Stop, Friendly Fire!

<Chapter 25. Hansen Von Dorthe - 3>

The Lightning General, Hansen Von Dorthe rode upon a well embellished skeleton horse and was enraged upon seeing the destroyed outer walls, the ruined city, and the about half-way destroyed inner city.

[You fool! I told you to save your forces!]

Before he even saw his opponent, the Lightning General harangued him! Naturally, Lee Shin Woo had no choice but to likewise reply loudly.

"I attempted to save as many of our troops as possible, but because the enemy was so strong… I'm sorry!"

[You worthless, pathetic fool! To think that his majesty trusted you and gave you an imperial command!]

Lee Shin Woo acted as meekly as possible and observed the general without giving anything away as he tried to calm the general down. This was the first time he'd been so close to a general ever since he'd met Arema Steelworker!

There was still some of Count Nellopa's memories left remaining, but actually seeing him up close was completely different!

[Lv7 Lighting General - Hansen Von Dorote]

[Lv5 Powered Bone Steed]

Firstly, his steed looked both large and powerful, but it also seemed as though its abilities were far inferior to Jin's. It seemed as though Jin also came to that conclusion, as he softly snorted with a 'hut'. Is he feeling prideful right now or something?

But the Lightning General riding on top of it… let out a dignified air; so much so that the words '12 generals' would naturally come out. This power that could only be attained through a balance of strength, magic, and agility! If he fought against him one on one, Lee Shin Woo was sure that he'd lose in 5 seconds.

'He's definitely stronger than Guillotine.'

Then again, there was no way a general would be weaker than a general's subordinate, even if they were both level 7s. Unfortunately, that was all he was able to find out about him.

Lee Shin Woo figured out that the Lightning General's stats were about three times higher than his, and no matter how skilled he was at manipulating mana, fighting the general was impossible for him. Though the Treasure Eater was there, he suddenly realized how ballsy he was in calling one of the generals here. But if he couldn't take the general down, then that ballsiness would just be foolhardiness.

'In any case, that guy…'

To be honest, neither the general's power or magic was what impressed Lee Shin Woo the most. He was most impressed by how he looked. He possessed a large build and was about 2 meters tall, but outwardly, he looked so similar to a human that one wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

His skin was pale and bluish, and he couldn't feel any life from it. That was the only evidence that proved that he wasn't human. The moment he noticed that he hated him so unbearably much!

[Huh? This guy is…!]

While Lee Shin Woo was busy assessing the general, the general himself finally saw his enemy. Its body was dozens of meters long, and possessed an odd magic… he could tell that its level of strength was unusual.

[Guaaaaaaaaaaaaah!]

Of course, the Treasure Eater, who had continued to charge with the intention of toppling the entire city, recognized the new challenger and roared. It was a frustrated cry as if saying 'How long are you going to make things difficult for me?'. Even though he'd just come for the treasure!

[A Treasure Eater…!? Why is one of those rare monsters here!?]

Against a similarly leveled opponent, a Treasure Eater would always be a high rank elite! Knowing this, Hansen realized that Lee Shin Woo hadn't called him for nothing.

However, he was a general, and couldn't show any fear against a mere monster… With that in mind, Hansen raised his sword.

The hilt was rather long, and the blade was also quite wide; a bastard sword! The metal that made up the sword's blade was extremely blue, which reminded him of the hero's sword, Thunder Lasting before it was transformed into bone.

[Cry out, Thunderbird…!]

The bastard sword vibrated and was covered in a blinding blue light. The sound of sparks almost seemed to make the entire area go silent. That was a general's magic! He specialized in close combat, so he had thought that perhaps his magic would be low, but a general was a general after all.

He shuddered at the general's ability to concentrate all his magic into one sword and the fearsome power that came with it. The Treasure Eater seemed quite nervous as its body shook. How nervous could it be for it to momentarily ignore its target, Lee Shin Woo, and turn its attention to Hansen Von Dorote instead!

[Die, you insect!]

[Guaaaaaaaaah!]

Hansen, who'd finished using his skill, lunged without delay! At that moment, the lightning gathered around his sword shot out in a straight line and struck the Treasure Eater. It was like a laser!

The moment Hansen stretched out his sword, it was impossible to dodge the attack. Even Jin thought he wouldn't be able to dodge it, so a mere Treasure Eater wouldn't be able to dodge it either.

[Hoo…]

The lightning erased everything in its path, and the moment it struck the Treasure Eater's head, Hansen assumed that it either killed the Treasure Eater or caused a severe injury, and wasn't worried in the slightest. However…

[Ku… Kuhaaaaaaahk…! Kuoooooooh!]

[What!?]

The moment the attack hit, the Treasure Eater yelled so loudly that it seemed like it would tear the world apart; Steve soon turned his anger onto Hansen instead of Lee Shin Woo and screamed. Hundreds of lighting spears surged from the ground and flew towards Hansen!

[Can this guy resist lightning… Keuk!]

He was so flustered that he was hit by the spears directly. His horse, being only level 5, died on the spot, but now wasn't the time to be worrying about his horse.

[Kuhaaaahk!]

[Why did it have to be… Damn it!]

The skill that Hansen had put his full power into… Heaven Piercing Thunderbird. He wasn't bragging, but it was a fatal move that even the level 8 generals would have a hard time recovering from! It wasn't just the overwhelming mana held within the lightning; the lightning would also paralyze both the opponent's body and magic as well. This was only possible because of Hansen's lightning elemental affinity.

Yet, the Treasure Eater had not only received the attack and recovered immediately, but it had also counterattacked as well! Moreover, its own attacks consisted of lightning, so he was sure that this Treasure Eater was both powerful amongst the Treasure Eaters and had the ability to use lightning.

[How could the rare lightning element be…]

"Go! Go! Lightning General!"

[Is he making fun of me right now!?]

"Do your best, general! Oh, it's coming from the left!"

Hansen, who was tense at the realization that his opponent was someone he couldn't look down on, heard Lee Shin Woo's loud cheers. Lee Shin Woo was yelling in genuine hope that the general would come out on top, and he couldn't get pissed right now.

[Lightning General, please do your best!]

[I trust you, sword of the Empire!]

The surviving undead, influenced by their lord, raised their voices and cheered the general on. He couldn't help but appreciate the fact that the Treasure Eater was taking him on, as he'd rather fight it than stand there and listen to them. However, their honest feelings were properly passed on to Hansen.

[You incompetent and loud-mouthed brats… I'll punish you once I'm finished with this annoying thing!]

However, it wasn't enough to be fully focused on fighting against the Treasure Eater. Since he couldn't use his lightning against the Treasure Eater, even a general like him couldn't take it lightly!

The Lightning General, Hansen Von Dorthe stamped his feet on the ground and grabbed his sword with both hands. His sword was infused with an overwhelming magic once more. It was the magic of one of the 12 generals.

[Even without my lightning, I'm still one of the 12 generals. Insignificant creature! I'll show you the price of your ignorance and interference!]

[Kuaaaaaaaahk!]

He fought against this 'insignificant creature' that couldn't understand what he was saying and found that getting into a proper form was impossible. He gritted his teeth and lunged at the Treasure Eater. And thus, a bloody battle with two high rank elite level 7s began.

'Nice. Really nice.'

Lee Shin Woo spectated the battle and smiled pleasingly. Lee Shin Woo's estimation of the Lightning General, Hansen Von Dorthe's power was spot on.

Of course, Hansen was still stronger than the Treasure Eater, except for in lightning, as he was one of the 12 generals. But even so, it would take a considerable amount of time before any kind of conclusion was reached.

'With this, all my preparations for battle are complete.'

Lee Shin Woo grinned at the Drake Horn Lance that secretly rose beneath his feet. He'd infused as much mana into the Drake Horn Lance as possible, but he hadn't stopped at one; he had five of them.

That's right. He hadn't spent the time by just commanding the undead to their deaths. He'd summoned weapons beforehand and filled them to the brim with mana in preparation for his fight with the general!

'Now all that's left is the Lightning Tooth in my hand.'

Because the lord didn't normally wear armor, he was, unfortunately, unable to equip his armor. However, he believed that to be a boon instead. One hit of those level 7 elites would've smashed his armor to bits.

[My lord. What are those?]

"I've prepared them just in case the general is in danger."

[Ooh, as expected of you, my lord!]

Perhaps because the Instigate skill had affected them for so long, his undead subordinates were unfortunately not the least bit suspicious.

At first, he'd considered brainwashing them even further and accepting them as Pauls, but the fact that they had so much faith in the Empire and the general caused him to think that changing who they were fundamentally was impossible.

'If that's the case, I should start killing these guys.'

If these guys couldn't fight against the general, then they had no use to him anymore. If he just let them be, they could get in the way, so now that the conditions had changed, he needed to take care of them.

"Focus on the Lightning General. He is the sword that represents the Empire. He is the shield that protects us!"

[Oooooooooooooh!]

He used Instigate, inciting them again and again until the undead stopped thinking altogether. The Drake Horn Lances, which were fully charged and radiating with a gentle light, began to move. He needed to be careful so that the general didn't get suspicious.

Lee Shin Woo was indeed talented in manipulating mana; if not, then his Instigate skill must've gotten stronger, ridiculously so in fact, as the undead didn't even realize what their lord was doing. Until death was at their very doorstep!

[Kuheok!]

[Kureuk…!]

Soon, the death throes of the undead resounded throughout the city; frighteningly, several undead didn't even notice, as they were completely enraptured by the Lightning General and Treasure Eater's fight. Then again, the sound of the two level 7 elites fighting was incredibly noisy as well.

[Guahk…]

[W-Why…]

Lee Shin Woo controlled the five Drake Horn Lances as they flew through the air freely; the Drake Horn Lances mercilessly shattered the level 5 elites' heads and crushed their bodies. It wouldn't be difficult to break their heads and melt them in a single blow if he just added a bit of acid in.

[Huh…?]

Only after everything had gone to hell did the level 6 Knight Leader, Selloin, who had been vacantly watching the Lightning General and cheering for him, notice what was going on and turn his head. He felt like it had gotten quiet all of a sudden and in no time, all of the knights at his side were gone.

[These guys didn't even protect you, so why… My lord?]

"Haha. As I thought, you're loyal."

Lee Shin Woo was already in front of him. Five Drake Horn Lances were floating in the air, and despite them all aiming for the completely brainwashed Knight Leader's head, the Knight Leader didn't suspect him in the least and just tilted his head. Before his eyes… Lee Shin Woo finally released his Disguise and revealed himself.

[...What!?]

"So I'll send you to him now. Aren't you happy?"

Needless to say, the disturbed Knight Leader's eyes shot wide open and when he was about to say something, five Drake Horn Lances simultaneously struck his head and body.

'Even when it's rotten, it's still a herring'. The level 6 close combat elite didn't die from that and was holding on, but… he thrust his Lightning Tooth into the Knight Leader's face and the six weapons began to spew out high rank acid poison simultaneously. The Knight Leader couldn't do anything and just melted away.

[You have acquired 174,880 Perium.]

[You have acquired the Kadinan Knight Leader, Selloin's arm bone.]

[You have acquired the Kadinan Knight Leader, Selloin's sphenoid bone.]

"Awesome."

"You're really…"

With this, all of the undead in Kadinan were completely taken care of.

Now, it was time for him to deal with the two happily rampaging level 7 elites.