Mutagen

<strong>Day 240 - 10:11 AM - Mount Canlaon, Municipality of Codcod, Province of Negros Occidental</strong>

"Mei'er, Amihan. Work together as support. You two already know what to do."

***

Following Mark's words, Amihan sat on Mei's shoulder as she jumped on top of the [Mini Cube] to gain a vantage point.

Under the watch of the still wary magical creatures, Mei aimed her Sniper Rifle Greatsword, the magic weapon [Shooting Moon Blade], and shot.

<strong>BANG!!!</strong>

The loud sound of gunshot sure surprised the audience as they all flinched while covering their ears.

People thought that noise during new years celebration would drive away evil spirits. But it was not the case, as every magical creature would be driven away by it. Their senses were far higher than humans, and loud noises were more than enough to hurt their ears if they were unprepared.

Fortunately, loud noises were the least of their concern in this place. The collateral damage done by Mei was not much of a problem.

And instead...

<strong>GGUUUAAAKKK!!!</strong>

The sound of a wail of a dying frog was heard. Everyone saw a giant [Infected] frog about the size of a minivan collapse amidst its five-meter high leap of fate. Mei's bullet punctured a cannonball-sized hole in the frog's head, killing it from more than two kilometers away.

"Amihan."

"Okay!"

Mei and Amihan exchanged words.

And then, everyone felt a sudden gust of wind. The magical wind gathered atop the floating vessel and around Mei and Amihan.

This magical energy surprised everyone in the surroundings, especially the [Sylphs]. None of them could exude such a powerful magical fluctuation.

The surprise was not exclusive to the [Sylphs]. It was the same for the surrounding magical creatures. After all, [Sylphs] were known as a weaker race of Elemental Spirits and were known to be incapable of using strong magic on their own.

And yet... The magical fluctuation emitted by the single [Sylph] on the Demon woman's shoulder was far greater than several dozen [Sylphs] combined.

Then...

<strong>BANG!!! SHOOOOOOOM!!!</strong>

The people in the surroundings could only brace themselves as the strong gust of wind passed by them.

A bullet empowered by a magical spiral of wind. It flew over the heads of the magical army. It then pierced through the lines of the army of the [Infected].

The members of the magical army came in various sizes. On the other hand, the [Infected] army was composed of creatures far bigger than they should be.

As such, while the magically infused bullet only passed over the heads of the magical army, it tore through the gigantic enemies. Around a hundred [Infected] were pierced by the sniper bullet and torn to minced meat by the surging gust of wind.

The kill count of the shot might be a small portion compared to the entire [Infected] army. Yet, a single shot killing that many was far more than enough to gain the awe of the magical creatures, who were struggling just to kill a single [Infected].

This [Infected] army was far different from your usual [Infected] horde. They barely had any humanoid [Infected] and were mostly composed of animals and aquatic [Infected]. Unlike [Infected] humans, [Infected Animals] tend to grow larger than their uninfected counterparts. Thus, it was not just an army of [Infected]. It was an army of gigantic [Infected]. Due to this, even if some of the races within the army of magical creatures had uncanny abilities and magic, it would still need several of them to bring down one enemy.

It was no surprise that they were in awe of the combined attack of Mei and Amihan.

***

"As for you girls, get the golems and protect your Mama and the others. We don't know the people below, and we can't completely trust our backs on them. Gale, Miracle, don't run around too much and stay together with your eldest sister. Iola, sorry, but watching your sisters is your priority this time."

***

With their mother starting the supporting attacks, it was the cue for the little girls to move.

Together with their golems, the three girls positioned themselves in front of the [Mini Cube].

Both Abbygale and Miracle were raring to fight. It was within the nature of the two, after all. However, they heeded their father's words to stay with their eldest sister. The two were smart girls, and they would not ignore Mark's words without any proper reason.

On the other hand, Iola took the position behind her sisters. In the first place, she was the weakest physically, and her [Psychic Abilities] were only for support and defense. And by standing behind the two, she could keep her eyes on her sisters and the surroundings.

Iola understood that their task was given with strict consideration by their father.

First, they could not just jump into a battle where a godly being was involved. A small mistake could cause their lives. It was better for the girls to be as far as possible from the Sinogo.

Second, the [Infected] were known to attack the closest prey. In rare cases, they would lock on a particular target and make chase until they died or if they took down their target.

But, of course, there were also some eccentric ones among the [Infected].

For example...

<strong>BOOM!!!</strong>

Right in front of the [Mini Cube], the ground burst open. An elongated shadow shot out of the soil, aiming for Mei atop the floating vessel.

It was a giant [Infected] Bobbit Worm, the width of a motorcycle. Its length could not be measured with most of its left body buried underground.

Everyone around was shocked to react, and the worm was also moving fast.

Unexpectedly, while Amihan was a bit flustered, Mei ignored the giant Bobbit Worm, to everyone's surprise.

And...

<strong>BAM! SIZZLE!</strong>

<strong>CREAK!</strong>

The Bobbit Worm slammed into a barely visible barrier before its body seemed to catch fire. It began to rampage around out of pain, causing havoc and chaos.

Finally, the magical creatures and the [Diwata] could react. Even so, they were already late.

Four shadows moved. Two humanoids and two animals. The four moved, avoiding the rampage of the sizzling Bobbit Worm, and began to attack with kicks, punches, and bites.

The Bobbit Worm's exoskeleton was unable to handle the heavy attacks and crumbled. Before everyone noticed, the Bobbit Worm's body was bisected into several parts before it stopped moving.

Even in death, the Bobbit Worm's head continued to burn, killing the giant bug completely.

The magical creatures could only watch as they did not have the opportunity to make their move. Furthermore, they were appalled by the fact that the situation was definitely handled seamlessly by the three little girls and their assistant artificial creatures.

Iola watched the dead Bobbit Worm. It was one of the reasons they could not just slack off even while staying behind the allies.

As said, there were eccentric ones among the [Infected]. The Bobbit Worm did not attack the frontlines of the magical army. Instead, this worm aimed its attack at Mei and Amihan for some unknown reason. It may be because of Amihan's magical fluctuations, or Mei was perceived as a threat by the [Infected]. No matter what reason there might be...

Among the [Infected], some would behave far different from the norm.

***

"Demon. What is your goal?"

At the rear of the [Infected] army, the [Diwata] that did not display any hostility asked Mark. She also deterred the other [Diwata] from facing Mark either.

This [Diwata] was far more open-minded than most [Diwatas] Mark had met before. Also, the fact that Chimetrice was present and showed how he could withstand Sinogo's attacks likely contributed to this reaction.

<strong>BAM!</strong>

A sound of impact accompanied by the air's tremor came from below. Chimetrice's punch and Sinogo's side made contact. Sinogo and Chimetrice began to clash, with Sinogo winning the first round. Sinogo was pushed back for about two to three meters.

Two to three meters might sound weak if not for Sinogo was as large as an aircraft carrier, and Chimetrice having the size of a regular human. Being able to push Sinogo already showed his strength.

Unfortunately, it was far from enough. Sinogo was not even scratched by the attack Chimetrice made.

<strong>ROAR!</strong>

<strong>THOOM!</strong>

Sinogo roared as a beam of light fired at Chimetrice. It counterattacked even before it regained its balance.

The giant golden crocodile's attacks appeared to be relentless and careless. Even if it rolled to the ground due to an attack, it would fire off its counterattack before standing up.

And it was quite effective. Chimetrice had no time to dodge as he faced a full-blown beam of light from Sinogo's mouth.

<strong>SIZZLE!</strong>

The beam of light vanished as fast as it was shot. All that was left was Chimetrice flying in place, with his entire body smoking from the heat.

Seeing that its opponent was practically unscathed from its attack, Sinogo roared, calling its gigantic entourage of tens of [Behemoth Class Infected].

Mark and the two [Diwatas] watched that scene. Seeing that Chimetrice could hold his ground without problems, Mark turned to the open-minded [Diwata].

"As you can see, our business here isn't you two or your army. It's that guy there."

Mark pointed at Sinogo, who was now preoccupied with Chimetrice.

"What does a Demon like you want from him?"

The hostile [Diwata] interjected.

"What else?" Mark tilted his head. "To kill, of course. That thing shouldn't be allowed to continue existing. If left alone, he will destroy this country, worse, the whole world. You two understand that, right?"

"Kill..." The words from Mark seemed to dampen the hostility for some reason. "Do you know who you are trying to go against?"

The hostile [Diwata] asked Mark, trying to confirm something.

"It's Sinogo. Or at least his empty husk after becoming [Infected]."

Mark replied with a shrug.

The two [Diwatas] now understood that Mark and Chimetrice were here to fight Sinogo. They knew who Sinogo was, and the two came here to stop his rampage. Finally, they came to a conclusion.

"I am Tinala, and this is my younger sister, Binituin." The hostile [Diwata] introduced herself and the open-minded [Diwata]. "I will agree to cooperate. But one wrong move and my magic will be aimed at you."

"The names Mark. That guy there is Chimetrice," Mark responded in kind. "By the way, I'm not really asking for cooperation. If you two want to run away, just go."

Tinala could not help but stare at Mark in annoyance. But then...

<strong>WHOOOM!!!</strong>

Mark and the two [Diwatas] heard the loud gust of wind as they saw the enemy lines being moved down to minced meat.

"Looks like they already started"

Mark murmured to the confusion of the two [Diwatas].

It was when the two [Diwatas] froze as the voice of their eldest sister echoed in their ears. Mark also heard the voice, making him pay attention. It was not [Telepathy]. It was [Sound Transmission].

"Tinala, Binituin, I heard what is happening. The Demon in front of you is an ally. The members of his group are currently with us, helping defend our Sacred Ground. Cooperate with the Demon named Mark and vanquish the Soulless Sinogo."

"We understood."

Both Tinala and Binituin replied in unison.

"As for the Pure-blood Demon named Mark, I apologize for my sister's rudeness. I am called Alawana, the current protector of the Sacred Mountain of Canlaon. In the name of our Goddess Laon, please assist us to destroy the enemies of our land."

Mark tapped his chin as he felt the gaze of Tinala. It seemed that she hated the fact that their eldest sister apologized to a Demon due to her hostile attitude.

"I don't mind the attitude. I've met a few other [Diwatas], and only two did not show hostility upon first meeting. I'm used to it." Mark replied, looking at Binituin. "And for your request, there's no need to do that. I'm pretty sure Sinogo wanted to reach your mountain and absorb its energy. Once that happens, we're all doomed. Whether you request it or not, we need to kill Sinogo here."

"Then, please allow my sisters to help. I do not know if they would be of help to you, but we cannot just run away and watch."

Diwata Alawana replied.

"Well, that depends on your younger sister. She's still glaring at me as if she wanted to boil me alive."

Mark shrugged, paying attention to the battle below while being pierced by Tinala's pointy glare.

"Please, just ignore her impudence. She might look like it, but as I commanded, she will cooperate."

Diwata Alawana replied in a worried tone.

"If that's the case, then alright," Mark nodded. "My companion below is already being swarmed by giants, so it's better to end this here."

"I agree. May the Goddess guide you."

Diwata Alawana replied and ended the [Sound Transmission].

Now that everyone agreed to cooperate, Mark could now commit to the battle. At least now, he would not be worried that someone would stab them from behind.