Reincarnated as a Mushroom?

Chapter 35: The War Reaches Its Climax

The Mushroom King now stands before the shattered remains of an unearthly trumpet instrument.

The realization struck immediately.

"The secret treasure…" Lilith whispered, her breath catching. "The Mushroom King's secret treasure… has been destroyed."

Gilheim moved closer to her while his eyes sparkled with new curiosity as his hands formed a prayer-like position.

"What," he asked slowly, "was that trumpet?"

Lilith swallowed. "It was… the artifact he used to revive his army."

The room became completely silent.

The implications were clear.

The trumpet blast brought all dead mushrooms back to life. The trumpet served as the foundation for their eternal fighting force.

And now.

It was gone.

A soft breath escaped Gilheim's lips as his mouth showed a faint movement.

"Interesting," he murmured.

The battlefield maintained its state of burning below.

The military situation had undergone a fundamental change.

The battlefield transformed into a destructive chaos of carnage during the previous moments. The sneezing mushrooms launched their artillery barrage across the terrain which forced human warriors to seek protection. But now something had changed.

From his vantage point at the top of his domain the Mushroom King personally observed the event. The assassin mushroom's charge attack found its target which unleashed a destructive force beyond magical or sword-based attacks.

His most valuable possession the trumpet now lay in pieces.

The Mushroom King showed his first sign of emotional change. His typically unflustered calculating stare showed a momentary break.

And then.

A wave of something unnatural washed over the battlefield.

The mushrooms felt it.

Their bodies experienced a new sensation of emptiness that had never occurred before. A severed connection.

It was subtle at first. A minor disturbance. A slight hesitation in their movements. But then.

One of them fell.

The soldier mushroom which had survived previous battles against warriors suffered numerous attacks before its demise. But it always got back up. It always regenerated. The trumpet had ensured that.

But now.

The soldier remained still.

The body made one brief movement before becoming completely motionless.

For the first time since the battle began a mushroom had died.

Panic spread like wildfire among the ranks of the Mushroom King's army.

One after another, mushrooms began falling. Those that had been cut down before the ones who had risen time and time again stayed on the ground this time.

The warriors, who had been struggling desperately against the endless waves of mushroom soldiers, began to notice the change.

At first, they didn't understand. They had fought against these creatures for what felt like an eternity, watching them rise no matter how many times they were cut down. But now.

Now the fallen stayed fallen.

One of the human warriors hesitated for a moment, then struck down another mushroom and when it did not rise, his eyes widened in realization.

"They're not coming back," he breathed.

Another warrior noticed the same thing. "THEY'RE NOT REVIVING ANYMORE!" he roared.

A moment of uncertainty flickered through the Mushroom King's army.

And in that moment.

The humans charged.

They saw their chance. The warriors, who had fought on the brink of exhaustion, felt a surge of newfound strength. The endless enemy that had overwhelmed them just moments ago was no longer invincible.

One by one, the mushrooms began to fall.

The Mushroom King watched in silence.

From above, in the flying ship, Gilheim leaned back in his throne, watching the battle unfold through the crystal ball.

"So that was the key to their regeneration," he mused. "That trumpet... was their anchor."

Lilith's hands were still trembling slightly from the revelation. "Without it… they're just like any other monster."

Naya, the level sixty-four ninja, clenched his fists. "Then what are we waiting for?" he said sharply. "If this is our chance, we should strike now!"

Borka, the level sixty-seven gunslinger, chuckled as he reloaded his revolver. "Tch. And here I thought you were the one whining about helping the weaklings below."

Naya shot him a glare but said nothing.

The high priestess Marian observed the proceedings without speaking as she watched everything take place.

Lilith faced Gilheim to wait for his response. The guild had an opportunity to finish the entire war before the Mushroom King could respond because the battle below was approaching its decisive moment.

The fire mage spent a prolonged period without speaking as he tapped his fingers on his throne's armrest.

Then he smiled.

"Not yet."

Lilith frowned. "What?"

Gilheim's eyes gleamed with amusement. The Mushroom King will reveal his next move.

The battlefield became a scene of complete disorder while burning spore scents mixed with fresh blood permeated the air. The battlefield resounded with the continuous shrieks and war cries of mushrooms who fought with every ability and size they possessed. The secret treasure of the Mushroom King became worthless fragments after its destruction during the battle.

The floating ship cast a dark shadow across the land from its position above the battlefield. And inside, the leader of the guild Gilheim, a fire mage of level 129 rose from his throne. His golden robes reflected the dim light while his solitary manner dictated absolute control over everything.

"It's done," he muttered. His voice showed composure while hidden throughout his statement was a deeper sense of importance. His intense stare moved across the room as his subordinates remained in a state of nervous tension.

The leader made his announcement after a brief period.

"Descend."

No hesitation. No unnecessary words. The guild's most powerful warriors followed orders without hesitation as a single unit.

The assassin who destroyed the treasure showed a tiny wicked grin while its chaotic movements cut through enemy soldiers on the battlefield. Its movements were precise, merciless. The act of combat transformed into a brutal massacre.

The most powerful warriors eventually faced an inevitable end.

A sudden barrage of gunfire erupted, cutting through the air with deafening force. The assassin's body jerked violently as bullets tore through its flesh, its limbs twisting unnaturally before collapsing to the ground.

The battlefield stood still for a fleeting moment. Then, the source of the attack emerged.