Chapter 35: Assault Squad
Inside the first floor of the castle atop the mountain range.
Over a hundred witches were stationed here, most of them first or second stage witches, cannon fodder among their kind.
A thick smell of burning permeated the castle. The main gate was tightly shut, and through the energy-vein-covered glass windows, these witches could see the scene outside.
Westport had already turned into a flaming inferno. Some slaves who failed to escape were engulfed by the flames, but they didn't even scream. Hades, in his third stage, could incinerate them to ashes in an instant.
While the green flames ravaged Westport, they also formed a wall of fire around the castle. For some unknown reason, the green flames couldn't spread onto the castle itself. A golden band of light kept them at bay, and this radiance also carried intense heat, the two forces devouring each other.
It took a full half hour for the green flames around the castle to dissipate. Gray smoke and dust filled the surroundings, visibility was extremely low.
Thump, thump, thump...
Heavy footsteps echoed. Hearing this sound, the witches on the first floor crowded toward the windows.
Wisps of white cold air drifted, standing out sharply within the smoke. Under the gaze of over a hundred witches, a small mountain slowly approached the castle.
Some witches blinked in disbelief. Soon, they understood why that small mountain was moving. Beneath it was a very inconspicuous figure—it had horns on its head, a bull's head on a human body, covered in brownish-yellow fur, with strands of cold air spreading from it.
Compared to that small mountain, this bull-headed humanoid creature was just a dwarf. Although it was called a small mountain, its volume was actually larger than the entire castle.
"That thing... what is it going to do?"
The witches at the windows swallowed hard. Although they all wielded supernatural abilities, compared to the shocking sight before them, their meager powers were nothing.
"Moo!!"
The bull-headed monster roared, then hurled the small mountain from its shoulder.
Bang, bang.
Two sonic booms later, the small mountain in midair was struck hard, suddenly accelerating from a parabolic arc into a straight line.
With a thunderous crash, the small mountain slammed into the castle. But in the next moment, it began to spontaneously combust, turning into a massive fireball that fell to the ground, eventually becoming a pool of magma.
"I see."
Within the smoke, Su Xiao tore apart a scroll in his hand. If he wasn't mistaken, there were at least over two hundred witches inside the castle, with third and fourth stage witches as common as dogs. If he and Amu attacked alone, even if he activated Demon Hunting Hour, he couldn't kill all the third and fourth stage witches within the enemy's defensive fortress in just 100 seconds. Besides, there was a fifth stage witch inside the castle.
Su Xiao rarely used Demon Hunting Hour. The reason was simple: once activated, he had to ensure he killed all enemies. Otherwise, after Demon Hunting Hour ended, he would be severely weakened, and even an ordinary fourth stage witch could kill him.
The scroll Su Xiao had just torn was called [Elite Undead Summoning Certificate], a rare item he obtained in the Shia World.
[Elite Undead Summoning Certificate]
Quality: Legendary
Type: Rare Item
Effect: Upon use, summons 3 Elite Undead. The Undead require 2 seconds to construct their bodies. Once successfully constructed, the Elite Undead will exist for 12 hours.
Tip: You may choose the type of Elite Undead: Shield Warrior (Melee) / Hunter (Ranged·Bow) / Life Priest (Healing) / Fang of Shadow (Assassin).
Tip: Elite Undead are absolutely loyal, possess independent consciousness, can act/fight independently, and can execute complex commands.
Tip: Elite Undead will have specialty attributes and skills based on their type. Specialty attributes will be between 80 and 82 points, and specialty skill levels will be between Lv.30 and Lv.40.
...
[Hunter has used 'Elite Undead Summoning Certificate'. Please select the Elite Undead type.]
Su Xiao could summon three Elite Undead in total. He had experienced the power of Elite Undead in the Shia Sanctum, so he chose one Hunter (Ranged·Bow) + two Life Priests (Healing).
Three figures with grayish-white skin appeared. Their heights ranged from about 1.5 to 1.7 meters. The Hunter was a female Undead, very short in stature, carrying a hard wooden bow on her back, with natural dyes painted on her face, like a female leopard in the jungle.
The Life Priests were two old geezers. They had gray faces and fangs, looking so ferocious for healers—Su Xiao had indeed never seen the like.
The three Undead stood still for a few seconds, then gradually gained luster in their eyes. They immediately knelt on one knee.
"You are Number One. You two, Number Two and Number Three."
Su Xiao designated the Hunter as Number One. She would charge into the castle with Su Xiao and Amu, responsible for dealing with distant enemies. Number Two and Number Three would be in a team with Amu; they just needed to heal Amu well. Su Xiao had Bubu Wang on his side, plus the recovery effect of Dragon-Slaying Flash and the Ancient Secret Medicine.
Amu was the main tank, Bubu was the scout + healer + assassin in critical moments. Su Xiao would charge into the crowd after Amu drew aggro, reducing enemy numbers as quickly as possible. The Hunter would shoot arrows from the shadows.
The Hunter and Life Priests didn't need Su Xiao's direct control; they had decent combat instincts. According to the scroll's description, their specialty attributes were between 80 and 82 points, and specialty skill levels were between Lv.30 and Lv.40.
But the reality was different. With Su Xiao's True Intelligence attribute as high as 96 points, the specialty attributes of all three Elite Undead broke through 90 points, and their specialty skills were between Lv.45 and Lv.50.
Taken individually, these three Elite Undead were like three mini-bosses. Especially the Hunter—her defense was utter garbage, but her attack power was terrifying. Even Su Xiao wouldn't feel good taking an arrow from her.
Skill 1, Bow Mastery (Passive, Lv.50): Increases bow-type weapon attack power by 157%, neural reflex speed +27%.
Skill 2, Daughter of Death (Passive, Lv.42): Ranged attacks deal additional True Damage equal to Agility × 0.6.
Skill 3, Barbed Arrow (Passive, Lv.36): If the arrow pierces the enemy, it deals an additional 50% piercing damage of this attack. Because the arrow has barbs, forcibly pulling it out will cause secondary damage.
Skill 4, Undead Power (Active/Passive, Lv.42): Arrows shot by the Hunter carry Undead Power. If three arrows hit the same target simultaneously, the Hunter can remotely pull the arrows out of the enemy's body, dealing secondary damage equal to the total damage of the three arrows, and inflicting a rapid bleeding effect.
...
Clearly, Su Xiao had formed a castle-assault team. It had a tank, a melee fighter, a ranged attacker, and even healers. As for crowd control, Amu could handle that too.
Within the smoke, Amu assumed a charging posture, his hands pressed to the ground.
Boom!
Dust flew everywhere. Amu took long strides toward the castle, cold air rising from his horns, charging straight at the main gate.
"It's going to ram the gate! Brace it!"
The witches on the first floor roared. At the same time, third and fourth stage witches rushed to the first floor. This wasn't a dungeon run where you could clear small fries first; if things went wrong, nearly all the witches in the castle would flood to the first floor.
There was one thing Su Xiao had never understood: why were all these witches hiding inside the castle? If they fought in the open field, they would clearly have the advantage.
This was actually the order of Witch Queen Morisha. Anything in Westport could be destroyed, except for a certain something inside this castle. It was the foundation of Westport.