41: Attack on the Skeleton Veterans 6

"Now's the time!"

Big Bone channeled energy and blasted it toward the cage!

Karl also poured out all his Holy Light!

The Chaos energy, a Fusion of light and dark, slammed into the cage,

triggering an unprecedented explosion.

The cage shattered, and the shockwave rippled outward, knocking away all the surrounding soldiers.

Soren and the mages suffered a backlash, coughing up blood as they collapsed to the ground.

As the dust settled, Big Bone and Karl stood side by side.

Both were injured, but they were still alive.

A deathly silence fell over the battlefield.

The human soldiers stared at their commander and the Demon Race general working together, their minds going blank.

"Karl, how dare you collude with the Demon Race!"

A royal officer snapped back to his senses and shouted his accusation.

Karl looked at the soldiers who had once trusted him,

the knights who had fought bravely because of him,

and a wave of endless sorrow welled up in his heart.

"I am not colluding with the Demon Race."

He said calmly,

"I have simply seen the truth."

"This war, from beginning to end, has been a conspiracy."

"Princess Philys used us,"

"all for the sake of her own ambition!"

"Nonsense! Her Highness the Princess did it for the Kingdom!"

"Is that so?"

Karl pointed at Soren in the rear.

"Then why did her mages attack me along with the enemy?"

"Why were my subordinates blocked by the Royal Guard?"

"Why?!"

He took a deep breath, recalling the images that had inexplicably appeared in his mind, yet felt incredibly real.

(This was a portion of Big Bone's past life memories that he had implanted into Karl.)

"Why did Dark Lis appear before me alone and get killed while completely defenseless?"

This question left everyone stunned.

After receiving news of Dark Lis's death, the Kingdom had immediately scripted a narrative:

The heroic Paladin had defeated the Demon leader in a duel,

winning victory for humanity.

But if the truth was... "He is bewitching you!"

Soren struggled to stand up.

"Karl has already been controlled by the Demon Race!"

"Everyone, by my order, kill the traitor and the demons! Leave none alive!"

The Royal Guard was the first to respond, charging toward Karl.

But the members of the Order of the Glorious Knights hesitated.

They were Karl's direct subordinates;

they had followed him for years and knew his character.

"Commander..."

The vice-commander asked in agony,

"Is what you said... true?"

"I swear it on my honor as a knight!"

Karl raised his sword.

The blade no longer emitted pure Holy Light;

instead, it carried a hint of grayish-white.

"The vivid memories in my mind... Princess Philys once exploited Dark Lis's feelings for me to set a trap that wiped out the Demon army."

"And now, she wants to use the same method to eliminate me, an 'unstable factor'."

He looked at Big Bone.

"This undead is right,"

"I was too foolish,"

"foolish enough to be used without even knowing it."

Big Bone said nothing, merely watching quietly.

He wanted Karl's life, but he wanted even more to see Philys's plan fail completely.

"Order of the Glorious Knights, hear my command!"

Karl suddenly shouted.

All the knights instinctively snapped to attention.

"I, Karl, in my capacity as Commander of the Order of the Glorious Knights, command,"

"From this moment on, the Order of the Glorious Knights withdraws from this war."

"Those who do not wish to stay may leave."

"Those willing to stay..."

"Follow me to purge the court!"

"Cleanse the corruption and conspiracy within the Kingdom!"

This was rebellion—blatant rebellion!

But surprisingly, more than two-thirds of the knights stood by Karl's side.

The remaining third were either scions of the nobility or had already been bought off by Philys.

The human army had split!

"The show begins."

Big Bone grinned.

"Shattered Bone, Twin Horn, pass the word: the Demon Race is to stop attacking!"

"Retreat to a safe distance."

"This is a human civil war; we're just spectators."

"Of course, if necessary, help my friend... Karl!"

The Demon defensive line opened, and the troops retreated in an orderly fashion.

On the human side, the Royalist faction and the Knight faction were at each other's throats; civil war was imminent.

Soren's face turned deathly pale. He knew

the plan had completely failed!

Not only had they failed to eliminate the Demon Race and Karl, but they had also caused the human camp to fracture.

Princess Philys would absolutely not let him off the hook.

"Retreat..."

He rasped the order.

"All forces retreat! Back to the Royal Capital!"

The Royalist army began to withdraw, but the Knights blocked their path.

"Thinking of leaving?"

Karl said coldly,

"Mage Soren, you must stay."

"There are many things you need to explain to the people of the Kingdom."

Battle broke out again, but this time it was humans slaughtering humans.

Big Bone stood in the distance, watching the battle quietly.

"General, shall we intervene?"

Shattered Bone asked.

"No."

Big Bone shook his head.

"This is their own choice, their own war."

"We only need to wait... wait for a victor to emerge,"

"or wait for both sides to be crippled."

He looked toward the Royal Capital.

"Philys, your chessboard has been overturned."

"What will you do next?"

...Deep within the Royal Palace of the City of Holy Light.

Philys smashed everything in her study that could be smashed.

"Useless! A bunch of useless trash!"

She shrieked and roared,

"An army of a hundred and fifty thousand couldn't handle thirty thousand demons?"

"And that idiot Karl actually rebelled?"

"What on earth was Soren doing!"

Maids and guards knelt all over the floor, trembling with fear.

After venting her rage, Philys calmed down,

though the chill in her eyes only deepened.

"How many troops did Karl take with him?"

"Approximately... fifty thousand."

The intelligence officer replied shakily.

"Mainly the Order of the Glorious Knights and their affiliated legions."

"The Royalist faction withdrew forty thousand; the rest... were killed in action or are missing."

"Fifty thousand..."

Philys sneered.

"Good, very good."

"Send orders to the Northern Border Army to march south and suppress the rebellion."

"Then notify all the nobles:"

"Karl Huite has colluded with the Demon Race and betrayed the Kingdom."

"He is to be executed by anyone on sight."

"But Your Highness, regarding the Second Prince..."

"That waste?"

Philys dismissed him with contempt.

"If he dares to use this opportunity to cause trouble, I'll send him to 'reunite' with our father!"

She walked to the map, her finger tracing over the Demon territory.

"As for the Demon Race... since a large army won't work, we'll use another way."

"You mean..."

"Decapitation."

A cold light flashed in Philys's eyes.

"Form an elite assassination squad to infiltrate the Demon territory."

"The target is only one: that skeleton general."

"As soon as it dies, the Demon Race will collapse without a fight."

"But it's too strong. Even Karl... even the traitor Karl couldn't defeat it..."

"If we can't win in a head-on fight, we use other means."

Philys took a small vial from a drawer.

Inside was a crystalline purple liquid.

"'tears of god slaying.' Legend says it can even kill deities."

"Apply it to a weapon to enchant it;"

"as long as the target is hit, death is certain."

The intelligence officer gasped.

tears of god slaying was a forbidden drug.

Its creation required the sacrifice of tens of thousands of living souls; it was utterly evil.

The Princess actually... "What are you looking at?"

Philys said coldly,

"For the sake of the Kingdom, certain means are necessary."

"Go and prepare. I want to see the assassination squad depart within three days."

"As you command..."

After the intelligence officer withdrew, Philys stood alone by the window.

Things had developed beyond her control, but it wasn't a desperate situation yet.

As long as she got rid of that skeleton and suppressed Karl's rebel army, she would still control the overall situation.

As for the methods... history is written by the victors.

Once she ascended the throne, who would remember these details?

"Skeleton, Karl... you will all die."

She whispered to herself,

"This Kingdom is destined to be mine."

...In the Demon-occupied area, the newly named "City of Rebirth."

This city, built jointly by human captives and the Demon Race, had become the political and economic center of the Demon sphere of influence.

Big Bone had adopted human urban planning concepts,

combined them with Demon magical technology, and built a model city where various races lived together.

Here, humans, demons, and even a few elves and dwarves could coexist in peace.

Races were equal before the law, contribution determined status, and the strong protected the weak.

Though it was only a prototype, it already displayed a vitality different from the Kingdom of Glorious Light.

Inside the City Lord's manor, Big Bone was listening to reports from the various races.

"The first batch of crops in the agricultural zone has been harvested; the grain is enough to last until next year."

A human agronomist reported.

"The magic workshop's production is stable; enchanted weapons and armor have already equipped half the army."

A Demon craftsman said.

"Trade routes have opened. Some human merchant caravans are willing to trade with us, exchanging grain and daily necessities for magic crystals and magical items."

A dwarf merchant grinned and said,

"Though it has to be done secretly, the profits are considerable."

Big Bone nodded.

"Very good. Remember, we are not trying to establish an isolated Demon kingdom."

"We are establishing a new order where all races can survive."

"Trade, exchange, and Fusion—these are all very important."

After the meeting ended, Shattered Bone stayed behind to report on the military situation:

"Karl has established a base in the east,"

"calling themselves the 'Light Reformation Army.' They've already taken control of three provinces."

"He's had several small-scale skirmishes with the Royalist army, with mixed results."

"And what about Philys?"

"She's massing the Northern Army; it looks like she intends to deal with Karl first."

"Furthermore..."

Shattered Bone hesitated.

"Our scouts report that an elite human squad has infiltrated our territory."

"Their objective is unclear, but it's very likely an assassination squad targeting you."

Blue fire flickered in Big Bone's eyes.

"Finally, they've come."

"Should we increase security?"

"No."

Big Bone shook his head.

"Let them come. It's just as well; I need some 'messengers' to take word back to Philys."

Three nights later, the assassination squad finally found an opportunity.

Big Bone was Cultivating "alone" in the cemetery on the outskirts of the city;

this was a flaw he had intentionally created.

Twelve assassins emerged from the shadows,

all of them death-sworn warriors meticulously trained by Philys,

equipped with weapons enchanted with the tears of god slaying.

"Skeleton, your time has come."

The lead assassin said coldly.

Big Bone slowly turned around.

"Just the few of you?"

"To kill you, it is enough."

The assassins struck simultaneously, launching attacks from every angle.

Their coordination was seamless, their attacks covering every possible space Big Bone could use to dodge.

But Big Bone had no intention of dodging at all.

Relying simply on his bone density and combat skills, he blocked every attack.

Daggers, short swords, poison darts... every weapon was deflected upon contact with his bones, leaving not even a scratch.

"How is this possible..."

The lead assassin was shocked.

Weapons enchanted with the tears of god slaying couldn't even break his defense!

"Game over."

Big Bone suddenly vanished, appearing behind an assassin the next second and thrusting his bony hand through the man's chest.

Then the second, the third... the assassins were like lambs to the slaughter, completely powerless to fight back.

In just ten seconds, eleven were dead, with only the leader left alive.

This was a survivor Big Bone had intentionally left.

"Go back and tell Philys."

Big Bone gripped the leader by the neck.

"Her tears of god slaying are useless against me, her assassins are trash, and her Kingdom is about to perish."

"If she's smart, she'll end her own life; she might even leave a whole corpse behind."

"If she persists in her delusions... I will personally go to the Royal Capital and hang her from the city walls for all to see."

Big Bone let go. "Now, get out."

The lead assassin scrambled away, his mind filled with only one thought:

A monster—that's a true monster!

Big Bone looked at the remaining assassins' corpses, lost in thought.

tears of god slaying... Philys really had spared no expense.

The tears of god slaying could indeed have threatened him,

but Philys didn't know that the sliver of Origin power from the Devil King Qin Jiuge had not only granted him power but had also reshaped his very essence.

He was no longer a simple undead;

he was closer to... a demigod.

"General, you're just letting him go like that?"

Shattered Bone stepped out from the shadows.

"Yes, I need him to spread fear."

"Besides, after the assassination fails, what will Philys do?"

"Send more people?"

"No, she will take action herself."

Big Bone looked toward the Royal Capital.

"When a person with an extreme need for control finds that all their methods have failed,"

"they will choose the final method: entering the field personally."

"And that will be the time of her death."

Shattered Bone seemed to only half-understand.

"Pass down the order: strengthen border defenses, but do not initiate an attack."

Big Bone turned to leave.

"Let Philys and Karl continue to wear each other down."

"When the time is ripe, we will pacify the world in one fell swoop."

"Then, regarding Karl... are we really going to cooperate with him?"

Big Bone paused.

"Karl is an idealist, but his philosophy has common ground with ours."

"Establishing a fairer world."

"If he is willing to accept the existence of the Demon Race, I don't mind cooperating with him."

"But if he insists on human supremacy..."

He didn't finish the sentence, but the meaning was clear.

"Continue to monitor the situation on both sides."

"Also, send an envoy to contact Karl and test his attitude."

"Yes."