Chapter 244 - 144: Komeilan City
With their Power greatly increased in Frenzy Mode, the Skeleton Giant Tusked Boars charged ahead recklessly. Even when the Demonized Mother Spider tried to slow them with its Spider Silk, it was nearly impossible. It could only watch helplessly as they tore through the webs and broke free.
Unable to capture the Skeleton Giant Tusked Boars, the Demonized Spider turned its attention to the Skeleton Desert Wolves and the Skeleton Undead. ’If I can’t catch the big ones, surely I can catch the small ones?’
But when it turned around, it discovered a strange sight. All the Skeleton Desert Wolves and Skeleton Undead were hugging the cave walls, refusing to stand in the middle. ’Don’t they know there are more spiderwebs along the walls? They’re walking right into a trap. So stupid!’
Just as the Demonized Spider was about to order the smaller spiders to bind the skeletons before it, a rumbling came from behind. It turned to see the Skeleton Giant Tusked Boars had come charging back. Thrashing their heads, their two massive Tusks acted like small shovels, tearing the already damaged spiderwebs to even greater shreds.
’No wonder those skeletons were hugging the sides. They were leaving a path for them!’
The thought had barely formed in the Demonized Spider’s mind when a Skeleton Giant Tusked Boar rammed it head-on. Its huge body was sent flying, and the intense pain caused it to let out a piteous shriek.
Hearing their mother’s agonized shriek, the smaller spiders flew into a frenzy, pouncing on the charging Skeleton Giant Tusked Boars.
In nature, the smaller spiders would never have been so reckless; they are normally quite cautious. But after Demonization, the Demonized Spider colony had adopted a hive mentality. All the smaller spiders revolved around the mother, so her injury was akin to an attack on an Ant Queen.
If they could send the mother spider flying without a second thought, why would the Skeleton Giant Tusked Boars care about the smaller ones? They thrashed their heads, Tusks swinging left and right to knock the little spiders to the ground. They weren’t the least bit worried about any exposed areas; the steel-hard quills rising from their spines were the best defense.
The small spiders charged, but before they could even attack the Skeleton Giant Tusked Boars, they were impaled on the quills on their backs. Each quill was as sharp and deadly as a spearhead.
There were too many of the small spiders. They swarmed forward, piling onto the Skeleton Giant Tusked Boars and covering their bodies, attempting to use their combined weight to halt the enemy’s Charge.
The spiders’ blood flowed over the bones of the Skeleton Giant Tusked Boars and was soaked up like a sponge absorbing water. The blood was like gasoline; after absorbing it, the Skeleton Giant Tusked Boars’ Power increased yet again. They continued their wild rampage, still covered in a layer of small spiders.
With the path cleared by the Skeleton Giant Tusked Boars, the now-liberated Skeleton Undead and the long-waiting Skeleton Desert Wolves launched their own attack against the spiders.
The small spiders were numerous, but their combat strength was low. They relied mainly on their webs for control, while their fangs and digestive fluids were largely ineffective against the Undead. Right now, their attention was focused solely on the Skeleton Giant Tusked Boars. They completely ignored the Skeleton Undead and Skeleton Desert Wolves, charging heedlessly in the boars’ direction.
Without their mother’s control, the small spiders seemed mindless. They completely ignored the attacks from the Skeleton Undead and Skeleton Desert Wolves, allowing them to be struck at will. This made for a pleasant situation. Their numbers were great, but they could be whittled down over time. After all, the small spiders’ Defense Power was low; even a Skeleton Undead with a Weapon could inflict lethal damage.
After taking out a few small spiders, the Skeleton Desert Wolves grew unsatisfied. They began to search for other prey—for instance, the Demonized Mother Spider, which had been knocked senseless by the Skeleton Giant Tusked Boars.
Getting rammed by a Skeleton Giant Tusked Boar at full Charge was an awful experience. The Demonized Mother Spider was covered in wounds. It had just struggled back to its feet when it noticed numerous figures surrounding it. More shapes lurked, indistinct in the Darkness—a pack of wolf skeletons.
It opened its mouthparts, about to call for reinforcements, but the Skeleton Desert Wolves attacked, pouncing on the still-recovering Demonized Mother Spider.
「On the roof of the main building.」
Li Ziyu reviewed the latest battle report, a smile spreading across his face. ’These Skeleton Beasts are certainly useful, perfect for supporting the Skeleton Undead Corps.’ He had never considered replacing his Skeleton Undead with Alien Undead like the Skeleton Beasts. That would be unrealistic.
’Skeleton Undead might be a bit weak, but their strength lies in consistency. Consistent damage output, consistent troop supply. Alien Undead are different. While highly cost-effective, their materials have to be sourced from all over, and the unit types can’t be standardized. No matter how large their numbers, they’d just be a motley army—at best, a slightly stronger motley army.’
’As the fortress upgrades, unlocking more unit types, Weapons, and technologies, the Skeleton Undead Corps will grow progressively stronger. This is something Alien Undead can’t compare to.’
’But at this current stage, having Alien Undead as a supplementary fighting force is an excellent way to compensate for the weaknesses of the Skeleton Undead.’
Every so often, the corpses of Demonized Beasts were transported up from the tunnels to be broken down by the system. After this experiment, Li Ziyu was certain of the value of the Skeleton Beasts. No longer hesitating, he continuously created Skeleton Desert Wolves and Skeleton Giant Tusked Boars, dispatching the newly minted Skeleton Beasts down into the caverns.
’I don’t care what’s in those caverns. I’ll just stuff them full of my own forces. No matter how strong the Demonized Beasts are, my Undead will eventually take them down through sheer numbers.’
’It would be even better if breaking down Demonized Creatures yielded regular Soul Energy. A pity that all they produce is "Mutated Soul Energy," which can’t be used to summon normal Skeleton Undead—only Alien Undead.’