Chapter 454: Skeletons

If the wizards had been prepared from the start, dealing with these demons wouldn’t have been much of an issue.

Helag speculated that the wizards might be too cautious to enter the city, so they were likely hiding in the mountains, trying to figure out the situation in this world.

However, this world was full of demons, leading to inevitable conflicts between them.

When the demons couldn’t win, they had no choice but to abandon their territories—just like the black gorilla had done.

Five days later, the demon-hunting squad set out.

It must be said that the conditions for the squad were terrible. They didn’t even have enough horses for everyone.

Helag shared a carriage with three other exorcists, which was considered a luxury compared to the others.

Because they were exorcists, they had the privilege of sharing a carriage with only four people.

The other adventurers had it worse. Their carriages didn’t even have covers, and more than ten people were crammed into each one, making it difficult to even turn around.

The adventurers didn’t seem to mind, as if they were used to it.

After leaving Greenfield City, the squad followed the main road toward the mountain range to the east.

Greenfield City was the westernmost city of the Portlands Empire, and this road was the main connection to other cities in the east.

There were some smaller, more remote roads, but they were long and winding, used mainly by small towns and villages.

By sunset, the carriages stopped at the base of the mountain range.

They lit fires, set up camp, and began cooking.

The squad wasn’t going to enter the mountains at night—it was too dangerous.

After a full day of travel, everyone was tired and needed to rest before heading into the mountains the next morning to hunt for demons.

Helag looked at the loosely defended camp and sighed silently.

This squad was completely disorganized, full of weaknesses.

They didn’t need demons to attack them—a well-trained ordinary army could easily overwhelm this group.

There were no proper tents, just large tarps propped up to create makeshift shelters that were open on all sides.

The only real tent belonged to Sam, the squad leader. Everyone else had to sleep under the tarps in a communal space.

Helag found a spot on the edge of the camp and sat down.

As night fell, the campfire grew brighter.

Many people gathered around the fire, chatting and using its warmth to fend off the cold mountain air.

Helag remained under the tarp, not joining the others. He wasn’t bothered by the cold.

The others simply assumed he was a loner who didn’t like socializing.

Late into the night, most of the group, except for the night watch, had fallen asleep.

Helag lay in his spot, staying awake and alert to his surroundings.

In his opinion, the camp’s defenses were practically useless.

The mountain nights were freezing, and the others had curled up tightly for warmth.

Helag’s eyes sharpened as he heard faint noises.

The wind in the mountains masked the sounds, and no one else seemed to notice.

He glanced at Deep Blue’s environmental scan, which showed no anomalies yet.

But the strange noises persisted, coming from a distance.

After a while, Helag finally saw what was approaching.

A group of skeletons was emerging from the depths of the mountains, heading straight for their camp.

Some skeletons carried swords, others shields, and some even wielded staffs.

Judging by their speed, they would reach the camp in a few minutes.

Helag immediately stood up and called out to Sam’s tent, “Sam, I hear something approaching from the mountains.”

Sam quickly emerged from his tent and asked, “Are you sure?”

Helag nodded. “I have good hearing. I’m certain something is coming.”

He had spoken up to give the group time to prepare, so they wouldn’t be caught off guard.

Sam’s expression grew serious as he shouted to the others, “Get up! We’ve got work to do!”

The group groggily woke up, and after understanding the situation, they grabbed their weapons, lit torches, and stood on guard.

Helag had only mentioned that something was approaching, but he hadn’t specified what.

A few minutes later, they didn’t need the torches to see what was coming.

The skeletons’ soul flames were too obvious—like ghostly lights flickering in the distance.

“It’s those damned skeletons!” Sam growled. “Matthew, get back to Greenfield City and report to Knight Commander Arnt. We’ll hold them off here.”

Skeletons were generally weak individually, but they often came in large numbers. The squad was clearly outnumbered and would need reinforcements from the city.

The group tensed, gripping their weapons as they watched the skeleton army approach.

Helag remained calm, holding his sword and observing the skeletons.

He was searching for the one controlling them.

The skeletons moved in unison, clearly under someone’s command.

As the skeleton army reached the entrance to the mountain, they spotted the camp and began clacking their jaws as if they were laughing.

Though there was no sound, the clattering of their bones echoed through the air.

The skeletons, who had been moving slowly, suddenly picked up speed and charged toward the camp.

Helag watched silently, positioning himself in front of the others.

He had already sensed that these skeletons didn’t contain any demonic aura, so there was no need to go all out in killing them.

His plan was to stay low-key and, in the chaos, slip into the mountains to find whoever was controlling the skeletons.

He wasn’t sure if it was a demon or a wizard.

Necromancer wizards from the wizard plane certainly had the ability to control skeleton armies, so it was possible that a wizard was behind this.

Helag wasn’t going to miss the chance to investigate.

In the blink of an eye, the skeleton army clashed with the squad, and a fierce battle broke out.

The adventurers were of varying skill levels. The stronger ones could handle the skeletons with ease, while the weaker ones were quickly overwhelmed.

Helag moved with agility, cutting down a skeleton with a single strike, creating a small clearing around him.

These skeletons were too weak to pose any real threat to him. His basic physical abilities were more than enough to deal with them.

Several squad members noticed Helag’s prowess and were surprised by how strong he was.

Even Sam glanced over, giving Helag an approving nod before turning back to fight.

As Helag fought, he gradually moved deeper into the skeleton horde, distancing himself from the others.

The skeleton army continued to grow, and the battlefield became increasingly chaotic.

Before long, the weaker adventurers had all been taken down.

Only the exorcists and the more capable adventurers remained, fighting off the seemingly endless waves of skeletons.

For them, the skeletons weren’t particularly strong, but their sheer numbers made it difficult to finish them off quickly.