Free Web NovelChapter 61: Chapter 43: Fierce Battle 1: Initial Victory
"That’s very likely, my Lord. We’ve been clearing the outer buildings and guards for almost twenty days just to get this far," Lin Chenxi reminded him.
"Tsk, tsk..." Lin Yu clicked his tongue, recalling the endless sea of guards they had previously cleared.
Never mind anything else; if just those Energy Gathering Skeletons were to charge them all at once now, Lin Yu felt that he and his troops would have no choice but to retreat.
"Meiying, tell the Catapults to stop attacking the Bone Wall. Target the Poison Skeleton Archers and Elite Skeleton Mages in the rear of the Skeleton Corps."
"As you command!"
Receiving the order, Meiying immediately commanded the Catapults to change their trajectory.
SWOOSH~ SWOOSH~ SWOOSH~
Giant boulders tore through the sky, smashing down toward the Skeleton Corps’ Poison Skeleton Archers and Elite Skeleton Mages.
Because the Skeleton Corps’ formation was so dense, not a single boulder missed its mark.
Several gaps instantly appeared in the Skeleton Corps’ tight ranks. The skeletons that were hit were sent sprawling to the ground. However, not many of them were actually destroyed; most were merely missing arms or legs. A few unlucky ones were pinned beneath the boulders, unable to move.
The vanguards of the two armies, the Giant Shield Skeleton Soldiers and the Rock Druids, had already begun a fierce battle.
The Rock Druids had stronger stats, with much higher attack and defense values than the Giant Shield Skeleton Soldiers, but they were few in number—only 500. As a result, each one had to face several Giant Shield Skeleton Soldiers. Even with help from the Sharp Claw Druids in the rear, they were only able to fight the skeletons to a standstill.
At this moment, the healing Druids in the rear began to cast Healing Magic on the Rock Druids. Each Rock Druid was buffed with three spells: Rejuvenation Technique, Wild’s Blessing, and Regeneration.
The fairies’ Life Bloom and Magic Surge also blossomed on the battlefield.
With the help of these spells, the Rock Druids went head-to-head with the Giant Shield Skeleton Soldiers, weathering the blows of Two-Handed Greatswords as they unleashed a mad flurry of attacks.
From between the Rock Druids, the animal forms of the Sharp Claw Druids struck relentlessly. Their claws raked across the bodies of the Giant Shield Skeleton Soldiers, instantly tearing away splintered bones and inflicting massive damage.
Meanwhile, the Elemental Druids were firing volley after volley of Elemental Missiles, attacking the Giant Shield Skeleton Soldiers within their line of sight.
The Skeleton Archers and Skeleton Mages, momentarily held back by the Catapults, were a step too slow, causing the Giant Shield Skeleton Soldiers to become disconnected from the main army behind them.
Without the protection of their ranged support, the number of Giant Shield Skeleton Soldiers began to drop rapidly.
Meiying keenly spotted a tactical opportunity.
"Elemental Druids, target the area behind the Giant Shield Skeleton Soldiers." freёwebnovel.com
"Cast Fire Wall! Stop the enemy’s ranged troops from getting in range!"
"Control your energy. Aside from the very first Fire Wall, the rest are mainly for intimidation."
A wall of fire ten meters wide erupted in front of the Skeleton Archers and Skeleton Mages, right at the maximum casting range of the Elemental Druids.
One Skeleton Archer faced the wall of fire and walked right into it without fear. However, that first wall had been cast with full power, its damage maxed out. The Skeleton Archer was incinerated to ash within a few breaths of stepping into the flames.
The remaining Skeleton Archers and Skeleton Mages halted their advance. Then, they tried to attack Lin Yu’s troops.
Bone Arrows and Elemental Magic Balls flew toward the Rock Druids, but unfortunately, they fell short and landed among the Giant Shield Skeleton Soldiers instead. This caused a wave of chaos among them, and the Sharp Claw Druids seized the opportunity to dismantle several more.
Seeing this, the Skeleton Corps’ ranged attack units ceased their assault and retreated to the rear.
Seeing the Skeleton Corps’ reinforcements fall back, everyone immediately went all out against the Giant Shield Skeleton Soldiers. In no time, all 5,000 of them were completely dismantled.
Lin Yu’s corps had once again repelled the Skeleton Corps’ attack without taking any casualties, and everyone began to cheer.
Without their melee protection, the remaining ranged units could be wiped out with a single charge.
"It seems you’re all quite happy!"
A voice cut through the cheers of Lin Yu’s corps members. It was the Skeleton King, who had stood up to speak once again.
"I must admit, little ones, I underestimated you. To think you could actually halt my Skeleton Corps’ assault."
"It seems I’ll have to put in a little more effort. You’re not the only ones with Catapults."
Hundreds of Bone Catapults rolled out from the shadows behind the Bone Wall.
On Lin Yu’s side, the expressions of everyone present turned grim. The power of Catapults was plain to see; if not for their own, Lin Yu’s corps wouldn’t have won the last battle so easily.
Previously, while clearing the surrounding area, the undead-forged White Bone War Chariots had been easily dismantled when they weren’t supported by other guards.
Now, the sudden appearance of so many Bone Catapults on the Skeleton Corps’ side put everyone in a difficult position.
"Hahaha, surprised, are you? But surely you didn’t think this was the end?"
The Skeleton King waved his hands, and the ground in front of the Skeleton Corps began to heave. A new host of Giant Shield Skeleton Soldiers and Bone Cavalry appeared before them, this time numbering 7,000—2,000 more than before—along with 3,000 Bone Cavalry.
"Attack! Show these rookies the true power of our Skeleton Corps!"
The Skeleton Corps launched another assault. This time, not only were there more Giant Shield Skeleton Soldiers in the front line, but they were also joined by 3,000 Cavalry.
The Cavalry didn’t launch a frontal assault, instead circling around to the flanks, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
"Catapults, target: enemy Catapults."
The vanguards of both armies clashed once again. This time, without the Catapults to interfere, both the Rock Druids and the Giant Shield Skeleton Soldiers were subjected to ranged attacks from the opposing side.
As always, the Giant Shield Skeleton Soldiers were continuously destroyed, but relying on their superior numbers, they relentlessly pushed the battle line toward Lin Yu’s corps.
The Rock Druids’ health bars were no longer stable and began to drop.
Due to structural limitations, the White Bone War Chariots couldn’t target Lin Yu’s Catapults and could only take the punishment passively. Every so often, a White Bone War Chariot would be smashed to pieces by a giant boulder.
However, their numbers were so great that they paid no mind to these minor losses, and they continuously launched massive bone balls.
The bone balls crashed into the ranged ranks of the Lin Yu Corps, knocking over swathes of Elemental Druids and healing Druids.
The moment the fairies saw the Bone Catapults, they unleashed all their spells and then retreated to the rear, suffering no losses. (Too little health, can’t take a hit.)
After the bone balls landed, a White Bone Giant Beast crawled out of each one. They breathed out frosty air, and their bodies were enormous. With high defense and health, they didn’t have strong attacks but were highly effective at disrupting the Elemental Druids’ formation.
The Elemental Druids had no choice but to summon Elemental Servants and cast Elemental Shields on themselves. They then began to back away while directing their servants to attack the White Bone Giant Beasts, throwing the entire Elemental Druid phalanx into chaos.
At the same time, the Bone Cavalry split into two groups. One charged toward the Elemental Druid and healing Druid phalanxes.
The other charged toward the distant Catapults.
