Undead Mage: I Have a Skeleton Clone

Chapter 629 - 428: The Defiant Power of the Title, Sweeping Victory!

If not for Fang Zhou’s Undead Summoned Creatures absorbing most of the firepower, the defensive line formed by the Sea City Military Academy cadets and natural creatures would have already sustained injuries or even deaths.

More Mud Spring Banshees surged in like a tide from every direction, their hideous figures swaying all around.

Fang Zhou had already cast several enhancement skills in succession, making the Undead Front Line even more stable.

As the enemy ranks grew denser, Fang Zhou first picked off a few Demons that rushed toward him, activating the Dusk Buff from his Dusk Robe.

He then gripped his Undead Magic Ball and, transforming into a Magic Cannon Platform, began bombarding the tightly packed Mud Spring Banshees with spells.

Because these Mud Spring Banshees seemed to have a tendency toward Undead Transformation, lacked sentience, and were poisonous, the Corrosive Poison Series skill tree Fang Zhou usually relied on was not very effective. He opted to use Skeleton Heart-Piercing Flying Spear, Skeleton Shock Wave, and even Corpse Explosion Skill to inflict massive damage.

Under the magical bombardment from Fang Zhou and the other cadets, the charging Mud Spring Banshees collapsed into the mud like broken puppets, their monstrous cries echoing across the sky. The Combat Professional cadets also met them head-on, wielding Warhammers, Longswords, and Thorny Shields. Black blood splattered everywhere.

The first wave of Mud Spring Banshees shattered like waves breaking against reefs. However, before anyone could catch their breath, a second wave of Mud Spring Banshees surged forward.

A crack of thunder echoed as deep purple lightning struck from the sky again, tearing through the swarm of Mud Spring Banshees like a monstrous serpent. A cacophony of piercing shrieks erupted, and a noticeable gap appeared in the black mass of Mud Spring Banshees. In just a few breaths, however, this gap was filled by the swarming monsters.

Strictly speaking, from Fang Zhou’s perspective as an elite Commander, the Mud Spring Banshees were not well-suited for frontal assaults. They only had four fingers and lacked a crucial thumb, rendering them unable to wield weapons. Furthermore, their movements became considerably sluggish once they left the mud pools they lurked in. In single combat, a Mud Spring Banshee was equivalent to an ordinary Lower-Black Iron Demon at best. However, their sheer numbers and the swampy environment where they thrived compensated for this weakness.

In just over ten minutes, the team had slain dozens of Mud Spring Banshees, yet the number of ugly black silhouettes swarming before Fang Zhou showed no signs of diminishing.

Although the other team members still had plenty of stamina, they were beginning to feel the pressure. This pressure was not just physical, but psychological. The Mud Spring Banshees’ assault was relentless. They threw themselves at the defensive line of Skeleton Warriors and Zombies with the suicidal fervor of fanatics.

This behavior couldn’t be explained by mere savagery. No matter how vicious the Mud Spring Banshees were, they should have shown some hesitation after dozens of their kind lay dead on the ground. Even the other members of the team had noticed something was wrong.

"Something’s wrong! These Mud Spring Banshees seem a bit off!" Ye Yinzhu’s voice cut in during a pause in his performance.

"Indeed!" Hong Yang agreed, swinging his mace while clutching his Magic Book and continuously casting beneficial skills for the group. "If these Mud Spring Banshees were always this ferocious, I refuse to believe our Natural Allies could have made it through the Withered Swamp!"

"Mud Spring Banshees should be creatures that bully the weak and fear the strong... They’re supposed to be..." Kai mumbled from the middle of the formation, his voice trailing off as he began to doubt his own words.

Seeing that the front line was stable, Fang Zhou took a moment to think. He then called Hong Yang, Ye Yinzhu, Gu Yueyuan, Kai, and Miliou together for a short wartime council.

"Let’s discuss this, everyone," Fang Zhou began. "This battle won’t be resolved quickly. Fortunately, we have a clear and absolute advantage in strength. Our choice is this: do we attempt a breakout and escape their siege, or do we stand our ground and kill them all?"

Ye Yinzhu hesitated for a moment before speaking. "I suggest breaking through quickly. This swamp terrain is not ideal for our defensive formation. Furthermore, our target is the Undead Tomb, not to kill all the Demons in the swamp."

Hong Yang, however, had a different opinion. "I think we should hold our ground and kill them all. With the powerful Undead Creatures summoned by Boss Fang Zhou holding the front, we just need to be careful and attack from a distance. Our kill efficiency is quite high. These Mud Spring Banshees are the local tyrants of the Withered Swamp, and they move much faster than us here. If we don’t eliminate or rout them now, they’ll just keep tracking and harassing us until we’re exhausted."

The other leaders voiced their opinions as well. Given Fang Zhou’s terrifying combat power and the tireless Undead Army they could rely on, the consensus leaned toward holding their ground to either annihilate or rout the horde of Mud Spring Banshees.

This aligned with Fang Zhou’s own thoughts. After getting input from everyone, Fang Zhou, as the temporary Commander of this mixed team, made his decision.

"Alright, it’s decided. Notify all units. We have a one-hour time limit. We will strive to annihilate this horde of Mud Spring Banshees within the hour."

"Yes!"

Having decided on a major battle, Fang Zhou no longer felt the need to conserve his Mana. He summoned two more squads of Skeleton Archers to supplement their lacking long-range firepower.

Unfortunately, Olaf, the Berserker Heroic Spirit, was still recovering after being slain by a Skeleton Lord outside the bone castle. He was currently unavailable to be summoned as a Commander and vanguard. Command of the battle fell solely to Fang Zhou and a few elite Undead Officers.

Under Fang Zhou’s command, the entire battle line acted as a single, cohesive unit. The outer perimeter was a barrier of Skeleton Warriors, Zombies, and other Undead Creatures. The middle layer consisted of the sturdier, more durable races among the natural creatures, alongside the Combat Professionals from Sea City Military Academy. The inner core was composed of the Mages and Archers responsible for long-range attacks, as well as the invaluable Support Professionals.

With a conscious effort to tighten their formation, the members of the Expedition Team huddled together, defending and counter-attacking in an orderly fashion. From a bird’s-eye view, the Expedition Team’s formation, under Fang Zhou’s command, looked like a coiled fist. It was waiting for the perfect moment to smash viciously into the faces of the Mud Spring Banshees.

The ignorant Mud Spring Banshees besieging them, however, had no inkling of this. They only sensed their own lines advancing and desperately surged forward, hoping to shatter the Expedition Team’s defenses in one fell swoop. Unwittingly, their formation grew ever denser.

This was excellent news for the numerous Mages and Archers in the Expedition Team. They could now inflict significant damage simply by tossing large area-of-effect spells blindly into the packed Battle Group. And among them all, Fang Zhou was naturally the most dazzling.

Once the front line was stable, he delegated command of the Undead Creatures to his elite Undead Officers, freeing himself from the burden of trivial micromanagement. Entering a state of all-out spellcasting, he once again became a Magic Cannon Platform, unleashing his firepower without restraint.

As the fierce battle raged on, the number of Mud Spring Banshees continued to dwindle, while the Natural Expedition Team had only expended some of their Battle Qi and Mana.

Despite this, after half an hour of combat, the members of the Natural Expedition Team still felt the pressure mounting.

Zhang Wu’s face had grown pale from the constant spellcasting. He waved his Natural Staff, unleashing a volley of Thorny Poison Spikes to drive back the distant Mud Spring Banshees, then shouted urgently, "Captain, we can’t keep this up! It’s time to get serious!"

"Alright!" Fang Zhou had already been thinking the same thing. He agreed instantly, freeing one hand to retrieve the long-dormant Heroic Spirit Battle Banner from his Space Storage Capsule.

"Die with the Demon!"