The Boss King actually disguised himself as a novice village chief?!
Chapter 240 - 208: Tentacle Magic Signal

Chapter 240: Chapter 208: Tentacle Magic Signal

The dragon wings slicing through the sky elicited cheers from within the city. The spirit of the citizens soared at the sight of the Flying Dragon, and even more so at the figure riding upon its back.

After touching down, Lind immediately sought out Dome, a thief skilled in acquiring varied and haphazard knowledge which was cobbled together piece by piece, but his experience was broad enough.

"You really brought back Bugs?" The shock was clear on Dome’s face when he saw the strange bug.

"You already knew?" Lind wouldn’t suspect Dome of deliberately withholding information from him, because Dome’s nature was to acquire more, not to possess more.

Knowledge can be shared infinitely with others without loss, so there was no need to be stingy.

"I just guessed it now."

Dome drew his Two-handed Sword, a symbol of his honor, though he didn’t consider it honorable for a Wizard to rush forward waving a Two-handed Sword after casting an Illumination Spell. To him, it was the greatest insult to a wizard’s intelligence. But at that moment, the Two-handed Sword proved useful.

"It’s almost as I had imagined, perhaps even a bit more frightening."

Dome recounted the theory he had previously mentioned to Riff. Someone was using a Magic Circle to transport the Bugs here. These subterranean Bugs had not yet attacked the surface, perhaps simply because they hadn’t found the way yet.

At that, Lind and Dome exchanged a glance.

In unison, they exclaimed, "They’ve found the way now!"

Indeed, the way was found now.

The pair, along with their dragon, all carrying the scent of slaughtered Bugs, were the perfect guides.

Lind had never imagined that he would face an invasion from some incomprehensible magic-madman’s Bug Magic Circle, especially after the departure of the Undead. Calamity, Undead, and the Abyss were already enough to give him headaches.

"Lance, gather the Great Knights immediately. Also, make arrangements for the weapons and supplies to be ready. We have a tough fight ahead!" Lind had no more time for careful thought.

He was even somewhat relieved to have discovered it in time, for if the Bugs had taken over the tunnel and surged to the surface, he would have been forced to switch from the aggressor to a defender in a passive position.

Having seen the Bugs’ powerful leaping ability, Lind did not believe for a moment that the walls of Star Dragon City could hold them back.

"Yes, sir!" Lance turned and left swiftly.

The others who had rushed over departed following each of Lind’s orders.

Magic Potions, food, arms, and so forth—without the Undead, this conflict was destined to involve only the natives.

Lind turned again to Dome, stating, "However, you might be wrong about one thing. There isn’t just one Teleportation Circle inside; there are many along the way. The Undead must have only tampered with one of them."

Where there were broken, unusable circles, naturally there were intact Bug Teleportation Circles.

Thus, venturing deeper and destroying the Magic Circles clearly became their primary objective.

"Maybe I could go with you?" Dome’s eyes were eager. Studying an accurate Bug Teleportation Circle could greatly benefit his knowledge and research.

"You are a Two-handed Sword Wizard," Lind said with a smile, "If you want to enter the battlefield, no one can stop you."

The team was rapidly assembled; the space barrels developed by Barton played a significant role in transport. The Catastrophe Warhorses could just about carry them on the run, making the sizable Great Knights’ troupe look as though they were traveling light.

The passage of time from leaving the cave to returning was minimal, but once the group ventured deep into the tunnel, having just eaten their third meal and rested briefly, they began to hear a familiar rustling.

Dome fired an Illumination Firework, sending it whizzing and popping forward, illuminating the path ahead.

The Bugs had arrived!

This was an unexpected narrow path encounter.

Surrounded by allies, the Flying Dragon couldn’t even breathe out flames, for the high temperature that would erupt in the narrow passageway could roast the Soldiers in their iron armor.

The ballista was an extremely useful invention. Paired with the barrel’s arrow supply, it turned the sudden clash less unexpected, allowing for time and opportunity to counterattack.

Arrows swept through the Bugs; the first wave couldn’t pierce their thick armor, but the ones following wounded them. With a steady supply of arrows, the straight passage became a slaughtering ground for the Bugs.

There were Bugs advancing, inch by inch using their bodies to clear a path for their kin behind them.

With every charge, Bugs died, and with every charge, more stepped over the bodies of their kin to advance further.

And when the Bugs surged forward fearlessly, the Great Knights drew their weapons to resist. Blood was splashed everywhere, from the Bugs and their own.

The Flying Dragon was in the vanguard, the confined space totally unsuitable for its spread; the number of Bugs climbing onto the dragon was growing.

Lind’s body caught fire, the burning chains seeking out enemies autonomously, yanking Bugs off the dragon’s back. With each strong, forceful lash, chunks of flesh burst open.

Thankfully, the Bugs were not infinite.

The soldiers, clad in torn armor, sat among a pile of bugs, gulping down Magic Potion and straining to catch their breath and recuperate.

After that, they encountered several more bug attacks.

Unfortunately, these bugs were but a poor "Magic splice product." Despite their strength, they did not possess the conditions to produce a Heart of Calamity.

The group finally made it underground, the wind dispersing the strong smell of bug plasma from their bodies; probably, more bugs would swarm them soon.

Crossing the Star Prairie and then the Spiky Stone Forest, the environment around them changed once again.

It was as if they weren’t traversing the underground but standing on the flat peak of a mountain—and now they’d reached the edge; the ground suddenly twisted downwards, a steep slope creating an intense sense of vertigo for Lind and the others.

Gazing down the rugged slope, they couldn’t see the bottom, just pitch-black darkness.

Plants they had never seen before writhed on the slope like leeches burrowing into flesh, creating bulging mounds yet leaving behind minimal evidence of their presence.

It was certain that bugs would come from ahead, but they might not have to keep descending.

An iron bucket was placed at the edge, and soldiers quickly built defensive structures, while it was more suitable for Lind to scout ahead on a Flying Dragon.

He took the Ice Bow from Lance’s hands. While unaccustomed to the weapon, it was something the Flying Dragon could use for sustained flight.

The Flying Dragon, unfolding its wings, plunged downwards, its flame-tumors erupting after writhing, turning into a fiery meteor shower that cleansed the darkness below.

The previously silent darkness suddenly erupted into noise, and the buzzing of countless bug footsteps filled the air. Dense clusters of red lights shined in the dark, making one’s scalp tingle.

The trampling of armored feet attempted to tear the mountain apart, leaving behind dense holes on the rugged slope, eventually resembling the traces of a thousand-feet worm’s climb.

The Flying Dragon breathed fire once again, the underground space being high enough to allow it to spread its wings and fly with ease.

It effortlessly slaughtered these magically spliced bugs from its elevated position, raining down fire.

But they appeared to be without end.

Lind had no choice but to leave the bugs to his soldiers; they had set up defenses, and he himself had to rush forward to the source to end it all.

The Flying Dragon, skimming low and swift against the wind, opened its maw, and flames followed its dive from the "mountain top" all the way down to the "mountain foot."

The stench made Lind frown slightly, but the Flying Dragon beneath him was in a frenzied revelry, joyously spewing flames without fear of being hurt by the flame-tumors. In fact, it was more elated, able to exhale even more freely.

Dust stirred up by the storm filled the air, and bugs lying with limbs up resembled defeated soldiers raising white flags, barely twitching and swaying in the flames.

Even though it was just a dragon, the soldiers at the "mountain top" couldn’t help but marvel at its might, unlike during the fight with the Giants, the dragon’s unrestrained fiery breath now burned like a victory in the annals of history into their souls.

The emergence of the bugs had an end, and to their surprise, it wasn’t a Magic Circle but a massive nest.

They didn’t know how long it had been constructed there, the living-like bug nest writhing and moving.

The bugs saw the silhouette in the sky but were powerless, obviously, the Wizard who created the splicing magic never imagined facing a dragon flying in the air and spitting fire one day.

The Flying Dragon beat its wings, burning the bug nest, even biting the flame-tumors multiple times.

With the Curse of the Ring of Magic enhancing its strength, the nest was destroyed quickly.

The flames completely overturned the nest, followed by a torrent of bugs surging out like a flood. They trampled over each other like piled sand chasing Lind, but as the Flying Dragon beat its wings to gain altitude, the gap widened once again.

Bugs swarmed everywhere, the earth trembled, and flames scorched the sky.

Had there been a Bard present, this scene would have been recorded, but this was merely a slaughter—Lind riding the Flying Dragon against the bugs, as well as the ongoing assault by the bugs on the soldiers.

The soldiers struggled against a swarm of bugs, outnumbering them by hundreds, even thousands—this, even after many bugs had been drawn away by Lind’s actions. Otherwise, things might have been even harder.

Lind, flying above, was finally attacked too.

He rapidly caught sight of that figure, a massive bug shaped like a Magic Centipede, with grey carapace, flattened body, many legs, and incredibly swift movements.

It leaped like a cricket, springing from the ground to the air.

It hurtled towards him, its antennae quivering like steel whips, terrifying to behold; its jaws clamped in eager anticipation.

It successfully attacked the Flying Dragon, almost knocking it off balance and causing it to nearly crash.

Lind quickly leaped onto the giant centipede, grabbing a pair of its steel-whip antennae.

In that moment, he seemed to pick up on a certain signal.

A vague magical signal.