From there, those who were blocking the way appeared.
Beyond the cracked tunnel, the Gigan Death Legion was entrenched between a black iron gate and a crumbling stone wall. The sword guards, spearmen, and axe bearers stood in their way, while the shield bearers formed a barrier of death, their black skull shields pressed together.
At that moment, darkness engulfed the inside of the tunnel.
As the sword guards swung their blades in unison, black sword energy spread in all directions. The spearman's massive lute charged after him, and the moment the tip of the spear struck the ground, an explosion erupted, sending flying stone fragments.
He raised his shield to block the attack, but the impact surged through his arm. He thrust his spear straight through the armor of the sword-wielding soldier and pushed back the enemy approaching with the edge of his shield.
But the legion did not retreat.
The axe-wielded man plunged down with the huge axes in both hands. The ground cracked as the impact spread, and the shield soldiers surged forward, filling the gap. The black skull shields interlocked, thickening the barrier of death.
From above the tunnel, archers’ arrows rained down. Arrows charged through the darkness, carrying the aura of death, and the assassin seized the opportunity to pierce through like a shadow. The poisoned sickle aimed at its side, but it twisted and dodged, then deflected the attack with its intestines.
A hunter's grappling hook chain followed. As the chains wrapped around the shield, the legion pulled them roughly. Holding his ground to avoid being drawn by that force, he swung his spear and broke the chains.
At that moment, the executioner lifted a giant scythe.
A terrifying aura of death filled the tunnel, and the berserker swung his weapon again and again, even with his body wounded. The Black Demons in the rear formed spheres of darkness and hurled them out along with curses.
But light poured in from the opposite side as well.
A bright flash burst across the tunnel as if pushing away darkness, colliding with the legion’s assault and shaking the walls and ceiling. As light and darkness pushed against each other, the Death Corps of Gihun regrouped and blocked the path.
I could no longer push forward head-on.
Blocking arrows and sword energy with shields, he kept an eye on the approaching enemies with his spear and sought openings. The moment the barrier of death wavered, I lowered my body and slipped through.
Although attacks poured in from behind, they did not stop. We had to break through the legion blocking this tunnel and advance beyond the divided path
Attack of the Swamp
After dealing with the Death Legion, the tunnel finally ended and led to a damp swamp. Black water had pooled beneath my feet, and thick mist flowed between the roots entwined with rotten wood.
The once still water suddenly rose. Mudworms emerged from the ground, and venomous mosquito monsters swarmed in, their wings beating. A massive spit was aimed from all directions, and Swamp Lich and Black Lich pulled themselves up from the shore in the mud.
The swamp spider tightened the web spread across the water. Lobsters tried to cling to the black water, while a mudhound and a venomous snake monster emerged from the mist. The tentacle monster stretched its tentacles underwater, trying to wrap around the ankle.
The entire swamp had turned into a hunting ground.
The flames parted the darkness first. Bulps flew in succession, striking the bodies of the mud monsters, and the erupting flames covered the decaying plants and the surface of the swamp. Then flamethrowers rained down, piercing through the mud hounds and swamp mantises.
Direct sunlight broke through the mist. Intense beams of light shone on the swamp beetle’s exoskeleton, and the mist-eaters rained down in succession toward the hiding spot. Where the light passed, the mist parted.
But the monsters kept pouring in.
The swamp golem gathered mud and stones to raise its massive body. The mud crusher threw rocks and mud clumps with its massive arms, while mud mules broke through the ground and plunged beneath their feet. While the crab’s claws crushed the rocks, the decaying deer charged forward, thrusting its rotting antlers.
The rapidly extending spear pierced through the monsters blocking the way one after another. The tip of the spear cut through the water, and in response to the attack deflected by the shield, he thrust the spear in again. As the swamp spirit rose from the mud, a blazing fire engulfed its body.
The flames did not stop. Flames plunged deep into the swamp, and direct sunlight swept across them. The intense heat spread all at once, burning the rotten vines and mud monsters.
But something was still writhing beneath the black water. The mist over the swamp had not lifted, and beyond the light, the shadows of other monsters began to move.