Chapter 368: People Do Improve
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
After the chaos in the woods had pa.s.sed, Baiyi did a little digging and learned more about the Rock Druid’s background.
Its main body was an ore mountain lining situated at the border between the Fairy Kingdom and the dwarves’ nation. After a while, some rare minerals were discovered on the mountain, leading to a mad scramble between dwarven powers to mine the precious and scarce minerals. The loss the Rock Druid had suffered during this time was no less than the loss Grandfather Tree had just suffered because of G.o.dsfall.
The situation was too dire for one to think of honoring the age-old oath. The Rock Druid pleaded with the traditionalist fairies, who he considered his allies, for help, but all he received in reply was silence. The leaders of the traditionalist fairy settlements were too concerned about their positions and traditions to help.
In the end, it was the Wise Mad King’s troops who came to the Rock Druid’s rescue. The battle was hard fought, but the fairies still emerged victoriously; they ended up expanding the Kingdom’s borders even further, into territory that used to belong to the dwarves.
After this, it was no surprise to anyone that the great druid would choose to side with those who had come to his rescue. The alliance with the Rock Druid must have been what stoked the Wise Mad King’s desire to bring the traditionalist fairies over to his side. The Rock Druid had proved indispensable to the Wise Mad King, for the information he provided had improved the king’s plan by leaps and bounds.
“That was when I realized the truth; his Majesty is the best hope for all fairies. As that is the case, I’m more than honored to fight by his side!” The Rock Druid declared with a monotonous tone of voice. “We’ve known each other for so long, so don’t make me end you. Give up the surviving fairies and the human outsiders.”
“If you honestly consider the Wise Mad King your priority, then honor the fact that protecting these fairies and humans are my priorities. Nevertheless, talk is cheap; let me show how far I am willing to go in order to protect those I prioritize above all!” Mr. Bear cried, activating his strange power.
Different forms of rocks suddenly broke off from the earth’s crust and rushed upward till they were above ground, then they continued to rise into the sky. Soon, the sky was completely shrouded by a sea of floating rocks, making for a horrifying sight, and after a few moments, these rocks began to plummet at high speed, straight at the Wise Mad King’s elite troops. It was as though the bear planned to stone its enemies to death!
“Rocks? Pathetic. Who do you think I am?” The Rock Druid laughed scornfully before waving its hand casually. The rocks instantly halted in midair, then they changed course, flying towards the surviving Eom villagers. Suddenly, a stone dome rose from the ground, encompa.s.sing the surviving villagers and the humans.
Mr. Bear pouted its lips and waved its paw again. The earth below the feet of the enemies melted in a quagmire and crumbled under the weight of the troop and their weapons. Screams reverberated through the area as some were swallowed whole by the mud.
“Enough with your foolish parlor tricks!” The Rock Druid roared and slammed its boulder-like fist onto the group. Huge boulders blasted out of the mire, bringing with them those who sunk into the mud moments before.
“You! Cannot! Win me this way!” The Rock Druid bellowed. It raised its boulder-like fist and charged at Mr. Bear.
Wild gra.s.s sprung out of the ground in front of the Rock Druid and weaved itself into a web big enough to trap the enormous, golem-like druid. Mr. Bear seized this opportunity to retreat backward.
“Hilarious!” The Rock Druid guffawed scornfully. “You have no idea how the new powers I have been bestowed work.”
A strange olive-green flame surged from the Rock Druid’s body and incinerated the wild gra.s.s that had it trapped.
Mr. Bear’s face darkened. Its powers were mysterious enough to puzzle even Baiyi; however, they were not meant for battle. The bear was a pacifist who was adept in the Gnosis of Nature; it did not dabble in the art of killing. Its power could only support or frighten; that was all.
Furthermore, in the wilderness they were currently in, only rocks could be used as weapons. However, their enemy was a Rock Druid, who was capable of manipulating rocks more than they ever could, giving it an overwhelming advantage in this battle. Now, Mr.Bear also had to deal with the olive-green flames.
Those who wielded metaphysical powers had similar flaws. Although they revered nature, metaphysical powers had very little offensive capabilities, limiting what their users could do in battle. Although sorcerers were unable to use very strange techniques like metaphysical users, they excelled in battle, much more than the former. Hence, nature-loving druids were almost no match for sorcery. 1
These nature pract.i.tioners have always been more adept at psychological warfare, making them and their powers unpredictable. However, once the mystery that shrouded them was lifted, these druids become vulnerable. This was the reason why Mr. Bear was not at the mercy of the Rock Druid, who had gained a new power from G.o.dsfall.
The Wise Mad King really had left no stone unturned in his bid for success. The three guardians of the village had been completely suppressed. All that was left was for his elite troop to march into the crowd of defenseless fairies.
When the Fairy Commander of the Wise Mad King’s elite troop saw Mr. Bear being pressured by the Rock Druid, he knew it was time to lead the elite troop into battle. He led his team past the suppressed Mr. Bear, charging towards the survivors of the Eom Village attack.
“We’re all fairies!” The charging elite team cried out. “Surrender! Do not fight us!”
The Wise Mad King had directed them to kill some of the survivors, then capture the others to be used as hostages; this way, if other traditionalist fairy settlements got wind of everything, they would be unable to step in. Furthermore, with hostages, they could pressure Nydore to surrender, as well. Hence, the elite team moved to capture some hostages before slaying the rest.
It was at this moment that Little Mia stepped forward, coming to stand in front of Eom Village’s fairies. With the hammerhead shark plus.h.i.+e clutched tight, cold fury flooded her face as she yelled, “Don’t touch my friends!”
The Fairy Commander of the enemy troop froze momentarily, then an expression of bemus.e.m.e.nt crossed his face. This girl was their target, after all, and she had just presented herself to them. In a fit of joy, he instantly ordered his archers to fire at her.
The sky darkened as arrows soared upwards, with every one of them seemingly aimed at the little girl’s chest. Right when they were about to strike home, the hammerhead shark plus.h.i.+e wrigged out of Mia’s arms and soared into the air.
An ancient and solemn voice echoed from its mouth. “The Lord sayeth: defend the weak out of compa.s.sion…”
Suddenly, as though at its behest, the soaring arrows began to drop to the ground, like hovering blades of wild gra.s.s succ.u.mbing to the laws of gravity.
The plus.h.i.+e flapped its stout fins and somersaulted twice in midair before saying, ” The Lord sayeth: be courageous when faced with evil…”
Golden s.h.i.+mmers suddenly appeared deep within the bodies of the surviving fairies. It was a blessing, which made every fairy of Eom Village feel they could knock out a bull with a single punch. The st.u.r.dy stone wall in front of them, which was as indestructible as the Western Wall on Earth, crumbled from a random fairy’s pus.h.!.+
“Isn’t this… Word of G.o.d?” Laeticia stared blankly at the hammerhead shark plus.h.i.+e, which was now hovering above Mia’s head, with disbelief.
The ‘Word of G.o.d’ was the highest ranked theurgical magic spell in existence. It was far more potent than other kinds of theurgical magic spells cast by regular priests. If theurgical magic spells were ranked with the metric of society, such that the weakest was grade one and the strongest was grade 7, Word of G.o.d would akin to an eighth-grade magic spell!
This was not something that could be performed by just about anyone from the Church. It was an ability that could only be used by the highest ranks of the Church; today, only the Bishop or a Saint could use it. Who would have thought that a hammerhead shark plus.h.i.+e would able to cast it, too?
Baiyi was just as shocked when he saw this. If the Saint Joel of old had been present on that battlefield, it would have been understandable that such high-level theurgical magic spells were cast. After all, in his time, the apostle had ventured into a demon-filled abyss alone. Only someone insanely powerful would be brave enough to undertake such a missionary task.
However, the Cleric Walker of today had long since abandoned the faith he had once held, becoming the pervert he now was. Hence, it was incredible he had been able to perform such high-level theurgical magic. In Baiyi’s eyes, he was a Voidwalker who only specialized in perverted deeds.
‘Wow; is their G.o.d oblivious to everything the Cleric Walker has been doing so far? If this G.o.d were to partic.i.p.ate in a Starcraft tournament, he would probably end up in the Korean team, wouldn’t he?’
However, the Cleric Walker seemed eager to refute his naysayers on this issue. “The only faith I abandoned were those which mortals adhere to! Those commandments written in the book are cleverly disguised man-made laws! I don’t believe in those, and that has not changed the fact that I can cast theurgical spells just fine!”
‘Alright. It’s not like I buy that pile of bull, but…’ Baiyi paused and continued watching the Cleric Walker’s recollection.
With the Cleric’s powerful spell on their side, the skirmish began to veer in favor of the fairies from Eom Village. Every long ranged attack deployed by the enemy elite troop, such as arrows and spells, were destroyed by the plus.h.i.+e, leaving close combat the only viable option the enemies could employ. However, against the fairies of Eom Village who had been blessed with strength boosts, the chances of a huge upset for the enemies increased!
Laeticia stepped forward to join Mia. She instantly activated the personal theurgical spell pa.s.sed to her by the Cleric Walker, and suddenly, she turned into an angel with wings of light. The power that accompanied her transformation allowed her to provide her allies with defense boosts and frequent health restoration.
Tisdale, on the other hand, swung the magical staves Baiyi had gifted them. Then, her, Mia, Nota, and Vidomina began to chant, casting elemental spells at the enemy with precise accuracy!
Baiyi, who believed that skill was not always sufficient to win battles, made sure to equip his students with the best equipment and gears available. The students had always undergone high-level training from Baiyi and teamwork training from Aya, so they were far more powerful now than they were given credit for. Even G.o.dsfall had underestimated them, thinking they were nothing more than mere decoration.
However, the girls had become a force to be reckoned with.