Transcendent Resurgence: Regressing on an abandoned Earth

The armored general had four additional arms, and two among them were the most eye-catching. They were none other than the lobster's greatest offensive organ- their pincers.

The greenish-blue pincers looked like they were made up of seaweed. Rather than being tough and sharp, they seemed almost fluid like.

However, one would be sorely mistaken if they judged them based on appearance alone.

With his centuries of experience on fighting against monsters, Zyrus recognized it the first moment he laid his eyes on the lobster general.

Poison.

The entire arm was made up of solidified toxins. He felt fortunate since his title gave him immunity against most poisons, but still, fighting against the lobster general wouldn't be easy.

For the enemy wasn't alone.

1000 mermen were riding on seahorses, and the same number of octopus warriors were moving behind the lobster general.

They were the only ones who hadn't engaged in battle thus far.

And as if his good luck had finally run out, Zyrus was also forced out from his transformed state.

[Avatar (A-): Draw upon the world's mana to execute your will.]

[You have learned to integrate yourself with the surrounding mana. The greater your fusion, the more power you can wield]

[Effects: All recovery rate +10%, further enhancements will depend on the environment and rate of fusion.]

[Warning! There is a high risk that you'll be assimilated with the world and lose your will]

The words 'Greater your fusion, the more power you can wield' were the key.

At first Zyrus was able to summon the projection of a dragon based on the environment. Back on Earth, he could transform into a dragon as the laws of Earth were on the brink of collapse.

As he leveled up and improved his league of existence, he was able to gain more power from the Avatar skill. It was more than worthy of being an A-rank skill.

The reason behind his previous transformation was due to the enlightenment he gained at the Jindao island. His control over the world's energy had improved by a great extent.

'It's a pity that my level isn't high enough,'

Zyrus shook his head and wiped the blood from his mouth. Now that he was back in the humanoid form, the nausea of his previous action finally kicked in.

His stomach was literally 'stuffed full.' The merfolk he had eaten were turned into energy that healed him in his transformed state, but now that he was normal, there was an overflow of excess mana and vitality.

"Y`u do|t look a/ra'd."

"How unexpected. Never thought you'd learn our language," Zyrus replied as he trudged forward.

It would be a lie to say that he wasn't wary of the elites of merfolk. The lobster general and the octopus warriors were tough to deal with, but the most troublesome bunch were the mermen cavalry.

Nonetheless, he didn't care too much about it.

*Buuuuuuuuu*

"You might've forgotten, but I'm not alone either."

The goblin riders barged in from the adjacent bubble. Even though they were drenched by the pure water of Shuidao, the stench of blood didn't vanish from their unit.

The lobster general's face stiffened as he realized the meaning behind their presence. And as if to prove his hunch correct, another group of players marched from the opposite direction.

Lions, monkeys, bears, squirrels….all sorts of beasts were clamoring battle cries. The reinforcement was led by a bare-chested man wearing a short kilt, a baboon with crooked wings, and last but not the least, a majestic bear.

They were none other than Maahes, Babi, and Pouka. Pouka joined Zyrus's group right after the tutorial, but it had made no significant contributions whatsoever. One reason was due to its role as the guardian of the command center, and the other being that the bear was just too damn lazy.

If not for Zyrus's forcefully promoting it as one of the beast leaders, it never would've graced the battlefield with its presence.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"W;ak."

"Tch..tch…and that's why it's better to be a monster rather than a half-assed sentient lifeform."

Zyrus didn't stall any longer and summoned the ophidian warriors along with Elsid and Zirnitra. It was possible that the enemy might have prepared some means to counter his moves, but who said that he didn't have hidden cards of his own?

He had no intention to test out what the enemy had prepared for him. His army had won a spectacular battle. A new safe zone was created, the 10 bubbles were recaptured from the merfolk, and the players who blocked the enemy reinforcement had safely retreated.

All that was left was to keep up the momentum and push forward bit by bit. There would be no surprises except for one thing, and in order to deal with that, he had one last task to accomplish.

'And this time, I don't even have to put on an act of being a bait.'

"You two, deal with that lobster."

"As you command, my liege," Elsid and Zirnitra bowed in his direction and charged at the lobster general. They were blessed by the buff of 'Monarch of toxin,' so they too had nothing to fear.

This move made it obvious to everyone that Zyrus was too exhausted to fight another prolonged battle. It was the perfect opportunity to get rid of him.

Now, the ruler of merfolk only needed a simple nudge before he deployed his trump card.

*Rooooar*

*ChwiChwichwi*

The lion headed Maahes rampaged on the back lines whereas Babi and his kinsmen harassed the enemies from above. Pouka opted for a straightforward strategy and charged through the path opened by the goblin riders.

The elites of the merfolk were engaged with ophidian warriors led by Elsid and Zirnitra, and without them, there was no one who could stop the goblin riders.

All of his troops were mighty in their own right, but Zyrus knew that this wasn't enough.

"Use the elemental seeds."

A hundred ophidian warriors stepped out at his command. The elemental energy they emitted was different in nature compared to others. The players were intrigued by seeing the summoned creatures using the elemental powers, but their reaction was nothing compared to the merfolk.

Be it the lobster general or the mermen riders, everyone flinched when the ophidian warriors revealed a blue shard embedded in their chests.

It wasn't due to the subtle mana fluctuation or their overall prowess.

That blue shard….it was the symbol of royalty. It was obvious for the merfolk to be perplexed when they saw the power they considered 'holy' being used by a bunch of invaders.

And the one who was enraged more than anyone else was someone far away.

"Vorkul kyra(Annihilate them)"

The command filled with wrath reached every corner of the Shuidao island. Zyrus predicted such a thing to occur, and he was proven correct.

The Azure palace wasn't something that players could engage at their level. Just like the capital of the Jindao island, the merfolk's palace was also shrouded in mist except for its exterior.

And as luck would have it, its greatest strength was located on the external surface.

"Zhakor felan, varesh! Zhakor felan!"

The lobster general ordered a retreat and ran without a care for his image. The players were flustered by the sudden change as well.

<Look above>

Everyone craned their neck at Zyrus's words. They didn't have the eyes of the Sylvarix, so they were unable to see the merfolk palace's trump card.

That should've been the case, and it was so- until a moment ago.

The players saw a beam of light getting bigger and bigger in their eyes. It was hard to judge the distance while being underwater, but they were able to make a comparison.

The tiny bubble which was in the path of that light beam was obliterated.

An attack targeted at the whole bubble. The players realized that it was pointless to run. They weren't like merfolk who could move freely in the water.

Even moving between the bubbles was an arduous task for them.

<As expected of my army.>

Zyrus's voice reached to them who had almost accepted their fate.

<You didn't clamor or run around like the enemies. You held onto your positions even in the face of death. For the first time, I'm a little bit proud to be your leader>

Zyrus said that, but his curved lips hinted otherwise. He was certain that when these players were released on the Kyros continent, there'd be an utter pandemonium. There was no way those greenhorn players or even the natives could hold a candle against his army.

But before that, they had to survive this ordeal.

<If you wish to live, slit your wrists>

What did it look like when thousands of creatures bled at the same time? Everyone would have a different perspective on this, and in Zyrus's case, it could be described in a single word.

Beautiful.

His eyes of annihilation weren't focused on the spilling blood or the descending water beam. What he saw was their will to survive. And in his eyes, it was better than any piece of art he had seen.

<Remember our first fight against Camazotz. Most of you weren't there, but surely, you heard others brag about it, correct?>

The players smiled even as death was about to descend upon them. Didn't those who followed Zyrus from the first ring survive against all the odds? Why couldn't they do it then?

<Think about living. Bring out your deepest desires and let them burn. A little kindling wouldn't survive against a hurricane, but you're not alone. Don't let the flames die out. Embrace them, devour the wind, and become a storm of fire>

Zyrus's words weren't empty speech. They were accompanied by actions they were all too familiar with.

They had learned about how to create talismans using their blood. Only a few were proficient at it, but did it matter when they were moments away from dying?

Of course not.

<Freeze your blood so that you may live. Freeze so those who are close to you can live>

Some were clumsy while others barely managed to form the rune that solidified water. It was the most basic technique where they could harden the skin where the tattoo was and defend against an attack.

But this time, the blood didn't freeze up once the rune was complete.

Like a flock of birds leaving their nests, the runes soared towards the sky and hovered around the biggest rune.

Zyrus's blood was scattered all around the bubble. After his recent breakthrough, he had far greater control over his mana. It wasn't particularly difficult to control his blood that was within his eyesight.

And that was all that he needed.

His blood acted as a string and joined the runes together. It didn't matter whether they were complete or not. Just like how a little bird learns to fly, the incomplete runes flocked around the complete ones and merged into one

From thousands to hundreds and from hundreds to dozens.

In the end, only a single rune was left.

That, was the crystallization of a true army spell.