The meat tumor shook violently, the networks on its surface flashing frantically as countless Aberrants struggled out from within it, attempting to intercept the Shadow of Blood.
But they were too slow.
The Shadow of Blood's sword was too fast.
Second Style · Ice Prisms, Third Style · Snow Dance, Fourth Style · Cold Current...
All nine styles in one!
The Shadow of Blood hovered above the meat tumor, both hands gripping the hilt, the tip of the blade pointing downward.
A thick, blood-red pillar of light erupted from the tip, piercing through the meat tumor!
"Boom!!!"
The entire cavern trembled.
The networks on the tumor's surface suddenly burst, and dark red body fluids gushed out like fountains, splashing into every corner of the cave.
The Aberrants that were struggling to emerge from the tumor froze simultaneously, their bodies beginning to crumble and dissolve into countless floating dark red specks of light.
The flesh pool boiled to its limit before rapidly cooling and solidifying, turning into a silent expanse of dark red crystal.
The battle on the surface completely reversed at this moment.
No new Aberrants emerged from the mine, and those still resisting lost their reinforcements, beginning to be harvested in swaths by the Blood Demon Legion.
Jiang Lin stood in the air, looking down at the one-sided slaughter below.
The Blood Demon Legion's numbers had surpassed five thousand, while the Aberrants were down to fewer than two thousand.
The battle was entering its final stage.
When the last Aberrant was cleaved in two by a Bloodblade Butcher's bone blade, and the last roar faded from the mining area, the Rust Mine fell into a deathly silence.
Only the wind whistled through the rusted mining rigs, letting out a low wail.
Jiang Lin descended slowly, his feet landing on the cracked rock layers at the edge of the pit.
Beneath him was a thick layer of dark red crystal dust—the powder of tens of thousands of Aberrant remains—flickering with an eerie luster under the dark red sky.
He looked around; five thousand six hundred Blood Demons stood silently among the ruins, their crimson eyes like a burning sea of stars.
He took a deep breath; the pungent stench of rot and rust in the air had faded significantly.
In its place was the bloody scent emitted by the Blood Demons—a sweet, metallic tang—and the faint rustling of crystal dust drifting in the wind.
"It's over,"
He whispered to himself, taking the locator from his spatial ring and pressing the communication button.
"Rusty Town, this is Matthew.
"The Rust Mine has been cleared. You can send people over."
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the communicator before Ed's trembling voice came through:
"All... all of it?"
"All of it."
Jiang Lin cut the communication and turned to look into the depths of the pit.
There, the Shadow of Blood was flying out from the collapsed cavern, covered in blood yet completely unharmed.
The blood-red longsword in its hand had already dissipated, transforming into wisps of blood energy that merged into its body.
The Shadow of Blood landed beside Jiang Lin, its golden eyes—identical to his—gazing at him calmly.
"Well done."
Jiang Lin nodded slightly, his mind shifting.
The Shadow of Blood turned into a streak of blood-red light and re-entered his body.
Jiang Lin turned his attention back to the mine.
Five thousand six hundred Blood Demons needed to be stationed, the newly occupied area needed to be fortified, the engineering team needed protection, and subsequent expansion plans needed to be formulated...
There was still much to do.
But he was in no hurry.
This war had only just begun.
Two hours later, the first engineering team arrived at the Rust Mine.
The leader was still Joel, the middle-aged man with crystallized scars on his face.
He sat in the passenger seat of the modified truck, and when the vehicle entered the mining area and he saw the sea of blood stretching for miles, his knuckles turned white from gripping the handle.
"God..."
The driver murmured to himself, his voice trembling.
Joel did not answer, only stared intently out the window at the silently standing Blood Demons.
Crimson claw-wings perched atop collapsed mining rigs, their bone wings folded, their dark red eyes like burning coals.
Five thousand six hundred.
Several times more than there had been in Rusty Town.
And he could clearly feel that the aura of these Blood Demons was even more powerful than before.
The edges of the crimson claw-wings' bone wings glinted with a metallic luster, the runes on the cursed blood bone dolls' bodies were more intricate, and the Bloodblade Butchers were noticeably larger.
The Blood Demons that had survived had grown during the battle.
"Get out and get to work."
Joel took a deep breath and pushed open the car door.
The thirty-plus members of the engineering team filed out; some moved supplies, some set up communication equipment, and some began surveying the terrain.
Their movements were more practiced than they had been in Rusty Town, and they felt a bit less fear toward the Blood Demons.
After all, these blood-colored creatures had never harmed them.
Jiang Lin leaped down from the edge of the pit and landed in front of Joel.
"There is a massive cavern deep within the mine that can serve as a temporary warehouse.
"The crystallized matter on the pit walls can be mined; we should be able to refine useful minerals from it."
He paused and pointed toward a relatively flat open space on the eastern side of the mining area:
"That area is near a water source and on high ground, making it suitable for a breeding farm. Have headquarters send people over to plan it as soon as possible."
Joel recorded everything quickly in his notebook while asking:
"Will the Aberrants come back?"
"Not in the short term."
Jiang Lin shook his head.
"The 'factory' deep within the mine has been destroyed, and the flow of polluted energy has been cut.
"But as long as the evil god remains, new Aberrants will eventually gather here."
He looked up toward the deeper dark red horizon to the southwest.
"Therefore, we must continue to advance."
Joel was silent for a moment before asking in a low voice:
"Mr. Matthew... do you think we can win?"
Jiang Lin glanced at him.
"Of course."
He offered no further explanation and turned to walk toward the edge of the pit.
Joel stood in place, watching the golden figure walk further away surrounded by the Blood Demon Legion, a complex emotion beyond words rising in his heart.
Three hundred years of despair, three hundred years of struggle, three hundred years of waiting.
Perhaps it really would end with this generation.
...
For the next three days, Jiang Lin did not launch any new attacks.
The Rust Mine needed to be consolidated, the Blood Demon Legion needed to rest, and he needed time to digest the experience from these battles.
During the day, he followed the engineering team to inspect the mining area, confirming the locations of every defense node and planning the subsequent expansion routes.
At night, he sat cross-legged at the edge of the pit, running his three breathing techniques simultaneously.
Holy light magic essence and ice soul power cycled through his body, and the blood-colored energy from the Shadow of Blood's possession was slowly merging into his power system.
A Bloodspeaker hovered behind him, the crystal in the center of its mask flashing slightly, its invisible mental power fluctuations covering the entire mining area and monitoring every trace of abnormal energy flow.
In the previous battles, he had summoned four more Bloodspeakers; combined with the two from before, they could exactly control about six thousand rank-2 Blood Demons.
Jiang Lin's current plan was to build up the number of Blood Demons first before summoning more rank-3 elite Blood Demons.
After all, if he needed to occupy enough land, he would need a sufficient number of Blood Demons to garrison it.
Five days after the Rust Mine was captured.
Jiang Lin sat cross-legged on a flat rock platform at the edge of the pit, his long golden hair drifting slightly in the polluted wind.
His eyes were slightly closed, and the three breathing techniques within him were running simultaneously. Holy light magic essence and ice soul power were like two intertwined rivers, cycling through his meridians.
The blood-colored energy from the Shadow of Blood's possession had completely merged into his power system, and the three distinct origins had reached a subtle balance within him.
He could clearly feel that his strength had grown significantly over these past few days.
Although his level was still suppressed below the 3rd rank, whether it was the purity of his holy light, his control over ice soul power, or his command efficiency over the Blood Demon Legion, he was more than a level stronger than when he first arrived in this world.
"Mr. Matthew."
The silver-haired woman's voice came through the communicator, carrying a hint of urgency.
Jiang Lin opened his eyes, his golden eyes narrowing slightly under the dark red sky.
He picked up the locator and pressed the call button.
"What is it?"
"Headquarters has detected an anomaly. Several large Aberrant gathering zones deep within the Corrupted Plains are moving simultaneously."
Jiang Lin frowned slightly:
"Moving? In which direction?"
"All toward the Rust Mine."
The sound of the silver-haired woman flipping through papers came from the communicator.
"According to Dr. Villa's analysis, it's possible that the evil god sensed the threat after the 'factory' deep within the mine was destroyed. Those Aberrants are not wandering aimlessly; they are executing some kind of command."
"An organized counterattack."
Jiang Lin stood up, his gaze sweeping over the sea of blood stretching for miles below.
"What are the numbers?"
"From three directions, at least fifty thousand.
"Two of the gathering zones are even larger in scale than the Rust Mine."
Fifty thousand.
Jiang Lin calculated quickly in his mind.
He currently had five thousand six hundred Blood Demons under his command, most of whom were at the peak of the 2nd rank, with a small portion having evolved to the early 3rd rank during battle.
In terms of pure numbers, the Blood Demons were at an absolute disadvantage.
But Aberrants were beasts, while Blood Demons were an army.
"How long until they arrive?"
"The fastest gathering zone is about three days away."
"That's enough."
Jiang Lin cut the communication and leaped down from the rock platform.
The moment he landed, six Bloodspeakers rose simultaneously from the ruins, the crystals in the center of their masks flashing as invisible mental fluctuations spread out like ripples.
Five thousand six hundred Blood Demons raised their heads simultaneously, their crimson eyes looking toward their master in unison.
The scene was silent and shocking.
"Form ranks."
Jiang Lin's voice was not loud, but it clearly entered the consciousness of every Blood Demon.
The Blood Demon Legion moved.
Crimson claw-wings dove from mining rigs, ruins, and pit walls, their bone wings folding as they lined up neatly in the air above the pit.
Cursed blood bone dolls floated out from the shadows, and Bloodblade Butchers likewise converged from all over the mining area with heavy steps.
In just ten breaths, the five thousand six hundred Blood Demons had finished forming their ranks.
Jiang Lin leaped onto the back of the 3rd-rank peak crimson claw-wing and raised his right hand, pointing to the east.
"Move out."
The blood-colored torrent soared into the sky.
He did not wait for the Aberrants to come to his door; instead, he took the initiative to strike.
Fighting near his own outpost would only result in the destruction of the engineering team and the facilities that had been so painstakingly rebuilt.
The battlefield had to be pushed forward, deep into the Corrupted Plains, to the places where those monsters gathered.
The legion sped beneath the pollution clouds. Jiang Lin stood at the very front; on the locator screen, three deep-red dots were slowly approaching from different directions. He needed to choose one of them as a breakthrough point.
"Where is the nearest one?"
A response quickly came from the other end of the communicator:
"To the southeast, approximately one hundred and fifty kilometers from the Rust Mine. Codename 'Blood Swamp'. It is a low-lying marshland; before the Great Cataclysm, it was a chemical plant area, and the pollution concentration is extremely high."
"That's the one."
Jiang Lin cut the communication, and the legion turned southeast.
An hour later, a low-lying area that looked like congealed blood appeared on the horizon ahead.
The air was thick with a pungent stench of chemical agents mixed with rotting flesh. The ground was covered in viscous dark red liquid, with bubbles occasionally rising from the depths and bursting to release even denser toxic mists.
Aberrants were everywhere.
They crowded every inch of the swamp, biting, devouring, and merging with one another.
Some Aberrants were half-sunken in the viscous liquid, with only their upper bodies—covered in eyeballs—exposed, staring at the approaching blood-colored clouds in the sky with countless eyes.
"Twenty thousand, at the very least."
Jiang Lin frowned slightly.
The terrain here was even worse than the Rust Mine.
The swampy ground would greatly restrict the movement of the Bloodblade Butchers, and the toxins in the viscous liquid would continuously erode the Blood Demons.
But he did not hesitate.
"Bloodblade Butchers, station yourselves and construct a defensive line. Crimson claw-wings, provide aerial suppression. Cursed blood bone dolls, provide rear support."
The six Bloodspeakers issued silent commands simultaneously.
The Blood Demon Legion completed its formation change in just a few breaths.
The Bloodblade Butchers stepped out from the ranks, constructing a defensive line of bone blades and flesh on the hard ground at the edge of the swamp.
The crimson claw-wings increased their altitude, circling beneath the pollution clouds, their dark red eyes locked onto the prey below.
The cursed blood bone dolls hovered at the very rear, their tiny skeletal fingers raised, ready to release curses at any moment.
Jiang Lin stood on the back of a crimson claw-wing, looking down at the boiling Blood Swamp below.
"Attack."
With that single word, the Blood Demon Legion moved.
Five hundred crimson claw-wings dove simultaneously, their bone wings folding like a dark red meteor shower tearing through the air, smashing violently into the most densely packed area of Aberrants!
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The continuous impacts made the swampy ground tremble violently, and waves of viscous dark red liquid several meters high were kicked up by the shockwaves.
The Aberrants directly hit were instantly torn to shreds, their remains tumbling and sinking into the liquid.
But more Aberrants surged out from the depths of the swamp.
They crawled out of the liquid, covered in viscous toxins, and lunged toward the Blood Demons.
Those toxins were highly corrosive; they hissed as they splashed onto the Blood Demons, leaving charred marks on their carapaces.
The battle turned white-hot from the very beginning.
The number of the Blood Demon Legion was dropping rapidly, but Jiang Lin raised his right hand, palm facing downward.
The Sea of Blood surged.
This time, he was no longer just recycling remains; he was actively extracting the polluted flesh and blood that had accumulated in the swamp for hundreds of years.
Those viscous dark red liquids, those semi-dissolved Aberrant remains, and those Blood Demon bodies eroded by toxins—everything converged beneath his feet under the pull of the Sea of Blood.
Then, he released it all at once.
Three hundred, five hundred, eight hundred...
When the one-thousandth brand-new Blood Demon struggled out from the Sea of Blood, the entire Blood Swamp trembled.
The originally thick, slurry-like dark red liquid became clear at a visible rate as the polluted flesh and blood that had accumulated for centuries was devoured by the Sea of Blood.
The number of the Blood Demon Legion exploded from five thousand to six thousand, and then to seven thousand!
...
Rate on N.U.
