According to Lavos, a demon would only submit to a higher-tier demon. This meant Andy had to create a tier two demon at a minimum. However, would a demon strong enough to lead a horde be tier two? Unlikely.
Keeping this in mind, Andy strained his imagination to create a four-armed gorilla the size of a tank. Although the gorilla had four runes, it was only on the surface. Strangely, Andy wasn’t able to recreate runes, so he made sure the gorilla exuded a demon’s aura. Thankfully, he had gotten a lifetime of such an aura last night.
The gorilla roared as it charged over to the scorpion, crossing twenty feet with every step. Jolted awake, the scorpion prepared to fight, only to freeze upon seeing its aggressor. It let out a soft hiss in deference. There was no need to fight—it fully submitted to the gorilla’s might.
Seeing this, Shenlong told Andy, “Try giving it a command.”
Roy mentioned earlier how the other minotaurs talked, so Andy mimicked their manner of speech. The gorilla towered over the scorpion as it grunted. “You! Mine!”
Surprisingly, the scorpion bobbed its head up and down. It appeared to have some degree of intelligence.
Watching from afar, the party broke into smiles. The test was a success. It was only a matter of time before a monster horde formed. At that moment, Andy let out a sigh. “It won’t work. My imagination is draining too fast. I can only form this gorilla for ten hours at most; that’s nowhere near enough time to gather a horde.”
“Hm. What about dropping its tier by one?” Shenlong suggested.
Andy mused aloud. “It’ll last around twenty-four hours.”
“Forget it.” Shenlong shook his head and turned to return to the haven to inform Peter. They’d only be able to gather a few hundred demons in that time, so there was no point in continuing the plan. Before leaving, Andy had the gorilla punch the scorpion. The poor thing died in a few hits, baffled at the sudden attack. It submitted, didn’t it?
It didn’t take long to travel back to the haven. Ascenders packed the place, compared to last night. Hundreds of non-combatants repaired the walls, set up traps, or made new engravings.
Peter was standing on the wall. Seeing Shenlong’s party return so soon, he wasn’t surprised. This was within his calculations. Either the demons didn’t consider Andy’s illusions authentic, or the energy cost was too high. Peter made his way down to greet the party. Before Andy could speak, he waved his hand. “Don’t worry. I have another method to gather a monster horde.”
Peter called Ebba over to the group. Everyone knew what Peter was planning, but Shenlong was doubtful. “I thought you could only control around a hundred or so undead?”
As Shenlong was one of the leaders of the alliance, he knew everyone’s abilities. Ebba’s intelligence stat determined the size of her undead horde. The greater the strength of an undead, the bigger the strain on her mind. She might be able to control two hundred if the undead were on the weaker side, but what was the point in that?
Ebba rolled up her sleeve. The rune engraved on her forearm was bare for all to see. Her first rune was unfortunately on her cheek, much to her annoyance. Thankfully, the second rune was more hidden. Ebba’s expression was smug. “Controlling 10,000 undead isn’t a problem for me now.”
“10,000?!” Amara was stunned as she reevaluated the young woman. As she was extremely proud, Amara determined the level of respect she gave people based on how easy it was to beat them. If Ebba could truly control ten thousand undead, it threatened her status as the most powerful female ascender.
Ebba still felt a little uncomfortable sharing her abilities, but she reluctantly shared her rune, considering she received everyone else's.
Undead Control Imprint - Tier 1 Rune
You can control up to 10,000 undead by marking a corpse with this rune. The undead will inherit 50% of the stats they had while alive, as well as two skills.
Remark 1: The undead marked by this rune cannot be stored in your inventory.
Remark 2: They cannot share their senses with you.
Remark 3: They can only be commanded verbally.
Passively adds +1% intelligence.
Roy clicked his tongue and remarked. “Doesn’t this rune have too many drawbacks?”
“Hmph.” Ebba quickly defended herself. “Don’t you know the cost to create a rune is doubled for each one you have? If I didn’t add some restrictions, the price would have been more than what we gathered last night.”
“So, what Lavos said was true.” Shenlong’s eyes brightened. One of Lavos’s tips was to add restrictions to lower the essence cost significantly. Not only did this mean creating a rune required some creativity, but it also increased the complexity of a rune itself. Shenlong couldn’t help but feel he was too hasty in creating his first rune. The thing was too basic.
Andy almost jumped for joy upon seeing the development of the situation. Thankfully he stopped himself in time, or Peter would have given him a mouthful. Nodding sagely, he thanked the others for their protection and coolly walked away.
Peter held back a chuckle. How could he not know what the kid was thinking? Didn’t Andy know his expressions always betrayed his feelings? Regardless, Peter clapped his hands. “Okay, it’s settled. To make the operation have a better chance of success, Ebba needs corpses in the best condition.”
“One shot, one kill.” Olivia smirked, immediately understanding what Peter wanted.
Peter watched the party leave and turned his attention elsewhere. If everything proceeded smoothly, the operation would begin on the day before the next blood moon.
Chapter 40
Shadow Grasp - Tier 1 Rune
Use the target’s shadow to bind their body.
Lasts 10 seconds. 1 minute cooldown.
Remark 1: Target must be within sight.
Remark 2: Duration depends on the target’s strength compared to yours.
Passively adds +1% Strength.
Olivia had now spent months fighting with a team. Monsters were near impossible to assassinate, so she shifted her focus to something more practical: control. With this change in fighting style, her shadow-based skills grew more effective.
The downside was she could only manipulate her own shadow as well as inanimate ones. The shadow of a wall worked, but not another living creature. That rule changed with her first rune—Shadow Grasp. With the unlimited potential of runes, she was able to break through the limits of her build.
It was this rune that allowed the team to kill demons efficiently. Shadow Grasp could bind tier one and two demons long enough for Shenlong to pierce through their heads, killing them instantly. His spear was at most two inches wide, so the hole was barely noticeable.
Shadow Grasp was less effective on tier 3 demons due to them having significantly higher strength than Olivia, so the party focused on gathering tier one and two corpses. It wasn’t that they couldn’t kill a tier three demon; the problem was how mangled the body became.
The only issue was when an ascender killed a demon, the corpse instantly transformed into essence, so Ebba had to imprint a demon before it died. This was just a minor annoyance, however.
Time passed, and it was now the day before the next blood moon.
The haven recovered to fighting condition just in time. The repairs on the walls were the easiest to fix, while the traps took time to manufacture. The worst was the ammo. The robot floors only accepted reputation, not gold, so Peter had to up the personnel farming the floor to increase the supply.
To the east of the haven was a strange sight. Thousands of demons lay motionless on the ground, their eyes dull and lifeless. Even after a minute, none of them blinked. Hell, they didn’t even breathe. These seven-thousand-odd demons were Ebba’s undead horde.
They were a powerful force indeed, but they’d be slaughtered in less than ten minutes even if they helped during the blood moon. Maybe they’d be of great assistance if Ebba’s rune was a couple of tiers higher, but until then, forget about it.
Next
to the undead horde stood three hundred ascenders. Shenlong spoke to Peter, who was at his side. “So, you’ve decided?”
Peter gave a decisive nod. “The town won’t expect an attack during the day. Plus, who knows what complications might occur if we travel during the night?”
Shenlong glanced at the haven, where Lavos was. The minotaur said he couldn’t bail them out of trouble every time and decided not to accompany them during this attack. Even though Lavos chose to guide the humans until they grew stronger, it didn’t mean he’d babysit them. Shenlong agreed.
Peter handed over a newly made map. “We’ve found a total of seven strongholds in the dread plains. They’re spread all over the place.”
Shenlong found the haven, minotaur tribe, and the nearby stronghold on the map. However, the detailed map confused his muscle-bound brain. In the end, he grunted. “Sam, lead the way!”
“To which stronghold, sir?”
Shenlong paused in thought before replying. “The furthest one.”
“Got it.” Sam adjusted his armor habitually before leading the way. Following behind was Shenlong’s squad and every ascender who’d formed their second rune. At the back were some seven thousand undead, and if not for time constraints, there would be more.
Andy was the only unwilling member in the raid; the poor guy was strong-armed into participating. He could only blame himself for possessing such a versatile ability, or at least that was what he told himself.
The trek across the dread plains was uneventful, and soon the raid arrived at their destination, a small stronghold built next to a murky river. Initial reports estimated at least a hundred demons lived there.
According to Lavos, this stronghold was a frontier settlement under the demon lord Tyra's command, one of the demon king’s twelve generals. The demons who lived here were too weak to join under Tyra’s banner. They were the lowest on the totem pole in demon society and were akin to civilians in the human world.
Unfortunately, the dust cloud kicked up by the raid alerted the demons. Shenlong didn’t hesitate and gave a command. “Hide in the monster horde!”
The ascenders at the front slowed their pace until the undead caught up. Hidden behind the car-sized monsters, Shenlong turned to Andy. “Make them appear alive and summon a tier four demon.”
“I understand.” Andy did as told, albeit with some resentment. The wounds caused by Shenlong’s spear disappeared as the expressions of the dead came to life. Leading the horde was now the giant gorilla from before.
“Haha, look at these mongrels. I can’t wait to suck them dry.” The demons, long since aware of the incoming horde, rushed out of the town with apparent joy. To them, monster hordes were a pleasant surprise, and they couldn’t wait to collect the free delivery of essence.
While these demons were considered the losers of demon society, they were still higher lifeforms. Their base stats were absurdly high. Add on to the fact that each demon facing the horde had between four to six runes; they were a force to be reckoned with.
Like all demons, they had black leathery skin as tough as steel, with long sharp tails. The horns on their heads varied greatly: some were straight, others curved. The size differed as well.
The most common fighting style of demons was to transform their bodies with runes. Their bodies were the ultimate fighting weapon, so there was no need for external powers like magic.
As the two sides grew closer, the demons only took a second to turn into fighting machines. One had bones protrude from their body like a porcupine, while the muscles of another expanded like a balloon.
In no time at all, the two sides clashed!
Chapter 41
The demons smashed into the horde like a wrecking ball. Countless undead were tossed aside or flung into the air in the face of overwhelming might. Each attack severed flesh, quickly covering the demons in blood, inciting their instincts for carnage.
“Weak! Too weak!” A demon deep in the horde grew intoxicated. For his claws to cut through bones so easily left him in ecstasy, so he swung with wild abandon as he lost himself in this feeling. Nothing could stop him.
When he was at the end of an attack and the beginning of another, he suddenly felt a chill. A curtain of blood and flesh covered his vision to his left. It was there the tip of a spear pierced through, coming straight for his throat. The sense of danger this spear gave him was shocking. In that thousandth of a second, his upper body twisted impossibly, just enough to dodge the attack.
Just as a feeling of security washed over him, the spear disappeared, as if it were never there. His eyes widened as he saw that same spear come through his neck from behind. Growling in anger, the demon used his tail to pierce backward, only to fall short. The spear was longer than his tail.
“Oh, you’re still alive?” Shenlong spoke as he raised his arm before slamming the demon into the ground. In the moment of its disorientation, he pulled the spear out and spun around. Using the added momentum, he directly severed the demon’s head. Or at least he tried to. Shenlong made sure to hold nothing back, yet he could only cut through two-thirds of the demon’s neck. Only after another attack did he accomplish his goal.
All around Shenlong was fighting. It was pure chaos. Suddenly, his head snapped to the right. There, he watched as a demon covered in bones charged at an ascender, one of his students. The monster ignored the surrounding attacks as he directly impaled the man.
By leaning back, the demon could feel the warm blood drip down from the impaled ascender onto his body. He spent so much time savoring the moment that three ascenders surrounding him unleashed several blows. To their dismay, their skills were only able to leave gashes no deeper than an inch. Worse, the wounds their full-power attacks left were recovering quickly.
However, none of them cared about that. They watched in horror as their companion became a dried husk, even as one used healing skills. The demon had sucked his lifeforce dry in a mere moment.
As the dead body became dust in the wind, the bone demon turned to them while licking its lips. Much to its disappointment, the ascenders before it had looks of resolve. They held no fear, only rage.
When the two sides were about to clash, a sonic boom drew their attention. In his fury, Shenlong’s speed increased, driving him faster than ever before. He instantly appeared next to the bone demon, his spear whipping towards the demon’s neck.
However, this demon had six runes, making it one of the strongest on the battlefield. It reacted as soon as Shenlong arrived. As the demon’s claws thrust towards Shenlong’s heart, it froze upon being bound by its shadow. In the moment it took to break free, Shenlong’s spear cut across its neck. At the same time, Olivia appeared behind the demon, her two daggers digging into its back.
Unfortunately, the full-out attacks were unable to break through the demon’s muscles. The demon was ashamed to be wounded by creatures with so few runes. Following its shame was rage. Unexpectedly, the bones protruding from its body shot out, becoming deadly projectiles. In one move, the demon put Olivia and Shenlong into a life-or-death situation.
Shenlong retreated backward as his spear flicked out, deflecting the bones to the side. His reaction was perfect, but he underestimated the force propelling the bones. Though the bones deviated from their original path, they still pierced through his arms and shoulders.
On the other side, Olivia jumped back as her body twisted like her bones were jelly. The perfect dodge gave her a point in agility, though she had no time to view the notification.
Seeing both opponents get away mostly unscathed, the demon narrowed its eyes as red jewel-like bones extended from its palms. For the first time, he took them seriously. Their techniques more than made up for their lack of runes.
After a brief pause, the air cracked as the demon charged forward. He reached Shenlong instantly, the strongest bones he could produce slamming down on the spear relentlessly. The demon forced Shenlong to retreat to disperse the force behind each attack. All the while, Olivia st
ruck from behind, but it was futile. None of her attacks could break through the demon’s defense.
The demon only focused on Shenlong. Each time Shenlong blocked with his spear, the ground shattered underneath his feet. His arms trembled from the force, but he didn’t dare let go. The demon swung several times a second, and in no time at all, they exchanged countless blows.
For the first time in what seemed like forever, Shenlong was unable to counterattack. His spear bore all the pressure until, eventually, it cracked.
“It’s over!” The demon smirked as he prepared the next blow.
“ANDY!” Shenlong screamed, his voice reaching the entire battlefield.
Blood sprayed through the air. The demon watched, stunned, as it realized the blood was its own. Looking down, he found he was missing a hand.
Across from him was Shenlong, holding a magnificent silver spear. It was entirely seven feet long, with the carving of a dragon across its body. A deep and powerful aura emanated from the fearsome weapon, and if you stared, a dragon’s roar would resound in your mind.
At the same time the spear appeared, the monster horde showed their real appearance. Andy couldn’t spare any imagination when creating the weapon. This was far beyond the time he made divine grade weapons when fighting nobles. To compare further, the equipment then could barely be considered divine grade. However, after improving Andy’s imagination stat, this spear now was a real divine grade.
The bone demon glanced around at the undead creatures. Upon realizing something, he glared at Shenlong. “You are targeting us?!”
“Bingo.” Shenlong teleported as he flicked his wrist. The demon’s head toppled to the ground; its eyes filled with disbelief. The spear elevated Shenlong’s power to quasi-tier six, but it still wasn’t enough to behead the demon so quickly. It was only due to Olivia’s well-timed Shadow Grasp.
Towers of Heaven: A LitRPG Adventure (Book 3) Page 18