This Necromancer Just Wants to Plant Trees - Chapter 43 (Patreon)

At the entrance to the mine.

Kunna stared in disbelief as Edeson's head was crushed beneath Matthew's foot.

She knew that there was a strange necromancer living in this oak forest, the one who seemed to have the power to summon bone dragons, but she never expected Edeson to fall so quickly.

He was the Southern Prelate of the Cataclysmic Cult, a solid Fourth-order Dark Mage, the organizer of this expedition for the three organizations, and the strongest among them!

This scene also left the other members shocked.

Their already shaky resolve instantly melted away.

Many of them instinctively tried to retreat, hoping to hide behind the others, but to their surprise, everyone had the same idea, and no one had truly retreated.

After Edeson's head fell to the ground.

The battlefield ahead became clear once more.

The normally fearless gnolls were now fleeing towards the cave entrance.

But their escape route was blocked by Eli.

The sabertooth tiger displayed its dominance as it ruthlessly hunted down the fleeing gnolls.

One by one, it swiftly eliminated them.

The only one to slip away was the Suwawa Hellhound.

The resilience of this demon was astonishing.

Even after Peggy cracked its skull, causing a small amount of brain matter to spill out, it still stumbled away.

Matthew observed this.

His brows furrowed.

"Suwawa Hellhounds are creatures from another realm. After a gnoll's death, it shouldn't be able to maintain its existence in the Prime Material Plane. Wait a minute, there's no kill notification!?"

Almost simultaneously.

He felt a violent trembling beneath his feet.

Matthew reacted swiftly.

He raised his foot and kicked hard, as if acting on muscle memory.

Bang!

Edeson's head exploded in mid-air, turning into a strange mist of blood.

Matthew observed carefully.

In that mist, he could see faces, insects, fragmentary brain grooves, and clusters of extremely sinister runes!

At the same time.

The medallion of the Moon Goddess on his chest started shaking violently.

"Retreat!"

Matthew shouted.

Protected by the skeletal warriors, they quickly moved away from the mist and the headless corpse.

The octopus-like mist settled on the gnoll's body.

The next moment.

A solemn and dignified voice emanated from the mist.

The enunciation was stiff and clear.

It sounded as if it echoed in the hearts of everyone present:

"Grant you an undying body, in the night's embrace, you shall live on endlessly, surviving a thousand deaths!"

As the voice faded away.

The headless gnoll's body slowly rose from the ground.

Unbeknownst to everyone.

A pristine head emerged on the smooth neck.

Everyone was stunned by this bizarre scene.

Even to the members of the evil organizations, this resurrection was exceedingly rare!

"Hehehe, I am immortal."

Edeson awkwardly moved his neck from side to side, as if he were adjusting to his new head.

His eyes were evil and unrestrained, fixed firmly on Matthew, as if he wanted to devour him alive.

The mist still hadn't dissipated.

It enveloped the gnoll like a protective halo.

Matthew sensed a strong aura of a domain within the mist.

At this moment.

A message formed by moonlight appeared on the still trembling medallion.

...

"Edeson, the gnoll, worships the master of the ancient land, the demon Terill. Terill is, in fact, an incarnation of the Midnight God, whose blessings are only effective at midnight. If delayed until dawn, his undying blessing will shatter.

Aysia Moonlight"

...

The Midnight God?

This matter seemed to be related to the Celestial Palace as well?

Matthew didn't doubt the authenticity of this information.

After all, it was in line with the numerous gestures of goodwill from the Moon Goddess. Even if she had ulterior motives, they would come later.

But whether it was the benevolent Aysia or the Midnight God controlling the dark mage, it seemed that the exiled gods were beginning to stir for some reason.

This was not good news for the stagnant world.

Such thoughts flashed through Matthew's mind.

He suddenly drew a hand crossbow and aimed it at Edeson in the mist.

"Come on, you can't kill me!"

Edeson raged.

Matthew judged that he was still in the brief moment of stiffness after resurrection and no longer hesitated. An arrow was shot from the quiver of his skeletal soldiers and hit Edeson's chest!

The arrow pierced the gnoll's chest, but he seemed to have no sensation of pain. He simply pulled it out, breaking the arrow in front of Matthew.

However, Matthew didn't stop.

He quickly switched to another hand crossbow with a taut string from his magic bag.

Swoosh!

Another arrow was fired.

Edeson glared in anger.

"You're wasting your time!"

After pulling out the second arrow from his chest, the third arrow came flying. This time, Matthew's aim was slightly off, and the arrow struck the gnoll's knee.

Edeson was becoming increasingly infuriated.

The mist began to move slowly towards Matthew.

However, at this moment, Matthew retreated cleverly in the direction of the oak forest.

He regrouped with Eli.

They tactically withdrew, protected by the Silvermoon Zombie and the skeletal soldiers.

Only Alex was ordered by Matthew to harass the dark mage in the mist.

Upon receiving the order, Alex limped towards Edeson.

His movements were sometimes stiff, sometimes fluid.

Everyone saw the skeletal soldier, who always seemed to be twisting his hips, circling the mist with a probing step.

He occasionally made a slash.

The short sword easily tore through the gnoll's skin, leaving shallow marks on his body.

But the effect was limited.

The mist seemed to grant Edeson an unbeatable vitality.

No matter how many wounds Alex inflicted on him.

He quickly healed, and his aura grew stronger.

"This gnoll's melee prowess is too strong," Eli said with caution. "I'm afraid only shield-bearers of the same rank can face his hammer head-on. Regular warriors won't stand a chance."

Matthew nodded slightly.

Peggy and Eli were both experts in close combat among the Third-order mages, but they were no match for Edeson. This guy had an overpowering presence on the frontlines.

He had realized this, which was why he chose to lure the enemy deep, coordinating with Armin's successful ambush.

However, things don't always go as planned, and no one could have foreseen that a dark magician like him had the protection of a divine entity. Despite the vast distance between them, the midnight god's influence couldn't directly interfere with the battlefield, but the blessings he received through the enchanted armor proved to be quite troublesome.

"Eli, I need you to coordinate with my skeleton assassin and continue applying pressure on him. I'll provide support from the rear," Matthew explained his strategy.

Eli didn't reject the idea but asked in confusion, "He's practically invincible now. Will your crossbows and our harassment tactics even work?"

"I don't intend to kill him right now; I just want to weaken him as much as possible," Matthew replied calmly. "Have you noticed his movements have slowed down significantly?"

Eli suddenly realized, "You've poisoned him?"

Matthew nodded, "It seems his invincibility isn't all-encompassing. The high-efficiency debuff rays and negative armor spells were purged, but the toxins on the bolts are still affecting his movements. It's not enough to kill him, but we're in for a prolonged battle."

Eli took a deep breath and understood, "I see. You want me to push him to use his other abilities."

Matthew's eyes were filled with a profound caution, "Yes, while others are hesitating, continue to pressure him as much as possible. I suspect he has powerful trump cards beyond his resurrection, so be cautious."

Edison was the most formidable opponent Matthew had faced since his arrival in this world. Since this was a sudden encounter, neither side was fully prepared, and the ambush was the best decision he could make on the spot.

At this point, he didn't have many cards to play. His ultimate card, the Bone Dragon, couldn't be revealed yet for two reasons.

First, revealing it would mean he had to prepare for an escape, and they weren't at that point yet.

Second, Matthew's ultimate card was already known to the Cult of Catastrophe. Despite their knowledge, they still dared to provoke him, which indicated they probably possessed means to counter the Bone Dragon.

In this situation, revealing the ultimate card prematurely would be suicidal. Matthew had to rely on other methods to stall and exhaust Edison's abilities.

At this moment, his eyes were fixed firmly on the Cultist. His attention was unwavering, not missing any detail.

Eli understood Matthew's tactical approach. He transitioned from the saber-toothed tiger into a more agile jungle panther, cooperating with Armin to continue harassing Edison.

Injured Peggy was responsible for providing support from a safer distance.

Matthew, on the other hand, maintained a steady pace as he retreated.

Inside the blood mist, Edison found himself harassed from all sides, even though his regenerative abilities were remarkable. He was annoyed by the constant pressure.

He swung his nail-headed hammer with immense power, but it always narrowly missed Armin and Eli. Armin's movements were unpredictable, even though he was a mere skeleton, gliding as smoothly as an earthworm.

Eli had transformed into a jungle panther, gaining agility and learning from his earlier mistakes. He didn't linger in the fight, ensuring Edison had no opportunities.

The group continued fighting while retreating, gradually approaching the edge of the oak forest.

Finally, Edison noticed that his actions had become sluggish. He used a purification spell to temporarily suppress the toxins in his body, and the blood mist started to dissipate.

It seemed like he was fully recovered from the stiffness associated with resurrection. Suddenly, he made a quick dash, almost injuring Eli in a surprise attack, but Armin, following Matthew's instructions, pounced from behind him.

This time, the short knives in Armin's hands only grazed Edison's scalp, failing to decapitate him.

Frustrated, Armin swiftly disappeared into the shadows.

Edison couldn't contain his anger any longer. In the presence of Matthew's intense gaze, he tore a palm-sized piece of fur from his chest. On the reverse side, twisted runes covered it. Holding the fur, he glared in the direction where Armin had vanished and yelled, "You don't belong here!"

As he spoke, the fur began to burn spontaneously.

Armin suddenly reappeared. His movements were initially rigid, but then a dark-gray aura began to radiate from his feet.

"You don't belong here!" Edison shouted again.

The gray aura engulfed Armin entirely.

"Hint: The sorcerer Edison used the 'Exile Scroll' on your summon, Armin, exiling him to a negative energy plane. Armin will remain exiled for the next 4 hours until the next summon."

Matthew now had to face Edison without Armin's assistance.

The blood mist dissipated completely, and Edison was fully reinvigorated, his movements faster than ever. Eli was now under more pressure, as Edison's powerful attacks pushed him back.

Ignoring all else, Edison charged directly at Matthew.

However, Matthew's eyes gleamed with excitement.

"So, the 'Exile Scroll' is your trump card to counter the Bone Dragon?" He didn't act immediately but ordered his skeleton soldiers and zombies to spread out.

He then sprinted toward the oak forest at full speed.

Inside the woods, the sound of galloping hooves began to echo.

Matthew ran with a smile on his face, knowing he was not alone in this fight.

Chapter 44 >>

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