Chapter 86: A Battle of Two (Part 1)

  Under a clear, cloudless sky, the sun began to shine brightly from early morning. For the followers of "The God of Nature," the very air seemed filled with sacred flavor. Believers flocked from all directions towards the forest to participate in their long-awaited opportunity to achieve unity with "The God of Nature."

  However, at this grand and sacred moment, Aery's local official was incredibly out of place. He gathered all the men he could muster in the city, even including sweepers, night watchmen, tax collectors – absolutely everyone who could be mobilized, plus the three thousand regular troops dispatched from the capital. They set up blockades on the main roads leading to the forest, trying to stop the believers. Initially, the official's troops could handle the small groups of three or five believers, blocking their advance. But as noon approached and the believers called to each other, more and more people gathered. The conflict grew increasingly intense, and both sides began to fight. The entire Aery region became chaotic as a boiling pot of porridge.

  Meanwhile, two thousand soldiers had charged onto the meadow before the Whispering Woods. Quite a few believers from villages closer to the forest had already arrived. The soldiers drove the believers away and prepared to start destroying the statues. But when the soldiers finally managed to pull down one statue and were about to smash it, all the believers became enraged. They began attacking the soldiers with stones and branches. At the same time, more believers arriving from other paths continued to pour in. With the growing number of believers, the soldiers were soon surrounded instead.

  "Everyone, stop!" Ethan saw the situation turning bad, leaped onto one of the statues from amidst the soldiers, and shouted loudly. "Everyone, please listen to me!"

  "Get down from there!" The tens of thousands of believers covering the meadow shouted.

  Although he knew saying anything was probably useless now, there was no other option. Ethan shouted loudly: "Everyone here is from local villages. Think carefully. This forest has existed here for a long time. Why has it suddenly become the forest of 'The God of Nature'? This is purely a scam!"

  "Pull that slanderous official down and kill him!" The believers began throwing stones and clods of earth at him; some even started climbing onto the statue.

  A tremendous "BOOM" echoed. The upper body of one statue exploded under Ethan's fireball. The flying debris and shockwave from the blast injured many believers. The clamoring believers were stunned by this, all falling silent. Those near Ethan quickly scrambled back. Anyone could see that if this blast had hit them, the consequences would have been unimaginable. Even Ethan himself was a bit surprised by the outcome. Acting out of desperation, but the threat of violence seemed far more effective than persuasion.

  But something even more unexpected happened immediately. A black liquid seeped out from the shattered upper body of the statue. Nearby believers scrambled back, covering their noses. The liquid didn't just stink; it felt like needles stabbing into their noses and brains. Those close enough even had tears forced from their eyes.

  "See for yourselves! Is this filthy stuff what you call the great 'The God of Nature'?" Ethan said, overjoyed. "Let me tell you, this is a trap. This so-called 'The God of Nature' is actually a lie from the Necromancer Guild, those Necromancers."

  "Shameless!" A loud roar suddenly rang out, full of majesty and authority, instantly overwhelming Ethan's voice in tone and presence. "Do you think I don't know you used despicable means to pollute our guardian statues, and now you come here to deceive everyone?" A figure in white clothes appeared suddenly near the edge of the forest, his face righteous and dignified, as if he himself were the embodiment of justice and light, berating the slanderous rumor-monger standing on the statue. "This man secretly came here last night and tampered with our guardian statues. Everyone, look! These nobles and officials actually resort to such vile methods to slander our god, to destroy our faith. Do you think we can't see through their intentions?"

  "Good timing. I was just looking for you." Ethan jumped down from the statue. Before the believers could react, he knocked them aside as he rushed, reaching the Prophet in a few strides, grabbing him, and then, before the believers could react, turning and leaping back onto the statue.

  "Ah! The Prophet!" "Release the Prophet!" By now, noon was approaching, and the meadow was densely packed with believers. A tsunami-like roar made Ethan's ears ache. But he wasn't worried. He had been thinking since last night that it would be best to expose this Necromancer-made puppet to the crowd, believing the Necromancers probably wouldn't let this puppet, whose secret was exposed, appear again. Unexpectedly, it had come out on its own.

  The feeling of grabbing the Prophet's body was like clutching mud. Up close, he saw that corpse fluid was constantly trickling down his dignified features. His skin began to collapse like rotten cloth at the slightest touch. The silver-white hair and beard fell out in clumps. This puppet's lifespan was clearly at its end.

  Ethan pushed the Prophet's clothes forward, half-lifting, half-presenting him before the crowd, shouting loudly: "Everyone, look! This is the Prophet you have always revered. He is actually a puppet made by the Necromancers."

  But to his surprise, this nearly decomposed corpse could still speak. Not just speak, but still as majestically as ever, and what it said was utterly brilliant, pushing Ethan step by step towards a dead end: "He has already used evil arts on me, just as he polluted our statues. I am about to die. But everyone, do not waver because of my death. The miracle of 'The God of Nature' will still be revealed to you at noon, leading you to the state of unity with nature. Please, you must hold fast to your faith." The rest of his words turned into the hissing of a goose. Finally, even his throat completely rotted away. With a plop, the Prophet's arm fell off from the shoulder. Ethan let go. The Prophet's already mostly decayed body hit the ground, shattering into pieces. The insects lurking inside his body scattered.

  This bizarre death, however, only amplified the effect of the Prophet's last words. The entire meadow of believers began to boil. Countless stones and clods of earth flew towards Ethan. Soon, the entire scene descended into extreme chaos. A chaotic, desperate battle began. The believers frantically scrambled for weapons. The moment they got one, they attacked the soldiers with it. Even those who couldn't grab one used their fists, feet, and teeth with all their might. And the soldiers, facing enemies many times their number and driven mad, had long since cast aside Ethan's orders. Initially just defending themselves with their weapons, they soon began to slash and kill wildly at any believer who came near them.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Ethan watched the scene below him anxiously and helplessly. Under this bright sunny day, the entire world seemed to have gone mad. The screams and roars of battle filled the meadow. Looking out, the densely packed crowd, like ants, tore and bit at each other.

  More and more believers gathered. Faced with these tens of thousands of believers, the bitter-faced local official was clearly powerless. Ethan knew that beyond this meadow, even more believers were gathering under those statues, sitting down waiting to be eaten. He looked around desperately. A stone hit him on the back of the head, causing dizziness that nearly made him fall.

  Suddenly, a strange rumbling sound came from within the forest. At first, it wasn't obvious, but soon everyone on the meadow could hear it.

  It was a very muffled sound, like many heavy things colliding, moving slowly from deep within the forest towards the meadow. The ground even began to tremble slightly. The never-before-silent Whispering Woods was making such a noise, and many believers stopped fighting, looking towards the forest.

  The sound grew closer as the source of the noise appeared at the forest's edge. Even every soldier stopped what they were doing. Everyone stared dumbfounded as tree-like giants, one by one, walked out, moving their massive feet.

  "This is the miracle of 'The God of Nature'!" - Who knows which believer presumptuously shouted first. All the believers immediately sat down on the spot; some even began to kneel. Only the soldiers stood there, bewildered.

  But these tree giants paid no attention to the reverence and worship of the humans below them. They walked step by step, seemingly with great difficulty, towards the statues.

  The believers were still piously kneeling or sitting, but it wasn't until some believers were crushed under the footsteps of The Withered Wood Wardens with screams that they began to realize something. Those remaining in the path of The Withered Wood Wardens scrambled away in panic.

  The further they were from the Whispering Woods, the more stiff and labored the movements of The Withered Wood Wardens became. Every step was a struggle. They moved step by step to the side of the statues, swinging their wooden arms to strike them. Dull thuds echoed, and everyone stared blankly. This had completely surpassed their comprehension and expectations.

  "Excellent!" Only Ethan shouted in joy. He never imagined that just when despair had set in, such a turn of events would occur. If he could, he would have loved to grab Luya and kiss her pretty little face. A Withered Wood Warden was walking towards the statue he was on. Ethan, fearing collateral damage, quickly jumped down.

  Although the Withered Wood Warden's movements seemed strenuous, the power of their strikes was still beyond human imagination. A few statues had already started to crack under the assault, likewise oozing black fluid, emitting a foul stench.

  Despite the attack, the statues remained motionless. Ethan looked up at the sky; noon was almost here.

  "CRACK!" One statue finally shattered completely under the Withered Wood Warden's blows. The Wardens' attacks continued. It seemed the destruction of these things was only a matter of time. The Necromancers' plan was about to fail.

  A strange sound, like someone singing off-key, came from a corner of the crowd. This strange sound stood out sharply among the believers who were all stunned into silence.

  With that sound, the statues finally moved. But unlike the swift movements of last night, the statues' movements were even more labored and sluggish than the Withered Wood Wardens', as if they were all decrepit, stroke-ridden old men. They moved stiffly and slowly, trying to shuffle backwards to evade the Withered Wood Wardens' attacks.

  "Everyone, get out of the way!" Ethan roared, shoving aside the dumbfounded believers around him, pushing through the crowd, searching for the one making the strange sound. He knew this was the Necromancer from last night, hiding in the crowd and controlling the gargoyles. And now, the gargoyles' slow, difficult movements were a sign of insufficient magical power. As long as he captured the controller and eliminated him, everything would be fine.

  The Withered Wood Wardens dragged their slow steps, chasing the even slower gargoyles. When they caught up, they used their thick wooden limbs to continue striking with dull thuds. A few more gargoyles began to ooze black fluid from their bodies. But as they moved further from the Whispering Woods, the Withered Wood Wardens' movements became even slower, and the gap between them and the gargoyles gradually widened.

  Ethan finally spotted him. In the crowd, a very ordinary-looking old man in plain clothes was kneeling on the ground, hands outstretched, chanting that strange incantation. Ethan shouted, "Everyone around, clear the way!" and pounced towards the old man.

  The old man suddenly opened his eyes. A pair of muddy eyes flashed with sharp intensity. With agility that belied his age, he sprang up from the ground, casually grabbed a nearby believer, and threw him at Ethan.

  The believer had only managed half a shriek as he flew through the air, his limbs twitching mid-air, but then fell silent.

  Ethan, charging forward, desperately threw himself sideways, rolling and leaping back up, narrowly dodging the hurtling believer. He didn't dare heroically kick, block, or catch it. He had seen such tactics from Sandro before.

  The believer used as a weapon slammed into the believers behind him. His body split open, and black fluid splattered. Believers splashed with it screamed and rolled on the ground.

  Fighting the Necromancer with magic, he knew he was far from being a match. He had to engage in close combat. Ethan closed the distance in a few strides and threw a punch at the old man.

  The old man stepped back, his body floating upwards, suddenly rising over ten meters into the air, then hovered there, glaring down at Ethan.

  Flight was one of the highest-level air magics. Not many people could use it. Almost every mage who mastered this transcendent human norm added the prefix "Grand" to their title. But if they could see this old man use the highest-level magic as effortlessly and naturally as the lowest common spell, without gestures or incantations, most of them would probably go into hiding and start over as magic apprentices.

  Ethan paid it no mind. He unleashed a full-powered fireball that roared towards the Necromancer in the air as he charged.

  The old man merely drifted aside like a feather. This massive fireball, powerful enough to turn him to mincemeat, merely passed a meter beside his body. His judgment of the fireball's trajectory and control of his own movement were both exquisite, as if it were just a ball casually tossed by a child.

  But the old man showed no satisfaction from this effortless dodge. His face was filled with anger and impatience. Because he had to split his focus to maintain flight, the gargoyles' movement had completely stopped. The Withered Wood Wardens caught up again and continued their assault on the mostly damaged gargoyles.

  Ethan didn't rush. He stared intently at the Necromancer in the sky. Moving so many massive stone statues was no easy feat. As long as he maintained flight, he absolutely couldn't also control the gargoyles.

  The thudding sounds of the Withered Wood Wardens' strikes continued. The stench of fluid oozing from the gargoyles' bodies grew stronger in the air. "CRACK, CRACK," two more gargoyles shattered. The complete destruction of these gargoyles was now only a matter of time.

  But just at the moment victory seemed within grasp, suddenly, all the Withered Wood Wardens stopped moving. These massive wooden knots seemed to have received a silent command, all turning and moving their slow steps back towards the Whispering Woods. Ethan stared blankly at these retreating allies. He didn't understand what was happening. Seeing this baffling turn, even the Necromancer in mid-air looked surprised, though mostly pleased.

  The sun blazed directly overhead. It was noon.

  The Necromancer remained floating in the air, but the gargoyles all began to move.

  In the Whispering Woods, two elves forcibly pulled Luya out of the Sunwell. Elder Kelan plunged his hand into the well water, summoning the Withered Wood Wardens back.

  "We were so close to destroying those evil things. Those could endanger us and the entire Whispering Woods!" Luya struggled, but two elves held her firmly. "You know what a serious violation of tribal rules you've committed! Never in our history has an elf dared to command The Withered Wood Wardens to leave the Whispering Woods, let alone expose them to tens of thousands of humans." Elder Kelan shook his head slowly, the first time showing strong emotion on his face. "There's no need for a tribunal. Such a grave offense can only be punished with the harshest penalty – to forever banish you from the Whispering Woods. Effective immediately. You are no longer one of us. Go."