Chapter 85: The Terrifying Strength of the Bone Claws [1] Fixed

The broken watchtower...

Varok moved with his spear in hand, and the giant Velhari followed beside him with a cold expression, both of them watching the city below.

Just then, a red flare shot up from the market district.

Varok stopped at once. His golden eyes narrowed as the flare burst above the square, and for a few moments the whole ruined city went quiet. Something felt wrong.

"...That is not good," the giant Velhari muttered.

Varok did not reply right away. The silence lasted only a short while before the streets below began to move, and when they moved, they did not move like scattered monsters anymore.

Skeletons that had been wandering without direction suddenly stopped and turned toward the flare at the same time. Some crawled up walls. Others climbed down from rooftops. A few even dropped from upper windows without hesitation, as if responding to a command.

Varok’s hand tightened around the spear shaft.

’This is not a random flare,’ he thought. ’This is a signal.’

He looked at the giant Velhari beside him.

"Move. Now."

The giant did not argue this time. He only grunted and jumped down from the broken ledge first, landing on a lower roof with a heavy boom that sent dust into the air. Varok followed immediately, and both of them moved through the ruined city at a fast pace.

While running, Varok paid close attention to the undead around them.

None of the creatures attacked. Skeletons climbed over walls, dropped from rooftops, and rushed through ruined streets without even glancing at nearby prey. Their movements reminded him less of monsters and more of soldiers responding to an order.

Varok’s expression darkened.

Someone was controlling them.

The giant Velhari noticed it too and scoffed.

"This place has too many tricks."

Varok nodded.

"I have to agree with you on that."

They crossed a broken alley and entered a wider street filled with broken signs and ruined shops. The red light above made the stone road look darker than before.

Varok glanced upward and spotted a skeleton courier leaping between rooftops with strange speed. Another appeared behind it, then another. They moved in small groups, carrying blue soul stones in their mouths and claws.

They were not like the undead knights they had fought before.

This was organized.

Varok frowned slightly. He did not attempt to stop them. For now, he wanted to see where they were heading.

The closer they got to the market district, the denser the undead became.

Skeletons poured from broken buildings and side streets in an endless stream. Every path seemed to lead toward the market square.

Varok’s grip tightened around his spear.

Whatever had triggered the flare had drawn a large portion of the city’s undead into motion.

BOOOOOOOM!

Suddey a loud crash echoed ahead.

Both Velhari looked toward the source and saw dozens of skeletons rushing across an intersection. More joined from side streets while others dropped from balconies above before disappearing deeper into the district.

The giant Velhari clicked his tongue.

"At this rate the humans will drown under numbers."

Varok kept quiet. Not because he thought Zich was weak. Infact it was quite the opposite.

The white-haired human had already proven himself several times. But even powerful people could be overwhelmed if enough enemies piled on top of them.

Another wave blocked their path.

Nearly fifty undead surged from a collapsed plaza ahead, with several skeletal hounds running among them.

The giant Velhari prepared to charge.

Varok raised one hand.

"I’ll clear it."

Without waiting for a response, he stepped forward.

Golden energy flowed across the length of his spear as his aura surged outward. The air itself seemed to grow heavier.

The undead continued charging.

Varok lowered his stance and fixed them with a cold stare.

"Move."

The spear thrust forward.

BOOOOOOM!!!!

The attack tore through the center of the horde.

A trench nearly ten meters long appeared across the street as skeletons shattered instantly and the skeletal hounds vanished completely. The force continued forward and slammed into a building behind them.

Stone debris rained across the road.

The giant Velhari stared for a moment while even the surviving undead seemed stunned.

Varok simply walked through the destruction.

The giant burst out laughing and hurried after him.

"See? This is exactly what I mean!"

They crossed the ruined plaza and finally reached the edge of the market district.

The sounds of battle became clearer with every step.

Explosions echoed through the streets. Bone chains cracked through the air. Fire illuminated ruined buildings while roars shook the district.

Varok jumped onto a collapsed rooftop and looked ahead.

His eyes narrowed instantly.

The market square had become a battlefield.

Hundreds of undead surrounded the area. The dried fountain stood at the center while Zich and Helen fought inside a tightening ring of enemies.

Several powerful undead stood among the horde. Their rib cages resembled metal cages, and long bone chains hung from their arms like weapons.

[Bone Claw Lv. 30]

Varok’s expression immediately darkened when he saw the level of these strange undead.

"Level 30..." the giant Velhari sucked in a deep breath.

Right then, one of the Bone Claws suddenly moved.

A chain shot forward with terrifying speed, screaming through the air.

Helen was already turning toward another threat.

She never saw it coming.

The chain raced toward her throat.

Varok’s eyes widened.

"Damn!"

The bone chain was already less than a finger’s width away from wrapping around Helen’s neck.

...

Thanks to everyone who supports this novel with their valuable Golden Tickets and Power Stones. I truly appreciate it. The next Chapter will be out shortly.

I also want to apologize for the repetitive Chapter uploads over the past few days. Real life has been quite stressful lately as I’m juggling both school and work. I don’t have much free time for myself, let alone writing. That’s why I sometimes leave a placeholder Chapter in place and replace it later once I have the time to properly work on it.

However, I promise you’ll see less of this going forward, as I’ve finally figured out a schedule that should work much better.