Boom!

  With a deafening roar,

  A dazzling blade of light erupted, and the Skeleton Guard was slain. Lucas lost his vision of the altar's summit.

  But he had already seen enough.

  The scene atop the altar posed no real danger.

  The Skeleton Guard's death... was caused by a skeleton!

  Yes.

  It was the elite Skeleton Swordsman that had been severely injured and fled into the Canyon of the Dead!

  From the moment Lucas controlled the Skeleton Guard to step onto the altar's summit to the moment he saw the scene above, only a split second had passed. In that brief moment, the elite Skeleton Swordsman, which had fled here, charged to the edge of the dark altar and struck down the Skeleton Guard with a single slash.

  If Lucas hadn't figured out the altar's secrets, he naturally wouldn't dare to approach it recklessly.

  But now...

  Since the Skeleton Guard could ascend the altar unharmed, and the elite Skeleton Swordsman had fled to the altar to heal after being severely injured, it was clear that stepping onto the altar posed no danger to Lucas.

  The elite Skeleton Swordsman had always been Lucas's hunting target.

  The zombie race in this canyon and the dark altar were just unexpected bonuses.

  In that case...

  With a mental command, Lucas ordered his skeleton underlings, who had already fought their way to the seventh and eighth tiers of the altar, to abandon the numerous Walking Corpses and charge directly to the altar's summit.

  Lucas himself leaped into action, sprinting toward the altar's summit at full speed!

  Boom!

  Crash!

  Clatter!

  Various sounds echoed.

  By the time Lucas reached the altar's summit, his skeleton underlings were already locked in combat with the elite Skeleton Swordsman.

  As he had guessed,

  The altar was saturated with an incredibly dense and pure death energy.

  Although most of this death energy was bound by the runes on the altar, flowing between the five zombies, even the small portion that leaked out made the death energy on the altar far denser and purer than anywhere else.

  No wonder the elite Skeleton Swordsman had come here.

  In the short time Lucas had been chasing it, the elite Skeleton Swordsman's health had already recovered to one-third of its total, thanks to the dense, pure, and gentle death energy.

  This recovery speed was several times faster than in the outside world!

  If Lucas had arrived a few hours later, he might have faced an elite Skeleton Swordsman at full strength.

  Fortunately, he hadn't delayed too long on the way.

  Health was the most direct reflection of a skeleton's physical condition.

  One-third health meant the elite Skeleton Swordsman had recovered somewhat but was still in a weakened state. At a glance, Lucas could still see large cracks covering its body.

  If Lucas had relied solely on his skeleton underlings, defeating the elite Skeleton Swordsman would have been difficult.

  But with Lucas joining the fight... it was a different story!

  After charging onto the dark altar, Lucas took control of his skeleton underlings.

  The two highest-level Skeleton Warriors and the remaining Skeleton Guard stepped forward, acting as shields to block the elite Skeleton Swordsman. The four Skeleton Archers retreated to the edge of the altar, drawing their bows. The lone Skeleton Assassin concealed itself, sneaking toward the elite Skeleton Swordsman's back. The remaining Skeleton Warriors attacked freely, drawing the elite Skeleton Swordsman's aggro...

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  With just this simple rearrangement of formations, the combat effectiveness of Lucas's skeleton underlings increased dramatically, and the elite Skeleton Swordsman's killing efficiency dropped significantly!

  Meanwhile, Lucas himself charged at the elite Skeleton Swordsman, Bone Mòdāo in hand!

  Flanking maneuvers?

  Unnecessary!

  If Lucas couldn't defeat this already weakened elite Skeleton Swordsman with the help of so many skeleton underlings, how could he hope to hunt other elite skeletons?!

  With large strides,

  Lucas closed the distance to the elite Skeleton Swordsman in just a few breaths. His Bone Mòdāo, infused with all his strength, traced a bright arc through the air as it slashed toward the elite Skeleton Swordsman!

  Boom!!!

  A deafening metallic clang rang out.

  The Bone Mòdāo was blocked by the elite Skeleton Swordsman.

  But while it blocked the most powerful attack, it couldn't fend off the relentless assaults from the other skeletons.

  The Skeleton Archers continuously drew their bows, firing pale bone arrows that embedded themselves in the elite Skeleton Swordsman's body. The Skeleton Warriors' weapons chipped away at its cracks, making them larger and larger. The Skeleton Assassin's slender figure emerged from behind the elite Skeleton Swordsman, plunging two short swords into its cervical spine!

  In an instant!

  The elite Skeleton Swordsman's health, which had painstakingly recovered to one-third, plummeted to around one-quarter!

  The elite Skeleton Swordsman roared in fury.

  Its greatsword rose high, as if intending to clear the swarm of ants surrounding it.

  But the next moment, Lucas's Bone Mòdāo struck again.

  Compared to the small but relentless attacks from the skeleton underlings, Lucas's Bone Mòdāo posed a far greater threat. The elite Skeleton Swordsman had no choice but to abandon clearing the underlings and block Lucas's attack once more.

  Once.

  Twice.

  Three times!

  Amidst the clashing of bone weapons, the elite Skeleton Swordsman's health continued to drop.

  When Lucas brought his Bone Mòdāo down for the fifth time, the elite Skeleton Swordsman, with its health nearly depleted, could no longer withstand the full-force strike.

  Crash!

  Under the immense force, the elite Skeleton Swordsman's already battered body finally gave way, collapsing into a heap.

  Its tall skeletal frame fell to the ground, and its greatsword clattered beside it.

  It was over.

  Under the combined assault of Lucas and his skeleton underlings, the elite Skeleton Swordsman had lasted just over a minute before falling.

  Without hesitation,

  Lucas stepped forward, grabbing the elite Skeleton Swordsman's large skull. The [Erosion] talent activated immediately, beginning the process of enslaving the elite skeleton.

  "You have gained control over the Elite Skeleton Swordsman."

  "You have enslaved the Elite Skeleton Swordsman."

  "You can rename the Elite Skeleton Swordsman."

  "You have obtained the class advancement information for 'Elite Class Template - Elite Skeleton Swordsman.'"