n

n

n*Roar!*

nMy shield warriors felt the threat and didn't hesitate to use their combined skill from the very start. I didn't stop them. After all, we hadn't even crossed half of the tunnel yet. Their skill would buy us more time and let others adapt to the fighting styles of those rats.

n*Bang!*

nThe giant shield emanated from the warriors, headed fast towards the rats coming up and swept them all like a broom sweeping dust.

n

"Keep running,

" just as I noticed the jumper's intention to attack, I hurriedly shouted,

"don't stop moving!

"

nIf it was only these rats, then I wouldn't feel any pressure. Just the lots of them that got crushed by the mighty shield of my warriors were still on the ground paralyzed from the impact.

nThat allowed my Bulltors, archers, and magicians to kill them while we kept heading forward. But that wasn't the end of their charge, it was simply the beginning.

n

"Keep running!

"

nBut no matter how many of them tried to appear and block our path, the shield warrior skill was really the best counter to the rats. As we ran for a few more minutes, we were considered to reach the middle of the tunnel.

nThere we found what I feared about!

n

"The slithering snakes!

" the jumper exclaimed in warning, but he didn't see another hidden threat.

n

"There are life suckers as well,

" I shouted in warning,

"never leave my side, do you understand?

"

nIt wasn't a warning for the girls only, but also for the spearhead and the jumper as well. The jumper already was at the forefront, trying to prevent the incoming disaster.

nBut if he went way too far ahead, I wouldn't be able to help him if things went wrong.

n

"I can kill them,

" the jumper said in satisfaction.

n

"My domain is weak against such monsters, but it still can weaken them,

" the spearhead tried to argue.

n

"As the life sucking bugs are here, that means their giant friends are here as well,

" I said in a grave tone. And my words made the eyes of the jumper widen for a brief moment.

n

"You don't possibly mean…

"

n

"Yes,

" I nodded in a firm way,

"the worms are here!

"

n

"What are those worms?

" Alex seemed to be afraid of bugs and insects. Her face was already pale since we met those rats.

nShe wasn't the only one showing such a response, but the other girls didn't react the same way when I mentioned the worms.

nShe screamed, her voice was burdened with all the worry and fear she held deep inside.

n

"They are something you don't want to meet,

" the jumper was faster to respond, and he said it in a direct and honest way,

"especially inside such an underwater tunnel. They can turn cement into powder, and with their large bodies and our narrow space, this tunnel can be drowned!

"

nDude! Come on! You weren't helping here at all!!

n

"Don't worry about them for now,

" I hurriedly said to reassure the girls,

"I have a perfect counter for them.

"

nThe jumper looked at me in a way that seemed like he didn't believe my words. I rolled up my eyes in response. Come on dude, give me a little hand here and show some faith in my words.

n

"You can kill them?

" Karoline asked with a tone that seemed to be also doubtful to my words.

n

"I can do what it can to stop them from hindering us,

" I said before shouting,

"magicians and archers, start raining hell over those monsters!

"

nThe slithering snakes were the first to move closer to us. Each one of them had a thick body like a human body, with a length varying from five metres to twenty.

nTheir bodies were covered with smooth soft yellow scales that seemed to be covered in mucus. It looked disgusting! But when anyone would look at the four horn like pairs of fangs in their large opened mouths, no one would find this disgusting but a bit terrifying.

nSeeing their bodies and their fangs would make anyone think their deadliest attacks would come from either biting or squeezing their enemies.

nBut that was wrong!

nTheir deadliest attack would be that disgusting looking mucus covering their bodies. It was a poisonous, very aggressive kind of toxin that would be considered a treasure in the apocalypse.

n

"Don't let the snakes touch you,

" I shouted,

"do anything and don't let that mucus come into contact with your bodies!

"

nThe jumper nodded, and the spearhead ran to the front with him. One had the ability to limit the movement of the snakes and the other was experienced in killing them.

nHow to kill a snake? One might think of many ways to do that. But against the slithering snakes, only fire would work. It wasn't a simple kind of fire, but a fire coming from exploding.

n

"I'll spray a liquid,

" the jumper shouted,

"make sure your magicians aim well.

"

nI didn't delay and gave the order for my magicians to hold their attacks and wait. The jumper took out two things from his inventory, a big flask and a small fan that can be held in the hand.

nThe flask was made of a grey material that looked heavy. Despite that, it showed many small cracks on its surface. It was a weird flask, but I could guess its origin.

nThe fan was small, black and dark purple in colour. But it was filled with golden and red drawings of many circles interlinking together in a beautiful way.

n

"The flask of fire and the fan of gusty wind… Did you rob a noble race house of a dragon race or what?

"

nSeeing these two precious items made me drool even more on that jumper's inventory. It seemed my intentions were obvious as he said out of the blue:

n

"Forget about sharing what I have with you!

"

n

"Stingy jumper,

" I pouted my lips in objection, but at least he didn't hold his hand and helped with everything he got.

nWhat he did was simple. He just waved the flask in the air and many big scarlet globules of high viscosity fluid came forth. They didn't stand in the air for a blink of an eye before he started fluttering his fan, releasing a small tornado of wind that carried these red droplets towards the snakes.

n

"Now!

" Once he did that, I didn't wait to see the fluid touching the snakes. I shouted and my ready magicians acted.

nThick tongues of fire appeared raining down over these snakes from my magician's skills. The attacks landed at the same moment the tornado of wind carried the big droplets of that liquid and made them arrive at the snakes.

nThen everything turned up front into a bright scarlet red light before a violent gust of wind erupted with a deafening roaring explosive sound.

n

"Keep running!

" Even in the middle of all this, I shouted not to keep myself safe but to move forward.

nAnd I had a point in saying this.

nThe fire seemed explosive and mighty, but it was our only chance to slip through that incoming disaster's counterattack from the monsters.

nThe fluid the jumper threw was very explosive. It was enough to deal with the snakes for now. But what about the bugs? The worms? The other snakes coming from other tunnels?

nWe couldn't stand in our places until the fire cooled off! If we did, we would be signing our death sentence without doubt.

n

"Move!

" Alex and Karoline were just next to me. I pushed the two girls up front while looking at the other two. Isabella looked in better shape, but Angelica was much better than her.

nThat violent Angelica was already up front, using her swords with the jumper and spearhead to kill the snakes.

n

"Store their bodies,

" I hurriedly reminded the jumper and the other two. After all these snakes carried tons of precious materials, besides they held another usage for all of us if things went wrong.

nAnd they did!

nJust as we tried to squeeze ourselves amidst the dense fire, a muffled whooshing sound was detected from far.

n

"Worms!

"

nIt was a unique sound that I wouldn't miss! Clattering like they were cladded fully in armour, alongside the swift movement of their bodies, creating a unique mix of whooshing and rustling noises, unique to the worms.

n

"We can't fight them,

" the jumper screamed,

" we need your magical solution now!

"

nThings were heading to the deepest pit far worse than I thought! We didn't even cross five hundred metres before meeting up with the worms.

nAnd whenever worms appeared, the life suckers followed.

n

"Shield warriors, surround us! Now!

" without hesitation, I instantly guarded against the impending threat first. The worms were still hundreds of metres away. But the bugs weren't.

nEven if I couldn't hear or see them, I knew their familiar pattern. They were like the front soldiers of the big worms, acting as the frontal force until the main force of the worms arrived.

nThe fire held no threat to them. Only physical strength would stop them. Unlike the worms, these bugs were so poor in dealing with physical attacks.

nThe worms held such an advantage, but they weren't that good in handling magic and elemental attacks.

n

"Keep hitting the front,

" I urged my magicians,

"don't stop using your deadliest skills!

"

n

"Don't tell me that's your plan in handling the worms!!

" The jumper's panicked voice came in a sort of mockery, but a bitter kind of mockery.

n

"Just watch,

" I didn't plan to depend on my magicians to stop the worms. But who said I only had only these few warriors? Or valiant fighters?

n

"Come forth my mighty dragon!

" The next instant I summoned one of my four grand dragons. The dragon stood with its gigantic body, enough to reach the top of the ceiling with its immense body.

n*Roar!* but I didn't summon him for his body nor his roar, but for his unique ability.

n

"Use the combined skill, now!

" I said in a deep tone, as if I was issuing a death sentence to all the monsters up ahead.

n*Roar!*

nThe dragon roared while I could already see the big shadows of the giant worms. In fact worms weren't any lesser than the dragon in size, meaning they were stuffing their butts inside the tunnel and literally blocking it.

nSo what? Let's barbecue some worms for late dinner, should we?

nThe dragon twisted its long thick neck while his body emanated bright red light.

"Get down,

" I shouted before the dragon released its deadly breath, raining death over the monsters up front.

n*Sizzle!* *Sizzle!* *Sizzle!*

nAnd his breath was fierce enough to issue loud sizzling sounds. I didn't lower my head like others, wanting to see the majestic brutal attack of my dragons for the first time.

nAll this time I only allowed my dragons to use their basic breaths abilities. In fact I never needed to up the game and use such a deadly kind of attack.

nBesides this attack was brutal, but it wasn't without a price to pay! The dragon would enter a state of weakness after using such devastating breath, lasting for a few minutes.

nThe breath was a myriad of colours, mixing white, silver, red, purple, and green in one big funnel of expanding fire. The more it expanded, the fiercer it became until all the lights would merge together to form a terrifying black current with flashy white lightning arcs dancing all across it.

nIt was deadly! I even felt threatened by just looking at it! Damn boy, you were a really terrifying dragon!

nTrying to move amidst the explosive fire of the jumper was something, but trying to go within the ultimate breath skill of the dragon was another.

nI had to admit, my dragons were really OP! At this moment I realised that even if we were faced with Golems, we wouldn't lose.

n

"Is it even possible?

" Karoline, who was the latest to join my forces, couldn't help but stand by my side and watch with wide open eyes.

nShe held my arms in reflex, trying to stand erect and strong. But her gentle touches made me feel some heat in my body.

nDamn it girl! Stop doing such dangerous stuff in this dangerous time!

n