On this battlefield, tens of thousands of Burrow Beasts and Facehuggers had been miniaturized. Currently, they were like fallen leaves drifting in the wind, tossed to and fro by the surging currents.
This arrangement was originally designed to deploy troops in advance; as long as the shrunken Burrow Beasts stayed hidden, they wouldn't easily attract the attention of the Dark Beasts. Consequently, at this moment, they were like plankton in the ocean, drifting everywhere. These tiny things were difficult to notice, and with their individual combat power, it would be nearly impossible for them to face a giant Royal Dharma Image head-on.
However, they were incredibly effective against a shrunken Dark Beast Royal that relied on agility.
Right under Wei Huan's nose, a Dark Beast Royal about 60 to 70 meters tall charged out. A normal Royal is 20 meters tall, and their giant Dharma Images can reach a thousand meters. This 60 to 70-meter height was extremely peculiar—a form never seen before. It was clearly a specific adaptation and counter-measure prepared by the Dark Beast King.
Wei Huan didn't even have time to see what the creature looked like; the moment it appeared, he knew it was coming for him. After all, he was at the top of the Dark Beast race's "Most Wanted" list. In this surrounded situation, if the enemy didn't strike at him directly, they would simply be swallowed by the ocean of combat, surrounded by the endless undead army.
What if they could actually kill him?
Having sacrificed its massive size, this Royal was incredibly fast. Wei Huan was five kilometers from the center of the battlefield, but the enemy was like a lightning bolt, reaching him in almost a single breath. It nimbly bypassed the undead army guarding Wei Huan, or simply smashed through them when necessary. The inherent strength of a Royal's true body was inevitably higher than that of the undead.
It approached rapidly, charging like a heavy truck with its brake lines cut. On its demonic face—which bore a striking resemblance to Xu Qingqiang's transformed state—one could see a glimmer of joy in its ferocious, predatory eyes, as if it were about to harvest its prey.
Apparently, even the beast hadn't expected things to go so smoothly, reaching within a kilometer of the Necromancer so easily. Or perhaps it was already praising its own brilliance for choosing the path of the "reverse hunt" to kill this human at such a moment.
'I'm about to achieve a great feat!'
Smugness and ferocity appeared on its face covered in cyan scales. Its snake-like eyes narrowed into terrifying vertical slits. The joy of imminent victory washed over it. It couldn't even control its mouth; as it opened, its face elongated from a human-like shape into a gaping serpentine maw, intending to swallow Wei Huan whole.
'Just a bit more!'
'Only a tiny bit left!'
'Almost there! I'm going to swallow this human!'
'A mere summoner... his body is nothing but a lamb to the slaughter!'
'Kill, kill, kill!!'
However, the bloodlust and triumph on its face didn't last long. It felt its body suddenly become heavy.
"Eh?"
Immediately, it lost control and crashed to the seabed. Suddenly, "mushrooms" seemed to sprout all over its body—'poof, poof, poof'—appearing one after another. Its body became heavier and tighter; it was pinned down, unable to move at all.
Confused, it looked up, only to find that it was being entangled by the long legs of countless Burrow Beasts. Those "mushrooms" were the carapaces of the beasts, too many to count. It was as if it had stepped right into a Burrow Beast nest. But when did this happen? There had been nothing in front of it just a second ago!
It struggled with all its might, resisting fiercely. Under its immense strength, legs were snapped and Burrow Beasts were torn from its body one by one. But no matter how many it tore off, there seemed to be an infinite supply. Its body was being bound tighter and tighter; it was about to lose all movement!
It loathed these low-level Dark Beasts; why were they so persistent? No, wait... how did these low-level creatures even appear?
Finally, through the gaps in the accumulating, writhing bodies of the Burrow Beasts, it saw more of them swimming toward it.
How small were they?
They were smaller than its fingernails. But the moment they swam onto its body and gripped it with their legs, they suddenly expanded—like poisonous mushrooms gorged on blood. One "mushroom" in particular grew larger and larger before its horrified eyes. Once it reached a weight the Royal could no longer bear, it used its long legs to tear the beast apart.
The Royal's Dharma Image was quickly shattered. Without it, the beast was even less capable of resisting the Burrow Beast legion led by Gouzi. No matter what shape it took—shrinking smaller or growing larger—the Burrow Beasts stuck to it like glue, tearing at it until it was dead.
This "brave" Dark Beast Royal became the first casualty.
The other Royals should have taken this as a warning. Unfortunately, they were too busy to notice. The battlefield was in total chaos. Wei Huan's sudden arrival and the unexpected circumstances had exposed the differing temperaments of the Royals.
Some only wanted to flee. Some went solo to assassinate Wei Huan. Others were driven into a blood-frenzy, fighting a gore-soaked battle against the invading undead.
The seawater was churned into a cloudy mess. Even with his shared vision at the front, it was very difficult for Wei Huan to gauge the flow of the battle. However, as the undead army fought alongside him, they seemed to develop an instinctive reaction to combat. With the fearless Dark Beast Elites commanding from the front, not being able to see the battlefield clearly for a moment was no great catastrophe.
---
Wei Huan withdrew his gaze and looked ahead. The Burrow Beasts that had swarmed the first Royal were dispersing, shrinking back down to a size that was nearly invisible unless one looked closely. They soon permeated the area within a three-kilometer radius of Wei Huan—above, below, left, and right.
As for the Royal that had charged him, not even a bone fragment remained.
Wei Huan's virtual screen updated. His progress for the task of killing Dark Beast Royals had jumped to three.
Finally, the third one. It was just too difficult. He had thought that entering the Dark Beast Plane would allow him to go on a killing spree all the way to the King. He hadn't expected the plane to be so vast, or that the Royals would actually run away. He had always assumed they were bloodthirsty brutes who didn't have the word "retreat" in their vocabulary.
Apparently, that wasn't the case.
While Wei Huan was staring at the data, the number for Side Quest 2 suddenly flickered and jumped to "4."
Another one died? Was it the central battlefield?
Sensing his Mana (Nether Power) consumption, Wei Huan looked toward the center. Even amidst the chaos, he immediately spotted Dot Mom, whose form was too massive to hide. It had to be said that the "Size Alteration" ability she gained after becoming a Legendary Hero was incredibly practical.
The use of shrinking had just been demonstrated—it was perfect for concealment. As for growing large, there was no question; on a battlefield of this scale, Wei Huan would never have dared to act so boldly without a gargantuan presence like Dot Mom to hold the line.
Dot Mom was taking on three at once. Captain Xue, Xu Qingqiang, and Da Xiong could each hold one, while the others pinned down several more in the chaos. With the Royals' reactions being uncoordinated—some charging blindly, others fleeing in terror—Wei Huan and his warriors were actually managing to hold their own against 13 Dark Beast Royals without their vehicles. They had already killed two, maintaining a very high win rate.
However, Wei Huan also felt his Mana running low. Dot Mom's giant form was devouring his energy; even with 18,000 Mana, it wasn't enough for her to squander. Furthermore, he didn't have a "Super Energy Storage Tank" nearby. Realizing his Mana had dropped to half, Wei Huan couldn't afford to keep pushing for a total victory yet; he quickly called a halt.
The next second, the titan that had been standing high enough to nearly break the surface of the sea disappeared. She turned back into a tiny, jellyfish-like creature, bobbing back through the water to perch on Wei Huan's shoulder. Wei Huan needed her to help increase his Mana recovery rate.
As for the remaining Mana...
Wei Huan looked over and told Mu Zhong, "Apply the Blessings. Otherwise, we won't be able to keep them all here."
Indeed, Wei Huan never considered that they might lose; he was only worried they wouldn't kill everyone. To wipe them out entirely, he decided to take a gamble. Applying Blessings would result in a 24-hour weakened state. Even if he kept some undead back as a precaution, it was a fact that his combat power would decrease. But if he let this opportunity slip, he knew he would regret it. These Royals were a disorganized mess with no will to fight; this was the best chance to take them all out!
Mu Zhong knew the risks, but he trusted Wei Huan's combat instincts. Without a word, he teleported to Wei Huan's side. He raised his hand and tapped the blue earring on his left ear. A rhythmic thumping sound echoed from the horizon, and phantoms of ancient humans dancing around totems appeared in the sky. The gaze of a deity descended, bestowing blessings.
Instantly, blue light surged over the undead army. Some doubled in size, some accelerated sharply, and others had their attack damage doubled. Shaman Blessings were incredibly powerful; even a basic blessing could grant a triple attribute boost. If not for the debilitating weakened state afterward, Shamans would never have been marginalized. But even with the penalty, they remained the ultimate tool for turning the tide on a critical battlefield.
The undead army, which had been in a deadlock with the Royals, instantly gained the upper hand. On Wei Huan's screen, the count for Side Quest 2 jumped to "5." Even without Dot Mom holding the line, the overall strength of the blessed army had surged, allowing them to kill another Royal instantly.
"Swish!"
"Jie-jie-jie, Bloodlust!"
Xu Qingqiang suddenly leaped out from a small Kobold's mouth. His eyes, excited by the slaughter, had turned into the cold, mechanical vertical slits of a reptile. With a ferocious expression, he demanded a ten-fold attribute boost from Mu Zhong. Wei Huan noticed that his mouth and hands were covered in thick, black blood; the man was on the verge of losing control.
However, Wei Huan wasn't worried. [Endless Prison] was the safety line for the Criminal sequence; as long as the Prison's level was high enough, they wouldn't cross the line. Red light flickered over Xu Qingqiang. His appearance didn't change, but his aura became terrifyingly strong. At this distance, if he lost control, neither Wei Huan nor Mu Zhong could escape.
But Xu Qingqiang simply grabbed the buffs he wanted and leaped back into the Kobold's mouth, returning to the fight.
---
By now, the silt and chaos in the center had cleared slightly. Using the Hero-grade Demon Eye, Wei Huan could make out the situation. The battlefield had split into two.
In the area composed almost entirely of the undead army, five Dark Beast Royals were trapped, a scene of "ants biting an elephant to death." Endless undead crawled up the Royals' legs. They weren't afraid, even though hundreds were dying every second; they remained heroic, knowing that a single bite on the enemy was a profit. But the army wasn't just nipping; they were tearing chunks of flesh away.
The Double-Headed Hidden Demons, whose numbers were growing, showed terrifying combat power after receiving the triple blessing. They became flying blades on the battlefield, carving into the Royals. The Royal that had just died had failed to adapt to the sudden power spike of the undead and was slaughtered by the Hidden Demons before it could react.
On the other side, the combat group composed mainly of human Challengers pinned down three Royals. Humans couldn't fight a war of attrition like the undead, so they relied on coordination and tactics.
Captain Xue, armed to the teeth, was the undisputed "Tank." He didn't mind being kicked around like a ball by a Royal's Dharma Image; not only did he hold aggro perfectly, but he also took almost no damage. His defense was too high; Wei Huan had given him all the best gear.
Hammer was ghost-like. Despite wielding an axe larger than a door, he moved across the field hacking away, yet the Royals seemed unable to see him. Forget the enemies—even his own teammates often forgot he was there until they looked again and saw Hammer had already landed countless hits on the foe. Strangely, the enemies ignored the source of their wounds, instead doubling their rage against Captain Xue and "playing ball" with him even harder.
However, the real star this time was Xu Qingqiang.
Having received the Bloodlust blessing, he didn't waste a second. After teleporting, he flashed onto the back of a Dharma Image. His eerie laughter echoed as the Image began to dissipate—first as wisps of smoke, then as an avalanche of black mist. In less than ten breaths, the Dharma Image was blown apart. Xu Qingqiang gave the enemy no room to breathe, flying in to tear at the Royal's true form.
The man and the beast still had a size difference—the beast was nearly twenty meters tall while he was less than two—but they clashed fiercely. Xu Qingqiang quickly gained the upper hand, pummeling the Royal until it was howling in agony, blood flying everywhere. Finally, with a closing elbow strike, the black bone spike on his elbow pierced the Royal's crown. With a vicious twist, he harvested the Royal's life.
Dark Beast Royals have a unique nature; as long as they have energy, they can keep reviving and changing forms. But dying once costs a massive amount of energy. Even if it returned from death, its body was less than half its original size and its combat power was significantly reduced. It couldn't beat Xu Qingqiang at full strength, let alone at half-power. It was slaughtered again before it could even react.
The Royal was driven insane with fear! It rapidly shifted through various life forms but couldn't escape Xu Qingqiang. He hunted it down until the last wisp of its energy dissipated, unable to manifest a complete form ever again.
[Side Quest 2: Kill Dark Beast Royal 6/293]
To date, Wei Huan and his group had wiped out 4 of the 13 Dark Beast Royals in less than five minutes of their first encounter.
This result left Captain Fang and his men—who were linked to the combat channel—completely speechless. It wasn't self-deprecation; Captain Fang had already held a very high opinion of Wei Huan's strength. He thought that on such a battlefield, even without vehicles, their combined forces could manage to pin down and hunt three Royals.
But the reality proved that Captain Fang's vision was currently insufficient. Wei Huan's strength had exceeded his understanding. They were all Sequence 5, and Wei Huan only had about 80 combatants involved, yet they dared to encircle 13 Royals with the undead and easily killed 4. This level of power was beyond logic. Even though Captain Fang had assumed Wei Huan had the ability since he proposed the plan, seeing the result delivered so easily still shocked him deeply.
Wei Huan was strong. Now, his crew was also strong. Aside from the people on Wei Huan's vehicle, there were likely no other humans who would dare to face a Dark Beast Royal relying solely on their own abilities. They had the best equipment, the best cultivation environment, and even the food they ate made them significantly stronger. Captain Fang used to be called the "Human Race's Strongest Shield," but Captain Xue's defense was now far, far superior. Being mobbed by four Royals didn't kill him; although it looked a bit messy, it was hard to imagine who could actually kill the man.
In that moment of daze, another beast fell. This time, the credit went not to Xu Qingqiang, but to Hammer. Working with Captain Wang Ming and Liu Xiaotian, Hammer successfully decapitated a Royal. Without its Dharma Image, the Royal was a lamb to the slaughter before Wei Huan's crew. With no room to resist, it was pummeled by everyone until it died on the spot.
Now, only two Dark Beast Royals remained on the Challenger side of the field. Though these two were clearly stronger and harder to kill, it wouldn't be difficult to deal with them once the group was free. The two Royals realized something was wrong and were trying everything to escape. This was actually harder than a direct confrontation; with the small number of humans, blocking the flight of two gargantuan creatures was not easy.
Just then, a mass of black shadows flew in from the left. Captain Fang's gaze instinctively shifted to the intruders.
'This is—?!'
It was a "Flight Squad" composed of over 500 Double-Headed Hidden Demons. Like a sharp sword, they swung over from the other battlefield, intercepting the two fleeing Royals. The blessed Hidden Demons were powerful enough to damage Royals on their own. With such numbers and the coordination of the Challenger squad, they could surely harvest these two lives shortly.
But just as Captain Fang thought the human squad would coordinate with the undead to finish those two, he was surprised. Xu Qingqiang and the others turned around and leaped into the mouths of the small Kobolds waiting on the ground. When they reappeared, they had instantly crossed three kilometers to the battlefield under Wei Huan's control.
"You grandsons! Come on! Your grandpa is right here!!" Captain Xue shouted a mass-taunt the moment he appeared.
Surprisingly, the Royals on this side didn't flee like the other two, perhaps emboldened by their numbers. Seeing a human appear and howl a taunt was particularly annoying; they wanted to crush him. Not yet shrouded by the shadow of death, the Royals turned their heads immediately.
They were completely unaware that two Reapers were closing in on the same target simultaneously.
It was the Godzilla-like dragon monster seen earlier, with pitch-black skin and a bumpy shell. Its tail was split into a dozen strands, waving around like tentacles, smashing undead bones and sending them back to the Great Tomb. This was a very strong Royal; not only was it thick-skinned, but its attacks were also powerful. Its strength was near the top of this group. Normally, one wouldn't choose to strike it first.
Unfortunately, it was wounded. To resist the initial Nether Flame Bombs, it had tanked the damage with its body. Large patches of its shell were shattered, and black mist—the concentrated dark energy it had plundered—was leaking out, churning the seawater. Those wounds were the breakthrough points that would bring it down. Wei Huan had targeted this Royal from the start; it was just too valiant to handle at first.
But now...
Most of the Hidden Demons besieging it withdrew, replaced by nearly eighty humans. The numerical difference lowered the beast's sense of danger. It actually "took" Captain Xue's taunt and charged toward him like a thundering engine.
At that moment, two figures blurred from the left and right at lightning speed.
"Jie-jie-jie!"
"..."
Xu Qingqiang's wild, eerie laughter echoed. Seeing him, the Royal lashed out with its tail tentacles. Xu Qingqiang moved through the water like a nimble fish, dodging and positioning with ease. The ten-fold state allowed him to handle it effortlessly, closing the distance step by step.
With Captain Xue taunting on one side and Xu Qingqiang closing in on the other, the Royal's ferocity was ignited, handling both with ease. Finally, when Xu Qingqiang failed to dodge a tentacle in time, it struck him heavily, sent him flying, nearly shattering him.
The Royal waited for the human's death. Its crimson eyes stared intently.
At that moment, it felt a chill on the back of its neck. Its thoughts stuttered for a second; instinctively, it knew something was wrong. It realized it had overlooked something.