Chapter 243 - 143: Frenzied Skeleton (3)
After the Skeleton Beasts entered the cave, they immediately blended in with the ranks of the Skeleton Undead. However, they did not answer to the Skeleton Warriors. They were a different breed of Undead, not truly belonging to the Skeleton Undead, and besides, Li Ziyu had not ordered them to obey the Skeleton Warriors, effectively leaving them to operate independently.
The reason for this was that Li Ziyu was taking their unique nature into account. These creatures possessed the Power of Tattoos, and he wanted to see the true combat potential of the Skeleton Beasts, which was why he hadn’t placed them under the command of the Skeleton Warriors.
After integrating into the formation, the Skeleton Beasts advanced with the troops and began to seek out targets.
It had to be said, the underground tunnels were teeming with Demonized Creatures. A new group of them could be found every short distance. Besides the usual Wild Beasts, there were also demonized insects—for example, a jet-black spider larger than a millstone, which was causing considerable trouble for the Skeleton Undead.
This Demonized Spider had taken over a tunnel, filling it with countless webs. It had turned the passage into its nest and had even laid eggs. In addition to the mother spider, there was also a horrifying number of smaller Demonized Spiders.
The vast amount of sticky Spider Silk made it nearly impossible for the Skeleton Undead to advance. As the troop moved forward, its numbers began to dwindle. The spiders were far more agile and avoided direct confrontation, instead simply spraying Spider Silk to wrap the Skeleton Undead into cocoons and hang them up.
Notably, its Demonization had caused the strange, large spider to mutate. It had developed a hive-like social structure, with all the smaller spiders obeying the large one’s commands with absolute discipline. The large spider’s intelligence had also increased, and it was running the Skeleton Undead in circles.
The large spider was pleased with itself, yet also furious. In its eyes, the Skeleton Undead were its prey. But this prey had no flesh or blood—it was all just bones. This was incredibly frustrating. ’How am I supposed to eat this!’
It much preferred food with flesh and blood, which was easier to consume. Dissolving bone with digestive fluids would take great effort, and the nutritional value wasn’t even high. Though it had captured many, the large spider was in no rush to eat. It planned to wipe out every last Skeleton Undead that entered the tunnel before savoring its meal.
The Low Level Skeleton Warrior commanding the Skeleton Undead was troubled. His own intelligence told him he had no way to resolve the situation. All he could do was continuously send in more troops. He sent reinforcements and they killed a few spiders, but it was useless—a situation of rescuing one only to lose two more, like pouring soldiers into a bottomless pit.
If this kept up, his entire thousand-strong cohort would be lost in this tunnel.
Just then, the Skeleton Beasts arrived. Ignoring the Low Level Skeleton Warrior commander completely, they launched a direct assault on the Demonized Spiders in the tunnel.
The Skeleton Desert Wolves led the charge with their superior Speed, their forms flickering in and out of the shadows with incredible agility. The Demonized Spiders tried to ensnare them with webs as they had the other Skeleton Undead, but the wolves dodged every attempt. They even managed to counter-attack occasionally, drawing the attention of more Demonized Spiders.
Just as the Demonized Spiders’ attention was fixed on the Skeleton Desert Wolves, the Skeleton Giant Tusked Boars initiated a Charge. They went straight into Frenzy Mode, transforming into small tanks. Their bodies blazed with fiery red Frenzy Qi as they charged fearlessly into the tunnel.
Once in Frenzy Mode, the Skeleton Giant Tusked Boars lost all reason. Anything and everything in their path became a target. Be it webs or spiders, Undead-filled cocoons or even Skeleton Desert Wolves, they didn’t care. They just lowered their heads and charged, ready to gore anything with a flick of their tusks, giving a damn about nothing!
Perhaps because they were both Tattooed Undead, or perhaps because the Skeleton Desert Wolves were simply that fast, they managed to dodge the Skeleton Giant Tusked Boars’ charge. As for everything else that got hit? ’That’s none of our business. You do your thing, we’ll just stay back here and cheer you on.’
The 50 Skeleton Giant Tusked Boars charged headlong, their heads bowed low. The spiderwebs could not withstand their momentum, to say nothing of their two massive Tusks. Seeing the situation turn dire, the large spider hastily commanded its brood to weave more nets in an attempt to stop the Skeleton Giant Tusked Boars.
The nets were woven, and the boars were even sprayed with more silk, but they didn’t care in the slightest. Covered in webs, they continued their charge, ramming and trampling the small spiders that stood in their way. Their advance was completely brutish and unstoppable.