Undead Mage: I Have a Skeleton Clone

On the contrary, this place was filled with all sorts of bizarre sounds. The clatter of colliding skeletons, the moans from within the zombies, and the eternal wails of ghosts intertwined, forming a grotesque yet stirring symphony. Such a sound would send shivers down the spine of any living person, but it was insignificant to the Undead Warriors who had long since lost their heartbeats.

Fang Zhou stood quietly on the majestic walls of the white castle, his figure enveloped by the golden sunlight of the Soul World, which bestowed upon him a holy and brilliant radiance. Beside him, the Celestial Court Dragon Crossbowmen were arranged in three neat rows. Each row consisted of more than two hundred men, standing solemnly behind every battlement like an iron wall. These Divine Archers stood tall and straight, with long arms and sturdy builds, wearing light yet solid Chain Armor. Beneath their broad-brimmed helmets, their gazes were as calm as water. The quivers at their waists, filled with Silver Alloy Armor-Piercing Arrows, swayed gently with each breath. Facing the undead horde that swarmed over the hills, their faces remained expressionless as they focused on adjusting their bowstrings, preparing for the imminent battle.

Ahead of them, a squad of Champion Swordsmen in heavy steel plate armor stood on high alert. The massive shields they wielded were large enough to cover their entire bodies. They bore no decoration, their iron-gray heft alone conveying the immense strength of their defense.

Behind the walls, several hundred Golden Eagle Dragon Spear Soldiers formed a phalanx, creating an unprecedented bulwark of steel. When they raised their long spears, they resembled an impenetrable forest of iron. Among every three soldiers stood a Great Halberd Soldier, whose gleaming axe-gun was ready to cut down any enemy attempting to breach the defensive line.

On the flanks of the long spear phalanx, dozens of javelin throwers moved about. Although their builds were not particularly outstanding and they wore only light leather armor dyed blue and white, their right arms were exceptionally muscular, the knotted sinews attesting to their astonishing strength. It was these arms that could hurl a ten-kilogram javelin over a hundred paces with unerring accuracy.

The Holy Commanders stood at the rear of the long spear phalanx, forming a thin but indestructible line of defense. Clad entirely in metal armor with only their sharp eyes visible, they rested their two-handed greatswords on the ground. They stood like dignified metal statues, silently awaiting the call to battle.

A Griffin King flitted between the high towers, shaking its golden feathers and letting out a clear, sonorous cry. Over a hundred gray-brown griffins crouched on specially made platforms, their sharp eyes tracking the Griffin King’s flight, ready to answer the call to battle at a moment’s notice.

Every unit conjured by Fang Zhou was the elite of the elite, enough to satisfy the demands of any exacting commander in the Longxia Federation. However, among these unparalleled troops, the Celestial Court Knight Order was undoubtedly the most dazzling. Over a hundred Heavy Knights, clad in interwoven gold and red heavy armor, gathered in the square facing the main gate. Their armor shone with a blinding light under the sun, as if each metal plate contained an ancient power. They were led by an exceptionally tall and imposing knight who was as brilliant as a descended War God. His armor was not only lavishly decorated but also inlaid with precious gemstones, exuding an awe-inspiring aura. They resembled a colossal iron fist, poised to charge from the castle and crush any enemy in their path to dust.

Suddenly, a white light shone from the Mage Tower within the castle, its glow piercing the silence like the first light of dawn. The light then flickered several times, each flash seeming to convey a silent command.

While keeping an eye on the undead army drawing ever closer outside, Fang Zhou watched the signals from the Mage Tower intently. He took a deep breath, feeling the tension in the air, and raised the high-level Magic Staff above his head.

"They’re coming... Archers, prepare!"

The creaking sound of tightening bowstrings filled the air as the first row of two hundred archers drew their longbows in unison. Silver Alloy Armor-Piercing Arrows were nocked, their sharp, triangular arrowheads glinting with a cold, silver light.

A thick, putrid black smoke suddenly surged forward like a torrent from Hell, attempting to engulf the entire castle at once. However, the moment the seemingly unremarkable white walls made contact with the black undead smoke, they emitted a gentle and bright, milky-white light, holding all the black mist at bay. This radiance did not come from ordinary stone; the walls were built from a special white material containing a powerful purification force.

A dozen pitch-black bats, hiding within the black fog, suddenly swooped down. They thought they had found a breach, but they never expected the black fog to be forced back by the holy light, instantly exposing them. Painful, sharp cries echoed above the castle. The white light, which felt merely warm and soft to Fang Zhou, was like a potent acid to these evil creatures. It corroded their bodies, causing them to erupt in clouds of black smoke. The bats’ wings began to melt, their bodies gradually turned transparent, and they finally vanished into nothingness. They immediately tried to turn and fly back into the black fog, but it was already too late.

"Archers, shoot!"

Fang Zhou’s voice rang out again. On the wall, the first row of archers simultaneously released their taut bowstrings. The silver rain of arrows whistled sharply through the air, instantly engulfing the bats. The arrows were incredibly precise; every single one hit its mark, and not one missed.

"Hmm?"

Standing on the head of the Skeleton Giant Dragon, the Pseudo-Corpse Witch Vladimir uttered a sound of surprise. In his perception, the auras of the vampires he had sent to probe the castle’s defenses had vanished in an instant. While vampires were not the most terrifying force under Vladimir’s command, their incredible speed and life-draining ability made them quite troublesome opponents. With their combat prowess, they shouldn’t have been wiped out so swiftly, even against an equal number of Middle-Tier demons.

This castle can annihilate a dozen vampires in an instant... what kind of power is this? The ghostly green flames in Vladimir’s eyes flickered slightly. Though he felt a sliver of unease, he quickly turned his gaze to the four floating Corpse Witches beside him and the ominous figure of the Soul-Binding Scythe, who carried a large scythe on their shoulder. The sight immediately dispelled his concerns.

Whatever power it is, it’s merely a dying struggle before my Undead Army.

"There’s no need for further probing. Undead Army, advance!"

At his command, the Skeleton Giant Dragon beneath his feet raised its bony neck and unleashed a hoarse, bone-chilling roar toward the sky.

SKREEEEEEE!

However, a responding sound immediately came from the opposing direction, like hundreds of horns sounding in unison. WOOOOOOO... The call was low and sonorous.

The undead horde, covering the mountains and plains, surged like a tide toward the castle’s majestic white walls. The clatter of their bones and their agonizing groans intertwined into a dark war hymn.

A hissing sound tore through the air from above, followed by a dense arrow rain from the castle walls, which swept across the undead lines like a silver squall. The sheer number of arrows nearly blotted out the sky, forming a shimmering silver curtain. Instantly, hundreds of skeleton soldiers and an equal number of zombies were pierced and fell to the ground.

The undead were normally quite resistant to ordinary arrows. After all, skeleton soldiers’ bodies were riddled with gaps, and the bulky frames of zombies had almost no vital points, allowing them to withstand numerous hits. This time, however, it was different. The arrows flying from the castle walls not only possessed powerful physical penetration but also carried a certain force capable of inflicting lethal damage upon the undead.