...
The Undead Army was already a massive force, possessing an absolute numerical advantage.
The goblins, first terrified by the sudden appearance of the Sea of Skulls, were now surrounded. With their movements restricted, they descended into chaos, like rats in a trap.
Every goblin on the periphery had to face two, three, or even more Skeletons at once.
Bone blades, broken swords, and spears attacked from every angle. A goblin might frantically block an attack from the left only to be stabbed in the right side; it might struggle to push back a Skeleton in front of it only to take a heavy blow to the head.
This was especially true for the elite goblins afflicted by the Weakness Curse. Normally ferocious, they now felt their bodies go numb, their movements weak and feeble. Under the special attention of Bone Jade and the siege of the other Skeletons, their situation quickly became perilous.
SQUELCH.
Bone Jade seized an opening. The Bone Knife in its hand sliced through an elite goblin—one that was furiously swinging a rusty iron axe—as if it were cutting tofu, severing it at the waist. Filthy blood and entrails splattered across the ground.
On another side, a different elite goblin, also under the Curse, was pinned down by three regular Skeletons. The Bear Goblin Skeleton stomped forward with heavy steps, its massive Wolf Fang Club raised high, and brought it down like a pile driver.
BANG~!
With a dull thud, the elite goblin's head, along with a good part of its shoulder, was instantly reduced to a meaty pulp on the ground.
The foul-smelling blood flowed freely over the dirt path, mixing with the soil to form a nauseating, dark-red slurry.
Fear spread like a plague among the goblins.
This was one of the defining traits of the goblin species.
When they had the upper hand in numbers and the situation was in their favor, they were more brutal and ferocious than any other species.
But once they were at a disadvantage, their morale would collapse as quickly as an avalanche.
"Waaah! Run, run away!"
"Don't kill me, don't kill me."
"I surrender, I surrender~"
All sorts of strange cries, wails, and pleas for mercy rose and fell.
Many goblins even dropped their weapons, cowering on the ground with their heads in their hands, trembling uncontrollably.
However, the Skeletons were like cold killing machines. They felt no mercy, no fear, not even a flicker of emotion. They just faithfully executed their master's command: eliminate all enemies.
"Is... Is that a Necromancer? We're saved!"
After their initial despair and shock, the three girls trapped in the center finally understood the situation. Ecstasy flooded their hearts, instantly dispelling all the gloom.
As apprentices of Hurst Royal Extraordinary Academy, they were naturally no strangers to the Necromancer profession.
During the annual academy exams or private spars, they had plenty of "dealings" with students from the Undead System. This was especially true for those of the Holy Light System, who were most familiar with the apprentices of the Undead System.
But at this moment, this unknown Necromancer classmate was undoubtedly a ray of light in their despair.
Driven by their survival instincts and their professional training as Extraordinaries, they swiftly seized this hard-won opportunity.
"Lilith, clear a path with a Fireball. Avril, bless me with strength," the Warrior Maiden commanded, quickly assessing the situation.
"Understood." The blonde Magical Maiden, Lilith, had a glint in her eyes. She quickly chanted an incantation, and soon, a scorching Fireball formed at the tip of her Magic Staff, whistling through the air before smashing into the heads of several goblins.
BOOM~
The Fireball exploded, sending sparks everywhere. The goblins it hit were sent flying with terrified screams.
"Oh, Holy Light, grant my companion courage and strength~" The Priest, Avril, raised her Holy Emblem Staff. A sacred white light descended upon the Warrior Maiden as she chanted.
The Warrior Maiden felt a warm current flow into her body. Not only did most of her fatigue vanish, but a steady stream of power also surged within her. With a low shout, she protected herself with her round shield and swung her Longsword in a sharp arc, cutting down two goblins.
The three girls clearly hated these goblins to the bone, each striking more ruthlessly than the last.
And their counterattack became the last straw, completely shattering the goblins' final shred of will to resist and hastening their demise.
The entire battle took no more than two or three minutes.
The once noisy and chaotic forest path gradually fell silent.
The dirt path was littered with goblin corpses lying askew. Blood soaked nearly every inch of the soil, and the thick stench of it filled the air.
The goblin wolf rider, who had been so arrogant and menacing just moments before, now lay in a pool of blood.
Its mount wolf had had its neck hacked apart by several Skeletons, while the rider itself had been decapitated. Even in death, it still tightly clutched its small beast-hide flag.
Lynch hadn't even paid much attention to how it died; the battle was over too quickly.
The guide, Hank, was already dumbfounded. Hiding by the bushes, he didn't even dare to breathe.
Although he had long known how terrifying Necromancers were, witnessing dozens of vicious goblins being utterly slaughtered in a matter of minutes was a visual and psychological shock that far exceeded his imagination.
At this point, though the battle was over, all the Skeletons still maintained a tight encirclement, keeping the three shell-shocked girls firmly in the center.
Although the three girls had temporarily escaped the goblins' clutches, their nerves were still on edge as they looked at the dense ranks of ghastly white skeletons surrounding them.
They unconsciously tightened their grips on their weapons and staves, standing back-to-back, remaining vigilant, not daring to make the slightest move.
Though the one controlling this Undead Army was likely a classmate from the academy's Undead System, or perhaps even a teacher, they were out in the wild with no one else around. Who could guarantee he would abide by the academy's rules and the bonds of camaraderie? What if he was an evil Necromancer who was just good at hiding his true nature at the academy? They had heard, after all, that a wanted Necromancer who had massacred a village had recently appeared near Saint Roland City...
The reputation of Necromancers had never been good...
Among them, the Priest, Avril, felt the most conflicted and uneasy.
'Although I've never personally bullied any apprentices from the Undead System, after being immersed in the Holy Light System for so long, I've never had a good impression of students from that department. Deep down, I even feel like they shouldn't be allowed in our sacred academy. But I never would have imagined that the one to save me from a fate more terrifying than death today would actually be a Necromancer.'
Just as the atmosphere grew tense and the three girls' minds raced with uneasy thoughts,
SHFF... SHFF...
The faint sound of footsteps came from outside the encirclement.
The Skeletons clattered as they parted to form a path.
Escorted by a group of Skeleton Guards, a figure completely wrapped in a black robe, their face obscured by a cloth mask, walked unhurriedly into the circle.
The three girls' faces lit up with joy.
The emblem on the black robe was that of the standard apprentice uniform for the academy's Undead System.
But before they could fully relax, they felt as if they'd been plunged into an icy abyss in the very next moment.
They heard a sinister, strange laugh emerge from beneath the black hood: "Heheheh~~ I never thought I'd run into three such fresh and tasty female classmates out here in the wilderness~"
"Then, doesn't that mean my Undead Army will be getting a few new, lovely lady skeletons who can sing and dance? Oh, I'm getting so excited~"
As he spoke, his gaze swept pointedly toward the Priest.
It was as if he was imagining what an interesting sight it would be if this maiden of Holy Light were transformed into one of his Skeleton Servants.
...