Surrounded by a dense mass of plants, Technorg burst out laughing. "I was just worrying about not having any opponents, and you delivered yourselves right to me! Perfect. I'll use you to warm up!"
"Gwen, protect the others. Leave these plants to me."
With that, Technorg strode forward on his tank-like frame, surging ahead with overwhelming force as he charged straight into the horde.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
His hardened flail roared through the air, each swing whipping up a fierce gale. One punch was enough to smash a Chomper flat.
Several Chompers lunged in, their fanged jaws clamping down hard on Technorg's arm. Sparks flew as their teeth scraped against him, producing a sharp, grating screech.
With a violent shake, Technorg shattered them instantly. They burst into countless purple petals that scattered through the air—
only to be devoured by other mutated plants and swallowed whole.
Clack!
An icy-blue pea, radiating biting cold, slammed into Technorg's back, erupting in a cloud of piercing white frost.
His body stiffened, eyes widening.
His speed began to drop, as if his blood had frozen solid.
The force of his flail swings weakened. His movements grew sluggish. Even dodging became slower and slower.
Seizing the opportunity, a swarm of plants threw themselves onto Technorg, attacking him in a frenzy, determined to tear him apart.
Technorg roared, his golden eyes blazing even brighter as a beastlike power surged from within.
He drove out a heavy, deliberate punch, blasting apart every vicious plant in front of him.
Then he spun around, eyes fierce, locking onto a Snow Pea.
Blue energy was gathering in its mouth.
That was the one that had hit him earlier, drastically slowing him down.
Whoosh!
A jade-green water arrow shot through the air, piercing straight through the Snow Pea's head.
Its eyes bulged, and its body slowly went limp, all life draining away.
"Ben, I'll deal with the ranged plants. You focus on the rest."
Gwen unleashed her Water Magic, continuously striking at the distant plants.
Technorg froze for a moment, then grinned and nodded. "Nerd, don't steal my spotlight!"
With that, he kicked off the ground, charging forward like a wild horse breaking free of its reins.
His raging flail crashed down again and again, each strike wiping out large swaths of plants with staggering force.
Yet the mutated plants showed no fear. They moved like puppets controlled by some unseen presence, relentless and unyielding.
A black mushroom with blood-red eyes quietly slipped up beside Technorg.
"Huh? Pitch-black? Scram, loser." Technorg shot it a glance.
He immediately swung his massive hammer down.
The pitch-black, blood-eyed mushroom rapidly swelled.
A jet-black light burst forth, enveloping Technorg and swallowing him in destructive energy.
Doom-shroom!
"Ben!"
Gwen reached out, about to rush forward.
Violent black energy erupted from the center of the explosion, sweeping outward and annihilating large numbers of surrounding plants.
The terrifying shockwave, mixed with shattered limbs and debris, surged toward them like a raging tidal wave.
Gritting her teeth, Gwen cast the Water Bubble Spell, shielding the others behind her and blocking the oncoming storm.
After a long while, the winds finally died down.
The battlefield was in ruins, littered with plant remains—jagged teeth, scattered petals, severed limbs…
Green slime streamed across the ground, forming rivulets that flowed into the dark forest.
A massive crater yawned at the center of the field.
Amid the charred earth, Technorg clutched his chest and slowly rose to his feet.
His body was scorched black, the skin on his chest torn open, thin lines of blood seeping out.
Annoyed, Technorg slammed a fist into the ground.
Damn it. I was careless.
The Doom-shroom's explosion was truly terrifying.
In terms of sheer destructive power, the Doom-shroom was no weaker than the Cherry Bomb.
At that moment, a Cob Cannon slowly rolled forward.
Its emerald-green casing bulged as a golden ear of corn condensed inside, brimming with dense energy and giving off a faintly sweet scent.
The Cob Cannon's mouth twitched, then it suddenly spat it out.
Boom!
The massive golden cob, wrapped in overwhelming energy, plunged down like a ferocious burrowing dragon, slamming straight toward Technorg in the crater.
Battle intent flared in Technorg's eyes.
"Perfect. A bonus snack for me!"
He thrust out an iron palm and caught the corn head-on.
Then he brought it to his mouth and started gnawing on it with gusto, clearly enjoying himself.
"Not bad. Would've been even better with a sprinkle of cumin," Technorg said between bites.
In the distance, the Cob Cannon trembled with rage.
It fired off several more corn shells in quick succession, determined to kill this infuriating opponent at any cost.
Technorg's expression shifted. He swung his flail with full force, smashing apart the incoming corn shells one after another, barely managing to steady himself.
Two or three dozen Wall-nuts, round and solid with incredibly tough shells, bulldozed through the plants in their path and all hurtled toward Technorg.
He shattered them one by one with his hammer, his blows brutally powerful.
Gwen chanted a spell and unleashed Water Magic.
Large numbers of Snow Peashooters and Peashooters fell one after another.
The Water Dragon Soul roared past, detonating Ice-shrooms and Doom-shrooms ahead of time while wiping out many mutated plants in the blast.
Gilbert gripped a baseball bat, screaming as he charged forward, clashing head-on with the Mushroom Zombie.
Andy and Mandy scooped up stones from the ground and hurled them at any enemy they saw.
Some plants didn't have strong defenses, and the rocks proved surprisingly effective.
At times, a single throw was enough to take down a Peashooter.
Technorg stomped a Chomper flat and was about to press the attack.
Suddenly, a red Jalapeno darted to the edge of his foot.
The Jalapeno grinned as its body rapidly swelled.
Boom!
From the Jalapeno's position, a blinding column of fire burst out in a straight line, surging forward with scorching heat.
Technorg slammed his fist into the ground, sending out a powerful shockwave.
The blazing wave of fire was instantly dispersed by the shockwave, breaking apart into scattered sparks that faded in midair.
As time went on, the number of surrounding mutated plants steadily decreased. Fewer than fifty remained.
Technorg's body was astonishingly tough. Even after being bombarded by explosive plants, he was still able to keep fighting.
Like an undefeated war god, he stood firm and unshaken.
At some point, a colorful mushroom appeared in front of him.
A faint halo shimmered around it, alluring and almost hypnotic. Threads of indescribable fragrance drifted from its body.
The Hypno-shroom.
Technorg took just one breath of it, and his head immediately grew light.
His limbs stopped obeying him, carrying him forward step by step.
Greed flickered in his eyes, as if he had become someone else. He reached out, grabbed the Hypno-shroom, and swallowed it whole...