The soft voice, gentle as a lover's whisper, echoed through the battlefield's deadly silence.
To the massive skeleton monstrosity, however, it sounded like the harbinger of death itself.
The creature's soul flames flickered in confusion. Before it could process the voice, a figure materialized before it.
When?
Who was this person?
How did she appear without notice?
As a sentient undead, it was rare for it to feel shock. Yet now, it was utterly bewildered.
The skeleton had tracked the humans for some time and never once spotted this figure.
But its confusion was fleeting.
Because in the next instant, it felt... nothing.
Its massive frame began to crumble.
The dark, twisted bone spear it had raised for a deadly ambush fell limp as its body disintegrated.
Before it could comprehend what had happened, it was no more.
Not far away, Qin Keqing and the Great Qin Warriors had also noticed the massive creature.
They had just dispatched another group of Skeleton Summoners when the towering specter had appeared from the mist, its presence alone chilling the air.
But just as its lethal aura surged forward, another appeared—a woman with grace and strength unparalleled.
Before the warriors could feel fear, the battle was already over.
The skeletal monstrosity had been obliterated.
Qin Keqing blinked in astonishment. She hadn't even seen what had transpired.
One moment, the beast was poised to attack. The next, it was gone—reduced to ash and silence.
In the fog-shrouded battlefield, all she had seen was the faint glow of light, followed by the creature's collapse.
This was the first time Lin Daiyu had unleashed her "Swallow the Skies" technique, and it left no witnesses.
From his vantage on the Withered Wooden Walls, Lucian noticed the sudden shift on the battlefield.
The Skeleton Summoners, once the orchestrators of the undead tide, had fallen into disarray.
Without their leader, the tide of skeletons lost cohesion, becoming a scattered, aimless horde.
The immense pressure that had threatened to engulf the territory was gone.
Lucian let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. As the tension eased, he resumed tending to repairs and resupplying the defensive towers.
Now was the time to clean up the battlefield.
With the heroes and warriors returning victorious, the defensive towers began systematically wiping out the remaining skeletons.
The constant thunder of explosions and the sharp hum of magic filled the air as waves of undead fell.
Bone fragments piled high, and the once-titanic Sea of Undead was reduced to ashes.
After nearly an hour of battle, the skeletal tide was vanquished.
Lucian leaned against the wooden railing of the wall, sweat dripping from his brow.
The battle was finally over.
"Battle complete!"
"Settlement initiated!"
Battle Settlement:
Enemies Defeated:
1,800 Level 12 Skeleton Knights
900 Level 15 Elite Skeleton Knights
2,000 Skeleton Summoners
1,000 Elite Skeleton Summoners
1 Boss: Shadowed Dreadbone
Rating: SSS
Rewards:
5,701 Void Origin Stones
Bonus Rewards:
15,000 Void Crystals
10,000 Void Origin Stones
Equipment: Shadow Sword
Territory Buildings:
Lightning Barrier Stone Wall
Sanitation Facility (Restroom)
Lucian stretched, his fatigue melting away as he reviewed the rewards.
"This feels amazing."
The battle had yielded a trove of Void Crystals and Origin Stones, a much-needed relief for his growing expenditures.
While he was slightly disappointed that the undead sea didn't count toward the reward tally, the hefty SSS rating more than made up for it.
"I didn't expect an SSS rating."
The pressure from this wave of enemies had been immense. Based on previous battles, he'd expected a rating between A and S.
But the appearance of the Shadowed Dreadbone must have tipped the scales.
Lucian chuckled to himself.
"A boss that didn't even have a chance to fight back."
Among the rewards, his eyes were immediately drawn to the equipment.
The Shadow Sword was a sleek, bone-white blade adorned with writhing black patterns.
The shifting shadows along the sword's surface gave it an unsettling, almost alive appearance.
Shadow Sword:
Type: Equipment
Quality: Golden Legendary
Level: 11
Base Damage: 150 + Constitution × 10%
Bonus Shadow Damage: 100 + Constitution × 10%
Attributes:
+50 Constitution
+50 Spirit
Shadow Resistance: Slightly Enhanced
Restriction:
Constitution 100
Spirit 200
Description:
Only those with strong wills and unyielding hearts can resist the corruptive power of shadow.
Lucian shivered as he studied the blade. The writhing black patterns seemed to pulse with life, exuding a sinister aura.
"So, this is the power of shadow…"
Shadow energy, as he had read in his studies, was a force from void dimensions and shadow realms.
While incredibly potent, it was also highly corruptive, capable of eroding both body and soul.
"A double-edged sword, literally."
The Shadow Sword's requirements were steep, especially the Spirit threshold. It wasn't something he could use right now, nor did he have a hero suited for wielding such a blade.