Chapter 63: Monsters of the Abyss (2)
[I know. I know all too well. Their language, habits, way of life, combat methods, everything.]
“There are many ways to break them, and we will find the most efficient method.”
The Legion grinned. In the past, when they fought against them, despite any notions of efficiency, they ultimately had to confront them head-on.
But not anymore. The Legion, having rapidly grown by devouring the monsters of this world, was free and powerful within this maze.
Moreover, their opponents were beings they had already faced several times.
The Legion had never lost a rematch. They specialized in exploiting and attacking the weaknesses of their foes.
They could either overwhelm them with sheer power or toy with them, instilling fear and slowly eroding their will.
“But, they aren’t units…!”
Kang Do-yeon managed to say, her face filled with despair.
“So what.”
However, it was impossible to persuade the already calculated Legion.
Ultimately, Kang Do-yeon, having given up on convincing them with mere words, lowered her head in resignation. And then, she voluntarily donned her mask.
‘The detected number of enemies is only a little over several thousand. From several locations, how can we attack to break their defenses in one swift move?’
Having finished the persuasion from the Submind that had raised an objection, the Legion attempted a joyous calculation and instantly arrived at an answer.
The optimal and strongest tactics considering the number of Legionnaires they had, the level of the enemies, and the situation and terrain.
The Legion split its forces.
The divided troops amounted to exactly thirteen units.
Among the deployed forces, there were over five thousand soldiers of medium size or larger, who exceeded human dimensions. Moreover, they had the confidence to pour out ten times that number in one go if necessary.
This all-out strategy prepared for a short-term decisive battle was like a massive wave sweeping away the small creatures below.
“Commander. You will break through the strongest rampart head-on. Instead, I will give you a gift.”
The Legion granted Kang Do-yeon a special soldier created with a newly acquired concept.
The Legion had no magical knowledge. However, creating bodily tissues using universal cells was easy.
[A new weapon concept based on golems has emerged.]
Boulders that made up the golem’s body became entangled with tendrils resembling creeping tree roots, and soon began to take shape.
Soon, a soldier appeared who controlled rocks formed by tendrils extending from a power unit located at the center of its chest.
“That’s inefficient.”
However, as expected, that efficiency wasn’t very good.
The mere act of creating such soldiers was to instill despair in their prey.
For the Legion, the city of Moonlight Fairy Survivors was just one of the steps to warm up before advancing further up.
*
“Vibration…!”
“Everyone, weapons ready!”
The conference room fell into chaos. The actual vibrations were getting closer with each passing moment.
The white, who burst out of the barracks, gripped his sword and stared at the front of the base.
“Those… bastards!”
He could see the enemies in his sight. A black, dark, and chilling wave of the Legion was marching directly toward them.
“This can’t be!”
“Those are the magic weapons of the humans! Those bastards!”
“I never thought I’d trust human scum!”
The Moonlight Fairies were greatly shocked upon seeing the revealed enemies.
The giants charging from the front were well known to them.
‘No, it can’t be.’
Yet, while the white saw his subordinates trembling with betrayal, different thoughts crossed his mind.
‘The weapons of the humans… like that…’
His eyes shook, and he tightened his grip on the sword, causing his hands to cramp.
‘There’s no way they could be so chilling.’
He was the most experienced and seasoned warrior.
So, he trusted his instincts.
Those monsters rushing toward them might be beings that even the Devouring Fungus and the humans on the ground could not compare to.
“Get the heavy crossbows ready! Their weakness is the shining core in their chest! If we shatter the sacred stone, we can stop them!”
He swiftly issued his orders, already knowing the ways to break the golems.
The warriors followed his commands without hesitation.
Their expressions were resolute. It was the momentum that only those who bet everything and prepared for death could possess.
They were like the survivors the Legion had encountered in the past. For them, this place had to be protected at all costs for the future of their race.
“With the Sacred Tree and our ancestors beside us! Fire!”
Under the command of the white, the giant ballista installed for defense was fired.
It was not just a simple ballista. At its tip was a powerful strike infused with faint magical energy.
“Did it explode?”
Boom! Then, with a sound akin to an explosion, the giant arrows pierced the bodies of the enemies.
With the thunderous noise, everyone expected they had taken down the foes.
“Good! Let’s rush…”
“Behind! Look behind! The city…!”
However, just as they cheered upon breaking and toppling the marching golems, the white turned around with a sinking feeling in his heart at the screams and the sound of something collapsing from behind.
That enormous sound was not from the golems being destroyed.
“No way!!”
He shouted with a voice close to a scream.
What he saw was the monsters crawling out of the sinkhole that had crashed and the creatures spewing forth from the shattered walls and ceiling.
“Lord White! They’re charging at us!”
“Split the troops!”
There was no choice. They had to hold them all off ultimately.
“I will go!”
“Orote, the strongest warrior!”
One of them confidently stepped forward.
Nodding, the white sent warriors along with him.
“Go and be sure to hold them back.”
He sent him off to stop the enemies that had penetrated through the tunnels.
His teeth gritted. As he turned back, his eyes were filled with rage.
“We will definitely hold this place.”
Keeping his gaze forward, he intended never to look back.
To the enemies marching toward this place, the golems were merely shields.
Among the many beasts and monsters, there was someone with a somewhat smaller frame.
“Everyone, have confidence. We are warriors blessed by the Sacred Tree. We can cleave those wretched creatures that cannot wield holy power in one stroke with our swords!”
He rallied his fellow warriors.
Yet, there was hope. They had already nurtured the Sacred Tree to be more than just a sapling.
The markings they engraved on their bodies since childhood resonated with the mystical power of the Sacred Tree and amplified it.
A warrior of the Moonlight Fairy blessed by the Sacred Tree was strong.
If the number of the Devouring Fungus that dominated the world had been slightly fewer, if they had formed an alliance before being overwhelmed, perhaps the future would have changed significantly.
“That…”
But it wasn’t only they who could use special powers.
The eyes of the white trembled.
Stepping forward, raising a sword, was a slender, feminine figure.
The sword she raised ignited with the ores attached to her arms and thighs and was aimed at them.
‘Maximum output explosion.’
The only technique that the current Legion possessed which utilized Formancy.
It was to unleash maximum output energy in the form of a deadly strike or beam with a split second of delay.
Since they directly utilized the power unit, there was no need for intricate calculations or incantations.
This technique was simply the strongest and fastest.
“Uwaaaah!”
“Block it!”
A blazing flash soared through the darkness of the corridor.
The massive glare that burst from Kang Do-yeon’s sword burned everything in its path and crashed against the hastily raised shields of the panicking Moonlight Fairies.
‘Defense neutralization.’
Immediately, the explosion that occurred vaporized most of the Moonlight Fairy defenders without a trace.
And their shock was no consideration at all.
The Legionnaires started charging straight into the formation of the crumbling enemies.
They hadn’t even properly established a position at the defense, so if they simply overpowered them, the result was clear.
“Hold! For sure!”
However, they were desperate. They were that determined.
They bared their teeth and blocked the Legionnaires with their bodies.
Certainly, the power they possessed was strong compared to an ordinary group of survivors.
The continuously evolving shells of the Legion squeezed out even the impossible power and were pierced by swords and spears.
But that was all. What they could claim was only the determination they held.
The screams of the victims being torn apart by teeth and claws echoed from all directions.
“What are you…?!”
Amid the brutal fight occurring in the vicinity, the white blocked Kang Do-yeon’s path.
She swung her sword without the slightest hesitation.
“Ugh!”
The white, caught by her strike, stumbled in shock from its heavy force.
Her physical prowess, utilizing all five power units, was already transcendent, and there was no inefficiency in its use.
“A mere monster, reaching such a level…”
The white mumbled in disbelief as he watched her emanate a crimson aura.
The power she radiated was one of the states he so yearned for and trained to achieve.
For him, who had no knowledge of how her body was structured, it was an unbelievable sight.
