The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 75

Chapter 75: Deployment (Seeking Further Reads)

2024-09-02

While Gu Xi was recovering his mana, his troops had already assembled.

Shaya, preoccupied with matters in Alierdo City, had already returned there via the Hearthstone.

But Luna remained, capable of managing all the undead. Soon, all the undead were gathered.

The three battle squads, after replenishment and the battle with the Death Avatar, had slightly altered numbers of Skeleton Soldiers.

[Battle Squad 1 (Level 1, Unnamed, Traits: Attack +5, Defense +1, Experience 77/200): Captain (1/1) Level 2 Skeleton Commander, Members (23/43) Level 3 Skeleton Soldiers (23)]

[Battle Squad 2 (Level 2, Unnamed, Traits: Attack +4, Health +4, Experience 42/500): Captain (1/1) Level 2 Skeleton Commander, Members (31/38) Level 3 Skeleton Soldiers (31)]

[Battle Squad 3 (Level 1, Unnamed, Traits: Defense +6, Experience 184/200): Captain (1/1) Level 2 Skeleton Commander, Members (24/49) Level 3 Skeleton Soldiers (24)]

In total, there were 78 Skeleton Soldiers, plus 50 newly converted Skeleton Archers, bringing the skeleton force to 128.

This finally brought his troop strength to a respectable level. Leading fewer than a hundred Skeleton Soldiers would have been a disgrace to an Undead Mage.

Of the twenty zombies, six had died in battle, leaving fourteen. All the Ghostly Spirits remained, waiting at the city gate.

Gu Xi’s most important combat asset for this battle, the Bone Dragon form of the Death Avatar, continuously circled in the sky.

As Gu Xi approached, Luna, who was organizing the troops, quickly flew over.

“Sir, the troops are ready. By the way, sir, I’ve temporarily selected a Skeleton Soldier to carry your banner. Do you think he’s suitable?”

Luna pointed towards the ranks of Skeleton Soldiers. A noticeably taller Skeleton Soldier stood there, stripped of all weapons, wearing only his armor.

Gu Xi’s current main banner was just a plain white flag, without even a proper pole; he used an ordinary wooden one and lacked a personal emblem.

Gu Xi was still a long way from possessing his own unique banner.

In fact, if Gu Xi hadn’t obtained the main banner this time, he would have to wait until level 5 at least to have his own.

Having a Skeleton Soldier to carry the banner was more than enough for now; he wasn’t expecting a bicycle. (Idiom: This implies he’s already happy with what he has and isn’t being greedy.)

After handing the main banner to the Skeleton Soldier, Gu Xi glanced at the map, pointed towards the Pier Warehouse District.

“Advance! Target the border tower!”

As Gu Xi led his troops out of his city area, a “ding” sound echoed in his ears.

[Ding! You are entering the Pier Warehouse District. Your actions will provoke a response from the Pier Warehouse District guards. Please retreat immediately!]

[Warning! You are entering the Pier Warehouse District. Your actions will initiate war. Please retreat immediately!]

[……]

Gu Xi ignored these warnings. He intended to attack the Pier Warehouse District anyway; he merely wanted to draw the enemy out early.

After three warnings, the system stopped issuing alerts.

However, Gu Xi heard the sound of horns from the border tower.

One group after another of black shadowy figures emerged from the border tower, forming various battle formations in the open space before it.

Gu Xi found the actions of these shadowy figures rather baffling.

He had expected a siege, but his troops hadn’t even taken up position, and they had already come out.

“What’s going on?”

“Sir, perhaps the tower doesn’t have enough space to deploy such a large number of troops?”

Gu Xi pondered various explanations for the shadowy figures’ actions. Luna’s suggestion finally made him realize.

That was quite possible.

This was merely a border tower, not a city wall or castle suitable for large-scale troop deployment. The tower was six stories high, leaving no space for the shadowy figures to maneuver on top.

With Gu Xi bringing his troops, these shadowy figures had no choice but to engage in battle.

“I overthought it. Prepare for battle. Death Avatar, take to the skies. Luna, you command the Ghostly Spirits. The enemy has two bosses, one defensive; you handle them with the Ghostly Spirits. The other is a magic-type; I’ll have the Death Avatar deal with them once they appear.”

Gu Xi swiftly issued orders, waving his hand. The Skeleton Soldiers rapidly advanced.

Under Gu Xi’s arrangement, Battle Squad 3’s Skeleton Soldiers formed the front line, followed by Battle Squad 2’s spear-wielding Skeleton Soldiers.

Skeleton Soldiers with two-handed swords were deployed on both flanks to prevent flanking attacks.

The newly converted Skeleton Archers stayed at the rear, calculating their firing range.

The effective range of the Skeleton Archers was one hundred meters. Beyond that, the arrows would still reach, but their power would diminish with distance.

Unless someone could obtain a Golden Bow—a high-level piece of equipment—this issue was unresolvable.

Even the most skilled elf archers had an effective range of only three hundred and fifty meters; beyond that, their power would weaken.

Gu Xi understood this, and he also knew his strengths.

Skeleton Soldiers were fearless in death, and their range was limited; thus, the Skeleton Archers only needed to move forward.

Therefore, the Skeleton Archers remained close behind Battle Squad 2, less than thirty meters from the battle. At this distance, both their firepower and accuracy were greatly enhanced.

Here, they could achieve swift focused fire and precise targeting. This position was optimal for the Skeleton Archers.

Behind the arrayed troops, Gu Xi was protected by a group of zombies. Luna had already flown into the air with the Ghostly Spirits, charging towards the shadowy figure army.

Meanwhile, the shadowy figure army began its advance, quickly forming four squares, each with forty individuals.

From the formation’s structure, it was evident they were configured as ten Level 3 shadowy figures and thirty Level 2 shadowy figures. These four squares were led by a heavily armored shadowy figure advancing steadily forward.

Gu Xi was somewhat surprised that only a little more than half of the shadowy figures’ forces had emerged.

He wondered if they were underestimating him.

Only one hundred and twenty troops, and only a portion of Level 3 units—this wasn’t how one should commit suicide.

Just as Gu Xi was pondering, a change occurred at the border tower.

(To be continued)

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