Chapter 20 – The Unimpeded Road

The “Aura Disguise” spell had its advantages. As an Apprentice Rank spell, its deceptive effects could even fool some Apprentice-Level detection methods. However, its drawbacks were equally apparent—it only disguised one’s aura. In actual combat, if the enemy was knowledgeable and learned, they would know such a spell existed that could create a disguise. Even if the enemy was an uneducated brute, in a life-or-death struggle, any creature with an IQ over fifty would suspect a conspiracy upon discovering their opponent suddenly exuding an aura akin to their own. They would likely strike first and investigate later, almost never ceasing their attacks, let alone “turning enemies into friends.”

But using this spell before these undead was perfectly appropriate. Given the undead’s limited perception and identification abilities, they stood no chance of detecting the flaws in Punk’s disguised undead aura. Moreover, the undead’s intelligence was indeed low, relying solely on aura to distinguish friend from foe. Now, with Punk disguising his aura as one of their own, these undead perceived it as “the enemy has vanished, and a comrade has joined.” They wouldn’t bother pondering the reasonableness of this situation. Their only thought was—”make the other enemy disappear too.”

The female priest, surrounded by the undead, was now completely trapped. In just a few seconds, two Apprentice Rank skeleton warriors had caused the once solid and radiant Holy Light armor on her Mage Robe to become illusory and dim. Several inscriptions on the robe flickered erratically under the erosion of the black death energy emanating from the skeleton warriors, clearly on the verge of collapse.

The priest had no choice but to activate another Holy Light armor, but this would only delay her demise slightly, serving no other purpose. The undead, who despised the Holy Light and the living, knew no fatigue or fear. Some attacked with weapons, others scraped with claws, and some even opened their mouths to bite. In less than five seconds, the Apprentice-Level divine spells on the female priest’s Apprentice-Level Mage Robe were about to fail. Under the interference of the undead assault, she couldn’t cast any spells. As a spellcaster, she was now cornered by a horde of combat-oriented foes. The only reason she had survived this long was that the life-preserving Apprentice-Level divine spells on her priest robe were far more potent than Apprentice Rank methods.

However, it seemed her defensive divine spells could only be activated twice in a short period. Meanwhile, the skeleton warriors attacked the Holy Light armor as if fueled by frenzy, their blades nearly transforming into pale black propellers in the air. A continuous, dull clanging sound echoed as black streams and golden sparks splattered in opposite directions, creating dazzling streaks of light in the dim sky. On the ground, one side was crisscrossed with blade marks, while the other was a ravaged wasteland pockmarked by scattered Holy Light fragments. Several skeleton soldiers that accidentally entered the combat range were mercilessly cleaved in two by the skeleton warriors!Watching helplessly as the last Holy Light armor that could protect her was about to shatter and dissipate under the relentless attacks of three skeleton warriors, the female priest could only futilely activate a few harmless purification spells from her emblem before resorting to loudly denouncing Punk as despicable, shameless, and cunning.

From within the barrier formed by his “Aura Disguise,” Punk marveled at the far superior effects of Apprentice-Level spells compared to Apprentice Rank spells while remarking, “Truly a cultured lady—even her insults are so artistically delicate!”

Soon, the “artistically delicate” cursing career of the lady priest was to end. Even an Apprentice-Level spell couldn’t withstand dozens of uninterrupted slashes from the skeleton warriors. Finally, with a sound like shattering porcelain, under the female priest’s despairing gaze, the golden fragments broke into smaller and smaller pieces in the air, eventually dissolving into specks of golden light and vanishing completely. Then, accompanied by a fleeting black blade gleam, she fell into a dizzy spell and entered a pure white world, never to wake again…

Punk saw the female priest’s armor shatter and disappear, her head being the first to be cleanly severed by a skeleton warrior’s swift strike—neat and without any mess. Now, the priestess’s consciousness had been erased by the River of Fate, and her “pure” soul, stripped of its consciousness, had been taken away by Lathander Lord of Dawn, whom she had devoted her life to worshipping.

Her corpse was quickly torn apart and mutilated by the skeletons, who loathed the light and vented their hatred and rage freely upon the female priest’s “mush of flesh and blood.”

Punk didn’t see the expression on the female priest’s face before her death because, in the first instant, her head had been sliced into countless fragments by the skeleton warrior’s rapid blade.

“Whether it was serene and elegant or ferocious and resentful—though the former is highly unlikely—what does it matter to me?” Punk shrugged indifferently. He couldn’t tolerate the “spoils” he intended to claim being “purified” into scrap iron and debris by the priest, nor would the priest ever abandon her “mission to purify everything” out of consideration for Punk, a mage’s needs. Thus, in an irreconcilable conflict of interests, the only “fair” outcome was the fall of the one with insufficient strength!

Moreover, no matter what Divination Spells the Church used to find the murderer of the female priest, the results would only point the finger at those skeleton warriors. With such a clean, efficient method and no worries of repercussions, Punk naturally acted without any reservations.

“On my path to glory, I will allow no one to obstruct my steps!”

The blue radiance in Punk’s pupils nearly solidified into substance. Two azure points of light within the shadows of his hood not only showed no dimness but grew increasingly—soul-stirring!Now was the time to eliminate these elite undead who were wildly hacking and slashing at a pile of flesh, but three undead warriors—especially that Level 4 skeleton—posed a threat to Punk. Currently acting as the leader of these undead, the once aimless skeletons who ignored each other now displayed remarkable unity under command. Though they currently treated Punk as one of their own with a “we’re all friends here” attitude, Punk would bet that if he dared approach these skeleton warriors or attempt to seize their weapons, they’d immediately turn hostile with an entire forest of skeleton minions. It wouldn’t matter if he only carried the aura of “kinship”—even a paternal bond would be useless!

Punk had no intention of provoking such a large group of death-defying undead. After brief consideration, he decided to use the Apprentice-Level evocation spell “Gaika Flame Dart” stored in his staff to “clean up” this gathered undead horde. Given the power of an Apprentice-Level evocation spell, these skeletons—lacking any Apprentice-Level defensive measures—would undoubtedly be “wiped out in one wave.” Though their already fragile equipment would likely be “taken out along with them,” this was far preferable to being surrounded by undead. After all, safety came first! The scattered undead who hadn’t gathered mostly possessed no class levels whatsoever. Without unified command from their “leader” and with their sparse numbers, they posed no threat at all! After neutralizing the threat, he could still collect equipment from those Mage Robe-clad skeletons—that would remain a substantial haul.

Punk ordered the still-present giant brown bear to deal with several shambling skeleton soldiers attempting to approach, while he aimed the ruby tip of his staff toward the skeletons who remained oblivious to their impending doom. Violent elemental fluctuations gathered within the staff’s embedded ruby, the increasingly brilliant gem radiating a terrifying pressure that made even Punk shudder inwardly.

“Poor undead souls, rest in peace”!

(End of Chapter)