Undead Mage from a Cell

Chapter 18: Chapter 16: Free-for-All

Stab!

Stab again.

Step forward and stab again!

The Combat Squad 3, wielding long spears under the command of the Skeleton Boss, repeatedly thrust their spears forward.

With each thrust, they accurately pierced the black silhouette.

There were many black silhouettes, and the skeletons didn’t need to see the enemies’ positions; the spears would always hit one or two enemies.

Because of their stature, the skeletons’ spears pierced the enemy’s chest, sometimes with enough force to impale two or three enemies.

After three thrusts, one of the black silhouettes couldn’t withstand the skeletons’ attack and fell on the spot.

[Skeleton (Summoned Creatures) kills Deceitful Shadow (Level 2), you gain 1 point of Experience, Combat Squad gains 1 point of Experience, Summoned Creatures gain 8 points of Experience.]

As the notification sounded, Gu Xi acted upon the fallen black silhouette.

”Secondary Corpse Burst.”

Just as Gu Xi’s mana reached the location of the black silhouette, a soft sound was heard, and the fallen black silhouette vanished like a bubble.

There wasn’t even an explosion, and Gu Xi only heard the sound because he focused on it.

This made Gu Xi quite displeased, but there was nothing he could do.

The fact that these Deceitful Shadows left no bodies after being killed was something Gu Xi couldn’t change.

Feeling helpless, Gu Xi had to change his plan, shifting his hand from an outward pointing gesture to an inward pulling gesture.

At that moment, another notification sounded.

[Skeleton (Summoned Creatures) kills Deceitful Shadow (Level 2), you gain 1 point of Experience, Combat Squad gains 1 point of Experience, Summoned Creatures gain 11 points of Experience.]

Gu Xi seized the opportunity to capture some Soul Fragments.

No body but a soul?

What a strange situation.

Without thinking too much, Gu Xi focused on the battle ahead.

Soul Drawing is a basic skill for all Undead Mages; it doesn’t require mana and can be easily accomplished whenever enemies die.

Since Corpse Burst couldn’t be used and Gu Xi didn’t have a Soul Summoning Tower from the Death City to help with soul collection, he occupied himself with collecting souls as materials for later spells.

After all, Gu Xi didn’t know what kind of enemies the next waves would bring; he needs to keep resources at hand.

It’s either enough mana, enough souls, or enough skeletons.

While Gu Xi drew souls, many black Deceitful Shadows were being slain by the skeletons’ spears, but more of them surged from nearby, breaking through the makeshift barricades and even reaching Combat Squad 3’s skeletons.

”Combat Squad 4, move forward to block; Combat Squad 1, flank them; scattered skeletons, reinforce the barricades. Can’t you expand them a bit?”

Seeing the situation unfold, Gu Xi issued commands again.

Even soul drawing had to be paused.

Gu Xi found that Boss Level undead were still quite dull; their intelligence was only slightly better than regular skeletons – present but quite limited.

Without Gu Xi’s instructions, they sometimes stood still, unsure of their next actions.

In such moments, Gu Xi had to step into the role of Commander, orchestrating the assaults and retreats with precision.

Otherwise, the undead ventures would result in chaos, with one squad fighting hard while the others watched idly from behind.

If Gu Xi’s undead were stronger, it might be manageable.

But most of these undead were Level 0 skeletons, not even counting as Skeleton Soldiers.

They confronted Level 2 Deceitful Shadows; staying idle was safer. When they acted, Level 0 skeletons stood no chance.

This became evident when Combat Squad 4 moved in.

Combat Squad 3 kept their distance due to the barricades, avoiding direct clashes with Deceitful Shadows.

But Combat Squad 4 was different; their weaponry of swords and shields demanded direct defense, which didn’t allow for ranged attacks.

So Combat Squad 4 immediately faced the Deceitful Shadows’ assault.

In an instant, ten skeletons were struck down.

As these skeletons perished, Gu Xi acted.

”Secondary Corpse Burst!”

Gu Xi targeted the fallen skeletons; even without bodies, undead corpses could be used for explosions.

The Deceitful Shadows never expected Gu Xi to use his own troops as bombs and continued advancing.

Suddenly, four explosions were heard.

The slain skeletons exploded, sending their bone fragments flying, slicing into the Deceitful Shadows.

Each bone fragment flew at least thirty meters, and the four exploded skeletons instantly killed over sixty Deceitful Shadows.

[Killed Deceitful Shadow (Level 2), gained 45 Experience points.]

[Killed Deceitful Shadow (Level 2), gained 33 Experience points.]

[Killed Deceitful Shadow (Level 2), gained 36 Experience points.]

[...]

But at this moment, Gu Xi wore a puzzled expression.

”Why only four explosions? I used Secondary Corpse Burst five times just now. Could there be a chance of spell failure?”

Gu Xi pondered the situation with a puzzled expression.

Meanwhile, Combat Squad 1 had already flanked the Deceitful Shadows, attacking them from behind with hand axes and curved sabers.

This batch of Deceitful Shadows clearly had their own consciousness.

They could still retaliate when attacked, unlike mindless fools.

But they faced Gu Xi’s earliest Combat Squad.

Having gone through many battles, many of these skeletons had already leveled up.

Moreover, their weapons had evolved more than twice; their combat power was the strongest among Gu Xi’s squads.

Now, they didn’t bother about their own safety but instead charged into the black shadows, slashing wildly.

Their chaotic strikes proved effective, as their swift moves often left little time for enemies to react.

If they were a bit faster, the black shadows wouldn’t even have the chance to counter.

The advance of black shadows came to a halt, as their already chaotic formation turned even messier.

This opportunity was seized by Combat Squad 3, who thrust forward with their spears, taking down another wave of black shadows.

But just then, a Boss-level Deceitful Shadow wielding a long spear made of arms finally made a move.