Saint Maria and the Swamp Monsters -3-
Meanwhile, while Mari was forcing the amphibian monsters to commit mass suicide in her own bizarre way—quick and clean though it was—there was another battlefield far more ferocious and intense.
BOOM!!
WHOOSH!! “Kieeeek!!”
With a deafening roar, crimson flames erupted, unleashing a massive shockwave. The aftermath churned up pillars of swamp mud, water, aquatic plants, moss, and other marsh debris, shooting them skyward. Not only that, but the superheated blaze instantly vaporized water around it, triggering steam explosions that wrought even greater destruction across the chaotic battlefield.
Dozens of lizard-like monsters were hurled away by the shockwave, soaring several kilometers through the air. As the water pillars subsided, all that remained was a gigantic crater gouged into the earth.
BOOM!!
THUD!!
Such cataclysmic blasts—like powerful bombs detonating—repeated dozens of times in the blink of an eye.
WHOOSH!!
ROAR!!
“Hahaha!!”
The culprit behind this devastation was none other than Dena, laughing ferociously with battle-lust in her eyes. She flapped the crimson dragon wings manifesting from her back, using them for propulsion as she darted through the enemy ranks like a streak of lightning.
WHOOSH!!
Crimson flames, drawn from the fire dragon that formed her core, clung to the massive greatsword in Dena's hands—larger even than her own body.
SWOOSH!!
BANG!!
With her overwhelming strength, Dena swung the enormous blade one-handed as if it were a mere stick. It didn't even look like she put much effort into the strike, but—
BOOM!!
SLASH!!
“Kieeeek!!”
“Grraaack!!”
—that casual swing unleashed a colossal shockwave and slashing wave, bisecting nearby monsters outright while those a bit farther away were crushed and exploded like pulp. The following flames then charred their remains.
ROAR!!
If calamity were condensed into human form, would it look like this?
“W-what the hell!?”
Shudder.
The lizardman demon trembled in terror at the utterly surreal, impossible sight, denying reality itself.
Flap!!
“Come on!! Is there a warrior here brave enough to face me!?”
WHOOSH!!
With a wicked yet battle-maniac grin, she thrust her greatsword forward, taunting the foes.
But—
“Eek!?”
“Grrr!!!”
“M-monster!!”
The monsters couldn't understand her words, but they grasped the provocation from her expression and posture. Yet such taunts only worked when enemies held even a sliver of hope for victory. Nearly 10,000 lizard-type demons swarmed the field, but 30%—some 3,000—had already perished from a mere swing of her sword that carried no real force.
They were monsters, though. Intelligent demons capable of fully comprehending fear might have reacted differently, but mindless beasts would normally charge madly even in situations that spelled total annihilation back on Earth.
These, however, were cowering.
Why? Because—
Crunch.
Crack!!
“Grraaahh…!!!”
“Bwooooh…!!”
—the phenomenon unfolding in the wake of Dena's path of slaughter. Corpses she'd slain and incinerated had their flames extinguish, black tar-like ooze seeping from their bodies as they rose as intermediate undead Death Knights.
This was the power of her Immortal Brave race skill, Beneath the Deathbanner. It resurrected those she killed as mid-tier undead Death Knights under her command—a common trait among Death Knight lineages. Against foes capable of battling a supreme undead like an Immortal Brave, such mid-tier minions were worthless as bugs. But their once-per-day ability to survive any attack with 1 HP made them perfect meat shields.
In any case—
Chill!!
The reptilian monsters' morale shattered as they realized death wasn't the end—they'd rise as those horrific thralls, enslaved to the enemy.
Grrr!!
The eerie dread from the undead horde combined with the ancient fire dragon's Dragon Fear—a material trait Dena inherited—plunged every monster into panic. Unlucky for them, these were mostly reptiles like lizards and snakes, inherently weak against the apex predator dragon's aura.
“Dwumhwangcha!!”
“Kkeng!! Kkeng!!”
“Grrr!!”
With morale in ruins, the monsters scattered like baby spiders fleeing in all directions.
“Hah… Inferior, frail monsters living up to their name. I was the fool for expecting more. Tsk!!”
Dena, who had finally gotten a proper stretch after so long, clicked her tongue in annoyance. She furrowed her brow, but her beauty turned even that into a picturesque scene.
WHOOSH!!
BOOM!!
Flapping her wings again, Dena unleashed a sonic boom, plunging into the fleeing horde in an instant.
Crunch!!
Bang!!
“Kieee!?”
“Kraaack!!!”
She merely zipped past them at extreme speed, but the resulting shockwave pulverized and burst the bodies of monsters and demons far tougher than any human.
Hummm!!
Yet not a drop of blood stained Dena. Sensing no need for full seriousness, she hadn't donned her armor, but the translucent crimson aura of her Immortal Brave skill Death Commander's Armor shielded her—visible even to the naked eye, as hard as top-grade steel. Thus, she became a massive iron wrecking ball of destruction at hypersonic speeds.
“Too tedious to hunt them down one by one. In that case…”
After slaughtering over a thousand more in a flash, Dena halted.
ROAR!!
Her gaze locked on the largest fleeing cluster. From her mouth formed pale, bluish flames—unlike the prior crimson blaze.
Grrk!!
Unlike the searing heat of her fire dragon flames, these harbored a bone-chilling, insidious cold—not in temperature, but in essence.
“Fwoooo!!”
She blew on the azure flames barely covering her lovely pink lips.
Then—
ROOOAR!!
They ballooned explosively, spewing forth like a flamethrower across the front.
ROAR!!
BOOOOM!!
Not mere flames—it resembled a colossal tidal wave of blue fire overturning the land. This was the quintessential dragon power: Dragon's Breath.
“Eek!!”
ROAR!!
“Kieeeek!?”
The fiery tsunami engulfed thousands of scattering demons.
“Kraaack!!”
“Kieeeek!!”
“Kraaaah!!”
No scorching heat or burning agony—just the far worse torment of their life force and souls being incinerated. These blue flames didn't char flesh; they devoured essence and spirit.
A trait of Undead Fire, wielded by higher undead. Her base fire dragon breath lacked this, but Dena's original—Zhan Ark Caesar—was a genius selected as Hero. Though she died before blooming fully, that talent passed wholly to Dena. She fused dragon and undead powers, birthing this breath as one result.
“Fwew…”
The flames from her mouth dwindled, stopping with a final “fwoop.” Before her lay a field of bizarre corpses—unmarred externally, yet chilled and lifeless.
“One group down. Hehe, Master will praise me for this.”
A fresh, radiant smile lit Dena's face. Behind her—
Twitch twitch.
Drip.
—the breath-slain corpses convulsed grotesquely as black tar oozed, enveloping them. Another monster horde annihilated.
“Kieeeek!!”
“Kiiik!!”
While the amphibian and reptilian hordes were under assault, the final monster group—sensing something amiss—mobilized. Unlike the others, these were insect swarms native to the marsh.
“Kiit!! Something's happened!!”
“We must provide support!!”
With insectile emotional detachment, they ignored the overwhelming power surges from the other fronts and surged forward.
Rustle!!
Their chitinous shells gleamed iridescently, reflecting sunlight with every movement.
Whirr!! Whirr!!
Unlike other groups, flying insects dominated here. Translucent wings buzzed furiously, lifting them skyward amid rotor-like roars far louder than any mundane bug.
Upon reaching position—
Bang!!
Whirr!
“Kirrr?”
A explosive crack birthed a silvery streak tracing erratic, acrobatic curves. The tiny projectile at its end blurred from afar, closing on the flying insects in an instant.
Then—
Whirr!!
Crunch!! Crunch!! Crunch!!
“Kieek!?”
“Kirrrk!?”
—the silver line danced lethally, piercing each bug. Explosive bursts shattered chitin, spraying pale insect blood and gore, leaving gaping wounds—all fatal spots for instant kills.
Thud!! Thud!! Boom!!
The aerial horde wiped out, corpses plummeted, crashing thunderously.
“Kiruut!? What the…!!”
Crunch.
A bipedal fly demon, bewildered by the blitz, took a bullet between the eyes and dropped dead.
And the architect of this massacre—
Click.
Masa, in firing stance with what was less a rifle and more an anti-materiel cannon, impassively surveyed the thousand-ish falling corpses.
She tilted the gun sideways, aiming at the distant, still-intact swarm of thousands. They'd pinpointed her position—the shot's origin—and charged.
“No matter how many I kill, more keep crawling out. Truly vexing… like vermin.”
Shift.
Masa rose, fixing the worthless horde with a gaze utterly devoid of emotion—cold as death.
“In Master's homeland, they have a beautiful tradition called 'fire lanterns' to burn away pests.”
I must emulate that. With arms outstretched, she summoned the overwhelming firepower to incinerate them all—and the power to wield it.
Hummm!!
Whoosh!!
Black, pallid energy seeped from Masa's body.
Whip!!
WHOOSH!!
Like tentacles, it ensnared the bug corpses she'd felled, dragging them to her.
Grrk!! Grrk!!
Nearly a thousand bodies conglomerated under the dark aura, forming a massive structure. Her race, Bel Mortis—born from world war-scale carnage in game lore, amalgamations of bullets, resentment, and corpses into demigod undead—activated her skill Necro Arms. Corpses assembled into a replica of war's ultimate machine.
WHOOSH!!
What emerged: a colossal train-mounted cannon. Meant for cold steel, it twisted into a grotesque horror of bone, flesh, and vengeful spirits.
Super-Heavy Necro Train Cannon (Necro Gustav Max)
“Now, you pests…”
Masa's stoic face twisted into a chilling, malevolent grin for the first time.
Shift.
She clenched a fist, thumb up like a salute—then—
“Begone.”
Click.
—snapped it down like a detonator.
Hummm!!
Kieeeek!!
The cannon barrel quivered as tormented souls screamed like tearing fabric.
BOOOOM!!
A deafening roar launched the shell—a nightmarish fusion of iron, meat, bone, and grudge—sonic booming at unnatural speed straight into the horde's midst.
Then—
KA-BOOOOOM!!
An apocalyptic blast dwarfing the launch, pale light bleaching the world before fading—
Rumble!!
—leaving only a vast crater and towering mushroom cloud where the monsters once swarmed.
“Pest extermination complete. A maid's duty fulfilled. Time to report to Master…”
Back to impassive neutrality, Masa turned and strode toward Park Seokgil.
Thus, the final monster horde met its end.
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