Hidden behind the trees, I held my breath and kept every muscle still. The steam reactor of my Steampunk armor vibrated softly against my chest, warming the cold metal that encased my body. My eyes locked onto the clearing ahead, where the mercenaries stood frozen, unable to witness what was truly happening in the bushes before them. But I could see.
The dry grass shifted incessantly, pushed by the frantic bodies of the small aberrations. The mercenaries, though blind to the scene, could hear the nauseating sounds of flesh being torn, bones snapping, and hungry throats swallowing. It was enough to drain the color from their faces and shatter their morale.
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A buzzing sound sliced through the airā¦
A black sphere, the size of a human head, emerged from the center of the mercenaries, leaving behind a trail of thick, dark smoke. My eyes followed it as it flewālike a messenger from hell itselfāand crashed right in the middle of the infested bushes. The impact was followed by a deafening explosion, and a dark energy spread like an unforgiving tide.
"BOOM~~"
The ground trembled beneath me. Dark flames consumed everything within a ten-meter radius, wiping out more than twenty Demon Babies in the blink of an eye. Those closest to the epicenter were reduced to ashes instantly, while the remaining ones writhed on the ground, letting out piercing screams that tore through the sky.
I swallowed hard.
"A fire spell?!" I murmured in disbelief.
My eyes moved quickly, scanning the pale faces of the mercenaries until I found them: a group dressed in black robes, standing in the middle of the formation. Acolytes. What the hell were Shadow Acolytes doing here?
My mind raced, considering the possibilities. Could the Tower of Sun Mountain be under attack? No, impossible. If a true mage had come, those mercenaries would have already been reduced to dust. Then why were these acolytes here? What was their true objective?
Their black cloaks and hoods covered their bodies entirely, leaving not an inch of skin exposed. Judging by their body sizes, I guessed they were two men and a girl.
Three Apprentice Acolytes who had left their homes to gain experience?
Since I couldnāt see them directly, there was no way for my laboratory to obtain their specific attributes. Therefore, I dared not act recklessly. Silently, I took out my Magic Talisman and reported what was happening here to the Tower of Sun Mountain.
During this time, the Demon Babies, having suffered great losses, called upon all the wandering souls to aid them.
Since these wandering souls could exist among other demons, they were certainly not low-ranking creatures like zombies or skeletons. Instead, they were conscious entities formed from strong resentment and malicious intent. Although they had human-like forms, they lacked physical bodies, and their innate ability to freely shift between ethereal and physical states allowed them to ignore most physical attacks and defenses.
Their bodies looked like blurred shadows. Comparatively, their heads were much clearer, with facial features similar to those of a human. They had a pair of arms with sharp claws, but where their legs should have been, there was only a vague shadow. From a distance, it looked as if their legs had merged into the air.
As this group of wandering souls emerged from the forest, the entire place was immediately filled with the eerie wails of ghosts, enough to make oneās soul tremble. The temperature also dropped significantly.
When attacked by this seemingly endless horde of terrifying wandering souls, the mercenariesā defensive formation collapsed instantly.
The wandering souls, having shifted their bodies into ethereal forms, leaped into the group of men without fear, as they could completely ignore the mercenariesā weapons and shields. With their chilling, ghostly claws, these spirits were busy leaving deadly scratch marks on their targetsā bodies. Some even squeezed into the mercenariesā bodies, seizing control and forcing them to attack their own comrades.
Now that a breach had been created by the wandering souls, the vile Demon Babies once again joined the battle, using their horrific curses to break the mercenariesā wills. After that, they dragged the cursed bodies into the bushes and began feasting on them.
The scene became even more chaotic and gruesome.
When they looked out and saw the massive swarm of demons and wandering souls overwhelming the mercenaries around them, the three Apprentice Acolytes were finally forced to remove their cloaks and join the battle, revealing their faces to the world.
The leader of the three was a muscular young man. His messy black hair fell to his shoulders. Just below his hair, a mysterious horn protruded from his forehead. It was clearly no ordinary horn. He wore finely crafted, strange armor and carried a massive sword on his back. Judging by its size, it was far too heavy for a mere common warrior to wield.
The other man was dressed like a noble. His clothes were also black, but delicate and luxurious, fitting his body impressively. However, what was even more striking was his head. He had pitch-black skin, a long, narrow mouth, and a thin tongue that flicked in and outā¦ He had, unexpectedly, the head of a snake.
Meanwhile, standing between these two men was a Lolita-sized skeleton. Instead of eyes, two blue flames flickered in her sockets. She was petite and held a wand with a glowing tip. Curiously, not only did she show no fear toward the gruesome scene before her, but she was actually looking around with a smile on her face, making her seem like nothing more than a curious little skeletal Lolita.
My eyes suddenly widened. Through the enhanced vision of my virtual laboratory, I saw dazzling elemental particles and spiritual ripples surging like tidal waves, emanating from all three acolytes.
According to the Chipās assessment, these three were Level 3 Acolytes, with the exception of the girl, who was a Level 2 Acolyteābut at the peak of Level 2. They were elites among the acolytes. No matter who they were, they were not someone I, a mere Beginner Level 2 Apprentice, could even think of dealing with.
Well... at least not all at once. If I were fighting them separately, there would be a greater chance for evasive maneuvers.
Why had such powerful individuals come here? This place was private property of the Tower of Sun Mountain and a resource site of the mage family that controlled the tower. Aside from the towerās own acolytes, who occasionally came to gather ingredients, this place was not open to outsiders.
All of this made me genuinely curious about these outsidersā motives.
But after witnessing their immense abilities, my curiosity vanished instantly, leaving me fully on guard.
Human mercenaries, with their life energy, were capable of dealing with demonic beasts, but once confronted with Demon Babies, Wandering Souls, and other similar creatures, they were nothing more than sheep led to the slaughter. Once their simple defensive shield was broken, the swarm of demons began massacring them.
Demon Babies were running and leaping all over the place, shouting terrifying curses to weaken their preyās combat abilities. Using the bushes as cover, these monsters launched sneak attacks, bringing the mercenaries down.
Thus, the battlefield became a scene filled with mercenaries on the brink of death. Additionally, those dreadful Wandering Souls circled in the air, seeking opportunities to snatch a mercenary into the skies. Once that happened, the other demons would swarm in and tear the defenseless prey to pieces.
Right in the middle of this chaotic scene, a Wandering Soul with a twisted, hideous face dived from the air, targeting the three bizarre-looking Apprentice Acolytes.
Before the young man and the little girl could react, the snake-headed one struck.
"Xlashhh~~"
With overwhelming force, a pale green, arrow-shaped venom shot from his mouth, instantly piercing the Wandering Soulās body and exploding on impact. The intense corrosive poison melted the āCore of Resentmentā hidden within, reducing the spirit to a pile of ashes with a horrific, agonizing scream.
I noticed that the venomous āarrowā was not created by ordinary spellsāit had been launched directly from that Apprenticeās mouth.
And that attack was just the beginning. The Apprentice didnāt stop there. He opened his mouth wide and continued spewing venomous āarrowsā like a machine gun.
"Xlashhh~~"
"Xlashhh~~"
"Xlashhh~~"
"Xlashhh~~"
"Xlashhh~~"
With each strike, he precisely eliminated one of the horrific Wandering Souls, which were considered to possess power at the peak of Level 1 Acolytes.
The Lolita-sized skeleton holding a magic wand now joined the fight!
A Demon Baby, dashing rapidly across the ground, set its sights on these three individuals, marking them as targets and rushing toward them. At the same time, it let out irritating shrieks from its twisted mouth, filled with sharp, yellowed teeth, casting its Curses upon them.
Without a doubt, its actions provoked the little girl.
Yet, rather than displaying any sign of anger, her bony white face actually blossomed with a sweet smile. She raised the wand in her right handāwhich looked more like a toyāpointed it at the Demon Baby, and waved it a few times. Though no sound was heard, lights and shadows flickered, and the Demon Baby, which had been charging toward them, suddenly exploded into a spray of blood.
"Slpahhss~~"
...
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