Xingyu and the others didn’t have time to look after the magical girls struggling against the enemy fusion warriors along the way. They forced a breakthrough directly into the mountains.
Once inside, they discovered a familiar surge of magical power within.
“King Jin!”
Xingyu and the others cried out in surprise.
As the seventh among the Ten Seats, King Jin was part of the brave and battle-hardened faction. Her strength was undeniable, yet at this moment, she was in a wretched state. Her body was stained with blood in multiple places, and she even looked to be on the verge of death!
The one who had pushed her to this state was a creature covered in tentacles. Its entire body was a sickening white, and though it wasn’t large, it seemed capable of extending endless tentacles from its lower limbs. Highly metamorphic Boundary Sea matter was surging violently around it!
“Peak Dragon-level!”
Jiyue gasped. An enemy of this caliber had come to attack a small Research Institute?
No wonder even King Jin had nearly met her end. If they had arrived any later, one of the Ten Seats might have actually fallen today!
From its appearance, this creature wasn’t the dimensional beast that had brought down the super-large Star Ring from the sky. This meant the enemy had at least one more peak Dragon-level combatant that hadn’t been deployed yet!
Without needing verbal instructions, Xingyu and her group quickly stepped forward to fill the gap. High-level magic was unleashed simultaneously, pulling the critically endangered King Jin back from the brink.
“Tch, so more of the Ten Seats have come to reinforce?”
Kraken didn’t try to force a breakthrough for the time being. Taking on four of the Ten Seats at once was a bit troublesome even for it.
The reason it had only sent small fry to intercept the magical girls outside was simply to give the Magic League the illusion that its forces weren’t very strong. It just hadn’t expected to be seen through so quickly.
However, it wasn’t panicking now. It only needed to stall for time. The task of attacking the underground fortress could be left to those below.
“King Jin! Why are you here?”
As the halo of healing magic soothed her internal condition, King Jin coughed up a few streaks of blood and replied with a sliver of strength, “I was passing by on my way back and happened to run into them. I just didn’t expect the enemy to be this powerful! External communications have also been jammed, making it impossible to relay the true situation. There are also their troops underground; it’s likely about to fall!”
“Why didn’t you use communication magic to call for help earlier?!”
“That’s why I said I don’t know how!”
“Let’s focus on the enemy first.”
Xingyu concentrated on facing Kraken, holding her breath.
Judging by the opponent’s unhurried manner, it seemed it only wanted to pin them down, which showed just how intense the assault on the Research Institute’s sub-levels was.
Trying to quickly finish off a peak Dragon-level dimensional beast was impossible. Just ensuring they didn’t suffer casualties on their side was already difficult enough.
Unless they used Rank Zero magic.
But Rank Zero magic had to be reserved for the Black Candle Colossus. Furthermore, using Rank Zero magic required at least five people. With any fewer, the risk would skyrocket several times over. Moreover, there were only four of them now, and among them, Jiyue didn’t know how to use it, King Jin was already heavily injured, and the remaining Xingyu and Liyun had used Rank Zero magic at the border before. If they used it again, they might actually drop dead from exhaustion!
“Feiyu, can the bottom be left to you?” Xingyu asked.
By the same logic, it was impossible to slay a peak Dragon-level beast with just the three of them, but stalling the opponent was something they could manage.
“Understood!”
Jiyue didn’t waste any words and headed straight toward the interior of the Research Institute.
But—
A gust of wind struck from the right, and Jiyue dodged.
“?”
Another Dragon-level dimensional beast!
It wasn’t as powerful as Kraken, but it was a genuine Dragon-level dimensional beast!
From its appearance, it must have slipped in when the super-large Star Ring at the Boundary Sea Pass was lost, hiding in sub-space until now to launch a sudden attack.
Jiyue’s expression turned grim as she was blocked. She chose to bypass the opponent directly. Since the opponent was quite large, it would be relatively difficult for it to enter the underground.
But—
“No, no, this won’t do. I can’t let you go and cause trouble.” A tender female voice suddenly rang out, followed by the sound of rising tides.
[The tide?!]
Jiyue’s face changed drastically. The enemy was using that suspected Ancient Artifact trump card!
And before she could speed up her movements, yet another Dragon-level dimensional beast appeared. Together with the previous one, they stood like guardian deities, firmly blocking her path.
This formation—!
[What on earth is inside this Research Institute!?]
Jiyue cursed inwardly.
Was there still hope?
At this moment, defensive forces coming from other locations to assist also arrived. The number of fusion warriors was nearly a hundred. Leading them was one of the few Divine Particle holders in the world and the general head of the Fusion Warrior Project, the flat-chested older-sister type, Su.
[Have reinforcements arrived?] Jiyue felt a sense of relief in her heart.
Suddenly, a vibration came from deep underground. Immediately after, Jiyue felt a surge of magic that wasn’t weak at all from below. The commotion downstairs was also gradually quieting down.
Kraken seemed to receive bad news at that moment, and its attacks against Xingyu and the others suddenly became fierce.
The attacking forces below had suddenly suffered a heavy blow. There was actually a magical girl of considerable strength down there!
“A bunch of useless trash.”
Kraken cursed. It actually used its own source matter, forcibly transforming it into a towering sharp sword that stabbed ruthlessly toward the ground. A grayish-black haze bloomed underground like stars!
However, this strike yielded little result.
“It’s useless. The underground depth of the entire Research Institute is several hundred meters, with several defensive lines constructed according to nuclear defense standards. Even if you want to force your way in, it will take a lot of time!” Su sneered, attempting to persuade the invaders to retreat.
After all, given their own current strength, it was completely impossible to wipe out all the enemies. It was better to first dampen the enemy’s morale and see if they could temporarily stop the fighting.
Kraken’s noisy rage was expanding.
It didn’t dare to interfere too much with the affairs underground. If it caused too much of a stir, a massive collapse would occur, and the thing they wanted would be buried hundreds of meters deep!
“Withdraw now, and we can still live in peace!” Su said coldly. Her voice wasn’t loud, but it was full of momentum.
The fusion warriors who followed her also emitted a terrifying killing intent. Although they were far inferior to Kraken, they truly gave people a sense of hope!
However—
People noticed that the ground beneath their feet was expanding.
Expanding—
And then, a world-shaking eruption occurred.
“Roar!!!”
An angry roar, as if mountains and rivers were shattering, erupted from underground like a volcanic plume. It broke through the constraints of the surface and flipped the soil a hundred meters into the air.
The entire underground area of the Research Institute was almost entirely uprooted by this one move!
“What!?”
After Su crawled out from the dirt, she looked at this scene in disbelief. Several defensive lines that could resist the impact of nuclear weapons had all been breached in an instant. It was simply incredible!
Even the fusion warrior unit she had just brought over lost more than half its numbers in an instant.
Kraken’s aura flickered violently, filled with uncertainty.
“Nushi?”
As its voice fell, a figure rushed out from the ground. The aura was terrifyingly daunting, making even Kraken and the several Dragon-level dimensional beasts seem dim in comparison.