The insects all turned together! They all looked over, turning towards the entrance, directly facing Dilen and Oxin with their countless big, beady black eyes!
Oxin: "..."
Dilen: "..."
The duo felt a chill run down their spines!
Another ripple spread through the void, and then—
Both of them, realizing their mistake at the same time, slowly, very slowly, like a rusty machine, turned their heads and peered over their respective shoulders—
Just to witness the moment Petra entered the room!
Step!
Everything froze!
-
Petra stepped through the door, hands behind her head, her female entourage a step behind.
She looked around, 'mildly' impressed.
"…Mm, is it bugs next?" She muttered—
"Hm…? Mm, wait…"
For half a breath, everything was normal, but…
Then—
Half a breath later—SILENCE!
Complete silence!
Everything, in every enclosure, in every room, became dead silent!
She looked around…
There was a pause, then she realized something with a third 'Mm?'
"...Oh, yeah…" She had forgotten about that…
Insects: "..."
Petra: "..."
Insects: "..."
Petra: "..."
Insects: "!!"
"Schreeeeeeeeeeeech!"
BOOM! Everything erupted in an instant! Chaos descended!
The insects exploded into violent spasms, swarming over one another in a frenzied spiral! Some insects began digging at triple their normal speed, while others attacked their own kind in a blind bloodlust! Glass rang out as an uncountable number of flies repeatedly slammed themselves against the barriers, centipedes coiled violently as their bodies scratched against the glass, and some beetles even tried to flee while others began tearing at one another's bodies! Some of the bugs just pulled themselves into a corner, trembling, while a few lowered their bodies and quickly kowtowed just like little human people…
Wang!
The arrays embedded in the walls flared to life with a bright golden bloom!
Boom!
Alarms sounded!
The staff of the Beast Garden rushed out from every conceivable corner!
"Damn it, again!?"
"What the hell's going on!"
"Stabilize the core rune matrix!"
"Sweep the corridor clean!"
"Guide the guests out!"
"Quickly!"
"Go!"
The surrounding guests screamed as a series of security measures exploded awake, separating the civilians from the enclosures with a bang!
Cracks splintered across the reinforced glass, and soon—
Boom!
—Several sections of glass shattered and scattered like small storms!
Crash!
One enclosure, two enclosures, three, four, five…! Bang!! Bang-bang-bang!
Hundreds of enclosures spread across dozens of hexagonal rooms all collapsed together! An uncountable number of insects spilled out into the corridor!
They all ranged in size and shape, color and chaos, but together they formed a series of black tides that would send almost anybody a significant step backwards at the sight!
Swoosh!
Amidst the chaos, Dilan was the first to move, quickly grabbing his spear, its length quickly igniting with a red light as a wide arc of bright red flame swept out as he performed a sweep! A wave of fire exploded outwards, incinerating the nearest wave of berserk insects in an instant!
The air was filled with the scent of burning shells and bitter ash!
Behind, Oxin shouted, and the three female attendants, along with the man who had been holding the spear, all moved into position.
"Get behind me!" he roared again, this time even louder.
His call was scattered, not only directed at his people but also the surrounding pedestrians who were unable to immediately reach an exit.
Following his voice, those closest to him immediately ran behind him.
As Oxin scanned the situation, calculating, Dilen completely disregarded the 'value' of these insects and focused on 'protecting' as many people as possible.
At the same time—
Buzz!
Oxin stepped forward, finally ready to make his move, as a pale emerald light flashed in his eyes. He looked out, sweeping his ethereal gaze across the room as the chaos swallowed the corridor and narrowed his eyes.
He slowly raised his hand—swoosh! Then struck it forward! Cha-bang!
Spectral chains erupted from his forearm, weaving into layered motes of green light that rippled like intwining tree roots formed from glass! A spray of acid sizzled over from a nearby three-headed centipede, but when it landed against the 'chains', it dispersed in a violent hiss of silver smoke.
He flicked his wrist, and the 'chains' snapped outwards, crushing a wave of lunging mantises midair.
As the green light tore them to pieces, Oxen could see the madness in their buggy little eyes.
His brows furrowed as he continued.
'This is bad…' His thoughts flashed.
The army of berserk insects ranged from ordinary 'mortal variants' all the way up to third-order magic beasts! Individually, most of these insects were fragile and very easy to kill, but there were too many, and to further complicate things, a few of them were very rare species, each with unique traits and an unbelievably high research 'value!'
In addition, Oxin knew something Dilan did not, and that was that the Barak Family had 'temporarily' donated several of these insects while they were quickly building a special habitat! They did not know how long the chaos in the north would last, so they had been a bit overzealous when collecting them.
In short, if too many died, it would definitely not be a small matter, especially if he was the culprit...
Thinking about this, his eyes swept to the side.
Dilan was already deep in the fray, completely disregarding the value of these creatures! Flames carved through swarm after swarm in large, broad arcs, killing three digits at a time. He prioritized the surrounding civilians without hesitation, occasionally grabbing people by the collar and hurling them behind cover while incinerating anything that got too close.
The battle spread outwards, increasing like wildfire.
The sheer number of insects was explosive, shocking even these two golden core young masters!
As the insects continued pouring from shattered habitats, Oxin grimaced, finally realizing that he couldn't just worry about his family's priorities at a time like this! He couldn't understand what had triggered this chaos, but the insects had clearly all lost their minds! They were no longer behaving as they should; instead, some rampaged mindlessly, some attacked one another, some fled blindly, and a few just cowered in the corners.
This was clearly not normal!
There must be a source!
His gaze shifted, and slowly, his eyes settled on Petra…
She was tiptoeing away, attempting to blend into the chaotic crowd and quietly disappear alongside them with her maids. She was very nonchalant about it, causing Oxin's expression to further darken.
Did this truly have nothing to do with her?
He wasn't sure, but his instincts told him otherwise!
Glancing around, even as she distanced herself, the frenzy didn't subside, not in the slightest!
No! If anything, it almost seemed to have intensified!
The insects seemed caught between worship, terror, and slaughter, with most of them having devolved into raw, mindless violence that sought an outlet.
Boom!
Another tremor shook the corridor!
As Oxin dragged a group of civilians behind a large pillar, he briefly examined a fallen insect that he dragged over with an ethereal green hand.
Upon closer inspection, its soul flickered faintly in his perception.
When he looked closer, he found that it was damaged in an extremely strange way.
Seeing this, he checked another, then another, and soon he started to understand something.
The soul was split into layers, much like the body. The outermost layer, the soul's equivalent to the skin, had been worn thin as if shaved down and left raw. It was in a state not much different than if one were to flay the skin from a living being!
Oxin grimaced.
The appearance of this 'phenomenon' was prominent in almost all the low-level insects. He couldn't imagine the 'pain' these bugs were experiencing right now, but it was definitely enough to drive the weaker bugs mad and the stronger bugs into unpredictable submission! No, it was worse than that! This was exactly the same situation behind why high-level practitioners were not allowed to walk around in public unrestrained, only right now it had only affected the soul, and only the souls of the insect race!
How troublesome!
-
Swoosh!
Dilan spun, his spear blazing with a red light that illuminated the surroundings.
Despite the lack of room and countless bystanders, he wasn't impeded in the least! Each thrust punched through multiple bodies, and each swing caused flames to bloom with their sweeps. Beetles were decapitated, mantises shattered, and grasshoppers incinerated. He grabbed a terrified noble and flung her safely behind a risen barrier without breaking his advance. If anything, he seemed to be speeding up as he weaved through the escapees!
He was a brute, yes, but his sheer talent allowed him to act recklessly, and right now, that reckless brute force was exactly what they needed!
This continued for some time…
But not long after—
BOOM!
A heavy impact slammed through the side of a nearby passageway, creating a new corridor between two previously unconnected rooms!
Dilen and Oxin both turned to look, one frowning while the other became more excited.
The wall had caved inwards as a massive 'Hive-Ram Black Beetle' burst into view! This was a massive insect-type creature that stood nearly two meters tall, its shell resembling layered stone fused with a black obsidian. Looking closer, smaller 'parasitic' insects writhed across its back like living armor, each seemingly carved from the same obsidian-like material that formed its shell. These creatures were small but unbelievably sharp, and their innate tremble was like a vibrating saw, capable of cutting through most things when touched or engulfed.
Oxin grimaced. Why was this thing here!?
Its habitat should have been three chambers away!
Shit!
This creature was one of the insects that 'belonged' to the Barak Family. It was a particularly deadly beast, but not exactly dangerous when treated right, hence his frown. The problem was it was quite valuable and extremely rare.
What a shame, he muttered, already making up his mind…
The creature advanced like a moving fortress, crushing debris and fallen bodies under its weight.
The surrounding screams intensified.
Dilan, looking up, grinned despite the danger.
His eyes glowed with excitement!
"Finally! Hahaha! Something worth hitting!"
Woosh! He charged!
His spear coiled with serpentine flames, flickered with light, and—swoosh! Boom! He collided with the beetle's armored head in a thunderous clash! Flames erupted across its shell, spreading to the hallway, and nearly engulfing the emerging staff that had started to gather after most of the civilians had been evacuated.
It was a massive attack, one that shook the earth!
You could literally feel the weight behind their clash through the floor!
He pushed, his spear trembling as the beast retaliated instantly, ramming forward with a devastating crushing force that sent Dilan skidding backwards across the fractured floor.
He held his spear horizontally, allowing his forward momentum to turn and follow his shift in direction, then Dilen turned this momentum into a parry and used it to turn back, spinning in the air, then jumped up to the ceiling and ran along its length before turning back and lunging again in an even more devastating charge!
Swoosh!
He didn't hesitate!
He attacked again and again! Every time he was knocked back, he threw himself forward once again, relentlessly advancing in an in and out sequence that defied all logic, all the while maintaining a forward 'charge'. It was a little like a dance, and with each charge, his attacks became stronger and stronger, causing more and more damage.
His body had started to exude a powerful aura as this continued, producing something akin to a spiritual haze, distorting the air around him as he heated up, creating a mirage!
Around the same time, Oxin, with his hands finally free, flanked from behind. Spectral threads lashed out, tying one of the beetle's massive limbs in a binding of soul forged force!
Hump!
He wrenched sideways with a sharp pull!
Dong!
The limb buckled, then slammed into the floor.
Swoosh! Dilan seized the opening and drove his spear into a small seam between its layered shell!
Boom!
"Schreereeeeeech!"
A sharp, furious screech tore through the air as the thousands of smaller insects clinging to its shell were blasted away, scattering like shrapnel. Oxin conjured a shield while Dilen twirled his spear, each avoiding these small creatures.
The big beetle thrashed violently, ripping free of the bindings as it screamed in pain.
Dilan roared in turn, unleashing a concentrated explosion of fire-element elemental energy into the crack he had opened, using his spear as a conductor for his will!
BOOM!! The explosion violently split its shell!
The massive body shuddered—
Then collapsed…
Bang!
Dilen tore his spear free by pressing his foot against the collapsed beast's head and ripping it out.
He flicked the blood off his spear.
Smoke drifted upwards as the bitter smell of burning chitin crackled through the air.
Dilen shared a look with Oxin.
They frowned, feeling something was wrong… Just as Oxin was about to suggest reorganising with the staff of the Beast Garden before continuing, right then—
Boom!
The floor beneath them burst open!
From beneath the artificial series of enclosures, something tore upwards with an unstoppable force!
BOOM!
The shattered floor erupted as a massive, long, burrowing black insect surged upwards from beneath the artificial terrain, its elongated body slick with wet earth and an almost acidic spiritual energy that stuck to the surroundings like oil! Its segments rippled up and down along its bony spine as it struggled to drag itself into the chamber with dozens of three-jointed scythe-like forelimbs that unfolded outwards. Each limb ended in long, thin, and ominously curved blades that glinted under the amber light. Its head was narrow, seemingly skeletal, halfway between serpent and centipede, while thick black venom dripped slowly from its needle-like fangs, appearing to be tar!
The silhouette was like a nightmare given form, almost appearing like the skeletal outline of an undead western dragon stretched into something long, predatory, and alien, mixed with many insects.
"Schreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeech!"
It screeched, shaking the air!