Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 895 - 832: Survivor of the Swarm
"Unleash your Breath, my children!" The colossal dragon restrained the corrupted angel, using its massive body to forcefully twist and pull the angel into the path of the dragon’s Breath. The entangled energy exploded within its grasp, yet without flinching from the blast, Yemotar opened its jaws and bit into its own palm.
"I don’t need your orders, old fool!" The eldest black dragon glided through the skies, pride swelling from the joy of a successful strike, prompting him to immediately retort against his father. Barely a few seconds of triumph passed when a warped figure suddenly appeared in front of him. Within moments, the massive dragon, tens of meters long, was swatted from the skies into black sludge by what appeared to be a meter-long, deceptively soft feathered wing.
The angel, having endured the dragon Breath, took advantage of the moment to slip away from the father dragon’s grasp and pursued the black dragon, who had exerted the most force in the Breath attack. Less than a second later, Yemotar managed to latch onto the angel again, while the black dragon, with its left wing broken, clawed its way out of the sludge, seething with rage.
"I’m fine! It’s nothing!" The black dragon roared wildly, entering a berserk frenzy that showcased a defiance few mortals could ever match. The father dragon said no more, instead watching the noise-emitting angel with heightened vigilance. Being caught off guard by an attack would spell disaster. Whether the angel could be wounded was uncertain, but if the angel managed to harm his offspring, this old father’s heart would break.
A wave of danger emanated from above, as the corrupted angel’s radiance shifted—its original aura transforming into a chilling, primal horror that left reptilian creatures trembling in terror. A lethal effect specifically targeting Dragon Breeds, known as "Dragon Scourge," emerged. With a colossal Dragon-slaying Thunder Gun in hand, the sight of it caused the airborne dragons to falter mid-flight in panic and retreat hastily.
"Watch out! He’s switched traits again!" Everyone else felt a slight easing of pressure, yet upon seeing the clustered family of dragons regroup, they clearly understood what was happening.
"Switch positions!"
Blue Dragon Kristo, stationed at the City of Wandering, and not directly involved in combat, utilized the power of the magic network before the thunder gun struck. As the magic network’s avatar, Kristo controlled the battlefield like a chessboard, repositioning the warriors at will. With the Mage Tower forged by Morocoy, he could shift allies to any desired location.
For instance, like now, helping his family evade the deadly Dragon-slaying Thunder Gun.
The thunderous flash dissipated, leaving behind only a lone lich wielding a radiant bone shield where the dragon family had gathered. The shield emitted wisps of smoke, shattered into fragments, and caused the right arm of its wielder to splinter into debris. Several liches suddenly appeared beside the one-armed lich, carrying a newly crafted bone arm. They pressed and adjusted the joints deliberately. Flexing his wrist, the lich apologized to the dean riding a spirit steed hovering nearby.
"The artifact you forged is no more."
Through dirt and ash, the dean, sheltered by companions and swatting away light-feather missiles, bellowed, "Artifacts, I have plenty of them! Don’t hold back, just make absolutely sure you stop that bastard!"
The liches and angel battled in mid-air. Princess took advantage of the opportunity to appear beside the father dragon.
"The angel has entered the ’Dragon Scourge’ state. For now, it’s a guaranteed kill against us. Escort reinforcements to the rear battlefield with your children; you won’t be of use on the front lines."
"Let Alcalon take them back," Father of All Dragons replied, his body ravaged under the Holy Light’s relentless strikes. His exposed bones scorched by Holy Flame appeared gruesome as his bloodied flesh slowly regenerated. Yemotar could sense his body gradually developing resistance, suppressing the Dragon Trait’s effects. "I can hold on; none here can stand even a single round against the Mighty Angel anyway."
The true danger wasn’t the fatal specialized traits but rather the corrupted angel’s absurd physical prowess and overbearing Holy Light. A casual strike pushed victims to the brink of death. Among those who could endure the angel’s iron fists and Holy Flame, only the undying and indestructible father dragon remained. The area near the angel was a death zone; liches seemed like mere brittle bones by comparison.
"Worst of all, this isn’t even the final boss."
While chaos reigned in the fiery, peril-filled battlefield upfront, the true creator remained silent and detached, observing everyone from afar. Within the tendrils of the entity, a new humanoid figure was being sculpted—its immune mechanisms producing antibodies. Soon, the corrupted angel would bring antibodies targeting all forms of life, resulting in total annihilation.
"Where’s the reserve troops? Send up those still alive from the rear! We’ve already stalled the Legion of Holy Light and the angel’s advance!" A lich, with two Light Spears wedged painfully in its ribs, huddled behind a gravestone for cover, clutching a Communicating Crystal and yelling frantically.
But the situation for the living forces was far from optimistic.
Carlos regrouped his forces, maintaining formation to face the sudden emergence of monstrous creatures ahead. Moments ago, they burst out from below, their monstrous chitinous blades blindsiding the troops. Now, these insect-like raiders were licking the blood stuck to their razor-sharp edges, visibly savoring their prey’s despair as they patiently awaited the soldiers to recover as if toying with them.
"Mantis Monsters."
The insectoid warriors twitched their antennae, directing their compound eyes toward Carlos. A coarse voice emerged from a fundamentally alien vocal organ.
"Your scent—I will never forget it. The blood of blue dragons flows through your veins; your kin are cowardly wretches, despicable Arcane Kingdom sorcerers who turned my people’s mission into a mockery. I’ll devour your flesh bit by bit, mage, to sate the hatred that’s haunted me for millennia."
Mantis Monsters—one of the swarms serving the Sleeper. Once opposing the blue Dragon Priest, they hadn’t had the chance to spread terror among the dragon’s kin during the last war against the gods. While other insectoid swarms fought dragons and Dragon Priests in bloody carnage, the number of mages slain by mantis monsters was precisely zero.
These highly evolved creatures possessed the finest physical templates, most diverse evolutionary paths, and most advanced minds. Created under divine expectation, they were fully equipped to confront all kinds of foes. Though their initial form wasn’t extraordinary, they adapted rapidly under warfare and external pressure. Among the swarms, mantis monsters were paragons—marked by superiority ingrained deep within their genetic code.
The reversal of their fortunes and status was wrought by none other than their nemesis—Blue Dragon Priest Morocoy.
A mage, sage, and ruler. He foresaw the enemy more accurately than anyone. Faced with seemingly weak yet terrifyingly potent mantis monsters, his approach was... perpetual exile.
Through his dominion of the magic network and control over the planet’s pathways, he forcibly transported the mantis monster swarm to the farthest edge of the earth from the Morocoy Capital.
Born from eggs, imbued with divine commands in their genes, the mantis monsters set out, eager at first, then silent, and later despairing. Most matured during their journey, without battles to fight or blood to feast on, driven only by the elusive scent of blue dragon blood as they pressed forward through storms and rain.
Eventually, their efforts bore fruit—the mantis monsters finally reached the borders of the Arcane Kingdom, seeing dazed and panicked mages. Fantasizing about bloodshed and hearing phantom screams, the swarm army charged toward the Barrier.
A sudden surge of familiar magic enveloped them, causing the mantis monsters’ compound eyes to widen as they stared unblinkingly at the airborne mage—the cornerstone of their existential hatred.
"Morocoy!!!"
When they regained consciousness, they found themselves back home, at the starting point of their journey. Without battles to strengthen their bodies or injuries to mend scars, they retained their most feeble forms, and once again began another expedition.
The results didn’t change. Digging, disguising, lurking—every method to approach the city was thwarted. Quickly discovered by the Dragon Priest, their screams of anguish were met with repeated banishments to the world’s farthest reaches. Regrouping, reaching, banishment; regrouping, journeying, and yet more banishment...
Some members of the swarm succumbed to madness during their eternal march. They began to doubt themselves, to question their very existence—to wonder if the expectations of the divine were truly attainable.
After an unknown length of time, the mantis monsters finally evolved resistance against teleportation spells with their advanced minds. Overjoyed, they believed their endless expedition had finally reached its conclusion.
For yet another time, they approached the Arcane Kingdom’s borders. Blue Dragon Priest Morocoy no longer haunted them as an omnipresent terror. Confident of their immunity, as they neared within a hundred meters of the barrier walls and saw no trace of him, the mantis monsters erupted in euphoric celebration.
"Lord! We’ve finally won!"
No sooner had the words left them than the entirety of the capital lifted from the ground. Bathed in magical brilliance and shockwave ripples, the mantis monsters stared dumbfounded as the Floating City tore through spacetime fissures and vanished before their eyes.
This time, the change was absolute.
The mantis monsters would no longer wander.
The City of Wandering had fled.
