Chapter 195 - Balanced Offense-Defense, Captain Doofus’ New Form

“It sounds powerful.”

Lu Ran was speechless.

A sword forged from a thousand fragments of soul bones and teeth?

It certainly sounded impressive.

“Yes!”

With a serious expression, Gao Li said, “This weapon is exceedingly difficult to wield. I for one cannot control it. However, mastering this lethal weapon will grant you an extraordinary boost in power.

“I once used this weapon briefly with the assistance of a divine emissary, so I am well aware of its power.”

Gao Li turned to Lu Ran. Confidently, he added, “If I had used this weapon and had my familiar possess me, I could have taken down even Sudden Death King.

“The earlier situation could have been reversed completely, and your familiar’s attacks would have hardly harmed us. This would be the case even if the enemy was a King-rank familiar.

“The Bone Sword of a Thousand Blades is an excellent balance of offense and defense: deadly in attack, solid in defense.”

“Hm?”

Lu Ran and Captain Doofus doubted Gao Li’s claim, but they didn’t bother mentioning it.

Whatever makes you happy.

“The divine emissary once told me that should any accidents occur during the nurturing process of the Bone Sword, one could rely on its power to escape alive. Although this Bone Sword has not yet become an undead weapon, it is already an incredibly lethal weapon.

“Since it is forged from soul bones, its power depends greatly on the spiritual talent of the familiar wielding it. The stronger their spiritual talent, the greater the power unleashed.

“While I cannot control it, I feel that your familiar might be able to give it a try. After all, it is a King. Such beings are natural monarchs. Their sovereignty manifests not just in bloodlines but also in spirit and soul!

“Its spirit has a kingly aura, allowing it to materialize its majesty to terrify enemies. It is also the ultimate soul king, capable of unleashing tremendous potential.”

“

Woof!

”

Captain Doofus fell into deep thought.

Thank you, Phantom Tiger.

However, Captain Doofus really didn’t want to unleash the sword’s power. If Lu Ran were tempted, it’d be disastrous!

After finally getting the Longleaf Swordgrass, Lu Ran had stopped eyeing its teeth. This blasted Bone Sword couldn’t have come at a worse time.

***

After the battle between the imperial army and the rebels, the remains of over ten thousand beastmasters and familiars were buried In a desolate area outside Ming An City.

It was undoubtedly the most death-ridden location inside or outside Ming An City. Currently, the area was heavily sealed off, with necromancers stationed at intervals as guards.

Still, when Gao Li arrived, the guards did not attempt to stop him. He quickly led Lu Ran, Huo Di, and Black Feather to the burial site of the Bone Sword.

“This is it,” Gao Li said, stopping just outside a massive magic formation. He summoned his Phantom Tiger.

“

Rawr!

”

The Phantom Tiger hovered in midair, releasing a gust of soul wind that illuminated the formation.

In the next moment, the formation cracked.

The ground fissured as brilliant grayish-white light emanated from the cracks, forming a bottomless pit.

The light from the pit grew stronger, and an eerie white wind surged forth, causing their black robes to flap violently. Captain Doofus furrowed its brows, sensing the weapon’s ominous aura.

“

Arf...

”

From the pit, a massive white Bone Sword floated out.

[Name: Bone Sword of a Thousand Blades]

[Grade: Rare]

[Description: A lethal weapon forged from the remains of 1,000 soul beasts, including fragments of bones and teeth. The blade can disassemble and reassemble freely, transforming into various forms according to the wielder’s intent.]

Boom! Boom! Boom!

𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

A continuous flow of soul winds rippled across the Bone Sword. Although it was only graded Rare, Lu Ran could sense that its power far surpassed the Frosty Sky Greatsword. The difference between the two weapons could be described as the polar extremes of Rare-grade equipment.

Lu Ran’s eyes lit up. “What a fine sword!”

In contrast, Captain Doofus found the ominous sword less intimidating and more edible. It wanted to take a bite and see how it tasted. As long as its teeth weren’t used as forging materials, there was nothing to fear. Other creatures’ bones? Those were just snacks.

“Give it a try,” Lu Ran ordered.

“

Woof!

”

Captain Doofus pouted as it glanced at Gao Li out of the corner of its eye.

“This sword... Just be careful with it,” Gao Li cautioned, only to watch Captain Doofus use its tail to grab its grass sword.

Curious about the Bone Sword’s true might, Captain Doofus then leaped into the air and bit down on it.

Buzz!

Captain Doofus’s expression shifted the moment it clenched its teeth around the Bone Sword. Its soul surged with newfound vitality—a new and unprecedented sensation.

“

Wuu, wuu~!

”

A low growl escaped it as its eyes glowed faintly. It then swung the sword a few times with ease.

“Huh?” Gao Li frowned, sensing something was off.

Then he realized the problem. Captain Doofus was... too synchronized with the sword. Lu Ran’s dog wielded the Bone Sword with absolute comfort. Its soul aura soared while it radiated an air of joy!

Most beings would struggle and fail to bear the burden of the Bone Sword’s soul-enhancing power. However, unbeknownst to Gao Li, Captain Doofus was a Sword Sovereign with the Weapon Control talent. Hence, it handled the Bone Sword so effortlessly that it seemed as though it was just an extension of its body. After all, the Bone Sword was still a sword—and only a Rare-grade one. It had not surpassed Captain Doofus’s mastery limits. The Longleaf Swordgrass, which it effortlessly wielded, was a Treasure-grade weapon.

The Bone Sword brought a unique boost to Captain Doofus; it gave an unmatched enhancement to Captain Doofus’s soul, making its soul power surpass its physical strength.

However, Captain Doofus couldn’t fully suppress the overwhelming force. Hence, it had no choice but to redirect the energy by channeling it into the Bone Sword.

With a mental command, Captain Doofus made the sword undergo an astonishing transformation.

Whooosh!

The Bone Sword began to expand much like the transformation of the Frosty Sky Greatsword. However, the enormous blade soon started to shatter.

The white blade disintegrated into fragments that looked like scraps of paper. The pieces then floated around Captain Doofus, seemingly performing a dance.

“

Awooo~!

”

In response to Captain Doofus’s fierce howl, the bone fragments began to shift again. They clasped onto Captain Doofus, piece by piece, as though forming an armor set. Leg guards, backplates, and helmets took shape amidst a swirl of floating white bones, assembling fluidly.

In no time, razor-sharp bone armor had completely covered Captain Doofus. Its newly armored form exuded an intense aura of power, and its face now resembled a miniature shield-like mask crafted entirely from bones!

EGao Li and the others couldn’t even recognize the dog anymore.

Compared to its usual comical form as a silly-looking husky, it now resembled a Bone Hound straight out of the underworld—a creature purely of necromantic origin!

Styling Advisor: Sudden Death King!

“Not bad,” Lu Ran commented.

However, he knew that the defensive capability of the bone armor couldn’t compare to even a single strand of hair from Sudden Death King. It was all just for show.

“This?”

Unlike Lu Ran, Gao Li was once again stunned. Having watched Captain Doofus casually wield the Bone Sword’s various powers, he no longer found the word “genius” as adequate to describe Lu Ran’s familiar.

Captain Doofus could feel that the greatest enhancement from its new form wasn’t its defense—it was its combat technique! Even though Captain Doofus didn’t possess any necromantic skills, none of the powerful soul energy was wasted.

Besides enhancing strength and speed, it also improved Captain Doofus’s Sword Control abilities. It could now wield multiple weapons simultaneously, a massive upgrade from being able to control just one sword.

Previously, due to its underdeveloped multitasking abilities, Captain Doofus had found it incredibly difficult to simultaneously control all of its swords masterfully.

But now, with its soul energy boosted by the Bone Sword, it realized its multitasking capabilities had significantly improved.

With a howl, the remainder of the Bone Sword in its mouth shattered completely! The fragments then transformed into nine white swords flying effortlessly around Captain Doofus.

Clad in bone armor and surrounded by the nine swords, Captain Doofus radiated an aura of invincibility. Huo Di, Black Feather, and the others couldn’t help but stare in awe and admiration.

“So strong.”

Even Lu Ran couldn’t help but give lavish praise. He hadn’t expected the unique Bone Sword to enhance Captain Doofus’s Sword Control to such a degree.

“The blacksmith who created this sword is truly a genius!”

Lu Ran silently vowed to uncover the Bone Sword’s construction. Once they returned, he planned to collect a thousand of Captain Doofus’s teeth and combine them with Treasure-grade soul materials to personally forge a custom Thousand Blades of Canine Teeth!

And this was just a Rare-grade weapon. How terrifying would Captain Doofus be if it had a Treasure-grade undead weapon?

Swordgrass, Bone Sword... Captain Doofus’ path to power was becoming clearer. It had to keep collecting mighty swords.

“You’re just too strong...” Gao Li muttered in frustration.

He felt utterly deflated. When he had used the Bone Sword, he had never experienced results like these. Clearly, it wasn’t about the sword itself. Lu Ran’s dog was simply too monstrous, drawing out 120% of the weapon’s potential!

“Brother Gao Li, lend me this sword for now. There’s no need to keep it as a hidden trump card. My familiar can wield it perfectly. I’ll have it activate a dual-wielding form, combining swords and shields to crush the imperial army!”

Lu Ran’s confidence soared. The Bone Sword filled a critical gap in Captain Doofus’ area-of-effect combat abilities.

“

Hm

...”

Gao Li’s gaze deepened. From worrying about Lu Ran’s safety moments ago, he now found himself worrying about the imperial soldiers instead.

Sudden Death King is undoubtedly a natural-born necromancer!

Weapons that even elite necromancers struggled to control were being casually wielded by the pair, and they hadn’t even formally transitioned into the necromancer profession yet! ***

With the new Bone Sword in hand and Captain Doofus’ upgraded form unlocked, Lu Ran couldn’t wait to lead an assault on the empire’s lines. A tense atmosphere loomed as the threat of an impending storm enveloped both the imperial army and the Undead Faction.

Lu Ran stood atop the city wall, clad in a hooded black robe. Under the hood, his youthful face remained calm yet determined. Behind him, scattered across different positions, were necromancers poised to move out alongside him at any moment.