Ch. 129
Chapter 129: The Insect Tide Surged Out, Avril Unleashed Her Divine Might
They had been stirred up in advance by the War Wheel Mercenary Group.
The black insect swarm inside Lemon Port had clearly lost much of its patience.
Only five or six mercenary groups had taken turns drawing monsters.
“Si-ga——!!!”
Sharp, piercing insect screeches suddenly rang out from within the city!
“Something’s wrong! Retreat, now!”
An experienced mercenary felt his scalp go numb and let out a hoarse roar.
The next moment.
The city gate, coated in sticky, gelatinous matter, burst open as dense black figures surged out!
No longer just a few scattered ones, but hundreds—thousands.
They converged into a suffocating black tide that instantly drowned the squad luring enemies at the front!
The screams lasted less than two seconds.
Before they were completely drowned out by the rustling sounds of gnawing!
“Insect tide—it’s an insect tide! Run!”
The mercenaries who had still been watching from the rear, waiting for their turn.
Immediately erupted into chaos.
Any talk of order or territory division was thrown straight out of their minds!
Staying alive came first!
The crowd scattered like startled ants.
Fleeing in a disorderly rush toward the higher Hilly Area behind them.
“Form up! Don’t panic!”
Some leaders of large mercenary groups shouted themselves hoarse, trying to stabilize the situation.
Panic would only make them die faster!
They had to form a defensive line!
After all, they were veterans who lived by the blade.
After the initial chaos.
The few hundred surviving mercenaries.
Barely managed to form a crooked defensive line along the hillside.
The archers and throwers did not even need to aim.
They desperately poured arrows, throwing axes, and fire bottles toward the insect tide surging up below.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh! Whoom!
Arrows struck the black insect carapaces, producing clanging sounds, with minimal effect.
Fire bottles smashed down, bursting into clusters of flames.
They temporarily slowed a small portion of the insect swarm.
But were quickly trampled out by the insects surging in from behind.
At this moment, the weakness of ranged attacks became painfully obvious.
“If only there were magicians here!”
A burly Steel Shield mercenary panted heavily as he roared.
A magician’s area-of-effect attacks.
Were the most effective weapon for clearing low-tier but overwhelmingly numerous fodder like this!
Before his words had even fallen.
A clear, cold female voice rang out, carrying an unusual sense of calm.
“In the name of Holy Light, purify!”
Everyone followed the sound and looked over.
They saw the purple-robed female magician who had been standing alone on a distant slope.
Had somehow already arrived slightly behind the side of the battle line.
At the tip of the short wooden staff in her hand, a dazzling light that one dared not look at directly had begun to gather.
There was no long incantation, no complex casting gestures.
Avril merely lightly pointed the staff forward.
In the sky, it was as if countless miniature stars were falling!
One fist-sized energy sphere after another, condensed from Holy Light, dragged brilliant trails as they slammed in succession into the densest part of the insect tide!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A faint humming sound spread as the sacred energy expanded.
The effect was nothing short of terrifying!
Wherever the golden light reached, swathes of black insects were wiped out.
Forcibly plowing several glaring blank zones through the surging insect tide!
“My heavens… th-this, what kind of magic is this?”
“It’s Light magic, right?! But I’ve never heard of Light magic having such terrifying killing power!”
“Who cares what magic it is! As long as it kills insects, it’s good magic!”
“Brothers, hold the line! A magician lady is helping us!”
Avril’s strike.
Was like a shot of adrenaline, allowing the defensive line on the brink of collapse to temporarily steady itself.
The killing efficiency she achieved alone nearly matched the combined output of half a mercenary group!
Holy Light spheres rained down as if endless, purifying black insects in大片 after大片.
By rough estimation.
The black insects that died at Avril’s hands alone were close to two hundred!
Roughly one-fifth of this insect tide!
This astonishing combat power.
Left every mercenary who witnessed it dumbstruck, then ecstatic.
Even the members of the Platinum Mercenary Group, who had been holding the rear, revealed looks of shock.
The deputy leader, White Crow, licked his somewhat dry lips, his eyes burning. “Damn, this one’s fierce! That magic power is terrifying!”
The group leader, Old Cat, also stared intently at Avril’s figure, thoughts racing through his mind.
“Such pure Light power… she doesn’t seem to be from the ordinary Holy Light Church.”
“Could it be related to that Holy Light Town rumored recently, the one said to have an angel’s protection?”
The lord of White Rock Fort, Baron Reynolds.
Maintained strict control over his territory and forbade discussion of such matters.
But a top-tier mercenary group like Platinum naturally had its own intelligence channels.
Old Cat had long been quite interested in that Holy Light Town that had suddenly emerged.
It was just that the journey was too far, and he had never had the chance to investigate.
And now, the power and traits Avril displayed sparked a strong association in his mind.
Just as the frontal battlefield.
Was temporarily stabilized due to Avril’s explosive output.
A shadowy, indistinct figure.
Taking advantage of the moment when the insect tide surged out and everyone’s attention was drawn.
Silently slipped into Lemon Port from a collapsed breach in the city wall on the flank of the battlefield.
It was precisely the nearly invisible assassin of the Platinum Mercenary Group—Dean!
Group leader Old Cat stepped forward and began to “slack off.”
Using only the slender sword in his hand to casually finish off scattered black insects that approached.
Most of his attention remained on observing Avril and the overall situation.
Yet from the corner of his eye, he continually watched the direction Dean had infiltrated.
Only when that shadow completely disappeared into the filthy miasma permeating the port’s interior.
Did he give an almost imperceptible nod.
Besides that.
The other members of the Platinum Mercenary Group, in order to hold the line.
Also displayed formidable combat strength.
Deputy leader White Crow moved with a light figure.
Like a graceful bird, calmly roaming among these First-tier black insects.
The short sword in his hand, under the enhancement of white battle qi.
Slashed several times, wiping out a patch of black insects.
The Second-tier members also cooperated in battle, cutting through them like chopping melons and vegetables.
The battle.
Continued from the afternoon until sunset.
When the last black insect was brought down by the combined efforts of the mercenaries.
The entire hillside was already in complete disarray.
Everywhere was filled with a heavy stench of blood and the burnt, foul odor of insect corpses.
The casualty report came out quickly—over twenty dead.
Nearly forty more were severely injured and had lost combat capability.
Some small mercenary groups had been completely wiped out in terms of organization.
The survivors were ashen-faced, their morale utterly shattered.
“I’m done! This money’s earned with life but spent with none!”
A small group leader, taking his few remaining subordinates.
Found Avril and settled today’s black insect kill count.
With a fairly generous reward in hand, he turned without looking back and set off on the road back to White Rock Fort.
More capable mercenary groups, such as Blood Blade and Steel Shield.
Though they had suffered casualties, their core members were still intact.
They likewise went to Avril to settle their payment.
After verifying the mysterious employer’s reputation of “cash settlement, honest to all.”
They chose to set up camp on a relatively clean high ground far from the port.
They licked their wounds while their gazes flickered toward the direction of Lemon Port.
Clearly unwilling to give up, preparing to fight again after resting.
Avril paid out a large amount of gold coins, yet her expression remained calm.
Even if the money she had brought ran out.
She could still use expensive magical materials as collateral—there was nothing to fear!
Meanwhile.
Dean, who had infiltrated the port, was holding his breath as he lay in ambush within the shadow of a half-collapsed building.
His situation was far worse than what those outside imagined!