"Shalin! Multiple presences are rapidly approaching. Get ready!"
Shortly after Castorice sensed them, Nimue, who was standing not far away, also detected something was wrong and hurriedly spoke to Shalin.
"Eh? Has the Elder arrived so quickly?"
Hearing this, Shalin's first reaction was actually delight. Her small, pointed ears twitched subconsciously, and with a look of slight excitement on her face, she poked her head around to peer through the darkness for the Elder's figure, completely failing to notice the gravity in her sister's tone.
"Pa!"
A crisp sound rang out as Nimue, unable to endure it any longer, flicked her forehead directly.
"You idiot! Can't you sense it yourself? These cold, deathly, and malicious auras—how could they possibly be the Elder?!"
After speaking, she cupped her hands. Blue fluorescence emerged from her palms like stardust, then condensed together, transforming in an instant into an elven longsword that was azure throughout, flowing with a clear glow like moonlight.
"This is an enemy attack! Maximum alert!"
"Ooh... I get it now..."
Shalin clutched her flicked forehead and pouted her lips with a bit of grievance.
Then, the tips of her toes tapped lightly, and her body, as light as a feather, leaped silently onto the thick branch of a nearby ancient tree.
Once steady, she likewise extended both hands. Emerald-green magic radiance gathered at her fingertips, quickly outlining a delicate longbow that appeared to be woven from vines.
Accompanied by the hum of the bowstring, a blue arrow composed purely of energy and radiating a bone-chilling frost appeared on the string.
After finishing these preparations, Shalin held her breath and concentrated, drawing the bowstring. The arrowhead pointed steadily toward the pitch-black bushes where the auras were surging from.
'A dense Power of Death... decaying, cold... these are existences that passed away long ago but still linger in the world.' Sensing the malice surging like a tide, Castorice furrowed her delicate brows slightly. 'Could it be... they were attracted by the Aura of Death I accidentally leaked earlier?'
At this thought, her will moved slightly. The Aura of Death surrounding her like a purple thin veil was instantly retracted completely, as if it had never existed.
However, to Castorice's surprise, the auras of the undead did not dissipate or retreat because of this.
They merely hovered on the periphery for an instant to confirm the target's location, then pounced even more fiercely toward the position of the three! They carried a persistence of not stopping until the goal was reached, even revealing a hint of... greed?
'As expected... they possess a certain level of intelligence. Even if the source disappears, they must investigate.' Seeing this, Castorice understood and then let out a helpless, soft sigh.
This Aura of Death, originating from the Demigod of Death status, was the manifestation of her power's source. Retracting it was not a difficult task for her.
It was only because she had just fused with the character and hadn't had time to finish digesting all the abilities that this aura had temporarily failed to be reabsorbed.
But she didn't expect that even though it had only leaked for a few minutes, it would invite trouble.
'Very well, since it is unavoidable...'
Thinking this, a purple light flashed in Castorice's eyes. Her right hand cupped the air, preparing to send these uninvited guests into the Styx.
"Castorice!"
But at this moment, an urgent call interrupted her.
Castorice looked toward the direction of the voice and saw Nimue looking at her anxiously, her longsword pointing toward a safe zone not far behind her.
"Something very dangerous is coming! There are many of them! Retreat to the foot of Shalin's tree first! Hurry!"
"Uh... actually, I..."
Seeing that both Nimue and Shalin on the tree looked as if they were facing a formidable foe, Castorice was momentarily at a loss for words. She was just about to explain that she could handle them.
But before she could finish, Nimue interrupted.
"Don't daze off! Get over there quickly!"
Nimue's voice carried an unquestionable tone of command, her gaze tightly locked on the violently shaking bushes ahead. Clearly, the situation brooked no delay.
"...Alright."
Seeing Nimue so tense, Castorice could only temporarily suppress her thought of explaining. She obediently followed her words and retreated to the side of the ancient tree where Shalin was located.
"They're coming! Shalin, aim!"
Seeing Castorice retreat to a relatively safe position, Nimue gave a low shout, then added a bit more force to the hand holding her sword, her gaze watchfully fixed on the direction of the bushes.
"Swoosh—!"
Almost at the exact moment Nimue's voice fell, Shalin released the bowstring.
An ice-blue energy arrow tore through the air, carrying a sharp whistling sound as it turned into a streak of light and shot into the bushes!
"Roar—!"
In the same instant, accompanied by a non-human howl, a giant pale figure leaped out from the bushes. It was a giant wolf composed entirely of stark white bones.
Two clusters of eerie blue soulfire burned within its hollow eye sockets, radiating a heart-palpitating chill.
"Bang!"
Blue light exploded! The arrow hit the bone wolf precisely in the center of its skull!
The powerful frost energy directly blasted a distinct pit in its massive skull, sending ice shards flying.
The bone wolf's head merely snapped back from the massive impact, and it let out an angry roar.
Immediately after, the area around the wound on the bone wolf's head began to aggregate like a living thing. In just a few breaths, the blasted pit actually healed as if new at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"Sister Nimue! It's a bone wolf, and it looks like it has an average strength of the fourth rank!"
After hitting it with one arrow, Shalin immediately got a rough idea of what level this undead wolf was.
"Fourth rank?!" Upon hearing Shalin's statement, Nimue's expression changed drastically. "Why would a fourth-rank bone wolf appear here?!"
"It's fine, Sister Nimue. It's just the fourth rank. My strength is also at the fourth rank. Watch me find an opportunity to kill it directly."
Having said that, Shalin began to draw her bow and notch an arrow again, aiming toward that bone wolf.
"Idiot!" Seeing Shalin like this, Nimue cursed under her breath. "When we get back, I'm definitely going to personally supervise your common sense class grades!"
Was she worried about a single fourth-rank? She was worried about a pack of fourth-ranks!
One must know that wolves are pack animals. Since a fourth-rank bone wolf had appeared, it was essentially impossible for there not to be others.
And those wolves might very well be like this one, possessing fourth-rank strength, or at the very least, the third rank.
A force composed of a bunch of third-ranks and several fourth-ranks was not something they could contend with.
"Awoo—!"
"Roar—!"
"Roar—!"
Immediately after, as if to prove Nimue's thought, the bushes began to shake violently!
A second, a third... a full dozen or so slightly smaller but equally hideous and terrifying bone wolves surged out from the bushes like a tide!
Icy soulfire leaped in their eyes. The lowest among them had the aura of the third rank, and there were three more radiating a fourth-rank aura not in the least weaker than the first one. Their target was extremely clear—the three people surrounded in the center!
"So... so many..."
Shalin, who had been aiming at the first bone wolf, saw her small face turn pale instantly. Her fingers holding the longbow turned white from excessive force, and her voice was filled with fear.
"Damn it!"
A flash of resolve passed through Nimue's eyes.
Then, she no longer hesitated, her mouth rapidly chanting an ancient and complex language.
Accompanied by her chanting, the blue longsword in her hand suddenly erupted with a brilliant green radiance!
Next, she gripped the sword with both hands and slammed it hard into the earth beneath her feet!
"Rumble—!"
In an instant, the ground shook violently! Countless thick and resilient green vines burst out from the soil, growing frantically before weaving together. In a moment, they constructed a vine barrier several meters high in front of Nimue, temporarily blocking the surging bone wolf pack outside.
"Shalin!" At this time, Nimue's voice came through from inside the vine wall, her tone extremely urgent. "Take Castorice and leave immediately! Go find the Elder at maximum speed! I'll hold them back! Remember, tell the Elder everything here without missing a word!"
The vine barrier shook violently as the sounds of bone wolf claws tearing and gnawing echoed continuously. Clearly, it could not last for long.
"Okay! Sister, hang in there! I'm going right now!" Shalin understood the gravity of the situation. She leaped down from the branch, landing lightly on the ground, then without any hesitation, turned and rushed toward Castorice at the foot of the tree.
In her haste, she instinctively reached out her hand, wanting to grab Castorice's wrist to take her away from this place.
However, her hand grasped only air.
Shalin turned back in shock, only to find that Castorice had stepped aside at some point and was looking at her with an expression that was a mix of helplessness and a hint of... oddity.
"You... we have no ill intent! My sister won't last long! We must leave immediately!"
Seeing Castorice directly avoid her hand, Shalin thought she still suspected them. She explained at a rapid-fire pace, her tone so urgent she sounded like she was about to cry.
"I do not lack trust in you." Castorice shook her head slightly, her voice as calm as before. "It is because..."
"Screech—!"
Before Castorice could finish, a piercing tearing sound suddenly rang out!
An exceptionally large fourth-rank bone wolf had actually managed to tear through a corner of the vine wall and pounced fiercely toward Castorice.
Its speed was startlingly fast. In just an instant, it was already behind Castorice, opening its bloody maw to tear at her neck.
"Watch your back!!!"
Everything happened too fast for Shalin to react. She could only instinctively shout at Castorice, her heart leaping into her throat.
However, facing this lethal sneak attack, Castorice didn't even turn her head.
She merely turned her body slightly and naturally, causing the bone wolf to bite nothing but air. At the same time, in the moment the bone wolf brushed past her.
Castorice extended her slender hand adorned with the purple butterfly armlet and lightly touched the bone wolf's pale ribs.
"...Living beings touched by me," Castorice spoke softly, continuing the interrupted sentence from a moment ago, "shall all be guided by me into the eternal Styx."
"The undead are no exception."
The moment her voice fell, that aggressive fourth-rank bone wolf collapsed onto the ground like a set of building blocks with all its support pulled away, letting out a dull thud.
The two clusters of blazing purple soulfire in its eye sockets also went out with a puff, like a candle blown by the wind, extinguishing completely within its skull.
To that point, the bone wolf that had been radiating a terrifying aura just a second ago was now nothing more than a pile of lifeless dry bones scattered on the moon-dappled forest floor.
"Gui... guided into the river Styx?"
Seeing this scene, Shalin stood as still as a wooden chicken, repeating the words Castorice had just said with a bit of a tremble.
Then, she looked toward the remains of the bone wolf that had lost its "life" in an instant with utter disbelief.
Next, she looked down at her own palm, which had almost touched Castorice's skin just moments before.
"Gulp..."
A clear sound of swallowing rang out.
Shalin took a deep breath and then abruptly retracted the hand that had almost touched Castorice, hiding it tightly behind her back as if it were something extremely terrifying.
Her small face was stark white, and the gaze she directed at Castorice was filled with unprecedented reverence and... dread.
Just a touch was enough to directly take the life of a fourth-rank bone wolf. She had never heard of such a thing before this.
Looking at Shalin's terrified appearance as she almost shrunk into a ball, Castorice let out a soft sigh.
"There is no need for fear. Under my control, no innocent person will be harmed by this power." Her voice was peaceful, making one feel at ease. "These existences lingering on the edge of life and death were attracted by the Aura of Death I failed to fully retract earlier. I can feel that they crave an end."
Having said that, she turned her gaze toward the green vine barrier not far away that was continuously emitting piercing tearing sounds.
Nimue's magic fluctuations came through the barrier, carrying obvious strain and rapid panting.
Outside the barrier, the tooth-grinding sound of bone friction and low growls rose one after another; the wolf pack was frantically tearing at this barrier.
"You." Castorice's gaze fell back on Shalin. "Wait for your chance. I will break the barrier in a moment. Use the opportunity to take your sister away from the danger zone."
Her tone was flat, containing absolute confidence.
"As for these skeletal remains disturbing the peace of the forest..."
At this point, Castorice slightly raised her right hand and lightly gripped the void with her five fingers.
Buzz—
Space began to fluctuate.
A "stream" of purplish-black ghostly light containing an extremely dense Aura of Death emerged out of thin air above Castorice's palm, then quickly condensed together.
Ultimately, these "streams" formed a giant scythe with a magnificent and elegant design.
After the scythe took shape, Castorice steadily gripped the weapon—which was even taller than herself—with one hand. Then, she lightly swung the blade once toward the vine barrier.
There was no world-shaking sound.
Only a slender purple arc of light silently swept through the air, cutting toward the barrier.
Then, the vine barrier created by Nimue, along with several bone wolves outside frantically biting at it, were touched by that purple arc—
The barrier, along with the wolf bodies, was instantly sliced in two from top to bottom!
the cuts were as smooth as a mirror, and some purplish-white flowers even grew there. The soulfire in the bone wolves' eyes also extinguished completely at that moment.
Silence.
A deathly silence enveloped the woodland.
Only the faint green light flickering on the remaining parts of the vine barrier, the small purplish-white flowers, and... that giant purple scythe held in Castorice's hand remained, radiating a peaceful and serene Aura of Death.