............"Don't lose your positions, keep up the barriers!" Aria shouted while using her divine powers. She increased their buffs and positive emotions so they wouldn't stumble from fear and panic."Alright, we don't need to keep butting heads with them! Retreat in that direction...!" Emilia shouted, looking at the mainland as their only option to retreat. She was hoping to encounter their ally, otherwise, she really wasn't sure how many of them would be left alive even before they faced the Evil God Sylvanus.Aria and Emilia provided limited support, as they needed to conserve their energy for an emergency, and kept retreating.Fortunately, their men were holding on for their dear lives and haven't lost hope completely.But not everyone could sustain the heavy energy drain, and some were picked up by the monsters, who ate them whole without leaving even their bones behind.If not for the artifacts their men were equipped with—which seemed to have a suppressing effect on the corr

............Behind them, Emilia and Aria were quite surprised by their reckless way of fighting, but they quickly adapted to the chaotic rhythm.Seeing a flanking group of agile, lizard-like creatures preparing to ambush Marcus's exposed left flank, Aria raised her staff. A brilliant light swirled and formed an star shape net that shot forward, pinning the creatures to the ground before they could even leap."These guys seriously aren't holding back, moving like a group of raging bulls," Emilia muttered, while she also precisely executed her special spell, maintaining their positive emotions and unity. She glanced back at Aarav, who was casually jogging a few paces behind them, his hands glowing with a soft light, healing the injured quietly while also taking care of the monsters that slipped past the main advance group.Whenever a vanguard fighter took a serious, deep gash from a monster's claw, Aarav would simply wave his hand. A flash of light would wash over the warrior, sealing

............"Be careful, these guys are most likely his puppets. I have fought one before, so be careful not to get touched by these puppets as they corrode your body from the inside using the corrupted energy they got from Sylvanus," Aarav warned everyone as he explained how dangerous these puppets are, but as long as they were careful, they could deal with them."Kekekehaha...!!" Sylvanus laughed loudly, seeing their meaningless struggle while controlling the puppets to attack them relentlessly."Swooosh...! Swiishh...!!""Banggg...!!""Ms. Aria and Ms. Emilia, please be careful of them," Aarav again warned the two ladies while he swatted another puppet with ease. Even though their numbers were overwhelming, their strength wasn't that great.The only troublesome part of their attacks was that corrupted energy of Sylvanus, but that was manageable with his purifying spell—and that's also why he warned everyone to be careful and not get deeply corrupted by them."I will be fine, but

............A heavy, suffocating silence hung over the remaining people. Fifty thousand out of what was once a grand army—a grim reminder of the horror they had just endured. For a fleeting moment, they forgot to breathe.Grief pressed down on their chests like lead, but they didn't have the luxury of time to mourn their dying brothers or sisters."Why is it so quiet all of a sudden? Sylvanus hasn't made any move after we dealt with that massive tree," Marcus broke the silence, making them all take notice.His hand instinctively clenched into a fist, his knuckles turning stark white. He scanned the surrounding landscape, his brow furrowed in deep weariness. "It’s too quiet. We just butchered his puppets and tore down that monstrous tree, yet that bastard Sylvanus hasn't so much as twitched. A God taking a beating like that doesn't just sit back and watch without sending a counterattack. He's plotting something."The moment those words left Marcus’s mouth, a sudden, ice-cold shiver s

............"Damn it... how did he even know about them?" Aarav controlled himself as he looked at the wall covered in vines, the blood on the ground below, and the three figures tangled in the vines.His eyes were bloodshot and his fists clenched tight, knuckles turning white from how much he was controlling himself from running toward them, getting them out from those sharp vines, and treating their injuries. But he couldn't move recklessly; otherwise, the others would be in danger because of him."Aarav, do you know them...?" Marcus was perplexed seeing the three figures and Aarav's reaction. Though he guessed it, he still asked."Yes, I know them. But how was Sylvanus able to know about them and capture them in such a short time?" Aarav really didn't know what to feel at the moment—anger, frustration, sadness, confusion, and many other emotions came one after another."Mr. Aarav, we need to get them out from there and treat them quickly." Aria's reminder stopped Aarav from overt