Darkness had descended. On the mound of Uzhhorod, Bandak, along with the villagers and Swadian Militia, had reached the edge.
"Prepare for battle," Bandak turned his head and instructed the Swadian Villagers and Swadian Militia behind him.
"Understood!" The 200 Swadian Villagers and 700 Swadian Militia responded in low voices.
There was no trace of fear in their voices.
Because by then, they had all realized they held an absolute numerical advantage.
Although they knew Undead Monsters existed in the darkness outside, when all 900 of them gathered there, the numerical superiority filled their voices with confidence.
After all, these Swadian Villagers and Militia had heard that Lord Shen Mu had led Mount & Blade Soldiers through several dangerous encounters in this Different World.
While some soldiers had fallen in battle, they did not feel there was anything wrong with it.
War means death; if no one dies, how can it be called war?
Moreover, they were willing to come to this Different World to accompany Lord Shen Mu, having already prepared to die in battle. And why did they come to this Different World? First, out of a desire for wealth and power.
Second, because Lord Shen Mu in this Different World was crucial to the safety of the entire world, a savior-level existence.
They had answered the call of a sacred mission to come to Lord Shen Mu's side, and therefore, they did not care if they would fall in battle.
"Very good, the morale is excellent." Bandak nodded in agreement, then had everyone pick up the simple torches they had prepared, light them, and begin illuminating the surrounding dim area.
At the top of the mound, there was still a portion of the night area covered by Mount & Blade Rules.
Beyond the mound was the Undead Zone, enveloped by death spirit rules.
This was a small, additional area under the cover of Mount & Blade Rules. After all, Mount & Blade Rules did not only cover the castle of New Uzhhorod; there was an area outside the castle still controlled by Mount & Blade Rules.
This area could be used for cultivation or for arranging additional defensive layouts, such as digging trenches or inserting rows of spikes, etc.
To hinder the enemy's attempts to attack the city walls.
Of course, it also made it convenient for Bandak to gather these 900 Swadian Soldiers and prepare within this area.
Watching all the soldiers, with every 5 people holding a lit simple torch, and the other 4 people having two simple torches as backup in their hands.
Bandak knew everyone was ready.
"Lord Bandak, this deep dive into the darkness might encounter many Undead Monsters, so please allow us to follow you as well." The 10 Holy Tree Knights assigned as Bandak's guards also walked over, making their request to Bandak with sincere tones.
"Hmm, alright, you follow me." Bandak nodded, saying nothing more.
He understood that they were also there to complete the task Shen Mu had assigned and ensure their own safety.
And indeed, going out into the dark, into the areas filled with death spirit rules's darkness and grey mist, did require some high-end combat power to ensure the battlefield did not encounter problems.
Having these Holy Tree Knights follow was indeed a good idea.
So they prepared for battle, and under Bandak's command, they walked down the slope of the mound, towards the base of the mound.
Of course, there were still 200 Swadian Militia at the front, then 200 Swadian Commoners in the middle, and finally, another 500 Swadian Militia bringing up the rear.
Bandak, meanwhile, stayed in the middle with the 200 Swadian Commoners to maintain order.
As rays of torchlight began to dispel the surrounding darkness, the first 200 Swadian Militia to descend quickly reached the desert below via the slope.
Wielding their hunting crossbows, they swiftly shot down Skeleton Soldiers, Skeleton frames, and even zombies that attempted to approach them, killing them on the spot.
They quickly cleared an area.
An area that allowed Bandak, the Commoners, and the remaining Militia from the mound to also descend and quickly form up.
And the Commoners and Militia behind them did not disappoint the expectations of these pioneering Militia. As they swiftly rushed down the slope of the mound, they stood shoulder to shoulder with the front-line Militia, holding their shields and spears, quickly forming a semicircular defensive formation centered on the mound behind them.
At this moment, the battle immediately began.
In the darkness, countless arrows began to appear, clanging directly against the shields of these Swadian Militia.
And just ahead, with sounds of bones colliding, Skeleton Legions, dark-bodied as if gleaming with metallic luster, holding long spears and sword-shields, also appeared here.
They charged directly out of the darkness and grey mist, their eye sockets glaring with eerie blue soul fire, rushing towards these Swadian Militia.
"Archers, fire!"
"Spear phalanx, hold your formation! Stand your ground, do not move!"
The Swadian Militia Captains, who had spontaneously formed among the Swadian Militia, now shouted, loudly encouraging their comrades and companions to maintain their battle formation and counterattack.
These Swadian Militia had all passed through the Swadian Recruit stage, possessing combat skills forged through arduous training and battle experience gained from close combat.
Without hesitation, they raised their old fan-shaped shields with their left arms, forming short walls, while their right hands tightly gripped the long spears made of high-quality wood and iron ingots.
In a single breath, they formed an iron wall and a hedgehog formation.
This was the Spear Phalanx.
Not only did it block some of the decaying arrows shot at them.
But when the Skeleton Warriors, holding decaying long spears and decaying long swords and shields, clattered and swayed as they approached, they were also blocked.
Although the bones of those Skeleton Soldiers gleamed with a metallic luster, they were still merely upgraded versions of Skeleton frames.
Their movement was still quite slow, and their strength was not that great.
Their entire body's movement relied solely on the soul fire flickering in their eye sockets, or rather, within their skulls, for power.
This was the great disadvantage of the Skeleton race among these Undead Monsters.
Bandak had dealt with these Skeleton Soldiers before, so he knew exactly how to deal with these Skeleton Monsters, both to avoid harm himself and to allow his soldiers to quickly gain combat experience.
After all, in the underground garage, Bandak had personally led those soldiers to upgrade from Swadian Recruit to Swadian Militia in a short period.
Now he commanded 700 Swadian Militia, the most versatile infantry among low-tier soldiers.
How could he fear these Skeleton Soldiers?
Then he saw these Skeleton Legions approach the Swadian Militia, raise their decaying weapons, and before they could even swing, they were struck in the body or head by the Swadian Militia who had already gripped their spears and thrust them out fiercely.
With repeated thrusts, they instantly disintegrated into scattered bone fragments on the ground.
As for the attacks of these Skeleton Soldiers, they were easily blocked by the Swadian Militia simply raising their shields with their left arms.
This was because although these Skeleton Soldiers looked powerful, all their weapons were decaying, and even the tattered armor they wore was so decayed it was as brittle as the weakest plastic bag.
Not to mention they couldn't withstand the spears fiercely thrust out by the Swadian Militia; even the ordinary crossbow bolts shot by the Militia standing in the back rows couldn't be stopped at all.
Those crossbow bolts easily pierced their tattered armor, striking directly on their bones, and even their skulls.
Causing these Skeleton Soldiers, whose energy circuits were damaged by external impact, to lose the strength supporting their entire bodies, clattering down into piles of useless bone fragments.
This is why the Skeleton race is always at the lowest tier among Undead Monsters.
Although the Skeleton race is the most numerous and forms the largest legions, this cannot compensate for the fact that the Skeleton race is inherently the weakest and lowest-level Undead Monster.
Except for overwhelming enemies with absolute numerical superiority.
Ordinary numerical superiority can only delay the enemy's progress or hinder their actions.
Even if the enemy is precise enough, a force of only a few hundred people can easily cut through a legion composed of thousands of Skeleton Soldiers.
What's more, the number of Skeleton Soldiers that had gathered due to the descent of darkness was not too many, at most four or five hundred.
Those that surged forward to the front and engaged in battle with these Swadian Militia were only a mere two or three hundred Skeleton Warriors.
As for the Skeleton Archers still shooting arrows from the back, there were only about a hundred of them.
For these Swadian Militia led by Bandak, numbering 700, it was like scratching an itch through a boot—there was simply nothing that could threaten them.
After all, Swadian Militia, whether their shields, helmets, or their hardened leather armor, all provided good defense against these decaying weapons.
Their own weapons were also brand new, far superior in quality to the decaying weapons in the hands of the Skeleton Warriors.
Even when the weapons of both sides collided.
The weapons in the hands of those Skeleton Warriors would be directly broken by the impact of the weapons in the hands of the Swadian Militia.
This also indicated that the soldiers of these Skeleton Legions were practically no different from the lowest-tier Skeleton frames.
"Lord, do we need to expand further? I don't think those Skeleton can hinder our advance." At this moment, some Swadian Militia had already realized that they were like offshore reefs, firmly holding their ground, remaining stable like mountains despite the onslaught of Undead Monsters.
So their confidence grew even more, and looking at the greater darkness outside, some Swadian Militia Captains already wanted to charge out and experience more Undead Monsters in the darkness.
"Stand still, absolutely no unauthorized movement. This is my order." Bandak immediately stopped these Swadian Militia's desire to advance and expand the battlefield.
He understood that the spear phalanx formed by these Swadian Militia was essentially a passive defensive tactic.
It required them to stand their ground like hedgehogs and wait for the enemy's active attack.
It was a defensive tactic chosen by the weak.
Now they considered themselves not weak; facing these Skeleton Soldiers, they even wanted to disband the spear phalanx and use their sharp weapons to engage in close combat with the Skeleton Warriors.
Only then could they display their courage and bravery.
After all, on the continent of Calradia, no one liked cowards.
If they showed fear, they would be ridiculed by others; they had to muster courage to prove they were strong and unafraid of battle.
But now, such thoughts were absolutely forbidden, because Bandak himself was a very pragmatic general.
He believed that such thinking was inherently a reckless underestimation of the enemy.
To ensure the safety of these Swadian Militia and maintain the battle line, he did not want any rash actions.
After all, he clearly understood his purpose for being there.
The first purpose was to allow the 200 Swadian Commoners under the protection of these 700 Swadian Militia to gain sufficient combat experience and upgrade.
And to quickly upgrade to the level of Swadian Recruit.
Swadian Recruit and Swadian Commoners were not the same concept; no matter how trash a Swadian Recruit was, he was still a soldier equipped with a polearm.
No longer belonging to the commoner class.
When these 200 Swadian Recruits were formed, it would mean that New Uzhhorod would no longer have commoner units; everyone would be soldiers of the universal conscription level.
Therefore, Bandak would never allow these Swadian Militia to disband the spear phalanx and actively attack to expand their gains.
Because the tactical objectives were different.
Bandak's tactical objective was to first let these Commoners upgrade, and then during the upgrade process, also let these Militia gain some combat experience, making them eligible to upgrade to the Swadian Light Infantry level.
This was what he wanted.
"Tonight, everyone stands still, absolutely no unauthorized movement. This is my command." Bandak subconsciously looked towards the west.
There was a Diesel Company subway station entrance over there.
Previously, when he went there, the Holy Tree Knight by his side had reminded him that there were evil presences inside.
And there were many of them.
Looking at the Skeleton frames and Skeleton Warriors that appeared now due to the black mist and darkness.
Their numbers were clearly smaller.
Bandak's heart also tensed up slightly, as he certainly did not want to encounter Undead Monsters gathering in absolute numbers and then besieging their New Uzhhorod.
"Let's level up first." Bandak slowly exhaled a heavy breath, looking at the Swadian Militia in front of him who were still enduring the sporadic arrow rain and engaging in battle with the Skeleton Warriors.
At least these Swadian Militia could handle the current intensity of the battle without problems. (End of Chapter)
