Earth's Greatest Magus

Chapter 3094: The Grassland

Calculating the Floating Tortoise’s cruising speed against the remaining distance to the South Star Fortress, Emery estimated that the journey would take at least another thirteen days, assuming they encountered nothing worse than the usual troubles along the way.

That assumption lasted for only a few hundred miles into the grasslands.

Emery’s Divine Sense detected it first—a dark mass gathering on the horizon and moving rapidly across the plains. At first glance, it looked like an ordinary storm front rolling toward them. Then the mass shifted, and thousands of tiny wings flashed beneath the sunlight in near-perfect unison.

Not a cloud.

A swarm.

As the distance closed, the creatures within it gradually came into focus. Their bodies resembled enormous bees, but they were longer and heavier, covered in layers of silver chitin that reflected the sunlight like drawn blades. Their translucent wings vibrated at an incredible speed, producing a high-pitched whine that carried for miles across the open grassland, growing louder with every passing moment.

Blade Locusts.

Native to the Crimson Steppes, these creatures were feared not because of the strength of any single individual, but because of their sheer numbers. The edges of their wings were razor-sharp, capable of slicing through flesh with every pass, while the powerful wind currents sweeping across the grasslands allowed them to move at astonishing speeds despite their small size.

This swarm was enormous. It stretched across the horizon, a dark, moving mass.

The dwarves noticed the approaching swarm soon after. Several of them instinctively reached for their weapons, while others watched the dark cloud with growing unease. Bragnir, however, remained characteristically calm.

He gave no order to attack.

Instead, he trusted the Floating Tortoise’s defensive formation.

”Keep moving,” he said calmly. ”The barrier can handle this.”

Moments later, the Floating Tortoise plunged directly into the swarm.

The world outside suddenly disappeared beneath a torrent of wings and chitin.

Thousands upon thousands of Blade Locusts slammed into the golden barrier, their razor-edged wings scraping violently across its surface. The constant impacts created a deafening metallic shriek, while countless silver bodies bounced away from the barrier only to be swept back by the surrounding currents and crash against it again.

From a distance, the ark almost appeared to have entered another sandstorm.

Only this storm was alive.

The barrier rippled beneath the endless assault, golden light flashing with every impact, but it remained firmly intact.

The dwarves’ Ironstar Pillars hummed steadily beneath the strain, their formation lines glowing as they drew upon the ark’s defensive array and reinforced the barrier from all eight directions.

Even without Emery’s support, the barrier held.

The Floating Tortoise continued south through the living storm, its massive hull surrounded by millions of flashing wings.

”Look at the dwarves’ ingenuity,” Bragnir said, a hint of pride returning to his voice as he watched the defensive formation hold against the enormous swarm.

His satisfaction didn’t last long.

Within minutes, the situation began to change. The sheer number of Blade Locusts was becoming a problem even without them breaking through the barrier.

Thousands upon thousands of creatures clung to the Floating Tortoise’s hull, their silver bodies piling over one another until the entire vessel was buried beneath a living layer of chitin and wings. Their combined weight began to drag visibly against the ark’s movement, slowing its cruising speed.

One of the engineers hurried toward Bragnir, his expression growing increasingly tense as he glanced toward the formation readings.

”Lord Bragnir, this is putting real weight on the ship. If the swarm keeps building up, it’ll start affecting the engine core.”

Bragnir’s calm expression finally cracked.

He stepped forward, his massive hammer already rising as he turned toward the weapon stations.

”Open the turrets! Prepare the explosive bolts!”

Dwarves along the rail immediately began loading their crossbows, their movements practiced and efficient. Thick bolts containing concentrated explosive energy were locked into place, while several of the ark’s mounted turrets slowly rotated toward the surrounding swarm. One coordinated barrage would be enough to tear open a path through the locusts, but the explosions would also be impossible to miss across the open grassland.

Before Bragnir could give the order, however, Emery raised a hand.

”Wait.”

Bragnir glanced toward him.

”We need to keep this quiet if we can.”

The dwarf leader immediately understood.

The sandstorm had concealed almost everything during their journey through the Western Golden Desert. The howling winds and endless turbulence had swallowed the sound of the Floating Tortoise’s engines, while the storm itself had made it difficult for anything to track their movements.

But out here, beneath the open sky, every explosion would carry for miles.

Bragnir lowered his hammer slightly.

”And how exactly do you propose we manage that?”

”Let me try something.”

Emery reached into his storage ring and withdrew a bronze staff.

The weapon was slender but heavy, its surface covered in intricate runes that shimmered faintly beneath the sunlight. At the top was a circular structure formed from several interlocking chains, each ring capable of moving independently.

The Soul Resonance Staff.

He had refined it only recently and had yet to find a proper opportunity to test its abilities.

This seemed like a good one.

Emery tightened his grip around the staff and began channeling his spirit energy into it.

The runes along the bronze surface gradually lit up.

One ring after another began to rotate around the staff’s crown, producing a faint metallic vibration that slowly grew stronger. The air around Emery seemed to grow heavier as his spiritual energy gathered, while the countless locusts surrounding the ark continued to scrape against the golden barrier.

Emery murmured a short incantation.

Then the rings suddenly trembled.

[Soul Requiem]

There was no explosion.

No flash of destructive energy.

Instead, a strange pulse silently spread outward from the staff.

It was not sound in the conventional sense, yet everyone on the deck could somehow feel it passing through them. The wave carried a strange rhythm, something resembling countless distant whispers layered over the slow beat of a heartbeat. It bypassed the ears entirely and struck directly at the mind and soul.

The effect on the swarm was immediate.

The Blade Locusts suddenly began convulsing in midair.

Their wings lost rhythm, their bodies twisting violently as the spiritual attack disrupted their minds. Some crashed into one another, while others simply froze for a fraction of a second before their bodies began to rupture.

Then the first wave of locusts exploded.

Hundreds became thousands.

Thousands became tens of thousands.

The power of Emery’s seventh-layer pagoda surged through the staff, amplifying its spiritual resonance and transforming it into a truly powerful spirit weapon.

Silver chitin shattered across the sky as countless bodies burst apart in mid-flight, their broken remains raining down across the grasslands like a metallic storm. The swarm’s once-unified movement immediately collapsed into chaos, but Emery did not stop.

He continued channeling spirit energy into the Soul Resonance Staff, allowing the rings around its crown to rotate faster as he widened the range of the attack.

Another pulse spread across the sky.

More Blade Locusts convulsed and fell.

For several minutes, Emery maintained the technique, sweeping the spiritual resonance across the entire swarm.

Eventually, the sunlight returned.

The sky above the ark was clear once more, with only countless fragments of silver chitin and broken wings drifting down through the air.

Emery slowly lowered the Soul Resonance Staff.

His breathing remained steady, and there was a quiet satisfaction in his eyes as he examined the result.

He had finally found a practical use for the weapon.