Chapter 446

Chapter 446: A String of Events

Aldrich’s level of strength was clearly superior to Lloyd’s, and with a single powerful strike, he eliminated the tentacle on the right.

But two tentacles remained ahead.

Rocco’s blow failed to completely destroy the tentacle, and after Aldrich struck again to eliminate another tentacle, the nearby tentacles that had been collecting bodies and remnants were suddenly drawn to the scene.

Now, tentacles attacked not only from the front but also from the left, right, and rear of the four.

For Aldrich, Lloyd, and the others, dealing with just one giant tentacle was already strenuous; being surrounded by so many tentacles now seemed like a death sentence.

The ensuing events unfolded in mere seconds.

Several tentacles launched a simultaneous attack on the four surrounded in the center, with Sherry, the mage girl, in the gravest danger.

She required time to cast spells but couldn’t deploy the Magic Shield in time to block the tentacle’s assault.

Therefore, Rocco, who was closest to her, hastily stepped in front of the girl, and then—

With a snap, the large mouth filled with sharp teeth abruptly closed.

Blood splattered everywhere, drenching the stunned girl behind him.

“Rocco?”

Sherry murmured in shock, but at that moment, the young man had been bitten in half and lay lifeless in a pool of blood, his eyes devoid of life.

“Sherry! Get away!”

She heard her master Lloyd’s urgent shout from behind, but before Sherry could react, a shadow flashed by, and the girl’s vision suddenly soared while her consciousness began to fade.

With a thud, a head with long flowing hair hit the ground and rolled several times, followed by the graceful body collapsing headless.

Lloyd’s eyes blazed crimson as he madly charged at the tentacles about to devour the bodies of the girl and the young man. Behind him, Aldrich fought desperately to help repel the pursuing tentacles.

But how could he alone hold them all back?

Just after he used his spear to fend off a giant tentacle, several smaller tentacles shot at him like snakes, biting into his hands and feet… then with a “crack,” they snapped shut!

Without his black armor for protection, large chunks of flesh were torn from Aldrich’s hands and feet, causing him to lose his grip on his spear, which clattered to the ground.

In the next instant, his body was overwhelmed by tentacles of all sizes, tearing him apart into bloody fragments and devouring him completely.

And all of this happened in the blink of an eye.

Though Lloyd heard the sharp clang of the large man’s spear falling behind him, he could no longer afford to care. After all, he was already grievously injured; even the slightest movement brought intense pain and seemed to drain all his strength.

The man stumbled to the bodies of his two apprentices but could barely muster any remaining strength.

After swinging his long blade to drive back the tentacles about to consume their bodies, the man discarded the blade and, with a pallid face, stretched out his arms, using his last ounce of strength to gather the bodies of his apprentices beneath him…

He had stayed to fight not only because he refused to abandon the civilians and flee but also because he gambled that he could hold out until support from the S-class Adventurer Squad arrived.

He had ordered his two apprentices to run away, but no matter how sternly he commanded, these two children he had raised had no intention of deserting him to escape.

His resolve had gotten them killed…

The man closed his eyes, and the next moment, a small tentacle pierced through his chest.

Thus, the Class A Adventurer Squad named ‘Black Ant’ and the Class A Adventurer Squad named ‘White Lion’ were completely annihilated.

They died without ever seeing the support from the S-class Adventurer Squad or the thousand-man guard army dispatched by the empire.

…

After dispatching the troublesome Lloyd, the tentacles simultaneously gaped their enormous maws, preparing to tear apart and devour Lloyd along with the corpses of the young man and woman he had shielded until his dying breath—just as they had done with Aldrich.

But as they began their motion, a sharp, nearly two-meter-long gigantic forelimb suddenly thrust from the empty space.

Appearing instantly, the forelimb shot toward the bodies on the ground at blinding speed, outstripping the tentacles.

*Thuck! Thuck! Thuck!*

The razor-sharp forelimb pierced through the chests and abdomens of Lloyd, Rocco, and Sherry, skewering them together like kebabs.

Even the mindless tentacles seemed unprepared for this ‘snatching prey from the tiger’s mouth’ scenario, freezing momentarily in surprise.

By the time they reacted, the forelimb skewering the three corpses retracted at undiminished speed, vanishing from the spot with the bodies.

“ROAR!!!”

The tentacles erupted in frenzy, lashing wildly at their surroundings with thunderous impacts and billowing dust.

Yet the thief who had stolen their prize seemed to have fled far beyond reach.

At that moment.

Inside an intact house three hundred meters away, untouched by the flesh mountain.

“Honestly! You must maintain invisibility control during Magnification!”

After Stealth Eighteen escaped to this house with the three bodies alongside Stealth Seventeen, the little girl hopped up angrily, tapping the woman’s head with her small hand.

“Oh…”

The woman rubbed her tapped forehead with her free left hand, sounding a bit wronged.

“But maintaining other skills during part Magnification is inherently difficult. I’m not as proficient as Sister Army Lady.”

“True enough… but we never needed to risk saving those people, did we?”

Stealth Seventeen sighed softly.

“You’re just too soft-hearted! Honestly, those human race deaths are inconsequential—ah, though they *are* quite dead.”

After her self-deprecating mutter, the little girl continued in her childish voice,

“Don’t be so impulsive in the future. Even if they did intervene to save us, we could have escaped easily without them.”

“But they *did* intervene… so I couldn’t help it.”

“…Fine. Sister *did* instruct us to watch for potentially strong corpses within the Empire. These three weren’t exactly powerful, but they *were* part of a famous Class A Adventurer Squad. Hmm… they might prove useful later, considering that.”

Stealth Seventeen mused, then shot an exasperated look at the woman.

“Why are you still skewering them? Store them away. We’ll have Sister Little Qiao revive them later.”

“Okay!”

Seeing Stealth Seventeen’s anger subside, Stealth Eighteen couldn’t help but smile again.

She canceled the part Magnification on her arm. Instantly, the enormous, sharp ant-like forelimb transformed back into a slender, pale human arm.

With the Magnification gone, the skewered bodies tumbled loose onto the ground.

Stealth Seventeen counted them and gasped in surprise.

“Oh no! One head is missing.”