How come this arcanist is invincible?

Chapter 226 Long live Susas! (Thanks for the generous donation!)

The fighting continues on the battlefield in the cave.

Led by Kane and Finn, the Lanternmen, mercenaries, and sheriffs on the flanks continued to carve through the sea of ​​skeletons, gradually approaching the archer horde in the center.

With the pressure from the horde of skeletons suddenly decreasing, the main force finally moved!

The professional soldiers in the front row, raising their heavy shields and stepping on skull fragments, began to orderly part to the sides, leaving gaps between the shields just wide enough for a single skull to pass through, thus opening several seemingly undefended but actually deadly passages.

The mindless skeletons, acting as the vanguard, surged madly through the gaps, unaware that as they poured in, the shields behind them slammed shut, completely cutting off their reinforcements.

What awaited them was the raised scimitars of a group of apprentice soldiers behind them.

"Don't be afraid! Attack! Slash at vital points!!"

Commander Valentine's orders were shouted out in hoarse voices by the captains at all levels, clearly reaching the ears of every soldier.

These numerous but weak soldiers, seeing the lone skeleton soldier charging in with ghostly fire emanating from his eye sockets, swung their curved blades heavily, aiming for the joints connecting the enemy's arms, neck, and eye sockets.

With a few sharp swishing sounds, most of the skeletons that fell into the trap were torn to pieces under the successive slashes of the curved blades. Only a very few were able to fight back and scratch the enemy, but they would be chopped into pieces by more curved blades in the next second.

The successive victories ignited a fervent fighting spirit in the eyes of these soldiers.

"Arrow rain is coming! Take cover!"

The roar rang out again, and the soldiers immediately hunched over, raising their shields to protect themselves.

But the next moment, with a clear chant from behind, a gust of wind suddenly rose from nowhere, violently scattering the rain of arrows.

Valentine, sitting on his horse at the rear of the army, took in all these changes in the battle situation and was overjoyed.

Apart from the initial strategic mistake of engaging in a firefight with the horde of skeletons, the subsequent advance went exceptionally smoothly.

Whether it was the flanking maneuver led by two third-tier professionals, the full-time cover provided by the academy mages, or the tactic of using shield formations to lure in skeletons and then encircling and killing them in batches, all the tactics were extremely effective.

"At this rate, I will become the first commander in the entire Kingdom of Susas in a century to lead an army to a decisive victory against the undead army!"

Thinking of the glory that was about to come, his face was almost overflowing with fervor.

Just then, a female mage in a red robe strode through the army formation to his side and said in a deep voice, "Commander Valentine!"

"Mage Logan Susas!"

Valentine's expression changed drastically upon seeing the newcomer, and he immediately suppressed the fervor on his face.

The other party bears the surname Sussas and is a relative of the royal family; the two are worlds apart in status.

Upon hearing the surname Susas, many soldiers around instinctively turned to look, their eyes filled with awe.

Logan Susas frowned but didn't dwell on it, and went straight to the point: "I'm here to deliver Dean Kane's orders. The enemy's backup plan is coming soon. Please stabilize the morale of the troops immediately and prepare two giant crossbows."

New enemies?! And we haven't even finished killing all the enemies in front of us yet!

Valentine's heart sank.

They barely had the upper hand against the sea of ​​skeletons before them, and were far from being able to completely wipe them out. But then the mage academy sent someone to say that there were new enemies.

This isn't what we agreed on at the beginning! Weren't we supposed to just deal with a few thousand easily defeated skeletons?

Logan Susas, observing the change in Valentine's expression, instantly guessed what he was thinking.

The reason this corps was transferred here was not only to exploit his ambition for advancement, but also to give him confidence in his victory. Therefore, many inside stories were not told to him truthfully.

However, since things have come to this point, there is no need to hide it anymore.

She looked at Valentine and said, word by word, "There is no room for retreat in this battle. Dean Kane has already rushed to the front line of the battlefield."

And after the victory, your fame will spread throughout the entire royal court—our academy will recommend you for a seat in the royal council.

"As for the battle situation, you can rest assured, our reinforcements will arrive soon."

Having spent so much time with Kane, she had learned some tricks up her sleeve.

These words were purely her imitation of Kane's empty promises. After all, the relationship between the Mage Academy and the Royal Council was far from harmonious, having just expelled the dean recommended by the council.

Valentine, unaware of the intricacies involved, instantly changed his expression.

From initial unease to overwhelming joy.

He immediately bowed slightly and declared loudly, "We will certainly obey the will of the academy!"

In the center of the battlefield, a shadow blade flashed upwards, slicing through the air, and the skull in front of it fell to the ground with a thud, the will-o'-the-wisps in its eye sockets...

It went out instantly.

But the next second, even more skeletons surged in from all directions, wielding all sorts of decaying bone weapons, and pounced like madmen.

Kane did not flinch, but simply dodged to the side to avoid a fatal blow, and then swung his sword out again.

Immediately afterwards, he spun around on the spot, and the Shadow Blade drew a round arc of death as he turned. The skeletons that surrounded him from all directions shattered and broke apart almost at the same time, with bone fragments scattered all over the ground.

The will-o'-the-wisp in one of the skulls' eye sockets flickered violently, and it instinctively took two steps back. But the next second, a bone dagger that seemed to float out of thin air pierced through the eye socket, extinguishing the will-o'-the-wisp abruptly, and the entire skeleton collapsed to the ground with a thud.

Kane's eyes darkened slightly.

This was already the umpteenth time he had encountered a professional-level skeleton that had deliberately ambushed him since he plunged into the sea of ​​skeletons.

Such precise control clearly indicates the presence of a necromancer behind the scenes.

His mind raced, and his peripheral vision suddenly swept over the mercenary group behind him.

The faces of the mercenaries changed batch after batch, all of them wounded and injured. He couldn't even tell which ones were the ones who had followed him from the beginning and which ones had joined later.

But in their eyes, there burned a fanatical and bloodthirsty fighting spirit.

No one would not follow a vanguard who can lead them into battle and slay powerful enemies.

Further away, deafening roars came from the direction of the army corps, clearly indicating that they had also gained an absolute advantage.

"But it should be soon, shouldn't it?"

He swung his sword backhand and slashed away several skeletons that were rushing towards him, thinking to himself.

According to the plot he knew, the Church of Death, because it also needed souls, was besieged by the demon legion under the command of the demon cult.

But instead of surrendering, they performed a horrific blood sacrifice, offering up all the men, women, and children in several border cities, digging up all the graves along the way, awakening the bones scattered everywhere, and summoning an overwhelming calamity of the dead.

These undead are not all weak skeletons; many of them are higher-level units, far more troublesome than ordinary skeletons, and can even inflict considerable damage on the demon army.

Kane knew all too well that the demon legion was powerful enough to annihilate the entire material plane he inhabited.

This is definitely not something that the hastily assembled army can contend with.

As he hacked and slashed at the skeletons, his mind racing, a mercenary behind him suddenly screamed in terror, "What are those things?!"

Heavy footsteps suddenly echoed from the depths of the cave, and a group of enormous figures appeared.

There were more than a dozen huge and ugly monsters, each seven or eight meters tall, slowly walking out from the depths of the cave.

They are based on huge skeletons, with rotting flesh and body parts stitched together on the surface. Even from a great distance, you can smell the nauseating stench of decay.

Their limbs are of varying lengths and are deformed and twisted, making them look as if they might fall apart at any moment.

Kane frowned immediately upon smelling the odor from afar.

Oops.

He subconsciously looked behind him and saw that many mercenaries had already covered their mouths and noses, and some even looked nauseous.

This is only the smell from a distance. If one were to come into close contact with it, the stench carrying the plague would likely cause direct harm to the soldiers, similar to the effects of a plague spell.

"The enemy's objective is to send these giant, disease-laden corpses through the sea of ​​skeletons into the army's formation, annihilating our main force in one fell swoop."

Kane's mind raced: if he and Finn led two flanking teams and fought their way through the sea of ​​skeletons, they could certainly pay a price to kill this giant rotting corpse team.

However, it was clear that the skeleton soldiers' attack became even more frenzied the moment these rotting corpses appeared.

Although their formation was more chaotic, their movements were several times faster, clearly indicating that they were determined to stop them here at all costs.

"However, the enemy has already revealed their last trump card. Now it's up to you, Logan. Don't let me down."

The soldiers at the main camp, who were fighting hard against the horde of skeletons, were instantly thrown into panic when they saw the giant rotting corpses appearing in the distance.

Even from a great distance, the putrid stench still made one's stomach churn.

"What the hell is that?" "Damn it!" "That thing is covered in plague!" "What the hell are we fighting?"

As the giant carcasses emerged from the depths of the sea of ​​skeletons, the skeleton soldiers along the way were even willing to be trampled to make way for them, allowing them to approach the army formation step by step. From the captain down to the soldiers, the entire army was gripped by extreme panic.

Valentine, the highest-ranking official, turned deathly pale and even stopped breathing.

"Prepare the giant crossbows." Logan's voice rang out coldly, without the slightest ripple.

Valentine looked troubled and said urgently, "Mage Logan, we're facing a sea of ​​skeletons. Even if the giant crossbows pierce through the skeleton army, they won't be very effective against our target!"

"Moreover, to aim at them, we need to make the front-line soldiers clear several lines of defense, at which point the skeleton soldiers will just swarm in—"

Logan interrupted him: "No need. Prepare two giant crossbows, and the mages will handle everything."

Valentine wanted to argue, but meeting Logan's icy gaze, he finally gritted his teeth and roared, "Prepare the giant crossbows! Now!"

Upon hearing the order from their superior, many soldiers were puzzled, but the soldiers operating the giant crossbows immediately sprang into action, loading the heavy bolts into the crossbow mechanism.

But looking at the densely packed enemy soldiers and the sea of ​​skeletons ahead, they all frowned.

The enemy deliberately left this group of giant, rotting corpses until last, clearly having anticipated this.

If shield bearers are forced to move aside in order to shoot, it will only create a gap in the entire formation, allowing skeletons to take advantage of the situation.

Just then, the clear chanting sounded again.

As the mages chanted in unison, the ground beside the two giant crossbows suddenly shook violently.

"What's going on? An earthquake?" "No! Only our feet are shaking!"

Amidst the gasps of surprise and disbelief, they felt the ground beneath their feet rising steadily, revealing a platform of earth and stone rising from the ground, lifting them and the two giant crossbows together.

This height allows the giant crossbow's firing trajectory to avoid friendly soldiers and the horde of skeletons in front, enabling it to accurately lock onto the giant rotting corpses that are crushing skeletons and gradually approaching the army formation.

"It's like I'm under a spell! I feel stronger!"

"Stop talking nonsense! Fire! Fire now!"

"We have enough crossbows, but don't waste them! Make sure you hit your target!"

The soldiers operating the giant crossbows were instantly excited; they had never experienced anything like it before.

The group immediately divided the work and cooperated. The loader quickly pushed the heavy crossbow bolt into the slot, and the observer immediately reported the calibrated angle and distance.

The next moment, both giant crossbows roared at the same time!

The ballista frame jerked backward due to the enormous recoil, and two huge, black arrows shot into the air with a whooshing sound!

All the soldiers inside the cave clearly saw two black afterimages swiftly and unexpectedly pierce through the two giant rotten creatures that were walking at the front!

One of the giant arrows pierced straight through the corpse's skull, and the impact shattered the skull into pieces!

The headless, rotting flesh giant swayed, then crashed to the ground, crushing a large group of skeletons below.

Another giant arrow pierced the corpse's thigh, blasting open a large mass of rotting flesh and broken bones.

The rotting corpse staggered a couple of steps before losing all mobility and collapsing heavily to the ground.

Upon seeing this, the soldiers operating the giant crossbows were the first to erupt in a deafening cheer, and the entire army cheered along with them!

"For the great Susas!"

"Long live Sussas! Long live Sussas!"

As if injected with adrenaline, the soldiers swung their swords even more fiercely, crushing and pulverizing the skeletons in front of them one after another.

The sound of giant crossbows piercing the air echoed one after another inside the cave.

With each whooshing sound, a giant, decaying corpse was pierced through, either rendered immobile or completely destroyed.

This massive army of rotting corpses, which the Church of Death considered its trump card and had just made its debut, was almost completely rendered incapable of fighting in a short time.

On the high platform deep inside the cave, the black-robed mages who had witnessed everything looked extremely grim, their already pale faces now completely devoid of color.

"The plan has failed—arrange for everyone to evacuate to other bases immediately. Only by surviving can there be hope."

"Tell everyone that we will eventually bring death to this land. Even if we temporarily bow down to the demonic cult, it is only a temporary measure."

Upon hearing the words of the gaunt old mage at the head of the group, the black-robed mages behind him all showed expressions of resentment. One of them couldn't help but ask, "Bishop, what about you?"

"I will bear the blame for this defeat. Only my death can dispel the enemy's suspicions—as for the sacrifice, let it remain in the pool of blood."

The enemy doesn't understand the true meaning of the ritual; even if they kill the sacrifice, they cannot break its core.

Hearing this, although everyone was unwilling, they still bowed and accepted the order, and quickly evacuated through the secret passage on the other side of the cave.

The gaunt, black-robed bishop slowly closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, only deathly stillness remained.

He looked down at the battlefield. After annihilating the horde of rotting corpses, the two giant crossbows continued to fire one after another. Each boom pierced through the long sea of ​​skeletons, directly destroying hundreds of skeleton soldiers.

Meanwhile, a new support team appeared behind the enemy soldiers, clearly bringing new giant crossbow bolts and more mercenaries.

After repeated sweeps, the entire sea of ​​skulls has shrunk to less than one-tenth of its original size.

Looking around the cave, the ground was covered with broken skeletons, cold corpses, splattered blood, scattered bone fragments, and broken arrows.

With the other black-robed mages having all retreated, the skeleton soldiers on the battlefield lost control and became mindless zombies who only knew how to swing wildly. They were quickly and completely wiped out by the soldiers.

Deep within the cave, the sound of steady footsteps echoed.

The black-robed bishop revealed a strange smile.

"Let me see who exactly ruined the Church of Death's century-long plan—the acting dean of the Mage Academy."

At the entrance to the cave, Kane and Logan slowly appeared.