Chapter 653 - Prediction?

“Has anything unusual been going on in the east of Hilderlocke recently?” Nie Yan asked Kill Love.

“Yeah. According to rumours, several villages were overrun by skeletons. I only just learned about it a few hours ago. So, I haven’t had the time to sent anyone out to confirm it yet,” Kill Love replied. After all, the matter had only happened recently, and all of it was on God Executioner Sword’s territory. So, his information was limited.

It seems like I’ll have to pay a visit there myself, Nie Yan thought.

The two chatted for a while. Kill Love reported on Battle Crazed Alliance’s current state of affairs. They had been doing quite well for themselves with control of 16 strongholds which were located west of Hilderlocke, east of Blaze City, and north of Autumn Leaf City. The area where these cities shared a common border became their sphere of influence. All the surrounding guilds ended up suffering at their hands. They enjoyed a fairly stable position.

Nie Yan gave an outline of Battle Crazed Alliance’s future growth. They could no longer avoid a confrontation with God Executioner Sword. For the sake of Asskickers United’s overall strategy, they had to fight. He would provide funding for the war and compensate any losses.

With Nie Yan bankrolling everything, Kill Love had no objections. After all, the most headache-inducing aspect of a war was the cost.

𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

After the two finished chatting, Nie Yan bid Kill Love farewell. He left the teahouse and disappeared in the streets.

Seeing Kill Love walking over, Wild Soul couldn’t hold back his curiosity any longer. “Who was that?”

Kill Love smiled. “He’s a guy who others will never surpass.”

Wild Soul raised an eyebrow, then asked in a probing tone, “Mad Rogue Nirvana Flame...?”

“There’s always a higher mountain, a sky above the sky. The name of the Mad Rogue was made through countless battles and achieving amazing feats. From my understanding of him, he rarely reveals himself or his abilities, to the extent you get goosebumps just thinking about what he might be hiding. Consider yourself lucky for catching his eye. You’re still wet behind the ears.” Kill Love shot Wild Soul a glance, then walked out the door.

Wild Soul stood there in a daze, ruminating over Kill Love’s words.

After leaving Hilderlocke, Nie Yan summoned his Darkwing Dragon and set off for the east. Based on the information he received from Kill Love, the skeletons were appearing most frequently in the surroundings of the Brocchi Stronghold. He guessed there was probably something fishy going on there.

About 10 minutes later, Nie Yan spotted a stronghold in the distance surrounded by barrens.

God Executioner Sword’s Brocchi Stronghold!

The Darkwing Dragon was too large. For the sake of lowering his chances of being discovered, Nie Yan recalled it and entered freefall. With a thud, he hit the ground and landed firmly on his feet.

Nie Yan dashed toward the Brocchi Stronghold. He was still quite a distance away.

After passing through a patch of forest, Nie Yan discovered an abandoned village. All that remained of this place were some collapsed walls and ruins. This place with expansive streets and large buildings was once a flourishing city. But now there was only the thick stench of blood lingering in the air.

The bloodstains on the ground had yet to be washed away by the rain. Nie Yan’s heart trembled. He could only imagine what kind of massacre took place here.

Suddenly, a small skeleton popped out from behind some nearby ruins. Its sockets burned with a red spirit fire, and it wielded a long scythe in its hands. It came pouncing towards Nie Yan.

It was a Level 100 skeleton! Luckily, it was only an ordinary monster.

Nie Yan could tell this was the skeleton of a deceased child.

With a sidestep, Nie Yan evaded the attack, then struck out with a roundhouse kick. His foot struck the skeleton’s head and sent it flying.

The skeleton crashed into the ground, rolling several more meters before coming to a stop. As though it could feel no pain, it struggled back to its feet.

Before the skeleton could stand up straight, Nie Yan followed up with a straight kick, striking it in the chest and sending it crashing into a wall.

THUD! The skeleton fell back to the ground after rebounding off the wall. However, it still hadn’t died.

The skeleton actually had 50,000 health. Among Level 100 monsters, it was fairly difficult to deal with. One could imagine what kind of frightening scene it would be if these skeletons gathered together into a large army and attacked a village, town, or stronghold.

After taking five hits in a row, the skeleton finally collapsed into a pile of bone fragments.

Just as Nie Yan was about to take his leave, a group of 100 skeletons made their way into the village.

Nie Yan leaped up onto the roof of a nearby shop. He hid behind a wall, evading the sight of the skeletons.

The skeletons roamed around the village, seemingly searching for something. After failing to discover what they were looking for, they departed together.

After seeing that these Level 100 skeletons were the same kind that had appeared in the previous timeline, Nie Yan confirmed his suspicions that the Vengeance of the Undead expansion was indeed happening. He was thinking about whether or not he should report this information to the elder council of the Viridian Empire. Although he hadn’t predicted this with the Great Prophecy skill, he knew for a fact what was going to happen. If he successfully predicted this disaster ahead of time, he would go from a Grand Scholar to a Great Prophet, which would make him equal to a member of the elder council in both status and treatment. Among players, this was probably the highest position you could get.

To become a Great Prophet was something Nie Yan had been looking forward to for quite some time now. Though he already held a lot of sway in the Viridian Empire thanks to his Grand Scholar title, it was nothing when compared to a Great Prophet. With it, he would cement his place at the top, all others forever to look up at him.

This Vengeance of the Undead event was a blessing in disguise. Nie Yan had basically been handed the Great Prophet title on a platter.

“It’ll be best if I secure some definite evidence first. Like this, I can get those old fogies in the elder council to believe me without question.”

The skeletons headed back in the direction of the Brocchi Stronghold. They appeared extremely organized, completely different from the mindless skeletons you would ordinarily encounter.

These skeletons were likely being controlled by someone.

The Brocchi Stronghold was under the control of God Executioner Sword this whole time. There was no news about it being taken over by an undead. Meanwhile, these skeletons were roaming around the vicinity of the stronghold. You would have to be a fool not to see the connection.

“Could it be...? Dammit! Qin Han, that bastard!” Nie Yan’s heart sunk. If his guess was correct, then Asskickers United was in danger. If Necromancer Vorderman was revived by God Executioner Sword, then when the Vengeance of the Undead event started, the ones who would bear the brunt of it all would be Asskickers United!

“I have to sneak into the Brocchi Stronghold. Only then can I know for sure!”