Chapter 344: The Wave
Chapter 344: The Wave
Rod, feeling a bit embarrassed after being praised by Natsu, said, "Um, Lucy, you should go and support Cana, Loki, and Elfman."
Lucy, also feeling awkward, replied, "Okay..."
Rod handed her two crystal balls and a book, "Keep the Magic Crystal in your pocket and hold on to the magic tome. When necessary, don't worry about Baruga's mission and recall her at any time. Be careful."
"Okay," Lucy said, hugging the book and running towards the main entrance of Phantom.
The lavender swarm of insects naturally surged forward, devouring sculptures, decorations, railings, and other objects around the perimeter of Phantom.
Even the foundations, their favorite food, were gnawed at, leaving holes everywhere.
A small group of worms, the fastest among them, had already climbed onto the tallest spire at the forefront.
Rod and the others watched helplessly as the lavender 'spots' crawled up the outer wall of the tower, creating cracks everywhere from the bottom up.
The tower seemed to be hollowed out from the outside in, starting from its base, just like a tree being eaten by a beaver, swaying precariously.
Finally, it collapsed with a loud crash.
Many unfortunate worms were crushed by the falling building and disappeared, but nearby worms immediately pounced, devouring and hollowing out the fallen structure.
They seemed to have a particular fondness for the taste of these tower-like buildings.
There seemed to be a few survivors inside the tower, but as soon as they instinctively attacked a worm, they were swarmed by a group of worms, biting and tearing at their clothes, leaving them injured and tattered.
When the survivors fell to the ground, unable to resist, they were left unharmed.
The worms would abandon these people and pounce on the nearest building or building remains to continue their feast.
They didn't eat humans; buildings were tastier.
Worms leaped over the fallen humans, like a swarm of Marios crossing obstacles, creating a spectacular scene.
Of course, some impolite worms would also jump over people's faces or stomp on their chests or abdomens, their impact possibly weaker than that of a fat orange...
Everyone was a mage with robust physiques, and they believed they would be fine and would forgive the worms for their youthful ignorance.
As the lavender wave surged towards the main building of Phantom, it, too, began to show signs of erosion.
At this moment, the few members of the feint group also saw the 'first wave of reinforcements' that Rod had mentioned.
The scattered lavender swarm of insects, gnawing everywhere, indeed made people feel... reassured? Probably.
"Cana, Loki, Elfman!" Lucy ran over, "How are you doing? Mr. Rod asked me to come and support you."
Loki instinctively wanted to hide, but realizing the war wasn't over, he forced himself to stay in control.
Cana said, "We're fine, but why did Rod send you to the frontlines?"
Although they claimed to be fine, all three of them had minor injuries and dust on their bodies, and it was inevitable to be outnumbered.
Lucy showed the magic tome in her hand, "Because I'm also a member of Fairy Tail, I can fight too!"
Elfman, having returned to his original form, patted his chest, as he also had a book tucked away in his embrace.
Only Cana and Loki had left theirs behind, finding them bothersome.
Boom! Boom!
The stones blocking the door were blasted open by magic from inside, and the members of Phantom rushed out.
Among them were a small number of ordinary people, some unarmed, while others held magical tools.
The majority wore uniform white robes and black cloaks, wielding single-handed swords.
They kept pouring out of the door, seemingly endless, as if the castle were merely a factory producing them.
"Oh~~~~" Lucy exclaimed, startled, "Have you three been fighting against this many enemies all this time?"
Carla held a few shimmering cards between her fingers, "These are the Phantom Soldiers created by President Joseph's magic. But... to be honest, we didn't know there would be so many enemies."
Loki added, "Due to the limited space in the corridor, the number of enemies we can see is not as overwhelming, and we won't have to face them all at once."
"Be a man!"
Carla grabbed Elfman by the collar, "It's time for a man to retreat and join the reinforcements."
"That's right, we have backup!" Lucy's spirits lifted, and she pointed a finger at the enemies, "Worms, charge!"
...
A cold breeze seemed to brush past them, and Lucy froze in her stance, but the swarm of worms ignored her completely.
Lucy exclaimed in surprise, "Ah! I forgot, Mr. Rod said they don't follow commands very well!"
Carla sighed as she looked at Lucy and realized the girl was a bit slow, "President Rod probably meant for us to fall back. They might not actively protect us."
Lucy asked in a daze, "Then what should we do?"
"Run, of course!" Carla called out, turning to run alongside Loki and Elfman.
A magic bullet landed at Lucy's feet, creating a small crater in the ground.
"Huh?!?!" Lucy jumped back in surprise, almost scared to tears. She screamed and continued running with the others.
As the common Phantom members and the Phantom Soldiers chased the four towards the swarm of worms, some of the worms marching forward changed direction.
They swerved around the group's feet and charged towards the Phantom members, leaving the four unsure if they should continue forward.
"What are those, worms?"
"So many of them together, it's disgusting!"
"They're destroying the guild!"
"Phantom Soldiers, stop them!"
However, the Phantom Soldiers didn't seem to heed the Phantom members' orders either, as they were focused on pursuing Carla and the others.
It wasn't until the first Phantom Soldier was bitten by a worm that they considered the worms as enemies.
Swish! The Phantom Soldier swung his weapon, vanishing a worm, but more worms pounced onto his arms, legs, and shoulders, until he was completely engulfed by the lavender swarm.
The sound of gnawing made everyone's teeth hurt. The Phantom Soldier's weapon and clothes were torn to shreds, and his body gradually became immobile before disappearing.
The worms turned to their next target.
The other Phantom Soldiers behind might have had slightly better luck, killing three, four, or even more worms, but they eventually met the same fate of being overwhelmed.
The common members, aside from the Phantom Soldiers, performed even worse. While they were more agile than the Phantom Soldiers, they also felt pain, fear, and hesitation.
However, as long as they didn't immediately retreat from the battlefield, they would inevitably be swept forward.
From an aerial view, the battlefield resembled a collision between a black and white wave and a lavender flood, with the boundary line extending outwards on both sides.
Both sides traded blows, and at every moment, lavender 'peaks' would appear, resembling underwater reefs.
But these peaks would quickly dissolve, only to have new peaks emerge.
This scene was akin to a collision between two tectonic plates, but accelerated many times over and miniaturized into this small battlefield.
The difference was that both plates were diminishing and being replenished from the rear.
The outcome would depend on which side had the greater numbers.
(End of Chapter)
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