Chapter 343: The Despicable Phantom
Chapter 343: The Despicable Phantom
The main assault team was led by the experienced veterans Marco and Waka, followed by Nabu, Marcus, Laki, Bigida, and Miky, each commanding a small squad.
The overall formation was arranged with those less severely injured at the front and those with more severe injuries but still mobile at the rear.
Those at the front carried a magic book, while those at the back had bulging backpacks—this expedition had practically emptied the guild's inventory.
When moving items out of the warehouse, even Marco felt a pang of pain, but Rod knew that this was not the time to worry about such things.
Consumables were meant to be used in situations like this, and it was better to regret using them up later than to miss an opportunity or risk companions due to saving a few magic crystals.
Hmm... Rod hoped that the Guild Master would forgive his extravagant actions afterward.
The weather today was average, mainly due to the lack of wind, causing the smoke and dust kicked up by the falling Mechanical Leg and Phantom to disperse slowly.
Mila, Elusa, and Lucy had followed a blue glow to find their way here.
Indeed, it was the Azure Engraved Golem.
Without hesitation, Rod summoned a second golem and equipped Elusa and Lucy with Insight Crowns as well.
After exchanging greetings, Rod, unable to say anything else, asked, "Lucy, can you call Baruga out?"
"Huh? Yes!" Lucy drew a key from her waist and said, "Open, Virgin Gate, Baruga!"
A golden glow formed a keyhole, and a phantom gate appeared, revealing a pink-haired girl dressed as a maid, wearing white stockings and handcuffs on her wrists.
Baruga placed her right hand on her chest, bowed slightly to Lucy, and uttered an explosive line:
"Princess, do you want to discipline me?"
Lucy refuted, "Who would do such a thing!"
Rod looked at the handcuffs on Baruga's wrists and then at the whip on Lucy's waist, feigning realization, "Oh~ So Lucy has such a hobby."
"Not at all!" Lucy realized that her Celestial Spirit seemed to have a hard time picking a decent one. These guys unexpectedly fit the Fairy Tail guild perfectly.
She said with a headache, "Rod has something to ask of you."
"Greetings, Lord Rod, it's a pleasure to meet you." Baruga greeted politely, "Lady Elusa, good day, and..."
Lucy introduced, "This is Miss Mila."
"Lady Mila, it's a pleasure to meet you." Baruga used a respectful title, which seemed more humble compared to the one Wendy usually used, as if she had completely immersed herself in the role of a maid.
The group smiled and greeted her.
Rod said, "I heard from a companion that you're very skilled in Earth Magic, especially in digging holes, so I'd like to ask you to go inside that building."
Baruga tilted her head in confusion, "To make traps?"
"Hmm..." Rod nodded after some thought, "That's fine too."
"What do you mean by 'that's fine'?" Lucy couldn't help but ask, "Didn't you think it through yourself?"
Rod explained, "I originally wanted her to cause as much damage as possible and ideally dig out all the holes she could. It would be best to bring down the entire castle. But now I'm thinking that if time is running out, it's not bad to use it as a trap."
Having heard that the Phantom's building undergoes a two-stage transformation, enabling the use of powerful magic, Rod wasn't sure if destroying just two legs would be enough to stop it.
To be safe, it was better to cause more destruction, and they had a professional at their disposal.
"Understood. Then, Princess, I'm off. Please punish me later," Baruga bid farewell to Lucy and, with a turn of her body, blasted into the ground.
Her drilling method was different from Rod's Stone Beetle swimming style; she genuinely created a hole.
Although her figure was no longer visible, Lucy continued to tease her, "Why must there be punishment..."
However, her mood was quite good, as she had been running with Elusa and Mila for so long, and finally, she had her own task.
Elusa frowned, "Something is approaching."
The smoke was too thick to see clearly.
Rod thought for a moment and directly asked in the 'Public Channel,' "Can someone disperse this smoke?"
"Leave it to me," came Alzack's voice.
On a small hill nearby, over a dozen bullets flew one after another, landing around the Phantom.
A few tornadoes immediately formed nearby, their power not particularly strong but enough to blow away the surrounding dust.
Bullet Magic: Hurricane Shot - Non-Attack Lightweight.
"Mission accomplished."
"Well done."
As the smoke and dust cleared, they saw what Erza had mentioned approaching.
It was a dense, lavender 'river' flowing relentlessly forward. Upon closer inspection, they could make out numerous insects, each a little taller than a human's knee.
The Void Worms gathered, hopping and jumping towards the Phantom's structure.
On their way, they encountered obstructing stones or building materials that had fallen from the Robotic Leg, and they simply crunched them with a crack.
It was like a swarm of locusts passing by.
Thankfully, the three Void Nest Insects that had arrived earlier refrained from devouring the ice path Gray had created, which was a relief.
The moment the smoke and dust cleared, the insects seemed to spot their prey, becoming excited, and their movement speed appeared to increase slightly.
Lucy bit her finger, "Eww~ So scary!"
Although she had seen them once before while rescuing the others, the number of insects was not as high as it was now.
She had originally wanted to say how disgusting they were, but thinking that these were friendly reinforcements summoned by her companion, she changed it to 'scary'.
Moreover, with this many, there must be thousands of them, right? In a sense, Mr. Rod was terrifying.
As soon as the worms arrived, they didn't need Rod's command; the first group had already actively climbed onto the Phantom's foundation and started gnawing away.
Those that were a bit behind struggled to squeeze into the empty spaces, stepping on their companions' bodies to continue jumping forward. If they found a gap, they would start gnawing as well.
The group further behind took the same action, with some spreading out to both sides.
It was like a rapid stream encountering a slightly protruding sandbar; some rushed onto it, wetting the sand above, while others lined up on both sides, wetting the surrounding sand.
As long as there was enough water, the sandbar would inevitably erode and become smaller.
Erza exclaimed, "Although I've heard about their abilities, it's still astonishing to witness it firsthand."
Rod smiled bitterly, "Just don't find them disgusting."
"Not at all," Mira comforted him, "If you look closely, they're actually cute in their own way."
Erza stared at them for a moment and nodded, "Now that you mention it, they are a little cute."
"..." Lucy also stared for a moment, feeling goosebumps on her arms, unable to see any cuteness in them.
Rod didn't know what to say. He felt that Mira was comforting him, and Erza genuinely saw the charm in the worms.
Watching the worms flow with the current and bite and chew randomly, Erza asked, "Shouldn't we plan the destruction route a little?"
Rod shook his head, "We can't plan; these guys have very low intelligence. I can only command them to attack or stop. Anything slightly more complex requires the queen worm to give the order.
And even if they do, there might be some unexpected delays or deviations, so they might not fully execute the command."
Quantity over quality.
Suddenly, Loki's voice rang out, "There are too many enemies! We need to retreat!"
Rod replied, "Retreat as planned. The first batch of reinforcements has arrived."
The group heard a loud bang, as if Elfman had transformed into the Beast King and smashed a large section of the Phantom's main gate.
Many enemies were buried beneath it, temporarily blocking the pursuit route.
The three members of the feint attack group could take a brief break.
Rod casually asked, "How are Natsu and Gray doing?"
"They're busy! Ahahaha!"
A firelight flashed from the second-floor window of a building. Since the building had stopped, Natsu seemed to be having a good time fighting.
Gray didn't respond, but an ice spear shot out from the window, indicating he was also enjoying himself.
After some thought, Rod said, "Let's head towards Natsu and Gray. I have a feeling those two are about to get beaten up."
They hadn't taken many steps when they suddenly heard Natsu's voice again, "Whoa! Damn, they dug a trap on the upper floor! Damn you, Phantom! Everyone, be careful!"
Er...
(End of Chapter)
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