The thing that came out of the ground and swallowed Junia and the bugman had a black shell and a huge body. It looked like a huge cylinder.
However, the front end of the cylinder would not have mouthparts that were opening and closing and wriggling, nor would there be rows of densely packed teeth that grew chaotically in the mouthparts, protruding outwards and splashing out disgusting liquid.
To Jessica, the only good news about this scene was that the liquid wasn't red. Junia and the Bugman were swallowed whole. That huge mouth could easily swallow them without tearing them apart to make it easier for the mouth to swallow them.
But this wasn't good news either. At least for now, it definitely wasn't good news.
Jessica didn't think she could deal with the monster in front of her alone.
Its body was huge, and its outer shell rubbed against the ground without leaving any marks on it. Swords and sabers were probably useless against it.
Moreover, its speed was very fast. After swallowing Junia, it slid on the ground and swept away the ruins on the side with its body, clearing out a flat space. With such a creature living nearby, it wasn't strange for this place to become like this.
This space was spacious enough, but Jessica couldn't see its full appearance. She could only see part of the creature's body sliding on the ground, then sliding into another hole that could fit its body, and just like that, it disappeared.
It took a long time for it to burrow into the ground and leave. Only the mess was left behind after the black shell had left the space.
It had only appeared for a short period of time, but it had left an indelible mark on this place. It had also left a mark in Jessica and Zendina's hearts.
"What, what is that?"
Zendina hid behind Jessica. She was so nervous that she almost couldn't speak. "That length doesn't look like something an insect should have. If it's spread out, that thing might be the size of an ordinary dragon, right?"
It seemed that even in her panic, Zendina didn't forget to estimate the size of the monster that emerged from the ground.
"We're in big trouble. I don't want to tell others that Captain died in a strange place and didn't even have a corpse." Jessica rushed toward the hole where the monster had left, but she was intercepted halfway.
In the darkness, a group of small creatures flew to her side. The anxious Jessica didn't lose her vigilance. She immediately stopped, raised her hand, and aimed at her surroundings to use Firebeam.
This time, Firebeam was no longer used to control the scale of the firepower and magic consumption. Firebeam as thick as an adult male's fist shot out from Jessica's hand and swept the fan-shaped space in front of her.
Under the illumination of the fire, she saw clearly what was flying toward her. It was a moth with wings, but moths wouldn't be so fat, and they definitely wouldn't have such sharp forelimbs.
No matter how she looked at it, the waving claws wrapped in a carapace didn't look like the claws of an insect...........
Firebeam swept across the bodies of the moths. Their bodies were burned by the flames, making sizzling sounds as they fell to the ground.
After sweeping away the moths in front of her, Jessica put her palms together, turned around, and burned the strange moths flying behind her to the ground.
Zendina crawled and rolled to Jessica's feet. She grabbed Jessica's leg armor with both hands, still in shock. "Wait, don't leave me behind!"
When jESSICA saw her respected captain being swallowed by that giant worm, in a moment of panic, she almost forgot about the little girl beside her.
Now was not the time for her to blame herself. She freed her hands, grabbed Zendina's collar, and lifted her up. "Stay by my side. Don't get lost!"
Jessica let Zendina stay by her side, but she didn't know what to do next.
Jump down that hole to find Captain?
She didn't think that Captain was a man who would die so easily. He was a hero that no one dared to question. He had encountered more dangerous situations before, but this time, he was swallowed by a monster …
Although she didn't believe that Junia would die like this, Jessica couldn't dispel the uneasiness in her heart when she saw him disappear.
She still had Zendina, who was a burden, by her side. Should she give up her pride as a knight and give up on this little girl?
The strange moths were no longer a threat to her. She took the rapier and magic book from her waist in her hands. She held the book in her left hand and the rapier in her right.
She didn't dare to be optimistic. She didn't think that she would be safe from now on. In a place like this where a giant monster was lurking underground, there was no safety to speak of.
The strange moths dispersed, and something attacked her from behind.
Jessica protected Zendina behind her and turned to face the attacker. Then, she saw the deformed face and the open mouthpart.
The bug man that was swallowed along with Junia raised his long staff and attacked her abdomen.
Jessica's magic book opened automatically. She didn't have a wand in her hand, but there was a gem on the hilt of her rapier. She didn't need a wand. Her gem could also be used as a catalyst for casting spells.
She was only good at a few spells that didn't require a catalyst to cast, and they were lacking in offensive power. To deal with this kind of malicious attack, she needed a more powerful spell …
However, Jessica's quick and short incantation had no effect. There wasn't even a fluctuation of magic power.
The blue magic in the claw-like front of the long staff that was suddenly thrusting at her was flickering with a faint light.
Mages couldn't deal with a crisis without magic. But Jessica was never a mage in the purest sense. She was also a knight.
After determining that magic couldn't be used, she raised her rapier and stabbed at the bug man. She dodged the long staff that was thrusting at her. She used her left arm that was holding the magic book to catch the long staff, and then stabbed the rapier at its head.
It was a perfect response, but the bug man's response was more intense than she expected. The bug man let out an ear-piercing shriek and lifted the long staff along with Jessica, pushing her away from the ground.
Jessica was shocked that her technique of controlling the opponent's weapon was countered in this way. But before she let go, the long staff flashed with blue light, and a lightning-like energy was released from the front end and spread toward Jessica's body.
When the energy came into contact with Jessica's body, she screamed.
She felt as if she had been hit by a lightning spell. Her skin felt as if it had exploded, and her hands and feet twitched uncontrollably.
From Zendina's point of view, Jessica looked as if she had been stabbed by a spear. She was lifted high in the air to withstand the lightning strikes.
The lightning didn't flash for long, and Jessica soon quieted down.
She was thrown to the side after losing consciousness. The bug man turned to look at Zendina.