Chapter 434 - Tamers War - Liability - 2

Published Mar 17, 2026, 07:41 AM

Chapter 434: Chapter 434 - Tamers War - Liability - 2 Hedda didn’t fully understand the nature of the threat, but she wasn’t curious enough to voluntarily advance into a danger zone either. Her training as a spy had included lessons about observing from safe positions. She hid among the non-abyssal soldiers, trying to go unnoticed as she had been doing throughout the battle. Master Vex’s collar continued functioning effectively, keeping her invisible to most casual observers. But she ended up seeing what was happening when the infection finally reached the "wall of abyssal soldiers" that divided the bridge entrance, the point where they had precisely separated the last common soldiers from those with corruption. A soldier completely covered in golden spores who was trying to flee desperately from the bridge was hugged by several abyssal tamers who screamed upon making contact. Strange smoke emerged from the contact points, the person fainted, but there were no major complications. ’Yano really threw something unpleasant at us,’ Hedda thought, observing how abyssal soldiers methodically advanced to neutralize the infection. Hedda progressed as little as possible with the other abyssal soldiers while they moved the non-corrupted further away. While observing the process, she noticed in the air a small golden light descending very close to her. Like a tiny lost speck of dust. The individual spore glowed with a soft luminescence that was, honestly, beautiful. It didn’t seem threatening or dangerous... more like a small star that had decided to visit earth. Without thinking much in her captivation, Hedda extended her finger and touched it. The sensation was strange. Her Corrupt Burnt-Wing Bee Queen contracted violently within her, as if she had touched something that caused it direct pain. Only a little smoke emerged from her finger when the spore vanished upon contact. Hedda looked at her finger. It looked somewhat clearer in a small part, like a spot of normal skin. ’Interesting feeling,’ she thought, touching the mark with her other finger. It didn’t hurt anymore, didn’t seem damaged. It simply looked... clear. She wanted to know more. But for now, she simply continued with her role as a loyal Yino soldier, trying not to draw attention. ♢♢♢♢ Larissa received a message from Arturo that arrived with the characteristic urgency of military communications during active combat. As she read, a satisfied smile crossed her face. It seemed the bombs had worked better than expected, and they were requesting more units to continue pressure on enemy forces. She immediately notified Ren, who was with Luna and Liora in the improvised workshop. Although when she arrived, she noticed Luna and Liora had their arms crossed, clearly in the middle of some kind of disagreement with Ren. Larissa didn’t know exactly what had happened, but she could imagine. She sighed, thinking that the social dynamics among these children didn’t seem age-appropriate. But when she mentioned Arturo’s message, all three seemed to immediately forget the previous altercation and showed complete attention. "What does it say exactly?" Ren asked immediately. Larissa explained the effect the bombs had had at the bridge, how they had pushed enemy forces toward a much easier position to contain, how they had affected soldiers with and without abyssal corruption. "And it seems on Kharzan’s side it will be even more effective," she added, "perhaps eliminating all the traitors who have been causing us problems." The girls showed happiness at having contributed to a clear victory. There was genuine satisfaction in their expressions, the kind of pride that comes from knowing your work had real and positive impact. But looking at Ren, they saw him downcast, and immediately realized he didn’t share their enthusiasm. Ren was thinking that many of the affected soldiers perhaps didn’t even want to participate in battle. Conscripted soldiers, people forced to fight for loyalties they hadn’t chosen, families threatened if they didn’t follow orders, or who had found themselves in the wrong place like his neighbors. But more importantly, he was worried about the spores themselves. What would happen after using them? Would they contaminate the city area if not controlled properly after combat? Had they created an environmental problem that could affect innocent civilians for years? The girls immediately worried upon seeing his expression. "Is the cure worse than the disease now?" Liora asked, now with genuine concern. But before Ren could respond, the little mushroom with a nickname it still didn’t accept decided to emerge from his hair and sit on his head to address the situation directly. The girls stared at it fixedly, some with more interest than others, but all with complete attention. The little mushroom, despite its resistance to the nickname "Mooshito", seemed to be secretly beginning to like the attention it received, though it tried to hide it. The creature began by addressing Ren directly with a pat. "Your concerns are unnecessary," it communicated with the characteristic directness it had developed. "Normally, the spore severely weakens and kills the host to complete its life cycle." The girls tensed upon hearing this, but the mushroom quickly continued. "But it won’t kill the host here because natural selection isn’t stupid. That would happen in the outer rings outside the city, where there’s abundant mana to keep expanding. But in a mana-deficient environment like this, if I were like them, I’d die shortly after killing my carrier." It paused for effect and to bask in the attention. "So it will keep the host alive as long as possible once it notices its mana source is being extinguished. It’s basic survival." Ren immediately cheered up, and the girls did too. That implied they could use the spores as a temporary debuff without causing massive civilian deaths. But the mushroom gave them an additional warning. "Still, you shouldn’t be completely confident in survival. The infected will last a few days, perhaps weeks if they’re particularly strong, but eventually the fungus will finish absorbing energy in order to live a little longer." It addressed Ren specifically. "Once the troops are sufficiently weakened, you need to take me there. I’ll be able to absorb the spores directly. They’re not as potent as liquid processed by the ’heart’ of the mega-organism, but they’re not bad for me." There was something of greed in its tone when it added: "Maybe I can even save some of the mana cost of my next evolutions." Ren looked at Larissa with renewed determination. "Do you have a way to get me to the battlefield?"

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