Chapter 98 : Lying in Wait

Lying in Wait

"Ugh!"

Addis's features contorted in pain as she took a heavy blow to the abdomen. In her female form, this strike was more than enough for her to handle.

"How dare you injure my body! Unforgivable!"

Realizing that her opponent was immune to her Death Curse, Addis decided not to bother using death power.

After struggling free, she brandished her dagger and engaged Serea in close combat.

However, Addis was at a clear disadvantage in hand-to-hand techniques, completely overwhelmed.

Serea, meanwhile, hadn't forgotten what she needed to do. Seizing the right moment, she reached out to snatch the bone ring from Addis's finger.

Because the bone ring was so large, she could slip it off with ease.

Noticing Serea's intention, Addis panicked. Ignoring Serea's attacks, she desperately retreated and hastily covered the ring on her left hand.

"You actually know!!"

Serea gave a soft chuckle, then continued closing in. But at that moment, several arrows suddenly flew at her.

Clang! Clang!

She knocked aside two arrows with her blade. In her bloodkin state, Serea's attributes were all at A-rank. But even so, one arrow managed to slice her waist.

Blood oozed out. Serea activated her Blood Spring skill to repair her wound, then looked at the assailant.

Bloodthirsty Banshee!

At that moment, two bloodthirsty banshee archers and four Skeleton Archers had their sights set on her, and an entire squad of ten Skeleton Warriors was already charging in her direction.

Meanwhile, aiklo and Clark were locked in battle, and her own Skeleton Warriors were beset by the enemy's undead horde. That allowed Addis to deploy elite undead against Serea.

"Kill her for me!"

At Addis's command, a ten-man Skeleton Warrior squad—composed of Skeleton Pikemen, Skeleton Swordsmen, and Skeleton Heavy Infantry—charged up the altar. Their sole target: Serea!

"I'll hold them back."

Suddenly, a golden light shone down, and the Skeleton Warriors were scorched by holy rays, taking heavy damage. This was Celia, tasked with covering Serea.

"It's up to you now!"

With that, Serea knew she had to seize the ring quickly. Just as she made her move, more arrows flew at her.

Dodge!

Serea was forced back, while the remaining Skeleton Archers and bloodthirsty banshees nocked more arrows, keeping her entangled.

Power Shot!

Armor-Piercing Arrow!

Triple Shot!

Little White's hand worked like the striker of a fully-automatic rifle, rapidly drawing the bow as an artificial rain of arrows poured out.

Thunk! Thunk!

Clack! Clack!

The banshees were seriously wounded, skeleton Archers fell, but because of the distance, Little White's damage output was limited, preventing outright kills.

Nevertheless, this gave Serea an opportunity to charge in.

Just after releasing his arrows, Vina immediately warned,

"They're coming again!"

Indeed, six Skeleton Light Cavalry surged forward. Previously, all six had been dealt with by Little Black, but now, with so many undead in the tomb, Addis could easily summon more. Fresh Skeleton Light Cavalry swiftly joined the fight.

This time, they didn't go after the already beleaguered Skeleton Warriors, but charged straight for Little White and Vina.

As Little White prepared to counter the cavalry, a deep voice sounded.

"Leave it to me. You two, go help the queen!"

Little Black stepped in front of Little White and Vina. His bone armor was now riddled with splits and cracks, all thanks to sneak attacks from Skeleton Archers and bloodthirsty banshees.

Because of these injuries, Little Black's soul fire flickered weaker. But he could still fight on!

"Little Black..."

"Vina, come with me. The enemy banshees are hiding. Help me find them!"

Little White spoke each word with force. Vina was surprised.

"You—!"

"Move."

With that, Little White used his agility to continue moving to higher ground. He needed to maintain mobility and maneuver so that he, Serea, and the enemy archers formed a three-way angle.

Only then could he attack the enemy archers while supporting Serea.

Vina was still stunned. She had thought Little White's archery was monstrous enough, but his previous words revealed something different.

Little White was commanding!

He could assess the situation, analyze pros and cons, find enemy weaknesses, and provide optimal long-range support.

The fact that he single-handedly suppressed an entire enemy archer squad proved his strength and the breadth of his battle experience.

For some reason, Vina looked at Little White with a trace of envy. If only I could be like him, maybe I wouldn't always be a burden to the queen...

"Hurry!"

"Yes."

But there was no time for her to think more about it now. Vina had to fulfill her duty as their eyes.

Only her "Eagle Eye" skill could locate hidden enemy archers, and information and vision were the key to victory in an archer duel!

Yet, nobody noticed that Little White's body was becoming increasingly ethereal, and his soul fire was gradually turning a pure blue.

Now, with Little White's cover, Serea could focus solely on Addis. However, her body was weakening, and it looked like Blood Frenzy wouldn't last much longer.

"Master, Celia says you should conserve your strength. She has a way to deal with Addis. When the time comes, you can snatch the bone ring."

"Celia has a way?"

"Mm."

"I understand."

With this, Serea slowed her attacks, while Celia weaved around the enemy Skeleton Warriors, her holy aura growing ever brighter as she secretly gathered strength.

Seeing Serea's weakening assault, Addis parried her attacks with her dagger and taunted,

"What's wrong? Is this all your strength?"

Serea gave no response, continuing to tie up Addis.

Seeing that Serea posed little threat, Addis freed up the Skeleton Warriors to concentrate on Celia.

To her, Serea was nothing—the real threat was that Holy Knight from the Church!

So, Addis secretly ordered the Skeleton Abomination. Upon receiving the command, the abomination turned its attention to Celia.

"Eat her!"

It began to lumber forward. Clark, seeing the abomination heading for the frontline, lashed out with his spear to block it.

But now Serea's Blood Spring support was scarce, and Clark had to conserve his attacks as much as possible.

"Don't even think about leaving!"

Clark swung his spear, dealing heavy blows to the abomination each time.

But after each injury, the abomination merely devoured nearby skeletons or bones to heal itself, making it a particularly tough foe for Clark.

Inside this grand tomb, the abomination had home turf advantage.

Once it restored its wounds and put some distance between them, a cloud of dense green mist suddenly emerged from the bone heap in its abdomen.

(To be continued)