Chapter 605: Swarm Tyrant
Boom!
Relentless cannon bombardment continuously brought down the wave-like flood of zombie monsters.
Shattered monsters fell to pieces, scattered across the bloodstained ground.
From the blood-red flesh mat, countless tiny worms emerged to rapidly dismember and decompose the corpses.
In a short while—
They were reduced into nutrients and absorbed by subterranean pipelines buried within the mat, then transported to the distant swarm base.
Soon, they would return to the battlefield in another form.
If this were an ordinary army, they would have collapsed long ago facing such an enemy.
But the Thorn convoy was different. They displayed exceptional combat discipline, eliminating these resurrected enemies over and over again.
They had long undergone special training to deal with foes like this.
"As long as we avoid casualties, their numbers will steadily decline."
Under the protection of the golem combat units—
They used cannons, crossbows, and muskets to deal devastating blows from long range.
Their ammo seemed endless, just like the endless waves of zombies.
Laura, who had originally intended to join the fight, stared blankly at the scene before her.
She never expected this seemingly makeshift camp to actually withstand the zombie army's fierce assault.
Still, she remained uneasy. Supplies were limited, and stamina and mental focus would wear down.
If this continued too long...
"Everyone prepare—attack!"
The sudden offensive command caught even Laura off guard.
She couldn't believe Bay Territory wasn't planning to break out or retreat, but instead was launching a counterattack!
A rush of thoughts filled her mind.
Before she could sort them out, intense artillery fire swept across the enemy lines, obliterating vast groups of zombies.
Their formation was torn open by a massive breach. Noticing the Bay Territory forces advancing, the zombies howled and surged forward.
Laura gripped her staff and began chanting.
After all this chaos, she could finally join the fight!
Boom!
Mushroom clouds suddenly rose from the ground.
Explosive flames tore open huge swathes of terrain.
The zombies were instantly shredded into fragments.
The violent tremors made Laura falter, nearly disrupting her spellcasting.
Thankfully, she stabilized her magic and cast her spell upon the surrounding Thorn convoy guards.
Group Mana Shield!
Brown's eyes lit up with joy. Looking to the sky, he shouted with excitement:
"Reinforcements are here!"
The sharp-eyed old man finally got a clear look at the descending black shapes.
They were bundles wrapped in coarse burlap!
These seemingly mundane packages radiated blinding red light from their backs as they fell from the sky.
Upon impact, they exploded into terrifying flames.
The shockwave—Advanced Fire Spell: Flameburst!
But the old man sensed that this shockwave lacked the familiar magical resonance and instead carried a wild, chaotic energy.
As if it occurred naturally!
He immediately realized that this weapon from Bay Territory likely had a power ceiling.
True power came from mastering higher-tier rules…
When the raiding teams reached the site, they found only dismembered corpses.
The only survivors were a few massive zombie monsters.
But even they were missing limbs and were promptly executed by the incoming Dragon Hunter Ballistas.
Laura, who was preparing to cast again, looked dumbfounded at the swift battlefield cleanup, eyes filled with disbelief.
"Who's providing support?"
Brown blinked expectantly. Not sensing the familiar, chilling dragon's might, he said with slight disappointment:
"Probably not Lady Yaya. She's not subtle, and it'd be hard for her to manage that many explosive bundles alone..."
Explosive bundles?
Laura glanced around, sniffing the air's pungent scent, noting the unstable magical particles drifting faintly.
They were primitive, chaotic, unlike those tamed and molded by spell models.
These unique "explosive bundles" reminded her of ancient bombs she'd seen in goblin ruins...
Just as she was about to investigate, several massive bonfires were already ablaze, burning the mangled corpses.
The stench spread quickly, and the Thorn members began regrouping.
The camp fell silent, only a few figures still moving.
Brown wiped his forehead—not from exhaustion, but nervousness.
Fortunately, his fears didn't come true. A burly figure strode over, cheerfully raising a hand:
"Baron Brown, pleasure to meet you."
Recognizing the somewhat familiar face, Brown forced a smile and warmly replied:
"Thank you, President Adam Smith, for saving my life. Without your help, I'd be monster chow—or worse, a menace myself..."
The visitor was Adam Smith. He no longer looked obese but rather tall and strong.
His imposing presence and gear radiated magical energy, dazzling the eyes.
Only now did Brown realize—this unassuming merchant had become a powerful figure, one even he felt threatened by.
"So this is Bay Territory's enhancement method? The results are amazing!"
Brown had heard of a special enhancement process in Bay Territory that dramatically increased a Professional's strength.
Those who underwent it often showed major changes in height and physique.
Adam Smith's transformation was obvious, and he wasn't hiding it at all.
Though he never brought it up, he seemed to flaunt it intentionally...
Naturally, Brown was tempted. He believed he was gifted—breaking into high-tier in his twenties.
But despite joining Bay Territory's adventurer corps and learning various skills, he had never reached the Extraordinary tier.
So, some doubt stirred in Brown's heart.
After this unexpected crisis, his hunger for power surged.
Seeing Adam Smith's transformation, his urge could no longer be suppressed.
He wanted to become stronger too!
Bay Territory's enhancement process was the fastest and most effective route!
Unconsciously, this mindset had spread silently throughout Bay Territory.
It was their most effective and practiced strategy.
Lure with profit, influence subtly.
Adam Smith had no idea of Brown's thoughts—or maybe he did, and just smiled as he vaguely "introduced" the process.
It was both Lord Matthew's directive and Adam Smith's own wish.
He had sacrificed much to gain more power—blood, sweat, and pain.
And more suffering and "costs" awaited.
So, he gladly "called" others to join him.
"Just so you know—you chose this. No backing out later!"
Thinking of their future suffering, Adam Smith smiled kindly and said to the old man beside him:
"Welcome to Bay Territory."
The old man paused, studying Adam Smith's physique. Instead of commenting, he asked seriously:
"The enemy's next wave is coming. What's our next move?"
Adam Smith shook his head and pointed skyward. "Our reinforcements already engaged. We'll proceed step by step to the battlefield."
"Here—Purification Potions from the Church of the Magic Goddess. They prevent contamination. Everyone must use one after combat or use a Purification Scroll."
The old man took the potion, inspected it, and passed it to Laura.
Adam Smith handed the rest to Brown, then looked at Laura's calm face and shadowy cloak and asked:
"We're transporting supplies to Bloodmoon City. Would you like to come?"
Laura sensed the faint threat in the sky fading, believed Adam Smith, and nodded:
"Take us to Bloodmoon City. We have unfinished business there."
The feeling in Laura's wrist was intensifying.
Whoosh!
The wyvern flapped its wings excitedly, panting, its eyes scanning for threats. Finding none, it happily pierced through the clouds.
Its massive body soared high and joined the line of wyverns heading far away.
"Yoo-hoo...!"
Tugging the reins, Yaya shouted cheerfully to Oriana beside her:
"Almost there! Let's begin!"
Adjusting her enchanted goggles and feeling the breeze brush past her cheek, Oriana grinned, pointed at the crimson land below, and said:
"Target's there. Let's blow it sky-high!"
Yaya nodded excitedly, waved forward, and gave a charge signal:
"Wyvern Squad—Charge!"
"Yoo-hoo...!"
Oriana couldn't help but yell as well, pointing at the dense flesh buildings ahead:
"Begin the drop!"
The spinning gray-black explosives plummeted straight down, slamming into the fleshy structures.
Upon impact, massive explosions erupted, engulfing the area in terrifying flames.
The unguarded buildings were instantly blown to bits.
A whole batch of freshly spawned zombies was vaporized by the blast.
Watching the mushroom clouds below, Yaya pouted regretfully:
"Over 500,000 gold worth of magic powder—gone in a flash..."
Oriana, however, beamed with joy, clearly satisfied with the destruction.
She heard Yaya's mumble and nodded reassuringly:
"Don't worry. My treasure stash still has 2 million gold. We can launch several more firework shows—hehehe..."
Whoosh!
Gusts howled as sharp whistling noises came from afar. Oriana turned and saw a swarm of red monsters.
Recognizing the mutated wyverns, Yaya pulled the reins, halting the squad.
Staring at the approaching mutated wyverns, she chuckled:
"Perfect. Each one's worth at least 300,000 gold."
Oriana blinked in eager anticipation.
She too wanted to see what an aerial battle would be like.
Carlisle City.
Viscount Larry, looking slightly disheveled, frowned at the retreating monsters overhead.
He didn't know why the enemy pulled back during such a critical moment—but had a bad feeling.
"Could they be focusing their forces to strike...?"
At that thought, he ordered Knight Hawk and the others to quickly clean the battlefield and prepare.
Then he rushed back to the lord's mansion and entered a secret room, quickly activating a magical device.
Larry rapidly reported the situation.
But after a long wait—no reply came.
Just as he turned to leave, disappointment on his face—
The mirror-like magical tool finally emitted a man's voice:
"They are not in immediate danger. Begin the plan."
Larry's eyes widened.
He never expected the long-anticipated plan of over ten years to begin like this.
With mixed emotions, Larry didn't feel the excitement he imagined. After a moment of hesitation, he replied:
"Understood. Preparing to execute the plan!"
Just as Larry responded—
An urgent alarm blared from the advancing Thorn convoy.
"Accelerate—forced march!"
Licking his lips bitter from the Purification Potion, Brown turned to look.
The Thorn convoy linked massive trucks together. Soldiers rushed to seal the gaps using tools.
Giant golems boarded specially built golem trucks.
Already fast, the convoy's speed surged to over triple.
Brown eyed the trucks enviously. Seeing Laura's stunned expression, he shook his head and explained:
"I don't know how they built them either."
"But every research institute in Bay Territory rolls out new magical items weekly..."