Read Novel Full Chapter 596: Captured
Chapter 596: Captured
One consisted of Zerg.
Two Zerg Queens, one at Rank 8 and one at Rank 9, stood behind thousands of Zerg Servants, directing the battle through their mental commands.
Facing them was another familiar opponent.
Knight puppets.
Each possessed Rank 9 strength, while the aura radiating from their weapons alone was enough to terrify ordinary World Lords.
In essence, they were exactly the same as the puppets Liora had encountered in the past.
The only difference was that this time, they were no longer confined within the chambers.
Seemingly having torn off their shackles, they charged directly through the corridor itself, relentlessly assaulting the Zerg.
Their overwhelming strength and numbers would have crushed most armies.
Yet when in front of the Zerg, their tactics seemed nothing more than a child’s play.
Although individually weaker, the Zerg Servants vastly outnumbered them.
Combined with their flawless coordination under the Zerg Queens’ commands, they steadily overwhelmed the puppets.
Even so, neither Queen showed the slightest hint of relief.
The battle had dragged on for quite some time.
Initially, only a handful of puppets had appeared, and they could deal with them with ease.
But as time passed, more and more of these puppets had emerged.
By now, their numbers had grown into a few dozen.
Worst of all, they showed no signs of stopping.
In the Zerg Queens’ estimation, it was only a matter of time before their number grew high enough to defeat them.
“Bingzhan, we need to leave. We’ll sacrifice part of our forces to create an opening. Use that opportunity to escape.”, one of the Zerg Queens transmitted through her soul.
Surprisingly, the speaker wasn’t the Rank 9 Venerable, but the Rank 8 King.
This was enough to make people raise their eyebrows.
Among the Zerg, hierarchy was absolute.
Every Zerg Queen controlled the Zerg Servants under her, while the higher-ranked Queens commanded the lower-ranked Queens.
For a King-ranked Queen to address a Venerable so directly, there could only be two explanations.
Either she possessed strength far beyond what her rank would suggest, or she had an outstanding background.
The Venerable Queen seemed accustomed to this situation.
She didn’t offer any argument but merely nodded in agreement.
“Yes! Let’s do it!”
No further discussion was required.
The two had already reached an agreement in a split second.
The instant another knight puppet emerged and threatened to charge at them, both Queens acted at the same time.
Loud growls echoed throughout the corridor.
The Zerg Servants under their control suddenly swelled. Like balloons being filled with air, their bodies expanded rapidly.
A moment later…
A deafening explosion echoed through the corridor.
The Servants detonated themselves.
Their carapace-covered bodies turned into extraordinary bombs, exploding and engulfing everything around them in their aftermath.
A large portion of the knight puppets was destroyed. They dissolved into pools of silver liquid that fused with the floor.
Yet neither Queen attempted to capitalize on that opening.
Instead, they immediately turned and fled, bringing the majority of their remaining forces with them while sacrificing a portion to delay pursuit.
The battlefield changed in an instant.
One moment the war was still raging on. The next, the two Zerg Queens had already escaped, accompanied by a large number of their own troops.
Only the abandoned Zerg Servants remained behind, fighting desperately to win time for their Queens to escape.
In the distance, relief washed across both Queens’ faces.
They couldn’t help but curse inwardly.
This palace was simply too dangerous!
Over the past several hours, they had narrowly escaped death countless times.
Had it not been for their quick thinking, they would have perished long ago.
“Fortunately, we should be nearing the end of this damned place.”, the King-ranked Queen cursed.
“Only a couple more corridors remain.”
Unfortunately, her words seemed to carry a strange power.
The moment these words fell, alarm bells exploded inside her mind.
She didn’t have the time to evade or put up any defense.
Soon, a familiar shadow engulfed her entire vision, one she had seen just before they entered the palace.
A moment later, an enormous hammer crashed down upon both her and her Venerable companion.
—
A split second later, a crimson-haired figure stepped out of the darkness.
Holding the Battle Fury Hammer loosely in one hand, Liora quietly observed the place where the two Queens had just been standing.
Hundreds of unconscious Zerg Servants lay scattered across the corridor. With their Queens rendered unconscious, they too had fallen into dormancy.
Liora wasn’t surprised by this sight.
Walking past them, she stopped before the two unconscious Queens.
Looking at the aftermath and lowering her gaze toward the Battle Fury Hammer, she nodded in satisfaction.
Although she had not obtained it for long, this weapon had proven to be quite useful.
If it had not been for it, she would have been forced to unleash more of her true power long ago.
Now, however, she could still disguise herself as a slightly stronger King who was merely employing the power of an extraordinary weapon.
“No wonder cultivators value external treasures so highly.”
“Even without taking my own specialness into account, this hammer alone would allow an ordinary King to rival a Venerable.”
“I wonder if there are weapons capable of enhancing the strength of Ancient Devils as well?”
The thought lingered only briefly before she dismissed it.
Her attention returned to the unconscious Zerg Queens, and she quickly concluded:
“Their soul power has already been heavily depleted.”
“Otherwise, defeating them this easily would have been impossible.”, Liora judged as she approached the weaker Queen and placed her hand upon her forehead.
Then, a tearing sound echoed.
Her hand pierced straight through the Queen’s skull.
Blood and fragments of bone splattered across the floor.
When Liora withdrew her arm, an ethereal phantom floated above her palm.
It was the Zerg Queen’s soul.
Unlike most souls Liora had encountered, however, this one wasn’t dazed.
Instead, a trace of vitality and agility flashed across its two eyes as it remained conscious and alert.
The Queen immediately fixed her gaze on Liora before releasing a piercing shriek that aimed directly at one’s soul.
At the same time, her phantom turned into a stream of light and shot into the distance in an attempt to flee.
Her judgment was swift.
Recalling the fight in the outside world and how Liora had been severely impacted by soul attacks, the Zerg Queen chose to target her soul rather than her body.
In her opinion, Liora was merely relying on the weapon in her hand.
As for her own strength and that of her soul, they were nothing to worry about.
The Zerg Queen’s assessment was sound, and she should have been able to escape if she were facing an ordinary opponent.
Unfortunately, she was quite unlucky.
In this place, where there were no witnesses, Liora no longer had any reason to conceal some of her characteristics.
Her expression never changed.
Watching the fleeing phantom, she simply waved her hand.
Countless black threads erupted from her palm as Predation was activated, instantly wrapping around the escaping soul before dragging it back.
“No! No! Wait!”
An agonized scream rang through the corridor as the Zerg Queen appeared to have sensed her next fate.
A moment later, however, it was abruptly cut off, drowned by the sound of chewing.