Chapter 233: Chapter 228: Manipulate Chapter 233: Chapter 228: Manipulate Orlina silently observed the fifteen corpses before her. Not long ago, they were still standing in the castle hall, full of hope, looking up to her, hoping she could lead them to safety.

“Miss, we can’t stay here for too long,” a Silver Rank knight, holding a heavily stained heavy sword, came to Orlina’s side, pointing to the outer periphery of the group.

“I know.” Orlina lifted her head to see a Bronze Tier 2 knight wielding a long spear, smashing the skulls of several skeleton soldiers. Another knight was holding a hammer, exploding the brain of a ghoul…

On the fringes of the group, within their visible range, clumsy skeletons and sluggish undead continuously emerged from the grey fog. The low-rise houses on the sides of the roads had ghouls occasionally leaping off their roofs, pouncing on them.

Because these undead were too weak, the knights were killing wave after wave of them, but these low-level undead kept popping up endlessly, their numbers seemingly infinite.

Most undead don’t possess the normal senses of living beings. Their perspective of the world and the way they sense their surroundings are completely different from living creatures.

To the undead, living creatures are as conspicuous as fireflies in the dark night. Without special methods, living beings can’t hide their existence from the undead.

So, even if the Earth Dragon Carriages did nothing and remained still, not making any noise, they would still continuously attract the city’s undead. Orlina didn’t know how to conceal the scent of life emanating from their group.

“I’m sorry.” Orlina, full of guilt, looked at the corpses of ordinary people who had miserably died by having their life force devoured by vengeful spirits. She waved her magic staff, a fireball spell smashing into the accumulated pile of bodies.

All intact bodies had to be burnt because within the effects of the Undead Cataclysm, all deceased would revive and find no peace.

“Keep moving.” Orlina looked at the remains starting to twitch in the flames gradually turning to ashes. After comforting the surviving commoners, she climbed back onto the roof of her carriage, commanding the group to continue towards the outskirts of the city.

…

In the past, Orlina had thought of Ansel City as a little town that could be circled on a Griffin in ten minutes. Now, she found that Ansel City was quite large, and the road out of the city seemed to be very long.

Though she had been mentally prepared, inside pervasive Undead Cataclysm that had engulfed the entire city, there could not only be low-level undead. But when she indeed encountered higher-level undead such as Abominations and Ghouls, Orlina became somewhat desolate.

After a large part of her spell scrolls had been consumed, and she had lost two Earth Dragon Carriages, Orlina finally arrived at the city gates of Cecil City with the remaining six carriages.

At that moment, only half of the guards who had followed her from the castle were left. Both Silver Rank knights were still alive, albeit in a bad state.

One of them lost an arm, becoming a one-armed knight, and his combat prowess had been cut by more than half.

The other one seemed unscathed, but his condition was the most serious. His face was turning green, and a faint black air was emerging from his forehead. He had been hit by the Plague Necrotoxin. If he hadn’t possessed the near-nonhuman constitution of Silver Rank, he’d already have turned into a ghoul.

However, the size of the group Orlina was leading had not shrunk; instead, it had grown more than tenfold. The additional people were city residents whom they had sheltered along the way, and some adventurers who voluntarily joined, wanting to escape the city like them.

“Finally leaving Ansel City.” Looking at the closed city gate, the blood-stained corpses scattered all over the ground, the goods scattered everywhere, Orlina let out a long sigh. Around her, the humans who had also witnessed the scene at the city gate were cheering and jumping in joy.

Now, there was only one thought in their minds: leave this city that resembled a grave, and then they would be safe, not having to live in fear anymore. They did not wish or refused to consider whether other cities in the Bavaria Kingdom were the same as Ansel City.

“He he he, not bad.” Just then, a cold laugh full of insidiousness rose above the city gates, instantly silencing the cheers of this refugee team of nearly a thousand people.

Everyone fell silent and looked up towards the source of the laughter. There, a “skeleton” in a black robe, holding a staff of bone, slowly descended from the Necromantic Fog.

Although this “skeleton” lacked any flesh and blood, everyone looking at its skull, engulfed in blazing Soul Fire, could feel a sense of praise. It was as if a child had watched a white mouse navigate through a maze they had crafted.

“A lich!” Looking at the skeleton floating above the city gate, undisguised despair was reflected in Orlina’s eyes. This was an existence that their group could not confront.

However, the lich blocking their path did not harm them. Instead, it emitted the Soul Sound that anyone could understand and interpret its meaning.

“Although I summoned most of the mid-to-high level undead that were born in this city here, I would inevitably miss one or two. You, a group of ants, managed to defeat and kill them, doing really well.”

With the lich’s Soul Sound filled with praise, heavy footsteps sounded from all around the team. At the same time, there were rustling crawling sounds and bouts of female crying. Piercing whistles cut through the half-empty skies.

Bloated figures covered in seam marks, wielding large sickles and meat hooks, emitting a foul smell– the Abomination; monstrosities looking like smaller versions of Ghouls; high-level wraiths with near physical upper bodies and clearly visible faces…

Undead creatures that were incredibly powerful to the refugees appeared one after another, slowly surrounding them, causing despair to rapidly spread.

“He he he, you should thank me profusely. Without me, you ants couldn’t have made it this far.” The lich looked down at the refugees, laughing wildly. Seeing the despair on the faces of these humans, it thought, “Your expressions, they are quite entertaining!”

After a bout of laughter, the lich turned its gaze towards the young girl standing atop the Earth Dragon Carriage, “Young human girl, you have been in my focus with every move you’ve made. I’m a bit curious, what’s your relationship with the city’s lord?”

“…..” Orlina stared expressionlessly at the lich. She had already realized why they had encountered so few mid-level undead on their journey. It was because this lich, was toying with them for fun.

“No answer? Let me guess, you’re father and daughter, right?” The lich cackled creepily. “Tch, judging by the fluctuations in your soul, I should be right. So, young lady, do you want to see your father?”

“Where is my father?” Hearing the lich mention her father, Orlina, who had already prepared herself for death, was no longer calm.

“Eager to see your father, are you? He he he, I, in my kindness, seeing that you have provided me with much amusement, will grant your request.” The lich laughed wantonly, then waved the magic staff in its hand.

“My gallant knight, come out and meet your daughter! He he he!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read