McGree, a towering and robust Highland Swordsman, was brandishing his great sword as he charged at the Undead Spirits with a furious roar.

Suddenly, a figure burst out beside him, startling him so much that he almost brought his upright great sword crashing down on him.

On a closer look, it turned out to be that "Reinforcement."

"Your Squad Leader told me to stick with you," Aske said.

McGree: ???

His mind wasn't as quick-witted as Eric's, so since the other had said so, he subconsciously nodded and sped up. His figure shot forward as he bellowed,

"Charge! Kill!"

Then, Aske's figure easily overtook him, like a sharp spearhead, he was the first to charge into the mass of Undead Spirits.

McGree: !!!

Damn it, when I said charge, I meant everyone together, not just you alone!

As everyone knows, a great sword charge has to have the troops move in unison to be most effective. Because a great sword, after all, doesn't have as broad an attack range as a long spear. If you charge ahead into the enemy ranks first, and the ones to your left and right don't keep up, you'll have to deal with enemies on your front, left, and right at the same time... The death rate in such a situation is outrageously high.

The Highland Swordsmen had fought together countless times and naturally developed a tacit understanding of such charges. If one's speed was too fast, and they saw their comrades lagging behind, they would immediately adjust their pace to ensure that the collective force hit the enemy like a wave, smashing into them in perfect unison.

However, this guy was an outsider and obviously didn't have the Highland Swordsman's tacit understanding. He had fallen out of sync with the troops on his very first charge... McGree could swear on his long-deceased great-grandfather's life that this guy was finished.

Aske's figure disappeared among the Ghouls, and the next second, blood splattered...

Wait, not blood! It was the Ghouls' pale green filth!

Several broken limbs and arms with sharp claws were tossed high into the air. Bursting into the enemy crowd, Aske swung his long spear rapidly around himself, the immense force severing the Ghouls around him at the waist, clearing a "safe zone" with a radius of two meters.

Next, the long spear in his hands vanished, replaced by two enormous shields.

The Ghouls swept aside by the long spear fell to the ground, and the Iron Armor-clad Skeleton troops behind them had already extended their arms to bend their bows, the flames flickering within their skull sockets locking onto Aske.

These Iron Armor-clad Skeleton troops were all equipped with bone bows and arrows. Strange patterns enhanced their arm bones, seeming to possess extreme hardness and flexibility, allowing them to pull the bone bows to an exaggerated extent.

Fingers released, bowstrings twanged, and Bone Arrows shot through the air like rain, screeching eerily as they flew.

The Metal Shields that Aske conjured with his Conceptual Weapon, about two fingers thick, couldn't withstand the volley of Bone Arrows and were instantly riddled like a honeycomb—clearly, these arrowheads weren't made of ordinary bone.

"Retreat!" McGree suddenly roared with all his might.

The Highland Swordsmen didn't hesitate to turn and run, sprinting madly back.

They had realized in terror that these Skeleton troops weren't like the low-level Undead Army from yesterday, which only engaged in close combat; these were a new type of troop with exaggerated long-range killing abilities. Such Bone Arrows... couldn't be blocked even by Metal Shields, and if they hit them, each arrow would undoubtedly create a bloody hole.

If it weren't for that mercenary who'd rushed into the enemy ranks first, revealing the might of these new Skeleton troops, the Highland Swordsmen would have suffered heavy losses this time.

Then, the thunderous sound of gunfire began again, as the Dragon Lobster gunmen had already fired their bullets, punching numerous gaps in the dense ranks of the Ghouls and Skeleton archers.

"Turn around! Turn around!" Squad Leader Eric's voice also rang out urgently.

If the Highground Swordsmen didn't turn and engage the Undead Spirit in close combat to buy time for the Lobster Gunners to reload, then the Golden Bird Mercenary Group would have no choice but to retreat.

Given that the Undead Army ahead had numerous Skeleton Archers and swiftly running Ghouls, such a retreat was likely to devolve into a catastrophic collapse with heavy casualties, perhaps even the whole squad being annihilated.

McGree, of course, also thought of this, which raised the question:

Would he prefer to be a coward shot in the back with arrows, or to die like a man charging forward?

With the temperament of the Highground Swordsmen, there was no need to even consider it.

He was about to bellow, "Follow me and turn to charge!" when he saw Aske's figure speed past him again, darting towards the Lobster Gunners' rear position, shocking him so much he almost bit his tongue.

"Come back!" McGree cried out instinctively.

His "come back" was just an instinctual shout, like a police officer likes to yell "freeze" when chasing a thief, even though both parties know it's a futile phrase that no one will heed.

However, Aske actually turned around, causing the surrounding Highground Swordsmen to halt as well—they were uncertain whom McGree's words were meant for, but considering the Lobster Gunners' reloading time, it was indeed the moment for them to turn back and intercept the Undead.

So, bizarrely, the Highground Swordsmen's advance halted for a moment before they turned again, shouting loudly as they hurled themselves at the Undead.

This time, it was to hold the Undead at the cost of their lives, to win a chance for their comrades to shoot!

"Why the hell are you here?!" McGree couldn't help but roar at Aske, who was accompanying him in the charge.

"Ran back!" Aske shouted back.

McGree: ????

How could I not know you ran back? What I'm asking is, how the fuck did you manage to run back? Weren't those Skeleton Archers supposed to shoot you full of holes like a hedgehog?

Even though McGree was touched and felt a rare sense of kinship with the guy who had decided to turn and charge with the Highground Swordsmen, hearing Aske's response instantly dissipated his fondness, with only one thought crossing his mind:

As a Transcendent, this guy managed to easily escape from the encirclement of the Undead; he's not as simple as he seems…

In fact, if Eleanor and the others were here, they would immediately recognize Aske's escape tactic:

Pulling out two Great Shields to envelop himself at the center, thus shielding from outside observation.

Seizing the opportunity to be out of the line of sight, he activated the "Ambush" Law Skill speedily, then abandoned the Shields and left.

Originally, the Shields were propped on the ground, and as Aske released the handgrips, a volley of Bone Arrows broke through the Shield faces before they could even tilt and fall to the ground.

Therefore, even when the Shields hit the ground, everyone's first thought would be that they were shot down by Bone Arrows, rather than considering that the person who had been holding them wasn't there at all.

As for Aske, who had activated "Ambush," as long as he didn't interact with anyone, he wouldn't reveal his presence. Thus he rapidly escaped from the Undead encirclement and invisibly returned to the ranks of the Highground Swordsmen.

As for how he managed to extricate himself at such a rapid pace without coming into contact with any Undead, probably only he knew.

What's called pro-level positioning, huh?

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