CHAPTER 161: ACT 13 BEFORE THE FIRST WORLD WAR_2

Of course, the reason Madara’s army dared to adopt such an arrangement before the second Black Rose War is partly a reflection of their confidence. They have an abundance of outstanding talents they can use during this era.

On the other hand, the means to spot ghosts in this era are few and far between—

Brand just ’happens’ to know one.

He couldn’t help but look up at the hillside—

********

Mano led the militia of the Self-defense Corps through the Fir Forest—this seasoned mercenary kept glancing back at the beautiful white stag in the valley below—Brand had told him it would point out where those terrifying undead were hiding.

Mano was skeptical about this. He believed that in warfare, one should follow proper protocols instead of adopting the mysterious tactics of wizards. Just as now, they had already left the refugees’ group far behind, nearly a mile away, yet that beast showed no reaction at all.

But just as he was about to curse, the elegant creature suddenly turned its head towards a direction, using its hoof to paw at the ground with a restless demeanor.

Over there!

Mano immediately pointed his scimitar forward, signaling the others to rush over swiftly.

The direction led to a part of the Fir Forest that looked no different from other areas. But as they began to encircle the spot from both sides, a faint ghostly light emerged from the forest, like a pale shadow, gradually forming into a floating humanoid halo.

Isn’t this a ghost? Martha above?

It wasn’t just the militia behind, even Mano himself paused in his steps. But the pale silhouette had already let out a shrill cry, lunging at the militia with bared claws.

The fierce shriek sent a chill through everyone’s hearts, causing the forest to fall into an eerie silence—

Mano felt he had never fought such a bizarre battle in his life. The ghost’s blurry face seemed, for a moment, to resemble many of his deceased comrades. But he quickly shook his head to discard this thought. Brand had warned him that all of this was an illusion and not to be deceived.

He no longer doubted the young man. This scene before him was indeed too strange.

Mano tightened his grip on the scimitar.

The gleaming blade flashed as it sliced through the ghost’s body, but it instantly became coated with a layer of ice. Mano realized something was amiss; there was no solid impact, indicating his strike had missed.

Ghosts exist between spiritual and physical realms, physical attacks have a fifty percent chance of failing.

Mano had no time to make a significant evasive move as the pale fingers reached for his facial orifices—at the critical moment, he turned his head, letting the slender fingers pass through his shoulder.

The seasoned mercenary immediately felt an icy chill on his shoulder, as if his entire left arm had gone numb.

"Attack, you bastards!" He toppled to the right, then yelled at the stunned militia. Only then did the townsfolk react, thrusting their long spears at the ghost.

Three spears went straight through the faint shadow, but the other two managed to lift the ghost upwards, eliciting a scream.

Mano rebounded from the ground, slashing obliquely at the pale light. This time he was lucky, striking the ghost’s soul substance directly. The Black Iron Knight’s strength erupted instantly, and the ghost vanished into smoke with one final scream—

Everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief, their legs weakening as they collapsed to the ground, silent. Even Mano, the veteran soldier, felt unnerved.

But at that moment, only one thought occupied his mind: How did that young man know all this?

*********

The young man withdrew his gaze. Mano and Batom had done well. He couldn’t help but feel fortunate to have these veteran mercenaries under his command; otherwise, dealing with these Mid-Level Undead would have been quite troublesome.

But the Soul Statue (White Deer) is actually a common anti-evil artifact. It just requires some imagination to connect it to military strategy—Brand turned to glance at Frey; this method was actually invented by this Valkyrie years ago.

Does that count as plagiarism?

But regardless, Madara lost the ghosts they used as sentinels, making their night difficult. The undead wizards controlling them would soon notice that the ghosts sent in a particular direction had collectively disappeared. However, this didn’t explain much—they would still need to verify and wait for further news.