Chapter 1365
Although, by sheer instinct, it forced itself up to Level 48 or even Level 49, and by the standards used to judge magical beasts, this monster's true rank is impossible to determine. Yet, with this method, even after another ten million years, it would never break through to Level 50. Its mana would only grow stronger, its soul ever larger, but its highest rank would always remain capped at Level 49.
Leon led his people forward at full speed, all the while pondering the current situation: what exactly was different from the records? No matter how he tried, he couldn't pinpoint the specific change.
In the future, from the first discovery of this plane to the actual development of it, thousands of years passed. During those millennia, the monster awakened countless times, and the plane was nearly destroyed by battle. Only those above Sky Rank Level 7 could enter here and avoid being controlled when the monster awoke.
But developing a plane isn't something only Sky Rank Level 7 and above can handle. Resource extraction, magical cultivation—these require a huge workforce. Even considering this plane's unique traits, new materials must be researched and cultivated directly here.
Even at the peak of Northend's civilization, it was never so extravagant as to send a group of Sky Rank Level 7 and above to do grunt work here. Mining could be left to alchemical golems, and even magical plant cultivation could use golems, but there are many tasks golems simply can't do. Some things require a human touch, and research always demands a mage's personal involvement.
So what exactly is missing from the records? Leon couldn't figure it out for now. The only thing certain was that this monster—and this plane—were very different from what was documented...
Leon led his people toward the surface, while in another direction, more than a thousand meters underground, Thorned Crown had been completely wiped out. Every member's body was encased in crystalline layers, sealing them entirely. Opening their mouths revealed crystals covering their insides—their mouths, nostrils, and even their organs had been crystallized. Their bodies were now utterly transformed into crystal.
Their power came almost entirely from transplanted bloodlines. The breakthrough to Sky Rank, or any increase in strength, was due to these bloodlines. Their souls were weaker than those of Sky Rank mages at the same level, so when the monster attacked, they had no defense and were instantly controlled...
A whole group was easily and completely controlled. Max walked ahead, expressionless, with the remaining Thorned Crown members trailing behind. They moved through tunnels and caverns, heading straight for the depths below.
Suddenly, the entire group stopped, then turned around and headed back toward the surface. Their return route was much shorter and faster than the one Leon had found. Under the monster's control, their steps never faltered, maintaining a terrifying speed as they raced through tunnels and caverns. In less than half an hour, they emerged on the surface.
On the surface, the Giant Worm Horde seemed to blanket the entire land, while in the sky, a dark cloud of flying magical beasts hovered with wings beating ominously.
Magical beasts that were once natural enemies now stood together. Countless magical beasts surrounded a cave entrance over a hundred meters high, sealing off the area for dozens of kilometers. Underground, Stoneback Crawlers, Giant Worms, and all manner of subterranean monsters followed the tunnels and caverns to surround the cave entrance, their circle shrinking ever tighter.
These surface monsters, Giant Worms, and flying magical beasts all seemed to share the same aura now. Every magical beast's body was covered in crystalline layers—they too had been crystallized.
Max led the Thorned Crown warriors out from the cave, looking like human-shaped statues carved from crystal.
After emerging, the Thorned Crown group stood together with the Giant Worms, turning to look back at the massive cave entrance, quietly waiting.
Every magical beast in the plane, along with the subterranean Giant Worm Horde, was under the monster's control. Add to that the dozen Sky Rank warriors from Thorned Crown—all were waiting here for Leon, preparing to ambush him.
Everything in the plane was under the monster's command. The route Leon chose to reach the surface, the exact point of emergence—all were within the monster's control. Now, the cave entrance was the only possible exit, and with hordes of monsters gathering below, even if Leon wanted to change course, he'd be forced back to this path.
Traveling through the underground, Leon encountered no more obstacles—not a single underground creature appeared. The journey was smooth, almost suspiciously so. The smoother things went, the more Leon felt something was wrong.
"Stop. We're changing direction. Something's off. We can't be controlled, and for that monster, that's absolutely unacceptable. To it, our souls are the most delicious nourishment after countless years—it won't give up. It'll do whatever it takes to destroy us."
If we die here, everything will be devoured by that monster. Lord Sean and Hughes are pure soul beings, which makes them an even greater temptation for the monster. Yet we've come this far without encountering any obstacles—there's only one explanation: it's probably a trap ahead!
Leon's brows furrowed, his expression grim. The greed of devils, the cruelty of demons—any intelligent being could end up like this. The monster might factor in losses, or consider other possibilities.
But if it's acting purely on instinct—especially this monster—its only drive is to kill and devour them, no matter the cost. In its eyes, none of the plane's creatures count as a loss.
Commanding every creature in the plane to attack is exactly what the underground monster should be doing—and would do. If there's suddenly no threat, then there's only one possibility left: the monster has already opened its jaws, waiting for them to walk right in.
Only then would this beast-like monster do nothing at all.
Leon abandoned the current tunnel and turned into another. But as soon as he entered the next cavern, a volcanic eruption of Giant Worms burst out from seven passages. Their bodies were wrapped in crystal, like specimens sealed in glass.
These Giant Worms were even faster than before. Their eight legs alternated, stabbing into the ground like steel needles. When they stepped onto the hard stone walls, tiny holes appeared instantly.
A tide of Giant Worms surged forth, and ripples began to spread across the stone walls. Stoneback Crawlers drilled out, opening their jaws to reveal rows of interlocking teeth, all aimed at Leon and his party.
In less than three seconds, Leon saw that aside from the tunnel behind him, every other passage was blocked by Giant Worms. In just seconds, a third of the cavern—seven or eight hundred meters long—was filled with worms, packed together like a ball of ants.
"Master Merlin, we're doomed. These things have already blocked the way, there's no way we can break through..."
Lord Sean screamed in terror. These monsters might only be around Level 20 and could be crushed with a single blow, but it meant the monster had total control here. In the end, they'd be worn down and killed—everyone would die in this place.
Huban hefted his slaughter weapon off his shoulder, grinning viciously as he prepared to charge forward.
"These monsters? Grandpa Huban can smash a dozen with one swing—bring as many as you want, I'll kill them all..."
Leon's expression was grim. In this plane, especially now, escaping via a natural demi-plane was impossible. If everyone entered a demi-plane, the coordinates left behind would be disturbed, and they'd never be able to return.
A plane monster evolved from the corpse of a spatial behemoth—it's impossible for it not to have some mastery over spatial power within this plane...
There might not be many Giant Worms ahead, but it already exposed a problem: their route had long been mapped by the monster, which was waiting to harvest its prey.
Trying to change direction now is impossible. Even if they could break through the Giant Worms, the monster would immediately launch a full pursuit. The battle would be forced underground, entirely on the monster's terms.
Rather than that, it's better to follow the monster's plan—charge to the surface and fight there. At least everything can be seen, and whatever traps the enemy has set can be spotted. All they need is raw strength to keep fighting.
"Let's go. We'll stick to the original route and head to the surface! We can't fight here—we'll be trapped and killed. And who knows if Thorned Crown survived the mana tempest? If they did, most of their strength remains, and they're probably under the monster's control now. Down here, we have no advantage at all."
Leon turned back into the previous tunnel. As he did, the controlled Giant Worms in the cavern immediately gave chase. Crossing into another cavern, he saw most of it was packed with worms, except for a single entrance that was still clear.
Leon didn't fight the Giant Worms. Instead, he stuck to the planned route, moving at top speed. Ten minutes later, he appeared at the massive surface cavern. Behind him, the Giant Worms piled up, forming a towering wall that sealed off the passage. Then the swarm surged forward, a flood dozens of meters high crashing down like a tidal wave.
Leon drew the Doombringer Staff. The Spellbook of Ages and Arcane Wheel silently materialized beside him. Instantly, a gate of fire and hurricane, dozens of meters high, appeared. Fierce winds and black flames erupted from the gate—a black fire tornado blasting out of the cavern.
Andefa controlled the Arcane Wheel, transforming the elemental storm into a four-colored torrent that crushed the Giant Worms behind them. The raging storm shredded everything like a hurricane, instantly tearing apart the crystallized worms and scattering their fragments.
The mana here was at least twice as dense as when they first entered the plane. Every spell was vastly more powerful, and pure destructive forces like the elemental storm were two or three times stronger than usual.
The Giant Worm swarm inside the cavern was suppressed, while on the other side, Theodorus wielded the Spellbook of Ages, unleashing a torrent of wind and fire. The black fire tornado engulfed thousands of creatures outside the cavern in an instant.
The power of the hurricane shredded the bodies of the giant insect-like beasts, while the black flames incinerated their remains, scattering ashes in seconds.
The black fire tornado spread from the cavern entrance, covering a thousand meters outside in seconds. Any giant insect beast caught in the flames was burned to ash.
Huge insect beasts, their backs armored like burrowing demons, burned in the black flames. Yet they still charged the cavern, their insides turning to ash first, their shells rolling toward the entrance. A second later, even the metallic shells were reduced to ashes...
Gaunt but over five meters tall, the grayblade mantis-like magical beasts leapt for the cavern, their arms four gleaming blades. Midair, the hurricane shredded their bodies into fragments, which rained down and were instantly burned to ash by the black flames...
Faced with the black fire tornado, these magical beast hordes—mostly Level 20, with few above Level 30—were now driven by the monster to charge the cavern to their deaths.
The cavern entrance was the perfect place to trap Leon. Here, the monster-controlled beast horde and Thorned Crown's warriors could unleash their full power, unhindered by the underground environment. Once blocked in, Leon and his group would have no escape—they'd be worn down and killed here...
Creatures in this plane aren't very strong—averaging only Level 20 or so—and their numbers are much lower than in other planes. But as a plane, the total number of creatures still starts in the tens of millions.
Just the giant insect-like magical beasts surrounding the cavern covered more than ten kilometers of ground. Add the flying magical beasts in the sky, dark as storm clouds, and the total easily reached tens of millions. If every creature in the plane were gathered here, the number would be in the hundreds of millions...
Even if the strongest of these giant insect-like magical beasts barely reached Level 40, with 99% at Level 20, such numbers could exhaust even a Sky Rank Level 5 warrior.
The terror of the Undead Plane comes from sheer numbers. When two undead lords go to war, it's normal for a hundred million undead to clash for months—anything less is a minor skirmish...
Once numbers reach a certain point, unless you can crush them all at once, you'll be worn down and killed. Even Leon, with a natural demi-plane and nearly inexhaustible mana, could be exhausted here—his soul drained, his energy spent.
Behind them, the Giant Worm Horde kept pouring out of the underground, their numbers ever increasing. Even as hundreds were shredded by the elemental storm each second, they used their lives to carve a path, pushing forward through sheer numbers.
Outside the cavern, the magical beast army piled one atop another, charging through Theodorus's wind-fire torrent, sacrificing their lives to attack the cavern.
The insect beast flood and the wind-fire torrent collided. Even the crystallized insect beasts were burned to ash by the black flames in a second, but there were simply too many...
Within seconds, they had advanced hundreds of meters. At this rate, they'd soon flood into the cavern, filling every corner with sheer numbers.
"Follow me!"
Leon growled. The Doombringer Staff blazed, and the Death Tome in his left hand opened on its own. Quad-Element Bombs formed and launched as a rain of projectiles. Outside the cavern, miniature mushroom clouds bloomed in the chaos of fire, shockwaves ripping the insect beasts to shreds and hurling the rest away.
After unleashing a barrage of Quad-Element Bombs, Leon rapidly chanted a string of Law Sigils. In front of him, the sigils coalesced into a Quad-Element Law Sigil Bomb over five meters long.
With a whoosh, the Quad-Element Law Sigil Bomb vanished from the cavern, flying over a thousand meters before landing in the beast horde—a sphere of terrifying destruction rising skyward.
Within hundreds of meters, every beast was wiped out. The top of the sphere split open, thunder rumbling as a pitch-black mushroom cloud rose.
Within two kilometers, not a single giant beast survived. Even Thorned Crown's warriors were blasted away, except for Max, who conjured a crystal shield and was only pushed back a dozen meters before stopping.