Wizard: Starting from the Skill Tree-Chapter 509: Holding the Line

The winged serpent coiled to the center of the battlefield, its forked tongue flickering, poison glands contracting violently.

In an instant, a several-meter-wide thick indigo poison column shot out, striking precisely into the densest area of the insect swarm.

The poison exploded upon contact with the ground, the splattering toxic slurry spreading like a living creature, hissing white smoke rising wherever it passed.

The carapaces of the swift blade insects were corroded with honeycomb-like holes, the mucus sacs of the acid-spitting insects burst open on the spot, even locusts leaping in the air touched by the toxic mist snagged their wings, flapping and falling to the ground, twitching.

More deadly was the spread of the toxic mist, pale purple airflow wrapped in tiny poison needles being blown in the direction from which the insect swarm came.

Wherever the poisonous mist passed, a large number of insect races fell in sheets, the scene suddenly like a domino effect.

"Insecticide?" Duke inexplicably thought of this word.

The winged serpent let out a sharp scream, its snake-like body suddenly tensed like a bow.

Its wings vibrated more urgently, the poison glands swelling visibly to the naked eye, spraying seven poison columns in succession.

Some plunged into the rear gatherings of the insect race, some blocked the lateral encirclement path of the swarm, and more toxic mist permeated the midair of the battlefield, forming a deadly toxic cloud.

On the ground, the corpses of insects corroded by the poison were fermenting, releasing a stronger stench, and the advance of the swarm was noticeably sluggish.

The winged serpent then had its wings suddenly vibrate violently, the gray-green toxic mist seemingly granted life, surging automatically, forming a spiral cyclone with the wind.

This cyclone, mixed with toxic slurry, advanced into the heart of the swarm at a visible speed, wherever it passed, the swarm fell like waves of wheat.

This broad range attack method was particularly effective against the Void Insect Race, these low-level insect races had almost no resistance.

With these Level 2 Slave Creatures joining the battlefield, the attacking trend of the swarm was instantly suppressed, and for a time, they could not continue to spread forward.

The strength of a Level 2 Life was still too powerful, these low-level insect races could not rely on numbers to win.

Duke saw this scene and knew in his heart that holding on for a period was not a problem.

The winged serpent’s toxic mist, like pouring a large mass of thick ink into the surging purple tides, quickly cleared a large area.

The offensive of the swarm paused, and the suffocating pressure of their advance lightened abruptly.

However, this brief victory did not let Duke and the others relax their vigilance.

They were keenly aware that the hive mind was cold and efficient, a pure biological machine, serving only to expand the swarm’s force, and would never stop attacking due to a single setback.

In the following days, the border defense line transformed into a vast grinder of flesh.

The attack of the swarm was no longer the wild, chaotic surge of the beginning. The hive mind had clearly adjusted its strategy.

The next day, when the east was faintly white, the overwhelming swarm appeared again, but their formation had changed.

A new type of Insect Race never seen before appeared, and it was positioned at the forefront of the swarm.

The Iron Armor Beetle Race with heavy chitinous shells covering their bodies was pushed to the front, like moving fortresses, advancing slowly and steadily, greatly weakening the effects of concentrated shooting by the crystal-backed beam lizards.

Rock Armor Heavy Army’s stone hammers smashing against them were no longer a one-hit shatter but erupted with a dull thud, requiring multiple attacks to completely destroy.

At the same time, the locusts in the sky no longer conducted indiscriminate suicidal attacks but started group dives, their attacks more planned rather than mindless plunging.

Despite the blade-winged demon’s effort in intercepting in the air, a large number of locusts still broke through the defenses, causing considerable casualties with their sharp mouths and claws to the personnel on this side.

The rhythm of the battlefield became more brutal; the rock-solid defenses of the Rock Armor Heavy Army were shaken for the first time, and they had to rely on each other’s bodies and rear fortifications to withstand the wave-like impact of the Iron Armor Beetle Race.

The crystal-backed beam lizard’s rays no longer pursued large-area damage but acted like precise surgical knives, burning the relatively weak leg joints of the Iron Armor Beetle Race, causing their massive bodies to crash down, becoming obstacles for the subsequent insect races.

As night fell, the attacks of the swarm did not stop.

They seemed tireless, launching more frequent harassment under the cover of night.

Duke also noticed that the toxicity of the winged serpent seemed to have weakened somewhat against the insect race.

Although not very obvious, it was noticeable that these Void Insect Races had somewhat increased their resistance to this toxin.

This is another characteristic of the Void Insect Race, with a strong adaptability, able to quickly evolve according to the environment, adapting to it at the fastest speed.

Duke realized that this was definitely a terrifying race, and once allowed enough time to develop, the consequences would be endless.

He stood atop the watchtower, without much emotional fluctuation.

The number of Slave Creatures that could be sensed from the Control Talisman was decreasing every day, but the determination in his eyes never wavered.

The soldiers sent by Earl Hardy, from initial fear to subsequent numbness, had now developed a tragic camaraderie, fighting side by side with these silent Slave Creature Legions.

They braved the bone spurs and occasionally skimmed acid of the Insect Race, desperately repairing damaged fortifications, dragging heavily injured Slave Creatures as far back as possible.

On the fourth day, the fifth day... the intensity of the swarm’s attack began to show wave-like fluctuations, sometimes silent for hours, sometimes launching fierce assaults regardless of the cost.

Duke understood, this was the hive mind adjusting, probing, and depleting their strength and will.

It seemed that the resources of the province of Besim were near exhaustion, and Silver County also couldn’t hold out for long; the hive mind had to breach here in Maple Hill County.

"They’re weakening," Vivian said softly, pointing to the formation of the swarm in the distance, "though there’s still a large number, that invincible momentum isn’t like it was on the first day anymore."

Duke nodded, he could also feel that the individual strength of these insect races seemed to decline somewhat, indicating that the hive mind’s energy supply might truly be becoming strained.

Because the hive mind itself requires energy and resources to hatch these units, if the energy and resources are insufficient, the number of insect races hatched would also decrease accordingly.

For the Void Insect Race’s hive mind to maintain the number of insect races, it likely had reduced the strength of individual insect races they hatched.

If these Void Insect Races want to continue to advance eastward, they must cross over Maple Hill County.

Just coincidentally, Maple Hill County is the strongest and largest county in the Jade Province, resulting in it being like a nail fixed here; without removing it, progress cannot continue.

Duke estimated, perhaps after some time, these insect races would abandon this place, most likely attempting to detour around Maple Hill County.