The troubles on the ground had not yet been resolved. After James Boone's complete death, the other vampire corpses lying nearby began to change. At first, it was only an unnoticed stench—after all, there was already a vampire corpse with its skull blown open, and the rotting smell was strong enough to mask others. But soon, Solomon noticed that the corpses were secreting a grayish-white slime, and tiny, bloated worms were emerging from the bodies of the Boone bloodline vampires. The corpses also quickly swelled to a horrifying degree, including James Boone's body. Wanda stepped back in terror, the grotesque sight almost driving her mad; her still-mortal mind could barely endure it.
"In the deepest pits dwell terrifying creatures, most strange and unseen by the eye. In cursed lands, the thoughts of the dead gain new life and grotesque flesh, bodies without heads but filled with wicked will. The great Ibn Schakabao said: A grave without a wizard's corpse is a happy grave; a city whose nights are free of wizard ashes is a happy city." Solomon quickly pulled from his vast, oceanic memory a passage fitting this phenomenon and recited it fluently. "These are the Crawlers, the Wriggling Sorcerers. The souls of those who consorted with demons return to their corpses after death, thousands of worms sharing a wizard's mind. Horrific life will sprout from rotting flesh, dull carrion maggots will become cunning. Wanda..."
The mage could now be certain who was behind this. He reached out and pressed his hand against the witch's forehead.
"It's speaking again?"
"Yes!" the witch tightly shut her eyes, writhing in pain. She felt her mind being tugged, vile whispers endlessly tempting her to plunge into the pitch-black sea. "I can't block out the demon's voice, Master," she said. "That voice wants me to accept it!"
"Focus," the mage said, taking out a black blindfold and fitting it over her eyes. "No matter what happens next, no matter what you hear, do not remove the blindfold."
Kaecilius left the command post to summon all the mages aboard the Scourge sky carrier.
These mages had been given full rest. Upon receiving the orders, they dispersed across all parts of the sky carrier—wherever mortals worked and could directly see the outside world, at least one mage was stationed. Mages on the other two sky carriers were doing the same, with some Brotherhood combat personnel assisting in the effort—their task was simple: swiftly execute any mortals who went mad on the spot. Solomon had indicated that this mission would involve filthy chaos magic. As one of Kamar-Taj's top secrets, Kaecilius would not permit any mentally fragile madman to cause unrest on the sky carrier. Even those who hadn't gone mad after exposure to chaos magic would later undergo brainwashing and examination to ensure they would not betray humanity to the evil gods. Kaecilius didn't understand why Solomon wanted mortals to confront such unspeakable horrors, but orders were orders. This was Solomon's first time commanding a Kamar-Taj battlefield; everyone had to obey.
The central air conditioning system buzzed as many staff members broke out in cold sweat.
Agent Victoria Hand had already addressed the mortals via the broadcast system. They knew what they were about to face, but had no certainty they could resist madness. Some might fancy themselves strong-willed enough to withstand insanity, but Kaecilius remained on high alert. Any hint of allegiance to evil gods would be spotted and eliminated by his eyes. The sky carrier had now reached the airspace above Casco Bay. Following orders from the ground, the three carriers slowly descended into the lightning-laced clouds. This operation grossly violated flight regulations, but under Agent Hand's cold gaze, the helmsman wiped the sweat from his forehead and executed the command.
Lightning flashed just dozens of meters from the carrier. The violent thunderclap nearly shattered the reinforced glass of the bridge windows; small lightning branches struck the carrier's electromagnetic shields, lighting up Victoria Hand's expressionless face in stark brilliance. The sky carrier's lights flickered constantly. She stood with her hands behind her back on the command platform, issuing orders to the helmsmen. "Continue descending. When the ship was modified, it was designed to endure extreme environments." She addressed all agents at their computers. "We are standing atop humanity's pinnacle of technology, agents! Abandon your cowardice! If we can't conquer a mere storm, how will we ever realize the great dream of conquering the galaxy? Focus on your tasks. Today, you will face humanity's primal fears with the power of science. Today, you will write an unprecedented chapter in human history!"
"This is no mere storm," Kaecilius muttered, his voice heard only by Agent Hand, but she didn't even turn her head.
"Adjusting ship angle..."
"Fire control system ready..."
"Anti-air firepower ready..."
"Primary macro-cannon ready..."
"Awaiting orders!" Agent Hand raised a hand. When she brought it down, the macro-cannon, with a caliber far exceeding the Gustaf gun and "Little David" mortar, would fire. Combined with the dense firepower of the sky carrier, she could hardly imagine any creature on Earth capable of withstanding such an attack. She was waiting for one command—a command from Solomon.
Solomon stood holding the witch's shoulders atop the Halfway Rock Lighthouse.
Below the lighthouse, many bonfires blazed. The bloated vampire corpses and the worms crawling out of them rolled and burned in flames as tall as a person, emitting a suffocating stench. Eliminating these undeveloped Crawlers didn't take much effort, but witnessing them inflicted unavoidable trauma. Wanda had not removed her blindfold; she could only feel the heat and the faint, nearly inaudible screaming.
Solomon lit the long-extinguished lighthouse beacon. Its bright beam pierced the storm. He raised his head, watching as the three sky carriers burst through the heavy clouds like gray whales. At the same time, three nearly invisible aircraft approached from the distance. Solomon faced the sea and spread his arms wide, chanting the spell to summon the worms: "The final spell, come forth! Gyyagin vardar! Alyah! Alyah! Gyyagin!"
The earthquake reached its peak magnitude at that moment, the epicenter rising, causing increasing destruction. Wanda had to grip the lighthouse balcony railing tightly to avoid being thrown into the sea. She felt the saltwater splashing onto her face and body, the healing abrasions on her hands and knees burning in pain. Suddenly, she noticed the smell of the sea quickly retreating, and the rain that had been pounding against the barrier ceased.
"What's happening?" she called out, suddenly unable to sense Solomon's presence, and a hint of panic rose within her. "Did we succeed?"
"The earthquake's epicenter is still rising! Coordinates—"
Even if most people could not directly see the creature, the light beams from the sky carriers' search drones and the HD images captured by cameras were enough to strike fear into the heart. A grayish-white worm, eight hundred feet tall, lifted its body from the sea, waterfalls of seawater cascading off its slimy skin. On the screen, they could faintly see that hateful creature, as large as a WWII Iowa-class battleship, first turning toward the lighthouse, then reaching its pale, viscous tip toward the blinding searchlights, easily crushing one drone.
Perhaps sensing the greater threat posed by the three massive sky carriers compared to the drones, the creature lifted its head, its feeding maw, lined with sharp teeth, opening like a flower, with viscous liquid constantly dripping from it. Victoria Hand heard gasps of horror from both the bridge and the communication channels.
Kaecilius quickly gave the order.
Mages dragged the pale and trembling mortals from their seats. Once madness was confirmed, execution followed immediately. The same scene unfolded aboard the other two sky carriers—some using chainsword blades, some bare-handed. "They are beyond saving. Madness is irreversible," Kaecilius declared, his robe stained with blood. He stepped forward and loudly announced to the agents, "Those who are still alive—you have conquered madness with courage, defeating humanity's most dangerous enemy! Now, straighten your spines! It's your turn to show that disgusting creature the rage and pride of humankind!"
Victoria Hand nodded and confirmed the order relayed from the ground. Then she brought down the hand that signaled to fire. This was the first time in human history that technology was used against an extra-dimensional monster, the first time ordinary people had roared back at an evil god and its spawn. Even Agent Hand could not suppress the excitement within her.
"For humanity—fire!"
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Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 256)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 336)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 542)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 924)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1284)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1289)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1316)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1402)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
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