The ritualist had already realized that an ambush was set up at the warehouse’s entrance.
He likely learned this information through a ritual or a summoned creature.
Hence, none of the enemies had gotten out of the warehouse even when Annan and the rest had returned.
However, they didn’t expect that Annan wouldn’t need to go through the entrance at all.
He was able to break through the sidewall in just 5 seconds!
The players immediately swarmed into the warehouse when the wall collapsed.
To Annan’s surprise, the situation in the warehouse was different from the intelligence he had gotten previously.
There were only two ordinary people inside.
Or… 1.5 humans instead.
The room was scattered with [Skeleton Soldiers], which looked like standard mobs in other games.
What stood out differently was the size of these skeletons. They were more than two meters tall, and their skulls were peculiarly more enormous, giving off an oppressive air.
Although they weren’t equipped with armor, their outlook signified that they weren’t just fodders that wielded “bone sabers”.
They either held a flail or a mace in their right hands, but each had a thick iron shield more than two meters high in their left hand that could be easily stationed on the ground.
Annan recognized the enemies immediately.
They are Skeleton Guardians!
The once-loyal guardians of the Venerated Skeleton… Each of the Skeleton Guardians was equivalent to a Level 10 Giant Guard proficient in Bodyguard Swordsmanship.
The Bodyguard Swordsmanship was dedicated to two combat scenarios: “fighting the enemies with a number advantage” or “fighting a group alone”!
The Skeleton Guardian, which had lost its vulnerable parts such as its heart, neck, and head, was invulnerable to conventional methods of killing. Since they were skeletons, they had excellent resistance to stabbing and arrows. The tall, heavy shields in their hands could be used to defend against any bludgeoning damage coming from heavy weapons. As the Skeleton Guardians grouped up, they could also form a shield wall as a temporary cover. The flails or maces in their hands could effectively damage those clad in heavy armor.
They were the fearless defenders, invulnerable to stabs, slashes, bleeding, poisons, and shield bashes. Moreover, they could form a shield wall to provide covers at any time, making them the perfect fit as defenders.
In small-scale battles, Skeleton Guardians could completely change the tide of a fight.
The only downside was that the ritual summoning them was pretty harsh.
As the guardians of the Betrayal Deity, they would only follow the leadership of the “betrayer”. Also, the betrayal must be committed by the one in charge towards their underlings. Only then could Skeleton Guardians be summoned from the flesh of the betrayed.
Under the protection of the Skeleton Guardians group, the players could barely notice the thin, hunched old man standing by the altar in the warehouse.
He looked so old as if he could die at any given moment. An incomparably dense death aura shrouded his deeply sunken ugly facial features, but his mobility remained unhindered despite so.
Beside him, a macho man was slowly melting, turning into a monster like a fat Candle Dog that burned brightly. The candle oil dripping out formed its lower body.
“—Fuck, Matou Zouken?” Lin Yiyi’s eyes widened up, and she couldn’t help but blurt.
As the Tank for the team and to protect Annan, she chose to charge directly at the “Matou Zouken” and the “Candle Dog”.
But at this moment, the Skeleton Crow in the air suddenly opened his mouth, and its jaws made clicking sounds.
When it chirped, all players didn’t feel any discomfort. However, Citalopram, who rushed over after Yiyi, heard a shrieking noise in her ears.
It was a harsh, high-pitched chirping.
Her mind went blank at the moment she heard this voice. Soon, she lost the ability to control her body completely.
Other players saw that Citalopram’s blurred body became clearer and manifested like a shimmer of light. In addition, there were lots of fluctuations in her ethereal body.
But, in the next moment, a sharp stone came flying at high speed, forcing the Skeleton Crow to stop chirping and dodge away.
The player who threw the rock was the Wandering Child!
“Are you alright?” He asked urgently, without looking back at Citalopram.
Then, he drew an S-shape on the ground with a rapier.
A curved, rocky ravine suddenly emerged on the ground following the slash. Immediately, they swelled up from the ground and separated the battlefield diagonally into three areas.
Four Skeleton Guardians were at the outer area, whereas the middle area had six Skeleton Guardians, the “Candle Dog”, the Skeleton Crow, and the old man. Finally, the last area had 5 Skeleton Guardians caged in the triangular wall.
After achieving this feat, the Child’s forehead was dripping with sweat, making it seem like it wasn’t an easy task.
Immediately afterward, he pointed his rapier to the ground.
Three tile-sized, tooth-shaped sharp stones were summoned on the ground. Then, as the Wandering Child pointed his blade at the Skeleton Crow again, these sharp stones rose from the ground and flew towards the Skeleton Crow!
All of a sudden, the players heard a gunshot.
A person stood above the temporary earthen wall, which was previously empty. The man wore a strange helmet installed with thirteen lenses on his head that only covered his eyes. At the corner of his mouth, there was a hint of melancholy.
He wielded a sniper rifle about 1.5 meters long, and his first shot deflected two of the stone pieces. Unfortunately, the last stone piece couldn’t hit the Skeleton Crow in its trajectory.
The Child profused with cold sweat after noticing the sniper with an exaggerated outfit.
I’m done for. This fucker has a hand cannon…
Why is the thickness of the barrel so large it can fit a quail egg!?
“Don’t be afraid, that’s [Bane]!”
Annan soothed them from the backline, “It can only be attacked by long-range weapons such as crossbow arrows and firearms, but it can’t attack living creatures, only ballistic interception!”
Hearing this, the Child felt a little relieved.
But at this moment, a petite figure suddenly jumped out from over his head.
That was Jiu Er!
She wielded a refined battle axe — a new weapon she bought via Annan’s affection ratings. It didn’t have any particular advantages or strength boost, nor was it a curse vessel… but it had two features: sharp and heavy.
It was added with some adamantium, which made it heavier than a stainless steel battleaxe of the same weight. Since it was an alloy, it was also sharper. It even had a beautiful sheen of dark gold on its axe blade.
When Jiu Er asked Annan to give her a good and durable weapon previously, Annan thought of the axe at the first moment.
This was the axe in the hands of the decorative knight statue in the living room of the Viscount Mansion.
It was 1.8 meters in height. When Jiu Er held it in her hand, it was equally amusing, like Annan wielding the Qi Mei Staff (i.e: the sledgehammer without a hammer’s head).
Annan knew that Jiu Er had robust strength, especially after changing her profession into a Berserker.
Moreover, she had promoted [All-out Blow] to Level 7. Ordinary long swords were simply unable to sustain her enormous strength.
But this axe would do just fine.
Since the axe was used as a display in the Viscount’s house, it was without a doubt that it was a refined weapon of excellent quality. With great maintenance, the blade of the axe was shining. Giving it out would make the gifter quite prestigious since the weapon was seemingly brand new.
Of course, none had used this axe before. After it was forged, it was immediately sent to the auctions for the collectors to buy it.
After Jiu Er acquired it, a dim crimson light appeared on it. It was the special effect produced by the long-term contact of the adamantium with blood. “Gold” symbolized “dye” in Alteration School. As a result, the adamantium was quite susceptible to being dyed with the color of the objects that it was frequently in contact with.
However, it was noteworthy to mention that the blood-red hue on this axe wasn’t from the enemy’s blood. ?
Jiu Er lunged and landed behind the Skeleton Guardians in the middle area.
She raised the axe, turned it upside down, and screamed, “Don’t come near me… Ah~“
Before the Skeleton Guardians’ weapons struck her, Jiu Er slashed the axe into her own abdomen vertically first!
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Credits to MindMatrix for editing this chapter and improving the readability.