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I walk along the path that stretches through the meadow. The endless meadow lay down and rose again in the fierce wind, and as dark clouds covered the sky, heavy raindrops began to pour. Raindrops fell from the tips of the grass, tapping the dirt, while enormous shadows of unknown origin moved across the distant ground.
What stood in their way was a flock of cattle. Une glazes, distorting the surrounding landscape with their transparent surfaces, emerged from the grass, while countless smaller entities entwined behind them formed a massive shape. It was Une Swarm. They seemed to move individually, but the moment the group changed direction, the surrounding grasslands shook all at once.
Lightning struck first before the enemies arrived.
A gleaming white current cut through the rain, charging at the enemies ahead. Cracks spread across Uneglaze’s transparent surface, and as parts of Une Swarm dispersed, charred debris fell onto the wet meadow. But other ones surged in among the fallen creatures. The roots extending from their bodies dug into the soil, twisting the ground around them.
The attacks did not stop. Lightning struck again, this time sweeping away the grassland predator rushing from the front and the wind-swept deer. The giant hunter lurked in the grass and lurched sideways, but the moment the lightning swept across the ground, its hidden body was revealed. The draft horse charged, drawing in the wind, its sharp hooves scattering mud and gravel in all directions.
The enemy formation collapsed under the swift counterattack. Une’s root tried to extend out of the ground and wrap around his feet, but as the electric current spread through the roots, the connected body twisted as if convulsing. Une Mud tried to evade the attacks by rolling like mud, but before it could regain its shape on the rain-soaked ground, it was shattered by a series of lightning strikes.
However, the entire meadow did not fall silent. A low, heavy vibration spread through the rain. As the distant land gave way, the Rooted Giant rose to its feet, while behind it, the Golden Horned Bison braced itself to charge with its head bowed. The light gathered between the horns flashed through the rain.
After dealing with the enemies ahead and leaving the meadow path, the road continued into a rough area mixed with gravel. The pebbles, washed clean, slid beneath my feet, and the grasslands on both sides gradually gave way to rugged rocks and exposed earth. The enemies were waiting there as well.
The Red Earth Hunter crouched like a rock, only to leap out the moment they drew near. The grass-dwelling ambush bug sensed a vibration beneath the ground and thrust its enormous front paws up. The gravel crashed into the air, and a flash of lightning pierced through their bodies. As the fast attacks continued, the enemies blocking the path fell one after another.
The heavy rain still did not stop. Each time lightning flashed through the dark clouds, the vast expanse of grassland would emerge only to be swallowed by darkness again. The remains and roots of the fallen monsters were washed away by the current, and muddy water flowed through the gravel.
The path had now left the center of the meadow and continued toward the rocky outskirts. But beyond the rain, another enormous figure moved. It was Une Monarch, the central individual of the Une colony. As the guy moved, the scattered Unees turned direction all at once. It was not the movement of individual monsters, but rather the sight of a single living creature writhing across the entire meadow.
Lightning split the sky again.
Une Monarch's massive body emerged from the rain, and the gravel road in front of it began to vibrate low.
As we followed the path leading to the meadow, a heavy rain covered the fields. Thick raindrops struck the grass, and black shapes moved swiftly through the grass laid down by the wind. Footprints of monsters appeared one after another in the muddy soil, and a low vibration was felt beyond the gravel path.
Une Spine, blocking the way, raised the spikes protruding from its back and tail. The thorns flew through the rain, but lightning soon struck the ground from the sky. A white flash swept across the meadow and engulfed Une’s spine, and he collapsed in the twisted, wet grass.
Taking advantage of the moment, the Une Blade charged in. His arms, transformed into thin, long blades, swung in succession, but the attack stopped the moment lightning flashed again. Soon, Une Veil unfolded a black curtain, blocking out the surrounding light and sound. In the dark veil, even the sound of rain seemed to vanish, but an electric current spreading across the ground revealed the enemy's location. As the lightning pierced the curtain, the black veil split open and dispersed.
In the grass, a predator from the meadow lunged down to its side. The massive body moved as if brushing the ground, followed by a wind-scarer that surged forward, pulling in the wind. The continuous lightning strikes interrupted the movements of the two monsters. Rainwater and muddy water splashed everywhere, and the fallen predator’s body crushed the meadow.
But the enemies kept appearing.
The grass-dwelling beetle leapt from the ground, swinging its front paws as if to swallow a gravel. The Red Earth Hunter ambushed from the side, revealing its body mixed with the surrounding dirt. Lightning struck the two monsters in succession, and the blackened shavings were swept away by the rain. Behind us, a swarm of locusts approached, forming a massive shape. As thousands of wings moved in unison, the rain parted, and the grass in the meadow swayed like a fierce wave.
A lightning bolt struck the center of the swarm. Where the bright flash had passed, the charred creatures scattered, but the remaining grasshoppers immediately regrouped, trying to restore their shape. At that moment, another current swept across the meadow. As the formation's movement collapsed and the massive structure crumbled, countless individuals spilled onto the wet ground.
At last, we had left the meadow path and entered a rough area covered in gravel. Water rushed swiftly beneath my feet through the gravel, and tiny creatures were hiding in every crevice of the rocks. As they advanced along the path, lightning struck every time they discovered enemies emerging from the ground. As the current traveled along the rock surface, it left a blue afterglow in the rain.
The rocky hill ahead shook as if it were collapsing. Une Deep rose from the underground, gouging the ground, and the roots of the Une Route spread out in its vicinity. The roots tried to block the path by wrapping themselves in gravel and soil, but as lightning surged through the ground, the connected roots twisted one after another. As Uneep's massive body emerged, a barrage of attacks followed, and the creature crashed back into the collapsed ground.
The heavy rain still hadn’t stopped. Water trickled down the gravel path like a rushing torrent, carrying the remains of the fallen monsters away. As lightning flashed again from afar, a figure emerged beyond the hill.
It was Une Monarch.
As the massive body moved, the Une scattered around it all changed direction at once. The frantic low-frequency vibrations emitted by the scrampers and the repeating howls of howls shook the entire meadow and gravelly area. The scattered masses began to move as if they were a single living entity.
The lightning split again in the pouring rain. A white current poured toward Une Monarch's body, and a flash revealed the outline of a massive shape. Grains of sand rose from the ground, and twisted roots writhed in the rain.
The battle that had begun on the plains was now spreading across the entire rugged rocky terrain
