Chapter 386: The Swamp Ambush
Chapter 386: The Swamp Ambush
"Awoo!"
The Drakewolf advanced at the front while everyone else followed cautiously behind.
After only a dozen or so steps, Ashina pointed into the distance in surprise.
"My lord, look! There are other survivors over there."
"Huh? Could Dawnfall Territory also have people exploring the area?"
Alice rose onto her tiptoes for a better look.
At the edge of everyone’s vision, two small skiffs carrying six sailors were heading toward the survey team’s position.
They were remarkably bold, showing no concern about possible ambushes as they sped forward.
"They really are. What are they trying to do? Kill them or rescue them?"
Phield frowned.
The strangers’ clothing didn’t resemble anything worn in the Sacred Griffin Empire.
Unfortunately, Rosalia had already absorbed the Divine Artifact telescope, leaving Phield no choice but to check the minimap to determine how many people they were facing.
The next instant, a vast cluster of red skull markers suddenly appeared across the minimap as though they had teleported into existence.
Phield’s pupils contracted sharply.
"Enemy attack! Everyone, be on guard!"
Almost the moment his warning left his mouth, thunderous splashing echoed from the distance and rapidly drew closer.
Splash! Splash! Splash!
Gigantic grayish-purple armored creatures burst upward from beneath the mud, making strange bubbling noises like crabs.
The two skiffs bore the brunt of the attack.
At the same time, Phield’s group came under assault as countless enormous purple creatures erupted from the swamp around them.
"Lobsters... no, giant Corrupted Crayfish! Why are they so huge?"
"Damn it! Why does every region have completely different corrupted creatures?"
Covered in thick shells, armed with enormous door-sized pincers, and possessing long segmented bodies, they looked exactly like crayfish, except each one was larger than a person and unbelievably hideous.
"Good heavens! Water monsters!"
"Retreat! Row back to the main ship!"
The sailors shouted warnings to one another in a language no one else could understand.
But when they looked around, they saw only more Corrupted Crayfish surrounding them from every direction.
Ptoo!
One of the monsters spat a mouthful of greenish-yellow acid, drenching a sailor from head to toe.
The next instant, the man’s face began boiling as though scalded with burning oil.
Screaming in agony, he tumbled into the water.
After struggling for only a few moments, he stopped moving.
"My lord, watch out! The Corrupted Crayfish are charging us!"
Four or five dozen giant crayfish surged out of the water and rushed straight toward Phield.
Ptoo! Ptoo! Ptoo!
Streams of disgusting acid rained down like a torrential shower.
The Drakewolf let out a savage roar.
Dragon flames boiled from its jaws, instantly vaporizing the incoming acid while incinerating an entire group of giant crayfish.
"Ashina, don’t worry about us. See if you can capture a couple of those sailors alive. Firomina, activate Sunlight Patterns!"
Phield issued his orders at lightning speed.
"Everyone else, eliminate these monsters!"
With that, he charged straight into battle.
His Divine Artifact rapier thrust forward.
Holding the Windspeaker’s Command Sword, Phield could clearly feel the wind swirling around him.
The flowing currents of energy made every movement effortless.
He swiftly dodged a giant crayfish’s massive pincers before driving the rapier into its head from a vicious angle.
He even twisted the blade mercilessly inside.
The giant crayfish shrieked as both pincers smashed toward him like giant fists.
"Protect my lord!"
The two soldiers serving as guides immediately raised their halberds and thrust forward.
The halberds struck the pincers, sending showers of sparks flying as they barely managed to hold them back.
Even with the strength of two healthy soldiers, they were dragged off balance by the monster’s overwhelming power.
"What incredible strength. Corrupted creatures are unbelievably difficult to kill."
Seizing the opportunity, Phield unleashed a series of rapid thrusts into the creature’s vulnerable abdomen and mouth, shredding its insides until it finally collapsed dead.
Before he even had time to glance at its corpse, another giant crayfish lunged from the flank.
"Die, monster!"
One of the soldiers bravely rushed forward.
He braced his halberd against the giant pincer and threw his weight into it, attempting to overturn the creature.
But raw strength was exactly what corrupted creatures possessed in abundance.
With a single screech, the monster knocked the halberd flying before immediately swinging its enormous pincer downward.
Anyone struck by that blow would be crippled even if they somehow survived.
"Combat Art, Myriad Waves!"
Phield had no intention of watching one of his soldiers die.
Magic surged violently throughout his body.
The overwhelming blast of mana detonated through the surrounding air with a deafening shockwave before slamming directly into the giant crayfish’s head.
Boom!
The upper half of the monster exploded into minced flesh, spraying disgusting fluids in every direction.
"Thank you, my lord!"
The soldier collapsed into the water, his face pale as death, still trembling from the close call.
"Don’t lose focus. There are plenty more enemies."
Splash! Splash! Splash!
Even more Corrupted Crayfish poured out of the swamp.
At least one or two hundred of them surged forward, their segmented bodies writhing as they charged.
Their combined screeching created an unbearable wall of noise.
Phield spat into the water and prepared to charge another group.
"Where did all these filthy insects come from? Die! Die! Die!"
With an icy expression, Firomina manipulated the Seed of World Destruction while calmly speaking the most deranged words imaginable.
Countless golden cross-shaped stars rained from the sky like a meteor shower.
At the same time, Alice released swarms of flaming butterflies into the battlefield.
In the blink of an eye, the entire area transformed into a war zone.
Continuous explosions erupted everywhere.
Columns of water blasted skyward while flames spread across the water’s surface.
Violent energy swept through the battlefield as shattered shells and severed limbs flew in every direction.
No matter how many Corrupted Crayfish appeared, they were annihilated.
As long as no powerful charging monsters emerged, the two women could continue slaughtering until every last drop of divine power was exhausted.
"Holy... so this is what happens when you actually bring mages..."
The monster markers on the minimap vanished in huge clusters.
Within moments, all that remained around them were piles of charred corpses.
Phield could only stare in amazement.
"If Firomina weren’t suffering from her negative condition and reached Tier Nine, she’d probably be capable of ending the world all over again."
"Alice’s abilities are incredible too. I should’ve been more forceful from the start."
"What democracy and freedom? They’re completely useless."
"In this world, I should’ve acted a little more like a tyrant."
Thinking about how he’d been too gentle and had allowed such powerful mages to sit idle at home gathering dust, Phield grew increasingly irritated.
He almost wanted to turn both of them into little rabbits on the spot just so he could bully them.
The explosions finally woke the survey team on the island in the middle of the lake.
They pushed aside the movable wooden barricades serving as cover and cautiously peeked outside.
The moment they saw Phield, tears immediately welled up in their eyes.
"My lord came to save us!"
One of the slaves responsible for transporting supplies dropped to his knees.
"Thank the Goddess. We’re finally saved."
"My lord..."
Newte staggered to his feet.
After fighting the giant crayfish day after day, he had nearly exhausted every ounce of strength he possessed.
"We’re so useless. We ended up making you worry about us again."
"Enough of that."
Someone immediately interrupted.
"Everyone, pack up your things. Prepare to welcome our lord."