Without hesitation, Supreme Lord Dunadan himself began walking toward the massive opening leading deep beneath the mountain.

The first to follow behind him were Duke Damien, the Star Tower Lord, the Sword Demoness, and Archbishop James.

Ura, the concealment specialist, moved even faster than the others. His figure blurred briefly before dissolving into darkness itself, silently disappearing into the cave ahead like a ghost.

These were clearly the strongest combat members of the operation.

As for Emery, he remained behind with Anderson as part of the secondary support division.

Nearby, Ayla raised one hand calmly before releasing half a dozen strange squirrel-like creatures from the leather pouches hanging around her waist. The beasts possessed silver fur covered with natural rune markings while their crimson eyes gleamed with intelligence. The moment they landed upon the ground, the creatures chirped softly toward their master before rapidly scattering across the mountain terrain in different directions.

Ayla closed her eyes briefly while maintaining connection with her beasts.

"Strange..." she muttered while frowning slightly. "Lord Marc’s aura...he already left this area."

At the same time, Formation Master Arctus immediately began setting up defensive formations around the crater itself. Dozens of yellow formation flags shot outward through the air before embedding themselves into the surrounding earth. The middle-aged formation master continuously formed hand seals while layers of glowing runes spread beneath the ground like roots.

Soon, a massive barrier formation gradually took shape around the crater.

The formation pulsed repeatedly as it pushed back the surrounding purple miasma, preventing the corrupted energy from reclaiming the area around the cave entrance.

Meanwhile, Anderson remained occupied coordinating directly with the flagship still hovering high above the mountain. Multiple communication screens floated around him while he directed long-range scans toward the destroyed wreckage scattered throughout the crater, clearly searching for clues left behind by Supreme General Marc’s advance team.

Leaving only Emery...

And the strangely relaxed Hubert...

Standing nearby with absolutely nothing to do.

Five minutes passed in silence.

The distant sounds of clashes occasionally echoed faintly from deep beneath the mountain where Dunadan’s group had descended, yet nothing else happened around the crater itself.

Then suddenly—

Clink.

Hubert casually flipped his golden coin upward.

The man’s previously relaxed expression subtly changed.

"Let’s get ready," he said calmly.

Without further explanation, Hubert casually removed his formal blazer and black hat before storing them inside his storage ring. He then rolled up his sleeves as though preparing for manu battle.

The strange behavior immediately put Emery on alert.

His divine sense expanded rapidly across the surrounding mountain, scanning every direction for danger.

Yet at first—

He sensed nothing unusual.

Then—

The ground trembled violently.

An enormous burst of chaotic energy suddenly erupted from deep beneath the mountain.

At the same moment, a horrifying shriek exploded directly into Emery’s mind.

The mental attack arrived without warning, carrying overwhelming madness and violent killing intent. Even the surrounding air seemed to distort beneath the screech.

Emery’s eyes sharpened instantly as powerful spiritual energy erupted around his body, forming a defensive mental barrier just in time.

Seconds later—

BOOOOM!!

The mountain ahead exploded apart.

Massive cracks spread across the earth while enormous amounts of purple miasma burst skyward like a volcanic eruption. Countless tons of rock were thrown into the air as something gigantic forced its way out from beneath the ground.

Then the creature emerged fully.

Parasite X.

Its gigantic body burst out from beneath the mountain like an ancient nightmare awakened from the depths. The monster resembled an enormous worm hundreds of meters long, its bloated body covered with layers of black-purple flesh that continuously pulsated like living organs. At the front of its massive body was a single hideous dragon-like head, grotesquely malformed and covered with uneven scales, exposed muscles, and countless glowing crimson eyes embedded directly into its skin.

Its enormous jaws slowly opened.

Rows upon rows of jagged fangs extended endlessly within its mouth, layered so deeply that they seemed to continue into darkness itself. Thick purple saliva dripped continuously between the teeth before splashing onto the ground below, instantly melting stone and releasing poisonous smoke into the air.

The creature screamed.

The sound was not merely loud—it carried overwhelming mental pressure that distorted the surrounding atmosphere itself. Emery felt the shriek strike directly against his spiritual consciousness like a violent storm.

Several of glowing yellow eyes slowly opened across the creature’s body. Each eye moved independently, scanning the battlefield with terrifying awareness as though every part of its flesh possessed its own consciousness.

Across it’s body, a dozen enormous tentacles erupted outward through the purple miasma. Each appendage was over ten meters thick and covered with sharp hooks, writhing mouths.

Then Emery noticed the figure standing directly atop the creature’s massive head.

Supreme Lord Dunadan.

The giant man stood firmly against the violently thrashing abomination as though rooted to the creature itself. One massive arm pressed directly against the parasite’s skull, forcibly suppressing its movements, while his other hand continuously formed complex hand seals.

Immense waves of icy spiritual energy gathered around him.

The skies themselves began freezing.

At the same moment, two figures moved instantly to protect the Supreme Lord from the creature’s counterattack.

The Sword Demoness attacked first.

Her dark blade moved silently through the air before releasing a black crescent slash that cut across the battlefield like a fragment of night itself.

[Nethermoon Severance]

The sword aura carried overwhelming death energy capable of extinguishing life itself. One of the massive tentacles attempting to crush Dunadan was instantly severed apart.

Meanwhile, the Star Tower Lord unleashed an even more overwhelming display.

The legendary figure spread both arms outward as dozens of radiant spheres formed behind him like miniature stars. Each orb pulsed with condensed fire and light energy powerful enough to distort the surrounding atmosphere while layers of glowing runes continuously revolved around them.

Following a slight movement of his fingers, the stars descended.

[Celestial Nova Array]

Beams of blazing light shot downward like divine judgment, continuously bombarding the creature’s massive body from every direction. Explosions erupted across the parasite one after another, illuminating the dark skies beneath endless flashes of golden fire. Entire sections of corrupted flesh were blown apart while several tentacles shattered beneath the relentless barrage.

The coordinated assault finally created the opening Dunadan needed.

The Supreme Lord’s eyes suddenly glowed icy blue as three gigantic rune circles completed themselves high above the battlefield. The surrounding temperature plummeted instantly while frost rapidly spread across the skies themselves.

Then the heavens trembled.

Three enormous ice spears descended from above.

[Frost Authority Spears]

Each spear was over fifty meters long and covered with ancient glowing runes. They fell with terrifying force before piercing directly through the creature’s gigantic body.

The first spear impaled the parasite’s upper body.

The second nailed one of its dragon-like heads.

The third pierced through its center mass entirely before freezing the surrounding flesh solid.

The enormous creature released a horrifying screech that shook the entire mountain range.

Its gigantic body convulsed violently while the frozen spears held it suspended above the shattered crater like a condemned beast awaiting execution.

Even the surrounding purple miasma began freezing beneath Dunadan’s overwhelming ice domain as the Supreme Lord continued suppressing the abomination from above.