Collapse and Escape
In less than ten minutes, Dakli's proud five high-level fusion-modified subordinates were swiftly crushed like fragile tiles under Salsa's group's exquisite coordination and overwhelming undead sea tactics! The crow became a snack for the shadow beast, the nightingale and vulture struggled desperately in the deep-sea illusion water prison (ultimately strangled by high-pressure currents), the chicken mask exploded into fragments, and the woodpecker was pierced through the heart with an arrow after his weapons were frozen! What shattered Dakli's spirit even more was that Salsa's undead legion not only didn't diminish but grew even larger and more ferocious by absorbing the remnants and souls of these powerful individuals (especially the five bird-masked ones)!
"No... impossible! You vermin!" Dakli watched her subordinates annihilated in an instant and the ever-expanding undead army emanating cold deathly aura, her beastman-ized body trembling violently with rage and fear. Her proud power seemed so pale in the face of this scale of undead horde and unreasonable team coordination. The arrogance on her elven face was completely replaced by terror.
Escape! Must escape! That was the only thought left in Dakli's mind. Her massive wood-knot arm smashed fiercely into the ground, countless sharp wooden spikes erupting like ground spears from under Salsa's group's feet, attempting to block pursuit. At the same time, her beastified legs exploded with astonishing strength, turning and crashing through a metal wall, fleeing desperately toward the depths of the incubation tank forest! She was going to activate the final measure!
Narrow Encounter and Ultimate Madness
Dakli charged like a wounded behemoth through the massive incubation tank forest, smashing pipes and crushing instruments. As she burst out of a corner, she collided head-on with Fa's group, who were evacuating with over a dozen panicked survivors!
"Dakli!" Fa's right star eye shone with deep light, instantly locking onto this enemy with violent aura and twisted form. Celestia's wind-thunder power condensed at her fingertips in an instant, Kayla's thunder claws erupted with glaring electric light, TISK's lava hammer roared into ice-fire, Zhamisi's venom fang curved blade flickered with eerie green chill! The fifteen survivors screamed in fright, huddling together.
Blocked ahead (Fa's group), pursued from behind (Salsa's group), Dakli was trapped in a desperate situation!
"Dakli, your end has come." Fa's voice was cold as frost, her short blade gripped tightly in hand.
"It's you! All of you!" Dakli let out a hysterical scream, her emerald vertical pupils bloodshot with extreme madness. Looking at the two groups closing in step by step, her face twisted into a ferocious smile mixed with despair and destructive insanity. "Want to kill me? Want to capture me? Dream on! You all go to hell!"
She abruptly raised her left hand, which still retained its relatively intact elven form, the grotesque metal bracelet on her wrist flashing piercing red light! Without hesitation, she pressed the largest button on it!
Woo—woo—woo—!!!
A more piercing, more desperate alarm than any before resounded through the entire underground space! Accompanied by the shrill mechanical unlocking sounds and the roar of liquid discharge, around the central sewage pool, among the thousands of incubation tanks, the three hundred tanks marked as "complete bodies" had their red indicator lights flashing madly on top!
Hiss—!
The heavy reinforced glass lids popped open! Pale blue nutrient fluid surged out like waterfalls!
Complete Bodies Awaken and Elite Battle
"Roar—!!!"
"Hiss-gah—!!"
"Awoo—!!!"
Soul-shuddering roars mixed with countless beasts and inhuman pain, pure killing desire echoed one after another, instantly overpowering the alarm! Three hundred figures of various forms, emanating cold violent auras, leaped from the incubation tanks!
They were the Doomsday Rebirth organization's "perfect" weapons: wolf-headed human bodies covered in pale bone armor, sharp claws glistening; snake-like monsters with claws and fins spitting forked tongues; insect-winged humanoid creatures with cruel gleams in their compound eyes; muscle-bulging, rock-skinned giants; swift as wind hunters covered in keratin scales... As soon as they landed, intense killing intent and hunger filled the entire space!
Dakli laughed madly: "Hahaha! Go! Perfect experimental bodies! I command you, kill! Kill every living thing you see! Leave none!" She issued an indiscriminate attack order! These newly awakened, hungry, and destruction-filled monsters couldn't distinguish friend from foe; their scarlet or murky eyes instantly locked onto the nearest life forms—including remaining patrols, Dakli herself, and the still-operating automated defense turrets!
Chaos erupted instantly! The monsters pounced on the nearest patrols, auto-turrets, and also toward Fa's group and the survivors! The entire underground factory turned into a bloody asura field!
However, facing this surging monster tide, Fa's team, having undergone brutal special training, displayed astonishing combat prowess.
Overall Tactics: Fa's right star eye flowed, quickly scanning the battlefield, rapidly issuing commands through the mental link established by Salsa's shadow falcons: "Celestia, Kayla, TISK, Zhamisi! Clear approaching minions, protect the survivors! Arya, Yuyuer, Lin Ya, remote fire suppression and control! Salsa, undead legion hold the left flank! Rex, find and paralyze the still-operating defense systems! Those eight with strong energy reactions, leave to the main force for point kills!"
Clearing and Protection
Celestia turned into a black lightning with four wings spread, shuttling at high speed around the survivors. "Wind-Thunder Domain · Strangle!" Countless fine wind blades wrapped in arcs erupted from her center, forming a high-speed cutting domain, instantly dismembering incoming low-tier monsters! "Shadow Leap" made her appear and disappear unpredictably, each appearance accompanied by a monster's vital being pierced by wind blades.
Kayla descended like a thunder god, her massive thunder claws swinging with violent lightning chains "Thunder Fang · Chain Blast," electrocuting several monsters into char simultaneously. Her burly body blocked in front of the survivors like an insurmountable steel fortress, any daring monster crushed by her frost-infused heavy punch "Frost Fist · Shock," bones shattered, frozen to the ground.
TISK roared while swinging his lava hammer. "Forge Shock · Ice-Fire Burst!" The warhammer smashed heavily into the ground, ice-blue freezing air and crimson lava fire rings alternating in explosions, either freezing monsters into ice sculptures or blasting them to pieces. His stout body moved agilely on the survivors' flank, using the hammer shaft to block flying claws and acid.
Zhamisi slithered like a deadly viper on the battlefield's edge, her venom fang curved blade tracing eerie trajectories. "Water Shadow Venom Fang · Thousand Snakes Devour!" Amid flashing blade light, countless tiny venom snake phantoms made of poison and water pounced on monsters, targeting joints, eyes, and weak spots; poisoned monsters slowed rapidly, muscles spasming, easily finished by following Kayla or Celestia. She also used environmental adaptation to spew large-area paralyzing poison mist "Miasma Cloud · Delay," blocking monster groups.
Remote Suppression and Control
Arya stood on high ground, her storm bow firing chain arrows. "Light-Dark Spiral · Bind!" Arrows wrapped in light-dark energy precisely hit elite monsters' feet or charge paths, exploding into energy vortices like quagmires trapping them. "Wind Arrow · Armor Break!" Targeted powerful arrows specifically aimed at monster shell gaps or energy cores.
Yuyuer's crystal ball flowed with blue light. "Illusory Tide · Group Chaos!" Powerful illusion waves enveloped battlefield edge monster groups, plunging them into hallucinations, self-slaughtering or attacking air. "Raging Wave Grip!" Massive water palms appeared from nowhere, grabbing overzealous monsters and smashing them into walls or ground.
Lin Ya raised both hands high, emerald glow sprinkling. "Root Entanglement · Steel Jungle!" Thicker, metal-glistening vines burst through the metal floor, growing madly to entangle, segmenting the battlefield, trapping hordes of monsters in place. "Nature's Whisper · Thorn Halo!" A thorny halo spread from him, continuously damaging approaching enemies and applying mild slowdown.
Salsa's undead legion formed an indestructible wall of death on the left flank. Skeleton soldiers charged relentlessly, undead infantry's cold shots, shadow beasts' pounces, newly added twisted bird undead's dive tears, firmly blocking that direction's monster assault. She occasionally swiped claws, converting fallen monsters (regardless of side) into new undead soldiers, the legion's scale increasing rather than decreasing in the melee!
Rex's electronic eyes scanned at high speed, armor data streaming. "Detected 37 still-operating defense turrets, 15 auto-sentries... Execute electromagnetic pulse coverage (EMP)!" His armor back deployed a dish device, strong invisible pulses instantly spreading! Affected turrets and sentries sparked, smoking and paralyzing. "Micro-drone swarm (frost type), release! Target: Monster clusters, delay actions!" Hundreds of micro-drones glistening with ice-blue light flew out like bees, spraying ultra-low temperature liquid nitrogen at monster groups, greatly slowing their movement, creating optimal output environments for teammates.
Elite Battle
Despite the team's seamless coordination and astonishing clearing efficiency, those eight "near-perfect" elite complete body monsters that Dakli regarded as such truly displayed terrifying strength. They withstood remote strikes and control effects, breaking through the undead sea and drone blockade, charging to the core battlefield.
1. "Scale Armor Saber-Tooth Tyrant": Resembling a saber-tooth tiger but larger, fully covered in energy-glistening thick scales, extreme resistance to energy attacks, astonishing physical defense, terrifying charge force. It targeted the fortress-like Kayla.
2. "Corrosive Acid Giant Scorpion": Over five meters long giant scorpion, shell black and shiny, tail hook flickering ominous green, able to spit highly corrosive acid balls, melting metal wherever it passed.
3. "Shadow Hunters": Three in a group! Like skinned humanoid cheetahs, extremely fast, able to briefly stealth in shadows, claws with neurotoxin, expert at vital sneak attacks.
4. "Earth-Shaking Lava Colossus": Four-meter tall rock giant, surface cracks flowing hot lava, fists like siege hammers, each strike causing small-range seismic waves.
5. "Mental Shriek Banshee": Floating mid-air, like a twisted elven ghost, no physical attack power, but able to emit soul-striking shrieks, causing large-area mental chaos and agony, disrupting casting.
The addition of these eight elite monsters instantly escalated the battle into a grueling tug-of-war:
Kayla vs Scale Armor Saber-Tooth Tyrant: The behemoth's charge was stubbornly blocked by Kayla in "Thunder-Frost Annihilation Behemoth" form (partial transformation, arms enlarged covered in ice-frost thunder armor)! Thunder claws clashed with saber-tooth claws, erupting glaring sparks and ice shards thunder light. Kayla roared, continuously infusing ice-thunder power into the opponent, attempting to freeze and destroy its innards, while the tyrant's scales constantly resisted and rebounded force.
TISK vs Corrosive Acid Giant Scorpion: TISK agilely dodged deadly acid balls (acid melting large pits in the ground), lava hammer's ice-fire halo countering acid erosion. "Forge Shock · Ice Seal Path!" He hammered the ground to create ice surfaces slowing the scorpion, while seeking opportunities to smash joints and shell connections with extreme high-temperature hammerhead, emitting dull booms.
Celestia vs Shadow Hunters (three): Peak speed showdown! Celestia pushed "Shadow Leap" to the extreme, leaving countless afterimages on the battlefield. Wind-thunder power surrounded her, forming an integrated attack-defense domain (Wind-Thunder Domain · Swift). Whenever hunters tried stealth sneak attacks, her powerful mental perception caught them in advance, countering with a "Delusion-Breaking Spear" prototype (mental spike) or condensed wind-thunder kick precisely hitting, directly exploding one hunter's head! But the remaining two were more cunning, using companion corpses and shadows to maneuver, toxic claw winds nearly grazing Celestia several times.
Team Coordination vs Earth-Shaking Lava Colossus & Mental Shriek Banshee:
The banshee's shrieks were the biggest trouble! Sharp mental attacks made nearby survivors clutch heads and scream, even disrupting Arya's shots and Yuyuer's casting.
Arya endured the headache, focusing: "Light Arrow · Serenity!" A special arrow condensed from tranquil glow shot toward the banshee. The arrow exploded silently near the banshee, forming a small-range silence light domain, temporarily isolating her shriek sound waves!
Yuyuer seized the chance: "Illusory Tide · Mind Echo!" Sending a powerful illusion force back at the banshee's mental core, plunging it into terror illusions from its own shrieks, temporarily out of control.
The colossus took the opportunity to swing lava giant fists at the casting Yuyuer!
Lin Ya acted timely: "Root Entanglement · Steel Cage!" Several thickest metal vines burst from the ground, tightly wrapping the colossus's legs and swinging arm, vines sizzling under lava heat, rapidly charring, but successfully blocking the strike.
Rex locked on the colossus's chest flowing lava core: "Plasma Cutting Cannon, max power!" A thick blue-white plasma beam blasted out, precisely hitting the core! The colossus roared in pain, chest melted into a large hole, lava splashing, movements instantly stiffening.
Zhamisi appeared like a ghost behind the stiffened colossus, dual blades crossing: "Water Shadow Venom Fang · Twin Snakes Strangle!" Two eerie green venom blade lights ruthlessly cut into the colossus's rear neck rock gaps! Potent neurotoxin and corrosive venom rapidly injected. The colossus's massive body trembled violently, finally crashing down, lava extinguishing.
The banshee, temporarily trapped in silence light domain and its own illusions, was then thoroughly pierced and annihilated by Arya's follow-up charged "Dark Erosion Arrow."
Dead End and Interrogation
As the eight elite complete bodies were defeated one by one, the remaining ordinary complete body monsters were quickly cleared under the team's seamless coordination, undead legion's attrition, and drone swarm's frost delay. The entire underground factory was littered with corpses, remnants, solidified frost, and lava traces everywhere.
Dakli had long lost her earlier madness; she hid behind a toppled massive incubation tank during the chaos, her beastman-ized body covered in wounds, one wood-knot arm broken off. Watching the organization's painstakingly nurtured "mutants" destroyed like dry weeds, her eyes held only despair and venom.
When the last monster's roar ceased, Fa, Celestia, Kayla, Salsa (controlling the undead legion), and others surrounded her. The undead soldiers' cold soul fires and everyone's killing-intent gazes made her feel like plunging into an ice cave.
"Dakli," Fa's voice was cold as eternal ice, her right star eye locking on her with soul-piercing power, "Where is Elrios? Where is Lab 52? Speak, and I'll give you a quick end."
Dakli raised her head, face smeared with blood, yet pulling a twisted smile, eyes flickering with final malice: "Hehehe... Want to save that winged one? Want to know the secrets of 'Holy North Nest'? Dream on! You'll never find him! Lady Virginia's grand plan... you can't stop it!" She bit her teeth hard, seemingly about to activate some self-destruct device or take poison.
"No you don't!" Celestia's figure flashed, "Shadow Leap" instantly appearing beside Dakli, her wind-thunder wrapped hand blade precisely chopping that intact wrist!
Crack!
Bone-cracking sound rang, Dakli screamed, the controller on her wrist and the poison sac hidden in her fingers both knocked flying.
"Won't talk?" Kayla's massive thunder claw gripped Dakli's neck, lifting her like a chick off the ground, icy thunder stimulating her nerves, "I have ways to make you speak!"
However, whether Kayla's violent coercion, Zhamisi's threat of drawing blood on her face with venom fang blade, or even Arya's attempt to soothe her mind with gentle elven magic, Dakli just stared venomously at Celestia and Fa, lips sealed, silent. Her body seemed to have some mental prohibition; touching core secrets would trigger agony or even death.
"She has a powerful mental shackle inside," Salsa's soul perception scanned, her mechanical cat shell judging, "Forcibly reading or interrogating core info will immediately trigger, destroying her consciousness."
"Let me try." Fa stepped forward, her right star eye shining bright deep blue, attempting to use time stasis and insight. However, when her power touched Dakli's brain areas about Lab 52 and Elrios, a powerful, obscure dark-aura seal force fiercely rebounded! Fa's star eye stung, forcing her back a step.
"No good," Fa clutched her right eye, face pale, "The seal's power level is high, magic energy extremely strong."
"Lady Dakli would rather die than betray Lady Virginia!" Dakli coughed blood, laughing hoarsely, eyes with martyr-like fervor, "Kill me! You'll get nothing!"
Key Intelligence and Evacuation
Just as everyone was at a loss with the stubborn Dakli, Rex, who had been integrating downloaded data, approached, electronic eyes flickering steady blue.
"Fa," Rex's electronic voice sounded, "Though core database info on 'Holy North Nest' HQ and Virginia is multi-encrypted and physically isolated, inaccessible. But I successfully retrieved fragmented logs marked as 'High-Value Sample Transfer Records.' They mention three core lab codes and approximate locations multiple times."
Everyone's spirits lifted.
"One code 'Emerald Heart' lab, coordinates point to southwest of Lyris Great Island, near 'Posera Island.' That lab number... is exactly 52."
"Posera Island?" Arya exclaimed in shock, her elven face filled with astonishment and complexity, "That... that's my homeland! The 'Eternal Forest' where the Elven Court is!"
"Lab 52... Elrios!" Celestia's fists clenched tightly, eyes reigniting with hope's light, but more with worry for Elrios's situation.
Fa decided decisively: "This place isn't safe to linger! Doomsday Rebirth reinforcements could arrive anytime. Rex, immediately activate this island's self-destruct protocol, bury all this evil here! We take the survivors, evacuate now!"
"Self-destruct protocol command acquired," Rex operated swiftly, "Activate final protocol: 'Purification Furnace.' Reactor will overload in 30 minutes, destroying all experimental data and biological samples together. Countdown begins."
"Lin Ya, Yuyuer, ensure ship status!" Fa commanded.
"Living Wood Submersible status good, ready to sail anytime!" Lin Ya responded.
No more delays. Kayla lifted the wounded and despair-limp Dakli like rags, Fa, Celestia, Arya, and others escorted the fifteen terrified but grateful survivors, Salsa recalled the undead legion, leaving only a few shadow falcons on alert, quickly returning along the original path.
When they burst out of the sewage outlet, bathing again in cold seawater and dim skylight, behind them in Dark Tide Island's depths came muffled oppressive rumbling, as if a behemoth in death throes. The island began to vibrate slightly.
"Yuyuer, Lin Ya, full speed! Leave here!" Fa leaped onto the Living Wood Submersible.
Yuyuer raised his dragon bone staff high, fully controlling ocean currents. Lin Ya's life magic infused the hull, making this living vessel erupt with astonishing speed, like an arrow from the string cleaving ink-green waves, racing away from Dark Tide Island.
Behind them, Dark Tide Island's vibrations grew intense. Finally, a piercing white light shot skyward from the island's center, tearing the fog, followed by earth-shaking chain explosions! Flames and thick smoke engulfed the island, massive shockwaves raising towering waves, hurling countless twisted steel wreckage and experimental fragments into the air, ultimately sinking slowly into the cold ocean depths.
The Doomsday Rebirth organization's important stronghold in the northern continental seas, "Dark Tide Island," along with its horrifying "Life Factory," turned into burning ruins and floating debris amid violent explosions and raging flames, slowly sinking into the surging ink-green sea. Sky-piercing firelight and smoke tore the perennial gray-white mist, like a behemoth's dying wail, reddening half the gloomy sky.
The Living Wood Submersible rode Yuyuer's summoned strong currents, nimbly shuttling through explosion-raised giant waves like a speeding leaf. On board, the fifteen rescued survivors huddled tightly, gazing at the apocalyptic scene behind, faces woven with fear, relief, and bewilderment for the future. Their homes perhaps long destroyed by war or deception, now just stepping from one hell into an unknown journey.
Celestia stood at the stern, four wings slightly folded in the salty sea wind, black feathers contrasting the distant firelight. She clenched her fists, nails digging deep into palms. Elrios's name and "Lab 52" branded her mind. Posera Continent... Emerald Tree Sea... Elves' homeland. Hope's spark ignited in the ruins' embers, but the road ahead surely more perilous. Virginia and her "Holy North Nest," like a massive shadow, loomed over everyone's hearts.
Fa walked to Celestia's side, her right star eye deep blue profound, reflecting the gradually receding firelight and rolling smoke. "We'll find him, Celestia." Her voice calm and full of strength, "Whether in the forests of Asera or the nests in hell's depths. This fire," she pointed to the sinking island, "is just the beginning. The Doomsday Rebirth organization's sins will be uprooted completely."
The bow cleaved waves, heading south, toward the elves' homeland, toward unknown battlefields and faint hopes, sailing resolutely. The deep sea's lurking shadows torn, the dark nest's secrets emerging, while the unextinguished flames of vengeance and redemption just beginning to burn.