Chapter 53: Legion vs. Legion (7)
The Devouring Fungus.
A catastrophe that annihilated an entire world hundreds of years ago, and even infiltrated this underground realm, leading to the extinction of all creatures.
And the mutated Devouring Fungi that became trapped underground evolved from them.
They were powerful.
Their strong infection ability could consume any creature, and the mimicking and replication of that infection could only be done by the mutated ones formed from multiple small colonies.
“Krurk.”
Among these mutants, there was one particularly unique being.
The first mutated Devouring Fungus. It had dominated its kind with immense strength until now.
However, there was no doubt that the crisis they faced now was more lethal than ever before.
“Guurr…”
One massive mutant let out a monstrous roar and slammed its body against the blocked entrance.
But the obstruction did not budge.
They were bewildered. They had never encountered such a situation in the countless battles they had undergone so far.
Not even once had they considered the idea of collapsing or altering the terrain.
While the Moonlight Fairies had resisted and fought in such a manner, that had been a product of the unknown power known as Formancy.
They had never expected a creature capable of physically resisting them in an infection battle to possess such abilities.
The mutated Devouring Fungus, undelivered by any connections or assistance from others, had no way to break this situation.
“…”
The leader of the colony sensed it.
They were not fools. If they couldn’t go down, there was no answer.
Knowing what lay above, they did not choose to ascend.
The atmosphere shifted awkwardly.
The mutated Devouring Fungi under their command began to glance at each other cautiously.
If they devoured all their kind present here, perhaps they could survive for several more centuries, after a period of extreme dormancy.
The leader exposed its teeth and growled.
The alliance that had been maintained among the colonies was on the verge of breaking.
“Krhh…”
But just then, a hissing sound came from the nearby wall as something fell.
‘The Legionnaires have completed their work. Now, if you break through the most vulnerable spot, you can totally collapse the trunk level of the 45th tier, where their main force resides.’
“Got it.”
Arriving at the assigned point, Kang Do-yeon received the next instructions.
The Legion had employed their tunneling capability to manipulate the upper tier.
That is, they had left the foundation of the 45th tier, where the mutated Devouring Fungi gathered, in a weakened state.
They had already confirmed, using their detection abilities, that a large number of them were present on that tier.
If she could completely bring it down, she could incapacitate them all at once.
Once broken apart, no matter how resilient they were, they wouldn’t have the physical strength to resist.
“Ha.”
Exhaling, she drew her sword.
The newly powered mechanisms of her body began to operate.
The energy she unleashed concentrated in her sword.
The crimson energy blazing from the sword began to surge.
The most powerful way the Legion demonstrated its firepower was, in fact, to concentrate all the energy at a single point and then cause it to explode.
She aimed her sword at the designated point.
Almost simultaneously, the energy concentrated in the sword burst forth in the form of a beam.
“Uwaaah!”
‘Dodge!’
As soon as it hit, the beam triggered an enormous explosion, sending shockwaves throughout the area.
Certainly, compared to this vast chasm, her power was not that strong.
But it didn’t end simply with a shockwave.
Based on the Legion’s precise calculations and the directions arranged by the Legionnaires, all that shock began to initiate a chain reaction.
The pillars that had been serving as supports were subsequently crushed or burst.
With cracks echoing across the ceiling, dirt and debris poured down and shattered walls scattered fragments.
[This is probably the first time since the Moonlight Fairies that something has altered the terrain of this labyrinth.]
“Kurgh…”
In a situation where vibrations made it hard to even jump, Kang Do-yeon maximized her senses, somehow managing to run without stumbling or falling, using all her strength to leap.
She thought she could faintly hear a scream.
It was the multitude of grotesque sounds coming from the collapsing ceiling.
‘The plan was a success.’
She could see without looking.
Amidst the debris crashing down with a tremendous noise, how many mutated Devouring Fungi were intertwined.
“Ugh…”
“Get up.”
“Y-you came in person?”
It was a funny remark; after all, all the Legionnaires would soon be part of the Legion.
But she couldn’t help but think that way.
As she helped someone up, she was startled by the glimmer in the eyes visible behind the mask.
“These beings, whom we can first call our adversaries, could also offer us a great gift.”
The Legion moved past Kang Do-yeon towards the ruins.
Within the ruins where two trunk levels had merged into one, there were still surviving mutated Devouring Fungi.
“Uuuaaaah!”
One of them, crawling out from the rubble, was the leader of the small colony of mutated Devouring Fungi.
This one, possessing an unusually massive body, bore a striking resemblance to humans.
More specifically, it looked like a female. Of course, the physical form having undergone the catastrophic reinterpretation of Devouring Fungi was not a normal human appearance.
“Did you think the strongest form was you when looking at us? Foolishly, a human form is far too weak without Formancy.”
The Legion mocked it.
It might as well be said to be akin to them.
That achievement was indeed remarkable compared to the Legion that was now crawling up the labyrinth.
However, the Legion had leaped forward, while it had stagnated for hundreds of years and ultimately fell.
Being akin to them, they understood well. Unless it continued to grow and develop, it would eventually become a loser, worthless, and a discarded species.
“Y-you’re coming out yourself?!”
Kang Do-yeon was shocked to realize the Legion’s will.
Of course, it was strange to say they were coming out themselves.
Until now, it had been the Legion itself that was controlling each and every Legionnaire.
“Yes.”
But this time, the Legion moved its physical form directly.
The reason for it eluded them.
They just acted according to what their emotions led them to do.
“Then, I shall take everything of yours.”
As the waiting Legionnaires prepared to charge, the Legion moved its power as well.
“Krurk?!”
When the remaining Devouring Fungi in the vicinity fought their last battle to cut off the breath of the leader colony, something rushed in at high speed, embedding itself deep in the leader’s body before it could react.
The staggered creature tried to pull it out, but this time something from the opposite side flew in and lodged itself in its leg.
Then its back, neck, arm, and waist, and so forth.
In the moment of surprise, all those objects embedded were black, sharp spikes.
At the tips, glinting red gems sparkled as they embedded themselves.
“What is that…”
[Through its own research, the Legion had developed a fighting method utilizing its physical form.]
Kang Do-yeon widened her eyes in surprise.
The black spikes all erupted simultaneously.
In a place filled with the desperate screams of the Devouring Fungus, dozens of spikes began to move at once.
[Utilizing the transcendental computational power that controls the Legionnaires, dozens of attacks are simultaneously executed in a fleeting moment. Now in the form of spines, but the potential for evolution is immense.]
The Legion’s physical form simply stood there.
Spikes emitting crimson energy shot towards the leader once more, creating deep holes in its body.
‘Why did I harbor such emotions?’
The Legion, moving its physical form, ducked to avoid the swung claw hand.
At the same moment, another spike flew in once more, piercing through the enemy’s chest.
A fierce hand came rushing in, but didn’t even graze it.
The outcome had already been decided.
As the Devouring Fungus struggled, the injuries to its body only increased.
‘A new emotion.’
The Legion, bracing itself against the ground, momentarily seized the enemy’s neck with its hand and threw them down, burying them deep into the earth.
Transforming its feet and arms, it firmly pinned the enemy’s body down.
The eyes of the two monsters locked onto one another.
At the points where they made contact, a fierce infection war unfolded.
Yet this time, the result was different.
The infection power possessed by the Legion began to overwhelm the injured and tired Devouring Fungus.
Starting from the seized neck, the black veins spread through its blood vessels.
Choosing this method despite its inefficiencies was an expression of the Legion’s desire to finish the Devouring Fungus using the very infection and erosion they prided themselves on.
“Uuuaah…”
“Disappear. You discarded, useless trash.”
Watching the enemy gradually being covered by black veins, the corners of their mouth curled involuntarily.
The emotion the Legion felt at that moment was a profound joy.
To fight, consume, and evolve was the Legion’s inherent nature. Thus, there was no reason to feel joy.
‘How delightful.’
The entire Legion quivered.
Considering that all the emotions they had developed over time stemmed solely from this experience was an extraordinary event.
[…Today’s events will be recorded in history. Have you found a new reason to live?]
The war was over. The Legion had emerged victorious.
With the commanding entity extinguished, the remaining mutated Devouring Fungi were no longer a collective.
“I must consume everything and rise, rise higher.”
The Legion’s eyes sparkled as it stared up.
The collapsed 45th tier. And above it, the entrance to the 46th tier.
It was clear that something more awaited.
Otherwise, these mutants couldn’t possibly be so lackluster.
The Legion began to contemplate continuing its war against these mutated Devouring Fungi.
Because in the end, they would be victorious and grow stronger.
*
[The Legion has triumphed. Now, the full power of the once largest threat, the Devouring Fungus, is ours.]
“I need to… examine it closely…”
[There’s no need to rush for now as we have some time.]
Fortunately, the Legion had won.
I believed. Therefore, what was important now was me.
“Mr. Robert.”
“I came to pay my respects. Thanks to you, many of our people have survived.”
“Are we… continuing the mission?”
“Of course.”
Robert entered with a grim expression.
There was nothing significant to say in the heavy atmosphere.
When the Demonic Earth Puppies had attacked us,
that time was so urgent that, honestly, my memories of it were hazy.
