Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 169 - 162: Witherer of the Wilderness (Two in One)

Like a festering sore on the body of Mother Earth, this land was a withered yellow, emitting a foul stench with marsh muck spewing forth.

Rotting animal carcasses bobbed up and down in the mire, and flies buzzed noisily, splotching the otherwise clear sky with filth.

The plants here struggled, vying for a sliver of life on the toxin-covered, ulcerous soil.

Take this grass shoot, still somewhat tough, displaying a tenacious vitality upon this diseased land.

An ugly foot, covered in mutant blisters, stomped the grass blade into the mud, and it never rose again.

It belonged to a human body, tattered and torn, his flesh sprouting lumps that resembled both tumors and the caps of mushrooms, his skull replaced by a massive fungus. His body was covered in tiny yellow spots, from which sprouted fine white hairs that floated in the air like dandelion seeds—almost cute if one ignored the spotted, tattered arm.

It was alive, as evidenced by the mushroom caps on its limbs, pulsating like beating hearts, and the clearly visible spores puffing out like breath.

This malformed being was the rightful denizen of this sickened earth. It spread its poisonous spores, focusing all vitality within its own body—this was natural selection. It was the new form of life.

Then a swiftly flying arrow pierced the creature’s body, the great force behind it akin to a City Defense Crossbow. It was instantly knocked back, pinned to the ground by the arrow, but a higher form of life does not fear such an attack. It made a strange noise as its fungus caps rubbed together, its heat-sensing organs already locking on to the invader.

White hair like drifting snow, slender elf ears peeked through the fine strands, delicate skin like freshly ripened fruit, pale yellow eyes dancing with life, almost speaking, expressing a disgust for this creature.

The elf maiden’s light blue hunting attire was concealed beneath a deep gray cloak, her hunting bow now nocked with another sharp arrow.

Watching the monster struggle to pull out the stuck arrow, the white-haired elf maiden, instead, withdrew her bow.

"I leave it to you, Uncle Heinz."

Unnoticed by anyone, a male elf holding a wooden lantern appeared behind the creature.

The man, appearing in his twenties, had an impassive demeanor, watching the agitated parasite with eyes devoid of emotional ripples.

"For the balance of nature, wither away."

His lantern lit up with a white flame, but it did not emit warmth. The sparks that fell upon the creature did not ignite it; instead, they acted like a powerful acid, decomposing its body until only a shriveled human skeleton and a pool of noxious yellow liquid soaked into the soil remained.

The transformation did not end there. The soil under the male elf’s feet began to turn white, spreading like a plague. All touched vegetation withered and died.

"What are you doing, Uncle!" The elf maiden ran over hastily. She pulled out a green leaf pendant tucked in her bosom, knelt to the ground, clutched it in her palm, and began to pray. A green radiance flickered, and the soil’s blanching halted, the dead plants regaining their vitality.

The maiden sighed in relief and looked reproachfully at her uncle, hoping for a hint of remorse in his indifferent eyes.

"How could you kill them? They are life!"

Heinz was not felled by his niece’s interrogation; he was, in fact, quite displeased with her actions. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

"Fannila, you’re preventing the right thing."

"By the Moon God, have you gone mad, Uncle? Through the teachings of the rituals, we are the guardians of nature."

Heinz scoffed at the so-called rituals.

"I prefer the Senate over the moon rituals, and I have always been guarding the balance of nature."

Incredulity filled Fannila’s eyes.

"You’ve changed, Uncle. The you from before would never have defied Mother, nor would you have run away from home to seclude yourself in a human city, serving those Barbarians, and betraying the Elves’ mission. You’re harming nature."

"I changed because I discovered the truth, the truth our race was blinded to. Rather than mix with those escapist dreamers, I’d much rather work with those pursuing a vision of the future. For nature, a local correction is worth it."

"I cannot believe the relative I sought through mountains and rivers has changed so much."

"I couldn’t believe it either when the Secret Pivot Council informed me. To meet my niece in the dungeons of the City of Wandering, arrested for scamming with a criminal gang in the Light and Shadow Zone using a ’false pretense’ trap!"

A flush of red crossed Fannila’s face, "They told me I was going to punish some infatuated wrongdoers as a lady of justice; I didn’t know they were profiteering from it."

"That’s also why I could get you out so fast because you were just a naive girl being used."

Fannila retorted indignantly, "I don’t care, Uncle Heinz, you’ve just turned bad! The most talented young Druid of Drumwood, what have you been through? Now you’re using such evil spells, harming nature."

"Withering Magic is not evil, you and all the Dream Elf idiots, Doludo as well, and Falanel too, all of you are idiots, idiots who see nature in a one-sided way. You fail to understand the great power I wield because your vision is as narrow as it was fifty years ago."