Chapter 527 - Porcupine-like Mutation
Wherever Leon looked and swept with his divine sense, all he found were black rat carcasses on top of black rat carcasses.
Nothing else.
Nevertheless, Leon had a feeling Duna was somewhere in this region while he was searching left and right.
"Duna has to be in this black region somewhere—she has to be!" Leon strongly believed while muttering, "There shouldn't be many beings who can wield the Darkness and Death Law outside of the Dark Continent unless they are demons…"
Not only were wielders of these laws were few, but Leon also did not believe demons would be so kind as to help them clean up their rat problem.
Boom. Boom.
Distant rumbles were heard from time to time, coming from the far horizon where the twelve crimson pillars of Demonic Energy shooting into the heavens were located.
Nevertheless, the chaotic situation deep in the Wildlands was none of Leon's concern. That was something for the local beasts and humans residing there to worry about.
"Where are you, Duna?! Answer me if you hear me!" Leon continued calling out as he scoured the black region with the three-tailed silver wolf.
"Awrooo!"
Silver howled periodically.
Although the area was searched by Leon's divine sense, the three-tailed silver wolf still knocked over piles of rat carcasses as it followed some distance behind him.
"Just how many carcasses are there here? It must be in the tens of millions at least." Leon furrowed his brows while pondering. "To think Duna slaughtered all these rats by herself in one night…"
Duna's killing speed was a little too terrifying for Leon to imagine as he pondered, "How did she achieve this much in one night?"
Nevertheless, he did not think too deeply before his attention shifted to a specific mountain of black carcasses in the distance.
The sunlight in the area was also especially intense.
Underneath the piles of blackened rat carcasses, Duna's sleeping figure was quickly locked onto by Leon's divine sense.
"Duna!" Leon shouted.
He immediately shot over before he lifted the mountain of carcasses with Divine Will.
While keeping the carcass mountain as cover from the sunlight, Leon slid his arm under Duna's spirit body in black dress and picked her up slightly before studying her condition.
"As I feared, Duna has been harmed by the sun's strong surge of Solar Energy!" Leon quickly determined with a frown.
Duna's pale white spirit body felt very soft to the touch and very similar to a female human's delicate flesh, except there was no warmth exuded from her spirit body.
Leon could only feel icy coolness.
At that moment, Duna's pale body was blackened like charred firewoods and filled with cracks like broken chalks.
She appeared to be in a very weak and fragile state.
At this realization, Leon was afraid to move her too further in case of aggravating her condition.
Even her black dress made of Yin Energy had mostly disappeared in various areas, revealing much of Duna's fair body that was beautiful like sculpted jades.
Leon studied her body seriously without any lewd thoughts. Definitely not.
"Awroof!"
Silver suddenly barked.
"Ahem." Leon coughed lightly after his thoughts were interrupted by the three-tailed silver wolf before he took out spare black clothes and draped them over Duna's exposed body.
"What is it?" Leon glanced at the Silver impassively.
The three-tailed silver wolf snorted.
Shortly after, Leon thought of something was glanced back at Duna and took a peek under her draped clothes before his brows furrowed.
Generally, the soul dress made of Yin Energy is white. It only becomes black after mixing with Darkness Energy, which has also become a distinguishable trait of Duna and Lumi switching personas.
However, Duna became white-dressed since her awakening while Lumi was nowhere to be seen. Now that they have become black-dressed, does this mean Lumi has reclaimed control of the body?
Even if that was the case, she was still unconscious. And more importantly, what about Duna? Was she okay?
"You worked hard."
Leon sighed softly while gazing down at Duna and Lumi's sleeping face.
After a moment, Leon carefully sent their body into the Worldspace and placed them on the ice bed within the Yin-biome of the herb garden.
This was done to preserve their body and prevent their present condition from possibly deteriorating.
Furthermore, there was no better place for Leon to put them. Evidently, the ice bed was the best choice available to him.
Nevertheless, Leon's frown did not relax after his astral avatar disappeared from the Worldspace and returned his consciousness outside.
"Duna and Lumi will not be able to recover if they cannot regain their consciousness..." Leon muttered while rubbing his frown.
"Hm?"
Leon suddenly paused with a thoughtful look.
"I recall reading about a type of spiritual treatment technique that allows a person to dive into the consciousness of their patients to rouse them awake from their long comas and vegetative states... I should look further deeper into this once I get back."
In truth, he had started reading into this technique that was called [Soul Dive] while he was researching soul-related treatments in the Archive when Duna and Lumi had fallen unconscious previously.
However, he thought that it was no longer necessary after Duna awakened. But as it turns out, it was still required in the end.
"Silver, we are done here. Let us head back to the Great Wall!" Leon called out to the nearby three-tailed silver wolf.
"Awrooof!" Silver responded.
...
Meanwhile, back at the Great Wall, the rat tide situation became intense after the rats completed their mutation phase.
Their danger level was raised to new heights.
"Here comes another wave! Raise your shields, men!" General Marquis Hendrick barked to human soldiers and elven warriors alike.
At that moment, everyone had retreated back to the top of the Great Wall, equipped with vine shields.
After hearing General Marquis Hendrick's orders, they immediately raised their large shields together and entered a tortoise-like formation as numerous spikes shot over from below.
The Wingrats became similar to Porcupines after their drastic mutation. Their entire missing layer of fur was replaced by hundreds of spikes that could be projected from their bodies like missiles!
Even worse, these spikes could be quickly regrown!
At the bottom of the Great Wall on the Human Domain's side, several soldiers could be seen skewered to death by said spikes.
Evidently, everyone had already experienced the threat of the spikes firsthand and made countermeasures.