Real Mount and Blade Game

These winged skeletal archers are extremely fast, possess absolute aerial superiority, and launch cunning attacks.

Although their individual strength may not exceed that of the Black Iron Skeleton Warriors, their mobility and sudden attack methods pose a great threat!
"Long-range units! Target locked!"

Shen Mu's voice, like the clash of metal, drowned out the clamor and clearly reached the ears of every squad commander: "Vegia sharpshooters! Rhodok sniper crossbowmen! Wood Elf hunters! Focus fire! Shoot them down! Let them fly!"

Commands were quickly translated into action.

After a brief period of confusion, the well-trained ranged elites demonstrated remarkable battlefield adaptability.

"Target! The one that flew out of the well directly ahead! Fire!"

A Vikya archer captain quickly spotted the trajectory, roared, and simultaneously drew his composite longbow to its fullest extent.

With a hum, the armor-piercing arrow left the bowstring, like a gray shadow rushing straight at a winged skeleton that was trying to dive down to lower its altitude and continue firing.

The skeleton seemed to sense the danger, and suddenly spun sideways in an attempt to dodge, its movements as swift as a ghost! However—

"Thud!" Vayne's armor-piercing arrow precisely caught up with its spinning trajectory and pierced deep into its ribcage!
The immense impact sent it spinning as it crashed into a massive, load-bearing pillar. The decaying wing skeleton shattered upon impact with the pillar, and the ghastly green soul flame flickered violently before extinguishing.

"Good!" The archers around him perked up.

Rhodok sniper crossbowmen demonstrated their exceptional stability and ability to pick off stationary targets.

Behind a relatively safe three-story bunker, two crossbowmen steadily set up their heavy sniper crossbows.

A spotter growled, “Left flank! Behind the broken beam! Three o’clock! One is nocking an arrow!”

"Bang!" The heavy sound of the mechanism being activated rang out, and the armor-piercing crossbow bolt, forged from fine gold, shot out with terrifying kinetic energy!

The skeleton that was hiding had just shown half of its body in preparation for firing when it was hit in the head by this accurate crossbow bolt!
The skull, along with the soul fire, instantly turned into a scattered pile of fragments!

However, the most deadly hunters are the Wood Elf hunters who have already scattered! They are children of the forest and are used to fighting in complex, ever-changing, and varied environments.

At this moment, instead of staying in fixed cover, they used their amazing agility and spatial awareness to cling to the huge mural ruins, the back of broken ladders, and even leap high to grab swaying chains or beams, launching deadly sniper attacks from angles that the winged skeletons could not predict!

They were silent, their movements like ghosts, yet their sharp elven longbows could fire deadly arrows from the most unpredictable angles.

"Whoosh!" A wood sprite hanging upside down on a steel cable suddenly let go and fell. In the air, it only had a half-second of suspension time before the arrow was released.

An arrow, as if it had eyes, shot upwards and pierced the ribcage below a winged skeleton exposed by its vigorous flapping of wings!
The skeleton froze, its wings stopped flapping instantly, and it fell like a kite with a broken string.

Another winged skeleton attempted to use its speed to sneak through the chaotic lights and shadows to launch a surprise attack, but its trajectory was simultaneously locked by two wood elves that emerged from behind different pillars!

The two arrows were fired almost simultaneously, one piercing his throat and the other his heart, tearing him into pieces in mid-air!
Fight back!

A highly efficient, meat grinder-like counterattack!

The ranged units demonstrated exquisite coordination and terrifying accuracy.

The Vaegir used speed and overwhelming firepower to force them to reveal themselves or change their flight paths; the Rhodok crossbowmen were like rocks, picking off those who tried to hide or snipe from a fixed point; and the Wood Elves transformed into space hunters, ruthlessly eliminating every target that entered their hunting range.

Although the winged skeletal archers are numerous and highly mobile, their bone arrows can sometimes hit shields or glide over soldiers' heads, creating thrills.

But within the three-dimensional hunting network formed by Deherim's three top-tier ranged units, they seemed to have run into an invisible wall of death!

Each attack provokes a more precise and deadly counterattack, and like moths drawn to a flame, their numbers are dwindling!

The sky is no longer a safe haven, but has become their grave!

The remains of burning soul flames, along with broken wings and skeletons and whistling winds, kept falling from the sky, crashing onto the floor and the ruins, and shattering into pieces.

Rotten bone fragments and shattered skin fell like rain.

Shen Mu stood at the command post, watching the exquisite yet brutal hunt unfolding above him. A cold smile seemed to curl slightly at the corner of his mouth beneath his helmet.

He stepped forward, his greatsword pointing towards the last passageway leading to the top floor, which was blocked by debris:
"The obstacles are almost cleared... Trailblazers! Break down that damned door! Holy Tree Knights! Prepare for the final charge! Let's see what the hell is hiding up there!"

Then, with a tremendous roar, the decaying counters, broken concrete blocks, and twisted metal frames piled up at the top-level passageway exploded under the fierce impact of the siege hammers and the full force of the soldiers clearing the way, revealing the doorway leading to the dome space behind!
Before the smoke and debris had even cleared, ten silver-white figures rushed in like a torrent of light!

These were Shen Mu's ten most elite Holy Tree Knights!
They were tall and imposing, their bodies clad in heavy armor that shimmered with a soft mithril light. The heavy Holy Tree Knight Shields stood firmly in front of them, their mithril edges clearly visible in the dim light. The Holy Tree Knight swords in their hands gleamed coldly, their blades also radiating a natural, holy glow.

These precious mithril are the sharpest weapon and the strongest barrier against evil forces!
Behind the door was indeed a huge, partially enclosed domed space.

A few streaks of dilapidated orange-red light pierced through the broken glass skylight, while the air was filled with the putrid smell and dusty odor characteristic of death energy.

As seen earlier in the courtyard, dozens of terrifying "winged skeletal archers" were flapping their wings, which were made of decaying bones and rotting skin, either perched on the high beams or hovering low.

The buzzing sound of their bony wings flapping seemed particularly jarring here.

Almost the instant the Holy Tree Knight stepped into this space— "Squeak!"

A sharp, piercing alarm-like scream erupted from the mouths of those winged skeletons!

Immediately following was a series of heart-stopping bowstring twangs!

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

From all directions, high above and low below, the jet-black bone arrows, like snakes emerging from their holes, pierced the air with a shrill sound, instantly converging on the Holy Tree Knights who had just entered and were the biggest targets!
The arrows flickered with an ominous phosphorescent light, pointing directly at the knights' helmets, visors, joints, and relatively vulnerable legs!

however!
"Boom boom boom boom—!"

A series of impacts, as dense as a sudden downpour hitting banana leaves, resounded against the Holy Tree Knight!

The mithril-inlaid Holy Tree Knight Shield blocked most of the arrows from the front. The thick armor plates seemed to have a life of their own, flowing with restrained yet firm holy runes. When the arrows hit the breastplate, shoulder armor, and arm armor, they exploded into tiny green sparks and made a "sizzling" corrosive sound, but only left shallow white marks, at most a slight dent!
Those tricky bone arrows aimed at the joint gaps were cleverly blocked or slid away by the chain structure made of special alloy with miniature protective runes at the joints!

The powerful resistance of mithril to evil and the excellent defense of the Sacred Tree Armor itself were on full display at this moment!
Shen Mu followed closely behind, stepping onto the dome, his icy gaze sweeping across the battlefield. He saw ten knights amidst the storm of bone arrows, like boulders in a torrent, their speed barely diminished!
Those bone arrows, powerful enough to tear through ordinary Rhodok armor or even slightly thinner iron armor, did not even manage to force a knight to retreat or leave a decent wound!
"Hmph!" The leading knight captain tilted his shield slightly, deflecting a cold arrow aimed at his eye. He let out a disdainful snort from beneath his visor and suddenly accelerated his pace!
"Follow me forward, kill!!" A deep roar resounded.

The ten knights became one, instantly transforming into ten streaks of silver-white lightning that tore through the air!
Completely ignoring the bone arrows flying overhead and in the distance, their target was the few winged skeleton archers closest to the entrance of the passage, who were either standing on the low, load-bearing pillar ruins or had just swooped down to draw their bows!

The distance is too close! Only a dozen or so steps!

The skeletal archers’ pride in their mobility was limited in the complex indoor environment!

They were just about to spread their wings and take flight again to escape the death zone of close combat.

But the cold light had already arrived!
"kill!"

The knights' swords, gleaming with holy light, slashed down with a sharp whistling sound that tore through the air!
hum!
The mithril runes on the blade instantly lit up with a blinding white light!
*Thud!* *Snap!* *Thud!*
Five sword lights flashed by almost simultaneously!

A winged skeleton, which had just lifted half a meter off the ground and was trying to take flight, was split in two, arm and wing together, and the dried wing membrane instantly burned in the holy flames!

A black bone skeleton that had not yet found its footing was cleaved in two from head to tail by an immense force, splitting into two pieces like rotten wood, its soul fire instantly extinguished!
Two more attempted to parry or use their bone bows to defend themselves, but their bone tools were smashed to pieces like withered branches before the greatsword imbued with divine energy, followed by the ear-piercing sound of their skeletons exploding!
The last one that managed to dodge the main attack path was also struck by the knight's backhand sword, the sharp tip of which precisely pierced the spine joint exposed by the swinging of the bow!
laugh!
The holy light on the sword burst forth, sending the remains flying backward and crashing into the wall, turning into burning bone fragments!
This lightning-fast strike, delivered so close yet so cleanly and decisively, was breathtaking!
The remaining winged skeletal archers, perched on higher beams or still circling high above, had their soul fires flickering violently in their empty eye sockets, clearly "sensing" the terrifying power emanating from the ten mithril heavy armor suits below, a power that seared even their souls!
For the knights of the Sacred Tree, melee combat is their absolute forbidden zone! Mithril's effectiveness against the undead is now an overwhelming deterrent!

"Screech!!" A sharp screech, a mixture of fear and madness, echoed through the dome once again, but it was completely different from the previous attack alarm.

The surviving dozens of winged skeletal archers no longer had any intention of attacking. Like a flock of frightened crows, they frantically flapped their wings and rushed towards the huge gaps around the enclosed space—whether it was the broken glass skylight or the huge cracks torn apart by external forces on the side of the building!

They were like a chaotic black tide carrying death energy, almost tumbling and crawling as they fled this land of death that had just been trodden by the Holy Tree Knights, disappearing into the even darker twilight outside.

Only a few fading, fearful screams proved that they had once existed.

The Holy Tree Knights silently sheathed their swords, which were stained with filthy black energy, and shook off the bone fragments and debris from the blades.

Shen Mu stepped forward, his cold gaze sweeping over the desolate and ruined last stronghold of the undead. Only a few rays of the setting sun shone through the massive crack, casting long beams of light through the swirling dust. His voice, like ice crystals falling to the ground, echoed clearly:
"Clear the area, control the high ground! Search the wreckage for any clues related to the core mutation."

He paused, his gaze fixed on the depths of the rift from which the monsters had fled in panic: "The bone fragments here have escaped, but the death center of this city is hidden even deeper. Our objective is not yet complete."

As Shen Mu gave the order, the soldiers suppressed the shock from the previous battle on the dome and sprang into action again.

Small squads of Rhodok sergeants and Swadian infantry, like finely combed hairpins, carrying torches, cautiously and resolutely penetrated every dark corner of the world's center that had not yet been thoroughly searched.

"Over here! There's movement in the storage room!"

"Oil! Throw it in! Burn it clean!"

"The stairwell corner has been cleared, and any remaining skeletons found have been removed!"

The short, forceful commands mingled with the dull thud of weapons piercing bone and the crackling of flames, echoing through the lifeless steel skeleton.

The soldiers faithfully carried out their orders, leaving no crevice untouched as a possible hiding place for putrid undead.

Burning torches were thrown into a corner filled with decaying debris, their flames leaping and greedily devouring the darkness that lingered there.

Thick smoke, mixed with the stench of completely burned corpses, rose up, making the already dim interior space appear even more eerie.

Shen Mu stood on the edge of the shattered dome, his mithril heavy armor reflecting the distant campfire and the twilight.

He looked down at the vast ruins beneath his feet, repeatedly ravaged and now being purified by flames and blades.

His gaze swept across the towering buildings in his field of vision, which had been thoroughly cleansed by the Deherem army and had been set ablaze with symbolic victory bonfires.

The burning flames, like stubborn fireflies, shone in the thick twilight, dispelling the shadows of the buildings and temporarily suppressing the omnipresent deathly aura.

However, when his gaze fell upon the very center of Longcheng City, that absolute darkness eternally shrouded in black clouds and deathly fog, as if it could swallow even the last ray of light, an indescribable tremor suddenly gripped his heart.

It was as if... something was watching from the shadows. (End of Chapter)