Saintess Summons Skeletons

Chapter 554: The devout procession

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.

Sofia could [Heat Death] the attack with a single thought but she did nothing.

“Now!” Bookie yelled, and the Solar mage skeleton released a spell he had been pre-casting for a bit, which stopped all the flying fireballs in their tracks, even the giant one. The zombies’ spells were like burning stars frozen in space above the battle, unable to continue their course to crash into their target.

The solar mage can do that?!

Free from the barrage of fireballs, the Kidjikkik continued their carnage. Bookie gave silent orders, waving his hands from his high position next to Sofia on the altar, and the Kidjikkik complied to his will. They now split into several groups, some pushing further into the nave, some surrounding the tall zombie, and some going for the side entrance to staunch the flow of countless zombies still coming.

Just as things were starting to look good for Bookie’s soldiers, one of the voices from the Zombies’ side grew louder, the sheer force of the singular chant overtaking the entire skull choir. Then the voice stopped, and Sofia felt a huge wave of mana coming from the ceiling.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

A column of fire descended from the darkness above striking a large group of Kidjikkiks blocking one of the side entrances.

Not a single one survived, and the zombies started swarming out of that one entrance again.

From somewhere else in the nave, another such loud voice started rising.

“Scatter!” Bookie ordered, and the Kidjikkik skeletons broke their formation, bringing the fight to every corner of the battlefield.

A single group of Kidjikkik kept their formation, In the center of the nave, surrounding the tall Zombie which was still not moving after having launched his big fireball. The second voice stopped singing, and another pillar of fire stuck exactly there. The tall Zombie was unscathed, but the Kidjikkiks surrounding him were annihilated.

Found one. Sofia thought. As Bookie fought, she tried to locate the source of the Zombies’ chant, and she finally noticed them, shorter, veiled zombies hiding in between the regular ones.

Bookie turned around and nodded to Sofia, then he grabbed his book form, turned it upside down, and started tearing pages one after the other. Sofia let him use as much of her mana as he wanted.

Skeletal fairy wings grew on Bookie’s back, then his legs grew longer like the tall mimic, and finally, his clothes were covered by a shining armor, and a templar’s greatsword appeared in his hands.

Lastly he turned the book back up, summoned the High-Priest skeleton, and let him stack buff after buff on him.

During this time, another unseen voice rose and fell, and by now half of the Kidjikkiks had fallen despite the number of Zombies being seemingly unaffected no matter how many dozens of kill notifications Sofia received every second.

When yet another voice rose over the choir, Bookie jumped off from the altar. He shot through the nave like a cannonball, his templar sword leaving a trail of light behind him.

Bookie cleaved through a large group of Zombies as he flew past, and the voice stopped.

Sofia scrolled through the notifications. No special one?

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.