Chapter 680: Chain-Toothed Greatsword
Amidst the roar of artillery fire, the explosive shockwaves tore through a large swath of mangled flesh.
As the cannon fire briefly paused, a tidal wave of twisted monsters surged forward in madness.
From afar, Jifan watched the charging twisted monsters. Once they advanced about 300 meters, he decisively issued the command:
"Throw the burning oil! Dragon Warriors advance! Civil engineers prepare for harvesting! Soldiers form ranks and commence the slaughter!"
At his command, Bay Territory's units responded without hesitation.
Towering walls of fire reignited, isolating the twisted monster horde.
The Dragon Warriors surged forward together, crushing the bulk of the twisted monsters like dry twigs.
The seasoned warriors swiftly advanced, cleaning up the stragglers missed by the Dragon Warriors.
The entire battle lasted less than 30 minutes, and within a range of three to four hundred meters, all the twisted monsters had become piles of corpses.
Massive engineering golems rolled in, pushing the valuable remains into piles.
After days of trials and improvements—
The civil engineer teams had developed new golem machinery and devices.
Portable Continuous Teleportation Golems!
These were mobile teleportation array platforms that efficiently and precisely cleaned up the battlefield.
Thanks to the completed production lines and arrival of workers—
Aso Volcano Fortress could now rapidly and comprehensively process twisted monster and plant remains.
They could also quickly produce and craft basic materials.
This allowed the resource-devouring Aso Volcano Fortress a chance to generate income and expand production.
Teleporting finished goods and supplies was far more cost-effective than teleporting raw materials.
Bay Territory's signature approach to warfare—fighting while running "side businesses"—was on full display.
Facing Bay Territory's upgraded harvesting tactics, the Evil Shadow Spirits didn't stubbornly resist as before, instead promptly changing strategies.
Behind the vast twisted jungle, waves of black twisted creatures surged forth.
These beetles were massive, slow-moving, but covered in tough armored shells.
They charged into the cannon barrage like living shields.
Upon spotting them, Jifan immediately grasped the Evil Shadow Spirits' intent.
He wasn't anxious—his eyes fixed on the beetles reaching the bombardment zone, and a glimmer of anticipation flickered in his heart:
"Hope these bugs have some damn good armor…"
Why was he thinking this?
The reason was simple—he was eyeing those thick, durable shells.
That's just how Bay Territory's combat personnel operated.
They didn't fear strong enemies—only poor ones.
These huge beetles with thick carapaces were way more valuable than the surrounding twisted plants and monsters!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Spinning shells smashed viciously into the black beetles.
Explosive flames spread wide, and the terrifying shockwave crushed into the dark gleaming shells, blowing open gaping holes.
About half the shrapnel pierced deep into the beetles' bodies, instantly shredding their organs.
The remaining shrapnel exploded in midair, striking nearby beetles—only leaving superficial scratches.
The beetles' impressive defenses left Jifan pleasantly surprised.
He raised an eyebrow in satisfaction and immediately called for reinforcements:
"Deploy Yaya-01!"
"Hahaha, we're on our way!!"
Orianna's cheerful voice came through loud and clear.
Yaya flapped her wings and, under Onyxia's stunned gaze, carried the gleaming Yaya-01 into the air, diving toward the charging beetles.
With Orianna's excited cries, the heavy Yaya-01 leapt down hard, stomping several beetles beneath its feet.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Several beetles, unable to withstand the weight, were stomped deep into the scorched earth. Their hard shells shattered, spraying dark green blood and chunks.
As Yaya-01 made its dramatic entrance, it looked around at the dense beetle swarm like it was seeing massive gold bricks. With excitement, it raised a leg and stomped the ground hard.
Dense dark-yellow magical light radiated from its giant mechanical leg.
Surging magic coursed through intricate channels, flowing into the engraved enchantment arrays, and erupted with thunderous force.
Sixth Circle Spell—Shockwave!
Explosive earth-element energy rippled outward. The violent shockwave shattered many beetles' limbs, leaving them stumbling and unsteady.
Taking advantage of their reduced mobility, Yaya-01 raised a claw, clenched it into a fist, and smashed down onto their heads.
Crack!
One beetle's head split open—killed instantly by Yaya-01.
Facing these defenseless beetles, Orianna struck fast and gleefully shouted:
"High-grade armor material! Kill one and you can craft around 15 sets of armor and shields—just selling the raw material earns 8000 gold coins!"
Boom!
"That's another 8000!"
Boom!
"And this one—8000 again!"
Boom!
"Hahaha! 8000 in the bag!"
Boom!
"Eight… thousand…!"
Orianna's gleeful cries made Jifan raise his eyebrows instinctively.
He trusted the little genius's judgment. Watching Yaya-01 single-handedly crush the beetles, his eyes reflected a strange awe.
What once seemed like a "toy" construct vehicle had grown incomparably more powerful.
If its flaws were ironed out and various parts further reinforced and upgraded—
It might really become a legendary construct developed solely by Bay Territory!
Although Yaya-01 was powerful, it still couldn't stop all the black beetles alone.
Facing the remaining hundreds of black beetles, Jifan wasn't particularly worried.
Noticing their slow movement speed, Jifan efficiently deployed Catachan archers, coordinated with nearby Dragon Warriors, to eliminate these high-value targets.
What Orianna mentioned was only the value of their shells—for such massive beetles, surely other parts held worth as well.
The Dragon Warriors were well-versed in dealing with large monsters. Using their superior agility, they leapt onto the beetles to fight them up close.
After a few probing attacks, they learned most of the beetles' traits and located their weaknesses.
Black Beetle.
Giant insect-type, mutated and twisted.
Challenge Rating: 14+
Defense Level: Advanced (Low Tier)
Attack Level: Intermediate (High Tier), melee, physical.
Movement Speed: Low
Individual Threat Level: Medium
Group Threat Level: High
Thanks to Matthew's emphasis on combat data and analysis—
Bay Territory conducted detailed classifications and summaries of all enemies, monsters, and magical creatures.
Through in-depth research and experimentation, they continually improved their knowledge base and resource utilization.
This approach also greatly benefited combat operations.
Once the Dragon Warriors found the beetles' weak spots, the Catachan archers began firing as well.
They didn't use the heavily modified crossbows, but instead the enchanted bows tailor-made for them by Bay Territory.
Bay Territory never relied on just one weapon to win wars. They always pushed forward on multiple fronts.
Crossbows had a limited ceiling but were great for army formations and large-scale battles.
Bows infused with aura or energy grew stronger as the Professional's skill improved—in accuracy, speed, and penetration.
Thus, with support from the Dragon Warriors, the Catachan archers inflicted deadly blows to the black beetles.
Often a single arrow would pierce through the beetle's skull and heart before it even knew what hit it.
Even so, the beetles' vitality kept them alive.
But the Dragon Warriors, already prepared, followed up with crushing punches, pulverizing the damaged brain and heart with sheer force.
One after another, the massive beetles fell, shoveled away by the excited civil engineers.
Many engineers chatted excitedly:
"These beetles are huge and heavy. Hauling one at a time is a waste, but two at once is tricky."
"Let's modify the scoop to carry two per trip. That'd boost our efficiency a ton."
"That's one way. I've got another idea—flip them over and drag them with something..."
"Good thought, but we'll need lots of testing. Maybe we'll even invent something new and get some R&D funding..."
"Heh, we don't even need a brand-new machine—just upgrade our current engineering golems."
"That'd be simpler to operate and easier to get approved."
"We're definitely turning a big profit this time—just gotta watch out for safety."
"..."
To Bay Territory soldiers, these beetle corpses were golden windfalls, and they eagerly carted them into Aso Volcano Fortress.
Some couldn't even wait for the beetles to reach them and rushed out alongside Yaya-01 and the Dragon Warriors.
Once confirmed the beetles weren't a threat, Jifan halted the artillery fire and redirected support elsewhere.
The beetles hadn't achieved the expected results, but the Evil Shadow Spirits weren't too disappointed.
Seeing Bay Territory deploy Yaya-01 and Dragon Warriors was already satisfactory for them.
Fixing their eyes on Yaya soaring in the sky, they issued a new command:
"Twisted Treants, attack!"
The Evil Shadow Spirits believed that even if the Twisted Treants couldn't defeat Yaya, they could at least stall her and let the other twisted monsters shine.
The massive Twisted Treants began to move forward, sending violent tremors through the ground.
Nearby twisted monsters and plants scattered in fear.
Unfortunately, these twisted creatures had no say in it and were "willingly" delivered to the Treants, who devoured them with bloodthirsty vines as fuel for their charge.
The Twisted Treants' thunderous advance quickly drew the attention of Bay Territory's command center.
Seeing 15 Twisted Treants step onto the scorched earth at once, Angela immediately ordered:
"Lady Yaya, strike now!"
Yaya, having waited long enough, soared joyfully in the air and let out a deafening roar.
Under Onyxia's envious gaze, her silver-glowing true dragon form dove toward a Twisted Treant ahead.
The Twisted Treant sensed danger, slowly raised its head, and let out an ear-piercing roar.
Countless vines extended from its arms, weaving into a horrific maw lunging at Yaya from the sky.
Yaya didn't use her breath attack—instead, she slammed down hard, crashing into the tree's crown.
Her claws swung like scythes, easily severing the vine-formed head.
Her powerful legs crushed the dense branches beneath.
The terrifying impact landed directly on the Treant's head.
The cracking of wood fibers echoed outward.
"Rooaar...!"
The Twisted Treant howled like a wild beast under the immense pressure.
It shook violently, sprouting more bloodthirsty vines from its lower half.
Greedily devouring surrounding twisted creatures, the vines also anchored the Treant, helping it withstand Yaya's assault.
Noticing this, Yaya raised her claws to block its incoming arms.
Her shining metal dragon claws slashed through the Treant's limbs, cutting them in half.
Dark green sap sprayed from the wounds, sizzling in midair.
Now nearly defenseless, the Treant could only roar in impotent rage.
Twisted seeds grew from its branches and flew toward Yaya as it shook violently.
But Yaya gave it no chance to use the attack.
A powerful gust of wind burst from her wings, scattering the seeds.
The scattered seeds landed nearby, rooting into twisted monsters and plants, growing bloodthirsty vines.
The vines devoured nearby flesh and nutrients, quickly swelling.
In mere moments, they became 3–4 meter tall blood-red monsters.
These vine monsters looked like humanoids woven from crimson vines.
They were fast and incredibly destructive.
They devoured and absorbed nearby twisted monsters and plants, creating empty "vacuum" zones.