Chapter 7: A Narrow Victory

As Neo returned to slay the lich, Adrian watched and let out a silent sigh of relief.
“Stay focused and steady—kill these demon dogs and avenge our fallen brothers!” On the battlefield, polished words were the last thing needed; crude insults filled with rage could better ignite courage, allowing people to forget life and death for a moment and fight with full intensity.
Without the lich’s control and support, the weaknesses of the corrupted undead quickly became apparent. They no longer possessed the wisdom they once had as humans, reduced to beasts acting on instinct—nothing but brutish forces. Their teamwork was even worse than that of wolves. Moreover, they were prone to anger; slight provocation or minor injuries could make them go berserk and fight recklessly. These weaknesses were deadly against skilled opponents.
Adrian’s side grew more and more steady in battle. Instead of aiming to kill enemies immediately, they seized opportunities to inflict damage through tearing, mutilation, and bloodshed. Gradually, the combat strength of the corrupted undead weakened, and those wild beasts were even lured into attacking their own kind, creating a situation of mutual decline. The balance of power changed dramatically in just a short time.
Neo’s tactics were quite ingenious. He would lure just one monster at a time, and his attempts always succeeded. Once the creature was drawn away from the group, Neo would strike swiftly with the help of the surrounding wolves, killing it before moving on to the next. Although this didn’t help Adrian and his allies right away, it effectively reduced the enemy’s strength as a whole.
In just over 7 minutes, Neo had lured and killed 6 monsters in the periphery, forcing the corrupted undead to go wild and send 5 of them to chase after him. Thus, after efficiently killing enemies, Neo naturally diverted the corrupted undead’s forces.
The jungle was the domain of the dark werewolves. Even if the pursuers were powerful figures like Adrian, Neo wasn’t afraid to engage in a chase here!
Boom! Thwack!
The sounds that came from time to time were all made by the corrupted undead. Under Neo’s simple manipulation, the entire forest seemed to come alive—tripping roots hidden under snow, spear-like thorns, branches whipping like whips… Neo always found ways to fill the path he took with various traps, usually ensnaring most of the pursuing undead, while he only needed to make slight adjustments.
Of course, in reality, it was like a top-tier sand painter. To achieve this, one needed careful planning, quick reflexes, excellent logical and strategic skills, as well as keen insight, strong deception abilities, and sophisticated cover-ups. Otherwise, the corrupted undead wouldn’t easily step into those traps, especially in such a hurry.

And the most important thing is spirituality. Spirituality represents a high degree of adaptability, ingenious tactics that are truly astonishing, and boundless creativity… Only with this can one flexibly use one’s abilities to set up ever-changing traps in unpredictable situations, leaving opponents off-balance. Those who lack spirituality and stick rigidly to dogma can only create inflexible strategies—this is the biggest difference between those with talent and those without it.

The makeshift traps are generally weak in effect, especially when targeting creatures like the demonized Undead, which have no sense of pain and thick skin. Such minor torments are most likely to provoke anger. Before long, all five demonized Undead had red eyes. The more enraged and irrational they became, the higher the chance they would step into traps. Even obvious traps couldn’t be avoided, or they chose not to, leading to a vicious cycle—accumulated minor injuries eventually causing severe pain.

On the other hand, Neo’s effective killing and diversion reduced the number of demonized Undead to just nine. Even though over 30 zombies and skeletons arrived later, they could no longer pose a fatal threat to Adrian and his group. Instead, those lower-level undead became obstacles, exploited by Adrian and his companions—at least half of them were flung apart and torn to pieces by the demonized Undead. In less than ten minutes, all the monsters and undead were eliminated.

Before Adrian and his group could catch their breath, as if on cue, Neo led the pursuers back, reappearing in their sight. Out of the original five, only four remained—covered in wounds, as if they had rolled in a blade grinder and then in a mud pit. They were frenzied, drooling profusely, disheveled, with their eyes fixed on Neo, ignoring Adrian and the others even as they passed by.

Adrian and his group exchanged glances, thinking this was pure suicide. They coordinated to attack from the sides, killing three of them at once, and the last one was easily severely wounded. These demonized Undead were already at their limit. Even if they hadn’t intervened, it wouldn’t be long before they killed themselves. It was hard to understand how Neo could achieve such results.

With a final fatal strike, the last demonized Undead’s massive body crashed into a tree as thick as a waist, shaking off the snow from its branches. Neo, panting heavily with white breath, limped toward Adrian. Victory always comes at a cost, especially since Neo was already injured in the chest and abdomen, having also suffered internal damage from Vladimir earlier.

To say Neo saved everyone’s lives might be an overstatement. After all, under those circumstances, Adrian could have simply fled to save his own life—he had indeed thought of doing so. But if he had, no one else besides him would have survived. Moreover, Adrian’s future would have been bleak, as predictable as it was.

Now, things have changed greatly with the presence of Neo. Although five sergeants died and apprentice knight Kay ultimately couldn’t escape the clutches of evil, such sacrifices are entirely acceptable given the achievements. Twelve people killed over 160 skeletons and zombies, 34 demonized undead, and at least one level-3 necromancer—this is definitely a victory. It may not be glorious, but it’s certainly a significant win. Once this plague ends, the glory this victory brings can be easily imagined.

In fact, things turned out even better than Badien and the others had expected. This battle was the only highlight of the entire Edrit Incident. And a major defeat often requires more “heroes” than a glorious victory to divert people’s attention. As a result, Badien was promoted to baron after the incident, Anqiro and Lance both received knightly promotions along with a fief of one and a half knights, while medical knight Sangert was recruited by the Glorious Church—because he claimed at least half of the credit for this victory belonged to Neo.

Who is Neo? A condemned prisoner, a fugitive, a “rebel” hunted by the Alliance. The only highlight of the Edrit Incident—flawless, at that. And by then, Neo wasn’t just flawed; he was a serious stain…

At this moment, Badien still doesn’t know how future events will unfold, but he knows for sure that he owes Neo a huge favor. He used to look down on Neo, but now he relies on his help to achieve this victory. The emotional contrast is truly distressing, leaving him awkward and blushing, unsure of what to say.

Only Sergeant York, the only survivor, though injured in seven or eight places, still has good spirits and is straightforward. When he sees Neo approaching, he shouts, “I thought you ran away alone before. I called you a bastard—I was wrong. I won’t do that again. I owe you my life, brother!”

Neo smiles. “It seems I can trust you to guard my back next time we fight, brother.”

“Of course!” York replies loudly.

For those who fight to the death, the word “brother” holds great significance—it represents a bond forged through life and death, loyalty, and trust protected with one’s life.

Badien also walks over and pats Neo on the shoulder.

Lance nods at Neo and points at himself. “Lance.”

Anqiro simply says, “Well done!”

A few simple words dissolve the awkwardness and express recognition and praise for Neo.

Twelve came, now only six remain. Everyone is filled with sorrow; no one has the energy for fancy words.

Shh…

Badien whistles. The top priority now is to bandage and treat each other, as supplies like medical kits and military blankets are on the mounts.

It isn’t long before Badien’s beloved horse, “White Hair,” leads the way, followed by the others. Horses that lose their owners become sad, nudging and licking with their mouths. Kay’s mount even whinnies softly, refusing to be led away for a long time, leaving everyone feeling uneasy.

Then, people casually noticed the busy Neo. By comparison, Neo appeared cold and heartless; there was no sadness on his face, no weakness in his eyes. He was beheading everyone—undead, zombies, monsters—ensuring these creatures died completely. With the heads of the dead, he built a pile to showcase his strength and determination, as well as as a proper tribute to his fallen comrades. Adrian did not stop Neo; this pile suited his tastes—it was not only a way to honor the dead but also convenient for recognizing merits in the future. He sent Sangert to treat Neo’s wounds, but Neo politely declined, saying that “moderate injuries could strengthen the healing power of the wolf bloodline.” Instead, he asked for some antidotes, healing herbs, and bandages, carefully treating his own wounds. The most troublesome aspect of undead-related issues was poison, which could lead to serious consequences. People like Anqiro had all been exposed to the toxicity in the Plague Mist to some extent, and their treatments were delayed, resulting in swollen faces resembling pig heads. The worst case was Lance, whose face was covered in pus sores, and many had rabbit eyes. Their mouths, throats, and mouths felt as if they had swallowed kerosene, causing intense pain. This condition would take at least a dozen hours to improve gradually. The bodies of the fallen were collected. Initially, they were planned to be burned to prevent them from being used by the undead for desecration, but in the end, they were chosen to be frozen. It would only get colder, and with simple treatment, the bodies wouldn’t rot or mutate in the short term. These fallen warriors deserved proper honors. Of course, the main reason was that lighting a fire for burning required a lot of effort and could easily alert the enemy. At this time, it was really not appropriate to provoke stronger foes. Neo handed over the necromancer’s wand, necromancy books, and the mark of the dead to Adrian—perfect proof of killing a necromancer. As for the three magic scrolls and other minor items, they were Neo’s spoils. Compared to what Neo handed over, Adrian didn’t consider those items worth much. The road had been cleared, so there was no reason for Neo and his group not to explore Tulip Town. However, proper rest was also necessary. Moreover, their side had suffered heavy losses in this battle, and the enemy had fully shown their cunning and deceitfulness. Adrian had reason to briefly summarize and plan ahead—they couldn’t act recklessly anymore.