Gods

It was worth mentioning that Avilan had tested every villager in Chika Village yesterday and found that the Human Race generally had fairly high aptitude. Though none were as outrageous as the Wellington siblings, they all ranged from 0.6 to 0.75, with one even reaching 0.85. Unfortunately, that person was too old to be worth cultivating.

As long as the Energy Seed was fully activated, the mana contained within it would gradually dissipate and merge into the Wellington siblings' bodies, accelerating their early cultivation.

While Avilan devoted himself wholeheartedly to teaching his two disciples, Cameron arrived outside Chika Village with an elite squad. He was astonished by how completely transformed the village had become.

The entire village was surrounded by sturdy wooden fences, with only a gate wide enough for two carriages to pass side by side. A watchtower stood above the gate, and an archer in leather armor carrying a powerful longbow stood on each side.

Two militiamen in standard-issue armor also stood beside the gate. Although their equipment was decent, the peasant-like air about them let Cameron see at a glance that they were militiamen who had never seen blood.

The militiamen at the entrance had seen him before, so he entered the village without difficulty.

Cameron already knew that the magic chanter who had saved Chika Village had settled here and taken the two children from the village as disciples.

"Those two children are truly lucky," Cameron said with a faint smile.

They had originally intended to rest in Chika Village for a day before entering the Messiah Great Forest. Since Avilan was here, Cameron naturally planned to greet him.

Before he could do so, however, he saw Avilan rush out of Wellington's home, leap into the air, and fly toward the Messiah Great Forest.

"So something really did happen in the Messiah Great Forest." Watching Avilan's receding figure, Cameron became even more certain of his suspicions.

"Rest in place for one hour."

While flying, Avilan received a telepathic message from Zhou Yu. Intruders had appeared, and Mi Yue had already gone to deal with them. This time, however, the intruders were exceptionally powerful and had managed to hold Mi Yue back.

Mi Yue was a level 65 existence. Once transformed, she could directly break through level 70, and she had an elite Destruction Secretariat squad with her. If even such a force could be stalled, their opponents were clearly no ordinary threat.

Avilan headed straight for the coordinates Zhou Yu had provided. Meanwhile, Zhou Yu led an elite squad from Despair Fortress there, leaving Arthur behind to guard Despair Fortress.

The former Forest Demon settlement.

The Forest Demons who had once lived here were the Eternal Night Duchy's best friends. Dark Elves entering the Messiah Great Forest often stopped here to rest.

In the forest, Forest Demons were creatures who stayed out of worldly conflicts. They never attacked other beings and would occasionally even help creatures in distress.

Yet now, the home of these kind-hearted inhabitants of the forest had been razed to the ground. How could the Dark Elves who had come here to rest not be furious? Just then, Mi Yue and her people tracked them here, and the two sides began fighting.

The once aggressive and confident Dixin immediately realized upon exchanging blows just how powerful this squad was, despite it having fewer members than his own. In particular, the woman at their head, dressed in a black OL uniform, radiated a domineering, forceful beauty completely different from Her Majesty's.

She was breathtakingly gorgeous.

At first, Dixin had been captivated by her.

But once they fought, Dixin realized how powerful she was. If Elves were not naturally favored by the forest, they would likely have already been defeated and wiped out.

The enemy's strength had reached at least the sixth tier. Otherwise, they could not have suppressed them in turn.

They were now trapped in a dilemma. If they tried to flee, then given the enemy's strength, even if the squad was not annihilated, it would be crippled. Yet if they continued to stall, they feared the enemy's reinforcements would arrive.

"Dixin, we can't keep this up. We won't be able to hold on much longer," Eric said grimly.

They had relied on the Elf Race's affinity with the dense natural elements in the forest to cast Wood Binding and restrain their enemies. Although the forest's abundant natural elements constantly replenished them, the mana in their bodies was being consumed faster than it could be restored.

If this continued, they would be drained dry.

"But they're simply too fast. Even in the forest, we don't hold the slightest advantage." Sweat covered Dixin's face, and his eyes were filled with anxiety.

"I'll lead some people to hold them back. Take the others and retreat immediately. Report to Her Majesty that a terrifying major force has appeared in the Messiah Great Forest, possibly Bloodkin." Eric's face was filled with resolve.

"Captain!" Dixin cried out unwillingly, then led all the "young people" of the squad away, leaving only Eric and four others behind.

Though they all looked roughly the same age, they had actually entered their twilight years. Unlike Dixin and the others, they had no room left to grow.

"Nature Goddess above, receive the final prayers of Your believers. Grant us the power of nature."

After Eric finished praying, five green pillars of light descended from the sky, enveloping the five people responsible for covering the retreat.

Mi Yue, who had been attacking Wood Binding, instinctively stopped. She sensed a powerful presence watching her, but after the five pillars of energy dispersed, that gaze vanished as well.

Energy surged wildly throughout Eric's body, giving the illusion that he was about to explode and die.

His aura also rose from level 56 to level 60, barely entering the sixth tier. The other four likewise reached the strength of the fifth tier.

"Be careful," Mi Yue muttered. The instant Wood Binding dissipated, a mass of shadow energy shot forth, accompanied by countless fluttering bats. In the next moment, she appeared behind the five Dark Elves, joining the motionless Destruction Secretariat members in pinching them from both sides.

Pain Shock.

Ten streams of black-red shadow energy crossed through the air. Wherever they passed, grass and trees withered, and the once vibrant forest instantly became a forbidden land of death. Yet the spot where the five Dark Elves stood remained lush and green with life.

This was a battle between life and death.

Eric drew the twin swords at his waist and turned into a streak of green light as he shot toward Mi Yue.

The other four Dark Elves charged toward the Destruction Secretariat. The violent energy within them demanded a fierce release.

The collision of powerful energies uprooted the surrounding trees and sent dirt and stones flying. Zhou Yu and the others, who were rushing over to provide support, had no choice but to quicken their pace, while tears streamed endlessly from Dixin's eyes as he fled.

Because he knew that Eric had used Life Sacrifice to gain the Nature Goddess's favor, causing divine power to descend and aid them. But that divine power was too overwhelming. Once it faded, it would take their lives with it.

"Move! Faster! The captain and the others won't be able to hold on for long." Dixin stared toward the battle, his heart filled with towering rage. He swore that he would return one day and lead the Eternal Night Duchy's army to flatten this land, ensuring that these hateful, filthy Bloodkin died without intact corpses.