Chapter 128 Giganodes
*An hour earlier*
"Is everyone ready?" The loud voice of Junades reverberated through the large tunnel as he looked over the rows of higher-ranked soldiers.
Each of them had at least two Intermediate Origin rings, indicating that they were the Elite units amongst Soldiers.
However, right now, even the elite was not able to keep their calm as they sensed the terrifyingly high mana fluctuations that originated from the depths of the tunnel ahead.
Despite the fear that was visible in their eyes, the Soldiers straightened their back the moment they heard Junades' question before they saluted.
"Yes, sir!!!"
Nodding his head in satisfaction, Junades stepped back in order to allow the higher-ups to lead their small army in the fight against the two Giganodese.
He was not the strongest present militant, and even Kassandra and Oria didn't dare to lead their army in the fight against the two terrifying existences that had gained control over all the beasts that emerged from the dungeon portals.
This was something that rarely happened, showing that both Giganodese had already attained intelligence.
Considering that their strength was way above that of the higher-ups, who had manifested five or more Origin rings, the fact that they were also intelligent made things even worse.
Even if a beast was stronger than them, as long as they didn't use tactics or their brain, it was still possible to defeat them.
However, once a beast gained higher intelligence, it was not impossible for them to be more intellectuel than humans.
And this was what most Soldiers feared right now.
Yet, by telling Junades' to step ahead, the higher-ups of the military wanted to keep everyone under their control.
This was owing to one of the abilities Junades had bound to his mana core.
The said ability he made use of was called [Bravery] and it had both a passive and active skill.
Bravery's passive skill was that Junades wouldn't be afraid to fight stronger opponents.
Through this, it was possible for him to keep a calm mind while fighting, and to think rationally. Through this he could come up with plans in tricky situations, thereby allowing him to save his life even in the most desperate situations.
Meanwhile, the active skill of Bravery was that he could strengthen the morale of his comrades, giving them not only a boost in their courage to fight but also a tiny enhancement in strength and mana circulation while fighting more powerful opponents.
And this boost in strength was certainly required because their opponents were two Giganodes that had the strength of Originals with 6 or more Advanced Origin rings!
The Giganodes were beasts with a body structure and size similar to that of Giants. Their skin was black in color, and they emanated an overpowering stench that made it seem as if their entire being was rotten from the inside out.
With a height of over ten meters, they nearly touched the ceiling of the cavern hall.
Meanwhile, their overproportional claws were large enough to grasp a handful of humans at once.
The Giganodes had a huge humpback, making it seem as if something huge would crawl out of their back at any moment.
However, that was not the case as their humpback was merely supporting their weird facial structure which was a gigantic head of an earthworm with a spiked mouth.
One could almost compare the mouth of the Giganodes to a shredder, that would shred everything it would touch in an instant.
But the worst were the crimson eyes that stared down at the human Originals as if they were seeing tiny ants poking at their feet in an attempt to resist the mighty force of an elephant!
The Giganodes were the worst of the worst possible opponents for the defenders of the basement, considering that not a single Original with such a high combat prowess was currently residing in the base.
The only individual capable of killing them was tackling the menace of the dungeon breaks outside the military base, saving the thousands of young Originals from the dangers of being flooded by ferocious beasts that numbered in the thousands.
Replacing the dead Guardians' to fulfill the task in protecting the young Originals from beasts that they couldn't tear apart with ease kept the Old Medic more than occupied.
The number of dungeon breaks outside the basement was more than 50.
Adding to that, there was the mystery about the Goblins, the fact that they had mass-produced beast-controlling necklaces, and runic armaments of much higher quality than mankind was in possession of.
Closing the dungeons was no problem for the Old Medic. Though she was a bit annoyed to be forced to use her entire strength to speed through the small part of the nameless island. This wasn't her task and mankind ought to have it under control. But, she easily cleared everything.
But even then, she didn't spot any signs of masses of Goblins, let alone the corpses of the Guardians.
Other than that, the number of beasts that the other young Originals encountered was extremely low.
As such, after finishing her job at lightning-fast speed, the Old Medic couldn't help but feel as if something was wrong.
A premonition spread through her entire being, and it was at this moment that the Giganodes let out a [Berserk Roar], entering a berserk state.
The battle in the cave with the most dangerous beasts had already been going on for more than half an hour, and corpses of both humans and beasts littered the ground.
It was a massacre led by the strong, where the weak could only attempt their best to avoid the attacks of the powerful.
However, even then, surviving against the tides of mighty beasts was not easy, as it posed a far bigger threat than initially presumed.
Through the [Berserk Roar] the Giganodes' black skin turned red, radiating steam that blocked off elemental and mental attacks.
In addition to it, the berserk state of the Giganodes was unique, allowing it to repel physical attacks to a certain extent.
The drastic increase in the beast's defenses elevated its combat prowess to a whole new level, preventing the Elite Soldiers from inflicting even the tiniest of scratches!
However, that was not all as the Giganodes' roar provided the opportunity for its subordinates, and the other dungeon beasts to attain a lesser version of the same Berserk state!
The number of dungeon beasts that were still alive had been drastically reduced since the large-scale battle had begun.
Nevertheless, there were still quite a few fearsome existences within the rows of the two Giganodes that seemed to be completely unscathed.
Only one of them was injured, and it had entered a Berserk stage shortly after, increasing its strength and ferociousness a thousand times over.
But all of this was not something the Old Medic could know about.
She simply felt that something terrifying was about to happen in the Teradan military base.
Because of that, Miranda even halted her rescue mission, telling the young Originals she had accompanied to search for the others and to lead them towards the mountainside.
The first mission of the military camp's participants was currently insignificant.
After all, her premonition told Miranda that the life and death of every single being in the entire base depended on her.
This feeling was something she didn't encounter often in her entire life.
Yet, the moment she felt it, she knew that she could not afford to slacken as time was of the essence.
With that in mind, her speed increased further, and only a few minutes passed before she appeared in the cave where only the two Giganodes were left alive.
Somehow, the combined efforts of all Originals within the cavern hall had been enough to kill all the dungeon beasts.
Even the other dungeon bosses had been killed without further ado.
However, this was not something the humans had been capable of without the sacrifice of three higher ups that owned five Intermediate Origin rings.
And just when Miranda emerged in the cavern hall, she saw that the leader of the Teradan military camp was using his everything, and was on the verge of sacrificing his life force to hold back both Giganodes at once.
A powerhouse with six origin rings was succumbing to the lethal force of the Giganodese in an attempt to save the Soldiers that fought under his banner.
Just like that with the last remnants of his life force being used up, one of the Giganodes smashed him into the ground, creating a crater in the ground.
Just when he was about to collapse, and take his last breath did the middle-aged man finally see a dark green flash pass right in front of him as a faint and knowing smile emerged on his face before he accepted his fate.
'Finally…she is here…'
Knowing that everything would be fine now, his heavy eyes finally closed, and he began his journey towards the afterlife.
Only a moment later, a frustrated and pained roar reverberated through the surroundings as thunderous noises could be heard.
The Old Medic made use of various abilities and her overbearing strength to kill the two Giganodese as if they were mere toys that she could easily squash in her hands.
However, what she really did was to use her prowess of seven Advanced Origin rings in addition to the enhancements of multiple supportive abilities that Junades, Kassandra, Oria, and several higher-ups made use of, instinctively.
But what the soldiers in the surrounding presumed to be a reflex was in fact the Old Medic's doing as she used one of her abilities.
[Puppeteer] was the ability Miranda used to force everyone to use their supportive abilities on her.
Knowing the abilities of everyone came in handy and gave her the power to control the beings weaker than her to a certain extent.
This allowed her to reach a combat prowess comparable to an Original with no less than eight Advanced Origins, which proved to be enough to behead the two Giganodese.
A moment later the two ginormous bodies left behind several crystals, with one of them shining in a bright crimson red color.
However, the Old Medic didn't notice this as she had appeared right next to the corpse of the military camp's leader.
"Fuck you! If you die now, I will kill you!!" Miranda shouted as she used her ability [Asclepius' Arts of healing].
Her ability forced a way through the body, mind, and soul of the middle-aged man.
Raging storms of mana enveloped his body, filling his nerves and cells that were about to turn cold, slowly flooding him with vigor.
Just a moment later, life returned to the seemingly dead corpse, and with a deep breath, he opened his eyes.
'She…just revived me, didn't she?!' He could only think in horror, his eyes fixated on the Old Medic.
A trace of fear could be seen within his eyes, but he still wanted to thank her for saving his life.
Yet, when the Old Medic turned towards him, he was unable to say anything.
"I have no intention of taking responsibility for these young Originals. So stay alive, or else, I will really kill you!!"
Miranda's words rang through his head, and it was just a moment later that she had disappeared and went her own way, leaving a confused man behind.
'Did she just save me…because she doesn't want to take care of the young Originals all by herself?!'