Chapter 592, You Slipped Up
The bishop, 'Fatih,' led more than twenty people, escaping from the ruins and fleeing into the distance.
They still didn't know who the enemy was, but it was definitely not the local defense forces or the nearby guild.
Those guys didn't have the capability to flatten an entire village.
"Bishop, let's run north. There's a mining site there. We can blend in with the miners and escape later." A cultist shouted.
Fatih's expression was stern. He glanced around and said, "Go, to the min—"
Mid-sentence, a sense of danger surged in his heart once again.
He grabbed the cultist who had just spoken and pulled him in front of himself.
Splurt~!
A bullet struck instantly, tearing through the leather armor, blood splattering.
The cultist's body gradually weakened, his face filled with shock. "I was loyal to the church… You…"
Fatih tossed the now-useless cultist aside.
His gaze turned toward his flank once more.
From the pitch-black forest, the sound of dense, hurried footsteps echoed.
A sea of ghostly blue flames flickered in the darkness, shining eerily bright.
As they drew closer, they revealed an overwhelming number of large skeletons, their eye sockets burning with spectral blue soul fire, charging forward.
This scene made everyone's eyes widen.
They had speculated about the enemy's identity.
But they had never considered that it would be undead.
Why would a human settlement have so many undead?
As thoughts flashed through their minds, the lead skeleton—a massive figure with arms hanging past its knees—charged into the group like a rampaging bull.
In an instant, several figures were sent flying as it raised its fists and smashed down.
...…
Boom, boom, boom~!
Fatih's expression tensed as he watched the towering skeleton charge forward. He leaped into the air, flicked his long sleeve, and a thin sword shot out from within.
The massive skeleton immediately raised its arm to block.
The thin sword pierced through the arm bone, sword energy surging, instantly shattering the entire arm.
Then, like a phantom, Fatih flickered to the skeleton's side and thrust his sword again.
The blade pierced through the skeleton's skull, grinding it into fragments, and the body collapsed into scattered bones.
Fatih's gaze darkened.
A necromancer's summon, and a high-level one at that.
It was at least close to Level 15.
"Kill all the skeletons and retreat slowly." Fatih still turned around and gave the order loudly.
Whoosh~!
As he spoke, a sharp sound cut through the air.
The skeletal attendant 'Kashu' flew in from the distance, delivering a whip kick mid-air, the force causing an explosive shockwave.
Fatih flipped backward to retreat. As he looked up, he saw his opponent—a figure wearing simple cloth garments, his head tightly wrapped.
A Level 18 Professional.
The power and agility just now could only belong to a Level 18 Professional.
"What's your name?" Fatih asked coldly.
Kashu pulled off his upper garments, revealing the white bones beneath.
Another skeleton!
And a bare-fisted martial artist.
Just from the way he discarded his upper garments, it was clear what his profession was.
Kashu lightly tapped his foot and dashed forward, throwing a punch that shattered the air.
Fatih reacted even faster, dodging sideways. In the darkness, his figure flickered momentarily before reappearing at Kashu's flank, swinging his longsword in a horizontal slash.
Kashu spun, countering with a whip kick. The next second, another 'Fatih' appeared behind him, stabbing straight for his skull.
Kashu twisted his body, launching a simultaneous double-kick in both directions.
Splurt, splurt~!
The 'Fatih' in front shattered, while the one behind dodged swiftly. His robe billowed, and a child-sized shadow figure emerged from his waist, one hand stabbing forward with a dagger while the other fired a small crossbow.
Kashu bent backward, his ribcage opening wide—the crossbow bolt passed through the gap, while his ribcage trapped the incoming dagger.
He threw a punch, forcing the eerie shadow back.
Fatih took advantage of the momentum to retreat, his figure flickering in and out of sight. Kashu adjusted his stance upon landing, yanked the dagger from his ribcage, and hurled it back at Fatih before charging like lightning.
Fatih's expression grew grim as he searched for an escape route.
He was locked in a deadlock with a skeleton, and the necromancer hadn't even revealed himself yet.
The longer this dragged on, the worse his situation would become.
He tilted his head to dodge the thrown dagger. Seeing the skeletal boxer pouncing at him again, he waved his hand, releasing two shadowy figures before turning to flee.
He had only taken two steps when danger surged once more.
His longsword was raised defensively at his side.
Clang~!
A powerful force struck his weapon. His arm went numb, nearly losing grip of the sword.
Another expert!
His hesitation allowed Kashu to close in once more, his punches surging with force, sending shockwaves rippling through the air. The booming impact was deafening, while Fatih's movements remained elusive, his techniques strange and unpredictable.
His figure flickered constantly, with illusionary clones appearing intermittently, accompanied by eerie limbs assisting in attacks.
...…
In the distance, atop a thick tree trunk.
Wu Heng held a sniper rifle, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
Not just because of the opponent's ability to deflect bullets, but also his bizarre combat style.
It was certain he was a melee-type Professional, but the illusions—
Wielding a weapon to deflect bullets and using such strange attacks.
He was definitely a melee Professional, but the illusion clones and odd techniques didn't match the typical close-combat classes.
This couldn't drag on. If Fatih escaped, things would only become more troublesome.
With a thought, several clones appeared.
Swish swish swish~!
"You dumbass, using a skill while standing on a tree."
"What the hell are you thinking?"
"If you weren't me, I'd smack you myself."
A few curses rang out as the clones quickly climbed nearby trees or floated in the air on flying carpets.
Each person held a sniper rifle, aiming from afar at the target.
Bang bang bang~!
The next second, six people simultaneously pulled the trigger.
...…
Through the scope.
The 'Fatih' tangled with Kashu suddenly looked this way, swinging his longsword, blocking two bullets with a 'clang clang.'
However, the other bullets struck his body, staining his robes red with blood.
As he staggered from the bullet impacts, another sharp sound cut through the air—Kashu' whip kick struck his head.
Crack~!
The sound of bones breaking echoed as Fatih's body was sent flying sideways.
Kashu swiftly followed.
He pinned Fatih to the ground, raining down punches like a relentless storm.
Bang bang bang~!
His fists struck continuously, shockwaves exploding outward.
The body beneath him sank into the ground from the pummeling, dust and gravel scattering in all directions with the impact waves.
Before long, amidst the rising dust,
A wraith emerged, fleeing toward the dense forest without looking back.
But before it could get far, another wraith pursued and imprisoned it mid-air.
...…
In the rear.
Wu Heng sat on a 'flying carpet,' accompanied by two other wraiths, quickly flying over.
The captured wraith struggled and howled desperately.
Seeing Wu Heng approaching, it roared viciously, "Necromancer! Why are you doing this? I spent so much effort building my church! Why…!"
Wu Heng ignored him and looked toward the wraith on his shoulder, 'Benny.' "Is it him?"
"Yes!" Benny's expression flickered with fear, showing deep apprehension.
The bishop, 'Fatih,' now a wraith, curiously turned his gaze toward the other wraith, studying it carefully.
A look of confusion flashed in his eyes.
"You… You're the traitor I killed! The guild's spy…" Then he suddenly looked at Wu Heng. "You're with the guild? A necromancer?"
Wu Heng paid him no further attention and explained to Benny, "He's already dead. His wraith is in our hands now. I'll seal him away for now. You can deal with him yourself when you're stronger."
Benny glanced at Fatih carefully and said, "Thank you. You handle it. Killing him already avenged me."
"Your revenge is complete. That's one more wish fulfilled." Wu Heng guided her thoughts.
"Listen to me!" Fatih roared loudly.
He continued, "Necromancer, I didn't know she was yours! From my perspective at the time, of course I would kill her. You can't fully blame me."
"You must be Level 18 by now. We can join forces. I can help you reach the status of a hero."
"When that happens, wealth, women—the entire continent will bow before you. Don't you desire that power?"
"Endless riches, maidens from all races, even princesses and queens will be sent to your doorstep."
"I can help you. Trust me."
Wu Heng raised an eyebrow. "I don't trust you."
With that, he took out the Soul Devourer Jar and began absorbing Fatih's wraith.
The entire wraith was sealed inside the Soul Devourer Jar.
...…
After sealing the wraith, Wu Heng landed with his wraiths.
He had the skeleton Kashu pull Fatih's corpse from the ground and began checking his equipment.
His longsword and belt were both magical items.
Inside his spatial ring, there were over two hundred gold coins, a large number of silver coins, magic scrolls, various weapons and gear, and many everyday supplies.
However, there were no particularly rare artifacts or magical objects.
Wu Heng simply kept the spatial ring for himself.
Glenda, standing nearby, asked, "How did he know you're such a pervert?"
"Who?"
"That wraith just now. He specifically mentioned girls of all races, princesses, and queens." Glenda followed closely beside him, speaking softly.
Wu Heng was speechless. "Didn't you hear him mention 'endless wealth' before that? Once you've covered riches, what comes next? Women, obviously. What else was he supposed to say?"
Glenda raised an eyebrow. "That explanation actually makes sense. I was starting to think he noticed your preferences from observation."
Xiaoxiao floated backward while propping her chin. "Uncle, you slipped up~."
Benny giggled softly as well.
...…
With this battle over,
Wu Heng motioned for his skeletons to enter the already-destroyed village.
The dust had settled inside, leaving only ruins and wreckage everywhere.
In some half-collapsed structures or dark corners, faint figures could still be seen.
Whispers and the sounds of weapons being drawn could be heard.
It seemed that even now, some people refused to give up.
That was how cults worked—they always managed to influence a portion of people's minds and actions.
Even if it was proven that this cult was a lie—even if their 'miracle-performing' bishop had failed to receive divine protection—
Some would still insist that all of this was merely a test from their god.
"The necromancer is here! Let's kill him!" A voice shouted from the darkness.
The atmosphere became tense.
Some figures began creeping forward, and crossbow bolts shot out from the shadows.
Wu Heng barely spared them a glance. He raised his staff high and cast [Battlefield of the Dead].
The corpses scattered throughout the village began to rise as skeletons.
A dense wave of undead filled the entire area.
"Kill them all." Wu Heng ordered.
Swish swish swish~!
The risen skeletons immediately stormed into the surrounding buildings and hiding spots, the sounds of combat and slaughter ringing out.
In the midst of the chaotic battle,
Suddenly, a figure burst out from a half-collapsed house, holding up a skeleton.
Before the other skeletons could reach him, he knelt on the ground, raising the skull high.
"I am a Whisperer of the Guild! Don't kill me!"