Chapter 1031: Heat
Everyone's faces were grim. They all understood that there was simply no way to beat these undead—Sky Rank ghosts leading charges, Sky Rank Death Shamans commanding them, and the endless waves of orc undead. It was a perfect combination.
Perfect enough to crush them completely. Right now, the undead can't pin them down, and their spells can easily tear apart swathes of orc undead, shredding them into piles of broken bones.
But everyone knew that, in the end, they'd be dragged to death. No living creature in this world can outlast the undead. These tireless, hungerless, sleepless undead could chase them for decades...
They could chase them around this plane for dozens of laps, never changing—still full of energy, never irritable, never showing any negative emotions. They won't stop until they've torn them apart.
But the group are living, breathing people. After ten days or half a month of being chased, their mana would run dry, or they'd simply collapse from exhaustion.
That's the terrifying part about the undead. Throughout history, nearly every Sky Rank mage killed by undead was dragged to death like this—cases of being killed outright by Sky Rank undead are extremely rare.
Everyone's faces were ugly. It hadn't been long, but the group's mana was already running low. At this rate, in at most two days, people would start falling.
Diras's face was pale, but he suddenly noticed Leon's calm expression. He sneered and made a suggestion to the group.
"We can't keep going like this. We're being hunted relentlessly, there's no way to escape. We'll just keep getting chased and killed."
Among these undead, there are not only undead wolf riders but also skeletal wyverns. Unless we put enough distance between us and them, there's no escaping their pursuit.
If we keep running, we'll all be dragged to death.
Diras's words immediately won everyone's agreement. It was the plain truth—if they couldn't shake off these undead, they'd die here sooner or later.
Dida La's face was tense as he waved his hand.
"Sir Diras, if you have any suggestions, just say them. At a time like this, we need to make a change."
Diras sneered, his face gloomy as he glanced at Leon.
"The real root of our crisis is that we can't shake off these undead. As long as we lose them, keep them from catching us, or hide somewhere they can't find, our crisis is solved.
But to do that, we need to put enough distance between us and the undead army. Gathering together won't work—we'll have to split up, leave some behind to cover the retreat and hold the undead off for a while.
If you ask me, the Greendale group is the weakest. They're the most suitable to stay behind and cover our retreat."
Immediately, the Greendale group erupted in fury. Leon sneered, finally understanding what this fool was up to.
"Idiot, why the hell don't you stay behind and cover the retreat?"
No one was stupid—everyone knew that staying behind to cover the retreat was the most dangerous job. The rear guard wouldn't just be fighting as they retreated; they'd have to hold off the undead for a stretch.
The chance of being completely surrounded by undead was extremely high. Once that happened, it was certain death.
Calling it 'covering the retreat' was just a nicer way of saying 'cannon fodder.' The longer they fought and distracted the undead army, the more time the others had to escape.
Given the habits of undead, they'd have to kill every last member of the rear guard before chasing after the rest.
After Diras made his suggestion, no one from Odin Kingdom objected.
Each wore an odd expression—they clearly agreed. As long as they weren't the ones staying behind as cannon fodder, they were fine with it. Let the Greendale group die for all they cared.
Heron and his group were shocked and angry, but kept silent, waiting for Leon to speak. Their strength was too weak, and they'd suffered heavy losses. Greendale only had nine people left—less than half of Odin Kingdom's numbers.
In Greendale, the only one who could speak on equal footing with Odin Kingdom was Leon.
Diras tested the waters, and seeing no objections from Odin Kingdom, his tone grew righteous and self-important.
"You're the weakest, so naturally you should cover the retreat. Everyone has their own role—I'll use shadow magic to protect our withdrawal. I can't erase our presence or life signals, but I can lower them to the minimum and block the undead's detection. That way, everyone can escape."
If we want to escape and hide, we need to mask all traces and signals. Only Skyhold Fortress can do that. When danger arises, Lord Dida La will clear the way so no one slows down the retreat.
As for changing the terrain, that's Dunespire Tower's specialty. The materials for setting up arrays can only be gathered by the Henry Family and the royal family.
What can you do? Nothing. You're still the weakest—besides covering the retreat, what else are you good for?
If you can't even do that, you're useless. You don't deserve to retreat with us!"
The Greendale group erupted in anger. Hubert grinned viciously at Diras, while Anderson sneered.
Over on the Odin Kingdom side, the royal family looked at the Greendale group and sneered. The Dunespire Tower mages said nothing. Rafael from Skyhold Fortress was indifferent—no matter who covered the retreat, it wouldn't be their problem.
Morgan and Arno of the Henry Family looked awkward but kept silent. Dida La frowned, saying nothing.
Leon sneered.
"As far as I know, the Shadow Cloak can turn into a dome of darkness. You alone could handle the rear guard. These brainless undead creatures wouldn't have the power to break out of its range."