Chapter 128 Chapter 128-Setting the Mountain Ablaze
"What the fuck?! These mosquitoes actually resurrected?!"
Shouts of astonishment echoed continuously, as all the archers and magi were dumbfounded, frozen in place.
Even Howard widened his eyes, staring in surprise at the black mosquitoes.
Only Wales and Athena seemed unperturbed, urging everyone to leave as quickly as possible.
Athena, covering their retreat, constantly swung her long sword, casting out sharp arcs of blade light, slashing at the multitude of black mosquitoes and severing their bodies, which then fell to the ground.
However, their revival seemed to have no limits.
Barely a few breaths after falling, they once again shone with light, completely restored, and surged towards Howard and the others in a dense black mass.
Athena frowned slightly, but she dared not give her all. The area was filled with trees, and activating Pyro would surely set the entire region ablaze.
By then, those pursuing them would definitely be able to locate their position!
Fortunately, the group of archers and magi were not foolish; they quickly turned around, creating distance between themselves and the swarm of black mosquitoes.
However, when it rains, it pours.
Before Howard and his group could put enough distance between themselves and the black mosquitoes, the roaring sound in their ears erupted again, this time coming from multiple directions, causing their faces to change color slightly.
Looking up, they could see black mosquitoes flying in from all around.
A dense, dark mass, so overwhelming it seemed to blot out the sky, casting the nearby area into darkness.
A terrifying pressure fell upon Howard and the others instantaneously, as if a mountain range was pressing down on them, leaving them almost unable to breathe.
It was only because these individuals were carefully selected by Athena that, despite the fear in their hearts, they quickly adopted a battle stance.
Howard, in response to the swarm of black mosquitoes, cast a Divination spell and activated his own shield.
Buzz—
With a flicker of light, the properties of the black mosquitoes were transformed into a panel, appearing right before Howard's eyes.
[Shadow Giant Ant]
[Level: 80]
[Tier: Legendary]
[Description: Originally just ordinary mosquitoes, within Medea Ruins, they have transformed into special monsters hidden in the shadows due to an unknown power.]
[HP: 145000/1450000]
[Attack Power: ???]
[Defense Value: ???]
[Skills: Shadow Form (???), Lethal Charge (???)]
Note: Due to the significant level difference, specific properties cannot be determined.
"!!!"
"What terrifying properties?!"
Howard's pupils constricted sharply. He could hardly believe that a mere mob could possess over 1.45 million HP.
If he had been alone in Medea Ruins, any random monster could have possibly slain him.
What was even more frustrating was that due to the vast level difference, Howard was unable to determine the specific properties of the Shadow Giant Ants.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh—
At this moment, the faster-attacking archers had already launched a counterattack.
Feathers of arrows in various colors, mixed with different elements, furiously struck the swarm of Shadow Giant Ants.
Of course, they were also aware not to alarm those pursuing them, and thus did not deploy Pyro Magic.
Regrettably, their damage output was nowhere near enough to instantly kill the Shadow Giant Ants.
Even their skills, when blasting upon them, did not inflict substantial damage, merely causing a brief halt in their onslaught.
"Athena, their weakness is fire! Just use Pyro!"
Wales shouted abruptly, his hands forming seals simultaneously.
A purple light immediately burst forth from within him, transforming into a shield that enveloped both him and Howard.
Hearing Wales' words, Athena couldn't help but stiffen, voicing her doubt, "Lord Ravenous Wolf, if we resort to fire, our coordinates will be exposed."
"Let them be exposed!" Wales declared sternly, "At worst, we'll find a new route.
Facing these Shadow Giant Ants, if we can't quickly annihilate them and their numbers keep increasing, even you and I will be in danger!
They possess immunity to all attacks except those of the fire element, and they carry lethal toxins.
Once we are surrounded, even if our attributes are higher, it won't be easy to fight them!"
Hearing this, a shock ran through Howard's heart, but he soon understood.
Just because Howard's level was too low to see the specific attributes, it didn't mean Wales couldn't.
Athena was not a person to dither.
Seeing the numerous Shadow Giant Ants gradually drawing closer, she smeared her left hand over her long blade, and blazing flames instantly ignited.
"Inferno Skyblade Strike!"
Almost at the very moment her crisp shout fell, the flames on the blade surged towards the sky, devouring the Shadow Giant Ants in front of her.
Not just that, the flames grew even more vigorous, like a tidal wave, surging out in all directions.
In just a few breaths' time, all the Shadow Giant Ants within nearly a hundred yards were covered by the blazing flames.
The continual crackling sounds of burning filled the air, and the Shadow Giant Ants no longer possessed their bizarre revival abilities, their entire bodies incinerated into ashes by the fire.
However, the might of the flames was simply too powerful, and many of the trees could not escape their fate, instantly bursting into flames.
Luckily, this was a virtual world.
Otherwise, wouldn't Howard and the others, who were setting fire to the mountain, end up behind bars?
"Quick, let's get out of here! While the fire hasn't spread yet!" Wales swiftly grabbed Howard and bolted in a particular direction, shouting for the others to follow suit.
After confirming the death of the Shadow Giant Ants, Athena was right on their heels, chasing after Wales.
Fortunately, Wales was swift in action.
He managed to escape the range of the inferno before it could encircle them, quickly determining a direction and running like mad.
However, in an area covered with forests, unleashing a Pyro skill meant that the fire spread at an alarmingly fast pace.
Before Howard and the others could get far, the flames were already reaching for the sky, the dazzling firelight and thick smoke instantly visible to anyone within a nearly thousand-yard radius.
Under normal circumstances, such a situation would never occur within Medea Ruins.
The group of pursuers weren't fools; they immediately changed direction, rushing towards the source of the fire.
In just a few short minutes, over a thousand people had gathered, with a hundred more riding Dragonhawks, hovering in the air.
"There's a blade aura! It has to be Shelley!"
"Phew, who on earth did Shelley find? They can really run!"
"…"
"They say it's the Ravenous Wolf from the Nightshade organization!"
Finally having located Athena's traces, the pursuers couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief, exclaiming, "The fire has just started; they couldn't have gotten far. This time, we must not let the Ravenous Wolf escape again!"
"Right, the Ravenous Wolf plays a rather important role within the Alliance. Even if we catch him later, we must not be lethal. If he dies, the higher-ups will be very displeased."
"As for the others, kill them all!"
At this moment, Solyes stayed mostly silent, evidently aware of the more powerful awakened beings that had arrived.
"Search every direction thoroughly, apart from the way we came in! And those riding on the Dragonhawks, be extra vigilant in your search!"
As the words fell, the army of over a thousand sprang into action.
The awakened on the Dragonhawks, with eyes as sharp as Hawkeye's, continuously scanned the ground below.
Under the relentless pursuit from both ground and air, Howard and his companions' tracks were eventually detected.
There was no helping it.
Wales' Stealth Skill couldn't be used continuously, and even though their movement speed had increased, being the trailblazers meant they had to deal with any monsters they encountered along the way.
In the midst of battle, the pursuers slowly closed the distance between them.
"Whiz!"
The team riding on the Dragonhawks was the first to spot Howard and the others.
Not underestimating Athena's formidable strength, they chose not to engage but instead fired a flare directly into the sky.
As the fireworks from the flare burst forth, countless pursuers instantly converged towards their location.
Simultaneously, Howard and his companions were locked in battle with a massive lizard.
The lizard was enveloped in a thick, green carapace, resilient even to the strikes of Athena's fiery blade, which only produced sparks upon contact.
Though its HP plummeted at an alarming rate, the creature relentlessly lashed its tail, hindering Howard and the others in their desperate flight.
Furious, Athena gripped her long sword with both hands, her entire being erupting in flames.
Whoosh—
In the moment the flames pierced through the lizard's frame, its body shattered.
However, with Athena having unleashed her full power, she could no longer control the fire, inadvertently setting the surrounding trees ablaze once again.
The renewed flames gave the pursuers a clear bead on Howard and his team's position.
"Move, now!"
Wales, his expression grim, urged Howard and the others to leave.
Yet, while the awakened on the Dragonhawks dared not launch an offensive, they had no qualms about causing disruption.
As they hurled scroll after scroll, a mysterious strength silently descended upon the group.
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