Chapter 72: Chapter 72: Conquering The Town (part 1)

Her face went pale.

The vegetables scattered across the ground as she dropped the basket.

“T-they’re walking…”

Another man backed away slowly, his voice shaking.

“That… that thing is bones…”

More people noticed now.

The skeletons continued their slow march down the road, weapons in hand, their hollow skulls turning slightly as if scanning the area.

Panic exploded like wildfire.

“RUN!”

“DEMONS!”

“THE DEAD ARE WALKING!”

People ran in every direction. Some tripped over themselves trying to escape. Others slammed their doors shut or dragged their children inside.

A man stumbled backward and shouted toward the main street.

“CALL THE DUSTWIND CLAN! CALL THE CLAN!”

The skeletons continued their slow march into town.

Their steps were steady, almost mechanical. Bone feet scraped against the dirt road, shields knocking softly against rib cages as they moved.

At first, most people ran.

Doors slammed shut. Windows closed. Children cried as their parents dragged them away from the streets.

But not everyone fled.

A few townsmen stepped forward instead.

They were farmers, woodcutters, and laborers, men used to hard work and rough tools. One of them held a woodcutting axe, another gripped a long iron hoe, while a third raised a heavy hammer usually meant for shaping metal.

Fear was written all over their faces, but pride kept their feet planted.

One of them shouted, trying to sound braver than he felt.

“They’re just bones!”

Another man nodded quickly. “Yeah! Break them apart and they’ll fall!”

The first skeleton reached them.

Without hesitation, the farmer swung his axe.

Crack!

The blade struck the skeleton’s shoulder, knocking loose fragments of bone that clattered onto the road.

The skeleton staggered half a step.

Then its sword moved.

A quick, stiff swing.

The blade moved with cold precision.

The farmer barely had time to react.

The sword cut across his chest with a wet slice. His scream was short and sharp before blood spilled down his shirt. He collapsed to his knees, the axe slipping from his hands.

The skeleton didn’t stop.

It raised its sword again and brought it down on the man’s neck.

Bone met flesh.

The farmer’s body dropped lifelessly into the dirt.

For a moment, the other men froze.

They had expected bones to fall apart.

Not to fight back.

“Kill it!” one of them shouted in panic.

The blacksmith charged forward with his hammer raised high. He swung with all the strength in his thick arms.

CRACK!

The hammer smashed into the skeleton’s skull.

The head exploded into fragments. Bone pieces scattered across the road.

The skeleton collapsed.

The blacksmith stared, breathing heavily.

“I told you!” he shouted, relief flooding his voice. “Just break them—”

He never finished the sentence.

The scattered bones began to move.

Fragments twitched.

The broken ribs slid across the ground as if pulled by invisible strings. The shattered skull pieces rolled and snapped back together.

In a few seconds, the skeleton pulled itself upright again.

Exactly the same as before.

The blacksmith’s face drained of color.

“T-that’s not possible…”

Another skeleton reached the blacksmith first.

A blade pierced straight through his stomach.

The man gasped.

The sword twisted.

Blood poured out as his body crumpled to the ground.

Now the panic truly exploded.

“THEY WON’T DIE!”

“RUN!”

“GODS SAVE US!”

More civilians died in the chaos.

One skeleton slammed its shield into a man trying to flee, knocking him flat before driving a sword into his throat.

Another chased a woman who had tripped while running. Her screams echoed across the street before the skeleton’s blade ended them.

A child cried beside her body.

A skeleton raised its sword.

The sound of steel suddenly cut through the air.

CLANG!

A spear knocked the blade aside.

“Hold the line!” a voice roared.

Dustwind warriors finally arrived.

Ten armored men rushed down the street, spears and swords ready. Their armor bore the wind-shaped emblem of the clan.

One of them stared at the skeletons in disbelief.

“What in the hell are these things?”

Another warrior didn’t hesitate.

“Doesn’t matter! Kill them!”

They charged.

Steel clashed against bone.

Spears thrust through rib cages. Swords shattered arms and split skulls apart. One skeleton lost both legs and collapsed into a pile of bones.

But the warriors quickly realized something was wrong.

The bones moved again.

Fragments slid across the ground.

Broken limbs crawled back to their bodies.

Within seconds, the skeletons stood up again.

One of the warriors shouted in shock.

“They’re restoring themselves!”

Another warrior drove his spear through a skeleton’s spine, shattering it into pieces.

It didn’t matter.

The bones reassembled right in front of him.

“Impossible!” he shouted.

A skeleton stepped forward and stabbed its blade into his neck.

Blood sprayed across the dirt road.

The warriors fought desperately now.

They cut.

They smashed.

They shattered skeleton after skeleton.

But every time the bones fell apart… they simply reformed.

Meanwhile, more civilians were caught in the chaos.

A fleeing man collided with two skeletons turning a corner. Before he could turn around, their blades pierced his back.

A group of townspeople trying to escape through an alley ran straight into three more undead.

Screams filled the air.

Blood soaked the streets.

From the quiet corner near the broken shed, Aiden watched everything.

His expression didn’t change.

He leaned casually against the wooden wall, arms crossed beneath his cloak.

Through the link with his summons, he could feel every movement.

Every strike.

Every death.

A faint smile slowly appeared on his lips.

“Not bad…” he murmured under his breath.

His eyes followed one of the skeletons as it fought two Dustwind warriors at once. One of the warriors smashed its ribs apart with a heavy strike, while the other cut its arm clean off.

The skeleton collapsed.

Then the bones began crawling across the ground.

The ribs snapped back together. The arm reattached itself. The skull rolled back into place.

The skeleton stood up again.

The two warriors froze in disbelief.

Aiden let out a quiet chuckle.

“Earlier, they would’ve struggled against one man,” he muttered.

Now his basic-grade skeletons could take on two normal warriors by themselves.

The difference was obvious.

The two passive skills he picked earlier were worth it.

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