cealed within dark and heavy mist wafting in the air, red lowed with high iy, eyes which could carve deep fear with a single g gleamed and it shone, getting redder and redder by the moment. Redness like blood spilled in a fierce battlefield.

  The ground rumbled and the leaves rustled, the feeling of ominousness growing bigger and stronger like waves in the o during a raging storm, merciless, cruel, domineering, and terrorizing. Those who gazed at it would feel like they are dragged deep into the abyss.

  GROOAARRRRRR KHIIEEEKKKK

  A loud roar and sharp shriek resounded soon after as two familiar figures rose from the dead, its fangs, cws, and talons sharper than ever and their bodies corruption, exuding the feeling of doom to those nearby.

  Kris who was strohan them before was now pletely overwhelmed. He couldn't fathom how powerful the enemies had bee and his body started to tremble before he even noticed it. His instincts were screaming da him.

  Kris wasn't wrong and he wasn't the only one surprised either. Everyone present was in a state of shock as they witnessed such a se before them. Especially Grey, he was the one who khe most what was happening.

  'Impossible...' ［Grey］

  The beings before them were no longer what they used to be. They are now demonic beasts who have been tainted by corruption. It was the first time Grey was witnessing a beast turning into a demonie. A marvelous yet terrifying sight.

  Grey could only think of one reason why such a transformation occurred. It was because of their ption of the corruptioree was abs and processing. His theory was on point.

  Thanks to the corruption g and enhang their bodies, the beasts which were just at the lower ranks of A-rank were now at S-rank! Other than Grey, Yuna, and Sirius, all it would take is a si for the others to get their lives in danger.

  "Mister Kris, Miss Aria, please head away right now. Things could get dangerous at any moment!" ［Grey］

  "Ughh... Dammit..." ［Kris］

  "Grey, Yuna, please take care of yourselves." ［Aria］

  "Un! We'll make sure to do so!" ［Yuna］

  Hesitation deep in their hearts, Kris and Aria fell back outside the barrier where the guards and the others were. Instinctively, their familiars also fell bad guarded the entrah their bodies, leaving the Tree of Life to the others.

  While all of them wao help out, with the way they are, they would only be a liability for those whoing to fight. Whilst the beasts were still transf, the roles of Dianthus and the others were left to Grey and Yuna's familiars.

  One might think that it would be more effit to take care of the beasts while they are still transf, and that is correct. The problem is the corruption surrounding the beasts, if os caught up in it, they might get swallowed. It was best to defeat them after they firansf.

  "Poris! e forth!" ［Grey］

  "As you and!" ［Poris］

  A resonant voiihe area loud and clear. Soon after, a massive figure came out of nowhere apanied with a booming roar, its eyes gleaming brightly like amethyst uhe moonlight. A deep aiful color.

  Despite being hundreds of kilometers away, at Eliza's side, all it took was a single call and he was there. A magnifit figure whose strength was on par with its master. Grey and Yuna's stro familiar has arrived. Poris is here!

  "Poris, where is Liz currently at?" ［Grey］

  "He's currently at the mansion, Master." ［Poris］

  "I see. That's great because we really need your help right now..." ［Grey］

  At Grey's words, Poris' eyes wandered in the surrounding, stopping only at the sight of the jet bck mass gathering nearby. His sharp and intense gre pierced the said mass as he determined who the enemies were.

  GROOAARRRRRR KHIIEEEKKKK

  Another pair of roar and shriek echoed in the air as the bck mist dissipated aggressively, revealing the newly transformed beasts whose eyes were starving for death aru. A pair of terrifying monsters are born.

  Much bigger, much stronger, and much much fiercer than before. What made it worse was that evehey had transformed into demonic beasts, the wounds and injuries they received weren't patched up. They were like beast zombies with some of their ans showing.

  Crack Crack Rumble

  The ground shook and cracks appeared at the terrain as the Citraka disappeared from sight. What came out of the cracks were thorny, withered vines void of vitality, moving as if they have their own lives. The battle has started.

  Following the Citraka, the Molterow fpped its wings and took to the skies, lifting tons upon tons of soil and rocks with it. It was like a wave of earthen materials were rising to the air f a rge tsunami, one much more dangerous and powerful than those made with mere water.

  But the tsunami didn't e. The ground tio rise in the air with time, and soon enough, tless masses of earth could be seen floating in the air, bigger than boulders like small floating isnds in the sky.

  Shatter

  The sound of breaking gss rang in everyone's ears as the barrier Arcturus erected was broken. No matter how powerful he was, it stood no match to a demonic beasts standing in the S-ranks,

  Khiieeeekkkkk

  The Molterow shrieked and the masses of earth started turning, going faster and faster with the passing of time, taking the forms e spears, their tips as sharp as bdes. A fra of a sed ter, a disastrous onsught came raining down like a violent downpour.

  "Haap!" ［Grey］

  Grey didn't just let the Molterow do whatever it wanted. With a stomp of his feet, a massive wall grew out of the ground shaking the earth and making the air tremble. Before anybody could realize what was happening, there was already a hundred-meter high wall out of nowhere.

  Loud crashes came oer another as the earthen spears struck the wall. Each strike pag enough power to demolish rge establishments, yet with such power, the wall didn't budge a single inor did it even shake.

  The relentless storm of heavy rocks tinued but the wall stood its ground. The rger attacks left a few cracks as, but in just a blink of ahose damages were quickly repaired with the use of magic.

  "Begone, you i fool!" ［Poris］

  Apanying a loud roar, Poris' signature breath attack filled the sky with colors. Unfortunately, the masses of earth made a wall just in time. The wall was quickly destroyed, but it served enough time for the Molterow to escape.

  g g g

  As Poris engaged in an aerial battle, another battle took pce at absurd speeds. It was oween Yuna and the Citraka. It was a battle so fierd fast, only afterimages could be seen as they cshed with one anain and again.

  Every siime they approached one another, dozens of cshes took pce before they separated with one another, only to exge blows once again ohey were at each other's range, sending forth bursts of violent winds every siime.

  If it weren't for the thorny vines whipping and shing at every ce they had, the fight would have been much easier for her. It was a bother since she had to cut them dowime she cshed with the demonic beast.

  ??Winter Gospel!?? ［Yuna］

  Hundreds of vines luowards Yuna, but before they had the ce to touch her, they were instantly frozen, trapped in deep blue ice. They soon shattered like gss, leaving only fragments of what they were behind.

  Crack Whip

  Whilst Yu with the wave of vines rushing at her, the ground below her split all of a sudden. After which, hundreds of vines came out of the said cracks and surrounded Yuna like a sophisticated trap, creating a cage of vines around her.

  But Yuna's reflexes were just as fast as the vines. After she casted her spell, she quickly brandished her daggers in a relentless fury. With every ssh she made, dozens of vines were felled and sharp bdes of mana flew out here and there.

  "Agh!" ［Yuna］

  Unfortunately for her, a single vine mao bypass her heavy defenses. It was silent uhe others, sprouting directly below her. The moment it revealed itself, it quickly got a tight grasp on her right leg, ing around her boots like a snake and grazing her skin with its sharp thorns.

  For a quick sed, Yuna was rooted to the ground. It was only a short sed, but it was enough time for the Citraka to nd a strike at her. Without wasting time, it fiercely pou her like a starving predator.

  BOOOMMM

  Not even a sed after it pounced, a powerful fist ected oraka's face, bsting it hundreds of meters away from its previous position and making it roll and rumble over and ain before crashing on a rge boulder.

  "Yuna, you alright?" ［Grey］

  "Un... It just stings a little..." ［Yuna］

  Replied Yuna with a slightly pained expression on her face. The wound was not too deep, but it left a loreak on her leg. It was the type of wound which would really sting if rubbing alcohol were to be poured to it.

  "Haah... You really ought to be more careful. There seems to be some poison, too. Stay still for a little bit." ［Grey］

  "Un... Sorry..." ［Yuna］

  "Just be careful ime, alright? ??Cure!?? ??High Heal!??" ［Grey］

  Well, even in the middle of su intetle, Grey and Yuna still mao be calm as if they were just pying a game. Even when vines relentlessly attacked them, they simply deflected and cut them with simple movements.

  In the first pce, Grey and Yuna could easily eradicate the oppos if they wao. The only problem was the Tree of Life. Because of it, they ot go all out si might get caught up in their attacks. If it wasn't for it, the battle would have already finished long ago.

  After the light from Grey's spells dissipated, the red sh was o be seen and the little traces of poiso were instantly removed from Yuna's body. In just a matter of seds, Yuna was back to her peak dition.

  While the poison owerful enough to kill those below k in a matter of seds, thanks to Yuna's high resistance as an S-ranker and the ability of the "Divine Amulet" to double said resista wasn't much of a threat. The poison didn't everate too mu the first pce.

  "Does it still hurt?" ［Grey］

  "No, not anymore. Thank you." ［Yuna］

  Grrooaaarrrr

  The Citraka tried to pou Yuna again, but it didn't even have the p, it was suddenly frozen in thin air, s and binds attached on its body as if it was a leashed animal without any freedom to move.

  Some of the s were pitch bck, some were shining golden, while the others were transparent like gss. They were binds made by the usage of curse, holy, and barrier magic, obviously done by their familiars.

  While it was true that the Citraka was stronger, with the curses attached on opus' pitch bck s, both its defenses and strength became weaker. bined with Sirius' high-level illusion magic to fuse arain it, it was easily pinned down without much effort.

  "Thanks for the help, everyone." ［Grey］

  "No problem, Master, Mistress!" ［opus］

  Now that the Citraka was trapped with the familiars' magibination, its fate was now in the hands of the ones before it. Its crimson eyes were trembling with rage and hunger as it roared aggressively without a, struggling to break free from the binds that restrai.

  Of course, its punishment was already determined. For beasts who dared to attad harm the i, especially those whom Grey and Yuna treasures, there was only oe which awaited them.

  "This is the end... ??Phantom Caliber??!" ［Grey］

  Fast as lightning, Grey's punch ected to the Citraka's bleeding body. Uhe first strike, the punch didn't bst the beast away. Instead, intense magnitudes of shock reverberated is already damaged body, destroying it from the inside.

  With its whole body bihe beasts couldn't eve out its final cry. Blood gushed out of its mouth as its white turned white. The dark fmes of life which it was given the sed time started to flicker until such that it was finally extinguished.

  As the familiars released the binds, the Citraka helplessly fell to the ground without much resistance, produg a loud thud which echoed silently. With it, one of the two beasts was down, there was only oo crush.

  "This is the end!" ［Poris］

  Bold colors of red, e, and yellow filled the sky as Poris opened his mouth. A fshing beam came bsting those which flew in the sky, scorg what was to be scorched aroying those which could be destroyed.

  The Molterow received the full brunt of Poris' attack, its feathers burnt fiercely and skin charred bck. A few moments ter, it came crashing down from the sky towards the cold, thorn-filled ground. Only Poris remained flying, dominating over the skies as if he was its king.

  "Good job, Poris!" ［Yuna］

  "It was my pleasure, Mistress." ［Poris］

  With it, that makes two out of two. The Molterow crashed perfectly on top of the fallen Citraka. The beast was not yet dead, but wounds and injuries it received from Poirs, it won't take long before it eventually does.

  "Then, to finish it offー" ［Grey］

  Grey raised his hands to deliver yet another punch, but froze quickly after. It wasn't just him, Yuna, the familiars, and the others also felt a dangerous surge of mana ing from the two beasts. A mana spike unlike any other.

  Its eyes pierg at the ones before it, the Molterow's body started to glow a dim and ominous light. After it, the Citraka's body started glowing the same ominous light, too. Everyone who saw such a se only felt a bad premonition, one in which the sense of doom ah was strohan anything else.

  A violent and unpreted storm of mana brewed within the surrounding, drawing in both pure mana and corruption like a voracious vortex with insatiable huhe strew bigger and bigger at rates none had ever seen before.

  The storm tinued and the bck mist from before returned, feeding the storm with more power and more destructive force. Everything happened in just the span of a couple seds and no one could do anything about it.

  "Sh*t!" ［Kris］

  "Poris!" ［Grey］

  "Everyoake cover!!" ［Yuna］

  As fast as their reflexes allowed them to, everyone worked in tandem. By Grey's and, Poris used w-attribute magic to slow down time for the demonic beasts' self destru. He couldn't stop time, but his efforts were enough.

  Whilst the storm slowed down, Grey, Yuna, and Kris altogether utilized earth magic, ereg massive walls oer ahe ground rumbled loudly and three high and domineering walls appeared before everyone's eyes.

  ?? ?? ??Barrier!?? ?? ??

  It didn't just stop there. After the walls, Grey and Yuna, along with Arturus, created the best barriers they could jure, leaving an opening on top to redirect the resulting explosion upwards, redug the burden on the surroundings.

  BOOOOMMMMMM

  A few seds ter, the storm of mana and corruption colpsed on itself. Soon after, a massive explosion akin to that of nuclear warheads came into life, rupturing the sound barrier many times over.

  Just a split sed before explosion burst forth, Grey quickly unsummohe familiars. Even with how powerful they are, there was now way they could survive such a bst. Even Grey and Yuna wouldn't e out unscathed.

  The surroundings roared loudly as if it was shrieking in pain, the sky painted with red and bck as everything nearby was razed to ashes. It didn't matter what they were made of. In front of absolute power, everything is doomed for destru.

  The se tinued and the explosion roared louder and louder. As the crimson a bck fmes clouded the sky, one could see the end of the world before them. It was only then that Grey realized something which had pletely slipped his mind.

  Uhe people and the familiars, the Tree of Life was pletely defenseless. It has only been a couple seds sihe explosion took pce, but with the power it packed, it would undoubtedly be in danger.

  ??Barrier!?? ??Barrier!?? ??Barrier!?? ??Barrier!?? ［Grey］

  Oer anrey casted the best barriers he could, draining his mana over and ain, only to be refilled with his "Mana Bank". An astronomical amount of mana flowed inside his body in such a short amount of time that he felt like he was going to burst. It was as if he was being seared on molteal.

  If it wasn't for the "Divine Amulet" which resisted such pain, Grey would have found it harder to endure such pain. It was only for a few seds, but it felt like ay. Such excruciating pain burdened not only his body but also his mind.

  Soon, the explosion died down, only leaving behind sparks and ashes as traces of its existence. While the vilge was fihe same couldn't be said for the viity around the Tree of Life. It was pletely ruined.

  The ground molten pletely into va, no pnts nor is to be seen, and the tree itself was almost burnt to ashes. All leaves have been scorched, the smaller trunks were no more, and the trunk was charred bck. A desote wastend.

  ??Rain?? ［Grey］

  The wind blew silently and dark clouds formed in the sky. Soon after, a drop of water fell to the ground, more and more following it. White steam rose from the ground as the downpour tinued.

  Soon, the rain ended and the ground cooled down. But no matter what Grey did, the wastend still remained a wastend. The only difference was that the ground was now muddy instead of molten.

  "Dear God..." ［Falroe］

  As soon as the barriers and the walls were dispersed, Falroe walked ihe premises, his face full of despair and disbelief as he helplessly k on the muddy ground, his eyes fixed at what was left of the Tree of Life.

  "What are we going to do now?"

  "Will we still be alright?"

  "No... Impossible..."

  After their Chief, the vilgers ehe viity oer another, all of them looking at the object. The Tree of Life which was the very heart of the vilge was now in tatters. Be it ay, despair, terror, worry, or disbelief. A lot of ive emotions swirled madly in their hearts.

  In Grey's eyes, the status of the tree was no longer "Healthy" nor "Heavily Damaged", there was only "Critical". The tree could die at any moment. A loss which would be devastating for the vilge and the vilgers.

  Inside Grey's mind, there was a certain thought which revolved ever since he saw the tree. If his suspis are right, the tree could still be saved, but he doesn't want to give the people false hope. There was only one way to find out.

  "Mister Falroe, I have a solution in mind, but... I'm not sure it'll work. Still, if you trust me... I want to give it a try." ［Grey］

  Falroe didn't utter any words. Seeing Grey's determined eyes, he could only nod in silence, prompting the tter to proceed with his pn. It was a reckless one, but it was the only thing he could think of.

  Ever since he saw the words "Essence of Creation", a strange feeling was invoked in his heart. He wasn't sure if it was reted to his "Divine Blood of Creation", but it doesn't hurt to try. It was their st hope.

  "Grey?!" ［Yuna］

  "Don't worry, I'm alright." ［Grey］

  Grabbing a knife from his "Iory", Grey quickly wounded his own palm. Blood gushed out of the wound and soon, scarlet drops like rubies illuminated by the sun dropped on tree's roots. Although it stung a little, Grey bore with the pain.

  Time passed and more blood dropped to the ground, yet there was only deafening sileo be heard. The ay only grew as the people witnessed no ge. They sunk further and further into despair.

  'Is it impossible, after allー!!!" ［Grey］

  RUMBLLEEE

  A violent quake shook the ground all of the sudden, greatly shog everyone present. But what was more shog was that the Tree of Life started glowing out of the blue as if hundreds of fireflies brooded over it.

  The light grew brighter, yet at the same time, it became gentler and warmer. As the light grew, the charred trunk and branches slowly regais vitality. The leaves grew sporadically and the roots shed out as they dug deep into the ground. As time passed, the Tree of Life only grew bigger and prettier.

  It wasn't only the tree. The barren ae wastend around it soon started to shine as grass took over. After the verdant grasses, flowers of all kinds and colors soon followed, turning the dead wastend into a mystical paradise.

  As the se unfolded before them, everyone present couldn't help but open their mouths in awe and agape. The se was so mesmerizing that they were all left frozen and speechless.

  Greetings... Oh, Holy One...

  Grey fli the sudden voice eg inside his mind. It was loud yet strangely calming. A voice very unfamiliar yet doesn't spark any caution. Grey could only open his eyes in surprise as he looked at the one before him.

  CHAPTER 148 END