Though Flamira had never been out of the Puppeteer Legacy Ground, she had Iris’s memory. Waiting for her outside was a family, a family which, in her memory, loved her for who she was, forgave her for who she was, and supported her for who she was.
With such anticipation, she walked past Iris, slowing down, glancing at her main body. Iris didn't say anything, but Flamira understood everything.
So this is why you gave me that method of communication. Main Body, I'll take over now. Flamira smiled. They will live a happy, fulfilling life.
Without turning back, Flamira entered the portal. The warm ashes and dust greeted her as she stepped through the hazy mists. She found herself standing in a world so dull that colours on her skin faded into the monochromic grey. She looked around. The sparse forest around her also lost their shades, their leaves pale, their barks withered.
Around Flamira, the other Monster Girls surveyed the Ashes Forest Layer. The fortress built by the Labyrinth of Love was empty, devoid of any activity. Though its structure remained undamaged, there was no Monster Girl patrolling, no Monster Girl waiting for the returnee.
Nothing. Not even a lookout for the Subterranean Creatures.
A numbing chill descended as the Monster Girls frowned, their hands gripping their weapons, preparing their spells. Though the joy of returning to the outside world took away their breaths, they still retained their battle instinct. Even if they used to be weak-willed and indecisive, the struggles inside the Legacy Ground had tempered their personality.
"Noviscar, have you found anything?" Kurion turned to Noviscar, who closed her eyes, feeling the touch of nature.
"Those who guarded this place has already left." Noviscar opened her eyes. "There was a battle here. The Subterranean Creatures have reclaimed the Ashes Forest Layer."
The other Monster Girls tensed, their postures shifting towards their battle stances. Some generated fires and snows on their hands while others positioned their spears and bows in front of them. Their gazes swept across the abandoned fortress and into the silent forest.
The Subterranean Creatures were the beings from the underground, not the usual underground of the world, but the true depth beneath the ground where no light could reach. Compared to it, the Labyrinth of Love was a mere inch away from the ground.
These grotesque creatures had strange abilities and unknown agendas. They weren't of Pure Races nor Corrupted Races, but foreign beings that worshipped the Deities of the underground, the Evil Gods. Their end goals seemed to be the invasion of the surface, but no one knew why or what drove them to such length.
"Everyone," Kurion said. "It seems we need to stick together for a while. Let's show these creatures our result!"
The Monster Girls chuckled and walked towards the abandoned fortress. They assumed their positions, using their strengths to the fullest while having others cover their weakness.
"My trees and flowers detect no ambush." Noviscar sighed. "But do not underestimate our enemies. They might have misled my children with magic. Though most of the Subterranean Creatures are mindless, they are not easy to deal with."
As the Monster Girls reached the fortress, they cast their investigation spells and found some traps inside. After the vanguards disarmed the traps and scouted the area, everyone else entered the fort.
There were signs left by the Subterranean Creatures, but they didn't destroy the fortress. They hastily left, meaning that the Labyrinth of Love hadn't yet fallen, and the fierce battle was still going on. If not for such, the Subterranean Creatures would have taken most of the resources or even occupied the place.
Knowing the overall situation, Flamira tensed. She had tried to contact Iris's clone, but something prevented her. A fluctuation, something sinister. She moved to Kurion and Noviscar, but the two stopped her from speaking. They smiled at her, their eyes gleaming.
Flamira nodded and went to a few Monster Girls who specialised in tracking and magic formations. To avoid alerting the enemies, she disguised her movement with a veil of friendly conversations, informing the few Monster Girls who could move around without arousing any suspicion.
Soon, most of the Monster Girls got the message. The atmosphere turned cold despite how they tried to suppress their anxiety. They still hadn't found their enemies, but the presence of the interference formation had confirmed their existence.
This can't go on. We'll collapse under the pressure before our enemies even strike.
Iris looked up towards the ceiling, where the soft glowing crystals spread their radiance around the Ashes Forest Layer, illuminating the world with a shade of gloom. There was nothing around them, nothing above, but below?
Something snapped. The ground caved in. The brick floor split open as the supporting pillars of the buildings collapsed, falling into the sinkholes. From the chasm underneath, countless shadows opened their eyes and jumped upwards, climbing to the surface.
The Monster Girls didn't expect an ambush from below, but they only lost their cool for a moment before they struggled with all their might. Some cast their flying magic while others used their weapons and gadgets to grab onto the cliffs and flung themselves upwards.
Flamira raised her hands and created a pair of flaming spears. Using her downwards momentum, she swung her spears at the ground. They shot out of her flaming hands, turning into a ray of blue fire, which struck the ground, exploding into a searing brilliance.
The explosion dispelled the darkness below, revealing the appearance of some of the Subterranean Creatures.
They were like giant insects, but on their bodies were mutated flesh, barbed tentacles, and twitching eyes. These were the most common type of Subterranean Creatures, the Mutators. Their power was around the Metamorphosis Phase, not a significant threat.
Before they could do anything, the blue flame engulfed their bodies and melted their carapaces, killing them in mere moments. Their flesh burnt into crisp, releasing a vomit-inducing stench. It rapidly permeated the surrounding, making Flamira gag.
Something about them made her insides churn. It was not their stench that gave her the revolting effect but something else. Something more fundamental.
Nevertheless, she got no time to contemplate the subject. In front of her, the Mutators kept crawling out of the ground, their numbers endless.
The rest of the Monster Girls finally landed. As soon as they gained their footing, they activated their powerful artefacts and revealed their destructive power, annihilating the weak Mutators with every movement.
Kurion lifted her hands, and the darkness engulfed everything. The Mutators caught inside her shadow vanished, devoured by the power of distortion.
Noviscar snapped her fingers, and the world glowed in blue and green light. Grasses and vines and flowers sprung out of the cracks and filled the grey atmosphere with colours. The fragrance they released dispelled the stench and healed the Monster Girls.
"The ambush can't be this weak," Flamira said. "The real battle hasn't started yet. Everyone, please be careful!"
Serinda and Artium grouped up with Flamira. The three moved around with Flamira at the front, Serinda in the middle, and Artium at the back, helping the struggling Monster Girls while occasionally getting helps from others.
The chaotic clash slowly intensified as the Monster Girls inside the pit and above the ground fought their respective battles, trying to rejoin each other. Despite their overwhelming superiority in might, the Subterranean Creatures were endless, and their overall strength was getting stronger and stronger.
"Everyone, we'll try to break through the encirclement and rejoin the Monster Girls above!" Kurion clapped her hands.
For a moment, everything fell into the darkness. Static noises rang louder and louder until it drowned out even itself. The Mutators in the pit shuddered as something emerged around them and bound their bodies, piercing through their carapaces, reaching their internal organs.
Serinda didn't let the opportunity slip. She whispered her spells. The darkness, the shadow, responded to her commands. They morphed into countless shadowy figures. With weapons in their hands, they rushed towards the Mutators. Though these shadow soldiers were weak, they were strong enough to kill the immobile Mutators.
Other Monster Girls conjured a few spells, creating multiple hills which formed into a sturdy stair reaching upwards. The Monster Girls who couldn't fly quickly left the pit and joined with the Monster Girls above.
Flamira didn't go with them. She remained with Artium, guarding Serinda, who devoted most of her attention to commanding the shadow soldiers.
Despite how smoothly the plan flowed, Flamira still felt nervous. She gripped her spears while focusing her attention on the pouch she was wearing. Inside it was a protective scroll, the one Iris got from a Transformation Phase Monster Girl guard.
With heightened focus, Flamira stayed alerted until the last Mutator fell. The Monster Girls still in the pits had successfully annihilated the Mutators, though the battle had exhausted them quite substantially.
Once the battle died down, the quietude of the world returned.
How could there be silence? What happened to the battle above us?
Flamira looked up. Around the pit, the Subterranean Creatures surrounded the Monster Girls. These monsters weren't the weak Mutators. They were the Walkers, equivalent to the Transformation Phase Monster Girls. Their appearances had a hint of humanoid in them, but the insect anatomy still dominated their silhouettes.
Though they looked terrifying, their presence remained meek before the two figures standing at the most prominent point above the pit. These two were the ones who suppressed all the Transformation Phase Monster Girls, resulting in the total defeat of the Monster Girls.
These two Subterranean Creatures looked humanoid. They were almost like Monster Girls, except for their lack of Corruption Power. Their grey carapace resembled exquisite armours, and their compound eyes resembled gemstones.
They were the Dwellers, equivalent to the Condensation Phase Monster Girls.
"Monster Girls, Corrupted Ones," one of them said, her voice feminine yet cold. "Are you the ones the imperial decree wants death?"
The other Dweller, a male one, turned to the female Dweller.
"Do not try to guess the imperial will, or you will face extinction," he said. "The imperial family declares that we annihilate the Monster Girls who came out of the Puppeteer Legacy Ground; we will fulfil their desire."
"Such a pity." The female Dweller lifted the corpse of a Monster Girl and observed her pale features. "These Monster Girls look so cute. I want them as my pets. Think about how powerful my children would be if they infested these Monster Girls."
"Keep your fantasy realistic. The Corruption Power will devour your children. Do you think that no one has tried it before?" The male Dweller sighed. "We have to hurry, or the Two Lords of the Labyrinth will notice our little traps and come to rescue them."
As the two Dwellers turned their attention towards the pit, the Monster Girls below shivered. They instinctively moved towards each other, yet the sense of crisis never lessened. Everyone held their breaths and turned their hope towards Kurion and Noviscar, the two strongest Monster Girls of the Labyrinth.
That bastard Overseer violated the spirit of the agreement! Eat him, Iris! And those rose bit*hes!