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[Vol. 5] Chapter 244 - The Madness of Corrosion
[Vol. 5] Chapter 244 - The Madness of Corrosion
[Vol. 5] Chapter 244: The Madness of Corrosion
“…These guys are quite eager, not treating themselves as outsiders at all.”
Violet, who had initially intended to personally test the opponent’s skill level, momentarily abandoned the idea when she saw [Reaper’s Scythe] and others intercept most of the attacks first.
The reason was simple: while merely watching might not make it obvious, once engaged in combat, the lethal force of those blood-red branches became immediately apparent.
This thing wasn’t as formidable as expected. Though somewhat unique, it was ultimately still within the realm of a “tree.”
Judging from its aura and the way it interacted with the Reaper’s Scythe team, even without her and the dragon girl, the team alone could probably defeat it if they tried hard enough.
As for what Mr. Dead Soul had said earlier that this entity was responsible for killing those people from the Holy Empire. Miss Priestess found it hard to agree with that assessment.
The reasoning was simple: in the absence of unexpected powers, although the blood-red tree branches were dense, long, and had considerable reach and attack force, even with tips that matched the fatal wounds found on those people…
…the distance between here and that battlefield was thousands of meters in a straight line.
Unless this tree could grow legs and walk around, it would be impossible for it to attack such a distant place.
Moreover, the dragon girl had mentioned that the assailant’s scent was dispersed all throughout this primeval forest.
So, this was simply a native plant that had undergone a special mutation due to some external power, rather than being the culprit behind the eerie atmosphere in the forest.
“Is it the ley lines, after all? But under normal circumstances, it wouldn’t make sense to dig such a deep hole…”
Murmuring to herself, the girl flipped her palm upward. Concealed by her body, a miniature tree transformed into a silver short blade and leaped into her grasp.
As if oblivious to the countless blood-red branches above, which repeatedly attacked only to be blocked by Reaper’s Scythe and others, Violet raised the silver blade above her head, looking around as if searching for something.
The short blade soon emitted a particularly brilliant silver glow.
“Oh! There really is something?”
Exchanging a glance with her dragon, Miss White Fox tilted her head, looking at the grey-clad swordsman, who was intently controlling a spectral sword to fend off enemies.
“Mr. Dead Soul, I’ll leave this one outside to you all. Shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
“Outside…?”
Momentarily distracted by trying to decipher White Fox’s words, the curtain of rain-like swords in the sky briefly showed an opening, allowing several sharp branches to break through. Startled, Mr. Dead Soul quickly dodged in a fluster, unable to think further and hastily called back, “No problem!”
“Good, I feel reassured seeing you so confident.”
Nodding in satisfaction, Violet followed the silver blade’s guidance forward, approaching the main trunk of the blood tree. She gestured to the somewhat confused Theresa and Eudora to follow her.
“Swish!”
The blade cut through the empty space before her, slicing open a passageway of sorts that quickly enveloped the four girls.
……………………
“Clack.”
When they reappeared, Violet and her companions found themselves standing on a solid stone floor.
Holding Eudora’s small hand, Miss White Fox looked around.
It was a dark and spacious room.
The walls and ceiling were made of dark gray bricks, with countless blood-red branches of varying thicknesses seeping out from the ground and wall cracks, entwining and climbing over them. The only contrast to this gloomy scene was the faintly glowing silver-white magic circle under the girls’ feet.
Silver was a common color for spatial magic and items, and from the patterns, Violet could easily identify it. This place… the end of the connected pathway was likely a typical short-range teleportation magic array used in the outside world.
In other words, this wasn’t some special space separated from reality. Miss White Fox had simply used the power of the [Blade of Hollow Mark] to pry open the door and skip to the exit on the other side.
“This feeling… underground again? Why do strange folks always like digging underground? Are you all Prakaka’s junior disciples or something…?”
Jokes aside, they were probably directly beneath that massive blood-red tree, where its roots were most densely spread.
The heavy, oppressive feeling of being deep underground, along with the slightly murky air, confirmed this.
But there was also another, more intense presence here.
“Sister Fox…”
“Miss Dawn, this place… feels a bit…”
Eudora instinctively moved closer to Miss White Fox, tugging lightly on the hem of her priestess robe, uncomfortable with the strange aura saturating the air.
Beside her, Theresa didn’t look well either. A green glow flickered in her eyes, and her chest rose and fell rapidly as if struggling to breathe.
Seeing their reactions, Violet became increasingly certain of her suspicions.
As expected, the two of them showed immediate signs of discomfort upon entering. The roots of that tree, after being submerged in this environment for so long, would certainly undergo some kind of unique mutation.
It seemed they had found the right place.
“Master, perhaps it’s best to let them leave first. At the end of this room, there’s a massive concentration of blood energy, which isn’t something a novice can handle.”
“Massive, you say…”
Violet had sensed the same, but there was also a battle outside, and Eudora’s true identity was highly sensitive in front of Reaper’s Scythe. So, comparatively, she thought it might actually be safer to keep her close.
While Miss White Fox was pondering her next steps, a green-haired girl suddenly murmured, “Huh?” Her body stiffened slightly in surprise, and her already green eyes began to glow with a deeper, almost tangible, vibrant green radiance.
Then, she clenched her fist instinctively, looked herself over in confusion, and suddenly turned to Miss White Fox with a smile.
“Alright, this should be fine now, right?”
“…?”
Momentarily taken aback by the unexpectedly calm and gentle tone, quite unlike that naive girl’s usual voice, Violet quickly realized.
“Sethlin? You’re actually able to control Theresa’s body directly now? Uh… you may be her superior, but isn’t that a bit disrespectful?”
The goddess sighed and shook her head.
“Your focus is always so unexpected… Theresa absorbed some of my divine power, naturally creating a stronger bond between us. That’s normal, isn’t it?”
“As for control, don’t worry. While I can take over her body to a degree, it doesn’t benefit me in any way. I only did so with prior communication and Theresa’s consent and cooperation.”
“…Or rather, do you really see me as the kind of goddess who would do something so awful?”
“Uh, hahaha…”
Seeing the goddess’s wounded expression, as if saying, “Oh dear, this really breaks a goddess’s heart,” Violet, realizing her misunderstanding, awkwardly scratched her ear and tried to laugh it off.
At that critical moment, a certain dragon girl, who had learned how to read the room, stepped forward to help.
“The master is merely asking within reasonable limits, Goddess of Life. Remember, Theresa is not solely your possession. She’s also under our master’s protection now, understand?”
Seeing the loyal, protective stance of the blonde girl, Sethlin wasn’t bothered. She simply nodded with a smile and got straight to the point.
“Dawn, this time you’ve found a place closely connected to me. This poor child, along with the blood energy and madness corrupting this land… it seems certain intruders are truly reckless.”
“Oh…? So Sethlin already knows who’s behind all this?”
“Yes, let’s discuss as we walk. I never thought I’d encounter that mad creature again after a thousand years. It seems the Divine Catastrophe back then didn’t reach their realm.”
With that, the goddess, temporarily using Theresa’s body, waved her hand. The blood-red roots, like obedient soldiers, parted to reveal the hidden passage behind them.