Undead Mage: I Have a Skeleton Clone-Chapter 510 - 366: Die Wu’s Little Assistant, A Brand-New Flying Soldier! (2)
"I’ll start by helping you gather the Black Iron Tier Skill Materials for the Enhanced Skeleton Shield. If I have any questions, I’ll contact you promptly."
Fang Zhou nodded and said to Liu Diewu, "Thank you, Senior Sister Die Wu. By the way, if you know any second-year Black Iron Tier students who want to work part-time as research assistants in my Undead Mage research group, feel free to recommend them to me anytime. I could use more research assistants."
Liu Diewu replied with a smile, "Don’t worry, Fang Zhou. For such a great part-time opportunity, I’ll definitely help you spread the word."
After exchanging a few more pleasantries with Liu Diewu, Fang Zhou bid her farewell and left the greenhouse garden.
...
「A few more days passed.」
In the Corpse Hills, while wandering among the piles of bones, Fang Zhou suddenly sensed his Soul Fire flicker, and a smile tugged at the corner of his lips. Just a moment ago, the No. 1 Skeleton Team had been attacked by a Mutated Undead Creature.
During the brief skirmish, the well-coordinated No. 1 Skeleton Team suffered no damage. Through the eyes of his skeletal minions, Fang Zhou got a clear look at the attacking creature.
It was a Mutated Skeleton Bat with a wingspan exceeding one meter. Its entire body was composed of white bones covered in blood-red patterns, giving it an extraordinarily eerie appearance. These patterns resembled ancient Runes, emitting a faint glow and a mysterious, dangerous aura. Its wings, which made up about eighty percent of its body, had edges that flashed with a cold, sharp light, indicating they possessed some offensive capability.
Its small head was only about the size of a fist. Deep blue Soul Fire burned in its eye sockets, flashing with a cold and fierce light that seemed capable of piercing through anything. Despite its seemingly frail physique, this Skeleton Bat flew at an incredible speed, moving almost like a black bolt of lightning through the sky. Its movements were swift and agile, allowing it to perform various complex maneuvers in the air to dodge attacks from the ground. In Fang Zhou’s field of vision, the bat would sometimes soar high into the air and at other times skim just above the ground, making its flight path difficult to predict.
In a head-on fight, its combat ability is probably no match for an ordinary Giant Shield Skeleton Warrior. But its flight speed is astonishingly fast; even the Precise Shots from the Skeleton Archers are useless against it, to say nothing of the close-combat Skeleton Warriors.
Every time the Skeleton Archers tried to take aim, the bat would deftly evade the Arrow at the last possible moment. Sometimes, it would suddenly dive, using its sharp wings to slash through the air in an attempt to attack the Skeleton Warriors on the ground.
As Fang Zhou raced toward the battlefield, he used the Soul Link of the Skeleton Monarch to observe the fight between the Mutated Skeleton Bat and the No. 1 Skeleton Squad. As the battle progressed, the Soul Fire in Fang Zhou’s eyes flickered. Just a moment ago, the Mutated Skeleton Bat had unexpectedly spat a bone fang from its mouth, aiming for the head of the weakest member of the squad, Archer No. 1.
Although the long-range attack was easily blocked by the Giant Shield Skeleton Warrior constantly guarding the Skeleton Archer, it piqued Fang Zhou’s curiosity and sparked an intense desire for investigation.
From the current situation, this Mutated Skeleton Bat seems more like a creature from the Skeleton Series, not the Zombie Series like the Zombie Wolves and Stiffened Spiders I encountered before. While its form is vastly different from Mutated Skeletons like Tidamia, Verus, and Sain, its essence should be the same. And my Skeleton Monarch Skill grants me supreme control over all Skeleton Series Undead Creatures. This means if I can successfully defeat this Mutated Skeleton Bat, I might be able to enslave it and acquire the first unit of Flying Soldiers for my Corpse Clone in the Undead Realm. More importantly, if I can successfully enslave this Mutated Skeleton Bat and thoroughly study its soul fluctuations, it will provide an incredible boost for my main body’s efforts to deduce Summoning Series Skills. After all, among the original Summoned Creatures for a Black Iron Tier Undead Mage, there are only Skeleton Warriors and Zombies. The selection is far too monotonous. If I could add Skeleton Bats as a supplement, they would significantly enrich my Undead Legion’s composition, whether used for reconnaissance or as an aerial attack force.
Having made his decision, Fang Zhou quickly issued a command, ordering the No. 1 Skeleton Squad to adopt a tight defensive formation. They were to fight while retreating, luring the extremely rare Mutated Skeleton Bat toward his position.
As the command was relayed, the Skeleton Squad swiftly adjusted its tactics and began to systematically fall back toward Fang Zhou. The Mutated Skeleton Bat, as expected, was lured along with them. Although the creature possessed some intelligence, it clearly knew nothing of military strategy. Its instinct to hunt and devour had been triggered by the flickering Soul Fire of the No. 1 Skeleton Squad, completely capturing its attention.
Although its close-combat ability was quite poor, the bone fangs it launched as a ranged attack were similar in power and frequency to the arrows fired by the Skeleton Archers. Under its relentless assault, the defenses of Giant Shield No. 1 were beginning to show some gaps. Bone fangs struck the massive shield repeatedly, producing crisp impacts. Occasionally, a fang would slip through a gap, threatening the Skeleton Warrior’s safety. If this dragged on, the Mutated Skeleton Bat might actually manage to kill the entire No. 1 Skeleton Team by itself.
However, its good times were over.
Sprinting at full speed, Fang Zhou arrived at the battlefield. With his Agility Attribute already over sixty, he could effortlessly track the Mutated Skeleton Bat’s flight. Even though the bat maintained what it considered a safe distance, Fang Zhou wasn’t an ordinary Skeleton Warrior limited to close-combat attacks. He quickly assessed the situation and identified the perfect moment to strike.
Wielding the Corpse Long Spear, Fang Zhou unleashed a powerful and massive Battle Qi Slash. Before the Skeleton Bat could react, the attack severed one of its bone wings. The creature let out a piercing wail and went spiraling down from the sky.
Fang Zhou had already calculated its landing spot. He promptly adjusted his position and stood there, waiting steadily.
Pressing down on the struggling Mutated Skeleton Bat with both hands, Fang Zhou immediately activated his Skeleton Monarch Skill. He attempted to enslave this extremely rare, Skeleton Series mutated creature via Soul Link. He closed his eyes and focused his Spirit. He concentrated the power of his Soul Fire into a formidable will, using the Soul Link to infiltrate the depths of the Mutated Skeleton Bat’s soul.
As his Soul Fire burned, Fang Zhou felt a subtle connection gradually forming between his will and the Skeleton Bat. The Mutated Skeleton Bat’s body began to tremble violently, as if resisting the intrusion of this foreign power. Yet, as Fang Zhou’s willpower steadily grew stronger, the bat’s struggles gradually weakened. Eventually, it stopped resisting and became docile.
Looking at the obedient Skeleton Bat now resting on his hand, Fang Zhou was incredibly satisfied. His Soul Fire flared, and he immediately used the Soul Link of the Skeleton Monarch to retrieve detailed information about this newly acquired mutated Servant. Soon, a wave of pure joy radiated from his Soul Fire.
The combat prowess of this Mutated Skeleton Bat had been fully showcased during its recent battle with the No. 1 Skeleton Squad. Its high-altitude flight and extreme speed made it almost unbeatable against ordinary Undead Creatures. Although its physique was fragile and its close-combat ability was nearly nonexistent, its ranged attack of launching bone fangs compensated for this deficiency in direct damage.
In my opinion, this Mutated Skeleton Bat perfectly fills the void of aerial power among Black Iron Tier Undead Creatures.
