The Little Knight's arrival was met with a grand reception.
The three chieftains were clearly impressed by the Little Knight's combat skills; perhaps they admired a warrior who crushed opponents with skill, like him, more than one who overwhelmed with brute force, like Simon.
Simon and the Little Knight met again.
"Have you obtained the king's brand?"
The Little Knight remained silent, lifting his cloak to reveal the short halberd fastened at his waist.
Simon turned to look at the three chieftains and solemnly declared, "Hallownest's new King has appeared!"
All the insects gathered and bowed to the Little Knight.
The Little Knight bowed slightly in return.
Next was the signing of the covenant; the proud Mantis Tribe would participate in escorting the swarm's evacuation, and their long-standing duty of guarding Deepnest would come to an end today.
Deepnest's towering gate slowly rose.
Before advancing into Deepnest, the Mantis Tribe provided all the Foolish Followers with Mantis Claws, which were curved hooks carved from bone, enabling the wearer to cling to walls and leap with their aid.
Once the Foolish Followers had all donned their Mantis Claws, Simon led the team into the Deepnest gate.
Immediately inside was a rather spacious cavern, filled with overgrown vines, with several glowfly lanterns hanging from the high ceiling. After only a few steps, they arrived at a battlefield relic where the corpses of Dirtcarvers and Weavers were piled high like mountains. Long spears and Nails stood upright on the piles of bodies like flags, and specks of soul light floated and danced; this place was filled with lingering dreams.
As the battleground between the Mantis Tribe and the mad beasts of Deepnest, it was still permeated with an enduring, murderous aura.
Simon and the Little Knight led the Foolish Followers onward. The path suddenly became narrow and dim, and from ahead came the dense sound of carapaces rubbing together, mixed with sharp, short hisses, as if a group of monsters were savagely devouring each other. Sure enough, before long, they saw many giant pits on the ground, all filled with strange, silver-gray shelled insects that looked like short intestines, with spiky leg-like appendages growing from both sides of their bodies, writhing, squeezing each other, rolling in the pits, and emitting evil, terrifying sounds.
"Let's begin," Simon raised his Nail, and a dense white light bloomed in the terrifying, deep darkness. "Slash!"
With a loud shout, the light exploded, transforming into countless tiny Nails that plunged into the pits, striking the hard shells of these worms with a thunderous sound like a volley of firecrackers.
The Foolish Followers watched Simon with awe. Under his fierce sword light, the worms were torn apart little by little, turning into dust, like snow melting under a scorching sun.
The Little Knight remained calm; he never showed much emotion.
Killing them one by one, Simon swung his sword multiple times, killing all these creatures, and then ordered his followers to fill the pits.
"The road ahead will be long, but it is all necessary," Simon said to the Little Knight. "Perhaps we can scout ahead first; the terrain here is too complex, and it's easy to get lost."
The Little Knight nodded, standing obediently behind Simon.
They continued forward, leaving the Fools to work diligently.
They reached the cave wall, then ascended, entering an upper platform through an opening, which felt like entering a labyrinth. The terrain was incredibly winding, many areas were riddled with spike traps, and the ground often collapsed, making it easy to fall if one wasn't careful.
Simon often cleared the way directly, tapping the walls and ceiling with his Nail, and if it was hollow behind, he would break through. He simplified the complex terrain, hoping to carve out a straight path to the bottom.
He left markers along the way to avoid getting lost on the return trip.
Further up, they heard a faint, thunderous sound, which, upon closer listening, was the sound of some creature scraping the ground as it moved.
Simon stared into the darkness at the end of the passage. Under the illumination of the glowing fungi, scattered metallic reflections flickered, like silver ribbons at the edge of the sky, possessing a certain beauty, and cruelty.
These were Garpedes.
Giant excavators covered in thick carapaces, shaped like centipedes, with sharp leg-like appendages that excavated earth and stone as easily as blowing away dust. The path Simon was currently walking on was dug by these Garpedes.
This was a huge threat, and Simon was determined to eliminate these formidable opponents.
He slowly approached, walking towards that shimmering light, and the giant insect's body gradually revealed its true form.
The Garpede tirelessly moved through the tunnels it had dug. Its leg-like appendages swayed gently, creating that metallic reflection, while its main body was larger and duller, with a layer of moisture and fresh soil clinging to its carapace, resembling the roots of an ancient tree.
Simon vaguely knew why Sly was unwilling to come to Deepnest.
It was because of these Garpedes.
In his basement, there was a giant Garpede head, with his huge Nail plunged into it, signifying his victory. But this victory was not one he actively sought; rather, it was brought about by the death of his disciple, Esmi. The true circumstances were known only to Sly and his disciple. However, to cause the death of a great swordmaster, the Garpede's strength should not be underestimated.
Simon's Nail struck the Garpede, and for the first time, his incredibly sharp Nail met with resistance, only carving a tiny wound before it could do no more.
Feeling a sharp pain in its midsection, the Garpede thrashed about in annoyance.
Simon gathered his strength, aiming for the joints between the segments of the Garpede's centipede-like body, which were its softest spots. With a swing of his Nail, the sharp sword energy tore through the rock, and also through the Garpede's body.
"Hiss!"
The beast cried out in pain, but it was useless. Once Simon attacked, he gave it no quarter, chopping it into pieces with multiple strikes. Even when reduced to a pile of severed segments, the incredibly tenacious Garpede still twitched its leg-like appendages and snapped its fangs, taking a long time to truly die.
The Little Knight observed, lost in thought.
"They're truly difficult to deal with. Without superb swordsmanship, it's hard to succeed," Simon turned to ask the Little Knight, "By the way, have you learned any of their sword techniques from the Nailmasters yet?"
The Little Knight nodded, indicating that he had already encountered Sly's disciples. It was believed that soon, Hallownest would gain another Nailmaster.
Simon relaxed somewhat, continuing to force his way through. Since he had promised to pave the way for the Little Knight, he would let him comfortably take it easy.
They encountered many more Garpedes along the way, and Simon killed them all, one by one. The thunderous roar that echoed in the cave completely vanished, and it would be quiet here until a new batch of Garpedes grew up.
Several Dirtcarvers emerged from underground. These silver woodlouse-like insects were also very cunning and ruthless, hiding beneath the surface in countless numbers, probably impossible to eradicate completely.
Although these insects would attack in swarms, due to their size and speed, they posed little threat, and the Foolish Followers could easily deal with large numbers of them.
Soon, they turned into a large architectural ruin.
This should be the abandoned tram tracks.
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