Chapter 720: Bone Dragon!!!

“Adjust the direction of calibration. Prepare the ammunition!”

More than a thousand iron-armored catapults on the platform rotated quickly, aiming at the plain below.

“Fire! Give them a merciless bombardment!” the indestructible villain shouted excitedly.

As the catapults of Zhushen Sword approached Krips Fortress, Qin Han felt confident and ambitious. Suddenly, a sharp whistling noise tore through the sky. Upon hearing the sound, his expression changed. He noticed that dense iron cannonballs, like raindrops, were falling rapidly from the sky.

What was going on?

Before Qin Han could react, the iron cannonballs whistled down. With a series of thunderous explosions, Zhushen Sword’s catapults were shattered into pieces, wood splinters flying everywhere.

After just one wave of attacks, more than a hundred iron-armored catapults were reduced to only twenty or thirty percent functional; the majority were completely destroyed.

Qin Han’s heart bled. He had worked so hard to acquire these catapults, and now they were all smashed before even being put to much use. Looking toward the surrounding peaks, he faintly saw rows upon rows of iron-armored catapults, numbering more than a thousand, scattered across the mountaintops. He couldn’t figure out how the Bullman Tribe had managed to transport the catapults up there.

That wasn’t all. The Bullman Tribe’s catapults began bombarding the skeleton army, causing chaos among the undead ranks.

Wherever the iron cannonballs landed, skeletons were smashed into pieces, bones scattered everywhere.

These catapults’ iron cannonballs were extremely effective against skeletons. If a single cannonball landed in a densely packed area of skeletons and triggered its magical effect, hundreds of skeletons could be crushed instantly.

Moreover, their high elevation provided a significant increase in attack range, allowing them to bombard any target at will. Although their accuracy might not be perfect, with so many catapults firing simultaneously, precision was less important. Wherever there were more skeletons, they simply fired a dense volley of iron cannonballs, clearing out large areas in an instant.

The catapults were positioned on very steep rocky cliffs or slopes, making it impossible for the skeletons to climb up. To attack Krips Fortress, they had no choice but to endure the bombardment. The only way to strike the catapults on the cliffs was by using flying mounts. However, the Mone Consortium had only managed to acquire a little over a hundred flying mounts. Destroying more than a thousand catapults was simply impossible. Furthermore, if they deployed their flying mounts, the Bullman Tribe’s flying mount unit would definitely intercept them. Sending ground troops was also impractical, as the Bullman Tribe only needed a few top-tier players to guard the catapults, preventing Mone’s forces from getting anywhere near them.

Qin Han had no way to retreat. If they failed to capture Krips Fortress today, their only fate would be destruction!

In recent times, the Bullman Tribe had consumed nearly three million of his skeletons. Without his various efforts, the number of skeletons in his undead army could not have remained as high as six million.

If they returned empty-handed this time, the skeleton army would eventually be destroyed. Without the undead army, how could the Mone Consortium’s subordinate branches possibly stand against the Bullman Tribe?

Even if they were to perish entirely, they had to persist!

Qin Han surveyed the distant peaks and issued orders to Divine Blade Wu Shuang: “Find several engineers and a few hundred thieves. Mark the positions of all the catapults and calculate their trajectories!”

“Yes!” Divine Blade Wu Shuang replied and went to make the arrangements.

The scene of a synchronized salvo from more than a thousand catapults was spectacular. In a short while, Qin Han’s skeleton army had suffered casualties exceeding five or six hundred thousand.

The players defending Krips Fortress were greatly encouraged by the scene and launched a fierce counterattack against the skeletons below.

“Give them hell!” the indestructible villain shouted, gazing down from the peak. Watching more than a thousand catapults bombard the battlefield below, obliterating everything in their path, was an exhilarating experience. Looking toward Krips Fortress, he noticed the pressure on the fortress had significantly eased.

The plain below was cleared, and Qin Han’s skeleton army halted its advance.

“Chief, the skeleton army has retreated!”

“Chief, we’ve won!”

The guild chat exploded with excitement.

Nie Yan remained silent for a moment, then shook his head and said, “Everyone hold your positions and do not leave. This is only the beginning!” Out of Qin Han’s six million skeletons, only one million had been destroyed so far. He would never retreat so easily. If he did, he would lose completely! Therefore, Qin Han would surely make a final desperate attempt!

Hearing Nie Yan’s words, the players of the Bullman Tribe exchanged glances, their excitement gradually calming down.

Just over half an hour later, on the distant edge of the plain, squad after squad of skeletons reappeared in their field of vision.

The formation of these skeletons was quite unusual, winding their way across the plain toward Krips Fortress.

Once they entered the plain, the Bullman Tribe’s catapults launched another attack. Dense iron cannonballs rained down from the sky. However, most of them landed in the soil, with only a few hitting the skeletons. The majority of the undead remained outside the catapults’ range.

Watching the skeletons continuing to advance in groups despite the intense bombardment, Nie Yan narrowed his eyes. Qin Han still had some tricks up his sleeve. The man had marked all the catapult positions, calculating their trajectories based on terrain, elevation differences, and range. He mapped out all the areas on the plain that could be bombarded by the catapults and designed the skeletons’ marching routes accordingly, effectively avoiding the bombardment.

The catapults on the mountaintops were all fixed in position. Nie Yan had arranged for the players to carve out small platforms, making it impossible for the catapults to move. Moreover, there were only a little over a thousand positions available, leaving many areas of the plain uncovered.

The effectiveness of the catapults was essentially neutralized.

Nie Yan pondered for a moment and decided to withdraw the catapults.

The indestructible villain and others activated the teleportation magic array, bringing all the catapults back to Krips Fortress, preparing to make a final stand in defense.

The next three days would be an arduous battle for the Bullman Tribe. More than five million skeletons launched a frenzied assault on Krips Fortress. Qin Han deployed all his remaining resources, consuming nearly two million skeletons, before finally creating a relatively small breach in the southern part of Krips Fortress. However, Nie Yan immediately ordered the warriors below to seal the breach.

With Cui Can Dao Guang (Radiant Blade), Lei Su (Thunderous), and Shui Se Yan Tou (Smoke’s Haze) standing guard at that point, no skeleton could cross the line.

The Bullman Tribe also suffered significant losses, with at least one hundred thousand troops falling to the skeleton army. Players who perished during the defense could not be resurrected temporarily, so the Bullman Tribe’s forces were severely depleted.

“The Mone Consortium’s skeleton army now only has about three million left. We will definitely emerge victorious in the end! Everyone, keep pushing!” Cui Can Dao Guang shouted in the guild chat.

“The Mone Consortium won’t be able to outlast us. Let’s see what tricks Qin Han still has up his sleeve!”

The Bullman Tribe members tensely arranged their defenses. Influenced by the Black Hell, the former Dark Ranger Guild players were quite dedicated to defending the fortress. Their accumulated damage reached over six hundred thousand, but they had also suffered losses of two or three hundred thousand.

Standing atop the city wall, Nie Yan observed the situation. Qin Han’s skeleton army would not last much longer.

At that moment, a deafening dragon roar echoed from the distant sky. Looking ahead, a black dot appeared at the horizon, growing closer. Nie Yan’s expression changed; the thing he feared had finally arrived.

“Nie Yan, it’s the lich Bode Man’s bone dragon!” Shui Se Yan Tou urgently reported in the team chat.

“I understand. Proceed with the plan. You and Dao Guang defend Krips Fortress. Don’t engage directly; just hold it off. I’m heading to Carol City!” Nie Yan said, rushing quickly toward the teleportation array of Krips Fortress.

Cui Can Dao Guang, Shui Se Yan Tou, and another twelve top-tier player characters stood atop the city wall, watching the growing black dot on the horizon. The figure atop the bone dragon stood proudly—the long-absent lich Bode Man had returned.

The massive bone dragon roared overhead, unleashing a powerful aura of death.

“Dao Guang, it’s up to you,” the others looked at Cui Can Dao Guang.

“Got it. Just be careful not to become the bone dragon’s meal,” Cui Can Dao Guang smiled, estimating the landing spot of the bone dragon and sprinting toward it.

“You should worry about yourself first,” the others laughed.

Nearby, Mo Jiu (Awe-inspiring Roc) and Hei An Bei Ge (Dark Melancholy) looked at Cui Can Dao Guang, Shui Se Yan Tou, and the others. Although they were newcomers, they could clearly sense that Cui Can Dao Guang, Shui Se Yan Tou, the indestructible villain, and others were like brothers. They couldn’t help but recall their former Dark Rangers, who had gathered together because of the legendary Lone Ranger. Although they eventually disbanded, the deep bond they shared, like that of brothers, still evoked a sense of longing.

They suddenly understood why Brother Dù Bù (Lone Ranger) was willing to stay with the Bullman Tribe—because of a group like this.

At this moment, the Bullman Tribe was no different from the former Dark Rangers. Since Dù Bù had chosen to stay, they decided to temporarily remain with the Bullman Tribe as well.

A thunderous boom echoed from afar as the bone dragon landed inside the Bullman Tribe’s fortress, crushing two watchtowers.

“Pathetic humans, feel the terror of death!”

The lich standing atop the bone dragon let out a sharp laugh, like needles piercing everyone’s eardrums.

Cui Can Dao Guang drew closer to the bone dragon. Compared to the massive creature, his figure seemed extremely small. He noticed many scorched marks on the dragon’s body—battle scars from previous fights. The wounds from its battle with Kars had not yet healed.

“So, it’s an injured one,” Cui Can Dao Guang revealed a slight smirk of contempt.

Charge!

Cui Can Dao Guang accelerated forward, leaping from the city wall. He raised his large shield, which had previously been dull and unremarkable. Suddenly, it emitted dazzling golden light. Shield Bash!

With a loud crash, Cui Can Dao Guang’s heavy shield slammed into the bone dragon. A powerful force caused the bone dragon to stagger backward a few steps.