The Kidjikkik skeletons got into formation, forming a semicircle along the back of the underground cathedral to surround the zombies as much as possible. The Kidjikkik formed orderly lines under Bookie’s control, with the guardians in front and the soldier brandishing their spears from behind, and they started slowly advancing as one at his command.
The zombies weren’t as organized. Many started channeling small fireballs, while the tall one channeling a bigger fireball kept feeding it with more mana.
Voices started rising amongst the zombies, the same singing Sofia had been able to hear coming from here before. Sofia tried to see who was singing partly because she was curious and partly because the description on the scroll said she had to make silence flourish, but she failed to find the source of the voices among the zombies.
They’ll be silent when they’re all dead.
Wait, they’re already dead...
When they’re twice dead.
For now...
Sofia summoned the whole skull choir with human skulls. “Now sing!”
The choir started singing the music of Victory, resonating throughout the nave and drowning out the Zombies’ singing. At the same time, the battle truly started as Bookie gave the Kidjikkiks the order to attack, and the first fireball flew from the Zombies’ side toward the skeletons.
A Guardian Kidjikkik stopped the fireball with his shield, nevertheless, a few of the soldiers behind him were knocked over by the blast. They quickly got up and the Kidjikkiks kept advancing. So far Bookie was being careful, observing the Zombies and anticipating the giant fireball’s eventual attack.
A barrage of weaker fireballs collided with the Kidjikkiks, causing minimal damage. Only a single soldier was killed in one hit, while the others stood up, rapidly healed by [Bone Dominus].
When a stray Fireball flew toward Sofia, Bookie raised his right hand, and a stream of ice magic shot from his glove, neutralizing the attack mid air.
Bookie tore a page from his book form. Sofia felt the mana leave her. More Kidjikkiks? She asked herself, then, seeing the amount of fog being used, she revised her guess. Elven Solar mage. What for?
This was one of Sofia’s most underutilized skeletons, truth be told, she didn't even remember half of this skeleton’s spells.
The solar mage skeleton stood next to Bookie, short scepter in hand. That was when Bookie finally felt confident.
“Attack!”
The concave formation of Kidjikkik soldiers spanning the entire width of the nave finally stopped their slow march and instead charged ahead brandishing their weapons. A few fireballs were thrown but they failed to break the Kidjikkiks’ formation. The skeletal army collided with the swarm of zombies in a strangely silent battle, the sound of the fighting covered by the loud skull choir.
Most if not all of the zombies were under level 250, they were like training dummies in front of the Kidjikkik skeletons' sharp weapons. The nave was showered in blood and gore as the Kidjikkik tore through the Zombies.
The fireball above the tall Zombie was almost the size of a small house, and it was finally released, aiming straight for Sofia.
It’s not dead! Sofia mentally warned Bookie, who turned around, and found the short veiled Zombie. As he plunged toward it, sword first, something else leaped toward him, and he was stopped by a big hand, the tall zombie had finally moved.
The tall zombie was much stronger than Bookie, stopping his charge with ease, but Bookie was much faster and was able to evade the tall Zombie’s following counterattack.
Sofia really wanted to help, but she wanted to trust Bookie, so she stood still on the altar.
Bookie dodged the tall zombie’s strike with an effortless twist, landing on his feet and immediately leaping back to reassess the situation, the lesser zombies scattering away from him, unable to really do much without their fire magic. The veiled zombie, its chanting cut short, had slithered back into the mass of undead, protected by a wall of bodies. But the tall zombie, now fully animated, was a far bigger threat. It lumbered toward Bookie, its hulking frame slow but deliberate, his hands now crackling with dark energy.
On the altar, Sofia was restless, she resisted the urge to intervene, trusting in Bookie’s capabilities, but the fight was turning against him. The ranks of the Kidjikkik skeletons were starting to get thin while the waves of zombies were relentless, and had started to attack the skeletons with their bare hands and teeth since their fire magic no longer worked.
Bookie didn’t back down, with a battle cry, he lunged at the tall zombie, aiming for its legs. His greatsword flashed in an arc of light as it connected with the giant’s knee, cleaving through muscles and bones. The tall zombie staggered but didn’t fall, its towering form barely wobbling.
Just as Bookie prepared for another strike, a massive fist came crashing down. He barely managed to fly out of the way, the ground where he’d stood moments before shattering into debris.
“Good try...” Sofia muttered to herself, both intently watching Bookie fight and trying to locate all of the veiled zombies. She had found four of them so far, and was actively tracking their location.
Another voice soon rose, and suddenly, a sharp whistle pierced through the chaos. Bookie had spun around and thrown his sword straight at the veiled zombie hiding in the back of the pack. The blade tore through the intervening undead like a bolt of lightning, its gleaming tip aimed squarely at the chanting figure.
That’s the move that one templar used against me in the jungle fight!
‘You have defeated [Voice of the candle - lv. 252]’
The zombie collapsed, its shroud falling away to reveal a grotesque, twisted form, now lifeless. But the victory was short-lived. The tall zombie roared, a deafening sound that shook the underground cathedral, its body twisting and reforming, the leg Bookie had wounded knitting itself back together as if it had never been struck.
The energy in the tall zombie’s hands finally coalesced together, and black lightning bolts tore through the air, striking Bookie head on with a thunderclap.
Bookie!
Bookie’s skeleton crumbled and dispersed into a thin mist.
That was too fast, I couldn’t do anything...
It wasn’t the first time Bookie non-book form ‘died’, but it was the most brutal to date. His book form reappeared in Sofia’s hands, looking perfectly fine. Bookie’s non-book form could be summoned again later, but for now, he was completely out of fog.
Sofia caressed Bookie’s purple mana heart. “You fought well Bookie, I’m proud of you, alright? Now rest and let me finish the job.”
Despite Bookie being down, there were still about a third of the Kidjikkik skeletons still fighting. Sofia assumed direct command, giving them new orders. Spreading her wings, she jumped off from the altar.