My Skeleton Soldier Is Strange - Chapter 233

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 233
Crackle!
With a sudden sound, electricity began to flow from my body. At first, it was merely a faint crimson spark emanating from my fingertips, but in an instant, its intensity surged dramatically. The red current enveloped my entire form.
The electricity flowing from my body began to spread in all directions. It diffused widely through the air, traveling along the ground and dancing through the sky. Where the current passed, the stone floor bore faint scorch marks, and the air filled with the subtle scent of ozone.
The Griffin Knights displayed clear alarm at this spectacle. They immediately assumed defensive stances. Some raised their shields to protect themselves, while others unfurled magical barriers. Their griffins cried out nervously, fluttering their wings in distress.
Yet their defense proved useless. The red current pierced through shields, shattered magical barriers, and struck their bodies directly. The electricity was absorbed into the bodies of the players defending the Empire. Sparks erupted from their armor, and the blue radiance faded from their weapons, replaced instead by a crimson aura.
One Griffin Knight released a pained groan. His body began to stiffen. The paralysis that started at his fingertips gradually spread to his arms, legs, and torso. The same phenomenon appeared in his comrades. The current was paralyzing the players’ bodies.
“What… what is this…?”
A knight spoke with a trembling voice, but his words trailed off. His mouth had become paralyzed, unable to produce further sound. Fear and rage crossed his eyes, but soon he too became helpless.
One by one, the players defending the Empire began to collapse to the ground. Their bodies were completely paralyzed, with only their eyes moving normally. They could only watch as something happened to them. The entire plaza filled with fallen Griffin Knights. Even their griffins lay motionless on the earth.
I walked slowly between the fallen knights. My footsteps were measured but filled with certainty. I stopped before one knight, knelt down, and gazed at his face.
I opened my mouth. My voice was quiet, yet it reached all the fallen players clearly.
“Let me transform you all into players of the Evil Force.”
With those words, I snapped my fingers lightly. It was a small gesture, but its effect was immediate. A more intense red light blazed from the bodies of the fallen players. Cracks appeared in their armor, and groans escaped from beneath their helmets.
The Griffin Knights’ bodies began to forcibly transform into demons. Their facial complexions changed, and horns sprouted from their foreheads. Sharp claws pierced through their armor, and leathery wings grew from their backs. Their irises shifted from blue to crimson, and intricate patterns were etched into their skin.
The transformation appeared agonizing. The knights’ faces contorted, and suppressed screams leaked from their mouths. But in their paralyzed state, they could not resist. They could only watch as their bodies changed.
As the paralysis gradually lifted, the knights could finally feel their transformation directly. They raised their hands and looked at them, confirming their sharpened claws and altered skin tone. Their eyes were filled with fear and confusion.
“Insane!”
“What is this!”
Sounds erupted from the knights’ mouths. They alternated between looking at their own bodies and their comrades’ transformed appearances, unable to accept reality. Some touched their faces to confirm the changes, while others trembled, feeling the transformation occurring within them.
A foreign power was rising from within them. It was demonic mana. It mingled with their existing abilities, transforming into a force that was more powerful yet tainted by darkness. When they realized they could not control this power of their own volition, despair filled their eyes.
I stepped forward. My black armor reflected faintly in the light, and my eyes burned with intensity. I raised my hand gently and spoke.
“Rise. You have work to do.”
With those words, the bodies of the players transformed into demons began to move. At first, their fingertips trembled slightly, then their arms and legs moved stiffly. Their eyes darted about uneasily, but their bodies gradually began to move more smoothly.
The Demon Players’ bodies were forced to stand. Their movements were unnatural.
Their joints moved with a rigid clicking sound, and their faces were expressionless. However, as time passed, their movements became more natural.
One player looked at his hand. His hand moved through the air against his will. Realizing that his body was moving according to another’s will, shock and rage crossed his eyes.
“Forced control…?”
He barely managed to open his mouth and speak.
“This is insane.”
This brief statement seemed to represent the sentiments of all the transformed players. They felt their bodies moving against their will, felt the foreign demonic mana rising from within, and struggled between fear and rage.
I did not respond to their words.
“Attack.”
With that command, the bodies of the players transformed into demons moved in unison. Against their will, they began to charge toward the NPCs defending the Fortress.
The Griffin Knights they had been were now completely different beings. Their armor bore cracks and had partially fallen away, yet their bodies had grown stronger. Their claws had pierced through their armor and continued to grow, and various forms of horns sprouted from their heads. Wings had grown from their backs, and their movements appeared faster and more powerful than before.
Within the Fortress, a final resistance continued. NPC Mages and Archers, along with a handful of knights, defended the Central Building. They appeared exhausted, yet still armed with resolute determination.
The NPCs could not hide their shock at the sudden attack from the demon-transformed players. They were horrified to see the knights who had been their allies moments before now turned into enemies attacking them. Some NPCs began to flee with bewildered expressions, while others strengthened their defensive lines, clinging to their last hope.
“We need more forces! Hold the defense line!”
The remaining NPC Commander shouted, but his orders were quickly swallowed by chaos. The players transformed into demons, along with the existing Demon Players, joined forces to attack the NPCs. They moved in coordination, displaying a rhythm as if they had fought together for ages.
When one Demon Player destroyed a magical barrier with magic, another demon charged through the gap. One group flew through the air toward the NPC Archers, while another group pressed the knights on the ground. The Griffin Knights transformed into demons wielded their swords and spears against their former comrades, retaining their combat techniques intact.
As time elapsed, the tide of battle shifted ever more decisively in favor of the Demon Players. The NPCs were outnumbered and outmatched in skill. They retreated again and again, driven deeper into the heart of the Fortress.
When thirty minutes had passed, the decisive moment arrived.
Multiple Demon Players coordinated their efforts to assault the central pillar of the Fortress. It was the critical support beam that upheld the entire structure. They weakened it through alternating waves of magical and physical attacks.
At first, only hairline fractures appeared. But with each successive blow, the cracks widened and deepened. Stone fragments began to cascade from the pillar, and dust rained down from the ceiling.
Finally, with a thunderous crash, the central pillar collapsed. The impact triggered a catastrophic chain reaction. The surrounding support columns, unable to bear the redistributed weight, shattered in succession, and sections of the ceiling began to plummet.
The Castle Wall trembled and crumbled. First, a section of the North wall gave way, followed by fractures spreading across the East and West walls. Colossal stone blocks thundered to the ground, shaking the earth itself, while clouds of dust enveloped the area.
The NPCs and some Demon Players narrowly escaped being crushed beneath the collapsing walls, though most managed to evacuate swiftly. As the dust settled, the Fortress had been utterly transformed. Once formidable, the Castle Wall now lay in ruins, fractured and breached in countless places.
The Demon Players surged through the shattered walls like a deluge, flooding into the Fortress interior. They dispersed like a black tide, spreading to every corner. Some pursued fleeing NPCs, while others began plundering the valuable treasures scattered throughout the Fortress.
I observed the entire spectacle as I advanced deliberately across the devastated landscape. With each step my feet touched the earth, the grass withered and the ground blackened. My gaze fixed upon the High Tower at the center of the Fortress—the sole location still unconquered.
“Next is that place.”
A smile spread across my lips. A faint luminescence flickered from the tower’s peak. It unmistakably marked my next objective.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————