Chapter 584, Part 583: The Kindness of Non-Mushrooms (Thanks to Sun Hetang for being the Alliance Leader)

Mengya and Chouyu had no idea about Qisi's frightened state of mind, nor could they have imagined that it was a group of newly born slimes that, by a twist of fate, scared away the terrifying swarm of insects.

Only after extremely careful and repeated searches to confirm that the terrifying insects had truly and completely disappeared did they dare to cautiously return to the port.

They didn't want to go back to the place where their nightmare had just unfolded, but they had no other choice.

If we don't come back to gather some supplies, we probably won't even make it to High Fortress.

However, the scene before them was far more horrific than they had imagined.

Most of the flames that could be seen in the distance have been extinguished.

It wasn't that it was put out by someone; rather, almost everything that could be burned had already been burned.

The city gates were flung open, and the heavy door panels were reduced to a pile of charred and twisted fragments.

The city wall collapsed in many places, as if it had been smashed or dug through by some kind of giant beast. The broken stones and wood were mixed with dark red bloodstains.

The city was also in a state of chaos, with many buildings violently demolished, wooden structures gnawed with huge gaps, and stone walls covered with deep claw marks.

Traces of fierce resistance remained in some places, with broken weapons, shattered shields, and fragments of the demon soldiers' tattered armor scattered around.

However, they did not see a single corpse along the way.

There were none of the demons or the insects.

Mengya could roughly imagine where the corpses had gone, and couldn't help but shudder.

Eventually, they found some survivors near a large, less damaged stone warehouse.

About twenty or thirty demons huddled against the warehouse wall. Most of them were wounded, some with blood-soaked tattered bandages, some with their limbs bent at unnatural angles, and their faces were covered in blood and wet tear stains.

His eyes were vacant, filled with the disorientation of surviving a disaster and a deep-seated fear.

Weapons lay scattered to the side, and many people simply clung to themselves, their bodies trembling slightly uncontrollably.

Several men who looked like low-ranking officers were trying to maintain order in hushed tones, counting the number of survivors while also scavenging any usable supplies around them.

When Mengya and the stinky fish appeared in their field of vision, especially the round, plump silhouettes following behind them, the survivors instinctively flinched in fear, almost grabbing the stones at hand.

When they realized that the newcomers were not those ferocious insects, but demons and a walking mushroom, they breathed a sigh of relief as if their bones had been removed. However, their tense nerves did not truly relax, and despair and confusion still enveloped each of them.

These demons have been terrified by the insects.

As a strategic port on the front line, although most of the people who are active outside are small groups or mercenaries from within the empire, the port itself is defended by the regular imperial army.

When Qis's swarm of insects launched a surprise attack from the sea, although they initially suffered heavy losses due to being caught off guard, the demon commanders stationed there, who had experienced the baptism of real war, quickly demonstrated their due qualities.

In a very short time, he rallied his troops and, relying on the city's fortifications, organized a tenacious and orderly resistance.

However, even the most elite and valiant troops cannot withstand a swarm of Zerg that is stronger, more numerous, can turn invisible, and has no concept of death!

Moreover, the demons underestimated Qis's intelligence, initially mistaking them for magical beasts, which extinguished their last hope.

After the two sides clashed, Qis used the scattered Eye Worms to locate the demon mages on the battlefield who could cast anti-invisibility and detection spells.

They then launched a premeditated surprise attack on these mages, even at the cost of losing more insects.

As one mage after another was torn apart amidst screams, the demon guards were as if they had gone blind.

Although the [Refraction Invisibility] is not perfect, and there are other ways to detect insects such as footprints, watermarks, and smoke, it is ultimately a huge advantage when applied to the battlefield.

The defensive line was torn apart time and time again from unexpected angles, and casualties soared to 30% of the total force in a very short time. All the soldiers were afraid.

Military discipline and honor crumbled in the face of the instinct for survival. Even knowing that fleeing would only make them easy targets for insects, and even with the commanders shouting themselves hoarse in their attempts to suppress the enemy, the collapsing defenders still cried out as they threw down their weapons, ripped off their heavy armor, and swarmed toward what they saw as the only way out—the city gate—like headless flies.

This was exactly what Qis wanted. The demon soldiers had just begun to flee when the war turned into a one-sided massacre.

The small group of routed soldiers that Mengya and Chouyu had seen earlier, who rushed out of the city gate and were quickly chased by the six-clawed insects, turned out to be one of the very few lucky ones who escaped the port's encirclement during this collapse.

Their numbers were less than one percent of the total number of the garrison.

As for the port's commander and deputy commander, those two powerful figures who were fiercely competing for power just a day ago, neither of them survived this time.

They fought bravely at first, but after losing their army's support, they were overwhelmed by the swarm of insects.

That is why, at this moment, only a few bewildered junior officers remain in the port ruins, barely maintaining the last vestiges of order among the survivors.

Mengya, who had only recently reached the Gold level, was actually one of the strongest among this group of people!

With the port destroyed, even if the insects don't launch a counterattack, humans will eventually notice the changes here, and staying here is tantamount to waiting for death.

In the end, a team of over a hundred demons was organized.

Although the insects had looted all the food, they left other supplies, such as medicine, to them.

Most of the supplies were destroyed in the battle and the fire, but some were left over. And coincidentally, the number of demons who survived was not large.

Not daring to linger, the survivors quickly gathered supplies and headed toward their only escape route: the High Fortress.

Mengya and Chouyu naturally followed along.

Along the way, all the demons were on tenterhooks, wary of being discovered by humans.

However, instead of encountering human adventurers, they were ambushed by the cult!

At the critical moment, if Thirteen hadn't suddenly attacked and killed two Gold-level cultists, Mengya and Chouyu would have become sacrifices again.

The two were surprised to discover that the seemingly weak Puji was actually the strongest member of the team.

Thirteen saved Mengya so that she could return to the Empire; as for the other demons, it didn't care.

In the end, fewer than ten demons reached the foot of High Fortress. They were all covered in dust and dirt, looking more like beggars than soldiers or spies.

These demons, along with Mengya, Chouyu, and Thirteen, were quickly brought before Sigismund.

...

The port has been destroyed – this is terrible news!

However, it has little impact on the current situation of the empire. With the sea routes blocked, the western coastal area is indeed somewhat of a liability.

Therefore, Sigismund's attention was more focused on the Puji than on these demon soldiers.

Despite Mengya's efforts to shield Thirteen behind her, it was clearly pointless.

"That one... isn't an ordinary Puji, is it?"

Sigismund finally asked the question that Mengya feared most.

She could already picture the scene where Puji would be snatched away, and her bright future would vanish like a bubble.

Thirteen, however, was somewhat puzzled.

Why does this non-mushroom, which isn't even a mushroom servant, give me such a warm feeling?

(End of this chapter)