Chapter 52 - 21: [Undead Legion and Undead Elite]

Chapter 52: Chapter 21: [Undead Legion and Undead Elite]

[Nether Copper Resonator enabled.]

[Strike Nether Copper to release a resonating signal. The signal’s transmission range correlates positively with the amplitude.]

"Strike?" Samael raised his sword and shield. He planned to strike the shield with his sword hilt, just like he had done earlier to intimidate the Bandit Leader Warrior. However, he hesitated for a moment and lowered his weapons.

He thought, "That kind of striking sound is too loud. This area is still too close to the Randall Squad’s position. Striking a sword against a shield isn’t safe and will likely be heard."

SNAP!

Samael raised his hand armor and snapped his fingers. Accompanied by faint cyan sparks generated by the collision of his Nether Copper fingertips, an invisible shockwave spread out alongside the crisp sound.

Within a fifty-meter radius, the dirt in a certain spot suddenly bulged. Something churned the soil, emitting a suffocating, hollow HISS. It sounded like a dying animal, or perhaps a sigh from the distant past.

In the next second, a broken skeletal hand broke through the soil, groping blindly in the air. This was followed by an arm bone covered in a rusty iron bracer, a fragmented half-piece of shoulder armor, a skull encased in an iron helmet, and a torso clad in a tattered breastplate. It struggled forward, stepping in old, rotting combat boots as it crawled out of the loose soil of the Kana Plain. Its skeletal hand grasped a rust-mottled, broken sword.

Rot-dust storms were a frequent occurrence on the Kana Plain, making the soil extremely loose and mostly composed of topsoil. The remains of the dead had been buried by this topsoil, which was rich in Spiritual Energy, depositing them in the upper layers of dirt to become Undead Creatures.

"...You’re controlling it?" Talia looked at Samael.

"I think... yes," Samael said thoughtfully, leaning in to examine the Skeleton Warrior. "Help me keep an eye out for Randall and his team. I need to figure out how to use this thing..."

Talia nodded. She positioned herself between Samael and the camp, gazing out to observe the direction of the encampment.

The Skeleton Warrior stood silently in front of Samael, holding its broken sword motionless in the sunlight. It was as still as a statue.

[Scanner enabled.]

[Spiritual Construct (Primary Material: Organic Matter)]

[Construct-type artificial lifeform, manufactured using recycled biomass. Retains the original biological structure and has a probability of retaining a small amount of biological stance materials. Low-cost and extremely easy to generate in environments with Spiritual Energy. Capable of undertaking simple tasks.]

[Control methods include but are not limited to: Nether Copper resonating signals, Spiritual Implant modifications, and Ethereal Spiritual Signal forced override circuits.]

[Target Source: Naturally generated]

[Condition: Decayed]

[Structural Integrity: 41%]

[Stamina: 92%]

[Biological stance materials can be engraved. Total engraving slots: 2]

[Engraved biological stance: Razor Formation (1/2, not full)]

[@Refresh@]

[Biological Stance Detection: Razor Formation]

[A military formation usable with quantities exceeding 50; useless if quantities are fewer than 6. A mutually cooperative wedge formation that can effectively divide and shock enemy military formations. Used in conjunction with standard-issue military swords, shields, and spears. Requires at least 2 individuals for each of the three weapons, otherwise ineffective.]

[Database supplemented.]

[Engraved into the ’Artificial Lifeology - Biological Stance Material’ content library.]

[Unit available for use.]

Samael pondered, "It seems this corpse was an ancient Imperial Soldier in life. This combat skill is also a military technique, which is completely useless for a single individual... However, combat skills can be deleted and overwritten."

He reached out with his hand armor and pressed it against the Skeleton Soldier’s skull.

[Reading and writing to target engraving slot:]

[Biological stance ’Razor Formation’ cleared.]

[Biological stance ’Blade Counter Stance’ engraved.]

[Biological stance ’Footwork Focus’ engraved.]

[Engraving slots full (2/2)]

"Interesting... So Undead Warriors can be modified and adjusted like this," Samael murmured, rubbing the chin of his helmet.

He wondered, "But do I have to rely on striking Nether Copper to generate a resonating signal in order to command it? Furthermore, can I only perform rough movements and combat skill control? Is micromanagement impossible?" He recalled the results of the scan from earlier:

[Control methods include but are not limited to: Nether Copper resonating signals, Spiritual Implant modifications, and Ethereal Spiritual Signal forced override circuits.]

"What exactly is a Spiritual Implant? It seems like anything can be controlled using Spiritual Implants," he thought.

He opened the UI panel and searched for "Spiritual Implant."

[Artificial Lifeology - Spiritual Implant]

[An implant device used for the precise control of constructs. Made of Nether Copper, it allows for high-precision operations across ethereal distances.]

[Level 0 Technology. Can be manufactured using a Nether Copper Printer.]

Deep in thought, Samael reached out with his hand armor and grabbed the skeleton’s skull.

Molten, red-hot Nether Copper flowed from his palm. It was cast into a Nether Copper Bell-shaped Helmet directly onto the skeleton’s head, tightly enveloping the Skeleton Warrior’s skull.

[Nether Copper Reserves: 40%]

[@Refresh@]

[Nether Copper Reserves: 20%]

[Spiritual Implant set.]

[High-precision operations across cross-domain distances available.]

[Biological stance engraving slots expanded. Engraved quantity: 2/5]

[Maximum stamina expanded.]

[Structural integrity enhanced.]

[Stance control enhanced.]

[Artificial vocal module installed.]

[Nether Copper Resonating Signal Repeater installed.]

Samael tried moving his fingers, and the Skeleton Warrior wearing the Nether Copper Bell-shaped Helmet obediently executed the corresponding precise movements.

"Oh... Spiritual Implants are meant for elite units and allow for micromanagement," Samael suddenly realized. "That makes sense. If I had to micromanage every single Undead, having too many of them would probably fry my brain."

Under normal circumstances, there were two methods of controlling the Undead.

One was through Nether Copper resonating signals. By striking a resonator to produce sound, one could command massive batches of low-level Undead cannon fodder over a wide area. Striking Nether Copper could also drive a large number of low-level Undead to form military formations. The operational precision was low, but it made up for it with sheer numbers and a massive range of effect. The size of the control range depended on the volume of the striking sound, scaling all the way from a snap of the fingers to striking a sword against a shield—or perhaps even forging a Nether Copper war drum.