CLANG—!!
Lin Xiyue felt like a cannonball as she slammed into the massive shield of an Elite Skeleton Guard.
The immense impact sent a numbing shock through her arm. In that instant, the Holy Light enveloping Immovable Mountain dimmed noticeably.
Damn it! So tough!
Lin Xiyue cursed inwardly.
This thing was unlike any undead she had ever faced. Its skeleton seemed forged from refined steel, and its strength was terrifying.
Her Holy Shield Charge would have shattered an ordinary monster to pieces.
But this Skeleton Guard merely staggered back two steps before steadying itself. The soulfire in its hollow eye sockets locked onto her with deadly focus.
Nearby, the Shield Warrior Wang Lei was in a similar predicament.
Instead of a charge, he had used the more stable Shield Bash, but the result was only a slight wobble from another Skeleton Guard's shield.
"These are Elite Monsters! Frontline, hold the line! Backline, unleash your damage!"
Wang Lei's roar was steady and powerful, instantly bringing order to the chaotic scene.
Even without his command, the others had already sprung into action.
"Taste Grandpa's fireball!"
Zhao Shihao raised his hands high. A Blazing Fireball, larger than a basketball and trailing an orange-red tail of flame, roared through the air and smashed into the heart of the skeleton defensive line.
BOOM!
The fiery explosion bathed the entire plaza in an orange-red glow.
Shattered bone fragments flew everywhere. The two Skeleton Guards directly hit by the blast were blown to smithereens.
But their comrades nearby merely staggered from the shockwave before raising their shields again.
"Tch, these boneheads are surprisingly blast-resistant."
Zhao Shihao clicked his tongue, but his hands never stopped moving. A continuous stream of smaller fireballs shot out, precisely striking the skeletons' joints and weak points.
Simultaneously, an ice-blue ray shot from the side, accurately freezing the legs of the rightmost Skeleton Guard.
It was the Ice Mage, Jiang Xue.
Without a word, she tapped her staff, and sheets of frost spread across the ground, significantly slowing the Skeleton Guards' attempt to encircle them.
The male Mage from the Standard Squad was a rare Order Mage. With a wave of his staff, a pale blue aura enveloped several Skeleton Guards, visibly slowing their bone sword swings.
SWISH! SWISH!
Two shadowy figures, like phantoms, darted through the openings created by their teammates.
It was the female Assassin from Zhao Shihao's team and the male Assassin from the Standard Squad.
Their daggers gleamed with deadly cold light, aimed exclusively at the skeletons' necks and soulfires.
CRACK!
The female Assassin's movements were more agile. With a swift slide, she circled behind a skeleton, her twin daggers striking simultaneously. She viciously plunged them into its eye sockets and twisted sharply!
The Soul Fire shattered.
The tall Skeleton Guard's body stiffened, then collapsed into a pile of bones with a clatter.
Their coordination was flawless.
These people truly are the top elites from their respective schools, Lin Qingyue thought.
Even though this was their first time teaming up, their combat instincts were terrifyingly sharp.
Everyone knew their role—when to deal damage, when to control the enemy, and when to fill gaps—all without needing much verbal communication.
Lin Qingyue stood at the rear of the battlefield, still clad in the cringe-inducing Bard's Performance Outfit.
She hadn't deactivated the Character Card yet.
A profound exhaustion was seeping into her from every limb.
Flying at high speed with eleven people in tow had drained her mental and physical stamina far more than she'd anticipated. That single maneuver had nearly depleted half her energy.
Damn, flying people around is exhausting, Lin Qingyue grumbled inwardly. But at least Venti's abilities are still active. The way things are going, I might need to use his Elemental Burst to clear the field later. I'll watch and see for now.
Her gaze swept rapidly across the battlefield.
The Elite Skeleton Guards at the front were tough, but under the combined assault of ten top-tier examinees, their defeat was only a matter of time.
The real trouble was behind them.
ROAR—!
GRAW—!
At the plaza's edge, the undead army—those thrown behind by the wind field—had already swarmed in, forming a dense, dark mass.
Slow-moving Zombies, Skeleton Soldiers wielding tattered swords, and Gargoyles circling overhead, occasionally diving down...
They numbered in the hundreds, even thousands, packed so tightly that the stench of death and decay alone would have suffocated an ordinary person.
"In the air! Watch out!" the Greatsword Warrior named Mo Chen suddenly shouted.
Everyone looked up. Several Gargoyles with wingspans exceeding three meters shrieked piercingly as they flew over the frontline, diving straight for the Mages and Priests at the rear.
"Courting death!" Zhao Shihao snorted. With a flick of his staff, the fireballs originally aimed at the Skeleton Guards instantly changed direction, streaking toward the sky as lines of fire.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The fireballs exploded against the Gargoyles, sending stone fragments flying.
These flying units were far more fragile than the skeletons on the ground. Struck in their vital points, they disintegrated mid-air, crashing down as heavy piles of stone.
Jiang Xue acted simultaneously, launching an Ice Cone Spell at another Gargoyle. Though it didn't kill the creature instantly, it coated its wings in thick frost, slowing its movements to a crawl.
"Nice one!"
Wang Lei roared. Seizing the opportunity, he lunged forward and viciously smashed the edge of his shield into the skeleton's knee.
Crack!
The crisp sound of bone shattering echoed through the air.
The Elite Skeleton Guard stumbled, dropping to one knee and revealing a fatal opening.
"Now's the time!" Lin Xiyue's eyes lit up as the [Dawn's Light] in her hand erupted with brilliant Holy Light.
"Judgment!"
A phantom golden light sword descended from the sky, piercing the skeleton's skull with perfect accuracy.
The absolute power of Holy Light against the undead was on full display.
The stubborn soulfire, scorched by the sacred flames, couldn't even struggle before it was utterly annihilated.
With a thud, another Elite Skeleton Guard collapsed into a pile of bones.
The battle was turning in their favor.
Yet Lin Qingyue's heart sank.
She saw the situation more clearly than anyone else.
The Elite Guards were dwindling, but the undead tide at the perimeter was closing in relentlessly.
Jiang Xue's Ice Wall already showed several cracks. With each undead assault, the wall's glow dimmed a little more.
Her face was pale, a clear sign she had expended a great deal of mana.
Zhao Shihao's fireballs remained fierce, but against the endless sea of undead, his attacks were like tossing pebbles into a lake—they barely made a splash and did nothing to halt the advancing tide.
"No! There are too many! We can't hold them back!" the Priest from the Standard Squad cried in panic.
He had just used an [Exorcism Spell] to purify a Zombie that had broken through the Ice Wall, but in the next instant, three more Zombies clambered over their fallen comrade's corpse and lunged at him.
"Fall back! Contract the defensive line toward the church entrance!" Wang Lei ordered decisively.
But the church doors were sealed shut. They were trapped in this small plaza.
"Damn it! These bastards are fighting like madmen!" Zhao Shihao cursed as he unleashed another spell. "At this rate, we'll be worn down and killed sooner or later!"
Everyone's hearts sank to the pit of their stomachs.
The brief joy of escaping the encirclement had vanished, replaced by a deeper, more profound despair.
They were like people stranded on a lone island, watching helplessly as the black tide rose higher and higher, about to swallow their last foothold.
Lin Xiyue retreated to Lin Qingyue's side, her shield held firm before her sister. "Sis, what do we do?" she asked nervously. "We're about to be surrounded!"
Lin Qingyue's gaze passed over the crowd, locking onto the massive wooden church doors carved with intricate patterns.
The only path to survival lay behind those doors.
But the dozen or so meters between them and the entrance were about to be completely overrun by the undead.
She had to find a way—a method to instantly clear this area and buy everyone enough time to rush through the doors.
The image of the green-clad youth flashed through her mind again, along with his ultimate skill—the one that could create the eye of a storm and sweep away everything in its path.
Wind's Grand Ode.
It was their only way out of this predicament.
But the cost of using that skill would be astronomical.
Once she unleashed it, she would likely collapse from exhaustion, completely losing her ability to fight.
Is it worth it?
For this group of "temporary teammates" I've known for less than half an hour?
Lin Qingyue glanced at her sister beside her.
Lin Xiyue's young face was etched with anxiety, but her eyes burned with unwavering resolve. She stood like a wall, an immovable shield protecting her.
She glanced at the others.
Wang Lei's shield was riddled with claw marks and gashes, yet he held his ground, fighting desperately.
Zhao Shihao's forehead was drenched in sweat, but the fireballs he hurled never ceased.
Jiang Xue's lips were drained of color, but frost still gathered at her fingertips.
Everyone was fighting for their lives.
"Damn it all... I'm going for it," Lin Qingyue cursed inwardly.
We're all in the same boat anyway. If they fall, Xiyue and I won't survive either. Besides...
A faint, almost imperceptible smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
Seeing the stunned looks on their faces... that feeling might actually be pretty satisfying, huh?
In that moment, the thrill-seeking gene buried deep in her bones completely overshadowed her concern for her stamina.
Her chest rose and fell as she forced down her exhaustion and took a step forward.
A clear, melodious voice, like the chime of a wind bell, rang out across the chaotic battlefield.
"Everyone, please fall back behind me~"