Chapter 302: Blood Sacrifice: Spiral of Death, Creating High-Tier Undead
The appearance of over a thousand Undead brought with them a rotten, nauseating stench. This repulsive odor, mixed with the inherent fear the living feel when facing the Undead, caused some of the more timid Demi-humans to vomit on the spot!
Across the entire battlefield, all the Demi-humans stopped fighting, looking on in a daze, fearfully gazing at the dense horde of Undead climbing out from the ground.
Even the group of beast-bodied, quadrupedal Demi-humans that had been besieging Gagaran halted their attacks.
A brief silence fell!
"Ah!"
An Organ Egg shot out a bloody intestine from its writhing, twisted body, coiling around the nearest Demi-human and pulling it into its abdomen.
A miserable scream rang out, shattering the eerie, panicked atmosphere.
As the one with the highest prestige on the battlefield, the 'Valiant King' Basai immediately roared through a sound-amplifying magic item, "Everyone, cease your quarrels and deal with these Undead first!"
As his voice fell, an unprecedentedly grave expression appeared on the face of the 'Valiant King' Basai as he raised his shield, gripping the one-handed heavy sword named "Sand Archer."
"Hector Weiss! And that ogre, Gagaran!"
"Assist me! Let's take out this necromancer first!" the 'Valiant King' Basai shouted to the two most powerful Demi-humans on the battlefield.
He had heard that necromancers who could summon Undead existed among humans, but they could only summon one or two at most. A situation like this, summoning over a thousand Undead in a single breath, was something he had not only never seen but had never even heard of in legends.
This was undoubtedly a magic caster who could only be described as "terrifying"!
Faced with such a dreadful and powerful enemy, even a proud Demi-human king like the 'Valiant King' Basai had no choice but to adopt the strategy of ganging up, a tactic only the weak would use.
On the cliff.
Tang Zheng gazed down at the Alliance Leader, who had instantly become the enemy of all Demi-human races, and frowned slightly.
Making himself the target of everyone's hostility?
7th Tier Magic: "Undead Legion."
It could summon over a thousand Undead and was a special type of tier magic. Though it looked grand and imposing, in reality, it was just a swarm of low-tier Undead.
Such magic.
Tang Zheng didn't even have the interest to spend skill points to learn it.
There were at least ten thousand Demi-humans on the battlefield right now. A mere thousand or so Undead wouldn't be able to hold out for long before being annihilated by this horde.
What was the point of doing this?
Tang Zheng lowered his head and glanced at the Demon-Human, Nasurini, whom he held in his hand, now with only a single breath left.
He had already learned the whole story from her. He originally thought the Alliance Leader was the mastermind behind everything today. After all, this inexplicable war had been deliberately provoked by the Alliance Leader killing 'Black Steel' Muwa.
However, he learned from Nasurini that many Demi-human races had already become suspicious during the large-scale food trades with the humans, though none had acted rashly. Instead, they had secretly contacted the Demon-Humans, Blue Maggots, and other races. So, even without today's war, the rebellion of the Blue Maggot King and the other Demi-humans would have happened regardless.
Regarding this situation, Tang Zheng was neither surprised nor shocked. He never considered these Demi-humans to be fools, and there was no lack of intelligent individuals among the various races.
His original plan was to throw the entire hill region into chaos, using the abundant food and water in his possession to win over one faction and kill another.
Then, with the influence of the "drought," he would rapidly establish dominion over the Demi-humans, thereby making the Holy Kingdom and the Slane Theocracy feel threatened and forcing them to enter the fray.
"Free Will" could then smoothly intervene and gain an opportunity to make contact with the higher-ups of both nations.
The Holy Kingdom was one thing, but when it came to the Slane Theocracy, Tang Zheng's attitude had always been cautious. Contact had to be made in a reasonable manner.
In this process, the rebellion of the Demi-humans was inevitable and necessary. It would be a miracle if a forcibly created alliance didn't turn on itself mid-battle.
The script Tang Zheng had written for his "mysterious red-robed caster" persona was originally one of a feigned retreat.
What truly surprised him was the change in the situation caused by the Alliance Leader's appearance. He didn't believe for a second that the man hadn't had a hand in fanning the flames.
"Khajiit."
Tang Zheng recalled the man's unfinished sentence. "You said before that your Alliance Leader was continuing a ritual he failed to complete 20 years ago. What did you mean?"
Khajiit stood to the side, cautious and fearful. He first nodded, then shook his head in a daze. "At that time, I hadn't yet joined Zuranon."
"I only heard from other high disciples that the incident 20 years ago was an operation where the Alliance Leader attempted to create a high-tier Undead through a ritual."
"It just ended in failure. I don't know the specific reasons," Khajiit replied timidly.
"Create high-tier Undead?" Tang Zheng's gaze returned to the battlefield, somewhat astonished.
"Ye-yes."
Khajiit had no intention of hiding any information and hastily replied in a panic, "The strength of Undead brought forth by 'Undead Summoning' and 'Undead Creation' is mostly limited."
"For example, the bone dragon that Lord summoned with the 'Orb of Death,' although its strength wasn't high, it possessed magic immunity, a power that completely counters magic casters!"
"These types of special Undead cannot be brought forth through summoning or creation. What the Alliance Leader wants to create through the ritual are precisely these kinds of special, high-tier Undead."
He understood what Khajiit meant.
"Create chaos, use this war, and harness the Death Aura and Negative Energy generated by the deaths of the Demi-humans to complete this ritual."
Tang Zheng's eyes narrowed; he now understood what the Alliance Leader wanted to do.
The fundamental purpose of the "Undead Legion" magic was to use the Negative Energy generated by the thousand low-tier Undead it summoned to completely ignite the far vaster Negative Energy and Death Aura on the battlefield. This 7th Tier Magic was merely a prelude to the ritual!
A magical light flickered ceaselessly in Tang Zheng's eyes. In his vision, currents of Negative Energy and Death Aura, invisible to the naked eye, were being drawn in by a magical ritual formed from the numerous Demi-human corpses and blood on the ground, continuously converging toward the Alliance Leader's position.
"A grand undertaking."
Tang Zheng had made various guesses before, but he truly hadn't expected the Alliance Leader to have such an intention. A thought flickered in his mind, and the magical light in his eyes grew even brighter.
"This magic ritual... the Spiral of Death ritual? No, the core is wrong. It's more like the core of a blood sacrifice ritual?"
The blurry outline of the massive ritual on the battlefield gradually pieced together in Tang Zheng's mind, its pattern becoming clear.
In the past, he might not have been able to perceive the ritual at all, let alone the differences within it. But now, under the influence of his "Magic Transcender" passive ability, "Magic Master," Tang Zheng could easily distinguish the difference between the ritual arranged by the Alliance Leader and a true "Spiral of Death ritual."
Although they shared the same framework, the core had been changed!
As Tang Zheng focused all his power on observing, a terrifying magical pressure began to emanate from him, making the surrounding air seem to turn viscous.
Beads of cold sweat formed on the foreheads of both the White Mist Witch and Khajiit, and they found it difficult to breathe.
"Should I intervene?"
As Tang Zheng analyzed and observed the entire ritual, this thought surfaced in his mind.
"No."
A sharp glint appeared in Tang Zheng's eyes as he thought to himself.
Although the Alliance Leader's appearance had disrupted his original strategy and plans, the current development of the situation was not at odds with his original plan.
The Slane Theocracy's Stargazer Far-Sight was still watching this place. Now, he didn't even need to find an excuse.
The only thing that concerned Tang Zheng was whether this ritual could truly succeed in creating a "high-tier Undead."
The "high-tier Undead" Khajiit referred to might not be the "high-tier Undead" he was imagining.
"Let me see what you have orchestrated, Your Excellency, Alliance Leader. Please, do not disappoint."
Tang Zheng gradually retracted the formless oppressive pressure he had released from mobilizing his magic power. After a moment of thought, he began to issue commands.
"White Mist."
"Master." The White Mist Witch felt the pressure lift and hurriedly took a breath before responding.
"Since all the Demi-humans have rebelled, then Crusch Lulu's side must be in trouble as well."
"I will go at once!" The White Mist Witch was startled, finally realizing it as well. The rapid succession of events had prevented her from even considering it.
"No need."
Tang Zheng shook his head. "You don't need to worry about Crusch Lulu's safety."
"Whether it's ending the drought in the hills or solving the water shortage, these Demi-humans need Crusch Lulu's help. She's actually quite safe right now."
"These Demi-human races won't trust humans, but they will trust you, a fellow Demi-human. Go to Crusch Lulu's side for now and pretend to assist these Demi-humans."
Hearing her master's instructions, the panic in the White Mist Witch's bright yellow pupils vanished. "Heehee, I understand. Master wants us to be 'nails'."
"'Nails,' huh," Tang Zheng remarked. "So you know what that means."
The White Mist Witch relaxed and quickly departed.
"Um."
"L-Lord, what about me?" Khajiit asked in a small voice.
Tang Zheng glanced at Khajiit before returning his gaze to the chaotic battlefield below. "Watch the show."
Khajiit could only shut his mouth. He couldn't see through Tang Zheng at all. He had clearly emphasized what the Alliance Leader was doing and the danger it posed, yet this man before him remained completely unmoved!
A dreadful sense of death constantly battered Khajiit's heart. He was already a dead man in the Alliance Leader's eyes.
To survive, he could only rely on the mysterious red-robed caster before him.
......
In the short time that had just passed, more than half of the thousand summoned Undead were already dead. The strength of these low-tier Undead was not high, and apart from individuals like the Organ Egg, most Demi-humans could easily dispatch these low-grade Undead once they overcame their fear.
The Alliance Leader's aura was somewhat weakened at the moment; casting a 7th Tier Magic spell was not an easy task.
His attention was now focused on only three Demi-humans.
Gagaran, the 'Beast General' Hector Weiss, and the 'Valiant King' Basai!
Like three arrows, the trio pierced through layer after layer of the defensive line formed by the Undead, rapidly charging toward the Alliance Leader's position.
"Stop him, Heavy Armor Skeletons!" the Alliance Leader's hoarse voice rang out.
*Bang!*
The Heavy Armor Skeletons stomped on the ground with a dull thud. As they ran, the friction of their bones produced a harsh "clack-clack" noise.
They were the first to collide with Gagaran, successfully intercepting him.
"Skeleton Griffons!" the Alliance Leader commanded.
"Scree!"
The Skeleton Griffons circling overhead flapped their wings and dove rapidly from the sky, the air hissing where they passed.
They also intercepted the 'Beast General' Hector Weiss.
With the two fifth-tier Undead gone, the Alliance Leader now appeared to be protected only by a group of low-tier Undead.
"Sandstorm!"
The 'Valiant King' Basai swung the one-handed heavy sword in his hand, releasing a torrent of earthy yellow sand from the sword blade.
It blew away the group of Undead blocking his path. The swirling yellow sand not only concealed the 'Valiant King' Basai's figure but also obstructed the Alliance Leader's vision.
The most dangerous thing about a magic caster was their bizarre and unpredictable magic. The 'Valiant King' Basai was well aware of this, so he used the magical equipment in his hands to prevent his opponent from pinpointing his exact location.
"As long as I get into close combat, I've won!"
The 'Valiant King' Basai moved swiftly through the yellow sandstorm. His burly body surprisingly made no sound as he moved, a clear effect of the magical boots on his feet.
*Swish—*
The figure with silver-white fur, in the blink of an eye, had circled around to the Alliance Leader's back. Seeing that the Alliance Leader seemed not to have reacted yet, a cold sneer formed in his mind.
"Go to hell, human!" The 'Valiant King' Basai's face twisted into a ferocious grin as he suddenly charged forward.
"Unhesitating Assault!"
"Steel Arm Heavy Strike!"
"Firm Strike!"
*Swoosh!*
The golden ornament on his horns flashed, activating the ability of the magic item.
The 'Valiant King' Basai's massive figure appeared before the Alliance Leader in an instant, the one-handed heavy sword in his hand slashing down viciously.
"Dragon Lightning!"
The Alliance Leader, whose back had been turned to him, suddenly spun around as if he had detected him long ago. A dazzling blue lightning was released from his arm.
"Gahaha, I knew you had some kind of detection magic!" The 'Valiant King' Basai let out a mocking laugh as he pushed off hard with his left foot. His massive figure had already appeared at the Alliance Leader's side. The seemingly all-out attack from before was clearly just an illusion.
*Swoosh!*
The one-handed heavy sword swung.
*BOOM!*
A giant black tower shield, a full two meters tall and reeking of Death Aura, appeared out of thin air, blocking the Alliance Leader's flank.
"A shield?"
The 'Valiant King' Basai was momentarily stunned, but his swinging blade did not alter its course. Instead, it slashed down with even more ferocious power.
"Using armor in front of me, what a foolish move!"
"Weapon Break!"
A faint light emerged from the 'Valiant King' Basai's entire body as the sword blade heavily struck the giant tower shield.
*KLANG—DANG!!*
The one-handed heavy sword struck the black tower shield, producing a deafening screech of scraping metal and a brilliant shower of sparks.
"How... is this possible!"
The 'Valiant King' Basai's eyes widened. The black tower shield was not only undamaged, but it didn't even have a single scratch on it.
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