Necromancer: Becoming a God Starting with Skeleton Clone

Chapter 428 Natural Expedition, [Strategic Command] entry?

Fang Zhou looked at Queen Beyondis and said, "There's no time to lose, so I need to act as soon as possible."

Over the past few days of marching, we have successfully cleared the roads leading to the Queen's tribe from the outside world.

Your Majesty, please send someone to re-establish contact with the Haicheng Military Academy.

I will also report the situation here truthfully to the military academy.

There are two rare and powerful Gold-rank necromancers in the military academy.

They must be very interested in the undead corruption curse you are suffering from, and they certainly have the ability to solve your immediate problem.

If necessary, Your Majesty, you may also leave the Forest of Nature and travel to the Sea City Military Academy for treatment.

Queen Beyoncé glanced at the Ark, then at Zhang Wu, and sighed, saying, "It seems we have no other choice, do we?"

Over the next two days, Ark and his Cataclysm squad took a short rest to recover from the fatigue of the forced march.

Queen Beyondis kept her promise and sent the ark to the flower fairies' treasure vault.

Fangzhou was momentarily dazzled by the wealth and power of these flower fairies.

However, since he is now aligned with the Lawful Good faction, he has no intention of resorting to force or robbery.

He simply picked out all the undead attribute materials that were useful to him, as promised.

Most of them are raw materials that can be used for casting or refining, and Ark does not have the resources to deal with them at the moment.

There are also some spellcasting materials left, such as Bone Spirit Orbs.

When Ark uses this casting material to unleash necromancer spells, the power will be greatly increased.

However, this material is extremely rare, and it is not commonly found even in the treasure vaults of the flower fairies.

Ark plans to use these as its trump card.

At Queen Bilodis's warm invitation, the members of the Scourge Squad each selected several bottles of purified moon spring water as an advance payment. Then, they led their vast array of natural creatures eastward, ready to trample the undead.

The sun shone once again on the tense vine-covered wooden walls of the Queen's tribe, giving this tribe, shrouded in the shadow of the undead, put on a solemn golden edge.

Gugua.

A giant frog's croak came from behind, followed by the rapid thud of hooves striking the ground.

A group of people draped in pure black cloaks rode on moon deer at breakneck speed, sweeping past like a whirlwind.

The pure Moon Spring logo was prominently displayed on the flowing cloak behind him.

The elderly, weak, sick, and disabled who witnessed this scene silently saw them off until their figures gradually disappeared into the eastern horizon.

"Eastward—is that that damned cemetery for the dead?"

A severely wounded bear-like monster muttered to itself, "I hope it won't be like last time—"

"Merciful Moon Spring, have mercy!"

"Bless us, the will of nature."

A mournful murmur of prayers echoed from the Queen's tribe, and many looked eastward with anticipation.

The riders who carried the last hope of the creatures of nature came from all sorts of backgrounds.

The core of their fighting force is naturally Ark and his Cataclysm squad.

In addition, the Thunderfire Squad, led by Ye Yinzhu, and the Gale Squad, led by Hong Yang, also rushed to the Queen's Tribe in the past two days.

Among the Sea City Military Academy squads scattered throughout the Natural Forest, the Gale Squad and the Thunderfire Squad are definitely not weak.

With their help, Ark was even more confident about the battle ahead.

What remains are all sorts of natural creatures of various races.

Moon Deer, Flower Butterfly Maiden, Flower Fairy, Forest Centaur, Harpy...

As for the slow-moving bear monsters and treants, they formed a second reserve team, advancing slowly from the rear in case of emergency.

In the past few days, Fangzhou has thoroughly memorized the terrain map near the Queen's Village.

The fastest route from the Queen's tribe eastward to the ruins of the Naraku civilization, now occupied by undead monsters, is the straight-line distance.

However, this straight line passes through one of the most troublesome terrains—the withered swamp!

According to Queen Bilodis, this was a very dangerous swamp, a bottomless swamp covered with duckweed and decaying leaves.

There was only one muddy, winding path that led there, so narrow that even a moon deer could not walk side by side.

Once you lose your way, you can never get back.

Contrary to its terrible reputation, the withered swamp is extremely deceptive in appearance.

It was less of a swamp and more of a plain shrouded in light smoke and mist.

The dark duckweed covered the water's surface, looking almost exactly like a lush lawn.

Various aquatic tree species grow together in clusters and patches, stretching endlessly.

The flowers on the tree canopy were in full bloom, and a strong, cloying fragrance wafted on the breeze, making it almost impossible to breathe.

Those who see the withered swamp for the first time are often captivated by its stunning beauty, thus overlooking the swamp's terrifying nature.

The cadets at Haicheng Military Academy were no exception.

When they first saw the withered swamp from afar, they were stunned by what could only be described as a vibrant sight.

"From now on, we need to be careful."

Ark was perhaps the only one who wasn't drawn to the beauty of the withered swamp.

He patted the mutated swamp frog, which was crouching quietly beneath him, making a crisp patting sound.

"It's truly a miraculous place."

Zhang Wu let out a long breath, turned his head, and his voice still carried a hint of appreciation.

He was absolutely right.

The wetland in front of us is not only scenic, but the soft ground is also marked with the footprints of many small antelopes and deer.

Faint wolf howls could be heard coming from the distant woods.

"Those footprints aren't those of docile antelopes and deer—damn it!"

The forest guide, Akai, who was leading the team, looked like he had no memory of what was to come and cursed viciously.

He tied the two ropes together tightly, then picked up the third rope and made a knot.

"The withered swamp is teeming with strange monsters—Lord Ark, please lend me a hand."

He handed one end of the rope to Ark and then said, "Those footprints were left by the swamp serpent monsters in the withered swamp."

As for wolves, there are quite a few here, but they are not ordinary wolves, but werewolves.

"Barbarians, orcs, swamp natives —"

In short, you can call them whatever you like.

These guys are much more ferocious than wolves; hopefully we won't run into them.

Although they are slightly more rational than those evil monsters, they are still enemies of nature.

After tying the last rope tight, Akai handed the whole rope to the others.

"There are many places to walk in the withered swamp, but there is only one road that is truly safe to pass through."

Moreover, mud nymphs and swamp slimes often appear in the mud pits on both sides, trying to drag unsuspecting people into the water.

We all tied ropes around our waists so that it would be easier to rescue anyone in danger.

As he spoke, Akai first tied the rope around his waist.

The other cadets from Haicheng Military Academy naturally followed orders.

A dozen minutes later, the small group lined up in two rows and carefully entered the withered swamp, following the directions given by Akai.

After the initial tense period, everything was fine.

The feeling underfoot was different from what I had imagined muddy.

Although the water plants were soft and slippery, it wasn't too difficult to walk on.

As a result, the team members relaxed to some extent, and their expressions also softened slightly.

However, they were all naval academy cadets with extensive combat experience.

Although other creatures in nature are simple and kind, they have all matured considerably after going through this ordeal.

So even though everyone relaxed, they remained vigilant and did not whisper among themselves.

Sure enough, the unexpected happened soon after.

A loud clattering sound suddenly came from behind one of the trainees.

Suddenly, a black object leaped out of the calm water and grabbed the student's feet with lightning speed.

"What is that?!"

He cried out in surprise and tried to crouch down to pry open the things holding his feet.

However, the force coming from his feet was unusually strong.

He had just squatted down when he lost his balance and was dragged into the muddy puddle by the dark figure.

"Damn it, hold on tight to the rope!"

Ah Kai shouted loudly, and arms immediately grabbed the rope wrapped around the waist, pulling the trainee upwards with force.

The shadowy figure that emerged from the mud was much stronger than an ordinary combatant, but it still couldn't withstand so many strong and powerful arms.

It let out a sharp, eerie cry, like scraping against sheet metal, as it dragged the student up with it.

"It's the Mud Spring Slug!"

"That damn thing."

The trainee, covered in mud, cursed angrily and struggled to break free.

His ankle, where the Mud Spring Demon had grabbed him, was numb and painful, with thin, bluish claw marks appearing on it.

Fangzhou looked at the Mud Spring Banshee, a dark figure rolling around in the mud, covered in foul-smelling mud.

If it were an ordinary person, they would at most only be able to tell that it is a humanoid creature with messy long hair.

His dark hands appeared unusually strong compared to his thin, bony body.

However, Fang Zhou activated his Soul Eagle Eye vision, and a soul silhouette radiating a bright grayish-yellow light appeared before him.

Judging from the strength of his soul, he was just an ordinary monster of the lower level of Black Iron.

It doesn't seem like a big problem.

Fangzhou breathed a slight sigh of relief.

However, when he raised his eyes to look in a slightly distant direction, his body involuntarily trembled slightly.

Wherever his gaze fell, the same sparks of soul light appeared as numerous as stars!

"Watch out, everyone! There's more than one Mud Spring Banshee!"

Ark immediately issued a warning.

The sound of splashing and gurgling was incessant, and the mud on both sides of the path bubbled up like boiling soup pots.

Countless heads with long, flowing hair appeared on the water's surface, their ugly faces covered in tumors and pustules, and pairs of dark red eyes gleaming with greed.

"Mud Spring Banshees, so many, so many!"

Ah Kai's howling was clearly very panicked.

"Calm down, prepare for battle!"

Gu Yueyuan was very dissatisfied with the combat quality of these natural allies.

He casually shot out a swarm of flying insects, which devoured the body of the mud siren that had been dragged ashore. Then, looking into the distance, he frowned and said, "What we really want to know now is how to deal with these monsters called mud siren!"

"This shouldn't be happening—"

The Mud Spring Banshee is not a courageous monster.

Although they appear in groups, they only attack solo travelers.

"There are so many of us, how could this be, how could this be—"

Ah Kai was clearly terrified, muttering incoherently.

The mud nymphs emitted sounds that were like groans or wails.

Countless withered arms stretched out of the mud, looking from a distance like a large patch of withered bushes that had suddenly appeared.

Fangzhou had by then realized that he had been ambushed by the monsters in the mud.

This is not favorable terrain for his undead army to deploy.

On a narrow path, if he summons too many undead creatures, he will only sink deeper into the mud.

However, Fang Zhou's lips curled into a cold smile.

So what if the undead creatures are stuck in the quagmire?

Skeletons and zombies don't need to breathe, and they still possess a certain fighting ability even in the mud.

Standing protected by his teammates, he took out the Undead Orb and immediately began casting a spell.

Dozens of gray vortexes lit up, and fully armed skeleton warriors and zombies appeared around the somewhat panicked group.

The well-trained naval academy cadets also steadied themselves, their magical power and battle auras rising and falling, causing the approaching mud nymphs to emit strange, hoarse cries and hesitate to move forward.

However, there were simply too many Mud Spring Banshees.

Although the trainees' swift counterattack deterred the mud nymphs on both sides of the road, even more mud nymphs had already climbed up from further away.

They approached the crowd, emitting strange, howling cries and dragging mud and filth along with them.

Fortunately, there were no weaklings in the expedition team organized by Ark.

Although the combat awareness and experience of the natural creatures are truly worrisome, their strength as lower-ranking Black Iron beings is undeniable.

Under the exemplary leadership of the cadets from Haicheng Military Academy, they gradually recovered from their panic and regained their composure.

"Don't panic!"

Just then, Milio's voice, which was possessing Liu Diewu's body, rang out.

We are all creatures of nature!

For the will of nature!

For the peace of the natural forest!

And also for our fellow tribesmen threatened by the plague!

We must break out of this swamp and eradicate the source of the plague!

The flower fairy's impassioned voice made the creatures of nature look ashamed, but then their expressions hardened.

Under Ark's command, the Flower Butterfly Maidens and Thorn Bees, who were not familiar with close combat, retreated behind their companions, either unleashing their magic-like abilities or launching ranged arrow attacks.

At this point, Akai gradually calmed down.

He drew a spear made of oak from his waist, ready to bravely charge into the front lines.

However, he was quickly stopped by Fang Zhou.