At last, Morris and his group reached the foot of the colossal mushroom.
From a distance it already seemed magnificent.
Up close, however, it was overwhelming.
The massive stalk alone would likely require dozens of people to encircle it with their arms. Above it, the gigantic cap spread across the sky like a natural roof, casting an enormous shadow over the entire clearing.
"Ha… hahaha… HAHAHAHAHA!!"
Morris spread his arms wide and looked up at the spectacle, laughing like a madman.
Days of exhaustion and humiliation seemed to vanish instantly.
"Finally… I've finally arrived!"
"Ronald! Let's see how you stop me this time!"
Meanwhile
Sami's team was quietly trailing the Marines.
Suddenly—
Sami stopped.
A strange sense of danger struck him.
He raised his head instantly, staring through the forest canopy toward the giant mushroom.
"…That mushroom…"
"…is it moving?"
At almost the same moment, Colonel Ronald in the Marine formation also sensed something wrong.
His expression changed sharply.
"Something's not right!"
"All units—forget stealth!"
"Full speed ahead!"
"Target: the island center!"
The Marines rushed forward through the forest, smashing through branches and roots in their haste.
But when they finally burst out of the forest and reached the clearing beneath the giant mushroom—
Every soldier froze.
Morris was already standing calmly before the towering fungus, leaning against the massive stalk.
Only two or three surviving officers remained beside him, guarding him nervously.
"Captain! The Marines—they're here!"
Morris slowly turned around.
His face was even paler than before.
But the excitement burning in his eyes was almost frightening.
"Morris!"
Colonel Ronald stepped forward, his sword pointed directly at him.
"You're surrounded!"
"There's nowhere left to run!"
"Drop your resistance and surrender immediately!"
"This is your final chance!"
"No way out? Surrender?"
Morris twisted his lips into a grotesque grin.
"You Marines…"
"You're always so laughably naive."
"How many times do I have to explain it before you understand?"
He suddenly spread his arms wide as if embracing the entire forest.
His voice rose sharply.
"It's not that I have nowhere to run—"
"You're the ones who entered my kingdom!"
"Now… you are the ones surrounded!"
Before the words even finished—
He slammed both hands onto the giant mushroom behind him.
"Feel it…"
"The true Kingdom of Fungi!"
"Great Proliferation!!!"
The moment his power erupted—
The entire island seemed to tremble.
And it was not an illusion.
RUMBLE—!!!
Deep beneath the earth, thunderous vibrations rolled outward from the giant mushroom.
Pebbles bounced across the ground.
Leaves and fungal debris shook violently.
Then—
Under the horrified gaze of the Marines—
The ancient mushroom began shaking violently.
And beneath its enormous cap—
Endless clouds of spores poured down like a waterfall.
The spores spread across a massive area.
In seconds, the entire clearing—Morris, his remaining crew, and the surrounding Marines—was swallowed in a white haze.
"Cough! What… what is this?!"
"Spore eruption!"
"The giant mushroom is releasing spores!"
"Cover your mouths!"
"They might be poisonous!"
The Marines instinctively shielded their faces.
Their once-perfect formation wavered.
But the true horror came next.
Wherever the spores touched the ground—
Something began forming.
In mere seconds—
A humanoid shape made entirely of spores stood up.
Then another.
And another.
Ten.
One hundred.
Within moments—
Hundreds… then thousands of spore soldiers rose from the ground.
The faster the spores fell—
The faster the army grew.
Their numbers quickly surpassed the Marine forces several times over.
And the spores were still falling.
The army kept expanding exponentially.
Soon the entire clearing beneath the mushroom was filled.
The Marines themselves were now surrounded.
"What… what are those things?!"
"Clones!"
"They're spore clones!"
"Damn it… the numbers… it's endless!"
"Is he trying to drown us with sheer numbers?!"
The scene far exceeded Colonel Ronald's worst expectations.
He suppressed his shock and shouted commands.
"Hold your ground!"
"They're just spore constructs!"
"Morris is a fungus fruit user!"
"These clones are vulnerable to fire!"
"Flamethrower squads—forward!"
"Everyone else maintain defensive formation!"
"Focus attacks on Morris himself!"
"Cut off the head of the snake!"
"HAHAHAHAHA!!"
Morris stood among the endless army, leaning against the giant mushroom.
His face was pale from the strain.
But his laughter rang with manic triumph.
"Do you see it, Ronald?!"
"Do you see my spore army?!"
"Here, my soldiers are endless!"
"I can simply wear you down until you die!"
"Attack!"
"Crush these arrogant intruders!"
He swung his arm forward.
Instantly—
The massive spore army advanced.
Each soldier moved stiffly.
Individually they were slow and unimpressive.
But the overwhelming numbers created a terrifying tide.
"FIRE!"
Gunshots erupted like bursting beans.
BANG BANG BANG!
Marine soldiers fired desperately.
Each bullet easily shattered a spore soldier.
The bodies exploded into clouds of powder.
But the loss meant nothing.
It was like scooping a ladle of water from the ocean.
When one fell—
Another stepped forward.
And another.
And another.
"HAHAHAHA!"
"Feel despair!"
"On this island—"
"I am God!"
"I am the kingdom!"
Morris's laughter echoed above the battlefield.
"Marines?"
"Forget you, Colonel."
"Even if a Marine Admiral came here today—"
"On this island…"
"…I would fight them!"
Colonel Ronald's face darkened.
His sword flashed repeatedly, cutting down several spore soldiers that broke through the firing line.
Spores splashed across his uniform.
But in his heart—
A sinking feeling grew.
The flamethrowers were effective.
But fuel was limited.
And the enemy numbers were…
…endless.
Watching from the shadows of the forest—
Even Ardo couldn't help gasping.
"Holy… hell…"
"This is insane."
"No wonder he doesn't care about his crew anymore!"
"With power like this, who needs subordinates?!"
Carhelo looked grim.
"Captain… those Marines are in serious trouble."
"The numbers are completely unmatched."
"This isn't even the same level of battle."
Sami kept his eyes locked on the battlefield.
Especially Morris's pale but feverish face—
And the gigantic mushroom behind him that seemed almost alive.
He slowly shook his head.
"Let's watch a bit longer."
"These spore soldiers look terrifying…"
"…but individually, they're weak."
"The Marines won't just sit there and die."
"And Morris…"
"…maintaining something like this…"
"…must be consuming an enormous amount of energy."
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