Chapter 30: Awakening in the Battlefield 2
The piglet flinched.
Her ears rang.
Her legs threatened to collapse under her weight.
A single instant of weakness proved to be all she needed.
The mushroom escaped from her clenched fingers.
He disappeared in an instant to chase after the noise before she could even respond.
Then.
The pig experienced a sudden panic attack while she chased him.
The path contained uneven ground with dense roots and broken branches and sharp stones. She barely noticed them.
The figure in front of her became smaller with each passing second as she focused only on the small figure.
And then.
She saw it.
A tremendous waterfall descended from the cliff tops.
The water made a thunderous impact against the rocks below which produced a dense fog that rose from the surface.
And beyond the waterfall.
A battlefield.
The battlefield showed dozens of combatants fighting between mushroom and human warriors.
The piglet experienced a sudden halt in her breathing.
She had never witnessed such a large gathering of people at one time.
So much movement.
So much violence.
Swords clashed.
Sparks flew.
Bodies fell.
And her friend.
Her companion sprinted directly toward the waterfall.
"NO!"
She moved at an unprecedented speed as she propelled herself ahead.
The tiny mushroom plant reached the edge of the waterfall.
And then.
He jumped.
During that instant time appeared to halt down.
His tiny body floated through the air while his limp arms dangled before he plummeted toward the intense combat below.
The piglet stared at the scene with pure terror in his eyes.
She didn't hesitate.
She launched herself forward.
And jumped after him.
The battlefield was a chaotic storm of blood, steel, and frozen bodies. The once lively ground, covered in thick green moss, was now a graveyard of shattered ice, broken weapons, and lifeless corpses. The eerie sound of crackling ice filled the air as one by one, the frozen mushrooms were turned into mere husks of their former selves.
An arrow whistled through the air, piercing one of the frozen mushrooms.
🔸 [PRIMA KAGUYA]
🔹 [Eye of the Firebane Guild]
🔹 Trainee
🏹 Class: Archer
🎚 Level: 21]
The impact caused a sharp crack to echo through the battlefield as the ice split, revealing the hollow remains inside. Another frozen mushroom met a similar fate, its body severed by the ruthless slash of a sharp sword.
⚔ [EYE OF THE FIREBANE GUILD] ⚔
⚔ D-Rank Combatant
⚔ Class: Swordsman
📈 Level: 29]
A third was crushed under the merciless weight of a shield adorned with jagged spikes, its brittle form crumbling into the dirt like shattered glass.
🔹 [EYE OF THE FIREBANE GUILD] 🔹
🛡 D-Rank Combatant
🛡 Class: Shield Warrior
📈 Level: 33]
The ones responsible for this massacre stood tall, their presence dominating the battlefield. At the center of the slaughter was Taha, a level thirty-eight Ice Mage, his hands glowing with residual energy from the spell he had just cast.
🔸 [TAHA-TAHA]
🔹 [Eye of the Firebane Guild]
🔹 C-Rank Combatant
❄ Class: Ice Mage
🎚 Level: 38]
The Vice Leader sent him to this assignment directly and his battlefield performance had proven exceptional.
But then. it happened.
A powerful vibration rolled across the battlefield while a massive entity started to move. The massive metal structures emerged from their slumber reaching dimensions that exceeded regular mushroom warriors by nearly two times. The ground shook violently as the machines moved their mechanical limbs to get ready for battle. The machines had steel reinforcement in their outer layers while their red-lit eyes emitted a threatening glow. The spinning drills of these machines produced violent movements while the battlefield flames danced around them.
The Mecha Mushrooms stood as level forty-one destructive monsters that terrified all who encountered them.
The Mecha Mushroom launched itself toward Taha with its drill rotating at an alarming speed. He lifted his hands swiftly to create a dense ice shield which blocked the fatal strike. The attack proved too powerful for him to defend against.
CRACK!
The barrier shattered into pieces when the attacking force destroyed it with the sound of breaking ice.
Taha's eyes widened in terror. The overwhelming force hit his torso before he could understand what had occurred. A sudden intense pain spread from head to toe through his entire body. His feet flew upward as his world started spinning wildly out of control.
Then, an explosion.
The drill of the Mecha Mushroom created a powerful shockwave that spread through the earth which caused parts of rocks and ground material to launch everywhere. The battlefield became completely silent after the dust cleared.
Taha lay motionless, his face twisted in agony. A gaping wound stretched across his torso, blood pooling beneath him. His breathing was shallow. His fingers twitched weakly as he struggled to move. But no matter how much he willed his body to respond, it refused.
Panic set in.
His vision blurred. The world around him felt distant, like he was slowly sinking into an endless void. He could hear voices faint and muffled, screaming in the background. But the words were lost on him.
Someone was calling his name.
The voice calling Taha's name grew louder, sharper, cutting through the haze clouding his mind. His eyes fluttered open just in time to see a dark figure standing over him, gripping a massive staff with a glowing red gemstone at its tip.
"Hold on!" the voice commanded.
Waga.
🔸 [WAGAH-WAKA]
🔹 [Eye of the Firebane Guild]
🔹 C-Rank Combatant
🔥 Class: Fire MageTaha barely had the strength to move his head, but he knew that voice anywhere. Wagah, the leader of their group, a level forty-nine Fire Mage, was staring down at him, his eyes burning with determination.
The Mecha
🎚 Level: 49]
Mushrooms were still advancing. Their metallic limbs crushed the frozen bodies of the smaller mushrooms beneath them as they moved forward. Their drills, still slick with fresh blood, whirred violently, eager for more destruction.
A deep hum filled the air. It was coming from Wagah's staff. The red gemstone pulsed, growing brighter with each passing second. The surrounding heat intensified, causing the frozen battlefield to begin melting. Steam hissed as ice turned to water, and water turned to vapor.
Then, without warning.
A spear of fire erupted from the staff, cutting through the air like a burning comet.
The flaming projectile shot forward, striking the nearest Mecha Mushroom directly in the chest. The impact was instant and catastrophic. The metal plating on the mushroom's body melted upon contact, glowing bright orange before warping and twisting under the extreme heat. Sparks flew as the creature let out a mechanical screech, its red eyes flickering wildly before finally dimming into lifeless darkness.
One down.