Ch.211 Battle Begins

"Alright, Cloak, let's execute the plan," Su Ming said as he saw that the doctor had no more questions. He immediately began: "We don't know the jumping ability of these bugs, so make sure you carry us at least 15 feet (4.57 meters) above them."

The Cloak of Levitation released Holloway's head, extending its edge like a hand, hooking onto the backs of their belts.

It floated up and down for a moment, seemingly gauging their weight. Then its collar nodded, signaling that it was ready.

"Good. Drop me at the entrance first. I'll clear a small landing area for you as quickly as possible, and then we'll proceed according to plan. Got it?"

Holloway nodded, taking deep breaths. This felt even more nerve-wracking than his first time performing surgery.

Fighting in an unknown place, against strange creatures—he had heard stories like this from the Gunslinger, but the Avenging Angel hadn't expected to face it so soon himself. The mix of tension and excitement gripped him.

But as soon as he nodded, the Cloak of Levitation eagerly shot them into the air, zipping over the heads of the bug swarm toward the cave entrance at high speed.

Holloway was startled, letting out a terrified scream, his mouth wide open, with his uvula swinging back and forth as if they were flying over a pool of crocodiles.

Like a giant red bird screeching through the sky, their movement naturally caught the attention of the bugs below.

The creatures with alien-like heads all raised them, letting out shrill hisses. To them, it looked like a bundle of food flying overhead.

Indeed, to these creatures, everything was food—whether it was cloth, metal, or human flesh.

As part of a hive mind, their instinct was to devour and invade. Concepts like fear or greed didn't exist in their brains—only instincts and commands.

The bugs emitted ear-piercing screeches, like nails scraping against glass.

Su Ming didn't know if this was their way of communicating, but understanding their language wasn't necessary to kill them.

"Now!" he shouted at the Cloak, which immediately released its grip on him.

Using the momentum from the fall and the flight speed, Su Ming shot toward the cave entrance like a cannonball. The bugs at the entrance, agitated, seemed to drool black saliva.

As Su Ming got closer, he noticed that their heads resembled those of crocodiles or lizards, but their outer layer was the chitinous exoskeleton typical of insects, mottled with dark green and black patches.

The wind howled past Su Ming as he extended his arms, raising his two swords—one gold, one black. The ground rushed up to meet him.

Just before landing, the bugs jumped at him first, launching their attack. Though their legs didn't have the explosive power of grasshoppers, they could still leap.

Several wide, gaping mouths rushed toward Su Ming, mouths so large they could almost swallow him whole.

These creatures' jaws could unhinge like snakes, opening to impossible angles—nearly as wide as their bodies.

But it didn't matter. Even if those mouths could fit Su Ming, they didn't have the appetite for him.

"Swish! Crack!"

A slicing wind was followed by a sharp crack as the Godslayer sword moved on its own, guiding Su Ming's arm to make the first strike.

The airborne bugs froze mid-jump, and by the time Su Ming landed firmly on the ground, they had already dropped dead.

That single, barely visible strike had split all the leaping bugs in half, spraying dark, viscous entrails and fluids everywhere.

The creatures' tripod-like limbs could no longer support their bodies, and their grasshopper-like thoraxes and abdomens were completely torn apart.

The nearby leaves and soil, splattered with the bugs' bodily fluids, emitted a strange fishy stench, like half-fermented fish.

Su Ming calmly turned his back to the cave entrance and initiated a short charge forward.

The bugs' exoskeletons couldn't withstand the Godslayer sword, nor could they resist the Nightfall sword. With both swords in hand, a single sweeping strike cleared a small patch of land for Holloway to land.

The Cloak, sensing the opportunity, gently lowered Holloway to the ground. The doctor immediately rushed toward the golden magic shield, trying to communicate with those inside.

"Hey, open up! We're here to help!"

Su Ming cleaved through another bug, kicking its head away with a swift motion. Even in the midst of battle, he still paid attention to what was happening with the doctor.

The doctor's words gave Su Ming a sense of déjà vu—like someone checking the water meter or delivering care packages. Could this really work?

Surprisingly, it did. The magic shield was deactivated in the next second, and Holloway quickly entered the cave, while Su Ming faced the bugs, slowly retreating to block the entrance.

Good. These bugs were nearly mindless. When they couldn't get through, they resorted to digging around the obstacle. But now, they swarmed Su Ming, viewing him as nothing more than food.

Perhaps their hive mind influenced them—if they had a full army of billions, they might actually tire Su Ming out. But with just a few hundred, they were doomed to fail.

They couldn't fly, had no long-range abilities, and although they were strong and had sharp limbs, Su Ming only needed to focus on the enemies directly in front of him.

With both swords flashing in the air, the cave entrance quickly became a pile of corpses, black insect blood pooling into streams that flowed into the lower ground nearby.

Su Ming felt a long-lost sense of satisfaction. Though the bugs' blood was cold, it made him feel warm inside. As his black-and-yellow armor became covered in chunks of flesh and blood, a smile crept across his face beneath the mask.

He enjoyed enemies like this—ones that didn't fear, didn't retreat, and kept coming at him relentlessly.

In a battle like this, all he needed to do was stand his ground and swing freely.

Testing his arm guards, Su Ming confirmed that the bugs' attacks couldn't penetrate his defenses. So he fearlessly stood at the cave entrance, elegantly wielding his massive swords.

Meanwhile, the doctor rushed to check on the person inside the cave.

The only person in the cave was a child, probably a little over ten years old, with short golden hair and a pale face. Surprisingly, despite the chaos, the young sorcerer's eyes were calm, showing no signs of panic.

His sleeve was missing, and his arm was bleeding, but he didn't seem to notice. He calmly assessed the newcomers.

"Let's get you bandaged up," said Holloway, who, as a doctor, carried basic first aid supplies in his belt along with his bullets. He quickly moved toward the young sorcerer, inspecting his arm.

A deep wound, about fifteen centimeters long, ran down the boy's arm. Fortunately, it hadn't reached the bone and only needed stitches.

"Thank you. I thought today would be the end of my road," the young sorcerer said, his lips twitching into a half-hearted smile as his eyes fell on the small mustache beneath Holloway's mask.

The cave was damp, with tiny insects crawling about, and the stone walls gave off an unpleasant odor.

Holloway chuckled awkwardly. What kind of kid says stuff like this? It felt strange to hear such words from someone so young.

"You're quite decisive. I was worried you wouldn't let us in," Holloway said as he sterilized the wound and prepared to stitch it.

"As a sorcerer, I must always remain calm and think clearly. I recognize the Cloak of Levitation, and I've seen you in the newspapers," the boy said, his gaze drifting to Su Ming's back as the masked hero fought. Meanwhile, the doctor stitched the wound without the young sorcerer showing any signs of pain.