The Mud Demons were grotesque and immortal creatures, molded by the darkness and decay of the swamp. Their bodies, formed from a mixture of necrotized flesh and living mud, had no traditional vital points. Their hearts were nothing more than shriveled, functionless organs, their throats could be torn apart without them even choking, and their stomachs merely accumulated rotting remains with no need for digestion. However, their brains were the anchor of their broken souls.
The brain was the last connection these aberrations had to their corrupted existence. If destroyed, it not only ended their lives but also disintegrated their souls, erasing them from the very essence of the world. For this reason, they protected their deformed heads with primal instinct, hiding whenever possible in the dark, murky waters of the swamp.
Luxiria, the leader of the Mud Demons, was the most powerful among them. Her skin, as hard as stone, had a rough, blackened texture, covered in fissures that exuded a viscous, poisonous substance. Her claws, long and twisted, looked like they were made of charred bone, each nail carrying a venom that could paralyze any living being with the slightest scratch. Her teeth, sharp and irregular, were strong enough to pierce steel, and her mouth exuded a putrid breath capable of making even the most resilient demons recoil.
Despite her monstrous and horrific appearance, Luxiria possessed a cruel cunning. Her army of subordinates obeyed her orders blindly, and her mount—a venomous land shark—made her an unstoppable force in close combat. Her charges were brutal, capable of tearing apart even the most prepared acolytes. However, like most swamp demons, her weakness lay in her lack of long-range attacks.
Luxiria’s petrifying ray had limited range and was ineffective against basic defensive spells. This put her at a disadvantage against Lity, who floated above her, unreachable and ready to strike. Although Luxiria was physically superior to the acolyte, Lity’s ability to fly and her spatial attacks nullified any attempt at close combat.
Sensing the danger, Luxiria struck her feet forcefully against her land shark. The beast quickly sank into the thick mud, leaving only the demon’s head exposed. Her eyes burned with hatred, but she refused to retreat.
Lity, consumed by fury, unleashed a series of relentless attacks. However, Luxiria could predict her movements, dodging every time the young woman aimed at a specific point. Her body, submerged in the mud, made her a difficult target, and Lity’s spatial attacks, though lethal, were limited to single targets.
Frustrated, Lity let her rage explode. Without hesitation, she ripped out eight rotten brains from the weaker Mud Demons nearby, shattering their souls without mercy. Panic spread through the remaining creatures, who immediately threw themselves into the muddy water to escape. Within seconds, the vast swampy area was deserted, leaving only Luxiria and Lity behind.
The chocolate-colored Milf finally stopped to reflect.
Her Spatial Spells were devastating, but they were far from versatile. Her greatest trump card, the Spatial Rift, was a destructive technique, but one with specific use. Now, she realized her limitation: she had no large-area attack.
If only she had studied a simple spell like Black Fireball, she could have turned that foul swamp into a boiling cauldron, cooking all those filthy demons in mere seconds. But her pride and confidence in Spatial Spells had prevented her from learning such "simple" elemental energy magic.
Lity clenched her teeth as she hovered over the swamp’s murky surface, observing Luxiria and her army of aberrations hidden beneath the fetid water. The impotence burned inside her like a raging flame.
She was used to dominating her enemies with her spatial magic, but now she faced an opponent who simply refused to fight on equal terms. Luxiria, cowardly and cunning, had entrenched herself deep in the mud with her subordinates, escaping her precise attacks.
If only her subordinates were here… With their brute strength and resilience, they could have simply stormed the Mud Demons’ nest like an unstoppable hurricane. But Lity was not a close-combat warrior. Her talent lay in long-range spells, and a battle surrounded by these putrid aberrations could turn into a fatal trap.
Even so, she had no choice.
She was going to capture or kill that wretched acolyte. That bastard had raped her sister, was an obscene and disrespectful scum, and now, on top of everything, he could see through her spells?! That was a serious problem, far beyond a simple personal grudge. If there was some skill or spell that allowed one to see her spatial energy, it needed to be eliminated from the world before the knowledge spread.
Lity hesitated for a moment. Then, she took a deep breath. Without a second thought, she threw herself into the murky water.
"BOOM!"
The impact of her plunge sent a wave of fetid mud and debris soaring, and the swamp’s silence was replaced by a cacophony of supernatural noises.
"KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!"
Luxiria let out an ultra-high-frequency scream, a monstrous call that echoed throughout the swampy region. The piercing sound cut through the water, summoning her servants to battle.
The lagoon began to boil.
Whirlpools of black sludge rose as dozens of enormous, twisted creatures swam fiercely toward Lity. The venomous land sharks launched themselves at her like monstrous torpedoes. Their thick, bony scales reflected the few remnants of light that penetrated the water, while their curved teeth prepared to tear her apart.
From five meters away, their yellowed eyes gleamed with malice before firing Corrosion Rays—acidic energy blasts capable of dissolving flesh and bone in seconds.
And then, the Mud Demons attacked.
There were dozens, maybe hundreds. Their deformed, repulsive bodies moved in the aquatic darkness like living shadows, their opaque eyes glowing with insatiable malice. Poisonous claws slashed through the water, sticky tentacles stretched to capture her, rotting mouths opened, ready to devour her whole.
But Lity did not hesitate.
Her remaining eye gleamed with hatred, reflecting the massacre about to begin.
The spatial protection barrier surrounding her was indestructible, an absolute cocoon against any physical or magical attack. No claw, no venom, no beam could penetrate it. But Lity wasn’t going to stay on the defensive.
She raised her hand and activated her unique spell.
In the complete darkness of the murky water, her power was absolute.
Every enemy that approached was torn apart without warning, shredded without a sound. Black blood and chunks of dead flesh floated around her as she eradicated the creatures en masse, one after another.
.
.
.
My body was as rigid as stone, completely paralyzed, but my mind remained active. I could feel everything—the cold dampness of the mud seeping through my armor, the grotesque weight of the creatures’ slippery hands dragging me, and the smell… God, the smell was worse than death.
Every time these damned Mud Demons pulled my petrified body, the sludge spread around me, infiltrating the tiny spaces between my hardened skin and the thick crust of filth now covering me. My eyes were sealed shut, my mouth and nostrils clogged, but my mind picked up everything through the vibrations and muffled sounds around me.
I was being taken somewhere deep beneath this hellish lake, like a filthy offering being carried to the lair of an abomination.
"Roarrr~~~~"
In the distance, I would recognize that furious roar anywhere. Even through the underground tunnel, I could feel the intense vibrations traveling through the mud like seismic waves. Luxiria was calling her subordinates.
The two creatures behind me paused for a moment, uneasy. I couldn’t see them, but I knew they were hesitating. Their leader’s call echoed through the tunnel, and it was impossible to ignore.
"Go, go, you damned wretches, leave me here and go die in the middle of the swamp!"
As if they had heard my silent prayer, they let out shrill screeches and dove back into the sludge, abandoning their mission. Two remained. Damn disciplined ones.
They didn’t stop. They kept dragging me through the foul tunnel, crawling through that narrow, sticky space that probably served as a storage chamber for Luxiria and her gang. I could smell the putrid scent of rotting flesh and rusted metal even without being able to breathe properly.
So this was where they kept their "treasures."
From the vibrations around me, I noticed when the water was left behind and the tunnel began to open up. The environment seemed drier—or at least, less soaked in corrosive mud.
I was being taken to Luxiria’s secret cavern.
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The space was humid, but not as drenched as the rest of the swamp. The stench of decay was almost solid, as if the very humidity carried particles of necrotized flesh and rotting roots.
Damn abominations… You thought I was just a petrified slab of meat, huh?
The acidic taste of the potion still burned my throat when I felt the tingling sensation spreading through my body. First, my fingers. Then, my arms. My legs started responding. The stiffness that had turned me into a statue began to fade, and I finally felt my muscles return to my control.
The creatures kept dragging me, their sticky claws pulling me through the slippery mud. But they hadn’t noticed… yet.
The Freedom of Movement potion was one of the best investments I made before leaving the tower, worth every coin I spent. Without it, I’d be just another skeleton rotting at the bottom of this vile den.
My body was almost completely free. The creatures unceremoniously threw me onto a pile of strange items—rusted armor, broken bones, chunks of rotten flesh mixed with dried mud.
The two turned their backs and began growling and roaring at each other. They were arguing, debating whether they should go out and fight or stay and ensure that their dinner didn’t escape.
Well, tough luck for them.
A crackling roar tore through the air.
"VRRUUUUUMMMM~~"
The sound of my plasma saw igniting was like thunder in the cave’s silence. The pulsating blue glow of the blade illuminated the damp walls, reflecting off the creatures’ slimy eyes.
They hesitated for a second. Just one.
And then, like hungry beasts, they smelled the fresh blood on my body and completely forgot about the danger. They leaped at me.
Perfect.
I grinned, tightened my grip on my armor, and said, "Time for the plasma saw massacre!"
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