The skeletons were clearly losing to the Boulbears and wolves, as many Iron Skeletons lay shattered on the battlefield. Han Wu let out a sigh. Without the Osteomancer and the Skeleton Reanimator, the skeleton army was incomplete and faltering. Thankfully, the Black Skeleton Knights held their ground. They ripped through wave after wave of Boulbears and wolves, all while continuously summoning fresh skeletons from the fallen.
Gradually, the battle shifted in Han Wu’s favor. The two alphas roared in fury, unable to bear the sight of their underlings falling and rising again as enemies. Still, Han Wu feared the Black Skeleton Knights wouldn’t hold out for long. To strengthen their line, he sent in two half-dragons to assist.
The Light Emissary couldn’t remain passive any longer. It had assumed the alphas would crush the vile undead, never expecting the skeletons to multiply so quickly. Determined to end the threat personally, it raised its arm and condensed a sphere of sacred light the size of an aquarium.
At the same moment, the Golden Skeleton condensed black energy along its blade. The two struck simultaneously: the Light Emissary launched the orb of sacred light, while the Golden Skeleton unleashed its Undead Slash.
Their attacks collided, canceling each other out.
Enraged, the Light Emissary gathered more sacred light for a stronger strike. The Golden Skeleton charged forward, blade ready to meet the assault head-on.
They traded blows through several fierce bouts and suffered injuries, but Han Wu noticed that the Golden Skeleton was gradually being pushed back. Though both were Heroic life forms, the Light Emissary wielded anti-undead powers that steadily suppressed the Golden Skeleton. If the battle continued, the Golden Skeleton Warrior would be defeated.
Han Wu didn’t want to lose a powerful soldier like it, so he was trying to figure out a way to save it. He quietly ordered his Dark Cursed Bugs to hide in the shadows and ambush the Light Emissary. They slowly closed in on it stealthily, unnoticed.
The Light Emissary was so focused on the Golden Skeleton that it failed to sense the swarm of Dark Cursed Bugs targeting its life. After landing a Sacred Light attack that cracked the Golden Skeleton’s bones, it believed victory was within reach.
It was still caught in that moment of euphoria when the Dark Cursed Bugs launched their assault. A vast volley of Shadow Nails shot toward the Light Emissary’s shadow. These nails dealt dark attribute damage and immobilized their victims.
Despite the wide gap in their strength, the Light Emissary froze for a full second under the overwhelming barrage. The Golden Skeleton seized the opportunity, dragging its broken body upright and unleashing a powerful Undead Slash.
The Light Emissary could neither dodge nor defend against the attack. Its fragile body dissolved under the energy of the Undead Slash, ichor spilling from its orifices. The once-mighty Light Emissary had perished.
The Boulbear Alpha and Noirwolf Alpha immediately gave up. Neither had reached the Heroic tier and couldn’t even stand against the Light Emissary together, let alone the Heroic Golden Skeleton.
Unfortunately, it was too late to flee. The Golden Skeleton overtook them in an instant and killed both with a single strike. With the alphas dead, the remaining Boulbears and wolves broke ranks and scattered in disarray.
Within half an hour, Han Wu defeated all the invaders and claimed victory.
“This must be the calamity that Duan Meng mentioned,” he muttered.
Han Wu admitted that without the Heroic Golden Skeleton by his side, repelling the powerful Light Emissary would have been nearly impossible, even with a Level 5 shelter.
He felt grateful for Duan Meng’s warning. Now, he needed to clear the battlefield and collect his rewards after the calamity. Carefully, he stored the pelts and meat of the fallen monsters in the warehouse for future use. Then, he summoned numerous skeletons from the corpses to replenish his army’s ranks.
Han Wu turned his attention to the Light Emissary’s corpse. As a Heroic life form with formidable strength, it likely carried something valuable. He searched carefully and found three treasures.
The first treasure was a magical map that allowed him to bind his shelter to it with a drop of blood. Once bound, the map revealed the areas under his control and clearly marked his territory. It made locating resources and tracking enemies far easier.
The second item was a recipe for a special caste. It detailed the process of fusing the Infantry Altar: Lions, Archer Altar: Eagles, Lancer Altar: Humans, and some other materials to produce the Heavy Cavalry Griffon Riders.
Han Wu finally understood how to obtain the Heavy Cavalry caste in this civilization. From the recipe, he could already sense its immense power. He estimated that each Griffon Rider rivaled the strength of a Heroic life form. Unfortunately, he did not possess the necessary altars yet, so he carefully kept the recipe in his storage and checked the third treasure.
The third one was a translucent scarlet berry known as the Vermillion Berry, capable of restoring 10% of his original strength upon consumption. Without hesitation, he swallowed it whole. As he chewed, a warm sensation spread from his core as a portion of his power returned. By the time the sensation faded, he could feel his vigor returning.
He clenched his fist and estimated that his strength now rivaled that of a Heroic life form. “This feels incredible. I just need nine more to fully unseal all my original powers.”
Unfortunately, the berry was rare, and he had no idea when he would find more. He chuckled and summoned all his Skeleton Knights to gather around him. Then, he commanded them to use Summon Skeleton simultaneously to transform the fallen Light Emissary into part of his army. He was eager to see how powerful a skeleton summoned from such a powerful source would be.
It took a full hour before the Light Emissary’s skeleton finally rose. It radiated an otherworldly beauty, exuding pure holiness. Even Han Wu had to admit the skeleton was stunning, like an untarnished masterpiece. This was the first time he had encountered a skeleton that seemed truly out of this world.
[Holy Skeleton. Heroic life form. Skills: Sacred Orb, Reanimate Skeleton. A skeleton with holy power. Its existence is a miracle on its own.]
Han Wu’s eyes lit up when he noticed it possessed the Reanimate Skeleton Skill. He had finally gained the crucial ability needed to form a large-scale skeleton army.