Chapter 729: Penetrate the Backlines (2)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Three shadows leaped from above and landed on their feet lithely. They were wrapped in white cloaks and in a single glance, they were as though blended into the environment as one. But their levels were only at the Peak Master Stage. It was due to this reason that they were detected by Rhode.
They aren’t Undead Creatures. How rare.
Rhode twitched his brows as he watched from the shadows. He sensed their heat and odor, which proved that they were living creatures. But it wasn’t easy to find living creatures in the Undead Army because living creatures were usually burden to the Undead Creatures who didn’t need food and water to survive and especially in such an occasion.
The three figures didn’t speak a word. They leaned against one another’s back in a triangle formation. They unsheathed their sleek sword while scanning the area. After a few moments, they put away their swords, turned around, and silently gestured. The hand gestures were complicated, but Rhode was familiar with them.
“This is strange. I clearly saw two figures just now.”
“You must’ve seen the wrong thing. There aren’t any signs of life and footprints here.”
“Maybe it’s the shadow of the swaying branches. We have more important missions to attend to. Let’s go.”
After interacting with their hand gestures, the three figures sprung up to the branches dexterously and one of them even pa.s.sed Rhode without realizing. They leaped from branch to branch and finally disappearing into the distance. But Rhode didn’t have the intention to leave immediately. He used his spiritual communication to request Celestina not to move unnecessarily and observe the situation. Indeed. After the three figures left, two more figures flitted through the shrubs. They came to an abrupt halt, but moved out after a few seconds.
After a few moments, Rhode stepped out and realized that the shadow on the ground was slowly twisting. Not only that, but the shadow of the branches also gathered as though attracted by a force and laid out to form a straight path. Celestina walked out like a sulking princess and arrived at Rhode’s side.
“Those annoying maggots.”
She knitted her brows and grumbled as she swept a glance toward the direction where the figures had headed to.
“They are nothing more than slaves and even dare to act presumptuously before me. If it isn’t for… Hmph. I will teach them a lesson sooner or later!”
They are the Dark Elves…
Rhode neglected Celestina’s grumbles completely. He knitted his brows and considered the entire situation with a heavy expression. In fact, he knew their ident.i.ty after witnessing their interactions with hand gestures. The Dark Elves were deceitful and ruthless. It was due to this that they were rather popular in the dark world. But life had been rough for them. Even though they were experts in a.s.sa.s.sination techniques, there weren’t any presences worthy of their a.s.sa.s.sination in the underground kingdom. On the other hand, they also couldn’t defeat those who were worthy. Ever since they came to the underground after abandoning their relatives on the surface, they had as though lost their rights to dominate their destiny. They either became the Demon’s or the Undead Creatures’ slaves and the only time for them to feel proud and superior was when they met the Dwarves who had also defected to the underground.
But it was rather too embarra.s.sing for them to feel superior over the Dwarves. Wasn’t it?
However, now wasn’t the time to mock the Dark Elves. They might not be effective against the Undead Creatures, but their poison blades and ability to lurk in the darkness were lethal to humans, Elves, and Dwarves. It seemed that the Undead Creatures’ brains were still working fine even after living for such a long time. The Holy Maiden Statues’ enchanted field worked well against the Undead Creatures, but weren’t as effective on living creatures such as the Dark Elves. Although they might feel more or less uncomfortable to the holy aura, their reactions wouldn’t be as huge as the Undead Creatures. Moreover, judging from their actions, they were obviously heading for Rhode’s fortress.
This is trouble.
Rhode was aware that there would be no peace if the Dark Elves sneaked into the fortress. Fortunately, the map gadget in his system could detect their presence as soon as they entered his territory. But he had to think of ways to get rid of them quickly because they were vicious and frightening, where the terrorists in the real world weren’t comparable to them at all. There was an instant when Rhode decided to give up his plans and eliminate them first since he had Gracier and Madaras. The Carlesdine were the trump card in a.s.sa.s.sination, where the Dark Elves were nothing before them.
At this moment, Celestina’s crisp, ringing voice sounded.
“Lowly clowns can be irritating too, Master. Those worms make me uncomfortable. I think that we should squash them to death first.”
Rhode looked into her scarlet pupils while she let out a snort and turned around. Rhode curled his lips. Even though she sounded the way she usually spoke, he understood the meaning behind her words.
In the end, he shook his head.
“It’s not necessary, Celestina. Leave this matter to Canary and the others. They’re more than capable of dealing with the Dark Elves who haven’t reached the Legendary Stage. But…”
Rhode swept a meaningful glance at Celestina.
“I do appreciate your concerns for me, Miss Celestina.”
“W-What are you talking about! Foolish human!”
A smear of red emerged across her pale expression. She turned around, folded her arms, and stomped her foot. She glared at Rhode with knitted brows as though he had offended her.
“I only felt that those hateful bugs are annoying! What has it got to do with you?! Those Dark Elves are nothing more than my lowly slaves in h.e.l.l and how dare they offend their superior by leaving their putrid stench in my territory. Just this point alone is enough to tear their limbs apart!”
Even though Celestina appeared fuming and gritted her teeth, Rhode thought that she looked rather hilarious. It was apparent from her deliberately stifled voice that she was abiding by his order even though she wasn’t willing. If she threw her temper, she wouldn’t care about screaming and attracting the Undead Creatures. But now, it seemed that…
“… What are you looking at?”
After softly ‘venting’ her frustrations, she realized that Rhode had been gazing at her amusingly, which left her puckering her brows. He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he observed her delicate and adorable face before s.h.i.+fting his gaze to her ample chest and finally stopping by her slender legs. Celestina stepped back subconsciously. At this moment, Rhode said.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize your thoughts earlier… Miss Celestina, you’ve been holding in for a long time, right?”
“What…!”
Celestina blushed and glared fiercely. But, shortly after, she let out a grunt and turned away in disdain.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, foolish human. Only a lowly race like you, humans, will succ.u.mb to desires. Hpmh. Don’t think that I’m not aware that you’ve been mating with other women in the fortress, especially the estrus b.i.t.c.h! As my master, I hope you can watch your behavior and stop swinging your broken male tool wherever you go!”
Rhode felt rather awkward because Celestina was right. Anne’s estrus had been out of his expectations, where she almost reported to him almost every night. Every time he rejected her, she would put up a pitiful-looking face as though she hadn’t eaten for a long time. On the other hand, even though Marlene and Lize didn’t mention anything, they had been hinting him to not favor one and discriminate against the others…
Fortunately, even though Anne had strong needs during her estrus, it lasted only for a month. Besides, it wasn’t a tough job for men in these situations. Watching such a beautiful young woman lingering around their feet could naturally satisfy their desire and satisfaction of being a man. But Rhode felt that if it wasn’t for his mysterious bloodline that had strengthened his const.i.tution, perhaps he would’ve been ‘juiced’ dry by Anne. It was due to this that Rhode had some speculations that this was why most of the half-beast families were of single parent. How could ordinary humans tolerate such an extent of ‘juicing’? Moreover, their partners as Half-Beasts were much stronger in const.i.tution and bloodline. Rhode felt sorry for Anne’s father because his partner was a pure beast… My prayers to you… Lascivious activities can lead to bitter consequences. This saying from ancient times was indeed accurate.
After transmigrating into this world, Rhode had always been energetic, where sleepless nights didn’t affect him at all. Even after ‘battling’ it out with Marlene and Lize, he felt that he had endless flow of energy inside him. Unless he was seriously injured, he seldom took naps. But, during the month when Anne pestered him every night, he woke up to the sun s.h.i.+ning on him every morning. Even though this was the normal timing for others, it explained everything for a person like him who usually woke up at 6 am when the sun was still down.
Unsure if he was fortunate or unlucky, the nights of ‘pain and happiness’ had finally ended and Anne returned to her usual, cheerful self. But what left him helpless was that whenever he consulted Gillian over this matter, the latter always told him not to worry because Anne had only inherited the half-beast bloodline. As a half-beast, she would only behave this way in that month and wouldn’t be any different from ordinary humans in other months.
Wouldn’t be any different from ordinary humans…
Wouldn’t be any different from ordinary humans…
Wouldn’t be any different from ordinary humans…
It’s fine too as long as it isn’t her estrus.
“Hmm?”
Rhode stared blankly.
“How did you know?”
Rhode admitted that he always kept his secrets well. Besides, he usually disconnected the spiritual link between his spirits and him to protect everyone’s privacy. But it seemed that it wasn’t effective on Celestina.
“Hmph!”
Celestina didn’t answer. She turned around and looked at the dark sky proudly. Rhode shrugged because he knew her personality inside out after spending so much time together. It would be a miracle if she were kind enough to tell him the truth. Therefore, he stopped probing and informed Orchid Heart, Mini Bubble Gum, and Canary about the Dark Elves using his spiritual communication. Mini Bubble Gum and Canary were spell casters and they weren’t suitable in dealing with a.s.sa.s.sins. But their overpowering level overcame the Dark Elves’ Peak Master strength. On the other hand, Orchid Heart treated it as a chance to take in some EXP. The three young ladies gladly accepted the order. Mini Bubble Gum rolled up her sleeves for battle while Canary asked if they should keep them alive. Rhode understood the Dark Elves well and knew that it was impossible for them to reveal any secrets even if they were caught. Therefore, Rhode ordered them to eliminate them as priority and imprison those who survived. All in all, they must not let them enter the city or escape sneakily.
Rhode turned around and approached Celestina. He stretched out his right hand and gave her b.u.m a tight squeeze. Even though she was on her guard, she didn’t expect that he would be this despicable. She frowned and questioned, but he had turned around expressionlessly.
“The problem is solved. Let’s continue.”
Celestina held in her wrath. But she had cursed him inwardly for over 180 times already.
If her curses were effective, Rhode would have fallen into h.e.l.l, been burned by the demonic flames, and get executed by the most painful punishment. Fortunately for him, he wasn’t aware of that. He lay on the hill and scanned the Undead Army below. Then, he decided to not rush his way down. Even though he had transcended into the Legendary Stage and enhanced his Dark Dance Swordsmans.h.i.+p to blend into the shadow like the legendary Shadow Warrior, he wasn’t a genuine one, after all. He could last a long time if he remained in the state of silence. However, it would be impressive if he could even maintain one minute while moving.
In the end, he chose a longer route. He dodged their line of sight by sneaking through the other side and arrived at a relatively steep mountain wall shadow.
The Undead Army presented itself before him.
Magnificent.
If natives like Marlene, Lize, and Frederick were here, perhaps they would have shrieked in horror. Even players like Canary and Rhode were astounded and horrified when they faced the Undead Army for the first time. Although years had pa.s.sed and he was mentally prepared, his heart skipped a beat.
It was an endless darkness.
Undead Creatures filled the flat mountainous region in orderly rows and the snowy field had as though been covered by a thick, black carpet. Soul Griffins and Gargoyles hovered in midair and between the mountains stood up to 10 structures resembling furnaces of five to six meters wide. The burning magma inside them splashed back and forth while Skeleton Guards stood by it…
That’s the elemental summoning door?!
Rhode squinted and was glad that he made this trip here. It was apparent that this army had spell casters who were experts in summoning. The furnace was a teleportation door that connected to the Seven Fantasy Boundaries. If Rhode recalled correctly, this should be linked to the Burning Plain. The fire elemental creatures in the Burning Plain were tough to deal with and it was due to this reason that not only did they possess powerful offense and fire immunity, but they were also walking bombs. Almost no player wished to touch them at all. Creatures with the lowest level in the Burning Plain possessed self-destructive might that matched a grenade. On the other hand, the stronger creatures could explode and kill everything up to a hundred miles and they were also known as the most terrifying terrorists in the Dragon Soul Continent. It was obvious that the Undead Army had learned their lesson and intended to summon the ‘terrorists’ from the Burning Plain as the main attacking force.
It seems that they’re coming in hard this time.
The problem was that Rhode couldn’t specifically find out which elemental creatures they would summon. After all, the elemental creatures in the Seven Fantasy Boundaries held different strength. For example, even though the Silver Ocean contained ma.s.sive creatures like the Soul Whales and smaller Ocean Elves like Agatha, it was apparent that the Undead Army wouldn’t be summoning any low-level fire elemental creatures as they built the elemental summoning door here. Rhode couldn’t find out what the highest level of creatures that they could summon was. After all, the benefit of the elemental summoning door was that one could prepare the resources beforehand and instantly summon thousands of creatures at once.
If it was possible, Rhode wished to destroy the elemental summoning door. But he quickly diminished this thought after gazing at the ten enormous furnaces. He s.h.i.+fted his gaze to the Undead Army. Of course, he wouldn’t be that foolish to count each and every one of them. Instead, he could estimate their numbers from their flags. The results appeared to be similar to what Sara had provided. Cullen’s family flag was erected in the middle while Burks’s and Duran’s were planted on the left and right. There were about 150,000 troops in total. Apart from the Death Knight, Skeleton Guards, and Skeleton Soldiers, Rhode also noticed the huge number of Ghouls and Specters. Moreover, he also discovered the high-level troop that he had reminded others to take note of: the Skeletal Troll.
This horrifying-looking seven-meters tall creature was made of strong, bulky bones. Even though it looked as though it would easily crumble, Rhode knew that its skeleton was specially modified. Not only was it as hard as fine gold, but its magical resistance was incredibly high. The Skeletal Troll’s standard weapon was its two enormous chain hammers. Its shoulders were also embedded with two-meters wide rectangular, iron plates which were used as ‘towers’ to transport Undead Creatures. When the battle began, the Skeletal Troll would arrive at the city walls while the Undead Creatures lept out and fight against the soldiers. The Skeletal Troll was also strong in attack and defense and held high health points.
There were more than a hundred of such monsters in this entire campsite. Rhode was appalled. Even though he had faced wars of such a similar scale, that was during the late stages of the game. But now, his forces weren’t as ready to take on that many of them.
On the other hand, the Vampire army shook him. They were stationed insignificantly at the dark corner of the cliffs. However, judging from their heraldic flag, there should be 500 to 1000 of them. If they were all Vampires, they could be treated as the elites of a large family.
I can only pray that they are mostly mixed-blood species now.
Fortunately, he didn’t discover the Shadow Demons, which he let out a sigh of relief. Currently, there weren’t any problems for his forces to take on the Skeletal Trolls and Vampire army. But it would be troublesome if the Shadow Demons emerged.
At this moment, Rhode felt Celestina tugging on his sleeve unwillingly. He saw her lifting her chin and nodding at a certain direction. He turned over a discovered a strange presence…
It laid quietly on the mountain peak with its pitch-black body blending into the night sky perfectly. Its ma.s.sive pair of wings folded around its body and it stretched its neck out with its eyes sparkling like dazzling stars.
What?! Must you be this insane?!
Rhode sucked in a deep breath. He finally understood why there were no signs of any Shadow Demons. It was because they didn’t need them!
This ma.s.sive creature was the strongest battle unit in the Country of Darkness.
Night Wyvern.