick like enormous boulders. However, this wasn't the worst. Their sturdy bodies were full of sewed up scars like patched up puppets. They had four muscular arms clutching enormous blades and their facial features were mashed up, where bloody flesh and eyeballs were dangling out of place. Lize turned around immediately and covered her mouth to hold herself back from throwing up.

More importantly, there wasn't only one of it.

Thousands of the same creatures emerged from the pitch-black shadow in slow, steady steps, but their massive bodies and disturbing appearances left the soldiers shivering. Rhode's pupils shrank into single lines. As expected, the Undead Army had quickly come up with counter solutions after suffering the previous setback.

Abomination.

As one of the top five species with the highest defenses in the Undead Army, Abominations didn't have any weaknesses apart from their slow-moving speed. Rhode didn't spot them previously because they weren't suitable for raids. But their formidable powers would be displayed when it came to besieging a city.

Abominations were covered in rotten flesh, where the explosions from magic arrows wouldn't deal lethal damage. Not only that, but when they died, they would also explode and shroud the place in a putrid and poisonous stench. Rhode was clear that the corpses of these bastards would burst out into innumerable blood maggots: they could be considered the most disgusting of all disgusting existence.

The Skeleton Guards following closely behind the Abominations weren't easy to deal with either. They were the upgraded version of the Skeletal Warriors and their attacks and defenses were stronger by a hundred times. Rhode immediately understood their intentions as soon as he spotted the Abominations. It was apparent that the Undead Army would get into a besieging formation. Behind the Skeleton Guards were the Necromancers, Archers, and followed by the Gargoyles...

"Grrr...!"

As though proving Rhode's guesses, the furious growls from wild animals sounded from afar. Shortly after, countless pitch-black figures as though thick, heavy dark clouds flew forward. That was the Gargoyle Legion that Rhode had been waiting for. Unlike the weak Bone Griffins, the iron-solid Gargoyles could be considered the hegemons of the sky. Even though their levels weren't high, their solid body could withstand damage from most spells. Besides, they could also use their razor-sharp teeth, claws, and tails to rip everything apart. At this moment, the Gargoyles were soaring in the night sky and heading toward the Fortress.

"Hmm?"

Rhode was taken aback after spotting their flag. It didn't belong to Saiborn, the Death Knight. Instead, it was an entirely different white skeleton flag without the symbol of 'The Spirit Chaser'. But Rhode knew who it belonged to—'Sinister Death'. An intermediate Necromancer symbol.

What's going on?

Rhode was sure that it was Balende's Death Knight army previously and even though they had revised their formation, this war zone should still belong to Balende's subordinate. Why did they...

Suddenly, Rhode's eyes glinted!

Why am I so foolish? Didn't the Country of Darkness attack the Light Mainland for this purpose?!

"Bubble!"

Rhode turned around and yelled without any hesitations. Mini Bubble Gum ran out of the crowd and scuttled toward him.

"Yes, Leader?"

The corner of Rhode's lips perked up into a smile. He extended his hand and beckoned to her.

"Wanna go and have some fun with me?"

"Sure!"

Bubble exclaimed in excitement. She clenched her fist and nodded. On the other hand, Marlene turned to Rhode in astonishment.

"R-Rhode? What are you two gonna do? The enemies are..."

"Balende's troops have retreated. This is the best time to eliminate all the threats before us!"

Rhode didn't explain too much as it would be too time consuming to explain the internal relations of the Country of Darkness and the conflicts. All in all, even if the enemies were Humans, Rhode could finally lay down the burden in his heart. Oh my goodness. All of them are walking EXP. If I'm lucky, I may even break through level 60 and enter the Legendary Stage! How can I let this chance go?

"From now onward, I will leave Orchid Heart with full responsibility here. All you guys have to do is to act in accordance to her commands. The enemies are the subordinates of the Necromancer. Canary, prepare for full spell suppression. Lize, the Abominations have long attacking range. You and your squad must put up defenses in the quickest time possible!"

Rhode extended his right arm and a dazzling card spun above his palm. He threw it upward and in a sparkling eruption, the Spirit Bird soared into the sky. On the other hand, Mini Bubble Gum also emanated a pure, white radiance. Then, the light rays coalesced on her back and formed a pair of tiny wings.

"Let's go! Bubble!"

Chapter 698: War Against Fate (VII)

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Rhode raised his right arm abruptly. The Spirit Bird emanating a sacred, dazzling radiance expanded its wings majestically. It slowly turned transparent and merged with Rhode as one, where, in the blink of an eye, a pair of azure spiritual wings unfolded behind him, releasing a faint breeze sparkling in lightning bolts and silver-whitish aura.

Bubble let out a chuckle beside him.

Then, dazzling, wavering brilliance shone skyward with her in the middle, coalesced into rays of light, and eventually transformed into two pairs of light wings on her back.

"Sir, you two are..."

Randolf stared blankly while Rhode waved him aside with an airy gesture. Then, he looked ahead and revealed a gentle smile. Upon witnessing Rhode's smile, Randolf felt a razor-sharp, chilly blade striking his spine, like a sense of fear pinning him to the ground.

"It's time to farm some EXP. Lets go, Bubble."

"No problem, Leader. This is what I've been waiting for!"

Rhode lifted his head and blew a sharp whistle. Shortly after, the Divine Unicorns hovering in midair quickly regrouped and soared forward. At the same time, Rhode and Bubble flew forward like blasted artillery shells and transformed into two fast shadows!

"Grrrr—!"

The Gargoyles had arrived before the Fortress. They let out deep growls in their throats, exposed their sharp claws, and beat their wings fiercely. On the other hand, the Divine Unicorns lowered their heads, aimed their pointed horn forward like the knights' pikes, and darted forward.

Bam!

Both sides clashed.

The Gargoyles were much harder to deal with than Bone Griffins.

Even though the Divine Unicorns' horns had penetrated the Gargoyles' chests, the Gargoyles didn't crumble immediately like the Bone Griffins. On the contrary, it enraged them further and they snarled, stretched out their sharp claws, and slashed the Divine Unicorns' skulls. If the Divine Unicorns were Humans, perhaps their skulls would have turned into smashed watermelons. But the Divine Unicorns didn't have it any better though. They winced to the powerful impact, but it was apparent that the Gargoyles wouldn't let them off this easily. As the backlash threw the Divine Unicorns to the side, the Gargoyles turned around abruptly and lashed their pitch-black, long tails on the Divine Unicorns. Fragments splattered and the Divine Unicorns had no choice but to retreat instantly. However, the Gargoyles seized the opportunity to chase forward and deal the final blow.

A dazzling, meteor-like blade ray flashed.

At the same time, a Gargoyle pouncing on one of the Divine Unicorn was split into half from the middle. The magical energy supporting its movements scattered and in the blink of an eye, it returned to being a heavy boulder, descended from the sky, and smashed into the ground.

Rhode kept his blade and drifted away like a spirit that dodged an oncoming attack. In an instant, Rhode was caught up in his thoughts. He gazed at his sword and recalled the moment when he first came to this world, where he experienced the most dangerous battle in Twilight Forest against two Gargoyles. Back then, he felt as depressed as a tiger that had left the deep mountains and was bullied by the land dogs. He used to be able to fight ten of them at once, but he had to pull out all the stops to defeat two Gargoyles in his gravely injured condition. However, the situation was totally different now.

An ice-cold glint flashed in his eyes. He sped forward while with his two daggers and dragged two shimmering silver trails of lightning bolts across the night sky. The Gargoyles along the trails shuddered as though they were struck by an invisible force and blasted away instantly. The Divine Unicorns swiftly stomped with their iron hooves and thrust their horns to shatter them into worthless stone fragments.

On the other side, Mini Bubble Gum was having a much more brutal battle.

"Heyaaaah!"

The little girl clenched her fists in a fighting stance while staring to a Gargoyle pouncing on her. At this moment, four to five consecutive rays appeared out of thin air and shrouded her entirely. Then, she landed her punch heavily on the Gargoyle's rock-solid body and in the blink of an eye, it shattered into powder and the indescribable, immense impact spread, and rippled wildly across the sky. The dense air filled with the presence of Gargoyles was immediately blasted away into an empty space, where hundreds of Gargoyles were destroyed entirely by Bubble with nothing spared.

"Awesome!"

Mini Bubble Gum let loose of her clench and exclaimed in delight. Then, she flew straight into the black, dense mass of Gargoyles like a dazzling meteor. However, the Gargoyles didn't retreat. They didn't have such intentions either.

Dozens of Gargoyles darted toward Bubble from all directions and almost shrouded her tiny stature within. But everything was completely reversed at the next moment.

"Get lost, scums!"

She punctured one of the Gargoyles with her tiny right fist. She raised her arm with a proud grin, and tossed it toward the other Gargoyles, where they crashed into a complete mess. Then... there was no more 'then'.

Ssss—!

A Gargoyle emerged behind Bubble and struck out its black, sharp claw at her — But sparks splashed instantly as a transparent barrier negated its attack. Before it could respond to the situation, the light wings behind her transformed and extended like vines that whipped across the sky. Not only was the ambushing Gargoyle was struck, but even the other Gargoyles around it were shattered completely.

"Hmph. Worthless trash!"

Mini Bubble Gum turned around, curled her lips in disdain, and raised her tiny fists. Her wings unfolded and beat to bring her to the area most concentrated with the Gargoyles.

"Oh my goodness..."

The soldiers stared blankly in the night sky from the city walls. In an instant, they thought that they were present in a legendary battle that had unfolded in their wildest dreams. The Divine Unicorns soared in the sky and fought a violent battle with the pitch-black, distasteful Gargoyles. On the other hand, the constantly flickering blade rays and holy radiance got their blood racing. None of them had expected to witness such a fantasy-like scene.

But now... They had become one of them and were about to battle the terrifying creatures like legendary heroes! Many of them were fired up. They fixed their eyes on the sky and cursed themselves for not having a pair of wings behind them like Rhode and Mini Bubble Gum and flying into the air and facing the creatures. How glorious would that be?!

"Everyone. Get ready. Enemies have entered our attacking range—!"

Randolf's yells dragged the soldiers back from their fantasy. They pulled themselves up and gazed at the Undead Army. The Abominations were approaching them step by step. Gillian extended her right hand with a stern expression. The scarlet flames on her palm throbbed constantly while Marlene crossed her hands and chanted under her breath. Not only them... But this was also our battle!

In an instant, the soldiers sensed an unprecedented calmness even though a hot blooded desire for a fierce battle had erupted in their bodies. They felt as though their skin had been completely frozen by the whizzing, cold winds. However, that wasn't due to fear. Instead, it was because of excitement and thrill. The soldiers raised their bows and aimed at the enemies in the distance. Their eyes were no longer glinting with fear or uncertainty.

"Release your arrows!"

Randolf ordered.

A string of blaze and explosions erupted, which devoured the Undead Army. Simon let out a grim laughter as he squinted at the army ahead. Behind him stood 12 Necromancers clad in black robes. They had formed a perfect circle with their positions. They held white bone staff and quietly waited for their orders. Simon was ready. It could be seen that Saiborn's report wasn't exaggerating at all. In fact, Simon couldn't help but exclaim in awe when he witnessed this massive, majestic Fortress, where even his White Bone City wasn't as beautiful or flourishing. In an instant, Simon had come up with intentions of snatching this place into this own. If he could receive such a castle and guard this strategic location and major road, it was imaginable how powerful he could become.

Just as Rhode had expected, even though the Country of Darkness was powerful, there were signs of internal disputes and this was the reason why the Country of Darkness wished to expand their territories. Therefore, apart from the four legendary generals who had taken part in this battle against the Light Mainland, there were also many other families involved. In fact, they were the most active participants in this battle because they knew why the Dark Dragon started this battle. This presented a great opportunity for them. If they could grasp it, they would have a chance to expand their forces and grow from an ordinary family into a massive, powerful family. They might even reach the social class of the four legendary generals.

But now...

Simon dwindled this thought. He stepped toward the middle of the circle formed by the Necromancers in large strides. Even though Saiborn was foolish, he did suffer a defeat with reasonable reasons. Simon had checked the nearby terrain and it was undeniably unsuitable for the Death Knights. But it was entirely different for Necromancers. Even though he wasn't aware if what Saiborn said was true, he wouldn't belittle the enemies. In fact, he had a strategy ready.

"Let's begin."

Simon lifted his head and gazed at the Fortress. Then, he extended his hands and the white bone staff in his hand hovered slowly in midair. He lowered his head and chanted a curse softly. The 12 Necromancers followed his lead and chanted in harmony.

The darkness turned deeper.

Another string of explosions flashed.

Marlene puckered her brows at the Abominations who were still braving forward even after they were blasted with heavy damage. They were truly hard to deal with just as Rhode had mentioned. Since the battle commenced, the soldiers had fired two waves of arrows. Although the explosions had slowed the Abominations down, they didn't seem to have intentions of stopping. Their tall, obese bodies were full of pitch-black large holes with forest green blood gushing out. The night breeze swept the putrid stench along and polluted the air.

Living creatures would have died countless times by such injuries, but these Undead Creatures continued to move forward stubbornly. Even though their thick, short legs limited their speed, their defenses were still high. Even if their upper bodies had exploded into a bloody mess, they could still advance with their lower bodies.

Not only that, but also...

A shadow flitted by and struck at Marlene. She shrunk back subconsciously and heard a deep collision.

Bam—!

A gigantic hatchet connected to a steel chain hacked into the thick, solid city wall before Marlene. The Abomination's four muscular arms dragged the steel chains. After missing its target, it pulled its steel chain back and moved forward.

This is real trouble.

Marlene knitted her brows. She turned to the side to find Orchid Heart leaning back leisurely on the chair. The chair had slanted toward the back and if it weren't for the city wall, perhaps she would have fallen to the ground. But Marlene couldn't understand how she was able to keep this calm before this violent battle. Even though the soldiers were fighting hard and Lize and her Clerics were doing their best to summon and maintain the defensive barrier, Orchid Heart was still looking sleepy. She had only given two commands ever since the start of the battle and they were the simplest of all: "Stop" and "Attack".

Would these commands be useful?

An explosion attracted Marlene's attention. She turned to see Gillian aiming her right index finger at the ground. Then, a light trail streaked across the sky and a wall of flames extended abruptly from the ground. The scorching flames instantly devoured the massive Abominations. Shortly after, the Abominations collapsed and exploded like water-filled balloons. The putrid forest green liquid splashed everywhere, but the companions behind them weren't affected at tall. They climbed over the wall of flames and continued their assault.

What should we do next?

At this moment, Marlene saw Canary standing on her feet and gazing forward.

"The Necromancers have made a move. They're summoning a strategic spell."

"What?!"

Marlene let out a cry. She knew how terrifying strategic spells were. Not only were they AoE spells that contained incomparable might, but they could also last for a long duration. Apart from that, they required a lot of high-level spellcasters in order to work. Even though Marlene didn't know how powerful the Necromancers were, this move would expose the extent of their strength.

"What should we do, Miss Canary?"

"Don't worry, Miss Marlene."

Perhaps sensing Marlene's worries, Canary revealed her signature, gentle smile.

"Rhode left me here to prevent such a situation from happening. Leave it to me."

Canary extended her right hand.

Chapter 699: War Against Fate (VIII)

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Simon lifted his head and gazed at the deep, dark sky. He sensed the dense energy of death coalescing from all directions. He narrowed his eyes and felt the energy flowing past his fingertips. This was Simon's favorite moment. He felt like he was the king of the world and every living creature in this world could only bow by his feet. He could control every single one of them. At this moment, he was God! The greatest presence in this world!

Even though this was only a misconception for one who possessed powers, Simon didn't think so. He was totally immersed in the moment and guiding the ice-cold energy of death using his spiritual powers. He lifted his arms and along with this movement, the white bone staff hovering between his arms became dull in appearance. Not only that, but billows of black smoke also rose with occasional flashes of spiritual radiance.

The chanting became louder. Then, the Necromancers surrounding him also raised their arms. They offered their spirits and powers respectfully. If one could see it, perhaps one would find a violent, magical tornado whirling around their massive ritual circle.

Everything is going to end soon.

Simon stared at the Fortress in the distance. Flares burst into the sky and the constant explosions left him lamenting. It seemed that Saiborn wasn't wrong in his judgment. It was impossible for the enemies to defend against the Undead Army for so long if they were unprepared, which had proven that they were well-prepared for this raid. It might possibly mean that the Country of Darkness' raid plans were leaked a long time ago.

Simon revealed a smile. He was clear that this entire plan had been kept as an absolute secret and he was almost sure that only the four legendary generals might know about it in advance. And now, the Munn Kingdom was ready for their raids and this meant that the plan was divulged. If he could occupy this Fortress and propose a protest with the Dark Dragon, the four legendary generals' positions would definitely become unstable. As a Necromancer who had operated within the Country of Darkness for centuries, he understood the affairs of the nation extremely well.

The spell has reached its peak.

Simon clutched his hands together to control the surging magical powers that were merging with the death aura. Simon was full of confidence in this legendary strategic spell. The 12 Necromancers were the best from the 'Sinister Death', and all had entered the Inner Circle (Advanced Legendary). With his strength, the strength of this spell could reach Peak Legendary: it could even breakthrough all man-made boundaries. Simon was getting all fired up. If that were true, it meant that he might even injure or kill all the extraordinary presences who existed in this world. Simon's heart pounded violently at this crazy thought.

So, does it mean that I can possibly become...

Simon knitted his brows and dwindled this thought. That was in the faraway future. He was an Undead Creature. He had sufficient time and patience to fulfill his wildest desires. But, before that, he had to possess enough strength, forces, and territories to establish the foundations.

"Umyasi!"

Simon lifted his arms and called out the final character of his curse. Almost instantly, the invisible strength materialized. A harmony of scarlet and pitch-black energy surged, shot straight into the sky, and blended into the sky as one. Shortly after, it transformed into a whistling, devastating storm. This was the secret technique of the Necromancers. Rumor had it that during the Creation War, they had once used this technique to wipe out all the enemies who obstructed the Dark Dragon no matter if were the Elves, Angels, Dwarves, or Humans. No one could survive before the face of absolute destruction and death!

Shortly after, the massive Fortress would be shrouded entirely and transformed into a city of death!

"What?"

A crisp voice rang in Simon's ears.

Although the voice was soft and melodious, it came as a bolt from the blue. This was a strategic spell that had reached Peak Legendary. Everything was within his grasp, so where did that voice come from?!

He turned around and the spiritual flames in his eyes burned even brighter. An azure human silhouette coalesced from magical energy was spotted floating by the edge of the dark, roaring torrent of death. Simon instantly knew what that was: a phantom clone created from its holder's magical energy. But... that wasn't the main problem!

This was the strategic spell that he had unleashed fully and all the magic powers in the surrounding had been infiltrated by this energy of death and destruction. If one were to release any spells, it would undoubtedly be like one was winding a yarn ball around a wheel that was spinning at incredible speed!

But now, the young lady's figure was hovering quietly right there and the vicious energy torrent appeared to be ineffective at all. Simon knew that this was impossible because only when one had coalesced enough magical energy that one could prevent its phantom from being devoured by the vicious chaos. But such a Human didn't exist, not even Amund, which was why Simon was confident when he unleashed this spell. But now... Damn it. Who is that young lady? Is she a Mage? When was there such a powerful Mage in the Munn Kingdom? Could it be Lydia? It can't be. She's an Archangel and I've never heard that an Archangel could use magic spells. Besides, she doesn't have the pair of light angel wings behind her!

Simon couldn't focus his attention on where this young lady had come from anymore. There was one thing for sure that he knew clearly: she wasn't here for a good cause!

As expected. The young lady stretched out her right arm and pressed lightly on the blustering, spinning dark magical barrier.

Then, Simon's vision blinded.

"—!"

In an instant, the darkness in the atmosphere was completely devoured by a dazzling blaze. The aura of death and horrifying dark powers around Simon and the Necromancers were as though petroleum being ignited and illuminated the entire sky and earth by scarlet flames. The blustering gales swept along the scorching flames which engulfed all the Necromancers.

"No!"

Simon spread his arms apart desperately. He couldn't imagine how all this happened. He knew how tough it was to forcefully intervene with a Peak Legendary strategic spell. Perhaps in the entire Country of Darkness, there were no Necromancers who could accomplish that!

Even though the flow of the magic spell was as though the regulated operations of a machine, where it would be easy to disrupt its gears by sticking a metal crowbar into it, the size of the machine was still a factor. If not, not only would the metal crowbar not get stuck, but it would also be dragged into it and get crushed.

And that was the consequence which most Necromancers faced. It wasn't difficult to disrupt a magic spell at its preparation phase, but it would be as hard as climbing to the heavens once its preparation phase was over and it had erupted entirely. But now, Simon witnessed a scene that had twisted all his knowledge. The human who suddenly appeared forcibly distorted the [Tide of Destruction] which he had cast. Not only that, but she also used her strength to analyze it?!

This can't go on!

Simon swiftly realized the source of the problem. As the leader of the 'Sinister Death' and a Necromancer, he immediately displayed his decisive side. He gritted his teeth and gazed at the surrounding that was engulfed in twisted flames and crumbling magical trajectories. Then, a sinister thought cropped up in his mind.

"Tch!"

He pointed at the young lady and the white bone staff in his hand instantly shattered. The raging wind of magic powers rose from the ground. However, not only did the surging flames not burn stronger, but it also became much more dull. In the blink of an eye, the earth-shattering, blazing flames darkened. Then, countless dark beams emitted from within the flames and struck toward the illusory young lady!

"...!"

The azure young lady suddenly became pitch-black and dark. At the same time, the suppressed flames blazed even brighter and only a dazzling, scarlet radiance was left before Simon's eyes.

Boom!

A violent explosion and flash ripped through the night sky. The soldiers going against the Undead Creatures on the city walls lifted their heads to see the situation.

"Argh...!"

Marlene witnessed Canary pointing her finger forward and exclaiming in surprise. Then, Canary's right hand erupted with flames and dense, blue wind elemental aura that exuded throughout. Even Marlene had the urge to yield to this powerful force. But shortly after, she realized the problem.

A trace of shadow flashed across the blistering, scarlet blaze in Canary's hand. Then, the blaze turned into dark flames that rushed toward her and caught her off guard. Canary was instantly devoured by the dark flames and the immense force blasted her to the wall behind her.

"Miss Canary!"

Marlene shrieked in horror, rushed over to Canary hurriedly, and saw her ashen complexion as though she was on the verge of death. Marlene held Canary's wrist and an ice-cold, piercing chilliness spread to her hands immediately.

"Miss Canary. Wake up. Are you alright? Lize! Lize!"

Marlene had never expected that Canary would collapse and this left her hysterical. Although Marlene had also experienced countless battles, this was the first time that she had witnessed the near-death condition of a close one in a battle. Moreover, Canary had always been gentle and elegant and both of them had gotten along well. Besides, Marlene was also aware that a lot of credit had to be given to Canary's meticulous guidance for her amazing improvement. Canary was a being in the Peak Legendary Stage and yet she could guide her along so patiently. This left Marlene extremely grateful. Furthermore, as Marlene's understanding of magic grew deeper, she could sense how powerful Canary was even clearer now. It felt as though an endless, wide valley where all magical knowledge was presented, along with countless techniques and battle strategies. Even though Canary wasn't familiar with magical theory at all, this didn't disrupt her from casting and making use of elemental magic to create unique moves.

In fact, Marlene always thought that all the time she had spent in the Mage School was a waste whenever she listened to Canary's lectures. Marlene had spent so much effort in understanding the principle, structure, and origin of magic and she wasn't even close to a Mage who held unorthodox views in magic.

But now, the unbeatable young lady had fallen before her.

Cough! Cough!

Perhaps woken up by Marlene's scream, Canary opened her eyes and let out a few painful coughs. Marlene saw a blue breeze spinning around Canary and in the blink of an eye, a dark aura emerged from her body and vanished into thin air.

"I was a little too careless. Sigh... The lack of great equipment is indeed a shortcoming... The magical resistance is horrible..."

"Miss Canary, are you alright?"

Even though Marlene couldn't understand what Canary was murmuring under her breath, she asked worriedly. Canary lifted her head and presented a smile.

"I'm fine. It's just a little injury. Bubble can heal me up later."

Then, Canary's expression turned solemn out of a sudden. At this moment, a person swayed her way to behind Marlene. It was Orchid Heart who had always been silent. She stood with her thick book and gazed quietly at Canary.

"Canary, all settled?"

Canary revealed a graceful smile to Orchid Heart.

"That's right, Sister Heart. My job is done here. The Undead Army has temporarily lost the protection from the Necromancers. I guess Leader and Bubble won't let this chance slip. I shall leave the rest to you."

"You've had a long day..."

Orchid Heart displayed a smile and turned around. Then, she stretched out her left hand and several pitch-black cards emerged around her.

"I will take over from here," Orchid Heart said. "Canary succeeded."

Rhode twitched his brows to the flares and rolling billows of smoke bursting into the sky. He lowered his gaze to the battlefield below. The Abominations were still advancing. Most of them had broken through the explosions of magic arrows and Gillian's fire wall and arrived at the city walls. Even though the soldiers had tried their best, they were only capable of slowing them down and couldn't stop them.

I still need more soldiers...

Rhode shook his head. If it wasn't for Orchid Heart, perhaps it would still be too challenging to gain victory with the soldiers. But now, he wasn't worried about the issue over at the Fortress anymore.

"Bubble, now's the chance!"

Chapter 700: War Against Fate (IX)

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

"Bubble, now's the chance!"

As Rhode spoke, the wind direction changed.

The bone-piercing, chilly wind whistled. But, this time, it had a warm sensation within it like the faint scent of wild grass and soil. That used to be their eternal memory. In there, it was the history, battles, glory, and deaths that they had experienced. That was the only thing in their world...

Orchid Heart raised her left hand while holding a card. The icy moonlight sprinkled and shone upon it.

"The war on the prairie under the dark moon and sky has become dust in people's memories."

The young lady chanted softly and lifted her head.

In an instant, blustering gales blew.

The storm that was raised from the ground instantly swept the Undead Creatures off their feet. The soldiers on the city walls instantly shut their eyes and turned around to avoid the sudden gales. But,when they once again opened their eyes, they were astonished.

Where are we?

It was no longer the pitch-black sky and tall mountainous ranges presented before them. Instead, it was an endless prairie with exuberant grass dancing along the gentle breeze. A full moon hung high in the night sky. Its silver-whitish radiance generously illuminated the prairie and in an instant, the entire battlefield seemed to have frozen in place, with only the echoes of 'swishes' resounding under the night sky.

The Fortress was still erected firmly under them. However, they didn't know where they were exactly. They couldn't see the familiar mountain ranges or narrow valleys anymore. As far as their eyes could see, the boundless prairie stretched across the entire world and the Undead Army who had reached the foot of the city walls were seen trapped in a big, pit-like sunken hill. Not only that, but a river with surging waves and more than ten meters wide also flowed before it. Under the glistening moonlight, the splashing water sprinkled and reflected off the silver-whitish rays that appeared like gemstones before the soldiers.

This was the 10th Position of the Ultimate Army Deck. Venue Card—[Casali under the Night Sky]!

"This..."

Although even the experienced soldiers were stunned, they reacted swiftly. The towering city walls of the Fortress were now above the hill while the Undead Army was trapped below them as though they were prey that had fallen into a hunter's trap. Even though they didn't know how they came to this state, what else would they do if they didn't take action now?!

"Fire!"

The Undead Army had completely lost their formation and became a chaotic mess. The Abominations who led the pack and was responsible for being the meat shield had been trapped in the middle like the filling inside dumplings. Wrapping around them were the Death Knights, warhorses, Skeleton Guards, followed by the scattered Necromancers. This shift in venue completely changed their formation and the Undead Army had entirely brought about their own destruction.

After all, their previous formations were well-prepared. But now, they were squeezed together and couldn't budge at all. The Fortress had launched a new wave of attacks, which left them completely flustered. The Abominations had thick flesh and were unaffected by the exploding magic arrows, which they continued to advance in large strides. However, the Death Knights around them were less fortunate. Even though they weren't any weaker than the Abominations in strength, the ones with bigger body mass in such a narrow space were most advantageous. The Abominations pushed their way through and squeezed the Death Knights away. However, there were also a huge group of Skeleton Guards beside the Death Knights. Not only that, but the Skeleton Guards were also clad in thick, solid armor and they gathered like a city wall and blocked the Death Knights' attack unintentionally. Since the Death Knights couldn't possibly break through a path, all they could do was to shield themselves from the descending flares and charge forward blindly.

The Death Knights forced their way through and pushed the Skeleton Guards aside. However, no matter how disciplined the Undead Army was, they couldn't possibly disperse and regroup after being trapped in this sunken hole. Therefore, they had quickly fallen into a complete mess.

The Necromancers by the outer circle had it worst. Previously, Canary had forcibly destroyed their strategic spell and even though Simon had also dealt a heavy blow to her at the final, critical juncture with his remaining strength, that was his remaining strength, after all, and most wase reversed by her previously. The powers of 13 Necromancers had coalesced and as a result, the backlash from her dealt grave damage to them. At this moment, they couldn't even stand on their feet and were instantly bound up among the Skeleton Guards miserably.

"What exactly is..."

Simon pulled himself up. The spiritual powers flowed inside him wildly and brought about a piercing pain. Canary's strength had exceeded the Peak Legendary Stage, but the magical resistance in her equipment was still too low, after all. On the other hand, her attack was still incredibly strong and he had a hard time against her. Simon widened his eyes and gazed at the prairie and hills before him in astonishment. He was sure that this definitely wasn't the ice-cold Land of Atonement. Damn it... Where exactly is this ridiculous place?!

Could this be the Order Dimension? When did the Munn Kingdom have another person in the Legendary Stage?

Simon dwindled this thought in this head. Even though he wasn't strong enough to access the Order Dimension and Mystic Realm, he sensed that this wasn't the usual Order Dimension and Mystic Realm. The reason was simple. Order Dimension was the materialization of the strength and Order of a being in the Legendary Stage, which had high demands of one's strength. Normally, it was impossible for beings in the Legendary Stage to drag that many soldiers and troops into its Order Dimension and Mystic Realm. Moreover, the Fortress had also been dragged into it, which was never heard of. Besides... It was due to this that Simon sensed that this definitely wasn't the Order Dimension and Mystic Realm.

The reason was simple. In the world formed from rules, the holder held a status similar to the Gods. If one was capable of dragging the entire army into one's world, one could destroy them in a single thought without any chance of resistance. But, come to think of it, there was no one in the Peak Legendary Stage who could pull an entire Undead Army into one's world. Perhaps apart from the four legendary generals and Dark Dragon, no one could achieve this.

If this world belonged to a being in the Legendary Stage, they didn't need to do such a thing. But now, Simon and all his troops had been swept into this world and the enemies were still relying on their Fortress in increasing firepower? Simon was confident that this definitely wasn't the rule world of the legendary being!

If that's the case, what is this place exactly?!

Simon faced the Undead Army gathered around him and the soldiers on the city walls releasing a rain of magic arrows. The ground shook as the magic arrows exploded. If it was in the previous battlefield, Simon would still be able to cast defensive barrier to protect his army from the magic arrows and regroup in the quickest time possible. However, he couldn't do so now. He sensed his powers flowing away from him at a rapid speed. The immense impact from the previous explosion had broken all his defenses and even brought upon severe damage to his spirit. Simon had no intentions of continuing this battle anymore. All he had in mind was to escape this battlefield and recover from his injuries. But he knew that he wouldn't fully recover without spending at least 40 to 50 years...

"...!"

Simon hesitated no more. But, when he lifted his head to the surrounding, he heard a sharp, whistling sound. He turned toward the sound and spotted a spotlessly white meteor streaking across the sky, followed by a loud explosion.

Boom!

Mini Bubble Gum crashed into the middle of the Undead Army and sent a strong, matchless force across the sunken hill. The Abominations which the magic arrows couldn't defeat were instantly smashed like flattened balloons. The putrid stench filled with poisonous gas and liquid splattered. However, the silver halo around the little girl cleansed them before they could get into contact with her.

"Trying to escape? Let me see where you can run to!"

Mini Bubble Gum was oddly excited. She had totally neglected the fact that the Undead Army was actually attacking and wasn't retreating. At this moment, she yelled, extended her right fist, and punched the ground heavily!

"—!"

This powerful punch shook the city walls, which left the soldiers trembling in fear. Then, they looked down at the sunken hole and instantly spotted cracks under the bright moonlight. Not only that, but they also clearly witnessed the Undead Army shaking up and shattering into bits. Many of them plunged into the pitch-black fissure.

"Oh my goodness..."

The soldiers mumbled subconsciously. They had spent so much effort and could only cause some chaos in the Undead Army. But just a simple attack from Mini Bubble Gum completely shook up the thousands of Undead Creatures. The threat of this pure, powerful strength had left them frightened.

But this was only the start.

Mini Bubble Gum lifted her head with a smile.

Silver-whitish, divine flames erupted from the fissure. The blistering blaze overflowed mercilessly and engulfed the Undead Creatures altogether.

"Damn it!"

Simon's face couldn't turn any uglier.

He had totally unexpected that this remote Fortress would have so many powerful beings Who exactly is this little girl! How is it possible that she possesses such formidable and sacred powers? Is she from the Church? Does the Country of Law have intentions of joining this battle?

Simon felt a chill down his spine.

Almost instinctively, he turned around to retreat. At the same time, two shimmering blade rays transformed into lightning bolts and struck at him. Simon raised his arms and emanated an ice-cold radiance with his shriveled palms. In the blink of an eye, a shield made up of white bones emerged before him.

Clang!

Simon witnessed two swords colliding on his bone shield. Then, a black-haired young man emerged out of the darkness casually and gazed silently at him. Even though this young Human didn't speak a word, Simon knew that he was the young Human's target.

Good reactions.

Rhode narrowed his eyes at the Necromancer. Everything had been planned by Orchid Heart, Canary, Mini Bubble Gum, and him. After sensing that Simon was from the 'Sinister Death', Rhode naturally knew what to do with him. A group with Necromancers as their main force would usually make use of Undead Creatures to attract the enemies' attention while they released strategic spells from the rear. Rhode definitely wouldn't allow his Fortress to receive such powerful damage. After all, not only were the undead spells formidable, but they were also like contaminating nuclear bombs. Even if the Holy Maiden Statue could withstand the attacks, it was imaginable how the environment of Land of Atonement would be after they were stained with the aura of death. It would surely turn into a dead land.

This was why Rhode had drawn up this plan. As soon as they detected that the Necromancers were preparing their strategic spell, Canary would instantly intervene and destroy it. With her current strength, there was nothing that she couldn't disrupt unless they were the techniques and magic spells from the four legendary generals and Dark Dragon. After the strategic spell intervened, the Necromancers would suffer from the backlash while Orchid Heart would trigger the [Casali under the Night Sky] Venue Card to drag the entire Undead Army into the venue card of the Ultimate Army Deck. The reason why he had chosen to do this after the Necromancers had suffered from the backlash was so they wouldn't be able to hinder their later plans. As long as the whole Undead Army was dragged into the venue, Mini Bubble Gum could brazenly unleash her strength without anyone detecting her.

But there was still a limit, after all. Orchid Heart used spiritual communications to remind Rhode that [Casali under the Night Sky] could only be maintained for five minutes with her current strength. As soon as five minutes were up, the Venue Card would lose its effects.

Five minutes—50,000 Undead Creatures.

Rhode sprung back while fixing his eyes on the Necromancer before him. Even though the latter's robe was tattered and his miserable look made him look like he survived multiple bombings, Rhode could still sense the rich aura of death exuding from him. It was apparent that this Necromancer was the commander of this Undead Army.

And he was also Rhode's target.

"—!"

Simon gritted his teeth. He no longer cared for his troops anymore. He only wished to leave this place immediately to save his life. As for the next move—he would think about it later!

Simon raised his right index finger and his finger shattered into powder and burst out a rich, dense forest green smoke that aimed for Rhode. Rhode dodged swiftly and released shimmering flashes from his swords that sliced through the smoke. Then, he struck straight for Simon!

"Tsk!"

Simon flinched. Then, he spread his arms apart and chanted under his breath. Several bone spears emerged behind him and shot at the swords aiming for him.

At this moment, the situation took a sudden turn.

The two swords released a dazzling radiance as soon as they collided with the bone spears. Then, two figures emerged!