The mercenaries, already on edge, froze mid-breath. They stared at Xia Di, as if seeing him for the first time—so utterly unfamiliar!
What manner of weapon was that?
What were they planning to do?
Question after question surfaced, leaving every mercenary completely stunned.
This was the very first time they had witnessed members of the "Misty Mercenary Group" take action!
At this moment, Xia Luo and the others stood with resolute expressions. Though the endless horde of tens of thousands of skeletons before them was terrifying, not a single one showed a flicker of fear.
Stanley and Faraday were not to be outdone. They unleashed the "Skeleton Wolves" that Zhong Shenxiu had entrusted to them, instantly lending the atmosphere an even more bizarre quality!
Heavens, what is this?
These mercenaries had never imagined that two magnificent Skeleton Wolves would appear right beside them. This was no small matter!
Stanley and Faraday paid no mind to the astonished gazes of the mercenaries; they simply didn't have the leisure now. As Necromancers, they understood the terrible power of these skeleton armies. Not a single mistake could be afforded!
Xia Luo and the others had formed a peculiar battle formation at the front. Taking the first position were the two Skeleton Wolves, followed by Xia Luo, Angelfia, and Reese. Next came Kenny. The three elders hung back to provide support!
For the "Misty Mercenary Group," this was their inaugural collective combat operation. It was a test not just of their strength, but more crucially, of their synchronization!
Mutual cooperation is paramount for any team, and Zhong Shenxiu understood this principle well. He would not indulge them just because of his own immense power; this was the perfect chance to temper them!
Although Zhong Shenxiu had vowed not to intervene, if these comrades truly faced mortal peril, he would not stand idly by. He would simply act subtly, in a manner no one could detect!
Franklin stared blankly at Zhong Shenxiu and Robin. He truly could not fathom why these two youngsters had chosen to sit out this fight. Did they truly have such faith in their teammates?
That was an army numbering in the tens of thousands, and it was rumored that Skeleton Warriors were immortal! To think a mere handful of people could confront them was sheer delusion!
Franklin was not Zhong Shenxiu, so he couldn't grasp the depth of Zhong Shenxiu's painstaking intentions. Watching the rapidly approaching skeleton horde, his heart pounded faster. He had initially intended to join the fray, but now realized there was absolutely no room for him to interfere.
This battlefield was destined to belong solely to the "Misty Mercenary Group"!
The skeleton armies drew nearer—twenty meters, ten meters, eight meters... When they were five meters away, the "Misty Mercenary Group" finally initiated the attack!
First, the two Skeleton Wolves shot forward like twin meteors, immediately shattering the vanguard. This was instantly followed by a chaotic barrage of magic.
Then, Xia Luo and the others charged in.
Xia Luo swung the broadsword in her hand, first unleashing several "Battle Aura Slashes," instantly felling a large swath of foes. Then, raising the blade, she executed a "Chasing Star, Catching Moon" strike and plunged into the fray.
Meanwhile, Angelfia manipulated her bracelet to maximize gravity reduction, instantly becoming light as a swallow. She then employed "Butterfly Steps," causing five or six ephemeral versions of herself to dart and weave across the field. Wherever she passed, a skeleton disintegrated!
Reese was equally unwilling to lag behind. Wielding his sword, he seemed transformed into a God of War. Guided by the blade, he grew bolder and fiercer with every exchange, unleashing a continuous stream of exquisite techniques. It felt less like he controlled the sword, and more like the sword was driving him!
Kenny was not idle either. With slight flickers of her delicate hands, skeletons dissolved into fragments. Any stragglers missed by Xia Luo's group were finished off by her. She had woven an impenetrable net of silk threads, ensuring that as long as Kenny was present, the skeleton army could not take a single step further!
Gandalf was exerting himself to the utmost, fully utilizing the "Sacred Artifact" that Zhong Shenxiu had gifted him. He simultaneously assaulted the skeleton army and replenished the group's vital energy!
As for Stanley and Faraday, while commanding the Skeleton Wolves in combat, they too remained active, unleashing dark magic incessantly to constantly erode the skeletons' combat effectiveness.
The once imposing skeleton army now seemed utterly incapable of even mounting a defense. In just the first exchange, five or six hundred skeletons lay shattered on the ground.
Normally, these shattered skeletons could rise again, but due to the interference of Stanley and Faraday’s dark magic, once a skeleton fell, it was permanently disabled!
What a magnificent spectacle! The situation had become an absolute rout!
All the mercenaries were dumbfounded. They had never expected every single member of the "Misty Mercenary Group" to be so incredibly formidable. Not only was their coordination seamless, but their individual combat prowess was the epitome of strength!
Good heavens, what kind of mercenary group is this, gathering so many titans together!
The skeleton horde, which had caused them such worry moments before, proved pathetically weak against the "Misty Mercenary Group." The gulf between the two sides was simply too vast!
My god, what is that woman's weapon? How can such an overbearing weapon exist in this world?
Some mercenaries stared, transfixed by Xia Luo's presence, as the aura of "one woman holding the pass against ten thousand enemies" radiated powerfully from her.
Heavens, what is going on with that woman? How did she suddenly turn into five or six people? Does she possess the ability to duplicate herself?
Some mercenaries trembled upon witnessing Angelfia's movements; her nimble, ethereal footwork made it seem as if five identical sisters were coordinating their attack!
My word, what is up with that boy? Is he truly this powerful? Why did I never notice it before?
Some mercenaries’ hearts nearly stopped when they saw Reese's lightning-fast sword movements. They hadn't realized that this seemingly unremarkable youth had hidden such terrifying strength!
Oh, dear, that woman... what... what exactly did she do?
Some mercenaries nearly lost their eyes witnessing Kenny’s technique. They only saw her hands moving, yet perceived nothing else; nonetheless, the charging skeletons bizarrely shattered into pieces, as if subjected to repeated, unseen cuts!
Every member of the "Misty Mercenary Group" delivered a unique shock to the observing mercenaries!
Only now did these mercenaries clearly realize how insignificant they were. Compared to the members of the "Misty Mercenary Group," they were practically trash!
The expressions of these mercenaries were now vacant to the extreme. They simply couldn't comprehend how such an overwhelmingly powerful group...
The battle raged on. In just this short span, the skeleton army had already lost several thousand troops, and Xia Luo's side continued their relentless assault!
Any discerning eye could see that even with just these few people, they could ensure the skeleton army never returned.
This was no longer a battle; it was a one-sided slaughter!
Xia Luo and the others had nearly reached a state of self-transcendence. They had lost all sense of time; their vision was filled only with the approaching skeleton horde. Their initial goal of merely holding out for ten minutes had transformed into annihilating the entire skeletal force!
Perhaps they wouldn't have dared to think this at the start, but now they possessed that absolute confidence!
Ten minutes had passed, and Xia Luo's group fought with increasing vigor. Zhong Shenxiu and Robin, meanwhile, showed no inclination to intervene.
Nearly another half hour elapsed, and the entire skeleton army that had arrived was annihilated. Xia Luo and the others were breathing heavily, sweat beading on their brows, clearly having expended immense energy. Yet, they showed no sign of fatigue; instead, their faces were alight with excitement and elation. Especially when gazing upon the field of bones, a profound sense of achievement swelled within them.
Did we do all this?
If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, Xia Luo and the others wouldn't have dared to believe they had actually destroyed so many skeletons between them.
The few exchanged glances and couldn't help but smile. Their first coordinated effort ended in resounding victory—anyone would be joyous!
Following this battle, the practical combat experience of the group had ascended to a new level.
Of course, their flawless victory was largely thanks to their coordinated efforts. Had Gandalf and the others not provided support from the rear, Xia Luo's group would have surely been exhausted; and had Xia Luo's group not blocked the front, Gandalf's contingent would certainly have been trapped.
This was the power of cooperation!
Just as everyone was marveling at the previous fight, Zhong Shenxiu and Robin finally stood up, appearing utterly relaxed, as if they had merely watched a performance.
"You all, take a moment here and properly internalize the feeling from the battle just now," Zhong Shenxiu stated casually.
Once Xia Luo and the others had settled down, Zhong Shenxiu turned his gaze toward the observing mercenaries.
"Hey, you lot, don't just stand there idly. You've watched long enough; it’s time to collect all this scattered equipment for me," Zhong Shenxiu commanded expressionlessly.
These mercenaries flushed slightly at his words. Indeed, while the others fought intensely, they had only watched from the sidelines, which was hard to defend. Thus, this time, they raised no objections and set about executing the task that required sheer manual labor!
Even though they wouldn't get any of the gear, the act of picking it up piece by piece felt surprisingly satisfying!
While the mercenaries were busy, a strange sound suddenly echoed!
"What was that noise?"
The mercenaries paused, straining to listen.
"Hmm, that sound seems awfully familiar?" one mercenary murmured, surprised.
Just then, a dense mass of figures approached from the distance, and they, too, seemed somewhat familiar.
"No way!" The mercenaries finally discerned the approaching entity and were so shocked they nearly dropped the equipment in their hands.
It was another massive army of tens of thousands of skeletons, identical in attire and uniform in their measured march!
Heavens, are we supposed to be allowed to live?
All the mercenaries instantly retreated, their eyes darting nervously between Zhong Shenxiu and Xia Luo's group. Their expressions seemed to plead: What now? Which one of you is going up next?
At this moment, Xia Luo and the others also saw the approaching dark tide of skeletons and felt a pang of bitterness in their hearts. If they hadn't stopped, they might not have noticed, but the moment they rested, they realized their bodies were unusually weary.
Only Kenny among them remained energetic; the rest lacked any vigor.
What should they do? If they had to fight another battle, even if they weren't killed, they would surely be worked to death!
The gazes of Xia Luo's group converged on Zhong Shenxiu, who returned a knowing, meaningful smile.
Just as everyone was at a loss, a pitch-black sphere suddenly materialized in Zhong Shenxiu's hand, the size of a basketball—impossible to ignore!
What is that?
Everyone's attention was instantly drawn to the black sphere. Stanley and Faraday were particularly excited upon seeing it. Though they didn't know its exact function, they recognized it as dark magic, and undoubtedly potent magic! After all, which of Zhong Shenxiu's techniques was ever simple?
Then, Zhong Shenxiu tossed the black sphere forward, much like bowling a ball.
The black sphere rolled along a perfectly straight trajectory toward the skeleton army. Its speed wasn't excessive, but everyone's eyes remained wide open, for they witnessed something incredible.
The black sphere possessed a splitting function: every five meters it traveled, another black sphere would separate from it. In less than an instant, countless black spheres had branched off, rivaling the sheer numbers of the skeleton army!
The distance between the black spheres and the skeleton army steadily closed, neither side showing any sign of halting.
At this moment, everyone held their breath, suppressing their excitement as they awaited a miracle!
Finally, the distance between the spheres and the skeleton army closed to zero. The black spheres impacted the horde, one after another.
However, to everyone's disbelief, the moment they made contact, the black spheres seemed to vanish sequentially. There was no explosion as anticipated!
To be precise, absolutely nothing happened!
What was going on?
Did the black sphere have no effect?
All eyes immediately turned back to Zhong Shenxiu, seeking an explanation.
Zhong Shenxiu acted as if he hadn't noticed them, completely ignoring them, his expression still placid as he observed the approaching skeleton army!
The distance between the skeletons and the group continued to shrink. Silence descended. Xia Luo and her companions slowly rose from the ground.
Was this another test?
Fifty meters, twenty meters, ten meters... The engravings on the armor of the skeletons were now clearly visible. Everyone held their breath. Because Zhong Shenxiu had given no command, Xia Luo's group dared not move rashly, remaining frozen in place.
And just then, Zhong Shenxiu smiled!
Then, a scene unfolded that made everyone’s jaw drop.