Chapter 206: Invasion of the underworld’s dark forest

—It’s you again?

—You really can’t tell life from death!

—This time, don’t even think about leaving here alive!

As soon as that voice echoed through the forest, I felt a chill run down my spine.

Even from almost a hundred meters away, I could clearly see the expression on her face.

Hatred.

Two intense lights seemed to burn in her eyes as she stared at me. It was obvious that she remembered me perfectly.

And, honestly, I hadn’t forgotten her either.

The difference was that I had returned, and this time, I hadn’t come alone.

Even so, the instant her magical aura descended upon me, my heart began pounding violently.

As expected... it was still impossible for me to directly face a creature at the Mage level with my current strength.

My Black Rock Basilisk slid behind me.

Its enormous body moved slowly and began coiling around me.

Within a few seconds, I was protected inside its coils.

Only then was I able to breathe a little easier.

The Mosquito’s oppressive presence was still there.

But at least my mind began functioning again.

"Giant."

I transmitted my order through the magical connection with the golem’s core.

"Hold her down."

"Don’t let her have any opportunity to attack me."

The response came immediately.

The Brilliant Light Giant brought its two hands together.

The energy around it began to concentrate.

Then—

BOOOOOOM!

A massive beam of light exploded.

It was approximately the diameter of a basin and pierced through the space between them like a divine spear.

The attack went straight toward the Mosquito.

But instead of trying to escape...

She smiled.

My heart sank.

The Mosquito simply didn’t believe that the attack could penetrate her defenses.

She spread her arms.

Black flowers began emerging from her body.

Twisted stems rapidly grew.

They intertwined over her skin, forming a black armor with an strangely beautiful appearance.

Even in the face of the attack’s violent energy, she didn’t retreat.

On the contrary.

She advanced.

The Mosquito’s body disappeared into the air.

Her speed was so absurd that my eyes had difficulty following her.

In an instant, she had already crossed most of the distance.

Her target wasn’t me.

It was the Giant.

I immediately understood her intention.

She wanted to destroy it.

The Mosquito possessed a terrifying combat instinct.

She had recognized the Giant’s strengths and weaknesses almost instantly.

Trying to gradually wear down its strength would be useless.

My Golem possessed extremely high offensive power.

The longer she remained fighting it, the greater the possibility of suffering some kind of accident.

Therefore, she had chosen the most direct solution.

Risk taking a few attacks and destroy the Giant as quickly as possible.

It was a dangerous strategy.

But effective.

Especially against an enemy who possessed no fear.

The Brilliant Light Giant showed no emotion.

Its aura intensified.

Concentrated light exploded from its body.

At the same time, the attacks released from its hands became even denser.

Then the Mosquito arrived.

Her hand tore through the air.

Directly toward the Giant’s chest.

But half a second before her claws pierced my Golem’s body...

The magical symbols glowing around it lit up.

The gigantic body disappeared.

Light Leap!

Despite the name, it was much closer to short-distance teleportation.

The Mosquito struck nothing but empty air.

An instant later—

BOOOOOOM!

Thunder exploded hundreds of meters away.

The Giant reappeared.

Its body was enveloped in violent light.

And without losing even a fraction of a second, it attacked again.

A Light Chain crossed nearly a hundred meters.

And struck the Mosquito directly.

Unlike other elements, light possessed a terrifying advantage: speed.

Only creatures with absurd physical attributes could completely evade it.

A smile appeared on my face.

But it didn’t last.

My expression quickly turned bitter.

Because at that moment, I realized something.

While fighting the Giant, the Mosquito was forced to concentrate her attention on it.

But if she realized that she couldn’t find an opening...

Then there was another way to end the battle.

Kill the controller.

After all, I was human and infinitely easier to kill.

Please, don’t think about that.

Please, keep trying to destroy the Giant.

Naturally, the universe ignored my request.

After a few violent exchanges, the Mosquito suddenly stopped, then turned her head and looked at me.

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POV: Outlaw Acolytes of the Underground World

However, near the entrance to the forest, something completely different was happening.

A dense red aura began spreading from underground.

It accumulated and swirled, forming a circular magical array.

The formation was approximately three meters in diameter.

Red runes lit up.

Then—

WHOOOOM!

A massive cloud of red dust exploded from the array.

Five figures began to emerge.

At first, their bodies seemed to be made of rubies.

Then, slowly, they took shape.

When the energy completely dissipated, five men were standing there.

Five Outlaw Pseudo-Mages.

They were Salin, who was still seeking revenge for his wife, Netalp, Sharniz, and two other men whose names I had never heard.

All of them immediately staggered.

The teleportation had allowed them to cross an enormous distance in a short amount of time.

But it came at a price.

Even powerful individuals needed a few seconds to regain their balance after each teleportation.

That was why the technique wasn’t ideal for instantaneous ambushes.

But for traveling quickly over long distances, it was extremely efficient.

Little by little, the five regained their senses.

Then they heard a violent rumble echo from the forest.

Everyone raised their heads.

In the distance, a brilliant cloud illuminated the ceiling of the enormous cavern.

Lightning and explosions constantly erupted.

The place had transformed into a true battlefield.

Salin stared at the two figures moving at absurd speeds.

Then a smile slowly appeared on his face.

A smile filled with satisfaction.

Damn brat.

He seemed to think.

Where will you run this time?

It doesn’t matter how many allies you brought with you.

All of you will die here!

—Let’s go.

Salin finally spoke.

His smile became even darker.

—It’s time for us to make our debut.

Without waiting for any response, he entered the forest.

Netalp, Sharniz, and the other two exchanged glances before following behind him.

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POV: Ruby - George’s personal stash

Ruby flew.

Her wings sliced through the air as she advanced toward the entrance.

In the distance, the sound of the battle between the Giant and the Mosquito continued.

The distraction was working.

At least until that moment.

But the entrance to the ruins was not unprotected.

As soon as Ruby approached—

SWISH!

A long vine shot out from the vegetation and advanced directly toward her body.

Ruby stopped in midair for less than a second, and then her claws emerged.

And she attacked.

SHHHHK!

The vine was cut apart.

Within a few seconds, the first plant creature had been reduced to countless pieces.

But that was a mistake.

A huge mistake.

It was like attacking an entire wasp nest.

The very next instant, countless vines emerged from the vegetation.

They spread out and advanced.

The entire entrance to the ruins seemed to have transformed into a living forest.

Ruby growled.

Her body disappeared.

A crimson flash crossed the vegetation.

She dove directly between the vines.

Her claws continuously slashed through them.

Then, something moved.

A green orb made of earth slowly opened.

Inside the earthen orb was an eye that stared at Ruby.

The eye continued following every movement, even at extreme speed.

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Far away, the Mosquito received the image.

Her body hesitated.

For only a fraction of a second.

But that fraction was enough.

The Giant noticed.

For a being of that level, the slightest opening was visible.

A spear of Light pierced through the air.

CRAAAAASH!

The energy struck the Mosquito’s black armor.

A small storm of golden light exploded.

Her body was swallowed by the attack.

The Black Flower Armor was finally tested once again.

But even so, it held.

Until that moment, despite all of the Giant’s attacks, the Mosquito’s defenses continued to function.

The flowers burned, but it was as if the plants could grow infinitely.

The Giant still hadn’t managed to inflict any real damage.

At best, it had destroyed part of the defensive magical equipment she was carrying.

But the Mosquito was irritated.

The image of Ruby fighting near the ruins had divided her attention.

A furious roar escaped her throat.

She wanted to return.

She wanted to eliminate Ruby.

She wanted to protect the entrance.

But the Giant wouldn’t allow it.

It advanced.

Light attacks exploded around it.

The Mosquito tried to retreat.

A rain of magical arrows appeared.

The Giant charged through the storm.

The battle continued.

And thanks to that... Ruby gained time.

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1456 Words