Starting from Ainz Ooal Gown, simultaneously traveling through time

Ares stared intently at the sea of ​​pale skulls surging from the ground ahead, his heart sinking.

These skeletal warriors had robust skeletons, with faint gray-black auras swirling around their joints, and cold, steady soul flames flickering in their eye sockets.

These skeletons are far superior to ordinary low-level summons.

"Archers, fire three volleys! Probe the enemy lines!" Ares shouted, his voice ringing out clearly on the grim battlefield.

The well-trained archers swiftly carried out the order.

The bowstrings twanged, and a dense rain of arrows, accompanied by sharp whistles, poured down on the skeleton army!

However, the anticipated scene of bones shattering did not occur on a large scale.

Most of the arrows struck the pale skeletons, leaving only faint white dots before bouncing away powerlessly.

Even the most powerful arrows can only penetrate an inch or so, failing to cause any real damage.

"What a tough bone!" Ares's eyes were serious.

His archers used the finest hard bows and armor-piercing arrows in the army.

The Hard Bow is a high-quality magical weapon, and the Armor-Piercing Arrows also have the "Armor-Piercing" property added by the Enchanting Master.

If used against ordinary orcs, it could easily pierce through their bodies and kill them with a single arrow.

But at this moment, these arrows had little effect.

"Magic troops, switch to elemental attacks! Test their resistance!" He immediately changed his strategy.

The Royal Magicians at the rear quickly made adjustments.

In an instant, fireballs, ice spikes, lightning chains, wind blades, and even faint holy light orbs, all interwoven with colorful magical light, bombarded the advancing sea of ​​skeletons.

The results came quickly.

A blazing fireball can leave charred cracks on bones.

Attacks imbued with divine aura can also cause soul fire to become disordered, and fine cracks to appear on the surface of bones.

However, attacks such as frost, lightning, and wind blades are much less effective.

At most, it might cause a layer of ice crystals or electric sparks to appear on the surface of the bone, which would then quickly return to its original state, as if it had simply been polished to be "shinier".

"Apart from fire and holy attacks, cease all other spellcasting! Concentrate your firepower!" Ares immediately adjusted his tactics.

The density of magic attacks dropped immediately.

At this moment, the number of skeletal warriors, now exceeding five hundred, was marching in orderly and heavy steps, wielding bone swords and shields.

Like a white wave of death, it pressed down on the human army.

They don't move very fast.

But that silent and resolute aura, combined with its displayed physical and magical resistance, was enough to make any conventional force feel despair.

Ares knew that ordinary infantry formations would likely crumble at the first touch against these enhanced skeletons.

Only the eight hundred heavily armored and well-equipped Royal Guard cavalrymen behind him might have a fighting chance.

He gritted his teeth, a resolute glint in his eyes.

Ares drew his Valyrian steel sword from his waist, the blade shimmering with a unique, wavy light in the dim daylight.

"All troops, heed my command!" Ares's voice echoed across the battlefield. "Charge with me! For His Majesty! For Inbelia! Fight to the last moment!"

"For His Majesty! For Inbelia!!"

The eight hundred guards roared in unison, their voices echoing across the land.

They followed closely behind Ares, spurring their warhorses forward like a torrent of steel, launching a desperate charge against the sea of ​​pale bones!

Rumble—!

The cavalry formation clashed violently with the skeleton vanguard!

In an instant, the sounds of bones breaking, metal clashing, warhorses neighing, and warriors roaring mingled together.

The momentum of the charge sent the front-row skeletons flying backward.

But the warhorse also suffered a tremendous recoil force.

Many horses staggered and lost their balance, while a few even suffered internal injuries and broken bones.

The horse's charging speed inevitably drops sharply.

If these horses are classified by level, their strength is generally below level 10, so asking them to challenge level 21 skeleton warriors is indeed a bit of a stretch.

"Don't stop! Keep moving!" Ares yelled in the midst of the chaos.

However, once the momentum of the charge slowed down, the heavy cavalry, trapped in the sea of ​​skeletons, were like being stuck in a quagmire.

Several guards were suddenly surrounded by more than a dozen skeleton warriors as their horses slowed down, and bone knives came slashing from all directions!

Despair welled up in the heart of one of the surrounded guards.

Looking at the dense, pale skeletons around him, impervious to swords and spears, he seemed to see his own end.

"I'll fight to the death!!!" Desperation ignited his ferocity, and he roared.

He poured all his strength into the Valyrian steel sword bestowed upon him by His Majesty and slashed fiercely at a skeletal warrior in front of him!

"[Martial Skill·Heavy Slash]!"

A flash of sword light.

The expected resistance, like the clanging of metal against stone, did not come. Instead, there was a strange, almost smooth, entry sensation!

The thick leg bone, which was as hard as refined iron and impervious to arrows, along with its upper body, was cleanly and neatly cleaved in two by this sword as if it were cutting through rotten wood!

The soul fire in the skull's eyes extinguished instantly, scattering into a pile of broken bones.

"This...?!" The guard was stunned, unable to believe his eyes.

He instinctively swung his sword horizontally.

[Martial Skill: Arc Slash]!

Wherever the sword passed, the three skeletal warriors who surrounded them were cut in half at the waist like straws!

"Hahaha! I see!!"

The ecstasy of escaping a desperate situation and the excitement of discovering a secret made him burst into laughter.

He held back, wielding the Valyrian steel sword in a dazzling display of silver light.

"[Martial Arts - Combo Slash]!"

"[Martial Arts Technique: Thrust]!"

Swish swish swish swish—!

Sword light flashed everywhere.

The once formidable, hard skeletons became incredibly fragile under his sword, shattering into pieces.

In the blink of an eye, the dozen or so skeletal warriors surrounding him turned into bone fragments scattered all over the ground.

"Huff... huff..."

He leaned on his sword, panting, and stared in awe at the seemingly ancient longsword in his hand, which now displayed divine power.

He was absolutely certain that this was not due to a sudden increase in his strength, but rather that the Valyrian Steel Sword itself possessed an incredible ability to restrain undead creatures!

Skeleton Warrior Level 21.

The Guardian Soldier must be level 16 or higher and have a weapon level of 20, but the weapon has an Undead-specific attack effect, dealing far more damage to the Undead than expected.

This scene was witnessed by Ares and the other guards nearby.

"It's a sword! A sword bestowed by His Majesty!" someone shouted in surprise.

As if a spark of hope had been ignited, the morale of all the Royal Guards wielding Valyrian steel swords soared!

They followed suit, no longer confronting the skeletons head-on, but instead concentrating their power into their swords, focusing on slashing and thrusting.

really!

The previously indestructible skeletons became surprisingly fragile under the blade of the Valyrian steel sword!

Where the sword flashes, bones break and tendons snap, and soul flames dissipate!

"Haha! That's satisfying! So His Majesty was prepared all along!"

"This sword is specifically designed to defeat the undead! Your Majesty is wise and foresaw this situation long ago!"

"Kill! For His Majesty! Crush these skeletons!"

Morale soared to its peak instantly!

The eight hundred guards were like tigers among sheep, wielding divine weapons and galloping across the sea of ​​skeletons. Though slow, their power was unparalleled and they were invincible!

The battle, which had been deadlocked and even slightly disadvantageous, was reversed in an instant!

Not far away, Benjeri, who was calmly dealing with the king's fierce attack, turned one of his heads slightly and noticed the unusual rout of the skeleton army.

Even in his eternally indifferent heart, a ripple could not help but stir.

"Interesting..." a hoarse voice rang out, carrying a hint of surprised admiration.

"These ordinary irons... actually contain such a significant suppressive effect on undead traits? I underestimated the creations of you humans."

The balance of power on the battlefield began to tilt subtly due to this unexpected variable.