Chapter 54: Results
The sight truly disgusted Leona. It wasn’t that she felt guilty about casually killing a sentient being to protect Abyss, but the appearance of the dead elf was genuinely unsettling. His entire body, stretched a size larger by the transformation, was now a grotesque mess, skin separated from muscle. Countless triangular holes dotted his flesh, oozing blood. His bones, too, seemed shattered and twisted at unnatural angles.
Leona could swear she had only delivered a single blow to the griffin’s head, a punch that used less than one percent of her full strength. She had only intended to crush its brain for a swift, painless death.
Who knew the griffin would revert to an elf upon death, collapsing into a limp heap?
Druids immediately rushed forward, carrying the mangled body away to prevent it from disturbing the high-ranking Druids still at work.
Leona trailed behind them, reluctant to touch the corpse that had become a puddle of gore. She continued to explain, “Listen, I really only meant to kill a griffin, not murder this person.”
“Don’t worry, miss,” one of the Druids carrying the body reassured her, turning back. “If we had the chance, we would have killed him ourselves. You don’t need to blame yourself. It’s good to have a high-ranking Dou Qi Master like you here.” He added, “But now we need to figure out where this person came from.”
Flora frowned at the corpse and sighed. She didn’t pity the creature, but the gruesome sight still disturbed her. This transformation was clearly not Druidic shapeshifting or Transmutation School magic; those wouldn’t be so horrific. It seemed that after Abyss finished his work, this incident would require further investigation.
Rebecca, while keeping a close eye on the situation, hadn’t stopped timing. The moment the allotted time elapsed, she called out to Abyss, “Time’s up, Abyss! You can stop now!”
However, Abyss seemed unresponsive to Rebecca’s call.
Rebecca called again, “Abyss! Time’s up! You can stop now!”
Abyss continued his spellcasting, but the Druids seated on the tree roots stirred at Rebecca’s voice. They opened their eyes and looked up at Abyss in the sky.
Eyes closed, Abyss continued chanting the incantation without pause. His brow was slightly furrowed, his head occasionally twitching, as if absorbed in something.
Rebecca had no choice but to shout a third time, “Abyss Belator! It’s time to stop!”
This third call finally had an effect. Abyss’s eyes snapped open, glancing downwards.
His chanting gradually slowed, and the output of his spell decreased under his control. Everyone present could feel the magic concentration in the vicinity rising as the Sacred Tree’s roots continued to channel energy. A viscous sensation once again enveloped everyone.
Simultaneously, Abyss slowly descended from the sky, landing steadily on the ground and ceasing his incantation. The flow of magic he had guided upwards finally broke. He exhaled deeply, looking at the commotion around him with some confusion.
“Are you alright?” Rebecca was the first to reach Abyss, asking with concern. “I called you three times before you reacted. Did channeling the magic affect you?”
Abyss shook his head, trying to clear his mind. “Ah… I’m fine, no ill effects. I genuinely didn’t hear the first two calls, sorry. While channeling the Sacred Tree’s magic through my magic core into the sky, my mind was invaded by an image… a sleeping girl… perhaps Agnes. Her presence affected my focus…”
He relayed the latter part of his sentence through a spell link, not wanting the Druids to overhear.
“It’s good that you’re okay,” Rebecca nodded, relieved. “I’ll examine you later. For now, let’s discuss the magic. The Druids have made a discovery.”
Abyss nodded and looked at Arcaiste, who was approaching.
“Master Arcaiste, have you found something?”
Arcaiste nodded. “Yes, we have. The magic from other locations is fine, but over there—the magic there is tainted with a different kind of power. This power isn’t unpleasant; it even felt quite comfortable when it passed through us, but it’s unusual. The other Sages have marked the affected roots. We can begin our investigation.”
“Tainted power…” Abyss pondered for a moment. “So, the Sacred Tree’s abnormality is caused by this mixed-in power?”
“Perhaps so…” Arcaiste replied. “It’s hard to imagine there’s no connection. While I didn’t quite agree with your method of probing the Sacred Tree’s anomaly, I must admit, it’s indeed effective. What do you plan to do next, Master Belator?”
“Since you’ve marked the problematic roots, I just need to follow them,” Abyss said with a smile. “I’ve already investigated the path of each root and memorized them. I’ll set off with my companions as soon as possible and try to reach the source of the problem.”
“Do you need our help?”
“Hmm… This task might be extremely dangerous, even I have to consider my own safety. It’s not very suitable for you.” Abyss explained. “So, leave it to me. I’ll do my best to resolve the Sacred Tree’s issue. I keep my word.”
“Then we can only thank you.” Arcaiste bowed respectfully to Abyss.
“Of course… I’m not entirely without selfish motives.” Abyss suddenly lowered his voice, leaning closer to Arcaiste’s face. “I presume you remember what I told you when we first met.”
“You’ve made a special discovery, haven’t you?” Arcaiste’s face clouded over, and he sighed.
“After resolving the current situation, I’ll do what I initially intended.” Abyss smiled. “But please don’t worry too much. I’m truly not a bad person. The final outcome will satisfy everyone, so you don’t need to be so apprehensive.”
“Let’s focus on the attackers for now…” Arcaiste averted his gaze.
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