Undead Mage: I Have a Skeleton Clone-Chapter 575 - 401: Archrival Upgrade, Trench Warfare With the Undead Mage?

Upon hearing this, Fang Zhou’s expression grew more serious. If Zhang Wu’s observations were accurate, then this was not merely a simple terrain change, but some force at work behind the scenes, leading to a widespread alteration of the landscape.

After a moment’s thought, Zhang Wu disregarded the dirt and simply crouched down, sifting through the soil and even extending his fingers into the fine cracks.

"Captain, look," Zhang Wu said, pointing at a particularly noticeable fissure. "You can clearly see the difference between new and old here. The edges of the new cracks are very sharp, whereas the old ones have been weathered to be much smoother. This indicates that the desertification of this land might have occurred recently."

Hearing this, Fang Zhou also crouched down to carefully observe the ground. Seeing the team had stopped, Liu Diewu curiously came over, wanting to see what Zhang Wu and Fang Zhou were discussing. A few seconds later, she and Fang Zhou saw Zhang Wu solemnly raise his hand. His palm, facing up, held no muddy water; only wisps of visible heat slowly rose from it.

Liu Diewu couldn’t help but frown, her voice filled with confusion as she asked, "What’s going on here?"

Zhang Wu sighed, a hint of worry in his tone. "Do you know if there are any hot springs, volcanoes, or anything similar nearby?"

Fang Zhou and Liu Diewu exchanged a glance and shook their heads. "We haven’t heard of any. The military academy’s previous reconnaissance records for this area never mentioned any similar geological activity."

Zhang Wu frowned and fell into deep thought. "Then perhaps we need to be more vigilant, because we might encounter Demons or other demonic creatures from the Magma Abyss next."

Upon hearing this, Liu Diewu’s expression instantly became much grimmer. The world of the Era of Myth was filled with various chaotic evil demonic creatures, and these monsters were the archenemies of Blue Star People, Flower Elves, and other members of the Lawful Good Faction. However, compared to ordinary demonic creatures, the Demons from the Endless Abyss were, on average, extremely powerful, making them a far greater threat to this world than the likes of the Jackal Wolfmen.

The Demons from the Magma Abyss were especially dangerous. These Demons possessed extremely strong powers on average, and their most notable characteristic was their affinity for flame. Whether in their attacks, magic, or various constructs, everything was closely related to fire. So, after a brief moment of contemplation, Zhang Wu immediately thought of these fiends.

At his words, Liu Diewu’s expression soured, but Fang Zhou, on the other hand, suddenly seemed interested.

"Demons, you say? I’m actually quite interested. In fact, they are also one of our hunting targets. Don’t forget, we still have the Soul Enemy skill, which needs to be upgraded by killing Demons."

He looked earnestly at the members of the Calamity Squad, his tone firm. "If we do encounter Demons, you should know what choice we will make at the crucial moment."

Gu Yueyuan, Liu Diewu, and Zhang Wu all nodded vigorously. Exterminating Demons was an innate mission for all Sea City Military Academy cadets and the fundamental reason the academy expended vast resources to train them. Therefore, when Fang Zhou mentioned the upcoming challenge, the members of the Calamity Squad needed no further explanation; they all understood.

They quickly organized their packs and were preparing to move forward, ready for battle. Just then, a faint, cheerful song suddenly drifted over from not far away. The singing pierced the swamp’s silence, carrying with it an exhilarating power.

At the same time, Liu Diewu, Zhang Wu, and the others noticed some indistinct figures engaged in battle behind a patch of low, decaying trees. Since there were suspected traces of Demons here, Liu Diewu and the others instantly became vigilant, preparing to fight with all their might. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

However, Fang Zhou’s expression became exceptionally peculiar. Through the reconnaissance vision of the Skeleton Bat flying high in the air, he could clearly see that one of the fighting parties was definitely a team of Sea City Military Academy cadets, and among them was someone who looked like a Minstrel. This made him feel both surprised and curious.

Fang Zhou quickly issued a command, and the Calamity Squad began to move swiftly in the direction of the sound. As they drew closer, the silhouettes of the two warring sides became clearer.

One side was a team composed of Sea City Military Academy cadets, led by a Minstrel. At that moment, he was playing an accordion, weaving about the battlefield while singing an inspiring battle song. Beams of light emanated from his instrument, enveloping the allies in front of and behind him. The Minstrel’s signature skill of playing music was a continuous action that consumed minimal mana. As long as he kept singing, allies within a small radius would receive a magical enhancement. Although the effect of the enhancement wasn’t strong, its wide area of effect and long duration significantly boosted the team’s overall combat effectiveness.

As for their enemies, Fang Zhou was quite familiar with them: a horde of about one hundred colorful Demon Swamp Frogs. The number of these Demon Swamp Frogs exceeded what Fang Zhou had encountered in the Swamp of Decay in Cave No. 1, and some of them had even reached the Black Iron rank. They were enormous, their skin covered in vivid spots that made them appear exceptionally ferocious. Their methods of attack were diverse, ranging from close-range bites to long-distance Poison Spray attacks, causing great trouble for the Sea City Military Academy cadets. Who knew how they had managed to provoke them.

Besides the green-skinned ordinary Warriors and Hunters, these Demon Swamp Frogs also included a dozen or so blue-skinned or purple-skinned squad leaders and three red-skinned Druids. In previous battles, due to Fang Zhou’s quick reactions, these red-skinned Druids were often focused down and killed before they could showcase their full prowess. However, this time, with the cover of numerous allies, the strength of the three red-skinned Druids was on full display.

They could not only summon giant tadpoles and frogs to aid in battle but also cast a basic Healing Magic to restore the health of their wounded companions. Additionally, they could use a special spell that summoned bark to cover their allies at the front, greatly enhancing their Defense Power. Therefore, even though the Demon Swamp Frogs had low average strength, their combat power was significantly improved under the command of these three red-skinned Druids.

This ten-person team from Sea City Military Academy, though of decent average strength, struggled against the overwhelming numbers of Druid-supported Demon Swamp Frogs. The battle gradually fell into a stalemate that was becoming increasingly unfavorable for the Sea City Military Academy cadets, as they were at a numerical disadvantage.

Dozens of mutilated Demon Swamp Frog corpses already littered the ground, indicating the battle had been raging for some time. However, just then, they noticed the arrival of Fang Zhou and his group.

Fang Zhou’s face and reputation were known by nearly every cadet in the Sea City Military Academy. The arrival of such powerful reinforcements filled them with immense excitement.

Seeing Fang Zhou, the lead Minstrel was overjoyed. He immediately set down his accordion and shouted, "Boss Fang Zhou! We’re the third-year Thunderfire Squad! I’m Ye Yinzhu, the captain! Please, lend us a hand and help us deal with this crazy horde of Demon Swamp Frogs! You can have first pick of the loot!"

As he spoke, Ye Yinzhu quickly explained to his teammates, "Everyone, hold on! Reinforcements are here! It’s the famous number one seed from the second year, Fang Zhou!"

Hearing Ye Yinzhu’s words, the Thunderfire Squad cadets were instantly invigorated, their fighting spirit renewed. They looked at Fang Zhou’s Dusk Robe, which emanated a faint magical glow, and the barely perceptible aura of Enchantment surrounding him. Then, they glanced down at their own ragged gear and felt a sudden impulse to throw it all away.

Fang Zhou would never sit idly by while cadets from the Sea City Military Academy were under siege, especially when he was capable of helping. He quickly assessed the battlefield and made a tactical hand signal to the Minstrel, Ye Yinzhu, for a pincer attack from both inside and out.