...
The sight sent a thrill coursing through Lynch.
A Tier One Netherworld Skeleton Soldier like Bone Jade would be considered mere fodder, easily swept aside by an Angel Sentinel or a High Tier Sister of Holy Light.
But in this small swamp, it was the undisputed...
Bone Jade, the Skeleton King!!!
The other Fishmen weren't faring any better.
Their crude bone spears and shell-honed weapons were utterly useless against the overwhelming number of Skeletons. All they could do was desperately parry, with no opportunity to strike back.
After finishing off the burly Fishman, Bone Jade charged into the fray like a tiger pouncing on a flock of sheep. Every swing of its Bone Knife was met with the agonized shriek of a Fishman as it fell.
Just a minute or two later.
Only five mutilated Fishman corpses remained on the shallows, their dark red blood turning the muddy flats even slicker.
In contrast, while Lynch's eight Skeleton Servants had sustained some damage, it was nothing more than a few minor bone fractures. With a small infusion of Lynch's Mana, they would be quickly restored.
As for Bone Jade, it stood proudly on the battlefield, Bone Knife in hand, radiating an air of smug dominance.
Seeing Bone Jade's outstanding performance, Lynch decided not to even bother using his Weakness Curse, conserving his Mana instead.
Gazing at the carnage of Fishman corpses and his Skeleton Army, which now emanated a grim, chilling aura after being blooded...
A powerful sense of satisfaction surged through Lynch.
This was the power of a Necromancer!
No need to risk his own life. He just had to stand back and command his Undead Army—fearless, deathless, and absolutely loyal—to crush any and all enemies.
For now, it was only a small squad of Skeleton Servants led by a single Tier One Netherworld Skeleton.
But it was, without a doubt, a wonderful start.
Lynch then glanced at the five fresh Fishman corpses on the shallows.
These Fishmen were pathetically weak. They weren't much of a threat when alive, so the Skeleton Servants raised from their corpses would be the worst of the worst—the dregs of cannon fodder.
But every little bit counts. For a Necromancer in desperate need of troops, there was no reason to be wasteful.
"Bone Jade, pile them together."
Following the order, Bone Jade immediately went to work, directing its Skeleton Servants to drag the five Fishman corpses to a drier clearing.
Lynch then raised his sinister Magic Staff once more, aimed it at the pile of Fishman corpses, and began chanting the incantation for the Skeleton Resurrection Skill.
WHOOSH—
A ghastly white light enveloped the corpses.
CRACK! POP! SQUELCH!
The sound of bursting flesh and blood echoed.
Five Fishman Skeleton Servants, each only half the height of a man, staggered to their feet. Their thin bones looked so fragile a strong gust of wind could shatter them.
'Tsk, just as I thought.' Lynch curled his lip in disgust. 'Skeletons of this quality are only good for cannon fodder.'
'Oh well. Even a roll of toilet paper has its uses.'
Lynch ordered the new Fishman Skeletons to pick up their old weapons, then led his newly expanded "grand army" deeper into the fishery.
This was the classic Necromancer combat style—nothing fancy or complicated.
There was only one strategy: advance, and keep advancing.
Next, Lynch's forces encountered three more small waves of Fishmen, in groups ranging from three or four to as many as six or seven.
The battles were completely predictable.
Before Lynch's burgeoning Skeleton Army, these low-intelligence swamp creatures posed no threat whatsoever.
The fights were little more than one-sided slaughters, entirely unremarkable.
After each battle, Lynch would repeat the process, converting the fresh Fishman corpses into new Fishman Skeleton Servants.
Snowballing his forces this way, by the time the group penetrated the fishery's core region, the total size of Lynch's Undead Army had surpassed thirty Skeletons.
The mass of Skeletons, now gathered into a single group, was starting to look like a proper military unit.
However, a problem soon followed.
Lynch gradually felt a swelling pressure in his mind, and his thoughts grew sluggish.
Maintaining mental links with over thirty Skeleton Servants at once was too great a strain on his current power level.
But there was a solution for this kind of problem.
Otherwise, how could Necromancers ever hope to command a Sea of Skulls or unleash an Undead Calamity?
After a brief experiment, Lynch delegated full command of the twenty-odd Fishman Skeletons to Bone Jade.
A Netherworld Skeleton with a Soul Fire naturally possesses rank suppression and Commanding Power over Low Tier Skeletons. The stronger its Soul Fire, the more subordinate Undead Skeletons it can command.
He, in turn, maintained his mental link with the eight Humanoid Skeletons, keeping them close to act as his personal Skeleton Guard.
'These are the ones I paid for, after all. At a whole Gold Coin per corpse, it would hurt to lose even one of them.'
Once he had divided the command authority, Lynch felt the mental strain lift instantly, and his mood brightened considerably.
Of course, this approach had its downsides.
Namely, he could no longer micromanage the individual Fishman Skeletons; their actions would be directed solely by Bone Jade's instincts.
And given Bone Jade's current intelligence—dumber than a dog's, really—the limit of its tactical ability was leading simple "charges" and "swarms."
But that was enough.
Against the equally mindless Fishmen, a simple steamroll tactic using a Sea of Skulls was often the most effective approach.
Soon, under Lynch's overall command, the Undead Army advanced upon a Fishman camp built by the water's edge.
The camp wasn't large. A few scattered hovels made of mud, reeds, and broken planks dotted the shallows. A thick, fishy smell, mingled with the stench of rotting food scraps, hung heavy in the air.
Evidently, the able-bodied fighters of this Fishman Tribe had already been "conscripted" into Lynch's Undead Army during the earlier series of skirmishes.
Those left in the camp now were likely the old, the weak, and the infirm.
A mission to clear out a Low Tier Fishman camp would normally require a team of apprentices from different disciplines, cooperating in the academy's training hall, to complete.
But for Lynch, a one-man army, he alone was more than enough.
"Bone Jade, attack!"
Lynch didn't bother with tactics; he simply ordered a direct assault.
Bone Jade's Soul Fire flared intensely. Raising its Bone Knife, it led the twenty-odd Fishman Skeletons in a direct charge on the Fishman camp.
Lynch dispatched four of his Humanoid Skeleton Guards to join the charge and assist Bone Jade, while the remaining four stayed by his side to prevent any surprises.
The Fishman camp instantly erupted in chaos.
The remaining Fishmen shrieked in terror, grabbing their crude weapons to mount a desperate resistance.
But against the overwhelming tide of the "Sea of Skulls," their resistance was utterly feeble.
Bone Jade was especially ferocious, charging at the vanguard like an unstoppable general. Every swing of its Bone Knife sent a spray of blood into the air as another Fishman fell.
However, when the Sea of Skulls was only halfway through its charge, the door to the largest hovel in the camp burst open. A particularly burly Fishman chief roared as it stormed out.
It brandished a massive bone club, its muscles bulging with a palpable sense of power.
...