Undead Mage: I Have a Skeleton Clone

Chapter 641 - 434: Overloaded Soul Storm, Soul Struggle Battlefield!_2

The reason for this was that Professionals of the Era of Myth had low resistance to Soul Attributes and lacked targeted, Shield-type protective measures.

Under the charged explosion of Vladimir’s Soul Storm, almost every member of the Expedition Team was hit with an overload attack.

Fang Zhou summoned his Skeleton Armor, trying to resist the damage from the Soul Storm as best he could while observing the changes on the battlefield with his Soul Shadow.

The power of this Soul Storm was astonishing. Almost all of his teammates entered a rigid state, their faces filled with terror as if they were trapped in a state of soul chaos.

The Swamp Natives and Natural Allies, who had extremely low resistance, fared even worse. They collapsed one by one, their faces contorted in agony.

Kai’s Battle Qi flared in resistance for a moment before being completely engulfed by the gray-white light, after which he went silent.

The Mud Spring Banshee leader, Guna, screamed and leaped from the shadows, trying to escape the tomb’s third level before the Soul Storm reached her. However, she had only taken two steps toward the stone staircase when the gray-white light caught up. Guna let out one last scream before falling down as stiff as a rotted log.

As for Gu Yueyuan, Liu Diewu, Hong Yang, and the other elite students from the Sea City Military Academy, their rigorous training allowed them to barely maintain the flow of energy within their bodies and avoid losing control. However, just surviving the Soul Storm had exhausted all their strength. They no longer had the ability to cast any more spells.

The gray-white light of the Soul Storm also engulfed Fang Zhou. Although he felt as if an immense boulder was pressing down on his body, making his bones creak, he didn’t collapse immediately like the others.

After all, Fang Zhou wasn’t fighting alone. In the distant and unknowable Undead Realm, he had a Corpse Clone at the Upper Tier of Black Iron Perfection. This Clone provided him with a Soul Strength that far exceeded others of the same tier.

Vladimir’s Soul Storm, though astonishingly powerful, was essentially just a one-time blast created by squeezing dry and detonating the souls of the dozens, or even hundreds, of victims he had enslaved and stitched together. While the total amount of energy was immense, its tier remained at the Lower Tier of Black Iron.

"This is the third time you’ve surprised me, young man." The Pseudo-Corpse Witch Vladimir’s ghostly green gaze swept over and met Fang Zhou’s. But he immediately felt a sharp pain in his eyes. Fang Zhou’s stare was like a pair of cold blades, piercing deep into Vladimir’s mind.

"Your will and power have earned my recognition. If you are willing to embrace Death and offer your loyalty and life to me, I will permit you to live on and become my disciple."

The Pseudo-Corpse Witch’s voice suddenly echoed in Fang Zhou’s ears. Fang Zhou, focusing all his might on maintaining his Skeleton Armor, simply scoffed and didn’t respond.

According to his Perception, the students from the Sea City Military Academy were not in mortal danger; they were just temporarily incapacitated. The other members of the Expedition Team could also hold on for a long time. He refused to believe that a Soul Storm this powerful could last for very long. Once Vladimir was exhausted, it would be Fang Zhou’s turn to strike back.

"All things return to Death; only Death is eternal. Even the gods will one day perish! We, the remnants of the Naraku Civilization, shall guide the world into the Country of Eternal Night, a realm devoid of hunger and pain. This is not evil. It is the greatest act of benevolence."

The Pseudo-Corpse Witch Vladimir’s voice continued to echo in Fang Zhou’s ears. Unmoved by this nonsense, Fang Zhou furiously cycled his mana core to resist the oncoming Soul Storm.

Damn it!

After several attempts, the Pseudo-Corpse Witch Vladimir realized his threats and temptations were having no effect on Fang Zhou. If this dragged on any longer, the Soul Storm he had released using all the soul energy he had accumulated since awakening would dissipate. By then, once his opponent recovered his ability to counterattack, he—a mere remnant soul—would have no chance of escape.

What a stubborn creature!

Driven to desperation, Vladimir raised a sinister, bony finger and pointed it at Fang Zhou.

"Soul Struggle!"

In the next instant, Fang Zhou, who was hidden behind his Skeleton Armor, went rigid. Everything around him seemed to slow down. Only the Pseudo-Corpse Witch’s white, bony finger grew larger and larger in his vision until it filled the entire world.

In a daze, the battlefield before him vanished without a trace. His entire being felt as if it were being dragged into a bizarre, unknown space.

Here, there was neither sky above nor earth below, only an ethereal gray mist that filled the entire world. Soon enough, Vladimir’s hideously ugly, stitched-together soul appeared in this small world.

"Welcome to the Soul Struggle Battlefield, young Undead Mage. Now, become my nourishment!"

The black mist behind Vladimir churned even more violently. Skeletons, Zombies, Ghosts, Vampires, Corpse Witches, and even Undead Creatures Fang Zhou had never seen before writhed within it, gradually forming a terrifying undead tide that blotted out the sky.

Without another word, Vladimir pointed his finger, and the sky-blotting Undead Army surged toward Fang Zhou.

Though shocked, Fang Zhou did not panic. In the Era of Myth, all things abided by the law of conservation of mass and energy. He refused to believe that Vladimir, this Pseudo-Corpse Witch, a mere Sewn Monster of the Lower Tier of Black Iron, could summon such a powerful Undead Army with a single Skill. Such power was likely unattainable even for an Undead Mage at the Legendary Crown tier. Since it couldn’t be real, what lay before him was either an illusion or a phantom created by some kind of Skill.

As expected, a prompt appeared on his attribute panel.

"Detected influence from an Unknown Skill, entering an unknown state."

"World Rune [Heart Steel] active, immune to negative mental effects."

"Detected information flow from the Unknown Skill. Analyzing... Analysis complete."

[Soul Struggle]: A special Skill for Soul Bodies. Creates a Soul Struggle Battlefield, allowing the caster to launch an attack on the enemy’s soul with their full Soul Power. The loser perishes, and the winner takes all.

The description for the Soul Struggle Skill was simple, but Fang Zhou immediately understood its mechanics through the attribute plane board. This Skill, while incredibly powerful, also had a major limitation: it exposed the souls of both the caster and the target on the same Soul Struggle Battlefield. Aside from the quantity and quality of Soul Power, no other external abilities could be used. It was a direct confrontation between souls.

Looking at the lead-gray cloud formed by the Undead Creatures before him, Fang Zhou wasn’t frightened in the slightest. Instead, he was delighted, and a smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

Of all the things he could have competed in, he chose Soul Power? Against me?

In terms of quality, with the souls of his Clone and his main body merged, his soul essence was somewhere between the Lower Tier of Bronze and the Upper Tier of Black Iron. In terms of quantity, besides his own massive inherent Soul Power, he also had a reserve of several thousand points of Soul Power. On what basis could Vladimir, this old relic, this pitiful Sewn Monster, possibly compete with him in a Soul Struggle?

The current situation was clear. Vladimir, as the caster of the Soul Struggle, had the initiative. He had chosen to transform his Soul Power into a boundless Undead Army, seeking to win this Soul Struggle through them. As a remnant soul of the Naraku Civilization and a pure-blooded Undead Mage, his greatest strength was naturally summoning and commanding Undead Creatures. This was the most logical choice.

But Fang Zhou wasn’t foolish enough to imitate Vladimir and summon an Undead Army to clash with his. Although he had absolute confidence in the quantity and quality of his Soul Power, he didn’t dare underestimate the Pseudo-Corpse Witch’s understanding and control over Undead Creatures. Fang Zhou’s favorite tactic was to overwhelm the weak with sheer strength; he would never be foolish enough to challenge an enemy’s forte with his own relative weakness. Having spent months mastering War Chess simulations, Fang Zhou’s mind spun for a moment before he decided on the form his own Soul Power would take.