Near the Neck, an unknown swamp.
Because the forest wasn't suitable for dragons to fly and fight, Mako had settled them at Greywater Watch. The giant turtle's pace was slow, so there was no need to worry about it going too far.
Moreover, the people of the Reed family had memorized the giant turtle's route, and could find it again every time. The giant turtle's back had a complete ecosystem, and small animals would make their homes there.
And when the Reed family wanted to leave it, they basically relied on special vines tied to the giant bone spurs on the turtle's shell. Previously, they needed to climb, but now they relied entirely on the vines to be directly wrapped up.
After gathering the people of the Neck territories, Mako and his group organized a team of over 1,000 people, preparing to launch a rescue operation for the Sandlings.
As time passed, the Neck people's mastery of the Druid way grew stronger. People with exceptional talent, like Jiu Jian·Li De, had become many times more powerful.
With Mako's help, Jiu Jian·Li De's injuries had recovered considerably. He had forcefully used his abilities to contact the Three-Eyed Crow, causing severe damage to both his body and soul.
After Mako healed his injuries, he also gifted him a bottle of Vitality Spring. Under the stimulation of the Vitality Spring, Jiu Jian·Li De's abilities had become much stronger.
Just that this guy was still too young and couldn't control his power. The Three-Eyed Crow was always beside him, helping and guiding him.
Since Mako built the Vitality Spring and the God's Domain, the life energy on the Westeros Continent had become active. Many people with the blood of the First Men had awakened the ability to be Skinchangers to varying degrees.
Especially the people of the Neck, where the number of Skinchangers had increased several times over. Because they more or less carried some blood of the Children of the Forest, their abilities were also diverse.
Moreover, on the basis of being Skinchangers, they continued to develop and create, even reviving a profession of the Children of the Forest from the Dawn Age: "Wood Dancers."
Wood Dancers were the masters of tree manipulation among the Children of the Forest. This ability was more like an upgrade to being a Skinchanger. The Children of the Forest during the Dawn Age could manipulate the entire forest to attack enemies.
Although this ability couldn't compare to the Children of the Forest under Mako's command, it was already powerful enough for the people of the Neck.
After Mako and his group had assembled, they set off towards their destination. Many Skinchangers began to summon their animal companions. In a short while, a large number of swamp creatures gathered around this team.
Among them, the most powerful were the Lizard-Lions (a type of swamp creature similar to crocodiles) and brown bears. They had always been the vanguard of the Neck people against the Crystal Monsters. Of course, there were also various swamp pythons and forest wolves, but their numbers weren't very high.
It could be said that in the Neck, this army was invincible. No wonder Robb Stark was confident enough in the original story to say that the Neck could stop a thousand armies. Just these terrifying swamp creatures alone were enough to give the soldiers from the south a hard time.
"Arooo..."
With the direwolf's warning, rustling sounds came from the distant bushes. Then, one by one, bizarre-looking Crystal Monsters appeared before everyone.
From their basic appearance, it could be deduced that these monsters were once creatures of the swamp. Among them were even some humanoid monsters, looking like they were corrupted humans.
These monsters were covered in thick crystal skin, just like the humans who were injured by Mako's Crystal Dragons before, or rather, even more terrifying.
Ding! Detected special mission: Explore the swamp. These strange creatures seem to be corrupted by the power of a certain god. Please find the source of the infection and eliminate it. Reward: Unknown. Ding! Mission: Rescue the Children of the Forest. The Children of the Forest in the underground caves are being corrupted in body and mind by a special power. They must be rescued immediately. Reward: Unknown.
Mako fell into deep thought when he saw the sudden appearance of these missions. At first, he thought these monsters had escaped from the underground caves where the Children of the Forest were hiding.
But now it seemed like something else was happening. According to the system, these Crystal Monsters appeared to be fabricated.
If they didn't stop it, the consequences could be far more severe. This mission's priority was higher than saving the Children of the Forest. After a moment of thought, Mako re-planned his marching route.
"Lord Reed! Have the monsters decreased recently?"
Mako suddenly asked Howland Reed, simultaneously activating his senses to search for energy fluctuations in the air.
Strangely, the life energy nearby was extremely chaotic, compressing Mako's perceptive range significantly. This was a rare occurrence for him.
"How did you know?"
Howland Reed, who was always monitoring the outer perimeter battles, asked Mako in surprise. He didn't know where Mako had gotten this information. Furthermore, Mako had been with Howland Reed since arriving at the Neck, with no contact with anyone else.
"If that's the case, then I think we need to change our plans. Because right now, a greater crisis is likely approaching."
Mako didn't over-explain to Howland Reed, instead summoning the surrounding tribal leaders.
The people of the Neck, much like the Rockseed, were ruled by clans. Howland Reed was only the nominal leader; most decisions were made through consultation.
Then, Mako briefly outlined his views to everyone. He didn't explain his sources of information, which projected an air of mystery among the leaders of the Neck.
As a king respected by the Children of the Forest, Mako was seen as a powerful and enigmatic figure by the leaders of the Neck. After a brief discussion, Mako directed the troops to advance into a certain area of the forest.
Along the way, they encountered many Crystal Monsters. These monsters were growing larger, transitioning from a state of corruption to complete crystallization.
The Crystal Monsters here were mainly of two types: one was beast-like, and the other humanoid. Both were covered in pale blue crystal.
Mako and his group also discovered that these fully crystallized creatures had crystal spikes growing from their backs. These crystal spikes were about as long as an arm and appeared extremely sharp.
These spikes were often broken off by the Crystal Monsters to be used as weapons or projectiles. After using them, the Crystal Monsters would launch relentless charges at Mako's group.
"Hoo…"
Accompanied by the whistling of the wind, a massive magic array appeared on the battlefield. Then, a powerful Wind Elemental materialized above the array, and after recovering, it howled as it charged towards the Crystal Monsters.
Following that, Water Elementals, Fire Elementals, and Earth Elementals also emerged onto the battlefield through their respective magic arrays. Under Mako's direction, they engaged in battle with the Crystal Monsters.
Compared to Mako's elemental creatures, these Crystal Monsters were utterly outmatched, especially the Fire Elementals. Their terrifying flame attacks swept across the battlefield, resulting in the burning or injury of many Crystal Monsters.
As time passed, a large number of Crystal Monsters suffered heavy casualties. After determining they could no longer inflict significant harm on Mako and his forces, most of these monsters fled the area.
Mako then commanded his troops to pursue the direction taken by a particularly large monster that had fled. During the earlier battle, Mako had already used his Magic Control skill to sense the presence of this creature, which seemed to be acting as a commander.
Fortunately, these creatures weren't very intelligent, especially the "commander." Focused solely on its own escape, it didn't notice Mako and his group following.
However, as Mako's group entered a certain lake area, a large number of Crystal Monsters suddenly appeared, screeching as they launched an attack on Mako's position.
The Crystal Monsters here mostly came from the water. The corrupted Lizard-Lions and giant lizards had become exceptionally fierce, no longer resembling normal creatures, but instead, machines driven only by the instinct to kill.
The crystal corruption had enlarged their bodies significantly, and their attack power had also increased. Many of their flesh-and-blood animal companions had to change their attack strategies.
However, even so, it only caused a bit of trouble for Mako and the others. But at this moment, the water behind them suddenly began to churn violently.
Then, two massive, leaf-shaped Sea Monster legs and six smaller ones appeared before everyone. One of the leaf-shaped Sea Monster legs was directly aimed at Mako.
This Sea Monster had never revealed its body from beginning to end, so its true form was unknown. Moreover, its Sea Monster legs were incredibly strange, composed of both crystal and flesh.
Through his Magic Control skill, Mako saw that these Sea Monster legs contained two completely different power systems. These two forces were perfectly integrated within its body, making it appear very powerful.
However, facing the attack of the Sea Monster legs, Mako didn't move an inch. He was still using his Magic Control skill to analyze the Sea Monster's body, trying to find its weakness.
The reason Mako could remain so calm was entirely because Mu and Meifu had already activated their angel forms and directly met the Sea Monster's attack. They didn't hold back against a creature of unknown strength and immediately unleashed their strongest attacks.
Boom...
The holy flames on the Judgment Sword erupted violently during the clash with the Sea Monster's foot, sending surrounding Crystal Monsters flying far away from the impact.
The Sea Monster's massive foot was surprisingly agile, defying any sense of slow movement. Each strike felt like a thunderbolt from the heavens, causing Meifu and the others to feel a sense of threat.
Seeing her sisters being suppressed, Danni and Nymph joined the fray. However, this Sea Monster seemed to share an origin with Nymph, as her attacks had absolutely no effect.
Therefore, Nymph changed tactics, taking control of a leading Crystal Monster, intending to incite the Crystal Monsters to fight amongst themselves.
Sure enough, the controlled leader led its underlings in attacking the Sea Monster's massive foot. Watching its subordinates constantly harassing it, the Sea Monster became utterly enraged.
It swung its foot forcefully, sending the surrounding Crystal Monsters flying.
Then, it rose into the air. With the Sea Monster's ascent, a faint, low humming began to echo throughout the area.
This sea monster looked a lot like an Earth squid. Huge tentacles connected to its inverted triangular head. Two massive eyeballs stared fixedly at Mako, looking as real as could be.
The barbs under the sea monster's tentacle suckers were exposed, bone-like with a hint of transparency, making them look terrifying. Combined with its cries, it was like listening to a death dirge.
Many Crystal Monsters began to tremble violently after coming into contact with this low-pitched sound, as if they were fighting against some kind of power.
Mako, seizing the opportunity, had Nymph order the leader to launch its strongest control ability. At the same time, he had Danni prepare to cast the "Madness Curse" on the sea monster, to throw it into complete chaos.
This sea monster was powerful in all aspects. Danni had already used "Madness Curse" on it once, but the creature had stubbornly resisted.
That's why Mako hadn't let Danni and Nymph use control-type magic on it, fearing a backlash. Magic creatures simply couldn't be judged by common sense.
This sea monster was too large, and seemed to have been blessed by mysterious powers, making it impossible to treat it normally.
The sea monster's powerful sonic waves seemed to possess a terrifying magic, directly seizing control of a large number of Crystal Monsters. The monsters on the battlefield gradually reached a stalemate.
However, the Sea Monster's control was ultimately superior. In the end, almost all the Crystal Monsters were controlled by it, even the giant Crystal Monster leader, which Nymph had been controlling, was destroyed by the Sea Monster's controlled Crystal Monsters.
Fortunately, Nymph withdrew in time and wasn't harmed. Her magic was similar to a dark magic "Puppet Master," requiring direct control by the user to be effective.
Just as the Sea Monster was feeling triumphant, Danni, who had been preparing all along, launched her attack. The "Madness Curse" completely disoriented it, and the now berserk Sea Monster began attacking everything around it.
The heavy casualties among the Crystal Monsters finally caught the attention of the person behind the scenes. A more powerful sound wave suddenly emanated from the sky, its force immense, causing even the leaves on the treetops to tremble slightly.
This sound wave seemed to have a dizzying and binding effect. After hitting the Sea Monster, the creature, which had been in a frenzy, instantly calmed down.
"Awooo...Boom..."
Along with the sound of trees collapsing and strange roars, a super-giant Crystal Monster suddenly appeared before everyone. Many of the weaker Crystal Monsters lay on the ground, trembling as if they had encountered something terrifying.
It was a giant spider, only slightly smaller than the giant turtle, Mako. However, if they fought, Mako probably wouldn't be a match for it.
This giant Crystal Spider had eight enormous, spiky legs that resembled towering pillars. Its massive abdomen was like a bloated balloon, taking up nearly two-thirds of its body.
Its belly seemed to be covered in thick crystal scales, an unsettling sight. Its smaller, bizarre head was adorned with countless crystal bone spurs, and it possessed what appeared to be five eyes.
Terrifying energy flowed within its azure body, forming a formidable force field around it. Several Mad Crystal Monsters attempted to attack it but couldn't even get close to its body.
Surrounding the Crystal Spider were swarms of smaller spiders. These smaller spiders were protected by its force field, seemingly its offspring, as they all looked alike.
These small spiders were about the size of hounds, numbering around a thousand. At that moment, they were carrying various creatures in their mouths.
These creatures were bound by crystal threads, which appeared to have anesthetized them. Unconscious, they were delivered to the giant Crystal Spider's mouth.
Subsequently, after a process of "digestion," the giant Crystal Spider would expel the creatures. These creatures would be directly corroded, and the weaker ones would even be transformed into Crystal Monsters.
And in the giant Crystal Spider's five compound eyes, there seemed to be five "people". Upon closer inspection, it became clear that they weren't people at all,
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