Chapter 48: Legion vs. Legion (2)
Hes scared.
Yeah, I can sense it too.
And I can feel a deep-seated resentment.
Ever since that day, oppa has harbored a deep hatred for monsters. They tore our family apart.
How dare they...
Anger surged from within.
It wasnt an emotion projected from the outside. It was a raw, intense anger that the legion felt independently.
The entire legion was rattled.
Settle down. Oppa has crossed the gate now, and we have our own duties to fulfill.
Kang Do Yeon stepped forward to pacify the legion.
The legion soon regained its equilibrium.
Kang Do Yeon knew that this was what the legion expected of her.
Thats right. To see him... we need to escape from here as quickly as possible.
See him? What will you do when you see him?
...I dont know.
The legion frowned.
There were still many instances like this.
Even though they knew the answer, their logic and emotions struggled to comprehend the phenomenon.
Having gathered some knowledge, the legion understood the cause of this phenomenon.
It was because their experience was limited and their ego was frail compared to the knowledge they had amassed and the computational power they could harness.
This isnt very efficient.
From the legions viewpoint, it was inefficient because an unnecessary ego had surfaced.
To mitigate this, they attempted to use sub-minds like Kang Do Yeon.
However, Kang Do Yeon, who was more advanced than the legion, was still only a mentally immature 17-year-old girl.
[Our scouts are being ambushed repeatedly. It seems theyve developed intelligence and communication networks.]
Whats the situation? Go handle them.
...Understood.
The legion, shifting its focus, directed its consciousness elsewhere.
They had thrown themselves into the chaos for the legions sake.
Results were expected.
Grrrr...
A mournful yet eerie howl reverberated through the dark corridor.
The legions scouts, dispersed in all directions, observed everything and shared their findings.
[These infected are unlike the typical destructive bacteria. Their appearance and behavior patterns dont match the data.]
The infected creatures, encountered sporadically above the 40th floor, were different.Visit no(v)eLb(i)n.com for the best novel reading experience
Their appearances were all bizarre.
Though they had infected the Moonlight Elves and other cave dwellers, they only exhibited excessive tumors or partial body transformations.
What is this...
But these creatures were different.
[The elite legionnaires have increased their output.]
Nevertheless, the legion had already completed another leap.
[Resonance and amplification. This is the ability we acquired from the Moonlight Elves sacred tree.]
In no time, a crimson energy barrier formed in front of Kang Do Yeon, whose entire face was now covered by a mask, and the leading legionnaires.
[We will suppress them with the last legacy of the Moonlight Elves, the long-standing nemesis of the destructive bacteria.]
Grr...
Screech!
With a loud bang, the infected that collided with the energy barrier were repelled, receiving the full force of the impact.
Poisonous thorns, acidic fluids, and more.
The various and terrifying attack methods of the mutated destructive bacteria-infected creatures could not penetrate the energy barrier.
However, the attacks of the legionnaires within the barrier struck the enemies.
The black wave of various sizes and compositions hesitated for a moment before pushing forward again.
[Their aggression and abilities are incomparable to the previous destructive bacteria.]
In the midst of the battle, the legions soldiers continued to fight.
The legion used some of its smaller, crawling forces to transport the pieces of the destructive bacteria-infected creatures produced on the battlefield back to the nest.
How dare these arrogant creatures try to transform and devour the legion.
At the same time, they were the legions nourishment and the subjects to be analyzed.
Moreover, there was a strange anger mixed in.
Disassemble and digest.
The legions tentacles mercilessly attacked the writhing flesh.
The mucus secreted from the tentacles was the legions digestive fluid.
Numerous cells within the mucus began to weaken and disassemble the target at the cellular level.
At this stage, most victims would be disassembled and dismantled without resistance.
... ?!
[However, these enemies were the only creatures weve encountered capable of waging war at the cellular level. They began to devour the legions cells that attacked them in reverse.]
The legions nest, which had been digesting, quickly hardened and twisted.
The mutated destructive bacteria began to push back the legion with their toxins.
They first captured the legions nutrient acquisition system using the infected legion cells.
The energy they invested only served to fill their bellies, and thanks to that, the destructive bacteria began to proliferate infinitely within the legion like cancer cells.
[If this continues, the entire legion will be devoured. The predator that devours everything will be devoured in return.]
The legions innate nature and essence were gluttony. To deny it was to deny their very existence.
No.
Yet, the legion had already made all its calculations. They acknowledged their mistake.
Merely growing claws and fangs isnt enough.
It was true that until now, their focus had been solely on strengthening the legionnaires. They had never faced an adversary capable of challenging their abilities. Seeing this as an opportunity and a learning experience, they prepared for a grand harvest. This was the conclusion the legion had reached.
Within the nest, where a fierce battle was raging, the legion attempted a new form of attack. Thin, root-like structures began to forcibly burrow into the infected tissues. Simultaneously, powerful energy waves erupted in a chain reaction from the roots, obliterating all surrounding cells.
The potential of Formative Force is limitless.
This was another power that granted the legionnaires abilities beyond reality. There was no decree that the power of the legions sacred tree, already flourishing at the heart of the broadest stem layer, had to be employed solely in tangible battles.
The eyes behind the mask sparkled. The thirst for knowledge that would make them stronger was intensifying.