Volume One: Hell-Level Lord World Chapter 124: Triple Kill

Pan shared the same tactical mindset as Donald: in such a situation, the primary objective must be to strike the enemy hero. Once the enemy hero falls, no matter how many troops they command, it is ultimately in vain. Donald had previously targeted Pan precisely because Pan’s position was too exposed and he lacked adequate defense, prompting Donald to seize the opening.

Now that Pan had reacted, a swarm of crows descended from the sky, tearing into Donald. As he watched the crows fall, Pan felt a pang of regret. He should have sought out Chen Gu to synthesize and reinforce his troops before engaging. Though he had previously looked down on the Fire-Spirit Crows, he had to admit that their offensive capabilities were far superior to ordinary crows. Had he brought them along, a single "Spark-Scouring" maneuver could have resolved the current situation with ease. Pan realized he had underestimated Chen Gu; it seemed he would need to rely on him more frequently to enhance his subordinates.

With this thought, Pan refocused on his enemy. Donald was becoming frantic under the crows' assault, yet he remained confident in his eventual victory. He possessed a powerful undead army; what did a few crows matter? He failed to notice, however, that the wild wolves previously dispatched to deal with the skeletons had circled back. These wolves were the true core of the offensive. Like Mido, Donald was a skeleton hero—after all, skeletons were the best at surviving in the floodwaters—and the crushing bite of the wolves was lethal to him.

With all of Donald’s attention fixed on the aerial assault, no one noticed the wolves closing in until they had already lunged. Several wolves latched onto Donald’s neck. Despite his status as a hero, Donald possessed enough strength to momentarily pry the wolves off, but he could not hold his own against the overwhelming numbers. Over a hundred of Pan’s wolves swarmed him from all sides. Realizing the danger, Donald called for his troops, but it was too late. The wolves were driven by a singular, destructive purpose. When enemy forces intervened, the wolves split into groups to counterattack, tearing Donald’s elite undead guard to shreds within seconds.

Though the wolves suffered significant losses, they secured the outcome Pan desired. Three minutes later, Donald and his entire force were decimated, at the cost of one hundred and sixty of Pan’s wolves. Seeing his fallen pack, Pan’s expression darkened. He realized the deficiency in his synthesis methods. He needed Chen Gu to help synthesize the wolves—not into Blood-Shadow Wolves, but perhaps by integrating harvesting machinery into them to turn them into mechanical combat units. That way, his own combat buffs could apply to them, significantly boosting their efficacy. He could do the same for his crows and rats.

Speaking of rats, Pan suddenly remembered dispatching them earlier. He looked toward Mido’s position. With the wolves and crows pulled away, Mido was being besieged only by scarecrows, agricultural machinery, and the rats. Their coordination was impeccable; the agricultural machines struck at a height of about one meter, meaning the rats—no matter how large—were never caught in the crossfire. Instead, the rats darted between the machines, launching attacks from the blind spots. Their method was to ram and tear; while ineffective against skeletons, it was devastating against the walking corpses behind them. The scarecrows, as Pan had intended, remained in the rear, acting as both controllers and mobile command units, pushing the machinery forward and serving as power sources. Even so, they fought with great tenacity.

Under this coordinated assault, Mido was also slain. However, Pan’s losses were substantial. Almost all his agricultural machinery was wrecked, half of his three thousand rats were dead, and a third of the reinforcements of crows had been lost. The scarecrows fared slightly better, with only about ten percent lost. Pan could not afford to mourn; these were necessary sacrifices. He needed to capture Windfall City quickly. If the undead managed to entrench themselves there, the cost of retaking the city would be far greater.

After reorganizing his remaining troops, Pan headed toward the city’s administrative hall. On his way, Kara managed to scrape together a final defense: thirty-odd skeletons, each wielding a different weapon. Pan ignored them entirely, driving his vine-drawn carriage straight into the hall without a moment’s hesitation.

Kara watched the scene unfold, his eyes filled with bitterness. "If only I had seized the City Heart sooner."

Pan jumped off his carriage and smiled at the remark. "You can speak? This is the first time I've encountered a talking skeleton."

"As a hero, is there any reason I shouldn't be able to speak?" Kara pulled his hand from the City Heart and drew his longsword. As a hero, he had no intention of fleeing; as an undead, he feared no death. His eye sockets burned with resentment—if only Pan had arrived a moment later. Had he secured this place, he could have advanced his standing, become the lord of Windfall City, and received the blessing of the Black Fortress. But now, all was lost. His opportunity, his future—gone. Kara had only one thought left: to kill Pan.

Seeing Kara charge with his sword, Pan had no intention of engaging in a duel. He simply waved his hand, and a tide of rats surged from behind him. They swarmed over Kara. Even as he fought to resist, the sheer volume of rodents buried him. From where he stood, Pan watched as Kara’s sword-wielding arm slowly vanished into the mass of rats, never to be seen again.