NOVEL NEXT Chapter 549
Chapter 549. Sudden Thunderbolt
Q. It seems you took quite stringent measures just for one elf woman, didn’t you?
A. Former Prison Inquisitor Sidarl: “Of course.”
Q. Right after His Highness brought his pet, it looked like you were rather tense.
A. Night Elf Maid Viene: “Of course.”
Q. You were quite flustered when the Saint escaped.
A. Demon Lord Goldgias: “Of course.”
Q. Please say something.
A. Liliana: “Wuffun.” (With her chest puffed out)
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“It looks like the next commander-in-chief is in there.”
Liliana watches as the demons emerge one after another, expanding stone walls.
“I’ve lived for a long time, but ‘next commander-in-chief’ isn’t something I hear often.”
Orderju strokes his goatee amusedly. Liliana smirks, feeling the tension leave her shoulders just a bit.
“… The Korvto Tribe seems tough to take down with a single blow.”
She targeted her aim again. First, she’d have to break through the stone wall and then hit the demons behind it—
The problem is that the “Arrow of Living Branches” requires the power of 【Divine Abundance】 to be infused each time, meaning she can’t shoot repeatedly.
“How about going around the stone wall? It doesn’t seem fully sealed. What if you slipped through the gaps?”
Odigos suggested, but Liliana shook her head.
(Physical arrows can’t be manipulated as flexibly as light arrows.)
No matter how powerful the 【Guide】 may be, it’s tough to freely move tangible arrows left and right.
“To me, bending light seems far more difficult.”
(I’m the child of light, okay? I have flexibility when it comes to light.)
“Then how about attacking with light arrows? Like you did against the Night Elves?”
(Nightfall, huh.)
Liliana expressed her displeasure and furrowed her brow in contemplation.
(It was because those guys were weak to light, second only to the undead, that I could wipe out the nightfall. If I shot that arrow at the demons, they’d just go ‘Ouch!’ and that’d be the end of it.)
She might cause burns at best… but she wouldn’t be able to take down any serious demons.
“Well, let’s just give it a try.”
She readied her bow. Wasting time hesitating was pointless.
“【Mythical Re-enactment: Divine Abundance】”
She infused the vitality into the nuts, crafting them into arrows made of living branches.
To avoid counterattacks, she leaned momentarily over the castle wall and shot the arrow.
Kaaang! A pleasant sound echoed.
The wooden branch struck firmly into the stone wall with a sharp sound.
— It grew rapidly. Plants have the power to crack stone given even the slightest gap.
A radiant tree crackled with sound as it sank into the 【Stone Manipulation】 barrier, piercing through cracks with roots, branches, and trunk.
“Whoa!?”
“What the heck is this!?”
It was the demons of the Korvto Tribe inside the wall who were surprised. They never expected the ironclad defense of 【Stone Manipulation】 to be breached in such a way.
Yet, it was clear it wasn’t the work of dwarves—it was distinctly elven.
And against forest elves, their countermeasures were easy to comprehend.
“Burn it!”
One of them instinctively cast fire magic. Although the Korvto tribe mainly used earth properties, some had multiple attributes. Best to burn away the forest elf’s dubious miracle…!
A thick, viscous ball of dark flame seared the arrow of living branches.
However, being a living wood, it wouldn’t ignite easily, and white smoke rose dramatically.
“Ugh… Ugh! Cough, cough!”
“Cough, cough… What is this wood?!”
“Stinks! Ugh, ventilate, ventilate!”
The Izanis tribe’s messenger desperately tried to blow the smoke outside with wind magic. It wasn’t just any smoke; it stung the eyes, smelled terrible, and made breathing difficult! The Korvto tribe members, who had been comfortably stationed inside the stone wall, were now in chaos from the foul odor and smoke filling the corridor.
“Hehehe…”
While preparing the next arrow, Liliana smirked.
『Those who resist』—this tree was called that. Surprisingly, the name was coined by the dwarves.
Adistachia is notoriously difficult to burn, and when burned, it releases irritating smoke. Once, it was planted on the forest’s outskirts as a countermeasure against the dwarves. Errant acts of arson would lead to great damage from the smoke, and cutting it down would yield nothing but unusable firewood. The dwarves despise this tree like a scourge.
— Meanwhile, humans were thrilled to find it perfect for construction due to its fire-resistance.
“Throw it outside! This isn’t going anywhere!”
Down below, the Korvto tribe decided to eliminate the arrow from the living branches by pushing up the earthy stone wall with 【Stone Manipulation】.
At that moment, the stone wall tilted, and the figures of the demons inside could be seen.
Liliana was also readying her next arrow.
“【Dawnlight: Heavenly Cry】”
A fatal blow was launched.
Aiming for the next commander-in-chief.
Korvto Tribe’s military leader, Panmoalus Korvto. The sound of shattering glass echoed as the protective spell was shattered.
“Ugh!?”
Although startled, the arrow’s momentum was slightly diminished, allowing Panmoalus to set up a defense just in time. He instinctively raised his arm and caught the arrow with his gauntlet. A heavy impact hit his left hand, shattering the bone gauntlet. But no worries—
“What!? ”
However, the living arrow greedily extended its roots, entwining around the gauntlet and even biting into Panmoalus’s arm. Strangely enough, it caused no pain, but it was clear things were turning dire.
And Panmoalus only had earth and dark attributes.
And he had no means to burn away the forest elf’s dubious miracle, so his options left were—
“【Dehydration】”
Another of his bloodline spells.
The once vibrant branch of the arrow was stripped of moisture, wilting before his eyes.
Panmoalus, an elite demon, inherited both bloodline magic: 【Stone Manipulation】 from his father’s side and 【Dehydration】 from his mother’s.
【Dehydration】 is a spell that extracts moisture from all matter, and apparently, it was handy for easy dried food production during the 【Sanctuary】 era.
However, when used by someone with great magical power, it became a formidable weapon.
【Dehydration】 would swiftly dry up any touched target or one pierced by a spear, effectively serving as an instant-death spell, and Panmoalus had slain many renowned warriors of the Reiju tribe in the previous battle for the demon lord title.
“What incredible magical power…!”
Even the great Panmoalus grimaced at the horror of the “Living Branch Arrow.” The magic concealed within the arrow was almost inexhaustible; no matter how much he used 【Dehydration】, the branch continued to live.
Panmoalus squeezed with all his might to keep using 【Dehydration】 until he finally withered the arrow. He yanked the dried branch from his left arm and glared across the stone wall where the forest elf must be.
“There’s a troublesome archer! Keep alert and fortify our defenses!!”
Following Panmoalus’s orders, the Korvto tribe members stiffened their expressions and began to form further barriers with 【Stone Manipulation】.
There’s nothing sillier than getting taken out by an arrow in battle. Particularly, the Korvto tribe was in no rush. They took their time to strengthen their defenses, steadily attacking their target—
“What!? ”
At that moment, an Izanis tribe messenger, standing beside Panmoalus, exclaimed in a bewildered voice.
He held his ear up. It seemed he had heard something with the 【Voice Transmission】 spell—
“Message from the main camp!”
It sounded like an unbelievably shocking report; the messenger shouted with a quivering voice.
“—Lord Sekihankus has been slain!! In the main camp, he was reportedly found, having been pierced by a strange tree…!!”
Panmoalus’ eyes widened.
He recalled the light that had shot across the sky like a meteor earlier—
“You fiend…!!”
He crushed the dried branch in his hand with a crack.