Chapter 252 - 146: Kill the Undead
The officers immediately rushed outside to gather the troops under their command.
The Underground City was the domain of Demonized Creatures, who were a fundamentally violent lot. It was no exaggeration to call them a nation of soldiers. Battles were always fought by a combination of the City Defense Army and the Commoners. And though they were called Commoners, their combat prowess was not the least bit weak.
According to their strategy, the Commoners would typically lead the attack, with the City Defense Army supervising from the rear before finally joining the battle themselves.
The Komeilan City Gate swung open, and troops composed of Hunters, Warriors, Commoners, and the City Defense Army swarmed out. The sizes of these squads varied greatly, ranging from dozens to hundreds of members. The exact number in any given squad depended on the personal charisma of its leader.
People would only follow if they sensed an opportunity for profit and believed they could win. Forced conscription was nearly impossible among the Demonized Creatures. In the words of the High Level Demonized Creatures, this was called "respecting freedom." But everyone knew it didn’t have a damn thing to do with freedom—it was to prevent internal conflict.
Even the Commoners possessed considerable combat strength. If forced conscription were to incite a revolt, it could lead to the city’s destruction—an outcome no one wished to see.
The troops of Demonized Creatures charged out of Komeilan City and into a network of underground tunnels, searching for any sign of the Undead.
Shortly after entering the tunnels, the Demonized Creatures discovered there was no need to search. The Undead had no intention of hiding their presence. They were everywhere, and in enormous numbers.
When the two sides met, no words were exchanged—they immediately began to fight. The Demonized Creatures, Weapons in hand, roared and shrieked. The Undead, after unleashing a Soul Roar, met them in silence. The two forces clashed in a brutal, deadlocked struggle.
Soul Fire was indeed incredibly beneficial to the Demonized Creatures. The tunnels were confined spaces; when large numbers of Undead fell, their Soul Fire would dissipate, but this took time. Inevitably, some Demonized Creatures inhaled the drifting Soul Fire. They felt their Demonic Qi coursing through them at an accelerated rate, yet their bodies showed no ill effects. On the contrary, they were rapidly growing stronger.
Demonic Qi could strengthen the body, but it came with terrifying aftereffects. The most common of these was derangement of the Spirit—a loss of reason that caused them to attack everything around them indiscriminately. Yet after inhaling the Soul Fire, their bodies grew stronger while their minds remained perfectly clear, with no signs of madness at all.
Upon this discovery, the Demonized Creatures grew even more frenzied. They attacked the Undead with reckless abandon, grabbing shattered skulls and sucking greedily to drain the Soul Fire.
White Hair Pulan had hoped the Demonized Creatures would bring him back vast quantities of Soul Fire, but that now seemed unlikely. The City Guard had intended to stop the Demonized Creatures, but once they discovered the effects of Soul Fire for themselves, they instantly forgot White Hair Pulan’s orders and joined the throng of those consuming it.
’The order to bring back the Soul Fire?’
’What order? Who gave it? Why the hell should I bring the Soul Fire back? I hunted this myself!’
’Don’t you know what freedom is? No one can take what’s mine from my grasp!’
The Demonized Creatures were in a frenzy. For them, this was a golden opportunity. The Soul Fire of the Undead was more effective than any Miracle Elixir. They had to seize this chance to properly strengthen themselves.
The formations completely broke down. No one paid any heed to the City Defense Army; in fact, the City Defense Army had even joined their ranks. The scene was utter chaos.
The Undead, in contrast, remained unchanged. They showed no reaction to their comrades’ skulls being shattered and their Soul Fire devoured. Following the commands of individual Low Level Skeleton Warriors, they systematically slaughtered the Demonized Creatures, even devising a special method of luring them in.
A Skeleton Undead would remove its own skull and roll it along the ground. Several Demonized Creatures would immediately scramble to snatch it up, sparking a brawl amongst themselves, just like dogs fighting over a bone.
While they fought over the prize, no one kept watch on their surroundings, giving the Undead the perfect opportunity to strike.