Chapter 768. The Cryanid Swarm
The northwestern border of the Mercy Domain used to be populated by a decent number of settlements, both large and small. Many daredevils, either the original residents of these settlements or simply using them as traveling hubs, ventured into the misty land beyond the border in search of riches and treasures. Very few of these daredevils returned from their attempts. Nevertheless, these didn’t dissuade other similar individuals from attempting the same things.
Life in the lower realm was never easy, but it was even more so for people in the settlements near the border. Many strong spirit beasts lived near the border, and they sometimes approached the settlements. The settlements had no defensive wall or barrier, and the authority wasn’t exactly a responsible party. So, when a spirit beast incursion occurred, it was pretty much every man for himself.
Hence, it was not unusual for some people to go missing in these frontier towns. Such incidents became common occurrences and were considered acceptable risks for those willing to live in these towns.
Around one hundred years ago, a group of Mercy Faction members troubled themselves to investigate the missing-person incidents. They learned that eighty percent of the incidents were the deeds of the Cryanids.
The Cryanids were a race of insect-like spirit beasts. They were believed to originate from a spirit beast resembling a giant ant, which, until this day, composed the main flock of the Cryanid swarm. These giant ants were called Cryanid Soldiers and were classified as Higher Superior Beasts.
Through time, the Cryanid evolved into many different types. Another type that took up the bulk was one with a leaner, lighter body with wings. These Cryanids could fly at high speed and supported their earth-bound cousins from the air. They were Cryanid Flies and were also Higher Superior Beasts.
Another type with a sizable number within the Cryanid swarm was the Cryanid Knights. These spirit beasts were slightly larger than their cousin but still looked like a giant ant, with the exception that they possessed a pair of long forelimbs like a praying mantis’. These forelimbs ended with long, extremely sharp blades that did not lose to a low-tier runic weapon. These Cryanid Knights were classified as Lower Mythical Beasts.
There were reports of other strains of the Cryanids, but the Mercy Faction members discovered that these three strains were responsible for most of the missing-person incidents. They tracked the latest incident and went into the misty border, hoping to find the nest of these Cryanids and exterminate them. They were never heard of afterward.
Their reports, however, had been submitted to the faction before they ventured out. Hence, the faction knew what the Cryanids did. Though Yao Ai didn’t want to bother with matters that didn’t directly threaten her domain, it was still troublesome if she ignored the issue. So, she ordered bounties for each Cryanid slain on the border. This triggered a mass hunt that drew many adventurers to the Northwest border.
For a time, fewer people went missing as countless Cryanids were hunted each day. Things seemed to cool down for a period until ten years ago. A Cryanid plague broke out. A massive horde of Cryanids emerged from the Northwest border and swarmed the nearest settlements. Aside from the Cryanid Soldiers and Cryanid Knights, several types of new and more powerful Cryanids were in the horde. The report mentioned a few that were even as strong as Primordial Beasts.
Many settlements weren’t prepared for such a sudden assault. Three towns and one city were wiped out in the assault, while many others were irreparably damaged. Many viewed this assault as the Cryanids’ retaliation for hunting their kind for decades.
Only after the Mercy Faction dispatched several warlords, who led their armies, was the Cryanids’ assault repelled.
After the incident, Yao Ai stationed a warlord and his army near the Northwest border and built a fortress to let the warlord be the first line of defense in case another Cryanid plague occurred.
Things returned to normal until seven years ago. Another horde of Cryanids emerged. To make matters worse, the stationed warlord was slain during the conflict. More settlements were destroyed.
Yao Ai was again forced to dispatch multiple warlords to deal with the issue. To everyone’s surprise, the plague this time couldn’t be quelled as easily as the one from three years earlier. The Cryanids seemed unending. Any slain Cryanid was quickly replaced by new ones that came out of the border.
On several occasions, the warlords banded together to invade the Cryanids in their turf. They hoped to destroy the Cryanids’ nests and cut off their supplies from the source. Sadly, every attempt to invade the misty region beyond the border was met with strong resistance. Not only from the Cryanids, but also from the myriad spirit beasts inhabiting the regions. The warlords lost a massive number of followers. They had no choice but to retreat before losing too much.
The conflict near the border turned into a protracted war that continues to this day.
Amon put down the report. He was reading it while riding the Sun Ray Hawk. He was en route to the Northwestern border, where this war between the Mercy Faction and the Cryanids was ongoing.
From what he had read, he understood Yao Ai’s concern. If this conflict persisted, it would weaken the Mercy Faction. The Devotion and Commitment Factions could attack when Yao Ai’s force was concentrated in the Northwest, or they could simply wait until the war with the Cryanids was over. By then, Yao Ai’s force would have been considerably drained after the long period of conflict.
Amon stored the report and studied a map given by the mission center before he left. The map showed the Mercy Domain, with many notes marking the Northwest region. The notes informed Amon of the forces stationed there.
Eleven warlords spread along the extended border. Each warlord commanded an army of roughly ten thousand soldiers. This number, of course, should have diminished over the seven years, but reinforcements continued to be sent to replenish the losses.
Amon planned to stop by a settlement called Defunct Edge City. He wanted to gather more information to have a better idea about the situation before deciding on his next step. As the city came into view, he could see that something was off.
Smoke was seen all over the distant city, and a carpet of wriggling things surrounded it. As he got nearer, his Eagle Eye-enhanced sight saw that the wriggling things were a swarm of giant insects.
The city was under attack by the Cryanid swarm. From the look of it, the battle had been ongoing for quite some time. The Cryanids had breached the city. The battle took place mostly inside the city and the airspace above it.
Amon saw inhabitants leaving the city and running away, but a majority joined the battle. One positive thing about the denizens of the lower realm, compared to the Aetheria people, was that they were more battle-frenzy. They weren’t easily driven away by conflict, and they didn’t leave this crisis to the authorities. The city was theirs. They fought and defended it fiercely, just as if anyone else attacked their homes.
Amon noticed several massive-sized insects as large as a house. Those were some of the rarer strains of the Cryanid swarm. From the report he had read, these Cryanids were called the Cryanid Juggernaut, Cryanid Whale, and Cryanid Wasp.
The Cryanid Juggernaut was a Mid Mythical Beast resembling a giant beetle. Their dark carapace resembled overlapping hard steel plates. The Cryanid Whale was a Higher Mythical Beast that was slightly larger than the juggernaut. It resembled a giant, fat caterpillar. As for the Cryanid Wasp, it was a flying Cryanid that appeared like a giant dragonfly. It was also a Higher Mythical Beast.
Of all the Cryanids swarming the Defunct Edge City, one took the most attention. It was the largest compared to its brethren, even larger than the massive Cryanid Whale. No record about this type was reported in the intel Amon had read.
This Cryanid looked like a colossal brain with six wings. Sharp spikes protruded all over the surface of its brain-like body, and its lower abdomen ended with ten long segmented legs, which were characteristic of insectoid appendages. Cryanid flies swarmed around this unusual spirit beast.
A cultivator supported by many others fought this brain-shaped insect. From the power displayed, Amon estimated the cultivator possessed the Supreme Stage cultivation. Amon surmised the cultivator must be this city’s mayor. Considering the mayor didn’t seem to have an advantage in the battle, this put the brain-shaped Cryanid at least a Lower Primordial Beast.
Amon continued toward the city but stopped before he got caught in the battle. He flew around the place and observed the battle from a safe distance. He felt something was odd about the Cryanids’ movements. After observing for some time, he realized two things that contributed to the oddness he felt.