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4th Day of the Second Red Moon, 18:40

“Shield Unit! Cornell! Hold them back no matter what! Full Phalanx, staggered activation! Stop them at all costs!”

As the sun sank and twilight crept through the trees, Cedric Meyer cut down a Skull Knight that had slipped through a gap in the Shield Unit’s line and swung a chipped longsword at him. With a single stroke, he cleaved through both sword and skull, sending the creature’s head flying as he barked out orders.

“Fred! Secure the supplies, now! Medical Corps! Lisa! Maintain the holy ground’s coverage! Unless they’re critically wounded, have the injured use their own medical patches! Never forget that the Medical Corps’ mana is our lifeline!”

The slain Skull Knight dissolved into particles of light and vanished. Without pause, Cedric continued issuing commands while smashing apart the skulls of the undead flooding toward them once more.

Six members of the Shield Unit stood in a line, each carrying a massive tower shield, forming a living wall. Though more than two meters separated each knight, powerful magical barriers filled the gaps between them.

Phalanx. A formidable defensive technique used by shield bearers. Centered on the wielder’s shield, it projected a magical barrier roughly two meters in radius.

When multiple barriers were activated side by side, they formed a continuous wall known as a Full Phalanx, greatly increasing resistance against both physical and magical attacks. Even the endless waves of undead crashing against them were momentarily driven back by its power.

Behind that wall stood the main force of the knight order, protected in turn by a holy ground maintained by the holy classes. Avoiding the holy barrier, the undead concentrated their assault on the Phalanx at the front.

The Shield Unit shouted in unison, timing their activations and reactivating the barriers in sequence. Yet between each synchronized activation were brief interruptions, moments like gasps for breath in the Full Phalanx’s defense. The undead surged toward those fleeting openings. A gigantic horned creature thrust a half-rotted arm through a momentarily weakened section of the barrier, trying to drag one of the shield bearers to the ground. A mass of flesh with a pig-like face rolled its clouded white eyes and shoved its head forward, bubbling noises rising from its throat as it tried to scream, but no sound came out. The knight order’s main force, stationed behind the Shield Unit, dealt with every undead that managed to break through.

Some thrust with halberds. Others slashed with longswords or shattered skulls with battleaxes. Those capable of magic launched fireballs and arrows of light. Each fought with their chosen weapon against the unending landslide of death and bone.

“They’re coming! One large target straight ahead! Two special types!”

Cornell Warlich, Team Leader of Squad Six and commander of the frontline Shield Unit, shouted the warning in a voice that remained strong despite the chaos of the battle.

Between the conifer trees appeared a massive skull, ghostly flames burning within its dark eye sockets as it stared toward them. A giant skeleton strode forward with slow, confident steps.

Behind it, two pale ribbon-like shapes crossed over one another as they rushed toward the battlefield.

Skull Centipedes. Each measured nearly twenty meters in length. Their bodies resembled enormous centipedes formed entirely from white bones, topped with the upper torso of a giant skeleton. The monstrous scythe-like arms attached to them could tear prey apart with terrifying ease. A grotesque, large-class undead with a Threat Level of 110.

As if answering Cornell’s call, Howard stepped forward.

“Kyle! The Great Skull is yours! Show me what you can do! Gilbert! Clean up the trash around us! Conrad! Don’t screw this up!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Leave it to me.”
“Heh! Try not to fall behind, Howard!”

The Shield Unit timed another activation and split open the incoming tide of undead. The four warriors leapt into the white flood.

The undead immediately swarmed them. Yet in the next instant, like waves crashing against rocks and exploding into pieces, white bones and lifeless flesh shattered and scattered in every direction. The undead collapsed one after another, as though an invisible farmer were harvesting a field of grain. A winding trail cut through the sea of white bodies.

At its center was Gilbert, sprinting low to the ground while his longsword in his right hand and dagger in his left flashed relentlessly. The undead before him were no more significant than tall grass.

The undead before him were no more significant than tall grass. The eyepatch covering his left eye, the magical sigils engraved into his leather armor, and both of his weapons glowed with an icy green light. Pale green arcs carved paths through the swaying white horde.

Two shadows shot down those paths like cannonballs, widening them even further.

Anything standing in their way was blasted aside and shattered, creating even more space around them.

One of the shadows reached its target without difficulty and let out a thunderous roar.

Hercules Howl.

The battle cry infused with mana by Conrad Brook temporarily boosted the physical strength and concentration of nearby allies, including himself. The mana carried within the roar spread outward as a massive ripple. Those struck by the wave found their movements hindered. For beings animated by mana, the effect was especially pronounced. The undead froze for a brief instant under Conrad’s shout.

And Conrad was not the type to waste such an opening. Baring his teeth in a savage grin, he lunged forward. Twisting his body, he drew his massive battleaxe far behind him, gathering power before charging.

The Skull Centipede would only be paralyzed for a moment. Seeing Conrad approach, it immediately raised both of its gigantic scythe arms like the blades of the Grim Reaper.

But a moment was all Conrad needed. He had already slipped inside its guard. Then he unleashed a killing blow.

Limit Axe Blow.

The magical sigils on his equipment flared vermilion. The devastating strike, dyed crimson with fury, smashed into the giant monster without hesitation. The exposed section where the skeleton’s upper body connected to the centipede’s body exploded apart.

Deprived of support, the twisted skeletal upper body spun through the air before crashing to the ground. Nearly a third of the centipede’s body was shattered from the impact as well. The darkness within the skull’s eye sockets seemed to widen, as if the creature itself could not believe what had happened.

Almost simultaneously with its body striking the earth, Conrad followed up with another attack.

Meteor Fall.

A blazing crimson strike, like the wrath of a god, slammed into the ground with overwhelming force and pulverized the giant skull completely.

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The Skull Centipede’s twin scythes came crashing down from above toward Howard Cloud. Howard’s gray eyes shone with light as he fixed his gaze on the grotesque skeletal construct before him, the white blades descending toward his head.

Watching the scythes fall, he shouted. With both hands, he swung his black greatsword. The massive blade, Grand Divider, glowed with a pure azure light, illuminating the increasingly dark forest.

A blue arc traced through the air and crossed the paths of the descending scythes. In the next instant, the giant scythes shattered as though they were made of candy glass or ice.

The ghostly flames in the Skull Centipede’s eye sockets flickered. Its weapons had vanished. Then rage erupted from within it. The creature shook its skull and released a furious roar at the tiny mortal daring to oppose it.

The cry of the dead was meant to rob the living of their sanity. But it had no effect on Howard. Replacing its lost arms, the Skull Centipede opened its gigantic jaws and lunged, intending to tear him apart.

Howard lowered his stance. Holding the greatsword beside his face with its tip aimed at the enemy, he twisted his body and stored power like a drawn bow. The instant those monstrous jaws snapped toward him, the magical sigils on his equipment blazed brilliantly. A stream of azure light flowed from the flame-shaped shoulder guard, down his arm, and into the greatsword as immense mana converged.

Impact Bullet.

A thunderous explosion echoed across the battlefield. The greatsword released a blue shockwave that pierced through the charging skull and shattered it. The impact continued beyond, blasting through most of the centipede’s massive body as well. The hideous structure of white bones collapsed before Howard with a deafening crash, crumbling into ruin.

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