25: Chapter 25 Taking Over the Fungus World in One Hour

An invisible pressure erupted with him at its center, instantly enveloping a radius of several thousand meters.

The pressure was so strong that even the musty smell in the air was forcibly suppressed. The drifting hyphae seemed to be held down by an invisible hand, flattening against the ground in unison.

In the Mushroom Forest, the small creatures inhabiting the mushrooms tumbled from their hiding places one by one, shivering so violently they didn't even have the strength to flee.

In the Mushroom City in the distance, the Mushroom People, who were in the midst of slaughtering and devouring each other, froze simultaneously.

They felt a fear rising from the depths of their souls.

That fear was not the vigilance felt when facing a powerful enemy, nor the despair felt when facing death.

But the submission felt when facing a king.

It was an instinct carved into the genes of every living being.

The weak must bow to the strong.

In the center of the city, atop the largest mushroom building, an exceptionally tall Mushroom Person abruptly looked up.

His cap was pure black, a color only found on old Mushroom People who had lived for hundreds of years. In his hand, he gripped a staff condensed from hyphae, its tip embedded with a fist-sized, ghostly blue mushroom.

He was the king of this city.

The King of the Fungal People.

Peak of the Third Rank.

He had lived for over three hundred years, experiencing the peak of the Mushroom People's civilization, the despair of water sources drying up, and the madness of famine and internal strife.

But he had never felt such fear.

The direction the pressure was coming from...

He turned his head sharply, looking toward the outskirts of the city.

There, a pitch-black figure was hovering in mid-air, gazing down at him coldly.

Golden vertical pupils.

Just one look.

The soul of the King of the Fungal People felt as if it were being seized by an invisible hand.

He opened his mouth, wanting to order a counterattack, but found his voice stuck in his throat, unable to make a sound.

As for the ordinary Mushroom People, they were already kneeling on the ground, trembling.

The Ghost King withdrew his gaze.

"Fragile."

He spoke indifferently, his voice deep and resonant, clearly reaching the ears of every Mushroom Person.

"But the Master wants them alive."

He turned to look at the Ghost Bride and the others.

"You all, go clear out those who resist."

"I will oversee the battle."

The Ghost Bride blinked, somewhat disbelieving.

This terrifying big guy was actually letting them go first?

But soon, she became excited.

"Alright!"

She floated into the air, her red clothes billowing, a dangerous light flickering in her eyes.

But she didn't charge in directly to use Soul-Claiming Red Makeup as she had before.

This time, her combat style was completely different.

The Ghost Bride closed her eyes.

In the next second, her figure disappeared.

It wasn't invisibility or teleportation, but... splitting.

Her body transformed into countless red threads that seemed alive, spreading toward the Mushroom City.

The red threads silently passed through hyphae, ruins, and the kneeling Mushroom People, finally reaching the city center.

There, the King of the Fungal People stood atop the mushroom building, gripping his staff and looking around warily.

He sensed danger.

But he didn't know where it was coming from.

Red threads slowly condensed behind him, reforming into the figure of the Ghost Bride.

She gently hugged him from behind, resting her chin on his shoulder, and whispered into his ear:

"Found you."

The pupils of the King of the Fungal People contracted sharply.

He wanted to fight back, but found his body completely immobilized.

Those red threads had already wrapped around his entire body.

Every thread was absorbing his fear, his resentment, and his life force.

A new way to use [Resentment Absorption] + [Soul-Claiming Red Makeup].

Not area coverage, but precision assassination.

The Ghost Bride's laughter echoed in his ears, like a whisper from the depths of hell.

Sadako didn't move.

She just stood there, raising a pale hand and gently pressing it against the hyphae beside her.

[Curse Spread] activated.

But this time, the curse wasn't spread through contact.

But through... hyphae.

Every inch of land in the Mushroom People World was covered in thick hyphae. These hyphae were interconnected, forming a massive underground network.

Sadako's curse followed this network, spreading silently.

On the outskirts of the city, the Mushroom People who were still resisting suddenly froze.

They saw the images they feared most.

Some saw themselves entangled by hyphae, slowly rotting away.

Some saw their closest kin turn into hideous monsters, lunging at them.

Some saw the long-dried underground water source suddenly gush with endless blood.

One after another, they collapsed.

Wherever the curse passed, Mushroom People fell unconscious in droves.

Because Su Bai wanted them alive.

Sadako precisely controlled the intensity of the curse, only making them lose consciousness without harming their lives.

The Slit-Mouthed Woman stood at the city entrance.

She just stood there, holding her scissors and wearing her mask.

Whenever a Mushroom Person fled from the city, trying to escape this nightmare, she would step forward and take off her mask.

"Am I pretty?"

The fleeing Mushroom People fell one after another.

Also unconscious.

Precise control, no lives taken.

Three hero units, three completely different fighting styles.

None had been used before.

They were growing, evolving, and exploring their own combat styles.

As for the Ghost King, he hovered in mid-air from beginning to end, his golden vertical pupils watching everything coldly.

He didn't make a move.

But that terrifying pressure always enveloped the entire battlefield.

Any Mushroom Person who tried to resist would feel a tremor from the depths of their soul at that moment, their movements slowing by half a beat.

That half beat was enough for the Ghost Bride's red threads to entwine them, enough for Sadako's curse to invade, and enough for the Slit-Mouthed Woman's scissors to fall.

The battle lasted less than an hour.

Except for over two thousand Mushroom People who fought to the death and were killed, the remaining five thousand three hundred Mushroom People all fell unconscious.

In the center of the city, the King of the Fungal People was wrapped into a cocoon by red threads, collapsing limply atop the mushroom building. His eyes were full of fear and resentment, yet he didn't even have the strength to move a finger.

The Ghost Bride floated before him, crouched down, and tilted her head to look at him.

"You're really ugly."

Having said that, she stood up, floated back to the Ghost King's side, and lifted her face as if seeking praise.

"Am I amazing?"

The Ghost King looked down at her, a hint of hard-to-detect approval flashing in his golden vertical pupils.

"Not bad."

The Ghost Bride's eyes crinkled into crescents as she smiled.

Sadako remained silent, but her aura was clearly much stronger than before.

Those curses, the fear of the Mushroom People, and the precisely controlled resentment... were all absorbed by her.

The Slit-Mouthed Woman put away her scissors and slowly put on her mask.

Her aura was also climbing.

The Ghost King scanned the entire battlefield, and after confirming no one had slipped through the net, he raised his hand, the mark of the Netherworld World appearing in his palm.

A grayish-white light shot into the sky.

[Devouring Commencing]