Chapter 161: Chapter 160: Ancient Centurion

The two of them packed up and stepped out of the tent.

The Barbarians outside had nearly finished.

The wounded had their injuries treated, and the bodies of their fallen comrades were lashed to branches, ready to be carried back to their tribe.

These Warriors who lived in such a bitterly cold land were remarkably resilient. They seemed as full of vigor as they had before the battle, showing no signs of grief for their fallen comrades.

"Soldiers of the Ancient Empire of Ora Kaim fought Barbarian Warriors thousands of years ago. To think we’d see such a sight again thousands of years later... I wonder if those warriors knew this fate awaited them after death." Ale sighed, gazing at the bone fragments nearby. "History is like a circle."

Having no time for the girl’s poetic musings, Colin shouted to Orelia, "Get ready to head back!"

The words had barely left his mouth when several blood-curdling screams echoed from the other side of the camp.

They turned to see a Barbarian Scout, a Javelin slung across his back, screaming in terror as he fled toward them.

Kase shouted something to the man in the northern tongue, but he didn’t answer a word, just kept running as if he’d seen a ghost.

The next instant, a gleaming javelin head suddenly burst from his chest.

The Scout collapsed into the snow, lacking the strength to get back up.

Four Winter Wolf Skeletons were charging toward them.

On their backs sat another four humanoid Skeletons.

One of the Skeletons was draped in only a few shreds of tattered cloth.

The other three humanoid Skeletons wore greenish Bronze Muscle Breastplates. A rotting leather apron made of decaying strips hung from the bottom edge of the armor. Their Helmets had frames for transverse horsehair crests, though the bristles had long since fallen away.

Two of them gripped straight-bladed Bronze Short Swords, while the third clutched a bannerless pole in one hand.

Of the scouts that had been sent out, only that one had made it back.

Each Skeleton clutched a Javelin, making the fate of the other Scout all too clear.

Fortunately, only two of the Scouts, who hadn’t had time to retrieve their Javelins, had been in that area. Otherwise, the Skeletons would be armed with even more of them.

"That’s the Centurion of this company, along with his two deputies and the Banner Officer," Ale said, her voice calm. "They’ve been resurrected too."

"Prepare for battle!"

Colin yelled to everyone around him, not caring whether the Barbarians could understand.

Kase grabbed him and began shouting as he pulled him toward the other Barbarians.

The snow seemed nonexistent beneath the Winter Wolf Skeletons’ feet. In the blink of an eye, the creatures charged down the opposite slope and were upon them.

"How strong are these things? Any weaknesses?" Colin asked Ale urgently.

Ale replied flatly, "For weaknesses, use blunt weapons and Magic that deals radiant Damage... Other than that, there are none."

’So we have to face them head-on.’ Colin cursed inwardly, his eyes locked on the charging enemies.

As the Winter Wolf Skeletons closed in, several of the elite Skeletons gripped their Javelins and raised them high.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Colin heard a sickening SQUELCH beside him as warm blood splattered onto the back of his hand.

He forced himself not to look at the wounded man beside him, instead chanting a Spell and drawing a searing Flame from the Magic Net.

At the same time, the Barbarian Warriors beside him raised their recovered Throwing Axes.

Divine Arts, Magic, and Throwing Axes rained down upon the riders. With a cacophony of CRACKS and THUDS, several fractures appeared on the thick bones of a Winter Wolf Skeleton.

"Ugh..."

Only then did the Barbarian beside Colin begin to let out a pained groan.

Glancing over, he saw that the Javelin thrown by the Skeleton had gone straight through the Barbarian’s shoulder, drawing bright red blood. The person standing behind him had also been grazed by the javelin’s head.

In other words, that one Javelin had pierced through two thick layers of Beast Hide and the body of a two-meter-tall Barbarian hulk.

’That kind of Power is just absurd...’

The footfalls of the Winter Wolves drew closer.

They only had enough Javelins for a single volley. They must be planning to charge.

Colin quickly chanted another Spell, launching a Flaming Arrow that struck the nearest Winter Wolf Skeleton square in the face. Kase’s Refined Javelin also found its mark, punching a large hole in the creature’s skull.

After that volley, the enemy was upon them!

"Hah!"

The jaw of the most robust-looking Skeleton gaped open, unleashing a piercing roar that sounded like a flame being extinguished.

A sensation, as if his heart were being squeezed in a vise, flooded his limbs and shot straight to his brain.

In his daze, the charging elite Skeletons seemed to swell to the size of the Giant that had attacked Torrent Bay for sport. The Short Swords in their hands magnified until they were as large as door panels...

’Run, run, or I’m going to die...’

Just as Colin was about to turn and flee, his mind, which had been boiling with fear, suddenly grew cold and clear.

’No!’

’Where could I even run in this frozen wasteland? I’d just become prey for those Winter Wolf Skeletons!’

But in the instant Colin’s mind cleared, he saw that apart from the members of his own team, all the other Barbarians were wailing as they fled.

’What is this? Some kind of mass fear spell?’

Colin quickly hefted his Elf Giant Sword and fell into his Sword Dance stance.

At the same time, the four Winter Wolf Skeletons split up, carrying their riders in different directions.

One wheeled around, carrying its rider to a safe vantage point. The other three charged after the routing enemies. The best-equipped elite Skeleton, however, was carried by its Winter Wolf mount straight toward Colin’s group.

Just as Colin raised his sword to meet the charge, the sound of Ale chanting a Spell came from behind him.

In an instant, three brilliant golden rays of light burst forth.

Like three Javelins forged from golden Flame, they struck the elite Skeleton on the Winter Wolf Skeleton’s back with enough force to punch straight through its Bronze Muscle Breastplate and shatter several ribs.

Molten Bronze dripped to the ground, burning small holes in the snow.

The stricken elite Skeleton was thrown from the back of the Winter Wolf Skeleton, tumbling into the snow.

’Tier Two Magic, Scorching Ray?’

Colin had no time to dwell on it. He and Kase rushed forward to intercept the Winter Wolf Skeleton, which was still charging straight at them.

Without flesh and skin, however, the creature had incredible agility. It used Kase’s Insect Shell Shield as a springboard, vaulting high into the air and landing behind the two of them.

’Damn it...’

Colin spun around to reinforce Orelia and the others, only for Kase, who had been behind him, to be thrown past him, landing with a THUD on the ground in front.

He asked, "What happened?"

"That thing’s tough..." Kase said, using his Shield to push himself awkwardly to his feet.

Colin whipped his head around. The Skeleton was advancing on them step by step, Short Sword in hand. Unlike the other Skeletons, this one also wore a pair of Bronze Wrist Guards that covered its entire forearms and a pair of Bronze Shoulder Guards. It had adjusted the equipment to better fit its skeletal frame.

Judging by its equipment alone, this had to be the so-called Centurion.