Chapter 114 Chapter 113-Shadowcrawler Matriarch（2nd update, Cheer me with Power Stones!）
The gigantic creature was drawing near, seemingly making the ground tremble beneath it.
Everyone's faces were taut, gripping their weapons tightly as if facing a formidable enemy.
Despite John's relaxed assurance that he would handle everything, most of the crowd had not yet seen John's true strength, excluding Blue Sea, Adam, and Emma.
They weren't sure whether John could truly handle such a powerful beast.
Emma, on the other hand, did not fully understand what John's strength represented.
The young girl simply had unyielding faith in him.
So, at this moment, she seemed to be the most composed person there.
The Chaos Mist was churning, the disturbance growing larger.
The massive figure blotted out the sky, pushing through the white fog in the air, and finally appearing in front of everyone.
The moment they laid eyes on the creature, everyone gasped in astonishment.
What an ugly monster it was.
Its body was bloated, resembling a gargantuan, oversized worm.
On its head, apart from two small eyes, there was nothing but a huge mouth.
Numerous densely-packed mouthparts were exposed to the air, layer upon layer, giving it a terrifyingly Lovecraftian feel.
[Shadowcrawler Matriarch (Lord-level boss)]
[Race: Insectoid]
[Level: 240]
[Attributes: ???]
Level 240?
Everyone's faces turned grim.
Their scanning skills could not read the detailed attribute information of this lord-level boss due to the overwhelming level disparity.
As the Shadowcrawler Matriarch appeared before them, a sight that struck even more fear into their hearts unfolded.
Surrounding the massive Shadowcrawler Matriarch were countless black Shadowcrawlers, a number far surpassing the hundreds that had attacked them before.
Among them, a few were noticeably larger.
[Shadowcrawler (Mutated) (Elite-level boss)]
[Race: Insectoid]
[Level: 120]
[Attributes: ...]
Several people started swallowing in fear.
Not to mention the formidable Shadowcrawler Matriarch, which had the most enormous size, even the mutated Shadowcrawlers that were elite-level bosses were more than enough to give them a run for their money.
To make things worse, there were numerous ordinary Shadowcrawler minions with known attributes around.
Adam and Blue Sea exchanged glances, both reading the gravity of the situation in each other's eyes.
No wonder this Twisted Grove had become a watershed for players' exploration.
Such terrifying creatures were lurking here.
It seemed that John was right.
The ordinary Shadowcrawler minions they'd encountered so far could not possibly deter players from exploring new maps or halt the nearby werewolves.
"What do we do now? Can brother Galewind handle this kind of boss?"
Adam, despite his previous confidence in John, was unsure about his true strength.
Facing a level 240 lord-rank boss, Adam's initial reaction was to avoid combat.
John just stood there with his hands behind his back, facing the imposing monsters alone.
"Shadowcrawler Matriarch, I was wondering why so many people considered this Twisted Grove a forbidden zone. Turns out you're the one who's taken up residence here," John's calm voice echoed, leaving his teammates behind him bewildered.
Who was he talking to?
Before anyone could voice their confusion, a dull whisper emanated from the Shadowcrawler Matriarch, "Humans, go back to where you belong. This is not a place for you."
The crowd was taken aback.
The Shadowcrawler Matriarch, which looked like a bug, could actually talk?
But then again, being a level 240 lord-rank boss, it wasn't that surprising to have a high level of intelligence.
Upon hearing this threatening statement, John's face remained emotionless.
"Bug, aren't you getting one thing wrong? This area doesn't belong to your abyss. It's you who's crossed the line."
The Shadowcrawler Matriarch immediately bristled with rage, its upper body rearing up high and letting out a roar.
That's when everyone noticed, in the abdomen of the Shadowcrawler Matriarch, apart from the tiny and dense limbs, there were multiple organ-like structures similar to reproductive organs, symmetrically arranged on either side of its abdomen.
It seemed like the rest of the Shadowcrawlers were born from there.
"Humans, you feeble creatures dare to discuss the abyss? If you're so hell-bent on courting death, then leave your lives behind. I need some nutrients to breed more offspring, and looking at how each of you is brimming with energy, you're perfect vessels."
The words of the Abyss Shadowcrawler Matriarch sent a chill down everyone's spine.
The crowd exchanged worried glances, as they deciphered a terrifying piece of information from its words.
It seemed that these abyss crawlers bred their offspring by using other living beings as vessels.
John, on the other hand, remained calm.
The roar of the Shadowcrawler Matriarch, accompanied by a swirling chaotic fog, whipped up a fierce wind, causing his cloak to flap wildly.
"Human, speak your last words…"
John cocked his head and suddenly asked, "Last words? I never indulge in such things. But I do have a question for you. Did you kill a young werewolf named Sylar who accidentally came here 20 years ago?"
The Shadowcrawler Matriarch was slightly taken aback.
It did not understand why this human, insignificant as an ant, would suddenly bring up something from 20 years ago.
"I have killed countless ants like you. How could I remember such trivialities?"
John's brows furrowed in growing impatience, "If you don't remember, think harder. You have such a big head; surely, it's not devoid of any memory?"
This comment infuriated the Shadowcrawler Matriarch. "Damn it! You damned insect, dare to provoke the great lord of the abyss. I will turn you into a live vessel for my offspring and make you suffer a torturous death."
John made a face and suddenly raised one hand. A faint light shone from his palm, and the next second, an energy longsword appeared.
[Divine Blade (divine skill) (Level 7): This skill allows you to create a weapon out of thin air based on your spiritual power. The weapon attributes are determined by the skill level, character level, and the character's spiritual power. The initial Divine Blade's attributes are +800,000 points of damage, 25% critical hit rate.]
This skill was John's most commonly used offensive skill.
Not because it was powerful, but simply because he didn't need to use any other attack skills.
Given his current body attributes, all he needed was a weapon.
A casual strike could rival other people's ultimate skills exerted with full force!
Almost at the same time that John released Divine Blade, the small crawlers accompanying the Shadowcrawler Matriarch could not hold back their roars and charged forward.
The dense wave of Shadowcrawlers looked like a tide of black monsters, enough to give anyone the creeps at a glance.
[Tide of the Swarm: An Insectoid Boss exclusive skill, able to control lower level kin to fight around oneself, releasing this skill, increases the controlled units' fury by 100, attack power by 150…]
Adam, Blue Sea, and the others were already numb.
The Shadowcrawlers, roaring and rushing over, covered the sky and the earth.
It was reminiscent of a scene from a disaster movie where the characters are surrounded by monsters.
They instinctively wanted to defend and counterattack.
The energy arrows of the archers had already been condensed.
The mages, their faces pale, their magic not even halfway recovered, interrupted their meditation, stood up, and forced themselves to raise their staffs to release skills.
Two heavily armored warriors, their bodies exhausted, lifted their massive shields once again.
Yet, they pressed on without hesitation, intending to resist the first wave of monsters' onslaught with their flesh and blood.
Just as everyone was bracing themselves, John suddenly gestured to them, signaling them to keep their cool.
The crowd was left baffled for a moment.
Could Galewind be planning to face the oncoming horde of Dark Crawlers by himself?
Adam, confused, turned his gaze towards Blue Sea, only to find that he had already put away his staff.
His stern expression had relaxed, and, catching Adam's glance, he reassured him with a laugh, "Don't worry. If Galewind asks us not to intervene, then it's certain we're not needed. All we need to do is sit back and enjoy the show."
Although Adam was still somewhat worried, he gave the order to halt their preparations for attack.
In front of them, John stood alone as a bulwark.
The long sword in his hand moved to his side, and then with a swift swing forward.
No unnecessary movements, just a sword's aura.
A stream of sword energy quietly emerged from the tip of the energy sword, slowly crossing the horde of Dark Crawlers rushing at him.
Initially, the aura was only about a meter long, but it slowly expanded during its flight.
By the time it reached the monsters, it had grown nearly a hundred meters in length.
The energy from the sword aura splashed about.
It was clearly just a crescent-shaped aura, but in the end, it became a huge blade.
Despite its seemingly slow speed, it touched the bodies of the monsters in a blink of an eye.
And then, a scene that took everyone by surprise happened.
The sword energy swept over the bodies of all the monsters like a gust of autumn wind blowing over fallen leaves.
In the next second, the still-roaring Shadowcrawler were split in half.
Regardless of level or size, they all met the same fate.
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