Dodging a claw swipe from above, I stabbed the beast with my spear, killing a few other beasts behind it; retracting my spear, I swiped it at an incoming group of beasts before me, and while the spear isn't the best weapon for dealing with large groups of enemies, against these weak beasts, it would hardly make a difference whether I used a spear or a stick.
Killing the several creatures before me, I swiftly turned around again, this time protecting Sarah from a beast that was trying to kill her. Using my spear to kill a different beast, I stabbed my hand through the one attempting to harm Sarah as I infused it with my Qi before throwing it toward a group of beasts. Creating a massive explosion that killed hundreds and wounded many more, but just like what we've been doing the entire time, the instant those beasts died, new ones filled their ranks as they came charging toward Sarah and I.
'Ugh, no matter how many we kill, it never seems to end! The only saving grace is that they're weak; otherwise, we would've long since died.' Mused Marley, with red blood splattered all over her body as she embraced Sarah before charging right through the horde of monsters, spear first.
Flying around while killing numerous beasts, I flew as high as I could into the sky, exiting the sea of monsters; up above, I looked down and saw nothing but red. If some didn't know any better, they'd mistake this for a red river, yet inside the so-called red river; I spotted what looked like a whirlpool not too far away, though in reality, it was just a swirling mass of monsters.
"Dammit, can't even take a break!" Muttered Marley with a frown while she and Sarah looked beneath them, only to see monsters climbing atop each other as they slowly yet steadily neared them.
"Sarah, how are you doing?" Asked Marley in concern as she glanced at Sarah, using the few seconds of remaining peace they had.
"I-I'm mostly fine, at most just a few shallow scratches." Replied Sarah softly, and although she didn't lie, her pale face and heavy breathing said otherwise.
'Sarah won't last much longer; we've already been fighting straight for nearly a day and a half, and she's at her limit. Any longer, and she may very well collapse; the only reason she's even lasted this long is thanks to the various pills I gave her, but it seems like she's still being exhausted faster than she can recover.' Thought Marley with a frown as she observed the surrounding area, though all she saw was red, the green forest having long since been destroyed.
While looking around, I sensed a creature leap toward us from the little mountain they had created with their own bodies; of course, it died from having its head explode to bits with a single thrust of my spear, but that indicated we'd have to move.
"Spectral Lance!" Whispered Marley as she retracted her spear while infusing Qi into it, specifically at the blade, giving it a slight sheen before thrusting it at the mountain of monsters below.
Seeing my attack pierce into the mountain of monsters as it killed thousands of them before finally dissipating, I clicked my tongue, as while it was a lot, it was merely a drop in the bucket, not changing our situation one bit; only giving Sarah and I few more seconds of respite.
"Here, we go again; brace yourself, Sarah." Said Marley with a hardened gaze as she shot forth toward the whirlpool of monsters.
Entering the sea of monsters once more, I headed toward the center of the whirlpool while killing any creatures I came across the way; when I neared the center, I spotted Idonea killing them with greater ease than me. Usually, I'd be annoyed losing to Idonea, but right now, It wasn't the time or place for such things; besides, when I saw how good she was doing, I couldn't help but smile.
Busting out of the sea of monsters, we neared Idonea, flying over the tens of thousands of corpses Idonea had slain, which was somewhat slowing the creatures down, though only partially.
"One of the rare few times I'm glad you're doing so well, Idonea." Said Marley with a faint smirk as she landed beside Idonea while setting Sarah down, putting her between the two.
"One of the rare few times where you and I think the same." Replied Idonea lightly as she glanced at Marley while effortlessly slaughtering tens of beasts every second.
"So, how was it out there? Is it just like I imagined it would be?" Asked Idonea with a frown as she punched a beast with her hand while using her sword to slice through several at once, staining her body in red blood as well.
"Yes, unfortunately, it seemed neverending, though it's not like you couldn't see that for yourself." Stated Marley with a grunt as she also slaughtered many creatures, preventing any from harming her or Sarah.
"However, it's not so bad; if we ever need to escape, we can always use His Highness's last crystal ball. It should allow us to escape if the need arises; even with the massive amount of monsters, they won't be able to resist a full-strength attack from His Highness." Added Marley lightly as she once again used one of her various techniques, killing thousands more, though, to their eyes, it did nothing.
"You're not wrong; I'm prepared to use that if things take an unexpected turn, but everything has been fine so far. It's unpleasant, but if things stay like this, I'm confident of defending against this horde of monsters for an indefinite amount of time." Said Idonea as she powerfully sliced her sword down, manifesting a large sword wave that embedded itself into the swirling mass of monsters, killing thousands and creating a large scar for a mere short moment.
"Y-You shouldn't have said that, Idonea; His Highness once told me a phrase he learned a few years ago when he was exploring that mortal realm. I believe he said anything that can go wrong will go wrong." Stated Sarah with a worried look as she tried helping out by attacking the monsters with her own techniques; although she only managed to kill a few of them, it was better than nothing.
"I agree with Sarah; if something unforeseen happens, I blame you!" Remarked Marley, though Idonea ignored her and focused on the monsters before her.
For the next several hours, the process remained the same: kill, kill, and kill; that's all that was happening, and unfortunately, just as Sarah or His Highness said, something eventually went wrong.
"I hope I'm not the first to notice this, but I'm pretty confident the beasts have gotten stronger; my attacks hardly affect them anymore." Stated Sarah with an ugly expression as she attacked a monster with her strongest technique, only for a bloody gash to form on their body instead of outright killing them.
"You're not the only one; I've noticed it too. The strongest used only to have the power of an early Saint King, but stronger ones have also started to appear; I just killed a monster comparable to a middle Saint Emperor cultivator." Replied Marley while frowning as she viewed the mass of swirling monsters while simultaneously killing them, which had only gotten worse.
"Even with my divine sense, I can't spot a single monster weaker than a Saint Lord." Muttered Idonea with furrowed brows while separating their bodies with each wave of her sword, though neither she nor Marley was nervous.
"S-Shouldn't we do something then? If the creatures continue to get stronger, what happens if Divines start appearing? At that point, it may be too late to leave." Remarked Sarah as she gazed up above, eyeing the sky, most of which was being blocked by the monsters.
"No, it's fine; they've been trickling in, so the instant we spot the first Divine, that's when we'll prepare to leave." Said Idonea calmly while Marley nodded in agreement.
"It may look bad, but don't forget about the existence of the half-step chasm, Sarah; whether they're mortals or a peak Half-step Divine, it'll hardly make a difference for us." Replied Marley while smirking as she easily thrust her spear through the head of a late Saint Emperor monster.
"The only living creature that may not fit into that category would be His Highness; he's a monster in his own right." Murmured Idonea, her words causing Marley to chuckle.
"Hehe, what a crazy trip this has been; not only an endless amount of monsters, but Idonea and I agree on something for the second time in a day." Said Marley with a grin while the three, or well, two, continued killing the seemingly infinite number of monsters as they waited for reinforcements.
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While flying south close to my maximum speed, I sensed a few creatures enter my divine sense, though the reason they caught my attention was because of their characteristics. Their skin, fur, or scales were a deep shade of red, similar to blood, and they attacked every living thing they came into contact with, whether it be beasts or trees; nothing was safe. However, the most concerning thing was that I sensed no soul from them, causing me to frown for a few moments before I realized what was happening.
"Nether Dimension." Said Elif with an ugly expression as he viewed the monstrous-looking creatures through his divine sense.
I had no idea how or why Nether Dimension creatures were here, but I understood the only way for them to be here was through a portal, which also meant if it weren't closed, it would corrupt the entire Treasure realm.
'I'm getting an awful feeling.' Thought Elif as he flew toward the south, hoping Sarah, Idonea, and Marley were fine since he had a decent understanding of how dangerous the Nether Dimension was.
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Created a discord server, so if anyone wishes to join, [https://discord.gg/TGc9yymDJP]
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Elven Legacy (Chapter 200: Elaine & Elif) || Hero of Harmony (Chapter 81: Alexander's Heaven 2/3(R18)) || One Piece: Chaos Kong (Chapter 136: Sebas Vs. Gion) at [patreon.com/Ozonelayer691]
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Created a discord server, so if anyone wishes to join, [https://discord.gg/TGc9yymDJP]
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Elven Legacy (Chapter 258: Elven Ball Cut Short!?) || Hero of Harmony (Chapter 140: Return Home) || One Piece: Chaos Kong (Chapter 240: Janet Candor Yet Again?|| Marvel's Black Steel (Chapter 204: Victory!) at [patreon.com/Ozonelayer691]