Why Am I a Priestess When I Reach the Maximum Level?

[Vol. 5] Chapter 243 - Blood Tree

[Vol. 5] Chapter 243: Blood Tree

“Can we find it?”

Seeing her master looking over, the dragon girl, who shared a connection with Violet, immediately nodded in understanding, then hesitated and shook her head.

“I can smell the rich scent lingering around here, but… those guys are very cunning. They deliberately spread the scent all over this forest, so it might be difficult to accurately track them.”

“Is that so? Seems like they’re seasoned.”

But it didn’t matter much. Completely hiding and covering up the traces of a crime isn’t an easy task.

Soon, everyone finished checking the bodies scattered around, which had been brutally drained of blood, and under the suggestion of Mr. Dead Soul, they roughly arranged them together.

“There are a total of fourteen people: five humans, two Tree Spirit Tribe, and the rest are various hybrids. Among them, three are clearly dressed as clerics, but it’s a bit strange…”

Simply put, the Mr. Dead Soul crouched down, found the body of the Knight Templar he had initially approached, who had been stabbed through the heart with a dagger and nailed to a tree. He pushed aside the knight’s neck armor and looked puzzled.

“Look, even though he’s a holy knight, he isn’t wearing a holy emblem, and there’s no holy seal found nearby.”

“The holy emblem and holy seal are fundamental and symbolic gear for followers of the goddess. They not only represent one’s identity but also significantly weaken the strength of faith-based magic used by clerics without them, lowering their overall power. This is a major taboo in battle.”

At the same time, Miss Dark Spirit, who was checking and organizing the other bodies, added, “The captain is right. This cleric and arbiter are in the same situation. Given the roles of the three, they likely belong to the same small team.”

The white fox girl stared at the corpses in deep thought, while a certain dragon girl stood beside her, seeming indifferent. After a moment of silence, only Theresa quickly spoke up to avoid the awkwardness, diving into a topic she wasn’t particularly skilled at.

“Uh, could it have been taken by the enemy later?”

The grey-clad swordsman stood up, his expression serious as he shook his head.

“It’s possible, but the likelihood is low. The holy emblems and seals of the goddess’s followers, apart from the six-winged emblem, don’t hold much extra value. It’s said that they are merely a medium for communicating with the goddess, and when issued, they bind to the holder to a certain extent, making it difficult for others to use.”

“At least as far as I know, very few would specifically try to seize the holy emblems and seals of the goddess’s followers, especially after a battle has ended.”

“Eh… is that so?”

“It is.”

The one who connected the conversation was none other than Violet, who had been pretending to ponder all this time.

She turned her silver-blue gaze toward the group, who had just been drawn in by her voice.

“Just to ask, is there anyone here who can use faith-based magic?”

“…?”

Seeing everyone exchange glances and nod in unison, the white fox girl, who had wanted to confirm a possibility she had just noticed, could only give up helplessly.

Indeed… Ultimately, there aren’t any proper followers of the goddess here.

If only Edwina were here.

Putting aside the matter of the holy emblems and seals, overall, among these unfortunate souls who were attacked and drained of their blood, there are two distinct causes of death.

About two-thirds of them, like the female tree spirit she first saw, were directly pierced in the neck or vital parts of their bodies by sharp, chisel-like objects, and bled out completely.

However, there are also some, like the three clergy members noticed by Mr. Dead Soul, who were first killed by daggers or similar weapons, and then their blood was similarly taken afterward.

Though these are just small details, they at least indicate one thing: that special sharp object cannot truly be considered a weapon, its greater function is likely just to draw blood. Therefore, when facing individuals with significant combat power, this additional step becomes necessary.

In any case, let’s go check that place out first.

After glancing up at the countless bats perched among the treetops, Miss White Fox decided not to pay them any more mind and turned to walk ahead.

“Everyone follow me. Be careful, there might be a battle up ahead.”

“Ah, Miss Dawn…”

From behind, Mr. Dead Soul’s voice trailed off as if hesitating. Violet glanced back at him, but he didn’t continue speaking, so the white fox girl chose not to say anything further.

After they had walked for a while, a certain grey-clad swordsman, who hadn’t immediately followed, finally reappeared at the back of the group, hastening to catch up.

Violet observed the dirt smeared across his body from the corner of her eye and roughly guessed his earlier intentions.

Unexpectedly, he’s quite a decent guy, even though he’s just a lolicon…

The journey continued in silence.

After about ten minutes of walking, under the guidance of the white fox girl, they arrived at the depths of the forest.

As they parted the shrubs and tree shade that obscured their view, soon a supergiant tree, far more robust and towering than the other ancient trees, almost capable of blocking out the sun and nearing the scale of the Divine Tree at the gateway to the Ten Thousand Demons Mountains, suddenly appeared before them.

“Wow, this tree is indeed strange~”

Miss White Fox, the first to stop, stepped out from the bushes, chuckling as she looked up.

“What is this thing?!”

“Oh my goodness…”

Behind her, the other members, who had originally followed without fully understanding her purpose, were now enveloped in confusion and shock.

It’s not just the giant tree’s imposing and epic stature that catches the eye, but also its incredibly bizarre shape.

The leaves and bark of this tree were red.

The bright red shade spread out like blood across the sky, casting a much denser shadow than the other ancient trees.

It was as if everyone standing beneath it had been transported back to the outskirts of the St. Bergen Mountains, witnessing the shocking sight of a blood-colored veil covering the heavens.

The main trunk, resembling a colossal pillar, had numerous strands spreading upward like blood vessels, and the branches swayed gently as if they had a heartbeat. This instinctively made the observers feel that this tree was a living entity with self-awareness.

No, it was not an illusion.

The words spoken not long ago by a certain green-haired girl naturally surfaced in everyone’s minds, and even she herself, after another moment of slight daze, let out a panicked cry of “Eep!”

“Hey, focus!”

*Clap, clap!*

As if she hadn’t sensed the oppressive and eerie atmosphere around her, the white fox girl clapped her hands. Her calm, clear voice rang out like a celestial sound unexpectedly breaking through the darkness of a ghostly realm.

“…!”

With the interference of this external force, the group from the [Reaper’s Scythe], including Mr. Dead Soul, finally exhaled in relief, realizing the significance of what had just occurred.

“How could such a dense aura of blood and killing intent manifest on a tree???”

With a flash of blue light in her beautiful eyes, Theresa, seemingly having just escaped from a peculiar atmosphere, suddenly turned pale and hurriedly shouted a warning!

“Everyone be careful! This old tree has been tainted by some external force and has gone mad!”

As soon as her words fell—

“Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish!!!!!”

Countless rustling sounds, followed closely by the sound of blades cutting through the air, erupted from the shadow of the blood-red giant tree, transforming into dense black figures that were nearly indistinguishable to the naked eye. They surged forward like wild beasts roaring in frenzy, simultaneously attacking every living being standing beneath its shade!

“Fourth Sword, Rain Curtain!”

A long sword pierced the air, instantly dividing into thousands, resembling a fine curtain of rain meeting the chaotic black figures that rained down from above. The eerie, serpent-like blood-red branches that had spread out from the trees.

Countless illusory swords clashed with the blood branches in mid-air, cutting and creating a cacophony of harsh, drum-like slicing sounds!

“This thing seems to drain blood! It might be the mastermind behind the earlier attacks on those people. Be careful not to get hit!”