After being reborn, I was turned into a slave girl by a princess.

Although Lonnies summoned the Crimson Hammer, the puppet insects not only did not retreat, but became even more ferocious.

Their bodies even developed a peculiar red pattern, and their bodies were a full size larger than before!

"Ooh!"

Lonnies was caught off guard and the puppet insects jumped onto her.

These wretched little bugs were absolutely disgusting, and they were attacking Lonnie's chest... They kept wriggling, trying to burrow into Lonnie's underwear.

Okay,

To punish Lonnie, Elusia always prepared underwear a size too small for her. Furthermore, the underwear was fitted with a chastity belt, ensuring that no matter how much the insects struggled, Lonnie's private parts could not be violated.

But that peculiar tingling sensation was unavoidable; Lonnie couldn't stand and could only kneel on the ground, murmuring:

"help me……"

"hateful!"

Elusia looked up and observed her surroundings, only to find that the situation on Baiye's side was also very bad.

Although everyone successfully protected the pitcher plant, it did not devour and digest the pitcher insect as expected.

instead……

They became food for the puppet worms!

These puppet insects were incredibly ferocious, tearing at the tender leaves of the grass seedlings... and after they devoured them, strange green patterns appeared on their bodies.

These green markings make the puppet worm even more powerful, and even Cecilu's sharp sword has difficulty cutting it in half.

Moreover, the Green-Striped Puppet Insects are exceptionally resilient; horizontal slashes cannot provide sufficient cutting force, while vertical slashes are too slow to effectively block the swarm.

Before long, several insects broke through the girls' defenses and pounced on them.

"elder sister!"

"Don't worry, I will protect you."

Su Ling was already crying from fright, while Zhou Mixue held her younger sister in her arms, preparing to use her own body to fight against the swarm of insects.

But she wasn't wearing any clothes to begin with, so how could she possibly be a match for so many insects?

The situation seemed to be on the verge of collapse, and the girls were at risk of being swallowed up by the swarm of insects at any moment.

However, Elusia did not make a move.

She simply stood there quietly, neither protecting her companions nor paying attention to Lonnies... instead, she looked in one direction.

Then, with a powerful slash!

"Ahhh!!!"

With a scream, the previously empty mushroom forest was suddenly filled with the figure of a man in black—he was sent flying backward, and jet-black blood gushed out like a faucet.

But Elusia showed no pity whatsoever.

Another sword strike!

The figure in black was cut in half at the waist by Elusia... At this moment, the puppet insects that were originally wriggling began to scatter in chaos, just like Hu Feng who had lost his command.

They attacked and tore at each other, as chaotically as boiling water.

Elusia stepped forward and grabbed the man in black by the chest, saying, "What are you doing?"

"Hehe... Why should I tell you what I'm doing..."

The man in black gave a dry laugh, his pale eyes looking frighteningly shriveled.

"Hmph, you think you can withstand my interrogation? Give it to me..."

A black light appeared around Elusia, seemingly trying to interrogate the man in black using a sensory-depriving illusion.

However, the man in black responded very decisively.

"Self-destruct!"

He didn't even utter a single unnecessary word; he simply ended his own life.

With a crack, the man in black's body exploded like a tumor... Although Elusia retreated immediately, it was too late to interrogate him.

And what about the puppet insects around them?

As if receiving a command, they exploded along with their controllers.

Snap, snap!

Tens of thousands of puppet insects exploded one after another like tens of thousands of firecrackers—black liquid spurted out, accompanied by a fishy stench like that of photinia flowers.

No one knew whether this pitch-black liquid was poisonous or not, but for the safety of her companions, Lonnie gritted her teeth and lunged forward!

Although the silver-haired girl was exhausted, she still shouted with all her might:

"Shield of Embers!"

Lonnies raised her golden shield and stood guard before everyone.

At that moment, all the remaining puppet insects burst open.

Chapter 18 Fox Temple

……

The battle is finally over.

The girls collapsed to the ground, still in shock, gasping for breath.

Even though they won, no one felt any joy; everyone was filled with confusion.

Why……

The power of Rainbow Abyss has failed?

Neither Lonely's Crimson Hammer nor White Coconut's Tree of Ruins seemed to have lost their original effects... Instead, they seemed to have become the energy source for the puppet worms, making the worms even more troublesome.

If it weren't for Elusia's final attack, the girls would have been surrounded by insects and completely devoured.

"A... Elusia..."

"Phew, that man in black must be the one controlling these insects... Once we get rid of him, this place should be safe."

"But?"

"Let's leave first; this isn't the place to talk."

Elusia gradually helped the girls who had fallen to the ground up... Fortunately, thanks to Lonese's protection and Elusia's intervention, none of them were seriously injured.

However, in stark contrast, Lonnies and Elusia were both in a very sorry state.

Their bodies were covered in black slime, and their freshly washed bodies were stained with filth again.

Although the slime didn't seem to be toxic, it had an unpleasant smell... almost like it hadn't been showered for days.

"Elusia, are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine. But..."

"but……?"

"Hmph, your reaction just now was not bad, although it was a little slow, but I'll still give you a thumbs up."

The girls emerged from the mushroom forest, where the lizardmen had been waiting for them for a long time.

"God, Divine Envoy, how... how could you do this?"

Lonnies, covered in filth, left the lizardmen somewhat bewildered... However, Elusia stepped forward and said sternly, "Don't you know what you're supposed to do?"

"what?"

"The divine messenger has already purified those insects. Why don't you quickly prepare some hot water to help the divine messenger cleanse his body?"

"Received, I'll be right there!"

An hour later,

The exhausted girls sat in a spacious room.

Although it looks rather simple and lacks luxurious wooden furniture, it is the cleanest and most formal house in the lizardman village.

Normally, this hall is used by the lizard people for their worship ceremonies, but now it is used as a resting place for Miss Fox and her servants.

……

"Elusia, shall we stay here temporarily?"

"Yes, Lizard Village contains too many mysteries, and we must figure them out."

……

After washing herself, Elusia came over, still a little wet.

They successfully saved the mushroom forest and naturally received a warm welcome from the lizardman villagers—the excited villagers not only brought down hot spring water in water tanks, but also offered freshly cooked mushroom soup for everyone to enjoy.

However, Lornish felt a sense of unease, because she knew that what had just happened was far from simple.

……

"Elcia, why..."

"Hmm, you want to ask why the puppet worms we saw this time are different from the last one, right? It's simple, because this time, the enemy deliberately ambushed us."

"W-what?!"

"The underworld is the enemy's home ground. So the enemy is in the dark, while we are in the light. Our every move should be under their watchful eye."

"!"

"Knowing that we would help the lizardmen, they set up an ambush on the enemy in the lizardmen's mushroom forest."

"Is the enemy's goal to capture us?"