Chapter 575

【A MUSHROOM CLOUD 】

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“They’re coming again.”

Watching yet another group of elves emerge from the underbrush, Athos couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of admiration for their persistence.

Despite being clearly outmatched, they continued throwing themselves into battle with reckless abandon. It was a level of madness that was almost impressive…

Although Hercules alone was more than enough to crush them, Athos still couldn’t understand why these elves kept attacking the two of them.

Did they mistake them for adventurers?

Were they acting out of anger over intruders trespassing into the old Divine Kingdom of their former Patron Deity?

It didn’t seemed like that either…

As a demigod, Athos believed he had a decent grasp of mortal thoughts and motivations, yet he found himself unable to see through the minds of these elves.

Their fearlessness was understandable—after all, they weren’t afraid of death if they could be resurrected.

Although Athos wasn’t sure what cost or risks were tied to their resurrection, it at least gave them the courage to fight desperately.

But… was that all?

Were they simply trying to drive the two of them away?

No, that didn’t seem right.

On the contrary, Athos thought he caught glimpses of greed and excitement on the elves’ faces.

The former resembled a hunter laying eyes on a prized quarry; the latter, a dragon discovering a beloved toy…

This realization made Athos feel increasingly uneasy.

He glanced at Hercules, still unable to figure out what the two of them possessed that could inspire such greed in these elves.

He genuinely wished he could crack open their skulls just to see what was going on in their minds.

As Athos grew more perplexed and curious, Hercules began to grow more and more excited.

As an Orc, violence and slaughter were his very nature.

It didn’t matter whether his enemies were strong or weak, so long as the blood flowed and the bones cracked, he would only become more exhilarated.

Especially the sound of bones breaking and the scent of fresh blood—those stirred his primal instincts the most.

“Heh, pathetic little things.”

Watching the elves charge toward him, he sneered and swung his axe once again.

None of the elves could last even a single exchange against him.

And if any did, it was only because Hercules was toying with them.

However, the newly arrived group which were over eighty in number was clearly different from those who had come beforehand.

Their levels were significantly higher, and unlike their predecessors who merely stalled for time, these elves coordinated their attacks and genuinely aimed to take Hercules down.

Their tactics were organized and well-coordinated, as if under a commander’s direction. Although far inferior to Hercules in raw power, they managed to entangle him through teamwork and strategic positioning.

They were sacrificing their lives for this, with elves dying every second at Hercules’s hands. Even so, their efforts paid off as they had actually managed to hold him back.

Screaming, they swung their weapons and hurled skills at Hercules, aided by spells providing cover and support.

Of course, they still weren’t a match for him and any elf that got too close was immediately cleaved in two.

Yet, even as their comrades fell, these elves did not retreat.

Unlike those before who fled when overwhelmed, these ones charged forward with the determination to die by Hercules’s axe.

They were undoubtedly elite forces among the elves.

For a moment, the same thought crossed both Athos and Hercules’s minds.

Looking at these fanatical fighters, Athos’s expression gradually shifted.

Hercules, who’s a seasoned Legendary-rank warrior, didn’t see these weaklings as a threat.

But Legendary-class individuals were the pinnacle of power amongst mortals, and there was no real comparison beyond that—unless one took the step toward becoming a mythical being.”

Although these elves were easily crushed by Hercules, their actual combat performance far exceeded what was expected for their rank.

And if such elves existed… how many more were out there?

That question made Athos’s face turn grave.

In the end, wars between mortal forces are still fought by mortal lives.

While Legendary-rank experts can act as decisive forces in battles, in holy wars involving true divine powers, those of mythical beings might are often restrained from acting directly. Therefore in many cases, it’s the strength of the mundane forces that determines the outcome.

And the potential these elves demonstrated… was truly terrifying.

Take this group of over eighty elves for instance. If their opponent had been a Gold-rank expert instead of Hercules, that person would’ve been overwhelmed and killed already.

No… if it had been a Gold-ranked expert, they might’ve been taken out in the very first ambush.

And the fact that these elves had only emerged in the Elven Forest less than five years ago yet had risen so rapidly in power made Athos’s expression even more serious.

These elves were indeed worth the attention of the gods.

No wonder the Scepter of Life was so hotly contested among the True Gods. A divine artifact capable of producing such terrifying warriors truly is extraordinary treasure…

Athos thought silently.

After a moment of thought, Athos turned to Hercules and said,

“Hercules, stop playing around and finish them off. We need to reach Winterhold as soon as possible.”

Their purpose of observing the elves’ combat strength had already been fulfilled and there was no longer any reason to prolong the encounter.

As for revealing their identities here and trying to end the conflict peacefully with a handshake or negotiation—Athos had never even considered it. The moment the elves chose to attack them, they had already accepted the consequences.

Besides, it seemed these elves could resurrect anyway.

Upon hearing Athos’s command, Hercules gave a nod, then looked coldly at the surrounding elves with a mocking grin. The aura around him instantly became far more menacing.

The elves’ expressions changed dramatically. Then, from among their ranks, someone shouted:

“The boss is about to unleash his ultimate! Don’t hold back anymore—go all in!”

Immediately after, over twenty elves raised glowing magic stones, each inscribed with runes.

“Hmph. This trick again?”

Seeing the magic stones, Hercules let out a scornful laugh. His figure flickered, and before the elves could activate the runes on the stones, he swung his axe down—cleaving both elves and stones in two.

Truthfully, while these explosive magical stones were powerful, if the runes were destroyed before activation, they were nothing more than mana-infused stones. Once they couldn’t be detonated, their stored magical energy would simply dissipate harmlessly after being shattered.

Perhaps the first such attack had caught Hercules off guard, but now, it was no longer effective.

With blinding speed, he darted among the elves, striking down every elf who attempted to raise a magic stone before they could even react.

Yet, the elves did not give up.

“Quick! The small stones aren’t working—bring out the big one!”

Someone shouted from within their ranks.

As the words fell, Hercules noticed an elf step forward, charging toward him while holding a massive bundle half the size of a person.

The elf was covered in layers of enhancement spells—primarily speed buffs.

At the same time, the rest of the elves turned and ran for their lives, fleeing at top speed.

“Hah, do you think I won’t recognize you just because you’re carrying a bundle?”

Hercules let out a cold sneer and raised his axe, swinging it at the elf with the package.

But before his attack landed, he heard the elf shout:

“Anyone who believes in the Lord of Eternity is an idiot! And the Eternal Lord is the dumbest idiot god of them all!”

The moment those words rang out, both Athos and Hercules paled.

Had these elves gone mad?

To utter such blasphemy… Were they insane?

“Utter madness,” Hercules growled and swung his axe with even greater force.

The elf charging toward him was instantly reduced to pulp under the terrifying blow. Like the others, his body slowly faded away after death.

However, as the axe struck the bundle, Hercules felt something was off…

It didn’t feel like a magic stone at all. It felt like… something else.

As the package was cleaved in two, the black cloth wrapping fell away, revealing its contents.

Inside was a humanoid statue both elegant and golden in appearance.

It wore a resplendent sacred robe and bore a gentle, serene smile on its face.

However, its head had been severed by Hercules’s strike, and it fell to the ground with a dull thud, rolling a long way before coming to a stop.

Both Hercules and Athos were stunned at the sight of the statue.

It was a holy statue of Etriōu, the Eternal Lord.

Before they could say a word, the skies above suddenly darkened as immense storm clouds gathered. A bolt of lightning—easily over ten meters thick—struck down from the heavens.

BOOM!

A blinding flash of light split the sky.

The earth itself trembled.

From deep within the Elven Forest, a mushroom cloud hundreds of meters high erupted into the air…

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