Wizard: Starting from the Skill Tree-Chapter 499: The Fall of the City

Wherever the fungal carpet spreads, the last traces of life are completely consumed and absorbed, leaving behind a smooth and eerie purple surface.

Above the fungal carpet, some tendrils resembling fleshy vines slowly sway, as if probing the surrounding environment.

At the base of the city wall, the heavy iron-bound oak gate is now battered and worn.

Large sections of metal are eroded by acid, revealing the charred wood beneath, which is covered in deep claw marks and cracks from impacts.

On the towering stone walls of Stone Shield Castle, the insect race’s sharp limb tips have developed tiny hooks, firmly capturing the minute rock crevices, climbing upwards at an unnatural speed. The friction between shells and stone creates a dense, screeching sound that makes one’s scalp tingle.

Behind the wall parapet, the militia’s resistance appears pale and chaotic.

They lean out, struggling to push logs and stones down.

Heavy logs tumble down the walls, occasionally striking a climbing blade bug, causing it and others beneath to fall, creating insignificant waves among the insect tide.

But more of the insect race skillfully dodge sideways, avoiding the descending obstacles, and continue upwards.

"Release arrows! Aim!" The officer’s voice is already hoarse.

Arrows are shot from the parapet, but either bounce off hard shells or miss their mark due to the soldiers’ fear.

Occasionally, an arrow finds its way into a joint or compound eye, and the struck blade bug emits a piercing scream, falling from height, but this does nothing to slow the purple flood.

The more lethal threat comes from below the wall.

The bloated bodies of the acid-spouting bugs lean back slightly, then launch arrows of vile green acid. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

These acid arrows are not randomly thrown but aim precisely at the soldiers behind the parapets.

"Ah—! My eyes!"

A soldier just lifted a stone block and was directly hit by acid in the face. He dropped the stone and clutched his face, emitting a shrill scream, with billowing white smoke emerging from his fingers, his entire body painfully curled up, rolling desperately on the ground.

A few archers behind another parapet were also splashed by acid; their leather armor and flesh dissolved visibly, exposing stark white bones, their pained wails quickly drowned by the insect race’s screeches.

Defense on the walls collapses swiftly under the three-dimensional assault. Stocks of rolling oil and hot sand run low, and the numbers of soldiers willing to show themselves to fight back keep dwindling.

Finally, the first frenzied blade bug’s fierce head protrudes from the parapet; its cold compound eyes sweep over the terrified humans on the wall, its bone blade swings, slicing a nearby stunned militiaman in half at the waist.

Next comes the second, then the third... Dark purple figures continuously leap over the edges into the midst of the militia.

The chilling gleam of bone blades wielding and human blood splattering becomes the main theme at the top of the wall; the defense line composed of soldiers collapses at the touch, overwhelmed by the insect race’s individual power far exceeding theirs.

The inner city is in chaos.

Viscount Barton, surrounded by loyal guards and a Knight level expert whose aura far surpasses that of ordinary soldiers, attempts to flee through the main castle’s secret passage.

They ride the finest warhorses from the castle’s stable, crashing through fleeing soldiers and terrified citizens, racing toward a secret exit said to lead out of the city.

The Knight level expert is robust, his longsword swings with forceful sword qi, slicing through intercepting blade bugs’ shells and bodies, even briefly cleaving through acid-spouting bugs’ corrosive liquid.

He acts like a sharp blade, carving a path for Viscount Barton.

However, individual courage pales in the face of the endless sea of insects.

Just after they charge past the burning market square, more insect race creatures block their way.

Several bizarrely-shaped insect race creatures raise their necks from rooftops, dense bone spines on those necks rain down like a storm.

The Knight expert roars in anger, unleashing fighting spirit as he swings his longsword to deflect, most bone spines are knocked aside, but some penetrate his fighting spirit defense, embedding into his shoulder and thigh, blood gushing forth.

Meanwhile, several insect race creatures with shells thick as tanks, stride heavily from the side, collapsing a building, blocking their path.

They spew vast amounts of viscous purple corrosive liquid, covering a large area ahead.

"Over here, sir!" The Knight expert cries in agony, attempting to turn.

But it’s already too late.

A sharp whistle from the sky as several flying insect race creatures dive down, their sharp mouthparts targeting the heavily guarded Viscount Barton.

The Knight expert struggles to fend them off, cutting down two, but the third insect race creature’s mouthparts viciously stab into Viscount Barton’s mount’s neck.

The warhorse screams out wretchedly, rearing up, throwing the Viscount clad in ornate armor heavily to the ground.

"Protect the Viscount!" The guards, terrified, rush forward.

In the next moment, the purple tide completely swallows them.

The Knight expert, eyes wide with fury, swings to repel a few, but is brutally rammed from behind by a gigantic insect race creature, his fighting spirit scrambled, blood spurts from his mouth.

He turns and sees Viscount Barton just struggling to rise, then is pinned down by several insect race creatures, his ornate armor ripped apart like paper by their sharp mouthparts, his screams abruptly silenced...

This highest ruler of the Bessem County, along with his strongest knight under him, ultimately fails to take a step beyond the inner city, perishing together swallowed by the insects.

Elsewhere, Tom’s struggle is even more desperate.

He tightly grips his dull-edged iron sword in one hand, while dragging his barely able to walk mother with the other, Old Bill staggering behind them.

They mix within the chaotic crowd, attempting to flee towards the direction opposite the main castle, where supposedly a section of the city wall, once collapsed years ago and repaired, is relatively lower.

The streets have become hell.

The insect race moves between buildings, hunting every moving target.

Acid ignites wooden houses, fierce flames intertwining with the purple insect tide.

Relying on some experience from battles at the city head and his youthful agility, Tom barely dodges several attacks, swinging his iron sword wildly, fending off one small insect race trying to approach, but his arm is slashed open by the bone blade of another frenzied blade bug, the cut deep enough to expose bone.

"Tom... leave us... run..." Old Bill gasps, looking ashen.

"No! Together!" Tom’s eyes redden, tightly gripping his mother as she slows, her gaze beginning to scatter.

Just as they turn into a relatively narrow alley, seeing the half-hidden exit ahead, several frenzied blade bugs burst from the shadows, blocking the path, their cold compound eyes fixed on the three vibrant targets.