Chapter 68.2 - You Are a Prophet (2)
Around the same time, two women ventured through the dim expanse of the forestDilia and Professor Stella. Initially, their purpose had been to exit the forest, retrace their steps to the academy, and ask for reinforcements.
'But.......'
There was a problem.
Despite a considerable amount of time having passed, the forest didn't seem to end. Stella expressed her impatience with a frustrated expression.
"Don't you think the path is a little strange?"
"Not just a bit, no, definitely, weird."
Dilia corrected herself, her expression tense. As she could sense all flows of mana, she could grasp the current situation.
The space is all warped.
Much like the instance when she first separated from Ulan.
There were traces of spatial expansion magic. Undoubtedly the work of the Abyss Worshiper.
Noah Darshen told me.
Their purpose was to kidnap the students. And to make it easier to do so, it was more convenient to scatter them than keep them together; that way, they could pick them off one by one, without too much trouble. When Dilia finished speculating, her face turned somber.
......I miss Ulan.
Her thoughts lingered on the memory of Ulanthe large palm that had once tenderly patted her head, the unwavering calmness in any situation, and the formidable presence that made her feel sheltered, akin to a fortress.
If she had been with Ulan, she wouldn't be this anxious. It is true that you often only realize the value of something after losing it.
While sighing with a feeling of frustration
Boom!
suddenly, a powerful surge of mana erupted in front of them; a prelude to spatial distortion. Realizing this, Dilia quickly reached out her hand.
"Professor, step back, step back."
"What?" Stella looked puzzled.
However, there was no need to explain the reason. The moment Dilia pulled Stella's arm, the space in front of them distorted violently.
Crack! Wooooong!
The fabric of space contorted like a turbulent stream.
The next thing she knew, the landscape in front of her changed. To be exact, it would be more accurate to say that the place they were in had changed. With the scenery that had changed in the blink of an eye, the two of them widened their eyes.
"......?!"
It was a sight that no one could have expected.
A monstrous flower, as large as a building, pierced through the body of a person soaked in blood, sucking the blood while being impaled.
Indeed, a shocking sight.
At that time, the woman who was being sucked dry seemed to be aware of their presence and reached out her hand.
"P-Please...s-saveme."
An instinctive plea for survival.
Upon a closer look, the familiar face became apparent.
It was Camilla, the special forces agent. Just as Stella, who recognized her identity, was about to widen her eyes, Camilla spoke again.
"Pleased-don't leave mepleasedon't leave me......."
Her voice gradually faded away; then she heard a muffled sound
Ooooh! Thud!
the sound of Camilla's head being severed. The vines that sprouted from the monster flower had snapped her neck right off.
After severing her head, the monster flower plunged its proboscis into the severed end and sucked out her fluids. It continued to do so until Camilla's body was completely dried up.
"Ah, ugh......."
Was it from witnessing such a shocking sight? Dilia stood frozen in place.
Meanwhile, the monster flower, having finished its meal, discarded the corpse, which was now nothing more than skin and bones.
Afterward, it seemed as if it was still not satisfied, and it moved its body in search of its next prey.
And it immediately found one.
"Dilia!"
Along with the tendril flying towards her, Stella pulled Dilia's body towards her.
The tendril brushed past her cheek, but it was too early to feel relieved. Even more tendrils were flying towards Dilia.
"Step back! Ill take care of this!
And then, at that moment, Stella disappeared from sight. It was not just her; the grotesque monster flower also disappeared as if it never existed.
It was a familiar phenomenon.
"The space distortion again..."
The place changed as it distorted.
Dilia felt her legs give out.
She sat down on the floor with a thud and stared blankly into space with a dazed expression on her face.
After a while, thick tears rolled down her cheeks.
Ughhh, huck, uhuk.
They were tears of shock. And for good reason. It was the first time she'd ever seen someone die in front of her.
To a seventeen-year-old girl like her, such a sight was a nightmare itself; a nightmare she couldn't wait to wake up from.
But Dilia wasn't even allowed to let herself cry in peace
We have finally met.
as an unfamiliar voice spoke out of nowhere.
At the same time, she felt a chill run down her spine. The voice was unpleasant, like a knife scraping across a steel plate. Feeling an instinctive sense of unease, she turned her head.
A mage with an ashen hood pressed down.
As soon as she recognized the face behind the hood
"......!?"
a muffled scream erupted; the golden eyes trembled. The face that could be seen behind the hood was too horrible; bloodless skin, like a corpse. Where the eyeballs should be, they were empty, and there were what she assumed to be human eyeballs dangling from its neck. And at this point, Dilia realized the mage's identity.
"......Abyss, Worshipper."
"Unexpected. I didn't realize you knew us."
The mage chuckled as if finding it amusing.
Dilia instinctively took a step back. The mage, on the other hand, stared at her, neither approaching nor retreating.
In any case, its nice to meet you.
A calm, subdued voice. The mage extended its hand as if to shake hers.
"The girl who is Blessed by Mana.
With a crooked grin, the corners of its mouth twisted with greed.
* * * * *
The one Blessed by Mana.
After specifying a clear goal and reaching their destination, the Abyss Worshiper group, on their mission to find the target, split into two teams.
The first team was the Search Team with the straightforward goal of finding the target.
The second team was the Support Team, and unlike the Search Team whose purpose was straightforward, the Abyss Worshipers in this group had various tasks. They warped space to turn the forest into a maze, created illusions to disrupt the prey, and summoned Abyss monsters to eliminate interference.
In the deep recesses of the forest, while they were faithfully focused on their tasks, a large-built man hurriedly approached, making a thudding sound.
"C, c, catastrophe! It's a catastrophe!"
The burly man spoke in a flustered manner.
The mage, named Duode, spouted all kinds of nonsense. In response, the other two Worshippers, without thinking, turned their attention to Duode.
"What's the matter?"
"Did Candira get killed?"
"Y, y, yes!" Duode nodded. He shouted in panic, "F, f, five of them!"
"What? That many already?"
The skinny guy across from him gasped. Tasked with collecting human fingers, he was a Worshiper named Desem. The third strongest mage in the group, and the creator of illusions.
"This is amazing. I've never seen anyone here skilled enough to defeat Candira."
The last member was an elderly man named Nonus. He was the oldest member of the Worshippers and specialized in space-warping magic.
After a moment, Nonus nudged a corpse on the ground with his foot, "If you look at these kids on this special force right now, they're nothing more than intermediate-level mages after all. Who could have killed Candira?"
The corpses of three crushed men and women lay there the agents from the Special Operations Unit. They had become corpses without even putting up a fight. Understandably so; all three Abyss Worshippers in the support team were advanced-level magicians.
Meanwhile, the surroundings fell into an instant silence.
There was no one around to answer Nonus's questions. The awkwardness of the surrounding silence made Nonus feel uneasy, and he cleared his throat unnecessarily. He then changed the subject, "Ugh, cough! Anyway, where is the one Blessed by Mana right now?"
"Wait for it. Let me check."
This one could be answered.
Desem spread out his palm, covering his left eye with his palm. This allowed him to share the view with the illusions roaming around the forest. After a considerable time passed, Desem finally spoke.
"Found her. It seems they've just met."
"Did you capture that person?"
"No, they're just facing off. It looks like they're trying to talk."
As soon as the conversation was over, Duode frowned, "S, s, stupid! Don't they know we can just kidnap them and take them away?"
"They're probably trying to verify something."
"V, v, verify?"
"They're trying to confirm that the target is really the one Blessed by Mana. That's the only way we can receive the grace of the Abyss."
The fact that there was someone Blessed by Mana in this forest was based solely on the memories stored in Rameel's brain.
Therefore, it was necessary to verify whether the target was really the one Blessed by Mana.
As soon as Desem finished, Duode suddenly started stomping his feet with a face full of excitement, "I, I, if it's confirmed, I'll take their tongue! Is that okay? Say it's okay! Quick!"
"Perhaps you may. After all, the Abyss only wants the blessing bestowed upon the sacrifice and the sacrifice itself."
"Ho-ho, is that true?"
"Quinth said so, so it must be true."
Quinth was the leader of the Abyss Worshippers. He was the man with human eyeballs hanging from his neck; the strongest of the six and the only one who was close to being an Archmage.
"Heh heh, that's exciting. I've been wondering what the heart of the one Blessed by Mana would taste like."
"I'm looking forward to it, too, because I can't imagine how strong an alter ego would be if it were made from the fingers of a being of that stature."
Nonus and Desem chuckled. As if they wanted to secure their prey as quickly as possible, and then take the body parts they wanted.
As they laughed wordlessly and conspiratorially
"Now, now, now, be quiet!"
Duode shouted in a low voice. He crouched low to the ground, his ears pressed to the ground. The others looked at him with curiosity at this unexpected action.
"What happened?"
"Di, di, did you hear anything just now?"
"Um, what do you mean, a sound?"
"Li, li, like a tree falling..." Duode replied.
BOOOOOM!
Duode's answer was followed by a short boom from a distance. One after another, the ground vibrated along the boom. It really sounded like a tree falling.
"Did Candira do this by any chance?"
"Oh, no, no, no. Candira don't attack trees. They only attack humans," Duode clarified, shaking his head.
Then why was there this noise? Trees don't just fall down on their own. As the worshippers scratched their heads
"Hmm, I see something over there."
Nonus pointed ahead. East of the forest. That's where the sound came from. Desem and Duode squinted and looked in the direction Nonus had pointed.
And then
Thump! Crack! Whoosh!
there was another loud noise.
Instantly, everyone's eyes widened.
This time, they all saw it clearly a giant tree falling.
And it wasn't the only thing they witnessed.
"Wait, what else is there...?"
Desem, who had the sharpest eyes among the group. He blinked his wide-open eyes, and soon, something came into view a man, with an axe, completely shirtless, chopping down a tree continuously.
"......A woodcutter?"
The appearance of someone so out of place, cutting down a tree in a forest where monsters and illusions appeared. As Desem's face was showing confusion, the surroundings fell silent.
"No, why would a woodcutter be in a place like this......."
Just as he was pondering this question, abruptly, the mysterious woodcutter stopped chopping.
Then he turned his head to look in their direction. Glowing crimson eyes flashed through the dark forest. And the moment he met them
Chill!!!
a shiver ran down his spines.
'I-I need to run!'
He didn't know the reason. But he didn't need to know either.
It was a warning from his intuition, which had overcome numerous dangers before. Following it would be wise. Then, he blinked his eyes once more
"......Huh?"
but the woodcutter from just a moment ago was nowhere to be seen. What happened? Where did he go?
Surprised, he blinked his eyes again and he felt his presence again.
Just a few steps away.
Thump! Crack!
And an eerie sound soon followed.
It sounded like something was being smashed with an axe. Reflexively looking at the place where the sound came from, Desem couldn't help but widen his eyes.
"......!?"
Reflected in Desem's pupils was the sight of Duode the stutterers head being split in half as if sliced by a knife.
But that wasn't all.
As the axe, swift as an arrow, passed through the air, it cleaved Duode's torso in half.
Crack! Guh-ugh!
The bulky figure was cut in half like slicing an apple; a monstrous strength that transcended common sense.
The assailant of the attack was none other than Ulan, who until just a moment ago seemed to be far away.
"Hehe, cutting down the trees was indeed the right answer."
No wonder he found them so quickly.
Having muttered this short remark, Ulan's eyes gleamed ominously. The eyes of a predator who had spotted its prey, having discovered the hiding prey in the dark forest.
(End of Chapter. . . . . . . .Thanks for Reading. . . . . . . . . )
Translator's Notes:-
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