Free Web NovelChapter 480: Chapter 477 – The Awakening of Mušmaḫḫū
The ancient roar was not merely a sound. It was a primordial vibration that crept into the bone marrow, shaking the souls of every living being inside the giant cavern. The thousand-year-old stone walls cracked like glass struck by a giant hammer. Thick dust and stone fragments rained down from the cavern ceiling like volcanic ash, sweeping across the faces of the adventurers, which were already wet with sweat and blood. The already stifling air grew even heavier, filled with the smell of sulfur, rotten blood, and a dark aura that pressed against their chests, making every breath feel forcibly ripped from their lungs.
From the dark corridor that Sylvia’s white flame explosion had just cleared, the horrifying figure slowly emerged. It was not just a monster, it was a walking nightmare. Its body was like a moving mountain, dozens of meters long, covered in wet, glossy black-reddish scales dripping with corrosive blood slime. Every drop that touched the stone floor hissed violently, releasing poisonous purple smoke and forming living, pulsating puddles that beat like hearts.
Seven dragon heads towered high, each the size of a train carriage. Their red eyes blazed like hellish lava, filled with primordial rage. Jaws lined with sharp curved fangs dripped thick purple fluid that smelled of death. Curved horns crowned each head like a crown of darkness, and from the gaps between its scales flowed dark reddish blood that seemed alive on its own. This blood was no ordinary liquid; it moved and crawled, and every drop that fell to the ground immediately formed new blood monsters that roared hungrily. Their bodies were semi-transparent, with claws and teeth made of frozen blood crystals.
Mušmaḫḫū.
The legendary monster created by the Dark Goddess Tiamat, a creature that once made even the gods tremble in ancient times. Now it had awakened once more in the depths of this cavern, summoned by the lingering ancient power.
"Everyone, get ready!" Elara Silverwind shouted, her voice tense but full of a leader’s authority. Her usually neat silver hair was now disheveled, and her emerald-green eyes narrowed sharply. "Don’t let its blood touch you! A single drop can melt through steel armor!" freewebnoveℓ.com
Gorn Thunderfist, leader of Party Wild Bear, raised his massive war axe that weighed hundreds of kilograms. The tree-trunk-like muscles in his arms bulged, veins protruding. "Wild Bear, tank formation! Protect the mages and healers! We hold the front line until we die!"
Behind him, the dozens of Wild Bear members growled in unison. They were veteran warriors covered in scars, their large shields interlocking to form a solid iron wall.
Sylvia stood in the middle row. The small white flame that always burned at her fingertips grew brighter, pulsing like a holy heart. A thin, cold smile remained etched on her pale lips, her red eyes gleaming with fighting spirit. Her slender body clad in black-and-white robes felt light, yet an aura of death and holiness swirled around her. Finally... a worthy opponent, she thought.
Beside her, Alicia and Stacia were ready. Alicia held her sparkling silver staff with full concentration. Stacia had her ancient grimoire opened wide, its pages turning by themselves due to the strong mana wind.
The monster roared again. GRROOOOOOAAARRRR!!!
The vibration was so powerful that several adventurers stumbled back a step. The seven heads moved independently yet in perfect coordination. One head spewed purple corrosive acid like a fountain from hell, the second released crackling black lightning like whips of darkness, and the third summoned blood minions from the ever-increasing pools.
WUUUSSSSHHHH!
The first attack came with deadly speed. A rain of purple acid sprayed toward the Wild Bear front line.
"Raise shields!" Gorn roared.
ZZZZZZZSSSSSTTTTT!
The acid struck the thick steel shields and hissed violently. The high-quality metal, normally resistant to dragon fire, began melting like wax within seconds. The smell of burning metal and scorched flesh filled the air. Some Wild Bear members screamed in pain as acid splashes hit their arms or legs. Skin blistered, flesh corroded until bone was briefly visible.
"Debuff now!" Sylvia commanded without hesitation.
Alicia raised her staff high. Blue light spread widely. "Debuff Chain: Extreme Corrosion Resistance, Heavy Weight, Blood Decay!"
A wave of cold blue magic swept across the battlefield. Mušmaḫḫū’s movements slowed drastically. Its massive body felt heavier, as if pulled down by hellish gravity. The blood flowing across its scales thickened, rotted, and emitted an even more pungent stench.
Stacia didn’t stay idle. She flipped through her grimoire rapidly. "Buff All: Anti-Poison Veil, Strength Amplification, Mana Recovery!"
A gentle grayish-purple light enveloped the entire team. An invisible protective layer wrapped around their bodies, neutralizing some of the poison, increasing muscle strength, and accelerating mana recovery that was nearly depleted.
Party Eternal immediately launched long-range attacks. Elara led them. "Elemental Storm!"
Sharp ice spears, slicing winds like knives, and lightning merged into an elemental storm that struck one of Mušmaḫḫū’s heads with tremendous force.
BOOOOMMM! CRRRAAACCCKKK!
The head staggered backward. Its black scales cracked and shattered, blood gushing out like a waterfall. However, that blood instantly formed dozens of new blood monsters that charged at the team with hungry roars.
Wild Bear advanced fearlessly. "Don’t retreat! Hold the front line!" Gorn destroyed two blood monsters at once with a single swing of his lightning-enchanted axe. Black blood sprayed everywhere, but Stacia’s buffs neutralized most of its effects.
Sylvia stepped forward gracefully. "Focus on the main head!" She raised her right hand. The white flame rapidly grew larger, forming a spinning orb full of holy power. With a flick of her finger, she hurled the attack.
WOOOOOSSSSHHHHH!
The white flame orb shot forward like a holy meteor, leaving a trail of bright light in the cavern’s darkness. It struck one of Mušmaḫḫū’s heads directly between the eyes.
GRRAAAAAHHH!!!
A roar of pain shook the cavern. The scales on that head were scorched black and cracked, with white smoke rising from the deep burn wound. The monster shook its injured head but did not retreat. Instead, it retaliated by spewing poisonous blood from all seven mouths at once.
SPLAAASSSSHHHH!
A rain of corrosive blood fell like a storm from hell. The team immediately took cover behind the double barriers created by Stacia and Elara.
ZZZZZZZZZT!
The barriers shook violently, their surfaces melting and cracking. Some team members screamed as small splashes broke through. Alicia reacted quickly. "Frozen Sanctuary!" A thick layer of ice appeared above the barrier, freezing the poisonous blood on contact into fragile red crystals.
Sol from Party Eternal unleashed golden laser beams that pierced one of the heads. Qilin released sky-blue holy lightning that cleansed the blood pools on the ground, temporarily preventing the birth of new monsters.
The battle grew increasingly intense. Mušmaḫḫū advanced, each step shaking the entire cavern like an earthquake. More blood pools formed, spawning larger, faster elite blood monsters armed with blood-crystal spikes.
Wild Bear fought hard on the front line. They slashed, smashed, and shouted to remind each other of their positions. Some were already severely injured, but their spirit did not waver.
"Her white flame is effective!" Elara said while breathing heavily, "but we need a stronger combined attack!"
Sylvia nodded firmly. "Alicia, Stacia prepare maximum combination!"
Alicia gathered mana until her staff trembled. "Ultimate Debuff: Blood Paralysis!"
Stacia flipped the grimoire pages at lightning speed. "Spatial Rend + Elemental Boost!"
The two great spells merged. A black-blue debuff wave paralyzed the flow of Mušmaḫḫū’s blood, while black spatial tears weakened its scale defense. Sylvia perfectly exploited the opening. ƒrēewebnovel.com
She combined War Sun Flame with a touch of black Death Flame. The newly created white-black fire spun in her palm, filled with both purifying and destructive power.
"Purification Nova!"
The combined flame shot forward like twin dragons one holy, one of death slamming into Mušmaḫḫū’s chest with a force that made the entire cavern tremble.
DUUUAAAAARRRRRRR!!!
The white-black explosion illuminated the cavern like daylight. One of Mušmaḫḫū’s heads was severely burned. Its skin and scales disintegrated, bones became visible, and the head collapsed powerlessly to the side. Blood gushed out like a poisonous waterfall, flooding the cavern floor.
The monster roared with extraordinary fury. Its body shook violently. The remaining six heads grew even more ferocious. They unleashed a barrage of attacks: thick purple acid, black lightning, nebula poison spreading like a deadly mist, and blood waves that summoned hundreds of new monsters.
The team began to struggle. Several Wild Bear members fell to their knees as poison crept through their veins. The barriers cracked badly. Stacia and Alicia’s mana was nearly exhausted. Elara was wounded on the shoulder by an acid splash.
Sylvia frowned deeply. The white flame on her body grew brighter, forming a faint wing-shaped aura. "We’re not enough yet. This monster... is far stronger than expected."
Mušmaḫḫū’s roar echoed again, this time filled with pure rage that made all the blood in the cavern boil. The blood pools transformed into tougher elite monsters, some even taking the form of small dragons.
Sylvia clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white. The white flame on her body burned even brighter, almost blinding. She glanced at Alicia and Stacia, who were also ready to fight with everything they had. Their faces were full of determination despite their exhaustion.
The battle had just entered a far more dangerous phase. This cavern might become a grave for one side tonight.
