Chapter 426: Taking down the Harvesters (I)
The Harvesters continued their flight, colossal shadows gliding silently over the vast expanse of the ocean. Their gargantuan forms moved through the air, tentacles trailing beneath them like the roots of inverted mountains.
As they neared the shores of Kylen Country, the tension among the Leviathan warriors and aerial units intensified. Cold and unblinking, their multifaceted eyes constantly scanned the horizons and the skies above. Every sensory organ was attuned to the slightest disturbance, every muscle coiled in readiness. They knew the precious cargo they escorted—the massive load of biomass harvested from countless lives—was of paramount importance to the hive mind. Losing it was not an option.
Finally, the Harvesters began their descent toward the shore. As the Harvesters lowered themselves, the clusters of aerial units broke away, their wings faltering. One by one, their bodies began to twitch uncontrollably. The life force that had sustained them during the relentless flight was exhausted. With a final, spasmodic shudder, they plummeted to the ground, lifeless.
It was a horrifying sight. Their bodies hit the rocky shore with dull thuds, limbs splaying at unnatural angles. Yet, none of the Leviathans on the ground showed any reaction. The aerial units had served their purpose, burning through their own life force to ensure the Harvesters reached their destination unscathed.
Almost immediately, the tentacles of the Harvesters began to writhe and extend. These massive appendages moved across the ground toward the fallen aerial units. Suckers latched onto the corpses, and the tentacles coiled tightly, lifting the bodies into the air. With a swift motion, the Harvesters swallowed their fallen protectors, sending them into their cavernous bellies. In this way, the biomass was recouped, and nothing was wasted.
On top of the Harvesters, the Elite Leviathans remained vigilant. As the insect-humanoid hybrids and the remaining aerial units on the shore began to march, they formed concentric rings around each Harvester, prepared to defend the precious cargo with their lives.
The Harvesters then began to emit waves upon waves of gas from apertures along their backs. The gases, lighter than air, shimmered with iridescent colors as they dissipated into the atmosphere. This expulsion caused the massive creatures to settle more firmly onto the ground. Their anatomy was truly ingenious—a marvel of bioengineering by the hive mind. The key to their flight was the concentration of an immense amount of gas within their bodies, gases that were lighter than air and allowed them to defy gravity, much like colossal airships.
Once the gases were released, the Harvesters opened their enormous maws, taking deep, resonant breaths. The sound was akin to a thousand bellows inhaling at once. They swallowed massive amounts of air, which would undergo a unique chemical process inside their bodies. This process would regenerate the lighter-than-air gases, refilling the cavities that enabled them to soar through the skies once more.
However, just as the Harvesters prepared to rise into the air again, something extraordinary happened. A sudden, blinding radiance bathed the shore, casting stark shadows and illuminating every detail of the Leviathan forces below.
Immediately, the eyes of all Leviathans turned skyward. What they saw filled them with alarm. Hovering above them was a man, but not just any man. He had white hair and eyes of deep black with piercing red irises that seemed to burn with inner fire. Surrounding him was an aura of crackling lightning and roaring flames, energies so intense they sundered the very sky.
"SHIRKKKK!" The collective shriek of the Leviathans echoed across the shore, a cacophony of hatred and absolute killing intent. The hive mind had identified the humanoid instantly. He was the N°1 Special Threat—the entity it desired to eliminate more than any other in the entire world.
Vlad sneered a cold smile that conveyed both confidence and disdain. "Hmph!" His energy exploded with even greater strength, the lightning, and fire intensifying until they flooded the sky in a storm of elemental fury. This was just the beginning.