Chapter 661: "Rogue" Yaya
As Yaya kept accelerating, she felt the air around her grow sticky.
She carefully opened her eyes to "look" and saw countless tiny plant spore particles.
Although Yaya found arcane models quite frustrating, she was extremely interested in biology and had exceptional talent.
She had conducted in-depth research on all kinds of magical and mutated plants.
Elona, her mentor, had advanced quickly precisely because she was pushed by this gluttonous student.
Fortunately, Yaya's interests were broad, and Elona had learned from Matthew in time, assigning her more challenging tasks and homework.
From basic to advanced, druid plant spells and feats like plant identification, biological analysis, and species classification greatly reduced Elona's teaching pressure.
Having mastered a series of mid- to high-level druid spells and knowledge, Yaya quickly deciphered the "functions" and "capabilities" of these plant spores.
At the same time, she tapped into the power of time to observe the process of these little things "showing their teeth."
"Unknown magical plant spores. Carnivorous type. Life element."
These tiny creatures floated with the wind and, once sensing life nearby, would subtly stir up a breeze to quietly drift closer.
Upon contact, they would instantly stick to the surface, grow small yet sharp and tough roots, and burrow through the skin into the body.
The prey's blood served as their nutrient source.
To avoid detection, the part attached to the skin wouldn't grow as it absorbed nutrients. Instead, it would shed quickly.
Their job done, the internal roots would continue to grow—they were the true body.
These cunning little monsters wouldn't initially target critical blood vessels.
Instead, they cautiously wrapped around them, growing along the vascular system to spread throughout the body.
Eventually, they would occupy most of the prey's body and drill into its brain.
This whole process took a considerable amount of time.
At least seven to eight months.
Interestingly, to ensure the host survived and avoided predators—
These spores secreted special substances that enhanced the host's physical capabilities.
The host could fly higher, faster, fight better, and catch more prey.
Once the host grew strong and completed its mating and rearing duties—
The well-fed spores also reached maturity and began to evolve into the next stage.
They would rapidly expand, becoming more aggressive and hungry.
The host, under their control, would feel an unending hunger and hunt endlessly.
But it was all pointless—the nutrients went only to the spores.
The host weakened while the spores grew stronger.
By then, the host was basically beyond saving.
Once the spores confirmed the host could no longer hunt, they revealed their "fangs."
In mere minutes, they would invade all of the host's vital organs.
Within moments, they would seize full control of the body.
At that point, the host could no longer control itself, watching helplessly as it climbed or flew to higher altitudes.
Once high enough, the ravenous spores began their feast.
The host's blood was drained in seconds.
In under ten seconds, only a shriveled, twisted corpse remained.
Having consumed enough nutrients, the spores entered their next stage.
They burst out from the falling corpse and released thousands of new plant spores, completing a terrifying life cycle.
Of course, they would eventually fall to the ground.
Where even more terrifying predators waited to tear them apart and consume them.
Yaya understood.
These little things chose the sky as their battlefield to avoid the deadly competition on the ground.
In the twisted, horrific Catachan Demi-Plane, survival was never simple.
Understanding their true nature, Yaya grew curious about the various substances these spores secreted.
She collected a few samples and had Orianna, riding on her back, record some data.
After a few minutes, Yaya stopped investigating airborne spores and continued ascending, piercing the thick cloud layer.
Directly below was the attacked City 22, Outpost Group 16.
Six outposts surrounded a large valley.
A 400 to 500-meter radius of forest had been cleared.
Only stubbornly regrowing shrubs and grasses remained.
Waves of twisted monsters charged from the surrounding jungle, attacking the outposts.
The first wide trench had already been filled with monster corpses.
The second trench burned fiercely, keeping the monsters at bay.
Yet the creatures, as if insane, hurled themselves into the flames.
Mist rolled inside the valley.
A massive dragon turtle emerged.
It was like a small mountain, each step causing violent tremors.
Though seemingly slow, it climbed the valley slope with power and grace, glaring at the encroaching monsters.
Indescribable rage welled up inside the dragon turtle.
Mere puppets dared disturb his peace!
Just as he opened his mouth to unleash his fury, a voice called out:
"Wait, Sir Blackshell! We can still hold the line. These creatures aren't worth wasting your energy."
Hearing this, the dragon turtle—Blackshell—paused and looked toward the waving figure.
With his excellent memory, Blackshell instantly recognized him: Heges, the outpost commander.
Young Heges was one of the first graduates of Bay Territory's Professional Academy and among the first troops in the Catachan Demi-Plane.
Blackshell still remembered it well.
Heges had led him and several wyverns to this dangerous region to find nesting grounds.
And during Blackshell's hibernation and evolution—
Heges had provided rare magical food to aid his transformation.
Remembering Bay Territory's strength, Heges' delicious gifts, and their shared victories—
The awakened dragon turtle Blackshell lowered his head and grunted:
"Fine, I'll spare them for now. But I'll strike later."
Slightly relieved, Heges recalled the last report from the scout team, a mix of sorrow and fury flashing in his eyes.
But he forced it down and said firmly to Blackshell:
"Please gather supplies quickly. We may have to retreat."
Blackshell was stunned. Hearing the conviction in Heges' tone, he hesitated, then chose to believe him.
There was no reason for Heges to lie—it benefited neither side.
As Blackshell turned to prepare, Heges returned to his command post.
He saw more twisted monsters hurling themselves into the flames and shouted:
"Cannons ready! Focus fire on the big ones! Fire!"
With that order, the Bay Territory troops opened fire.
Boom!
Amid raging fire, black shells spun into the air.
Several large twisted monsters were struck head-on.
The impact tore through their chitin, shattered muscle armor, and broke bones.
In seconds, they were full of gaping holes, shrieking as they fell.
Most small monsters couldn't leap past the fire wall.
But the big ones could cause trouble—they had to be stopped.
This was the greatest pressure on the outposts.
Thankfully, the Bay Territory soldiers assigned here were strong, well-trained elites.
Their gunnery skills were excellent, always striking big targets with precision.
The roar of cannon fire.
The hiss of burning flames.
Soldiers shouting in unison.
Twisted monsters roaring back.
A chaotic, intense battlefield soundtrack.
Heges checked fuel reserves and watched another monster blasted apart.
He approached the battle scribe and quickly reviewed the records.
Seeing the monster logs, his pupils shrank slightly.
"February 15: two shells to kill a wandering big monster."
"March 7: three shells in two volleys to kill an attacking one."
"March 29: four shells required..."
"April 10: five shells..."
"April 23: six shells..."
"Now: eight shells..."
They had reported this to City 22 long ago.
But with enemies growing stronger, worry crept in.
Now, facing this massive assault, Heges had a bad feeling.
The large monsters were clearly evolving with intent and purpose.
Heges grew certain that this was a coordinated attack, directed by some hidden force.
He didn't know who, but he was sure they were enemies of Bay Territory and the Catachan tribes.
What disheartened Heges was that he hadn't expected such powerful enemies capable of mobilizing tens of thousands of twisted monsters at once.
Heges had studied the twisted monsters of the Catachan jungle. He knew how cunning, insidious, and lethal they could be.
But among all the twisted monsters he had ever encountered, none had ever willingly chosen to die.
More than once, Heges had seen it—
A mortally wounded creature, bitten in half, would still launch a desperate counterattack, dragging its hunter down with it.
There was only one possibility that could make these dangerous beasts "obedient."
Most of the twisted monsters were being controlled!
They had no choice!
Heges carefully reviewed everything he had learned about control-based methods.
"Psychic-type? Possible..."
"But then, the enemy must be incredibly numerous."
"Otherwise, they could just dominate like a mind flayer. No need for this much effort."
"Neither our investigations nor the Catachan fighters' records have identified such individuals."
"We can probably rule that one out..."
"Pollution-type? Very likely..."
"The mutations, grotesque forms, and chaotic genetics of these monsters all point to tainted biology."
"But the source of the pollution seems deeply hidden and doesn't appear to affect humans."
"There's a strong chance it's plant-related..."
"Polluted plants leading to corrupted organisms."
"Flesh-mutation type? Most likely!"
"A dual approach of pollution and biological modification—highly similar to the corruption brought by the Crimson Moon."
"It enables remote effects, wide influence, and is almost impossible to eradicate..."
"..."
At this thought, Heges narrowed his eyes, gazed into the gray, misty sky, and smacked his lips with emotion.
If the Catachan Demi-Plane really had a creature on par with the Crimson Moon...
Then it was no wonder the territory was deploying such an enormous response.
In that moment, Heges felt deeply relieved.
Thank the heavens his family lived safely and comfortably in Bay Territory—not in this hellish jungle.
"ROAR...!"
A sharp, piercing roar suddenly echoed from the distance.
Heges instantly snapped to attention, rushed up the tallest watchtower, took the binoculars from the sentry, and followed his pointed direction.
A massive gray-brown behemoth was rampaging through the Catachan jungle.
Even ancient trees dozens of meters tall were torn down in its path.
Gray-brown carapace, dozens of sharp claws, a body like a small mountain.
It could only be one thing—a Catachan Demon!
At least Legendary tier!
Bay Territory had hunted its share of these demons, but none had ever been this massive or terrifying!
"The enemy really isn't holding back!"
"To control a Legendary Catachan Demon... what kind of enemy has that kind of power?"
Heges furrowed his brow instinctively, then glanced down at the dragon turtle—Blackshell—who had clearly sensed something.
Thoughts swirled through his mind. After taking a deep breath, he opened the combat channel on his magic wristband:
"Legendary-tier Catachan Demon spotted. It far exceeds our current defensive capability."
"Refuel the second flame trench immediately and boost its output."
"All outposts, pack your supplies. Be ready to evacuate at any time."
Failing to defend was unfortunate, but Heges never forgot his prime directive:
"When faced with overwhelming odds, ensuring the safety of all soldiers comes first."
The approach of the Legendary Catachan Demon
Made the attacking twisted monsters even more frenzied.
They charged the flaming wall like madmen, burning alive, falling into the deadly trench, still clawing forward.
Heges watched the scene with regret.
If only a more experienced observer were here—
They might have identified more critical clues from this behavior.
Blackshell the dragon turtle climbed out of the valley again, now nearly half his previous size.
Heges rushed to him, explained the situation, and delivered the retreat order.
Sensing the overwhelming strength of the Legendary Catachan Demon, Blackshell nodded without hesitation:
"No point in a head-on fight. But just running? It'll catch us anyway."
"Let's lure it in and give it a little surprise."
Heges knew exactly what that "surprise" was. Though reluctant, he nodded resolutely:
"Understood. I'll make arrangements. Please lead the retreat convoy, Sir Blackshell."