Mushroom Lord in the Underground City

Chapter 448 - 439: Mutation in the Elemental Disorder Zone

During the days when Lin Jun was deeply engaged in the research of the "Essence of Life," Inanna led her Puki Army and was finally nearing the ruins of Red Stone City.

The closer they got to the frontline, the more anxious Inanna felt.

After all, a real war was unprecedented for her, and the descriptions from the books were not comparable to the actual experience on the battlefield.

Fortunately, their leader had clearly promised to help her, and this promise was like a calming pill, making her feel somewhat more at ease.

During the march, they encountered some scattered Demons, most of whom were Pigmen.

These Pigmen naturally couldn’t pose a threat to the Puki Master Corps, and they were promptly dealt with.

More commonly seen were the defeated soldiers of the Kingdom, mostly from the fallen Red Stone City, and a few retreating from more forward lines. From these remnants, Inanna pieced together the situation at the front.

After High Castle Fortress fell, the Demon Race quickly regrouped and launched another attack.

Ignoring Alama’s remaining troops, their forces headed straight towards Three Mountains City, where the Sword Saint resided.

Earl Alama had no choice but to drag his unhealed body and, along with Duke Lorenzo, lead the remaining forces in an attempt to harass and slow down the Demons’ advance, only to fall into a trap set by the enemy, suffering yet another defeat. Most of these fleeing soldiers were escaping from that very battle. As for the subsequent developments, they had no way of knowing.

The news grew increasingly dire, and Inanna’s heart sank bit by bit.

Even though Alama and Inanna’s actual time together was limited, not as close as ordinary father and daughter, his care for Inanna was genuine and sincere.

Inanna naturally felt this real yet distant paternal love, unable to remain indifferent to Alama’s peril.

She wanted the troops to accelerate forward, but the deputy stood up to advise her: "Major... Commander, I’m afraid we can’t march at full speed, and we’ll have to bypass Red Stone City."

"Why?"

"Have you forgotten another piece of news brought by those retreating soldiers?" the deputy reminded her, "The surroundings of Red Stone City have become the territory of Storm Elemental Spirits. And what’s stationed there are not Low Tier Elemental Spirits. In fact, based on intelligence, there have been sightings of quite a few Diamond Level Storm Elementals. Although our corps could forcefully break through a path, it would inevitably come at a heavy loss. Bringing a scarred and weary army to support the Duke would be futile."

Inanna fell into silence, knowing the deputy was right.

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm: "So, how far is the detour?"

Upon hearing this, the deputy immediately pulled out a leather map from the bag and spread it in front of Inanna, tracing a winding route with rough fingers: "Taking this path, bypassing the edges of the Elemental Disorder Zone, it will take roughly five more days."

"Five days?!" Inanna’s heart sank; it was too long for her father who urgently needed assistance.

"The scope of the Elemental Disorder Zone left behind after the Storm Lord’s rampage is enormous. To completely avoid it, that’s the only way." The deputy’s voice carried a tone of helplessness.

"There’s no... other way?" Inanna persevered, unwilling to give up.

The deputy pondered for a moment, moving a finger to a section of the detour on the map: "There is a compromise. Look here, this is the narrowest part of the entire disorder zone. If we take the risk and pass through quickly here, the detour can be shortened to just two days."

"Then let’s..."

The deputy paused and looked up at Inanna, continuing, "But the risk lies in our inability to predict the specific strength of the elemental storm within this area. Upon encountering unexpected resistance, not only may it not save time, it could embroil us in a tough battle, causing unnecessary loss of troops, or even a longer delay."

Inanna’s gaze repeatedly wandered between the safe long route and the dangerous short path on the map, her fingertips unconsciously tightening. One side offered safety but could miss the opportunity, while the other promised a rush that might reach quickly... She struggled to decide.

"Take me to see the Elemental Disorder Zone with my own eyes before deciding!"

After a brief struggle, she abruptly raised her head, determination flickering in her eyes: "Take me to the front, I want to see for myself what that Elemental Disorder Zone looks like before making a decision!"

...

Inanna and the deputy, surrounded by an escort team, rode their horses slowly into the edge of the Elemental Disorder Zone.

If a scene had to be described, it was one of chaos!

Though Storm Elementals don’t need to hunt to survive, their inherent desire for destruction drives them to destroy every living thing within sight.

No creature, be it human, Demon, or Demon beast, or even the plants growing in the region, is spared.

Scattered lightning occasionally ignites dead trees, and the charred land reveals traces of burning everywhere, the whole area permeated with a scorched odor.

Even without seeing the body of a Storm Elemental, this ravaged land was enough to demonstrate their horror.

The surroundings were eerily quiet, as if all living beings had been completely wiped out.

The deputy regretted leading Inanna here and suggested, "Commander, shall we stop here..."

"But we haven’t yet..." Inanna had not finished her sentence when a sudden whirlwind kicked up sand, and distant thunder became faintly audible.

The deputy suddenly had a bad feeling, and soon his premonition came true!

At the end of their view appeared the silhouette of Storm Elementals. Not just a few, not even dozens, but a dense swarm of at least a hundred Elemental Spirits!

Even more terrifying was that behind them, more silhouettes wrapped in wind and lightning seemed to be converging, completely surpassing the deputy’s expectations!

"Retreat! Quickly!" The deputy shouted anxiously, and the group frantically turned their horses around, fleeing back the way they came.

Such a large number was something their scouting party couldn’t withstand; even if all were Diamond Level, they could trample them to death by sheer numbers, not to mention some Storm Elementals were clearly around Diamond Level.

"Why? Why are they all chasing us?" Inanna’s voice trembled with fear.

Turning to look back from the jolting horse, she saw the wind and thunder converging, like a rushing tide pouring towards them.

The deputy couldn’t comprehend why either.

Luckily, they were not far from the edge, and relying on the horses’ speed, the group barely managed to escape the Elemental Disorder Zone’s boundary.

However, before they had time to catch their breath, they were shocked to find that those Storm Elementals dashed out of the disorder zone boundary without hesitation!

Despite their form beginning to destabilize after leaving their native environment and their energy fluctuation weakening, they continued to chase relentlessly!

"This..." The next moment, the deputy drew his Longsword, turning the horse with his men, "Miss, you go quickly! We’ll cover the rear!"

"We should go together..." Inanna suddenly thought of something, "The leader—!!"

"Coming, coming!"

In a moment of crisis, 8,000 of the direct Puki Army appeared in Inanna’s sight, Knight Puki leading the charge!

As soon as she noticed the disturbance, Lin Jun mobilized the Puki Army, and now it seemed timely indeed.

However, the instant both sides made contact, reality suddenly revealed something unexpected.

The rampant whirlwind around the foremost Storm Elementals turned gentle, the blinding lightning calmed and withdrew into their bodies.

They completely ignored the defensive posture of the deputy and others, and all aggression subdued, encircled Inanna gently like docile birds.

And inexplicably, Inanna felt a trace of...submission from these Storm Elementals.