Desolate World

But, Mars gave Ace and the shadows a condition that the evolution stone must immediately be used. Mars forbade them to keep them, as he didn't want any of them to hold a dangerous weapon that could cause massive destruction.

Hearing that, Ace immediately regarded the evolution stone as a weapon of mass destruction, the same as nuclear weapons. Sofia also confirmed it. If this evolution stone was used to activate an ultimate skill of a lord, the destruction that was caused would be so massive and deathly even to another lord.

At that moment, Ace realized that this operation was no longer a mission to kill a lord, but it turned into a mission to prevent the undead from holding five dangerous weapons.

He didn't know if the undead had spare evolution stones, but at least they could reduce the threat of the undead by getting them. 

Besides guardians, they also succeeded in resurrecting around 3,500 of the low-level skeletons. It definitely was not easy. As the buried skeletons were scattered around the vast prairie. Ace had to thank Eric, Erica, and Uriel who had gathered more than 1,100 of the skeletons' remains by themselves. The rest was from the joint effort of the guardians and the members of Night Guilds.

The reason for them to get so many skeletons was because the skeletons were so sensitive toward the presence of living creatures. If there were living creatures entering a 10 meters area from the place they were buried, they would appear immediately and then attack the living creatures.

The only problem and could also be called something convenient for Ace and the others was that the skeletons usually formed a group around 30 to 50 numbers. It became a problem because facing such a large number of skeletons was very difficult to do by a small party. You needed to have at least a complete party that consisted of 15 melee combat professionals, 10 range combat professionals, and 5 healers to deal with them.

But it was also convenient as they didn't have to waste too much time to find the skeletons.

Back to the battlefield.

Finding the ghouls had started to join the battle, Ace then prepared his ice bullet. His target was a ghoul guardian that only had level 23.

*Bam*

-2004

It knocked down the running ghoul. It also took more than 60% of his HP. It definitely shocked him, as he was then just sitting on the ground with a blank expression. It also alarmed the other guardians, even the ghoul lord. They then looked around to find where the attack came from. However, they couldn't find him, as after launching the attack, he then hid his body at the back of the battlement. 

What Ace had just launched was just an ordinary ice bullet. He didn't want to waste his enhanced ice bullet that could only be used once per 24 hours too early. 

Actually, his shot was just a signal. After that, Hunt the light mage, Uriel, Andrea, and many long-range guardians like archers, elementalists, and even the shadow priests began to rain the zombies and ghouls with arrows and spells from the battlement above the town wall.

Hunt's spell 'light shower' could annihilate some zombies that had low levels. The healers including Andrea didn't want to lose. Their layered AoE healing spells enveloped dozens of foremost zombies and killed them instantly. 

The surprise attacks seemed to shock Vesper, the elite ghouls, Hugo, and the other guardians. They never imagined that in a few seconds, dozens of zombies that had level 10 to 20 were killed just like that.

They had never seen anything like that. As they had never encountered healing spells before. Actually, they had, but they never met a situation where healing spells were targeted at enemies. In the undead invasion towards the human kingdoms, they had met many healers on the battlefield. 

But, at that time, no healer tried to target their healing spell toward the undead. They only used the spells to heal the injured allies. And in the healing spells, there wasn't a term 'misdirection'. Because it was not an area-based spell but a target-based spell. 

Even if a healer launched an AoE healing spell to some allies in an area, it wouldn't incidentally heal the enemies that were fighting with his or her allies. Because, the healing spell only healed the people that the healer intentionally targeted from the start.

And in the war between the undead and humans or other races that had healer-type professions, no healer ever intentionally healed an undead, because of that, Vesper and his subordinates were really surprised at the damages that were caused by the shadow priests. 

But, that's not all. When they knew that there were many shadows above the town wall, they were more shocked. Like Hugo, they had doubts, why there were skeletons that attacked them together with living races. At the moment they saw twenty shadows among the living people on top of the town wall, their doubt turned into hatred. They became sure that they were betrayed by their fellow undead.

Vesper looked really angry. He then roared to vent his emotion.

*Roarrr*

Seeing that a gap was created between the skeletons and the zombies, Ace gave a signal to Varel, Abdu, and Zaen.

Varel the gnome earth mage then stood up on the gap among the battlements and tried to create a 3 meters thick, 5 meters high, and 10 meters wide earth wall separating the skeletons and the zombies.

While Varel was creating the earth wall, the two gnome golem masters Abdu and Zaen started to summon their earth golems directly in front of the earth wall to prevent the zombies from disturbing the creation of the earth wall.

Then, in front of the earth wall, 40 human-sized humanoids battle golems were summoned. In front of them, 10 five meters tall battle golems that were created from stones also appeared. They were like statues, just standing there without showing any movement.

Battle golems, like the light golems that were summoned by Sofia by summoning scrolls, have little self-awareness. They were like robots that people could program, and like robots, they had little emotions. 

But, it didn't mean they were not living creatures. As they also had instincts. If they were attacked, they would fight back and even if they fully obeyed their master, they would refuse to kill themselves. 

And what was special about the golem was they couldn't be completely killed. Because, once their bodies were destroyed, their souls would come back to the elemental realm to rebuild their bodies. 

In this aspect, golems were really similar to guardians. As they were also summoned from a different world and they would revive after they died.

Ace then recalled that Sofia had said that the guardians were actually soulless golems that had bodies similar to the races in this world. 

However, the golems' way to grow stronger wasn't like guardians'. As guardians just like the people in the world, needed the experience to grow stronger, The golems on the other hand needed to upgrade their souls to the next level to be stronger. And the only way for them to upgrade their souls was by absorbing mana from this world. Because of that reason, they were willing to be summoned to this world by summoning scrolls or by golem masters.

Seeing the golems, Varel said, "Crush them!" 

So, the zombies, ghoul guardians, and elite ghouls started to move forward to face the earth golems. However, it wouldn't be easy, as from the top of the town wall, the range attackers always rained them with arrows and spells.

The range attackers from zombies, elite ghouls, and ghoul guardians had tried to return fire to the enemies on top of the town wall, but because of the elevation difference between them, it was difficult for them to target their enemies. 

As for destroying the stone walls. it would take some time for them to be succeeded. And they didn't have time for that.

When they had been a few meters away from the golems, the golems finally took action. The big golems then raised the big wooden maces in their hands and swung them downward to the zombies in front of them.

*Bang*

They instantly killed the few zombies in front of them, but the shockwaves made the rest of the zombies fall down. After that, the 40 human-sized golems behind them started to make a line of battle formation with the big ones. They raised their shields to block any zombies' attacks and used their battle axes to attack the zombies.

From above, Ace nodded his head. Finding one line of defense of the golems that could withstand more than a thousand zombies, ghouls, and guardians, for the time being, made him amazed. With the constant healing from the shadow priests that targeted the golems and zombies at the same time, two different effects occurred. 

For the zombies, the spells were a nightmare, because they received double damages from the spell. As for the golems, they were a blessing, as their HP always stayed above 80% because of the healing spells. 

Ace then realized that the earth wall had been completed. He then saw Varel was drinking a blue potion to replenish his MP.

"Good, the first phase of our plan is complete. Everyone, let's go down!" Ace then shouted.

He then jumped the five meters town wall, while Varel made earthen stairs so everyone could go down easily.

After landing behind the golems, he then called all guardians, including his brother via the party channel, <Everyone, it's the time for phase two of our plan. 

Brother, you can start leading everyone to launch the full offensive to the skeletons.

Kill them all!>

***