I stared in shock as the skeletons gathered by the lake scooped up wisps of white mist from the water, as if fishing. They held the mist in their hands and quickly began to assemble more skeletons. Cartloads of human bones were hauled over and piled up behind them, and they started piecing together one skeleton after another.
A rumbling noise echoed around. I looked to the left, where flashes of fire kept flaring up. The clanging of metal rang out—it sounded like weapons were being forged.
Some of the taller skeletons waited anxiously. All the skeletons by the lake wore gray cloth uniforms marked with the character '工'—the symbol of the Quartermaster Workshop.
After assembling the skeletons, they immediately injected the scooped-up white mist into them. The skeletons sprang to life.
"Soldier, report to the Quartermaster Workshop and collect your weapon."
A giant skeleton shouted, and the newly animated skeleton headed down a narrow path to the left. The entire skeleton assembly site was as large as a football field. Looking again at the flag—the Western Standard—beneath the character for 'West' was an image of a woman being beheaded, eerily resembling Yuna Ji.
"Move quickly! The front line is under pressure and we need more troops. Once we break through Rose Fortress, our Western Legion will be the first among the five armies to invade Yuna Ji's heartland and seize the Dog Emperor's head."
My heart skipped a beat—we were almost there. At that moment, I felt a current pulling me closer to the lake. As soon as I reached the lake's edge, a craftsman grabbed me and hoisted me up.
The skeletal craftsman in front of me cocked its head, jaw clacking as if puzzled.
"What are you doing?"
The giant skeleton that had been shouting came over. He wore heavy armor, but the styles were all mixed together, as if the pieces had been patched from different kinds of gear.
"Boss, this guy doesn’t seem to be a ghost. He’s got a physical body."
"Soldier, stand up."
I yelped, and the giant skeleton grabbed my head with one hand, pulling me over and placing me beside the queue of skeletons being revived—right next to the area where the clanging of metal was nonstop.
"Doesn’t matter if you have a physical body or not. Listen up: once you enter our Western Camp, you’re a soldier—a tool for battle. Nothing more. If you understand, go get your weapon, soldier."
I mumbled in response, helpless, and could only follow a skeleton down the narrow path to the left. As soon as I entered, I was stunned: on both sides of the straight road stood massive buildings constructed from bones. Everywhere, skeletons were busy, the clanging of metal constant. They handed out freshly forged swords, spears, and hammers, equipping each skeleton with weapons and armor according to their build.
The taller skeletons were outfitted with heavy armor, large shields, and bayonets. The shorter ones got light gear, round shields, and knives. Those with long arms received spears, and those with long legs were given bows and arrows.
Weapons of all kinds were distributed in an orderly fashion. I watched in amazement. My arrival drew attention from both sides—because I was nearly 1.8 meters tall, they outfitted me with chainmail, a short sword, and a shield, clearly meant for charging.
Shoulder plates, helmet, foot guards, and cheap chainmail—all sorts of gear were fitted onto me by the skeletons on both sides. Though the sizes weren’t perfect, it was decent enough. I glanced around and saw armor and mist from all different eras.
After leaving the weapon distribution area, I was stunned to see rows of skeletons, fully equipped, marching toward the distant mountains under the command of giant skeletons on horseback.
Just a glance at this formation, and the numbers had to be in the tens of thousands. I swallowed nervously, wanting to ask someone about it, but the skeletons nearby stared blankly ahead. Even if I tried to speak to them, they ignored me—probably because they’d just been created.
Thinking it over, I decided to just follow the troops. After all, their goal was to take Yuna Ji’s head—if I stuck with them, I’d see it happen. I didn’t know the area at all, and didn’t want to wander around aimlessly like a headless fly. With my mind made up, I marched on with the skeletons.
In the distance lay a vast plain, and at its edge, endless mountains. I walked for a long time with the army, realizing these troops really were as disciplined as the ones you see in real life or on TV.
They obeyed the commands of the giant skeletons stationed throughout the army. We reached the plains, and there at the edge, I saw towering Bone Outposts. Even from this distance, they were clearly visible—so tall that their height was unmistakable.
Just then, black smoke suddenly began to billow from the Bone Outpost on the right.
"It’s the enemy’s Vulture Squadron! Soldiers, raise your shields! Archers, move to the right and prepare!"
A chorus of shouts rang out. I stared in surprise as a swarm of black dots, like flies, moved toward us from the distance.
In perfect unison, the skeletons—whether heavily or lightly armored—raised their shields. I obediently crouched down, while the archers moved to the right. Some skeletons with heavy shields slotted themselves among the archers, raising their shields and leaving just enough space for the archers to shoot.
The flying things drew nearer and nearer. I saw they were vultures, each nearly two meters long, ridden by skeleton archers with quivers and bows.
"Ready!"
The giant skeleton drew his blade with a swift motion, raising it high, while the archers on the ground nocked their arrows.
"Fire!"
At the giant skeleton’s shout, a volley of arrows filled the sky. Among the skeletons riding vultures, I spotted one much larger than the rest—his vulture was twice the size of the others, and a pink command banner was stuck in his back.
The giant skeleton immediately brandished the command banner, waving it back and forth. The vultures behind him, under the skeletons’ control, soared higher, dodging the rain of arrows, then dove down in a sudden attack.
"Archers, prepare for a second volley!"
But then, to my shock, the arrows nocked by the skeletons on the vultures looked strange—clustered together. Suddenly, a storm of green arrows rained down from above.
Suddenly, explosions erupted with loud bangs. I watched in shock as the arrows falling from the sky burst like bombs, blooming on impact.
The skeletons on the ground shattered, dissolving into wisps of green smoke and vanishing. The dead skeletons disappeared batch by batch, just like that.
The explosions kept going, one after another.
"Do not fear! Take up your weapons! Archers, fire!"
After shouting his command, the giant skeleton was blown apart by an explosion, his armor scattered across the ground. Strangely, only the bodies of the dead skeletons vanished—their weapons and armor remained.
The vultures flying overhead were shot down, turning into green particles and drifting away. The fallen skeleton archers were quickly dismembered by nearby skeletons and vanished as well.
All around, I heard shouts and screams, but the vulture-mounted skeletons in the sky kept dropping explosives. The casualties were severe, wave after wave, until less than half of the vulture skeletons remained—they finally retreated. The ground was a mess.
Weapons and armor were scattered everywhere. Then, a chorus of howls rose up.
"The remaining soldiers, gather up and move out! Hurry to the battlefield—victory will be ours!"
A thunderous shout echoed. We hadn’t been hit too hard, since we were closer to the mountains. Looking back, I finally noticed bone bunkers dotting the mountainside—inside were giant skeletons manning crossbows.
We kept marching downward, when a well-dressed giant skeleton rode up on a pack of leopards.
"What’s the casualty count?"
"Sir, about 8,000 casualties."
"Damn that General Pink Feather—so vicious! This is the seventh time they’ve attacked our supply line. Order the troops to reach the battlefield within one day!"
The skeleton riding leopards sped off, and then a giant skeleton ordered all the troops to advance at a run.
I could only run along with them. My plan was to head straight to Rose Fortress at the front lines and look for General Pink Feather—she should be able to take me to Yuna Ji.
"Soldiers, do not fear death! You were born to kill the enemy. On this decaying land, the only goal is to fight. Under the rule of corrupt tyrants, struggle is the only way—kill every enemy, kill every enemy..."
A giant skeleton marched back and forth, shouting the slogan. I stared in surprise, and gradually, more and more skeletons joined in the chant.
We marched and shouted all the way, morale high. I smiled bitterly.
"What did Yuna Ji do to make people hate her so much?"
I couldn’t help but sigh, raising my hand and waving along with the skeletons as we ran and chanted.