Magic Chronicles : Fallen Race

Insect Demons

The insects on the bodies of the three Hunters earlier seemed to be the leaders of the swarm, capable of directly activating the parasitic eggs inside these imperial soldiers, causing them to mutate into their current half-insect, half-demon form.

The imperial soldiers in this form had completely departed from the realm of humanity. It was evident from their status screens that the human attribute had vanished entirely.

Even demon races struggled to achieve such a thorough transformation of life forms. Only insect races possessed the inherent ability to assimilate and mutate their hosts to this extent.

From the previous investigation in Ilinor, Reji and the demons were aware of the widespread parasitic phenomenon in the human world.

However, this was the first time Reji had witnessed Insect Demons that had completely taken control of their hosts with such a high degree of perfection. Moreover, the mutation process was extremely sudden, rapid, and simple. Just a few cries from the insects were enough to trigger the transformation.

So, was this the Seventh Prince's contingency plan?

Hmm I don't think so.

New intelligence quickly made Reji realize that it wasn't that simple.

The imperial soldiers who had undergone Insect Demonization were not limited to the small group Olba had brought into the ruins.

The Shadow Demons, who were tasked with monitoring the true imperial army left outside the ruins by the Seventh Prince, reported similar mutation phenomena occurring among all the human troops.

Indeed, a staggering army of 50,000 was rapidly undergoing Insect Demonization.

Apparently, the cries of the strange insects on the Hunters earlier were able to penetrate the barrier of the Sanctuary and affect the outside.

When Reji arrived outside, he could see that the imperial army, which had previously surrounded and "cleared" the ruins, had now completely transformed.

The ground was littered with either insect shells that had squeezed out the armor or discarded iron swords.

As for the imperial Black Goat flag, once regarded as an emblem of honor, it now lay trampled and tattered like a rag by the Insect Demon soldiers.

It was evident that the Insect Demons lacked organization.

They were merely following their instincts.

They targeted their former warhorses as their first prey. Around each bloody horse carcass, swarms of Insect Demons gathered, devouring the flesh in a frenzy.

After consuming their own warhorses, the Insect Demons began to wander aimlessly.

Fortunately, the imperial army's earlier clearing had kept other humans away from the ruins. Otherwise, judging by the behavior of these Insect Demons, they would likely view all other living beings as food, much like zombies or locusts.

But this balance was visibly about to be shattered.

Some Insect Demons on the periphery had already caught the scent of the adventurers, residents, and gang tribes in the outer regions of the Syndicate.

The 50,000-strong Insect Demon army, transformed from the imperial soldiers, began to regroup and gather, showing signs of movement.

If left unchecked, this swarm of Insect Demons could potentially wipe out the entire Syndicate within a few days. The combat prowess of the soldiers after their Insect Demonization was significantly higher than that of ordinary imperial soldiers.

This sudden Mutation Disaster caused even Leo to frown.

His plans were completely disrupted.

Should we intervene?

How should we intervene?

And...

Could this be a trap? What was the Seventh Prince's purpose in leaving this contingency plan, or was there more to it?

Leo's contemplation mirrored Reji's current hesitation.

However, there was another aspect that the Demon of Wisdom failed to consider. For Reji himself, although this incident was unexpected, it wasn't an unexpected trouble but rather... a pleasant surprise?

He had just obtained the holy sword from the Seventh Prince, which could provide triple experience points for monster hunting, and now, Olba's imperial army had all been transformed into monsters.

It felt like someone had handed him a pillow just as he was about to doze off.

Come to think of it, hadn't something similar happened before?

That's right.

As he was contemplating how to eliminate the Wicked Demon at that time in Ilinor, an envoy from the Empire actively sought out the Wicked Demon, presenting an opportunity for Reji to seize. Not only did he successfully eradicate Lordan in one fell swoop, but he also acquired the Atlas relic.

Once could be a coincidence, but two consecutive times made Reji highly certain that within the Empire, the high-ranking official who had previously been in contact with the Wicked Demon seemed to be intentionally assisting him.

I think they even have a deep understanding of me and the past Hero.

Even the demons were unaware that the Oath Sword could grant high amounts of experience points for killing monsters and increase strength. That person seemed to be well-informed; otherwise, they wouldn't have transformed 50,000 soldiers into Insect Demons.

This also explained how those strange insects were able to penetrate the Sanctuary's barrier and affect the outside world with their sound waves. It indicated that the person who cultivated these insects must have had knowledge of the Sanctuary and might have even personally stayed inside it.

Following this line of thought, Reji continued to ponder...

Previously, the demons, including the Leo, had analyzed these parasitic eggs with a negative perspective, worrying that the human world would become a breeding ground to endlessly supply a hidden "Queen" existence.

At that time, Reji had also been led astray by this train of thought.

But now...

Reji could feel the overwhelming excitement emanating from the Oath Sword in his hand. Especially when facing the swarm of Insect Demons below, resembling a locust plague, the sword's blade vibrated with an uncontrollable sword cry, as if urging Reji to annihilate these monsters completely.

Not only that.

With a flip of his other hand, Reji summoned the spirit of another holy sword—the Radiant Sword he had obtained from the Ghost in the Old King's Tower. The Radiant Sword floated in the air.

At this moment, the Radiant Sword also had a strong reaction to the Insect Demon army below. As long as the target was a demon race, this sword could directly grant Reji a fixed bonus of thousands of base attribute points.

When Reji grasped both holy swords simultaneously, it instantly produced a special effect, akin to stepping on one's own foot, as if exploiting a bug.

The radiant sword spirit not only benefited from the five-fold attribute bonus of the "Oath of Enmity" but also converted all attacks into true damage since the Insect Demons satisfied the criteria of being "monsters."

With both holy swords in hand, when facing Insect Demons as enemies, Reji could perfectly benefit from all the buffs.

Reji's status bar was now filled to the brim with various holy sword enhancements.

It was as if these monsters were specifically designed for the "Hero."

There was no need for other demon races to intervene.

In Reji eyes, who now wielded dual holy swords, such a Mutation Disaster was merely a matter of a single move.

The sword spirit of the Oath Sword, amplified by the "true damage" bonus, now truly resembled a divine statue, towering behind Reji.

As Reji raised the holy sword high, the dazzling radiance from the sword directly transformed into a sky-piercing pillar of light.

The scorching light pillar seemed capable of splitting the heavens and earth. Accompanied by Reji's downward swing, the terrifying radiant power, like a cascading waterfall from the heavens, swept across the entire Insect Demon horde.

This holy light torrent covered a radius of several kilometers, leaving deep sword marks spanning thousands of meters on the ground with a single strike.

As for the original army of 50,000 Insect Demons at the center of the sword mark, they had long been annihilated under the holy light. The combination of the radiant sword spirit and the Holy Smite skill was utterly devastating to units that simultaneously satisfied the criteria of being demons and monsters, instantly reducing them to ashes.

At the same time.

Reji's mind was also filled with frenzied notification sounds.

[Your attack "Holy Smite" has eliminated an Insect Demon, granting you 106 experience points. The weapon passive "Paladin" has been successfully triggered, granting you an additional 106*300% experience points.]

[Your attack "Radiant Sword" has eliminated 17 Insect Demons, granting you 7,268 experience points.]

[Your... has eliminated 164 Insect Demons, granting you 81,016 experience points.]

[Your... has eliminated 9,273 Insect Demons, granting you 5,278,195 experience points.]

[Your..... granting you 15,900,000 experience points]

[Your level has increased from Lv33 to Lv71.]

[---Character Info---]

[Name: Reji]

[Race: Human]

[Level: 41->71]

[EXP: 71,421/75,907-> 90,039 / 449,771 XP ]

[Fate Track: Demon King]

[Sub-Fate Track: Nature]

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[Strength: 71*300%+ (211*5) -> 1268+]

[Physique: 71*300%+ (211*5) -> 1268+]

[Mental Power: 71*300%+ (211*5) -> 1268+]

[Skill Proficiency: 71*300%+ (211*5) -> 1268+]

[Magic Power: 71*300%+ (211*5) -> 1268+]

[Luck: 71]

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[Radiance Sword (Fake) Equipped ]

[Hero's Power (Passive) - When the enemy unit is of the "Demon Race", gain a bonus to all basic attributes. The increase is 211 (depending on the Holy Sword's base attributes) * 5.0 (depending on the fit, the upper limit coefficient is 5)]

[Demon-Slayer Sword (Passive) - When the enemy unit is of the "Demon Race", your attack penetration rate increases to 100%, you will ignore the opponent's damage reduction defense capabilities, your critical hit chance increases by 50% every time you attack, and critical hit damage increases by 100%]

[Old Buddy (Passive) - In the past, you fought side by side, and now, although you are unfamiliar with each other's appearances, it does not prevent your unspoken understanding. All Holy Sword skill levels are increased to LV10 (Max)]

[Ghostly Vigil (Passive) - Your partners in the underworld are blessing you, and the bond that time has not severed becomes your strongest support. 90% of the damage you take will be transferred, and when your health points are below 30%, instantly recover all health points and purify all negative effects (no CD)]

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[Oath Sword]

[When equipping the "Oath Sword", you gain the following temporary abilities:…]

[Oath of Devotion (Passive) - Your every action cannot go against your heart. With the purpose of protecting humans and firm devotion, you are immune to all negative effects]

[Oath of Vengeance (Passive) - You loathe evil like an enemy towards monsters, pursuing and killing to the end. When necessary, you can use any means. The flames of vengeance make you deal 300% extra damage when facing "monster" type enemies]

[Oath Breaking (Passive) - When your actions violate your oath, you will receive "oath breaking" punishment. The punishment coefficient will be determined based on your evil deeds]

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