"They... are they attacking the stairs?" An adventurer's voice trembled with disbelief.
The stairs—the safe zone in every adventurer's heart.
Although they knew puffshrooms had the ability to traverse the stairs, battles between humans and puffshrooms within the stairway itself had never occurred before.
Even adventurers who had personally witnessed puffshrooms crossing between floors were few, and most still held the impression that puffshrooms wouldn't follow them into the stairs.
They had originally thought they could rest for a while, but now they had to face a decisive battle far beyond expectations in their worst possible condition?
In Solan's view, they had simply underestimated the puffshrooms' strength.
According to previous intelligence, there were approximately five hundred puffshrooms on the fifth floor.
Considering that a demon squad with suspected diamond-rank strength had also fallen there, it was likely the puffshrooms' handiwork.
When formulating their plan, they had estimated the fifth floor puffshrooms' strength to be above diamond rank.
For this, they had deployed the forty-member Wings of Judgment, paired with some adventurers, plus Aiding and Fifteen.
This combination was already stronger than ordinary diamond-rank squads, yet they had still underestimated the puffshrooms' power.
How many puffshrooms were before them now?
Definitely more than five hundred!
One thousand? Or two thousand?
Solan couldn't count them all, but she knew that facing this number, even relying on the stairs' terrain, they couldn't hold out for long.
As for retreating now?
Being chased from behind, a retreat would truly turn into a rout...
But... there was still one way!
"Lord Fifteen!"
"I know," as soon as Solan spoke, Fifteen understood she had thought of the same thing. "Decapitation strike, right?"
Solan nodded.
Penetrating deep into enemy lines to behead the general was undoubtedly extremely dangerous, but it seemed to be the only way to escape with their lives intact.
Otherwise, only Aiding and Fifteen would have a chance to make it out of this expedition.
"How long can you hold out?"
Solan glanced back at the church troops, weary but resolute, and shook her head.
"I don't know, but we'll lend you our final assistance."
Under Solan's command, multiple barriers rose again, and several gold-rank squad leaders' hands surged with radiance as they condensed spears of light.
"Release!"
With a fierce shout, four light spears flew out like javelins, landing among the approaching puffshroom forces.
After a brief silence, the light spears actually created a chain reaction, erupting in brilliant radiance. After the flash faded, nearby puffshrooms collapsed to the ground, smoking.
Though partly due to the puffshrooms being clustered together, this single coordinated attack had killed over a hundred puffshrooms, clearing the area ahead.
Unfortunately, the squad leaders obviously couldn't use this type of attack continuously.
At this time, Priest Mane and Aiding had already cast multiple buffs on Fifteen: stamina recovery, life recovery, defense enhancement, mental protection, pain immunity, and several other beneficial effects.
Everything was ready. Without wasting words, Fifteen shot forward like an unsheathed sword, piercing straight into the puffshroom army.
Honestly, Fifteen had his doubts.
Why would the Puffshroom King, who reportedly had never shown himself before, appear now?
He had wondered if this might be a trap.
But after sensing the powerful aura emanating from the Knight Puffshroom, all doubts were cast aside.
In any group, if the strongest wasn't the king, then who else was qualified to be king?
The puffshroom before him was undoubtedly the strongest puffshroom he had encountered on this journey!
Not to mention that imposing appearance.
But to meet the king, he first had to break through its army. The Wings of Judgment's earlier strike had only eliminated a small portion.
The Knight Puffshroom spread its two short legs, straddling atop the Otaku Puffshroom's cap. Though it had no eyes, Fifteen could somehow feel that gaze looking down on him.
Now... he was the challenger!
Involuntarily, Fifteen broke into a smile.
His teammates behind him could be annihilated at any moment, and before him lay nearly endless enemies.
But Fifteen still smiled.
He leaped forward, jumping directly into the puffshroom army.
【Trample LV8】
The skill Lin Jun used to stomp on Little Black's face, when used by Fifteen, directly created a large crater in the earthen ground.
Nearby puffshrooms were sent flying high into the air.
And this was only the beginning!
【Title: Army Breaker (Attributes enhanced during charge)】
【Flowing Steps LV9】
【Wind Pressure Slash LV8】
"Chaotic Dance—!"
With his battle cry, the airborne puffshrooms were instantly dismembered into countless fragments!
Fifteen's form didn't pause for a moment, becoming a blur as he charged straight toward the Knight Puffshroom!
Sword winds howled, actually tearing an invisible net within ten meters around him.
Any puffshroom entering this range would be instantly cut into pieces, and even mushroom cannons couldn't penetrate this sword net.
Fifteen's overwhelming, unstoppable advance made even Lin Jun feel somewhat envious.
What surprised Lin Jun even more was that this sword net wasn't a skill.
Though he had just shouted "Chaotic Dance," there was obviously no corresponding skill in the status panel.
The so-called "Chaotic Dance" was simply the result of him wielding 【Wind Pressure Slash】 so densely it was impenetrable.
And this was precisely what amazed Lin Jun.
This was the first time he had seen someone else completely break free from skill constraints and use their own unique abilities!
Just like his own Voice Puffshrooms.
Truly, one must never underestimate the heroes of the world!
Though Lin Jun had never actually underestimated him.
However, after witnessing such skill, Lin Jun also became fully alert, offering his most sincere respect—in this battle, he absolutely had to use every underhanded trick available and never engage in direct confrontation!
Chaotic Dance?
Even if 【Wind Pressure Slash】 had low consumption, using it at such high frequency must place no small burden on him, right?
Before reaching the knight, sink deep into this quagmire of exhaustion!
The people desperately holding out at the stairs suddenly felt their pressure lighten considerably, as some puffshrooms that had been attacking them turned under Lin Jun's command to assault Fifteen instead.
Ground, underground, sky!
The puffshrooms surged like raging waves, rushing at that solitary figure from all directions!
Entering the sword net meant being cut to pieces, so they exploded outside the sword net instead.
Even if the explosion's aftermath only made him stumble for a moment, it was pure profit!
In the air, Bat Puffshrooms descended like dark clouds; chunky puffshrooms were precisely "thrown" at intervals, forcing Fifteen to expend more distant and energy-consuming sword qi to eliminate them from afar!
Ambushes from underground came endlessly. Though Fifteen resolved them all, Lin Jun had keenly noticed—Fifteen's breathing was becoming increasingly labored!
Watching Fifteen's determined advance, the Knight's Fat Puffshroom mount didn't advance but retreated instead, accompanied by ten elite puffshrooms with half-exposed magic crystals embedded in their heads.
The speed wasn't particularly fast, but this action undoubtedly extended the distance Fifteen needed to charge.
Fifteen, currently in his "Battle! Exhilarating!" state, couldn't help but curse under his breath upon seeing such shameless tactics:
"Despicable!"
By the time Fifteen finally reached the Knight Puffshroom, sweat was streaming down his face like a river.
Just as he thought he could finally begin the duel—
The fat puffshroom suddenly wrapped its tentacles around the Knight Puffshroom and swallowed it whole!
Fifteen: ???
In that split second, the ten elite puffshrooms with embedded crystals behind the Otaku Puffshroom suddenly launched their assault!
【Infrasonic Attack LV7】 × 10!
The overlapping infrasonic waves formed a torrent, striking without warning! Fifteen felt his internal organs churning as he spat out a mouthful of blood.
The 【Crystal Symbiosis】-enhanced 【Infrasonic Attack】 not only hit Fifteen but was so intense that even the puffshrooms themselves couldn't withstand the sonic shock.
Before Fifteen could swing his sword, all ten elite puffshrooms died on the spot.
The Otaku Puffshroom died along with them.
But in the next instant—
Blade light flashed as the Otaku Puffshroom's shell was cut open from within by a fierce attack!
The knight burst forth!
Mycelium fibers scattered like snow, and along with them flew the hard rocks that had been hidden in its belly—this was a Stone-Heart Otaku Puffshroom specifically designed to resist sonic attacks!
Without a moment's regret for the Otaku's sacrifice, the Knight Puffshroom's blade-whip had already become a cold gleam, striking directly at Fifteen's chest!
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