Free Web NovelChapter 64: Chapter 46: Fierce Battle 4: The Unexpected Great Sword Skeleton
The situation on the battlefield had become clear.
With the Hero Squads joining the fray, the 3,000 Bone Cavalry had been dismantled into piles of bones in an instant.
The distant Bone Catapults, harassed by the Fierce Raptor Druids, could no longer provide support to the battlefield. The druids continued their assault while harassing them, steadily reducing the number of operational Bone Catapults.
Within the Elemental Druid phalanx, the White Bone Giant Beasts had been all but eliminated. The Elemental Druids no longer had to divert their attention to deal with the beasts being thrown at them and could now focus on supporting the Rock Druids. A torrent of Elemental Missiles, as if they were free, flew toward the Giant Shield Skeleton Soldiers.
The Skeleton Corps—composed of Giant Shield Skeleton Soldiers, Poison Skeleton Archers, and Elite Skeleton Mages—was locked in a back-and-forth struggle with the Druid Corps. One side held the numerical advantage and did not fear death; the other had superior stats, overwhelming their opponents with sheer power while constantly regenerating health.
However, once the Elemental Druids were free, the tide began to turn in the druids’ favor. With their high numbers and superior stats, the Giant Shield Skeleton Soldiers couldn’t hold out when the Elemental Druids unleashed their full power.
At this moment, the Great Sword Skeletons in the rear no longer needed to guard the Bone Catapults and began to advance on foot toward the front lines with the White Bone Giant Beasts.
"Relay my orders! First, Second, Third, and Tenth Squads, move to intercept the Great Sword Skeletons and White Bone Giant Beasts."
"All other squads, excluding the Sixth and Ninth, attack the Poison Skeleton Archers and Elite Skeleton Mages!"
Seeing the Skeleton Corps’ rear guard moving forward, Phantom immediately dispatched members of the Hero Squads to block them, while also assigning others to eliminate the Skeleton Archers and Skeleton Mages.
The members of the Hero Squads, having already achieved their individual objectives, were moving toward the center of the battlefield. Upon receiving Phantom’s command, they immediately changed course.
Protecting the flanks of the ranged units was supposed to be the job of the Bone Cavalry, but now, they had been completely wiped out.
With nothing to stop them, the Hero Squad members easily closed in on the ranged skeletons.
The Giant Shield Skeleton Soldiers at the edge of the formation, who had yet to engage in combat, tried to intercept these enemies ambushing their ranged units, but the heroes dismantled them into bone fragments as if they were cutting through butter.
This group of Demon Race heroes charged straight into the ranks of the ranged skeletons.
When the Skeleton Archers and Skeleton Mages were attacked, their formation immediately fell into disarray. The skeletons under assault began to switch targets, trying to repel the enemies attacking them, while nearby skeletons moved to assist.
Unfortunately, while the skeletons’ attacks might pose some threat to the Rock Druids, they were largely ineffective against these heroes.
As the chaos spread, the Poison Skeleton Archers and Elite Skeleton Mages gradually became unable to support the Giant Shield Skeleton Soldiers.
At the same time, the druids intensified their offensive. The Giant Shield Skeleton Soldiers were pinned down in combat, unable to turn and help the ranged skeletons. Under attack from multiple directions, their own losses began to mount rapidly.
* * *
Meanwhile, the Great Sword Skeletons and White Bone Giant Beasts finally met the Demon Race heroes.
These Great Sword Skeletons had already witnessed the combat prowess of the Demon Race heroes, but they showed no fear.
This was because the Great Sword Skeletons were also hero-level units. There were over 100 of them, and all were of the purple Legendary Tier.
Facing the massive bodies of the Demon Race heroes, the Great Sword Skeletons in the lead swung their greatswords. A flash of light streaked out, and the Demon Race members, who had revealed their true forms two meters away to confront the White Bone Giant Beasts, were immediately struck by the Sword Qi.
Their vaunted defense was easily shattered, and they were all wounded. Only a few of the Legendary Tier Demon Race members remained unharmed.
Only then did everyone realize that although these Great Sword Skeletons had performed poorly against the Fierce Raptor Druids, every single one of them was a Legendary Tier hero.
"Attention! All units below Legendary Tier, transform into your Beastman forms!"
Niu Hong, the great wild bull and captain of the First Squad, bellowed the order.
One by one, the giant beasts all transformed into half-human, half-beast forms.
This form allowed them to retain the maximum offensive power of their true bodies. The demons could choose which parts to bestialize; for example, a Werewolf form would retain its wolf head and claws for higher attack power. A wild bull, on the other hand, would keep its bull head, while its limbs would resemble human arms and legs.
Only a few Demon Race members on the scene remained in their true forms: the great wild bull, Niu Hong; the rhinoceros, Niu Jieshi; the water buffalo, Niu Jing; the giant elephants, Xiangli and Xiang Han; the wild boar, Wild Boar; the warthog, Pig Receiver; the musk ox, Yang Mo; and the mountain goat, Yang Sansi.
They were mostly the captains and vice-captains of their respective squads.
At this point, they needed to help their squad members withstand the attacks from the Great Sword Skeletons.
As the White Bone Giant Beasts behind the Great Sword Skeletons drew closer, they began to exhale plumes of chilling air that billowed toward the clashing forces.
Everyone was enveloped. Within the frigid air, the demons were all slowed, their movements becoming sluggish as if they were old people with stiff joints.
The Great Sword Skeletons, however, were not slowed. Instead, their greatswords became coated in a layer of Ice Energy. Any demon struck by a sword or Sword Qi would not only be injured but also have a stacking cold status applied, slowing them down further and making them easier to hit.
Niu Hong noticed a comrade get hit by several blasts of Sword Qi in quick succession and freeze solid, unable to move. He rushed forward to block the follow-up attack and sent his companion to the rear.
"Watch out! Don’t get hit multiple times in a row! Anyone with stacked debuffs, fall back!" freewebnøvel.com
Niu Hong shouted. He himself wasn’t worried, as he possessed a talent called "Bulwark."
It was a talent that simultaneously increased his Defense Power and resistance to negative effects. When he accumulated multiple negative statuses, it would cleanse them all, restore his health, and had no cooldown. Stackable negative statuses were also counted toward this multi-status threshold.
Therefore, he had no fear of the chilling aura from the Great Sword Skeletons and White Bone Giant Beasts. In fact, he was like a fish in water, constantly regenerating health.
His only weaknesses were his low damage and slow speed.
Every attack he launched was nimbly dodged or parried by the Great Sword Skeletons. Even on the rare occasion he landed a hit, it was useless. A Great Sword Skeleton that was knocked down would simply get back up and continue fighting as if nothing had happened.
"Hold the line! We’ll pin down these Great Sword Skeletons for now. Reinforcements will be here soon!"
After a few exchanges, Niu Hong realized the situation was dire and quickly adjusted his strategy. He ordered everyone to use their numerical advantage to stall the Great Sword Skeletons, waiting for the forces in the rear to finish their battle and come to their aid.
’He refused to believe that so many of them couldn’t defeat these Great Sword Skeletons.’
All the members fighting the Great Sword Skeletons stopped their direct assaults and instead began to engage in skirmish tactics.
Although slowed by the chilling air, they managed to fight the Great Sword Skeletons to a standstill through mutual support and coordination, not losing any ground.
From the rear, Phantom saw this unfold from a distance. He realized the Demon Race squads were outmatched by the combination of Great Sword Skeletons and White Bone Giant Beasts and was on the verge of sending in his last two squads.
Fortunately, the Demon Race squads managed to stabilize the front line.
"Relay my orders! Command the Fourth, Fifth, Seventh, and Eighth Squads to reinforce the battle against the Great Sword Skeletons and White Bone Giant Beasts as soon as they’ve dealt with the Skeleton Archers and Skeleton Mages."
"Also, send all the fairies to provide support. Have them help restore their health."
