A Journey That Changed The World.

Chapter 885: Return To The Land Of The Living

[Sia and Maryʼs POV]

The two women were looking at the hole they had to climb up to help the girls, but Mary said it wasnʼt time because the Burrow Beetles had to dig some more to get them to the surface. She ordered the large monsters to start digging as a rumble came from one of the tunnels.

Shila appeared behind them, her voice laced with concern, ”The Swarm is coming from two of the tunnels. The Cave Spider Scouts were killed by their monsters.”

Mary nodded, but Sia looked nervous as the grey-haired woman smiled and said, ”You stay here and cover the other cave with the Warrior Spoders.”

The dragonkin woman nodded with a determined but strained expression as the carriage- sized arachnids assembled behind her. Mary chuckled at the sight before strolling into the adjacent tunnel, whistling a tune.

While walking, Mary sensed her dragon tattoo absorbing experience whenever she was killing something and assumed it was channeling to Archer. As a devoted wife, she was eager to aid his advancement by hunting down countless Underrealm monsters.

She continued walking until a rumble caught her attention, prompting a smile as the first monsters emerged around a corner. With a casual wave of her hand, green fire engulfed the horde and effortlessly incinerated them.

Without wasting time, Mary decimated every monster she saw until some Demi-Gods appeared, causing her to be excited due to the amount of experience they would give Archer once she killed them.

The mature woman darted forward to fight any Terravains she saw. Mary hit the first enemy before casting a Fireball, and they were engulfed in flames at the second. She continued slaughtering the Swarm until she came to an Underrealm fort, which caused her green eyes to glint with malice.

In the meantime, Sia was battling a horde of Ratlings and Blightborn that slammed into the Warrior Spiders, who tore them apart using their long legs and sharp fangs. Shila directed the Arachne to fire their webs over their line to trap as many monsters as possible.

While they did this, Sia cast Fire Bolts into the trolls and bigger monsters, burning holes through their bodies. The battle continued for hours, and the amount of corpses littering the tunnel was daunting.

By the time the Swarm stopped coming, Mary returned, looking unbothered. ”Good, we can use these bodies to feed our growing army,” she said while gazing at the remains. ”I returned to tell you I found a Hive of Tombweavers, Nightstingers, and Darkspinners.”

Sia cringed at the news but frowned as Mary continued like it was nothing, ”I will tame the Tombweavers but kill the rest. That should give us enough soldiers for our monster army.”

Following that, Mary left the dragonkin woman behind, and all the insects set up a base while the Warrior Spiders dragged the bodies to the young. Sia shivered as she saw this, but her mount nudged her from behind.

This caused her to tense up, but she turned to see a dozen tiny spiders sitting on its back. Sia noticed they were all looking at her, giving her the impression that the Warrior Spider was introducing them to her.

Sia smiled before speaking, ”You have cute children, girl. They will grow stronger and kill many of my husbandʼs enemies.”

The giant spider made an adorable noise, making her smile as she set up camp. Shila directed the monsters to start consuming the bodies while they waited for the right time to ascend the hall above.

In the meantime, Mary took full advantage of her strength, decimating thousands of Underrealm inhabitants and earning millions in experience that flowed into Archer, fully aware that the realm would never run out of creatures.

Once Mary finished the slaughter, she returned to their chamber and directed the monsters while they waited for the signal to attack. This only took a couple of days, and when it did, they ascended the hole.

The grey-haired woman shouted to the monsters, ”We fight for our husbandʼs life! We must ensure those girls escape back to Draconia!”

***

[Ella, Halime, Talila, Nala and Maeveʼs POV]

The following morning, the girls woke up and found the lioness standing at the edge. Ella approached her, ”Whatʼs up, Nala?” she said in a concerned voice.

”Monsters have infested the forest, but thatʼs not the problem; ever since I woke up, a bad feeling has plagued me,” Nala replied.

”You think someone powerful is coming?” Halime questioned from behind. ”If me and Nala use our Primals forms while Ella and Tali can transform into their dragon forms to fight.”

The other four agreed with a nod, but the Swarm appeared, causing them to fight as Ella and Talila transformed into their dragon forms after jumping from the ledge and crashing into a group of giants.

When Nala and Halime witnessed the scene, they cautioned Maeve to proceed with care. Soon after, they transformed into their Primal forms. The lioness collided with a massive insect monster, unleashing a deafening roar before going wild.

Meanwhile, Halime took on her Black Mamba form and swiftly dispatched the largest Giant by biting off its head in a single strike. With a fierce hiss, she engaged the remaining monsters in battle.

While the girls were fighting the monster horde, Maeve was watching from above as she gripped the hilt of her sword, ʼI may not be a dragon or Primal but I can still fight,ʼ she thought. Maeve steeled her determination before jumping off the ledge, casting Fleet Foot to glide down the side. As she descended, she slayed several gorilla-like monsters before encountering Halime, who was feasting on a group of trolls.

The battle intensified as Novgorod soldiers wandered in, only to be crushed by a giant lionʼs paw or turned into blood mist by a dragonʼs tail. Maeve dodged the monsters, countering with Thunder Bolt spells.

They fought for a while longer before Ella commanded them to retreat north. Halime slithered toward Maeve and swallowed her, then rushed after the others. The half-elf and Talila flew ahead while Nala roared in the distance.

Following the battle, the five girls rushed north to avoid the Novgorod and Church of Lights soldiers chasing them. They met up by the Novgorodian capital while catching their breaths until Nala heard something behind them.

All five spun around to see a young woman standing there with a smile. She wore church robes and had short burgundy hair paired with emerald eyes. The stranger appeared slightly older than the group, and as soon as the girls spotted her, they readied their weapons for another

fight.

Nala and Maeve were the first to move, darting toward the newcomer. She remained still, her gaze fixed on Ella. Talila and Halime quickly stepped in front of Ella, shielding her

protectively.

After doing that, the stranger smiled, ”Oh, interesting? You want to fight me,” she said, shocking everyone and catching both girlsʼ blades.

***

[Archerʼs POV]

Archer was sitting on the hotel room balcony where he and Tiamat stayed when a sudden horrible pain hit his body. He grunted as something poured into him, but thatʼs when a soothing voice reached his ears, ”That is all the experience those girls are earning on their

mission.”

He turned to see Tiamat standing there smiling, ”That is the dragon tattoos done. Itʼs a little cheat, I added when you fell unconscious.”

”I must have leveled up a lot to feel pain from it,” Archer replied as the pain got worse.

Tiamat sat on a nearby chair before continuing, ”Yes. By the time you wake up and deal with the remaining Swarm plaguing Pluoria, you will become a Demi-God, putting you on par with

the Terravains.”

”What about this poison? Will it still kill me?”

”No, it will still hurt like hell, but you wonʼt die,” she replied. ”Thereʼs nothing I can do about

that due to the Dark Godsʼ involvement.”

Archer nodded just as a knock echoed through the room. He turned toward the door, and

Tiamat sprang up excitedly. ”I ordered a lot of food from that burger van; the man said heʼd deliver it to our room,” she said, her smile beaming.

He chuckled at her enthusiasm, watching as she hurried to grab her purse and some money before answering the door. A loud, cheerful womanʼs voice filled the room when Tiamat opened it. ”Tia! Itʼs good to see you, hon. Hereʼs your order.”

”ʼThanks, Donna!” she handed over the money while speaking. ”Enjoy the rest of your day.”ʼ

”Uhhh Tia, this is too much money,” Donna said hesitantly.

”Keep it as a tip,” Tiamat said with a smile.

Following that, she closed the door and approached just as even more pain hit him. Tiamat

frowned before speaking, ”Get used to it, darling. Those girls are fighting with them all to get

that Holy Leaf. Theyʼre tearing up Verdantia just for you.”

Archer nodded before getting comfortable. Tiamat handed him a hotdog while she ate a burger. ”Here, eat something; keep your strength up.”

”Why do I need to eat if this is my soul? Wouldnʼt that be pointless?” he questioned.

The dragon goddess smiled, ”Whatever you eat now goes to your body; itʼs weird how it works,” she said before returning to eating.

”Okay,” Archer said before picking up a taco and eating.

While the two were trying new foods, Tiamat quickly spoke, gazing into the distance. ”The time will come when you return to the land of the living. When that happens, you must eradicate the Swarm on Pluoria. Only then will you become what you were always meant to be, my little white dragon.”