NOVEL NEXT chapter 52 - Slaughter! (4/4)
The situation was well in hand.
By the time Wu Chi arrived on the wooden wall, the defense towers had already vaporized half the skeleton army. His ten Great Qin Vanguards stood at the ready, crossbows in hand, their expressions grimly fixed on the approaching horde.
From the looks of it, the towers could handle this on their own, no problem.
Wu Chi walked over. The Vanguards immediately snapped to attention and saluted. "Your Majesty!"
"Mm." Wu Chi glanced at the battlefield, then back at his soldiers. A thought sparked. He wanted to see what they could really do.
Might as well…
With a simple mental command, he ordered the defense towers to cease fire.
At that moment, only a few dozen of the original two-hundred-plus skeletons remained. The moment the bombardment stopped, the undead abominations resumed their fearless, shambling advance, their bleached-white bones clattering as they charged the wall.
Clack! Clack!
Don't be fooled by how easily the towers were shredding them; these were highly specialized defenses. Honestly, in the grand scheme of undead troops, this mix of shield warriors and mages was a pretty damn strong early-game composition. That classic tank-and-spank combo would give any other rookie lord a terminal migraine. One slip-up, and they'd be kissing their territory goodbye.
"Let them get closer," Wu Chi ordered calmly. "Then you go down and finish them."
Soon, the remaining skeletons were just outside the wall. The mages raised their bony hands, conjuring frost and fire, blasting the wall with a volley of fireballs and ice lances.
"Dual-casting? So they're not just your garden-variety bone-bags," Wu Chi noted, his eyebrow twitching slightly. Not that he was worried.
A wave of magic slammed into the wall.
Durability -25!
Durability -25!
Durability -25!
The numbers seemed alarming, but each section of the [Withered Wood Wall] had its own health pool. The wall barely even flinched. Seeing their magic was useless, the shield warriors locked into a defensive formation, advancing inch by bloody inch while their mage-buddies kept up the futile bombardment.
The undead's greatest strength: they have no fear. No pain.
Unfortunately for them, you can't beat a cheater.
TWANG—!
TWANG—!
TWANG—!
The sound of taut strings snapping echoed as crossbow bolts tore through the air like streaks of light. The next instant, the so-called "shield wall" was ripped to shreds. Several of the towering shield-skeletons had half their torsos obliterated, the sheer force of the impact turning their hardened bones to dust.
Without a moment's hesitation, the ten Vanguards leaped from the wall. They drew their long halberds and charged, their heavy footsteps thudding against the earth.
SHLUNK—!
The already-disorganized skeletons were instantly impaled, several more dropping before they could even react. The Vanguards moved through them like wolves through sheep. A thrust, a slice, a drag, a sweep—with brutal efficiency, they turned the remaining shield warriors into a pile of spare parts.
Seeing their front line evaporate, the mages panicked, flinging their half-formed spells forward. The Great Qin Vanguards didn't even try to dodge. They charged head-on, swapped their halberds for their swords, and swung.
SHIIIING—!
A wave of sword-light erupted, shredding the fire and ice to harmless particles. A cloud of dust and magical residue billowed up. The skeletons tried to backpedal, but the Vanguards were already bursting through the smoke, their swords flashing as they tore the mages limb from limb.
From the wall, Wu Chi watched the carnage with a mixture of joy and frustration. Frustration, because this pathetic wave wasn't nearly enough to truly test his Vanguards' limits. Joy, because it was a total, unadulterated slaughter that proved just how monstrously strong they were.
Standard starting units? Hah. My dog wouldn't even piss on 'em.
"Well-trained. Perfect coordination and timing. They're working as a single unit," Lin Daiyu commented, having arrived with Qin Keqing. They had just finished patrolling the other sides of the territory, finding no other threats.
The Vanguards returned, leaping back onto the wall, their faces flushed with excitement beneath their bronze masks.
"Your Majesty! The enemy has been completely eliminated!"
"Good." Wu Chi nodded, feeling a sense of relief. After ordering them to continue their watch, he turned and made his way to the [Red Chamber].
"Just how many fucking Void Crystals is it gonna take to summon the third one?" Wu Chi muttered. The whole situation was a real pain in the ass. The [Red Chamber] was amazing, a total [N O V E L I G H T] cheat that spat out nothing but Gold Legendary heroes. It was ridiculously OP.
But the cost…