Chapter 134: Efficient Handling of Mutated Flesh

“Team One, head to the exits of the city’s sewer system and inspect the area. Teams Two to Four, patrol the streets and other areas. If you find anything similar, burn it immediately. Pay special attention to the city walls—don’t overlook any issues there.

“Teams Five and Six, head to Stevenson Academy of Magic with all technical personnel. That should be everything.”

The Nightblades were being dispatched one after another. All Nightblade operatives stationed in the capital were swiftly mobilizing and rushing to their assigned posts.

The chaos caused by the abnormal beast tide had already begun to affect the capital. The frenzied, bloodthirsty winter wolves no longer had migration as their goal. The desire to kill had taken over their already limited intelligence, and the obvious hunting ground was the capital.

At this point, the city guards stationed within the capital were largely soldiers recalled from the frontlines or survivors of the Hellgate incident. They were no longer the ragtag group they had once been.

They gathered in an orderly manner, split into groups, and rushed to various areas outside the city walls to join forces with the hunters who had originally prepared for the winter hunt. Together, they formed a strong defensive line around the capital.

While their physical strength hadn’t seen much of a boost on the whole, the changes to their mindset and behavior were evident. After regrouping, they took advantage of their fortified defenses and overall superior strength to contain the frenzied winter wolves.

Although casualties continued to occur due to the wolves’ suicidal attacks, the city guards executed their duties well. Not a single winter wolf had yet breached the city walls.

The Nightblades had also fully mobilized. Their target was something even more troublesome than the crazed wolves.

“Over here! Mark the spot and have the cleaners deal with it.”

“Dig around this area—there’s more underneath!”

“Just what is this? When did it spread to this extent?”

“Don’t bother trying to detect void energy or mana—it’s useless. This is a purely biological entity. Use your eyes and hands to dig it out.”

Several teams of Nightblades were conducting rapid search-and-cleanup operations throughout the capital. Their target was some kind of biological creature that had begun spreading underground in the capital some time prior.

“Just what is this?!” A Nightblade soldier pulled out a tangled mass of flesh-like tendrils that resembled plant roots from the soil.

These flesh-like tendrils had quickly appeared in various corners of the capital after the crimson barrier formed around Stevenson Academy of Magic.

They crawled out of the soil in gardens, climbed up trees and walls, or emerged from cracks in buildings, then latched onto any surface they could reach. Though they resembled plant roots, they grew and moved far faster than one might expect.

Initially, the Nightblades attempted to use their usual method for dealing with void creatures: banishing them back to the void. However, they soon discovered that these rapidly growing “roots” seemed to have no connection to the void. They… appeared to be just some bizarre, fully biological organisms.

“How did they spread so widely? Team One mentioned that the inner walls of the sewers are packed with these things. How could everything have gone undetected for so long?”

The soldier pulled out a large clump of roots. Due to the force, many of the roots snapped. Bright red blood oozed out and stained the surrounding soil.

The soldier frowned gravely at the writhing, twisting mass of flesh roots in his hands, the soldier’s expression was grave. These roots seemed just like void creatures, but at the same time, they clearly weren’t.

“It’s precisely because they aren’t void entities that they couldn’t be detected. Even our most elite members couldn’t account for all the plant roots and rat tunnels beneath the capital. If they’re not related to the void, then these things are essentially no different from tree roots. We couldn’t detect them until they revealed themselves,” a magician burning the roots with fire magic calmly responded to the soldier’s question.

“I see—but isn’t there something strange about how these roots all appeared right when that barrier was erected around Stevenson Academy?”

“Correct. Teams Five and Six, the technical support groups, have already rushed there. We should know what’s going on soon. Our job is to handle these suspicious growths first,” the magician replied. She noted that this was an unusually talkative Nightblade soldier.

“What’s this?” The soldier quickly dug through the soil in a small garden near the central district. What emerged wasn’t a tangled mass of fleshy roots but rather a layer of flesh with a curved surface. As more soil was removed, its full shape became clear.

It was a sphere made of flesh, with numerous fleshy roots connected to it. The sphere pulsed rhythmically. Through its semi-transparent shell of flesh, something could be seen moving within.

Though the soldier was talkative, he didn’t hesitate to act the moment he discovered the sphere. His mission was to clean up these roots and related anomalies. Figuring out what these bizarre things were wasn’t his job—that was for the research team. He was just a field operative, and his duty was to take action.

Without hesitation, he raised his longsword and stabbed it into the sphere. A torrent of blood gushed out the moment the blade pierced the surface. Amniotic-like fluid flowed out, along with some cotton-like organic matter that slid off the collapsing shell of flesh.

The thing that had been moving inside didn’t seem to have died just yet. It continued to writhe and roll within the remnants of the ruptured sphere.

The soldier raised his sword again and stabbed down, ending the life of the creature. Then, flames from the magician reduced its flesh to a pile of blackened debris.

No matter what they faced, the Nightblades were efficient, calm, and handled situations rigorously. Though their numbers were smaller compared to the city guards, they were undoubtedly elite soldiers.

“Anomaly detected. Pay attention to the surrounding soil.” A serious warning came from nearby as a Nightblade soldier stopped digging and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, focusing on the ground around him. The soil in his vicinity was vibrating and bulging abnormally.

“Understood.” The magician responsible for vigilance and emergency response immediately turned to the soldier who had issued the warning.

Rather than use supernatural means to discern what was happening underground, the experienced magician tapped the ground with his staff, sending vibrations through the soil. These vibrations provided feedback on the situation beneath the surface within a certain range around the soldier.

“Watch your feet. There are numerous abnormal cavities underground. Some unknown biological creatures are crawling out of them and heading toward your position. Handle it carefully. All other members, stay alert.”

The magician quickly processed the information relayed by his spell and conveyed it to the rest of the team, then warned all Nightblade members currently engaged in cleanup operations.

“Understood.” The response was brief and clear. All the Nightblade soldiers quickly adjusted their stance. They stopped their excavation of the hidden roots and instead gripped their weapons, focusing their attention on the ground around them.

Abnormal bulges and vibrations began to appear in the surrounding soil. Cracks formed on the surface as small but fast-moving creatures burst out from the ground.

The flesh-colored, rat-like creatures let out piercing shrieks, only to be met with the soldiers’ pointed weapons.

Swords slashed through the air, effortlessly cleaving the small, fragile creatures in two. These tiny creatures that had emerged from underground flesh sacs were swiftly exterminated before they could cause any problems.

The soldiers handled the situation quickly, but the number of these creatures was overwhelming. The ground continued to crack as more of them burst out, their powerful hind legs propelling them at incredible speed toward the Nightblade soldiers.

Their gaping mouths met the soldiers’ thick iron armor. Without exception, the Nightblade operatives on field duty were clad in heavy armor, far more practical than the decorative plate armor they wore on formal occasions. Their gear protected every vital part of their bodies.

Surprisingly, the creatures’ teeth were sharp and tough. Despite their unremarkable size, their teeth managed to sink into the heavy armor.

Unfortunately for them, the thick armor—composed of an exterior metal layer and a tough leather interior—was too thick for them to bite through fully. Even if they managed to pierce the armor, they couldn’t inflict any real harm on the soldiers.

The soldiers’ free hands grabbed the creatures clinging to their armor and crushed them into pulp. While continuously dealing with the creatures emerging from the ground, they also killed any that managed to attack them.

“As far as we can discern, these creatures aren’t coordinated. They’re simply following their instinct to kill. Don’t let them reach populated areas—that would be a disaster. Notify all residents to stay safe. Magicians, prepare to sweep the entire underground with the most extensive spells possible.”

The magician observing the situation analyzed the gathered information and relayed it to all active Nightblade teams in the capital.

“Received!”

“Received!”

“The magician teams are assembling and preparing to generate a scaled-down, localized Earthquake. Requesting approval.”

“Those higher up in the chain of command are currently unavailable. I am their proxy. Approved.”

Information was transmitted rapidly as the Nightblades communicated and coordinated at high speed, executing their orders and relaying their observations in a curt, succinct manner.

“Large numbers of biological creatures are emerging from the sewers. They display abnormal strength. No casualties so far. Requesting backup from the reserve teams.”

“Received! Team Seven, support Team One. Team Eight, remain on standby. Be prepared to move out at any moment.”

Swords slashed at the endless stream of bizarre creatures. Shields were held up at the forefront, each collision forcing back the creatures attempting to break through. Fireballs were cast by magicians in quick succession, effectively killing the creatures in tightly controlled clusters.

At that moment, the Nightblades’ Team One was facing a relentless tide of creatures pouring out of the sewers. Even so, their formation remained unperturbed. They efficiently and calmly slaughtered these unknown entities.

Blood flowed like a river. Chunks of flesh littered the ground, but none of it could shake the resolve of these soldiers who had dealt with the void countless times.

Across the city, these fleshy creatures were emerging from the underground. However, they were given no chance to act or cause destruction. Nightblade soldiers swiftly moved to every location where these creatures appeared, efficiently handling the outbreak and subsequent cleanup.

The sudden crisis of these fleshy roots caused no panic or confusion among the Nightblade soldiers and their leaders, one of the most elite forces of the capital.

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