Even with holy water, Angel Elixir, and numerous potions to restore her condition, the sleeping Emilia clearly still needed a long rest before she could rejoin the battle.
Therefore, for the coming battle, Shade could not choose the Clockmaker, who required Emilia to appear in person, as his opponent. He could only choose the Watcher.
Yet there was still no news of that special Paradox Worm. Instead, after Shade arrived at the church, the Tree Hole Association emerged amid this chaotic night.
After gathering organizations such as the Blood Spirit School, The Tyranny Club, The Truth Society, and the Mist Crow Brotherhood, these illegal Ring Arcanists appeared in the woodland where the Whisper Element reaction was abnormally low, directly clashing with the Academy's team, which had dispatched precious manpower to investigate.
The news from the woodland was unclear. The information Shade received was that these illegal Ring Arcanists had seemingly brought along numerous relics that might be able to fuse with the Paradox Worm.
They had probably been hired by the Ancient One in the forest. The Tree Hole Association stood on that side because of the Clockmaker, while The Truth Society was highly likely interested in the opportunity to conduct experiments fusing relics with Ancient Evil Beings. The goals of the other organizations were still unclear, but as an Ancient One that had existed since the Second Epoch, that tree surely had many bargaining chips to offer.
Shade looked to be in far better condition than the little elf who had fallen asleep the moment she lay down. Though he had fought the ancestors of the Bennett Family, those things—whose true nature as actual souls or time echoes remained uncertain—had not been especially troublesome.
Thus, after settling Emilia in, Shade prepared to search through the swarm for traces of