Chapter 252: Returning for Backup

BOOM!

The fireball hit the flying bug head-on, making Magna congratulate himself on his aim.

Hitting it alone wasn’t enough. The attack needed to do some damage too.

To his relief, as the flames scattered, he saw the bug’s black body falling toward the ground.

It hadn’t burned. These creatures were highly resistant to fire and heat, but the impact had apparently been enough to crush its head. Black blood poured from its shattered shell, drifting upward as its body fell.

"Awesome."

Their defenses weren’t as strong as they looked. Relieved by that discovery, Magna turned and continued flying.

Of course, killing them all with individual fireballs wasn’t a reasonable option. He had neither the mana nor the time for that.

But now that he knew they could be killed this way, he had a plan.

Beating his blue wings, he changed direction toward the camp.

He made sure not to fly too fast, though. He needed the swarm to keep following him into the trap he had in mind.

"Lady Renna, the fires are under control for now, but we’ve already lost 30% of our farmland."

Outside the camp, a red-robed Witch delivered her report in a worried voice.

Renna’s eyes were still on the sky where Magna had disappeared a while ago.

"Focus on protecting what we have left," she answered calmly. "If we’re lucky, we can get through this disaster without losing any more."

For that to happen, Magna needed to succeed.

Once he lured the Desolation far enough away, its aura would stop setting their farms on fire. They could at least save what remained.

Renna wanted to believe he could do it, but she wasn’t relying blindly on that hope.

Every Shadow and Witch who wasn’t busy putting out fires was gathered behind her, waiting in formation. If his plan failed, they needed to be ready to fight.

’Blind Mother of Ash and Ruin, please help him succeed and return safely.’

With those preparations made, praying to the Matriarch of Death was all she could do for now.

She wasn’t alone. Whispers occasionally broke the tense silence behind her as the other Witches chanted the honorable names of the Mothers they felt closest to, asking for their help.

Soon, another sound drew her attention toward the distance.

A Shadow in dark red armor was rushing toward them from the direction Magna had taken.

Renna had sent him to observe from as far away as possible so they would have time to prepare if a threat approached. Seeing him return at full speed, she knew he had something important to report.

He didn’t even wait to reach her. As soon as he was close enough to be heard, he shouted.

"Enemy approaching! A swarm of flying corrosive bugs!"

Renna’s expression changed immediately. "Get into formation! Prepare to engage!"

She didn’t know exactly what they were about to face, but she knew about the bugs living beneath the ash.

They were usually harmless and rarely even came above ground. Until recently, the Witches had mostly known them as the Stonemen’s favorite food.

They had no particular means of attack. Only their blood was corrosive and burning, so they couldn’t hurt anyone without direct contact.

That had started changing after the Stonemen disappeared.

Their numbers had increased, and they had grown more aggressive, occasionally coming out of the ground to attack people.

Even then, the damage had been minimal. The Shadow Magna had found was the first reported death from their attacks.

Now, judging by the scout’s urgency, they were becoming far more dangerous than anyone had expected.

The part about them flying was especially concerning. Renna had never seen or heard of one with wings. Either these were a different species, or the creatures had somehow evolved.

While she considered that, the others moved into position. Soon, the swarm itself appeared in the distant sky.

At first, it was only a dark mass moving toward them like a black cloud, casting a huge shadow over the ground.

Then the buzzing of their wings began reaching them. The sound was thin and high-pitched from that distance, but it was enough to make their hearts tremble.

"All Shadows, draw your ranged weapons and take the front row!"

Whatever had caused this change, Renna knew they couldn’t let the creatures get close. Killing them in close combat would still expose everyone to the corrosive blood spilling from their bodies.

"Defense unit, prepare your barriers. Don’t let them reach anyone."

After giving the order to the 5 defensive Witches, she turned toward the red-robed attack unit.

"Use your wide-area spells. They’re likely resistant to fire, so choose spells with a strong impact."

Anything living in the Underworld, especially near the Bleeding Desolation’s territory, had to be highly resistant to heat. Relying on flames alone would be a mistake.

Once everyone was in position, Renna turned back toward the swarm and raised her hands to prepare her own attack.

"On my command."

She watched them approach, waiting for them to enter their range.

Then her eyes narrowed. There was something else in front of the dark swarm, a small blue dot moving toward the camp.

As she looked more closely, her eyes widened slightly.

"My Lady, that appears to be Lord Magna flying toward us," one of the Shadows in the front row reported.

Soon, the blue dot grew large enough for everyone to see clearly. There was no mistaking those enormous wings of blue fire. They could only belong to one person.

"Magna?" Her first thought was that Magna was deliberately leading the swarm toward them.

’At least he’s listening to my advice.’ She smiled, relieved that he had come to seek help instead of trying to fight them all alone.

He must have judged the swarm to be something their forces could handle. Otherwise, she doubted he would bring it straight to the camp.

If that was his plan, then he was trusting them to deal with it.

Renna turned her attention back to the approaching creatures, determined not to let that trust go to waste.