Chapter 252: Fighting Side by Side

Wu Qingsong didn’t know how much time had passed before Nina finally lifted her head. 

“Thank you, Wu. I’m okay now.”

He looked at her face. Though her tears hadn’t completely dried, there was no trace of weakness left. Instead, she was back to the strong, determined Nina he had always known.

“We have to take out Roderick,” Nina said. “It’s almost impossible to kill all the soldiers, but Roderick has fought us before, he knows what we’re capable of. If he escapes, we won’t be safe, even in Esola.”

Wu Qingsong nodded in agreement.

Given the elves’ strict attitude toward magic among the beastpeople tribes, if Roderick were to reveal the abilities that Nina, Ling, and Liuli possessed, it would lead to relentless pursuit. At that point, Esola—just one mountain range away from this forest—would be a key area in their search.

And with thousands of wolfkind there, it would be nearly impossible to stay hidden.

Fortunately, Raman was already dead, and his giant eagle had become a part of Wu Qingsong’s undead army. If Roderick wanted to send word, he’d have to go on foot, which bought them some time.

“They still have five regiments of soldiers,” Nina said, picking up a branch and drawing in the dirt as she spoke.

Duke Sentalus deployed a full army consisting of six regiments this time, then called in five more local defense regiments from the surrounding territories near the Tecks Mountain Range. Wu Qingsong had wiped out two of the army’s regiments in surprise attacks, and later destroyed three local defense regiments and one army regiment, cutting their forces in half. Even so, they still had three army regiments and two local defense regiments left, with a total force of over 5,000 soldiers.

“If I were in his shoes, I’d order all the scattered regiments to regroup tonight and start retreating east,” Wu Qingsong said.

Nina nodded in agreement but then shook her head.

There was, of course, the possibility that Roderick would abandon all his men and try to escape under the cover of night. But if he did that, with Wu Qingsong’s undead forces almost exhausted and the Silver Moon Wolf Clan remnants completely worn out, they wouldn’t be able to send enough people into the vast forest to track him down or block his way.

Even if Roderick was injured, the average wolfman wouldn’t stand a chance against him.

This was similar to Roderick and Raman’s initial strategy of advancing slowly while surrounding the Silver Moon Wolf Clan. 

It was almost impossible to block the escape of a strong-willed and powerful foe in the rugged terrain of the Tecks Mountain Range.

Wu Qingsong’s judgment was based on his understanding of both sides’ strengths. But Roderick didn’t know that Nina’s Silver Moon Light had healing abilities. He likely assumed the undead forces were depleted and that Nina was injured, far more severely than he was.

Nina believed that, given the elves’ arrogance, Roderick was unlikely to abandon everything and slink back to Sentalus while still having strength left.

“We should have one more chance,” she told Wu Qingsong. “He’ll probably gather all his forces for a final showdown with us. That’s when we can take him down.”

“Then I’ll need more bodies,” Wu Qingsong said after hesitating for a moment.

The undead forces he had spent days and nights creating—both the ghouls and the corpses—had almost been wiped out in the previous battle.

But it was worth it. Without those undead creatures draining Raman and Roderick’s strength and distracting them, killing Raman might not have been so easy.

That also meant he had to start from scratch.

However, unlike before, he didn’t have the luxury of time to slowly build up a new undead army. If Roderick had any sense, he wouldn’t split his forces again, denying Wu Qingsong the opportunity to pick them off one by one.

Nina hesitated for a moment, then said, “Follow me.”

***

“What’s this?” Wu Qingsong asked.

Nina led him to a sunlit hillside, where numerous stone and wooden grave markers stood.

“This is the graveyard from the nearby villages,” Nina explained.

“Is it okay?” Wu Qingsong asked, voicing the hesitation he had felt earlier. 

He believed Nina had hesitated for the same reason.

In a place like Batiz kingdom, where serving the God of Death after passing was an honor, using the remains of loved ones to create undead wouldn’t be a problem. But for the wolfkind, wouldn’t doing this feel like desecrating the remains of their ancestors, their family members?

“If they’ve truly gone to the realm of the ancestors, these bones won’t hold any meaning to them anymore,” Nina said, biting her lip. “And if they’re still watching over us, I believe, given the current situation, they’d be willing to stand up and help us win this fight. Don’t worry, I’ll convince everyone.”

Wu Qingsong nodded, then began channeling the soul fragments he had collected into the ground behind the gravestones. 

Soon, the earth trembled slightly. The bodies that had been buried the longest, with coffins that had already rotted away, were the first to claw their way to the surface. Under Wu Qingsong’s command, they dug up the surrounding graves, freeing the undead trapped inside their coffins.

“We need more,” Wu Qingsong said to Nina.

Skeletons were far weaker than zombies. Without weapons and armor, they were even less effective than the rotting corpses. If they wanted to win the upcoming battle, they needed a massive undead army. At the very least, one that could match the enemy’s numbers.

“Follow me,” Nina said again.

That night, they scoured the hills within a radius of dozens of miles. By the time the first rays of sunlight pierced the forest, the wolfpeople were shocked to see thousands of skeletons and decaying corpses silently gathering in the distance. A sea of undead stretched as far as the eye could see.

Even though they had learned from Daryl the night before about the forces that had saved them, seeing so many undead up close still sparked panic among the group.

“What’s that?” someone quickly spotted the problem, and chaos erupted. 

Fortunately, Nina had prepared for this. She gathered the wolfpeople together and spoke to them loudly, explaining why they had to do this.

“Silver Moon Wolf Clan never bows down!” she shouted to the crowd. “Even in eternal rest, I believe our ancestors would never give up the chance to fight for freedom and victory! This will be the battle that decides our fate! This will be the fight that leads us to a new life! Today, we will fight alongside our ancestors, shoulder to shoulder, and we will carve out a bloody path! Together with our ancestors, we will fight for the future of the Silver Moon Wolf Clan!”

Her words finally dispelled the wolfpeople’s doubts and fears. Under her leadership, they let out wild roars and began making their final preparations for the upcoming battle.