"First attack incoming. Brace for projectiles!"
Just as Richard predicted, the Skeleton Archers initiated the attack by firing their arrows high up.
~WHISH!~
Whistling sounds filled the air as the thousands of arrows ascended, only to swiftly descend with even greater force towards the group of Adventurers.
Arrows could be defended against as long as you had the right Skill, armor, or some other sort of defense against it.
Evasion was also possible.
However, a volley of such magnitude was bound to take a lot of lives—especially since it covered such a wide area.
At least, that was how it was supposed to go.
"Lux…"
With a single word from Jet, the white-clad Adventurer nodded and finished chanting her Spell within a second.
Her hands rose up, and a sudden torrent of wind exploded from beneath her.
~VWOOOOOOOMMM!~
With just a single spell, she easily stopped all the arrows, suspending them in the air.
Every Adventurer behind the Heroic Rank Adventurers gawked in both awe and disbelief as they witnessed the amazing sight with their very eyes.
Not only was it incredibly difficult—if not impossible—for a single Spell in such a short time to stop thousands of wide-spread projectiles at once, it just couldn't be done by a single human being.
Perhaps the combined Magic of a group could achieve such an effect, but not a single Mage.
The only person who would be considered capable of such a feat would be Grand Mage Lucielle, and that was because she was probably the only human in H'Trae with an A-Tier Skill and an A-Tier Class at the same time.
She was an anomaly—a genius beyond anything the world had ever seen.
Many considered her the second coming of Jet Zephyr, but since the former dealt in Magic, and the latter was predominantly a Warrior, it was difficult to compare the two.
Still… no other person but Lucielle could have done that. If Lux was capable of such, then there was no longer any doubt about it.
She was on the same level as the Grand Mage of the Alliance!
"I suppose it's time for our counter." Jet muttered, taking his gaze off Lux as he looked ahead at the Skeletons.
"This will be the signal for battle."
Lux pointed both of her raised hands towards the Skeletons, and the suspended arrows suddenly began to move. They shifted and turned by the command of the winds.
In no time at all, all 3,600 of them faced the Skeletons.
"Fire."
The moment Jet commanded this, Lux caused her hands to fall.
And then the arrows followed.
~WHOOOOSH!~
They rained down on the Skeletons, crushing their white bones in an instant.
Of course, a mere three thousand arrows would do nothing to an army of over thirty thousand. The soldiers could fend off the arrows, and their armor was also a solid defense. Casters were more vulnerable, but if they could defend themselves with basic Magic, they would be fine.
The Archers were probably fast enough to evade, and the Skeleton Knight weren't even going to be affected at all.
Plus, since the arrows were shot randomly, most of the damage wouldn't be fatal.
Sure, some Skeletons would lose their limbs, and have several bones broken, but as long as their head was intact, and their mobility wasn't compromised… they could still fight.
But so what?
The descent of arrows wasn't meant to be an attack.
It was merely a signal.
The true storm was only about to begin!
"ATTACK!"
In a ferocious roar, the Adventurers charged forward, behind the Heroic Rank Adventurers that raced ahead—with the exception of Lux.
Her task was to intercept the arrows and redirect them towards the enemy, hence dealing with all ranged attacks that could dwindle their numbers.
"Master Rank Adventurers, take care of the Casters first. If they use Joint Magic, it could be dangerous!" Richard yelled to the top of his lungs.
"Expert Ranks should support them, while Veterans should take care of the Soldier Skeletons."
The Archers had little use in direct combat, so they weren't an immediate threat. Besides, whatever attack they threw would be intercepted by Lux.
"The rest of you… earn your keep and attack the Skeletons."
By some miracle, the stampede did not drown the voice of the Guildmaster. All the Adventurers heard his words and responded with determined nods.
"Let break them into apart!"
"YEEAAAAAHHHHHH!!!" The echoes of conquest fueled the electrifying atmosphere, instantly granting a rush of power to those who were ready.
Now, more than ever, the Adventurers truly felt only one emotion.
—The desire to fight!
***********
'Well, this is going well…'
The Adventurers were motivated to fight, and so there was hardly any hesitation in their movements as they rushed at the enemy.
There was more than enough room to fight too, so that was an additional advantage.
'The Skeletons are slow, so even weaker Adventurers can land a couple of hits and gang up on them—one at a time—until they win.'
The problem was time.
'Our numbers are just so much smaller than the opponent's. Even if we keep whittling down their numbers like this, they'll eventually get the upper hand.'
Adrenaline was effective, but it only lasted for so long. After its effect was over, the backlash would arrive.
'They'll tire themselves out at the rate they're going now, and once they slow down considerably… the pendulum will swing in the favor of the Skeletons.'
Undead felt no exhaustion or nutrition, which meant they could keep fighting forever.
This tenacity of theirs was what made them very difficult to handle.
'At the very least, they don't have to worry about the projectiles.' Rey smiled wryly, wondering just how many casualties would have been made if Esme didn't save them.
It made sense that he was relieved about that, though he laughed at himself.
'Even though I told myself I wouldn't bother with them… haha, I guess I just can't stand watching people die.'