Earth's Greatest Magus

Chapter 3119: Abomination

The abomination had grown to the size of a hill, its grotesque body towering above the sea of Scourge. Countless faces bulged beneath its purplish skin, while newly absorbed limbs writhed across its surface. Every few seconds, its torso-maw opened to swallow more corpses, causing its already enormous body to swell further.

Emery remained on the watchtower, observing the creature as a five man Grand Magus unit had moved to engage it.

"It’s the thousand face venom!! We need to kill it fast!"

Their leader, a broad man carrying a tower shield, thrust his spear forward and released a concentrated blast of wind. The attack pierced the abomination’s chest, tearing a deep hole through its flesh. Yet within three breaths, the wound had closed completely, leaving no trace of the damage.

A female Grand Magus followed with a lance of white flame. Her attack burned straight through the creature’s shoulder, charring a large section of its body. The blackened flesh fell away, only for fresh tissue to emerge beneath it, thicker and more developed than before.

The third attack came from two mages working together. They summoned a chain of lightning around the abomination’s torso and pulled it tight, sending powerful currents surging through its body.

The unit consisted of a Three-Cosmos captain and four Two-Cosmos Grand Magus, with a balanced combination of powerful close-range fighters and long-range attackers. A support spellcaster stood at the rear, ready to treat their injuries and maintain their fighting strength. It was a solid formation, one capable of handling most powerful Scourge creatures.

Yet their combined attacks were simply swallowed by the abomination.

The faces beneath its skin twitched violently, and several bulges across its body swelled as though they had been filled with fresh life.

Emery narrowed his eyes. The creature’s aura was growing stronger by the second. Only a minute ago, its power had seemed comparable to a lesser Three-Cosmos Grand Magus. Now, its pressure was approaching the upper limits of that realm.

A dark purplish miasma suddenly burst from the abomination, spreading across the battlefield and swallowing the five-man unit in its suffocating haze.

"Fall back!" the captain shouted, finally realizing the danger.

But the abomination moved before they could withdraw.

Its enormous maw gaped open, and dozens of glistening globs of corrupted flesh shot into the air before raining down upon the Grand Magus.

The shield-bearer immediately raised his barrier. One glob struck the protective field, and the runes covering it turned black. The barrier dissolved like wax beneath a flame. Before he could react, another glob splashed across his shoulder, eating through his armor and into his flesh.

"Arrggghh!!"

He screamed in agony as the infection spread. Another member of the unit fell nearby, clutching his arm as the corrupted substance ate through his armor and flesh.

The female Grand Magus wielding the white-flame lance reacted quickly, slipping sideways to avoid the falling globs. For a brief moment, she seemed to have escaped the attack.

Then a group of winged spawn descended from above. Apparently affected by the poisonous miasma, the creatures had become frenzied, abandoning their usual patterns of attack as they charged wildly toward anything in their path.

One slammed into her back with brutal force, driving her toward the ground. Before she could recover, its momentum carried her straight toward the abomination’s waiting maw.

The other Grand Magus were too far away to intervene and their captain was still recovering from the destruction of his barrier.

"Hold on!" one of them shouted, but there was nothing he could do.

The situation had turned critical. With the rest of the unit unable to help, the female Grand Magus was about to become the abomination’s next meal.

Emery finally stepped in.

[Khaos Rift Step]

Space folded around him, and he appeared beside the falling woman. With a quick spatial manipulation, he caught her and pulled her away from the gaping maw in a split second.

But the abomination, only ten meters away, refused to let its prey escape. Its torso-maw opened, unleashing another barrage of thick, highly toxic globs toward them.

Emery couldn’t escape quickly with the injured woman in his arms. Instead, he thrust his hand forward.

"Rise!"

Dark green roots erupted from the ground, twisting together into a protective barrier. The toxic liquid splattered across the living wood, releasing clouds of smoke as it hissed against the bark.

The Elysian Roots endured the corrosive attack far better than expected. Their recent evolution had greatly increased their toughness, allowing them to withstand the poison long enough for him to counterattack.

Taking advantage of the brief opening, Emery sent a dozen more roots lancing forward. They coiled around the abomination’s limbs, its torso, its writhing tongue, and pulled. The creature bellowed and thrashed, but the vines tightened, layer upon layer, until it was bound in place.

"Thank you," the woman said hoarsely.

She tried to rise and coughed up blood. The toxin had already reached her lungs.

The roots began to creak under the abomination’s tremendous strength. Despite their improved durability, they could not hold the creature for long. Emitting a low, furious roar, the monster thrashed against its restraints, threatening to tear the entire barrier apart.

At the same time, Emery realized that his intervention had drawn the attention of hundreds of Scourge spawns. Creatures that had previously been scattered across the battlefield were now converging on his position, drawn by the commotion and the scent of fresh prey.

Parasite Hounds charged from the flanks while winged spawns descended from above, their twisted wings beating against the toxic air. More emerged from the dense ranks of the Scourge, surrounding Emery and the five-man unit from every direction. Their movements resembled those of a pack of starving beasts, each creature eager to tear into the nearest living target.

Within moments, the six of them found themselves fighting back-to-back against the encroaching swarm.

Emery drew Excalibur and joined the desperate struggle. His blade flashed through the air, each Dao-infused slash cutting down several parasites at once. Limbs and corrupted flesh scattered across the ground as he carved a path through the charging creatures.

Unlike the other Grand Magus, whose physiques were gradually weakening under the influence of the poisonous miasma, Emery’s body possessed remarkable resistance to toxins. The purple haze still pressed against his skin, but its effects were far less severe, allowing him to maintain his fighting strength.

Yet even as Emery cut down wave after wave of Scourge, the true threat remained largely untouched.

His powerful Dao slashes could tear through ordinary parasites, but when they struck the enormous abomination, they barely damaged its grotesque body. Worse still, the creature seemed to grow more agitated with every passing moment. Its countless faces twisted beneath its purplish skin, while the stingers protruding from its swollen body lashed violently at the air. Each fresh wave of Scourge that fell around it only seemed to fuel its growing fury.

More creatures poured in from every direction. The swarm thickened until the ground beneath Emery’s feet was almost entirely hidden beneath writhing bodies and clawed limbs. Every time he opened a gap in the encirclement, more Scourge rushed forward to fill it.

This is getting out of hand.