Chapter 1037: Heat
Everyone's faces were grim. They all understood that there was no way to win against these undead. Sky Rank Ghost Behemoths charging, Sky Rank Death Shamans commanding, and the endless tide of orc undead—this combination was flawless.
Flawless enough to crush them completely. Right now, it looked like the undead couldn't hold them in place—their spells could easily tear through swathes of orc undead, reducing them to piles of shattered bones.
But everyone knew that in the end, they'd be dragged to death by sheer exhaustion. In this world, no living creature could outlast the undead. These tireless beings didn't need food, drink, or rest—and could chase for decades if they wanted to...
They could chase them around this plane for dozens of laps and never change in the slightest—still energetic, never irritable, never any negative emotions. They wouldn't stop until they'd torn their prey apart.
But the people here were alive. If they were chased for ten days or half a month, their mana would run dry—or they'd simply drop dead from exhaustion.
That's the terrifying part about the undead. Throughout history, almost every Sky Rank mage killed by undead met their end this way—dragged down by exhaustion. Very few were actually slain by Sky Rank undead directly.
Everyone's faces looked worse by the minute. It hadn't even been that long, but their mana reserves were already running low. At this rate, in two days tops, people would start dropping.
Diras' face was pale. Suddenly, he glanced at Leon, who remained unflinching, and let out a cold laugh before making a suggestion to the group.
"We can't keep going like this. We're being hounded to death, and there's no escaping it. If we keep running, we'll just be hunted down one by one.
There's not just undead wolf cavalry among them, but skeletal wyverns too. Unless we can put enough distance between us and them, there's no way we'll shake off their pursuit.
If we keep running, we'll all be dragged to death."
Diras' words instantly won everyone's agreement. It was just the truth—if they couldn't shake off the undead, they'd die here sooner or later.
Dida La's face was stern as he waved his hand.
"Diras, if you have a suggestion, just say it. At a time like this, we have to make a change."
Diras sneered, his face dark as he glanced at Leon.
"The root of our crisis is that we can't shake off these undead. If we can lose them, keep them from catching up, or hide somewhere they can't find us, our problems would be solved.
But to do that, we need to put some real distance between us and the undead horde. If we all stick together, it won't work—we'll have to split up, leave some people behind to cover the retreat and hold the undead off for a while.
If you ask me, the folks from Greendale are the weakest, so they're the best choice to stay behind and cover our retreat."
Instantly, the people from Greendale erupted in fury. Leon sneered, finally realizing what this idiot was up to.
"Idiot, why the hell don't you stay behind and cover the retreat?"
No one here was stupid. Everyone knew that whoever stayed behind faced the greatest danger. Covering the retreat didn't mean fighting as you fell back—it meant holding off the undead for a stretch of time, no matter what.
The odds of being completely surrounded by the undead were sky-high. And if you were, that was basically a death sentence.
Calling it 'covering the retreat' was just a nice way of saying 'cannon fodder'—meant to draw the undead army's attention. The longer you fought, the more time you bought for everyone else to escape.
Given how these undead operated, they wouldn't stop until they'd killed every last person left behind. Only then would they continue the chase.
After Diras made his suggestion, the Odin Kingdom crowd didn't object at all.
Their expressions were all strange—clearly, they agreed. After all, it wasn't them being asked to stay behind as cannon fodder. As long as they got away, what did it matter if the Greendale folks died?
Heron and the others looked both shocked and furious, but no one spoke up. They were waiting for Leon to say something. Their side was too weak, their losses too heavy. Greendale had only nine survivors left—less than half as many as the Odin Kingdom.
From Greendale, the only one who could speak on equal footing with the Odin Kingdom was Leon.
Diras tested the waters, seeing that the Odin Kingdom crowd wasn't objecting. His tone grew increasingly righteous.
"You're the weakest, so naturally you should cover the retreat. We all have our roles—I'll use shadow magic to protect everyone as we fall back. I can't erase all traces of life, but I can lower our presence to a minimum and block the undead's senses. That way, everyone can escape.
To escape and hide, you have to mask every trace and every sign. Only the Skyhold Fortress people can manage that. If danger pops up, Dida La will clear the way so our retreat isn't slowed.
As for changing the terrain, that's Dunespire Tower's specialty. The materials for magical arrays can only be gathered by the Henry Family and the royals.
What can you do? Nothing. You're the weakest—besides covering the retreat, what use are you?
If you can't even manage that, you're useless and don't deserve to retreat with us!"
The Greendale people erupted in rage. Hubert grinned viciously at Diras, while Anderson let out a cold laugh.
On the Odin Kingdom side, the royals sneered at Greendale, Dunespire Tower kept quiet, and Raphael from Skyhold Fortress looked indifferent—whoever covered the retreat, it wouldn't be them.
Morgan and Arno Henry looked a bit awkward but said nothing. Dida La just frowned, keeping his thoughts to himself.
Leon sneered.
"As far as I know, the Shadow Cloak can become a veil of darkness. You alone could handle the job of covering the retreat. These brainless undead absolutely can't escape the shadow veil's range.
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Diras, isn't this perfect? You stay behind and cover the retreat—it's the safest option, and everyone else can escape securely.
You say we're the weakest, so we should cover the retreat. Are you sure you want us to do it—or are you just trying to get us all killed?
If we cover the retreat, fine, no problem. But you said we're the weakest, so how long can we hold out? Maybe two minutes, maybe three...
If you think we're doomed, then tell me—without us, do you really think you can escape? Survive?"
Leon sneered dismissively and fell silent.
But on the Odin Kingdom side, people started to break out in cold sweat.
Right, Greendale's the weakest. If they stay behind and fail to cover the retreat, then what?
Wouldn't the undead just catch up again? And with ten fewer people, our strength is cut way down. In the end, we'd all be dragged to death by the undead—no chance of escape.
Worse yet, what if those guys think we're screwing them over, decide they won't survive anyway, and refuse to cover the retreat—dragging us down with them? In the end, we'd all die...
Damn it, Diras really is an idiot. At a time like this, he's still scheming against Greendale. Does he really think he can outrun the undead?
Dida La reacted fastest. Leon hadn't said anything, but he instantly connected the dots. The rest of the Odin Kingdom started sweating too, clearly realizing the risk.
Even within the Odin Kingdom, trust was impossible. And now they were supposed to trust Leon and his group, who were being pushed out to cover the retreat...
What a joke...
It was basically putting their lives in Leon's hands...
Diras' face was dark, just about to say something more when Dida La spoke up.
"Enough. There's nothing to discuss. The Burning Tower will stay behind and cover the retreat. The rest of you move out first."
It was the best solution Dida La could think of. Their group was the strongest—if they stayed behind, the odds of success were highest, and everyone else had the best chance to escape. Overall, it gave everyone the greatest shot at surviving this crisis.
When Dida La spoke, the rest of the Odin Kingdom breathed a sigh of relief—they clearly agreed it was the best plan. Greendale's survivors said nothing, but they were relieved too.
Only Diras looked utterly miserable.
"Dida La, that's not acceptable..."
Diras hadn't finished his sentence before Dida La glared at him and snapped.
"Enough. Move now."
Diras' heart skipped a beat, and he didn't dare say another word.
Morgan shot Diras a cold look and snorted, while the rest of the Odin Kingdom had no sympathy for him either.
The Odin Kingdom didn't mind seeing Greendale thrown under the bus, as long as it didn't put them at risk.
But now everyone was in danger. Diras' scheme against Greendale could've made things worse for them all. Even the possibility made people lose patience with him.
Leon looked at Diras and sneered.
They fought together, faced danger together, cooperated together. Even covering the retreat wouldn't be a big deal—unless the Odin Kingdom tried to shove them into a death trap. Then they shouldn't be surprised by what happened next.
Dida La personally stayed behind to cover the retreat, while everyone else started casting spells and sprinting away at full speed.
Raphael from Skyhold Fortress handed Dida La a magic beacon—a device for guiding their way.
Dida La floated in midair, watching the undead horde closing in. His metal staff swept out, and his body transformed into a seven- or eight-meter-tall fiery creature.
Waves of orange elemental fire swirled around him, slowly turning hundreds of meters into a sea of flames.
Dida La chanted a long incantation at lightning speed. Terrifying waves of mana spread out, forming rings of fiery surges that forcefully pushed back the dense aura of death.
When the spell was finished, orange flame vortexes appeared behind Dida La, rapidly expanding. Dense fire runes swirled around them, fusing and growing until the vortex became a massive fifty-meter-wide whirlpool of fire.
The heat was so intense that it warped the space around them.