The scene before them was both awe-inspiring and horrifying.
The rustling sounds of the cave spiders, their crimson multi-faceted eyes, and the occasional clicking of their mandibles all reminded the Glorious Mages present that this was neither a dream nor an illusion.
Gulp!
No one knew who started it, but someone swallowed hard, setting off a chain reaction.
"It's a swarm of beasts—endless beasts!"
"Are these our reinforcements?"
"Spider-type extra-planar creatures?"
"Are we saved?"
"…"
After the initial shock came wild elation, an eager anticipation for the final battle.
"Let's go—bury those evildoers!"
"Destroy them, destroy all the wicked mages!"
"Revenge… revenge…"
Orion descended back onto the city wall and watched the Glorious Mages, who were looking furious and frenzied as they scrambled to climb onto the backs of the cave spiders.
"They've been bottled up for so long—it's even more desperate than I imagined."
Seeing the crazed expressions on the faces of Desolation City's Glorious Mages, Orion felt confident about them. Only a war fought with hatred would be unwavering and merciless.
"Indeed. If not for your arrival, I believe we'd have ended up just like our predecessors."
"Predecessors? The same as what?"
Orion grew curious about what those before them in the Radiant Continent had done.
"Yes. Once all hope is wiped away and the world is consumed, we choose to self-destruct. At least that way, we can drag a few of them down with us and dispel some of the evil."
Gandalf looked into the distance, then glanced back at the city behind him. His gaze was full of reluctance—and a certain indescribable light.
"Gandalf, please lead the way. Together, we'll purge this evil!"
Orion settled onto one of the Alpha-level cave spider guardians, sparing a look for Lorelia, who was busily peering around.
"Stay alert. Aside from our own forces, everyone we encounter is an enemy."
Lorelia wore a slightly embarrassed expression and vanished into its nest with a whoosh.
The cave spiders' Nest was carried by a massive guardian spider, hidden within the swarm for concealment.
Orion sighed, glanced at Gandalf who landed next to him, then nodded and set out on the warpath.
…
Titanion Realm, the city of Lysinthia.
Seawater flooded in, battered by wind and waves. Countless merfolk surged from the water, assailing Lysinthia. The city was in grave danger.
Fortunately, no ordinary land-dwelling citizens had settled here yet. The inhabitants were all amphibious races unafraid of the water.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Hiss, hiss, hiss!
Like unflinching guards, the arrow towers on the city walls sent bolts slicing through the air, felling wave after wave of invaders.
Standing atop the wall, Lysinthia pressed her left hand into a seal to channel her bloodline power into a serpent, while her right hand gripped a sword, cutting down the Merfolk who drew near.
One giant black python after another slithered out of her long hair, attacking the enemies that charged her position.
Compared to before, however, the strange black serpents emerging from Lysinthia's hair were dwindling in number.
Which meant that Lysinthia's bloodline power was nearly drained.
Just then, a high-pitched eagle screech rang through the sky.
Then came a sudden shadow overhead, followed by bolts of lightning crashing down among the Merfolk and into the raging sea, throwing them into chaos.
Another eagle cry rang out.
This time, the sound was very close.
Rayden seized hold of an Alpha-level Merfolk, darting and weaving to soar high into the sky.
"It's Thunderhawk Rayden!"
"Reinforcements have arrived?"
Lysinthia looked up at Thunderhawk Rayden, who was ripping through the Alpha-level Merfolk in midair, her eyes shining with excitement.
"Hang in there—our reinforcements have come!"
She hardly needed to rouse them. Everyone fighting already saw the thunderhawk suddenly joining the fray, and their flagging spirits immediately soared.
Half a day later, from the rear side of Lysinthia City came a rising clamor of beasts, startling the Merfolk still attacking the city.
Within moments, large numbers of lizardmen broke through the forest in groups, quickly entering the battle.
"The enemy has reinforcements—retreat!"
"Fall back, fall back!"
"…"
Shrill cries echoed from deep within Mist Bay. Hearing those cries, the Merfolk who had come ashore withdrew one after another, retreating into the sea.
For the moment, the battle had halted with the arrival of the lizardmen.
"At last, we made it in time!"
Rockwell strode out from among the lizardmen and waved in greeting at Lysinthia.
Lysinthia returned the gesture. The city gates opened, allowing Rockwell and his companions inside.
"Hope we're not too late?"
"No, you arrived just in time!"
"Is the fight over now?"
"It won't be. They're cunning. They'll pause to observe for a while, then resume their assault on the city."
"Fine by me. Sitting around in Thunderwood Forest had me feeling rusty. This gives me a chance to stretch my muscles."
Rockwell burst out laughing, then introduced the people who had come along with him to Lysinthia. Together, they set about rebuilding Lysinthia's defensive fortifications.
…
Godforsaken Land—these battles were fierce beyond measure.
Shortly after the cave spiders crawled out of Desolation City, they slammed into their first wave of enemies.
Of course, the conflict was provoked by the cave spiders themselves.
They had been ordered to kill every living thing they encountered, devouring the enemy entirely.
"Lord Orion, these wicked fleas are low-grade beasts tainted by corruption."
"Perhaps, compared to us, pollution for them feels more like rebirth."
Evidently, fleas had stronger adaptability and survival instincts than humans.
As they traveled, Gandalf explained every enemy they met to Orion, from beasts to wicked mages, giving Orion a deeper understanding of the Radiant Continent.
"What kind of power is corrupting these fleas?"
Orion was curious. From the wicked mages and corrupted beasts they had already come across, he saw neither Abyssal energy nor curse magic. Instead, it was something he had never encountered.
"Lord Orion, it's a form of spiritual contamination—sin that roots itself deep within one's soul."
"Those corrupted creatures forsake their faith and humanity. They no longer fear death."
"Some of them go so far as to see death as their homecoming."
Boom!
As Gandalf spoke, a series of powerful explosions echoed ahead.
Orion sensed at once that the wicked fleas had self-destructed at the last moment.
"They're unafraid of death—this is what you mean?"
Orion frowned, his tone turning grim.
"Exactly. Any creature that's been corrupted may choose to self-destruct."
"The stronger they are, the more devastating the explosion."
"Especially those wicked mages whose minds have been tainted—if they manage to self-destruct, the resulting power is terrifying."
Gandalf's expression revealed sorrow. Part of the reason the Radiant Continent had declined to this point was that many normal mages had been wiped out by these self-destructive blasts.
"Is there any way to stop these explosions?"
From that brief moment of perception, Orion saw clearly that a single tiny flea's self-destruction could take down a cave spider many times its size.