Monsters and Monsters

Follow this passageway, passing through thick and deep strata.

Then everything became clear.

At first, there was only a faint blue light, but when we reached the end of the passage, the view was filled with a sea of blue light. At the end of the passage was a cliff, and below the cliff was a dreamlike world.

Dreamlike plants, resembling weeping willows, took root in the soil and rock crevices, their blue leaves shimmering. Tall fungal plants emitted a brilliant glow like streetlights, and the ferns on the ground also shone brightly. Compared to the areas we had passed through before, the luminous plants in this deeper region were more magnificent, dazzling, and full of vitality, both in terms of color and shape.

Clusters of blue crystals grew on the riverbed and rock walls, even extending from the dome downwards. The entire area was a deep blue, like ice, dreamlike and illusory. Even though the three of them were preoccupied with their own thoughts, they still held their breath and felt amazed when they saw this vast and dreamlike crystal world.

But this amazing effect only lasted a short while.

This exquisite scenery has been desecrated and tainted by filth.

In a crystal-clear sea of flowers, Lily discovered the second dragon corpse.

As the Brotherhood's strongest legendary assassin, the One-Punch Dragon Girl, who has been through countless battles since childhood and is the creator of the Dragon Clan Assassination Fist, almost vomited after seeing this dragon corpse.

Rather than a dragon corpse, it was more like a mutated, swollen, and disgusting mutated corpse. Purple, decaying growths had covered most of its body, and purple, egg-like transparent objects densely covered its scales. The majestic and ferocious dragon head was deformed by the growing mutated tissue, its forelimbs were enlarged, and bone spurs were growing rampantly on the skeleton of its wings. The surface of the dragon wings gleamed with an evil purple light.

The dead monster lay on the ground, its purple blood flowing like a stream. This scene could no longer be defined as a "Dragonfall," for the fall of a dragon is tragic and desolate, yet carries a touch of beauty in its return to destiny. But this dragon's corpse was so ugly it was nauseating; such an evil creature had never appeared in the entire history of the world.

The previous mad dragon, Aocheweier, although visibly corrupted by mysterious elements, still maintained its dragon form, majesty, demeanor, and pride. But this one can no longer be called a dragon.

Once the ruler of the sky, a great dragon standing at the top of the world's food chain.

But he died in this way.

Lily's face turned pale, her body swayed slightly, and she instinctively covered her mouth.

Since joining the Brotherhood and starting to take delivery orders, she had actually become accustomed to seeing corpses.

She's delivered all sorts of things: shattered hearts without leaving a trace, punches to vests shattering bodies and sending debris flying, punches to the body leaving no lasting effects but resulting in sudden death that very night... She's delivered everything imaginable: broken, disgusting, soft, muddy, human corpses, elf corpses, dwarf corpses, even dragon corpses—it doesn't really matter.

In her eyes, it was nothing more than a pile of meat, living meat and dead meat.

But this is different.

A dragon should not die in such a manner.

Or rather, no living being should die like this.

"Are you alright?" Kang De stepped forward and asked, "Would you like me to help it save face?"

After defeating the mad dragon Aocheweier, Kang De used the Power of the Fire Thief to dismantle the distorted collective of mysterious elements within its body. This not only restored the dying dragon to its senses but also restored its broken body to normal. Now that the dragon is dead, he can die with some dignity.

Lily glanced at Kang De, subconsciously moving closer to him, then turned her head back to look at the swollen and twisted dragon corpse on the ground, and whispered, "Thank you for your help."

Kang De nodded.

My role as a mortician wasn't just to comfort and care for Lily; restoring the dragon to its original state also helped determine the cause of his death and his experiences in life.

You can't tell anything from his appearance now.

He said, "Go and see where it came from."

There were no signs of battle around. If the dragon was killed by an external force, the battlefield must not be here, otherwise this beautiful blue forest would have been completely destroyed long ago.

Lily nodded slightly, a hint of gratitude flashing in her eyes. This guy was sometimes surprisingly thoughtful and considerate, and other times... he was such a strange fellow.

Her eyes gleamed with the penetrating light of a silver dragon as she scanned her surroundings and moved about.

Kang De approached the swollen dragon's body on the ground with great care.

He remembered the cow in Tristram.

Not only did Lily find the corpse disgusting, but he did too. The swollen and twisted body parts were a given, and the purple, egg-like growths on the dragon scales were still trembling slightly, occasionally bursting with fluid. Combined with the sound effects, it was extremely grotesque and enough to make anyone with trypophobia die instantly.

This thing, once recorded, could be used directly as footage for a horror movie.

Kang De reached out and lifted a huge clod of earth from the ground, covering the cleanest part of the corpse. His spiritual power then slowly penetrated the dragon's body through the earth.

"The corrosive energy has spread throughout his entire body, existing in almost every inch of his flesh and blood."

With a quick mental scan, Kang De frowned deeply. The scale of this infection and mutation was extremely severe, far exceeding that of Aocheweier's. Most of the dragon's flesh and tissues had been completely mutated and could not be separated, as it had become one with the mysterious elements.

If the Power of the Fire Thief forcibly Extraction the meat, it's estimated that only one-tenth of the original amount would remain.

Kang De was troubled. He turned around and looked back, searching for Lily.

The next moment, a swollen and distorted human face appeared before him.

Turn around and kill.

The face was completely deformed, with one eye larger than the other, purple blood vessels spreading throughout them. One eye was wide open, with purple mucus slowly dripping from its ruptured socket. The mouth was gaping open, revealing gruesome gums and deformed teeth, as if howling. Something seemed to be surging deep in the throat. His left arm was also completely swollen, pushing aside the tattered arm guard, like a giant's foot pressing against the ground. His back was hunched and protruding, like a camel's hump, and it continued to swell.

Kang De's breath hitched for a moment, and his body tensed up abruptly.

The next moment, the gun tip pierced through the open mouth, a writhing, struggling living organism pierced through the blade. The distorted, twisted human body stiffened instantly, then slowly slumped down, a hint of relief and a sigh flashing in its crazed and painful eyes. The gun tip was pulled out, and the deformed creature collapsed to the ground.

The figure behind him was revealed.

The figure, holding the battle flag and standing proudly, was like the sun shining brightly in the dark underground space, constantly radiating light and heat to the surroundings, inspiring the living and bringing peace to the dead.

The tattered red cloak swayed gently, and the once dazzling armor was now covered in scratches. Purple light flowed through the etched lines of the armor, shimmering with complex runes. Kang De had never seen this style of armor on the continent before; it was beautiful and simple, even with a strange sense of science fiction.

The man's face was also hidden behind a heavy helmet.

But Kang De recognized her at a glance.

It was the flag bearer who led the long procession through the underground world, as seen in the previous scene.

He looked around. The magnificent blue crystal landscape had vanished, A Xing and Lily were nowhere to be seen, and even Horus was not there. The time rift had reappeared.

Unbeknownst to him, he had triggered Space-Time Flashback once again.

Light danced wildly all around, and blades flashed everywhere.

The nameless and unseen flag bearer ignored Kang De. She probably couldn't see him anyway. Who could imagine that two individuals separated by countless years could intersect in this way? She looked at the mutant she had killed, raised her left hand, gently tapped it against her chest, and nodded slightly.

Then, waving his battle flag, he walked towards another location.

Surrounding her were warriors dressed similarly, each with armor of a similar style but different details. The biggest commonality was that their armor was etched with purple light swirling around it. Where the light converged, purple crystals shone brightly, supplying powerful energy like a heart.

This energy transforms into wind, fire, thunder, and lightning; into frost, stone, and water; and into the fierce blades of swords, axes, and spears in one's hand, battling the attackers in the darkness.

Kang De could see their enemy, with bloodshot eyes and a black aura swirling around him; it was the same Void Spirit he had seen before, the Black Beast from the Holy Seal Archipelago.

However, these Black Beasts were far stronger than those on the island. They were as swift as the wind, their claws and teeth could shatter rocks and tear through the air, and they could even flash in the shadows, spewing out deadly void light waves. There were also larger, more cunning and cruel Black Beast, some serpentine, some resembling agile and bloodthirsty dwarfs, each with different abilities, all extremely powerful. It seems that the Holy Seal Archipelago had also suppressed the abilities of the Black Beast.

If they all had this skill on the island, then Kang De would have been buried on his very first day there.

Black Beast, Void Spirit.

Behind the Veil.

The Sound of Doomsday.

It was the Time Flashback that had allowed him to witness these old friends that became the final straw that broke Kang De's defenses. These days, he was always suspicious, wondering if he was being manipulated and guided by the Sound of Doomsday, step by step into the script he had drawn up. The curse of the Fire Thief had a sense of destiny; no matter what he did, what he encountered, or what he decided, it would all be related to this damned identity.

Just like now.

It was supposed to be just a matter of the Dragon's Covenant with Lily, just a matter of the disappearance of the Dragon Clan delegation, just a matter of discovering a new substance, but in the end, it all came down to the Fire Thief and the Doomsday Veil.

Kang De gave a mocking sneer and looked around.

Warriors fell one after another to the claws of the Black Beast. Although they were well-trained and fought in formation, the Void Spirit came from all directions, and the void was filled with dancing ink, which were portals to space from which the Black Beast emerged, charging, biting, and attacking from the front, back, above, and below.

Kang De saw the woman holding the flag dance like a whirlwind, the battle flag in her left hand and a longsword in her right, slashing and cutting down one Void Spirit after another, seemingly never tiring. She fought, her figure shining like light. The biggest difference between her and her companions was that she rarely used the power of the mystical elements.

The Fire Thief adjusted his breathing, witnessing the fierce battle that had taken place countless years ago.

No one knows about this battle except the people involved. No one knows why they came here, or why they fought so desperately... No one remembers, no one knows.

He saw people falling one after another.

Just as a defensive line was about to collapse, a warrior roared and gripped his weapon. A purple light suddenly blazed brightly, unleashing a power dozens of times greater than before. His figure spun and charged forward like a meat grinder, each strike swift, powerful, and ferocious, as if trying to shatter space itself.

The ferocious and powerful Black Beast was cut down and severed like a wooden stake under such an onslaught. This slaughter lasted for several dozen seconds, clearing a large open space. Then the light faded, and the warrior staggered backward.

The soldiers in the back row silently stepped forward, pushing him to the back.

The warrior, who had unleashed his full power and delivered a devastating blow, stood motionless behind them.

Although the battle at the front was urgent and his comrades were still fighting desperately, this brave man who had just made a great contribution turned a blind eye and showed no intention of going forward to help.

He stood there for a while before slowly moving his feet.

The woman holding the flag also left the battlefield, standing there, looking at him.

The soldier slowly knelt down in front of her.

Amidst the cacophony of roars, howls, and screams, the voice there was barely audible. The two seemed to be conversing, but Kang De couldn't understand their language. He only saw the woman raise her battle flag, its sharp blade piercing the air and sinking into the warrior's heart.

The other person struggled to raise their head, glanced at the silent flag bearer, and then fell backward.

The flag and spear were sheathed, and the woman raised her hand, gently tapping it against her breastplate, and bowing in salute.

Upon seeing this, Kang De's pupils contracted.

He quickly turned his head to look at the swollen monster that had given him the time-travel attack earlier. The monster's distorted Alien had caused him great psychological Shadow. Now, looking back closely, he saw the tattered armor fragments on the still-unformed body, which were clearly made of the same material and had the same shape.

As if guided by some unseen force, he walked forward, towards the spot where the warrior had fallen.

The woman, carrying the battle flag, charged back into the battlefield. Only the soldier's body lay fallen, looking up at the high dome, which was neither sky nor sunlight. No one knew of his death.

Through the puncture wound inflicted by the spearhead, and through the gaps in the visor, he saw the swollen purple flesh and the details of the face beginning to swell and deform. He thought of the swollen face from before.

Purple light danced wildly all around, as warriors roared, casting spells and wielding weapons. The power of mysterious elements was harnessed, transforming into sharp spears and lightning bolts to slay one ferocious monster after another.

They're all using it.

They were all covered in thick armor, concealing their faces.

They risked their lives to protect their comrades, guard the front line, and fight relentlessly.

Looking at this scene, Kang De suddenly felt very cold.

There is no safe way to use mystical elements.

They were all drinking poison, accepting the devil's gift.

Why did we come here? Why are we being hunted by the Void Spirit? Why are we still fighting to the death?

These are the ones who fight monsters...

Maybe they're all monsters.

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PS1: Everything's a mess... I felt something was off at the end of last year, and I was planning to relax this year, but then this happened, and now I feel terrible. I don't even know what I'm doing every day...