Once everyoneâs skills were off cooldown, another Sharp Claw Druid stepped forward. He entered the Skeletonsâ attack range to draw their fire while the others launched another assault.
They repeated this process six times, eliminating a total of 390 Skeletons (20, 30, 50, 60, 90, 140). The hordeâs numbers were finally reduced to around 100.
"Come on, brothers! One more time, theyâre about to break!"
Kirkland rallied the troops from within the group. Six consecutive all-out attacks had left everyone nearly drained of energy.
This was especially true for the sixth assault. Since the Sharp Claw Druid drawing their fire was their last one available, everyone gave it their all to eliminate as many Skeleton Monsters as possible.
They ultimately eliminated 140 Skeleton Monsters, reducing the horde to just over 100.
The problem facing Kirkland now was that all the Sharp Claw Druidsâ skillsâthe ones that allowed them to briefly dodge all attacksâwere on cooldown. To attack again, he had two choices. He could either wait for the first Sharp Claw Druidâs skill to reset, or he could order everyone to charge head-on. With their numbers now roughly equal, the Druids could certainly defeat the remaining Skeletons.
However, Kirkland didnât want to choose either option.
The first option required a long wait. Kirkland glanced back at the main force. âDoing that would be too humiliating,â he thought. âThe strength of the Shape-shifting Druids would be called into question. Weâd lose favor with the Lord, which would hurt our future prospects.â
The problem with the second option was even greater.
Over 100 Energy Gathering Skeletons remained on the field, and their resonating energy-gathering effect was still active.
The Druids could attack all the Skeletons at once, but they couldnât force the Skeletons to target different Druids. This would inevitably lead to one Druid being focus-fired, receiving a devastating amount of stacked damage.
In other words, the most likely outcome of a head-on clash with the Skeleton horde was a victory for the Druids, but some unlucky members would be seriously injured or even killed.
This was something Kirkland absolutely could not accept. He didnât want to sacrifice comrades who should have survived just to save face.
"Anyone else have a way to block the Skeletonsâ attacks for a short time?" Kirkland asked his resting comrades. Since he couldnât think of a good solution, he had to rely on the groupâs collective wisdom. Maybe someone would have an idea.
âIf we really canât figure this out,â he thought, âour only option will be to ask the main force for help.â
No one spoke; they all lowered their heads in deep thought, trying to figure out how to break the stalemate.
"Kirkland, why donât we just go for it? Itâs about one for one, a straight-up fight. Whoâs afraid of these Skeletons?"
The speaker was a burly Druid. As a Rock Druid, his motto was simple: "Charge!" Or, to put it another way: "Go berserk!"
Kirklandâs eye twitched. A flash of anger surged through him, and he was about to lay into the man. Fortunately, he managed to suppress it at the last second and calmly explained that such a tactic would lead to casualties.
"So what if we take some injuries or even a death? Iâm not scared. We might lose one or two people, but weâll still win. Weâre the territoryâs combat troops; we canât expect to fight forever without anyone getting hurt or killed, right?"
He directed that last part to the surrounding Druids, winning nods of approval from many.
Kirkland was speechless, not knowing whether he should agree to such a brash tactic.
"Kirkland, I have a Magic spell that can summon a highly realistic illusion. We can use it to draw the Skeletonsâ fire, but the illusion will vanish after a single hit. Even if it succeeds in drawing their attention, it will only last for an instant."
"I donât know if it can be of any help."
A Fierce Raptor Druid said.
Kirkland fell silent. âA momentary distraction... Itâs hard to guarantee weâd kill many Skeletons in that time. If we donât kill a single one, itâd be a complete waste.â
However, Kirkland wasnât silent for long.
The Fierce Raptor Druidâs words sparked an idea, and soon, several others chimed in with similar abilities.
"Kirkland, I can summon a clone. It can take a few hits, but itâs still very fragile. Iâm not sure if itâll be useful."
"Kirkland, I can..."
...
In total, five Druids spoke up, indicating they had abilities similar to clones or illusions. Calculating an average of one second of delay per person, they could stall for five seconds.
Suddenly, a clear plan formed in Kirklandâs mind.
"Is everyone rested? Can you unleash another ultimate attack?"
"Ready!"
"Energyâs full!"
"Cooldownâs over!"
...
No one said they werenât ready. Kirklandâs mood improved even more.
"Very good. It seems everyone is eager to end this battle quickly and secure a victory for the Lord."
"Alright. Maruna, Herbert, Zabi... the five of you will use your abilities in sequence. Line up and enter the Skeletonsâ aggro range one by one. Try to enter the moment the previous illusion or clone vanishes. We need a seamless chain."
"Everyone else, you have five secondsâno, letâs make it four seconds. You have four seconds to attack. Kill as many of those Skeletons as you can. This is our one shot."
"Letâs do it!"
"Letâs do it!!!"
After the shouts of encouragement, the crowd gathered around the altar, ready for battle.
At the command, an illusion entered the Skeletonsâ aggro range. As the nearby Skeletons swarmed it, a tempest of fierce windsâWind Blades and tornadoesâand a downpour of ranged attacks slammed into the undead horde.
Dust and smoke billowed from the Skeletonsâ position. When the four-second assault ended and the haze cleared, only a scattered handful of twenty-odd Skeletons remained from the hundred-strong horde. Each one was wounded and struggled to move.
"Everyone, charge! Finish them!"
Kirkland let out a loud cry and led the charge. The surrounding Druids also rushed towards the remaining Skeletons.
The main group swarmed forward, and the Skeletons crumbled in their wake.
Lin Yu, seeing this from the rear, knew the matter was settled and led his troops toward the altar.
When he reached the altar, Lin Yu saw the Shape-shifting Druids standing at its base, waiting for his arrival.
Lin Yu didnât think much of it, assuming they were showing respect. It wasnât until he stepped onto the altar and was hit by its aura that he understood why no Druid was willing to set foot on it.
The area around the altar was already gloomy and cold, but on the altar itself, the chill was bone-deep. The gray energy on its surface tried to drill into Lin Yuâs body, clashing with the energy within him and causing extreme discomfort.
Moreover, he had originally thought the altar was white, but upon getting closer, he discovered it was constructed entirely of bone. Walking on it felt very unsettling.
Lin Yu endured the discomfort and opened the altarâs information panel.
[Name]: Wyite Bone Altar
[Category]: Undead Recruitment Office
[Rank]: Excellent (Blue)
[Description]: Can recruit Skeleton Soldiers. Skeleton Soldiers naturally possess a resonance effect. When multiple kin are present, their attributes are slightly stacked.
[Special]: Energy Gathering (Recruited units possess the energy-gathering effect). When combined with the resonance ability, it mutates into resonance energy-gathering.
[Recruitable]: 100 (Energy Gathering Skeleton)
[Recruitment Cost]: 100 Ore, 100 Gold Coins
[Summon?]
[Destroyable. Upon destruction, you will receive 10x Building FragmentsâWyite Bone Altar]
[Destroy?]