Chapter 10: Alastor, the Bloodthirsty God of Madness?

"The Bloodthirsty Berserker God Alastor has appeared nearby; your troops are now under the influence of bloodthirst and berserk effects. However, since there are no priests of the Bloodthirsty Berserker God in your army, the benefits are halved."

As the system prompt ended, two halos—one red, one white—appeared around Li Bin and his troops. Their attack power and critical hit rate simultaneously increased by three points.

Meanwhile, Adina and his men were also enveloped in a pair of halos, though theirs were gray and black. Judging by their appearance, these were certainly not benevolent effects.

With such support, Li Bin's confidence soared. He shouted loudly, his target set on Adina, and commanded, "Now! All troops, advance!"

"Stop right there, you little necromancer. Don't think that just because you let me out, you can snatch my toys. Those worthless things at the flanks are yours; these toys belong to me." At that moment, a furious roar echoed from within the temple.

Li Bin made a swift decision, turning his finger to the left, redirecting his troops toward the oncoming Infernal War Boars on that side. He shouted, "Change of target! All troops, attack!"

Adina, however, did not abandon his assault on Li Bin's main force simply because of this shift. He knew he could not cope with a god-level adversary, so he pointed his steel hammer at Li Bin's formation and commanded, "Break through for me!"

The special Infernal War Boars under Adina's command responded with a roar, charging straight at Li Bin's side. First to make their mark were the six Red Boar Flail Soldiers at the rear; they spun their flails a few times and hurled them from afar, smashing six of Li Lin's undead ballistae.

Then, the squad of Red Boar Hammer Soldiers reached Li Bin's front lines. With a single clash, their hammers turned a batch of Li Bin's steel corpse soldiers, designed for defense, into charred remains.

At this point, Alastor could no longer remain idle in the temple. He shouted, "Little toys, don't run! If you keep running, I'll kill you!"

Would you not kill them if they didn't run? Li Bin smiled bitterly, ordering his troops to accelerate, hoping to avoid the brunt of Adina's attack.

Suddenly, a burst of golden light erupted from the temple. Li Bin could not discern what was inside; he only saw Adina and his special Infernal War Boars sucked into the golden radiance.

From within, Alastor's voice rang out: "Little necromancer, I've taken these fellows. The rest is up to you."

Li Bin gazed at his troops, recently scattered by Adina, cursing inwardly, but ultimately could only regroup his forces and vent all his fury on the incoming Infernal War Boars.

The Infernal War Boars were truly unfortunate; originally meant as cannon fodder to deplete Li Bin's strength, now, under the influence of the halos and Li Bin's wrath, they faced his full force.

With nothing holding him back, Li Bin ordered the undead ballistae to unleash their strongest attack. Countless poison bombs and bone spears rained down on the Infernal War Boars as if they cost nothing.

Before they could reach Li Bin's main formation, they were already engulfed in the barrage. After losing two-thirds of their numbers and emerging from the freshly risen toxic mist, three squads of Iron Arm Corpse Soldiers were waiting for them.

The Infernal War Boars had no chance to react. The Iron Arm Corpse Soldiers charged with raised iron arms, and, aided by the halos, easily defeated these enemies who were only slightly stronger than themselves.

Meanwhile, Lidas, who had just emerged from the temple, had already defeated the group of Infernal War Boars that had initially been on the right side of Li Bin's formation and was now leading her troops toward him.

Seeing Lidas' excitement, Li Bin couldn't help but laugh, "Lidas, you've truly accomplished a great feat today."

"All thanks to your excellent command, Master," Lidas replied with a smile.

"Oh, not at all." Having escaped mortal danger, Li Bin was in high spirits and exchanged a few jokes with Lidas.

"Where is the merit in you, little necromancer?" At that moment, a burst of golden light descended from the sky, and a short, stout man dressed in rough leather with a round, smiling face landed right before Li Bin.

Li Bin stared at the short man for a long moment, then cautiously asked, "Are you the Bloodthirsty Berserker God Alastor?"

"That's right! You're quite perceptive, little necromancer. I am Alastor, master of the barbarian path, overseeing berserk and bloodthirst abilities," the short man replied proudly.

"So you are the legendary Bloodthirsty Berserker God. It's truly an honor. I was just thinking that I should thank the great deity who helped me," Li Bin replied insincerely.

Yet Alastor failed to notice, and instead laughed heartily, "No need to thank me. Helping you was merely a whim. Honestly, your strength is sorely lacking. Those Infernal War Boars are merely entry-level units. Even with your rubbish troops, I could defeat them without losing a single one."

"That's because your power is unmatched. Unlike me, a newcomer to the game, who can only count himself lucky to escape from such foes," Li Bin replied casually.

"You've got it wrong," Alastor laughed. "Your mindset is trapped by old online games. Do you realize that, in this game, many factors can alter a soldier's strength?"

"Of course! Magic and divine blessings, superior equipment, and intensive training," Li Bin quickly listed what he knew.

"Good, but you missed a few. The commander's battle prowess, skill selection, troop counters, terrain and formation, and the combination of various treasures—all this can affect a unit's strength," Alastor explained.

"Please, great deity, enlighten me," Li Bin eagerly pressed, not willing to miss the chance to learn such secrets.

"It's simple. Take today, for example: the magic and divine blessings you mentioned were your use of Stone Skin at the start, boosting your troops' defense; superior equipment refers to the weapons your skeleton soldiers wield, especially the bows of your skeleton archers, which I noticed increase their attack power by about three points; intensive training applies to your iron-clad corpse soldiers and gargoyles. Am I right?" Alastor asked with pride.

"Your insight is remarkable, great deity," Li Bin replied, carefully flattering him.

"It's nothing. Your troops are merely stronger than the average, so I noticed. But to truly harness your army's potential, you have a long road ahead."