Chapter 273: The Tide of Battle
Even more astonishing were the reinforcements brought by the Mist Weaver, Citlali.
She did not join the direct assault. Instead, she stood at the rear, her voice a low hum of deep incantations as her hands sketched wondrous, complex spell formations in the air before her. As she wove her magic, the surging tide of monsters on the plain seemed to stumble into a vast, invisible labyrinth. Their charge routes became utterly chaotic; they began to circle aimlessly, unable to effectively approach the defensive line constructed by Dan Heng and March 7th. The pressure on the front lines was instantly and dramatically relieved.
"Well done! I'll take care of the big guy up there!" Stelle cheered, seeing the situation on the ground stabilize. Without a moment's hesitation, she pulled out a Bamboo-Copter and skillfully fitted it to her head.
With a soft whir, the small propeller began to spin, carrying her soaring into the sky. The ascent was a little wobbly but incredibly fast, taking her straight toward the Eroded Golden Wolflord, which had been hesitating to descend.
"Hey! We didn't finish our fight last time, so let's continue!" she shouted, her voice ringing with excitement. The star-forged sword in her hand, a weapon that fused the power of Destruction with the essence of the black tide, erupted with a dark red, ruinous energy.
The Eroded Golden Wolflord, seeing her fly up to meet it, seemed almost flustered. It quickly commanded the hovering Rifthound skulls orbiting its body to spew a dense barrage of energy projectiles.
However, times had changed.
Not only was Stelle wielding a more powerful weapon, but her control over the Paths had also grown far more deep. She now had the powers of Preservation, Harmony, and even Memory at her disposal.
She nimbly dodged and weaved through the air, the dark red light of her sword a reaper's scythe. Each swing effortlessly cleaved through the energy blasts and bit deep into the Wolflord's spectral body, leaving behind angry, scorching marks.
The great beast was beaten back, scrambling frantically through the air as it tried to create distance, but the Bamboo-Copter was surprisingly swift in a straight line, clinging to it relentlessly.
"Let's see you run now!" Stelle pursued it closely, compressing every ounce of her Path of Destruction power and the flame granted by Preservation into her sword. The blade instantly became a scorching, brilliant star, as if she were wielding a miniature sun.
"Take this—Phoenix Rebirth!"
With a sharp cry, she fiercely swung her sword.
A highly condensed bird of flame, imbued with the ultimate meaning of destruction and rebirth, burst forth. Like the mythical phoenix that burns all to ash only to rise anew, it instantly engulfed the massive body of the Eroded Golden Wolflord.
"ROAR—!!!"
The King Beast let out a tragic, desperate final wail. Its body rapidly disintegrated, vaporizing within the crimson-gold pillar of light. Not a trace of remains, not even a speck of ash, was left behind—it was completely erased from existence by this ultimate power.
This also conveniently prevented any secondary contamination that might have been caused by its falling corpse.
Stelle gazed at the empty sky, clapped her hands in satisfaction, and slowly descended by controlling the Bamboo-Copter.
In the area overseen by the Suspended Wood Tribe, the battle was also drawing to a close.
Wise and Belle had endured a series of arduous battles across this terrain of dense forests and sheer cliffs, and both had shown significant growth.
Wise no longer used the Fire-Woven merely as a ribbon to be waved from a distance. Taking Venti's advice to heart—"Use your brain more; a weapon is just an extension of your arm"—he began experimenting with changing its form.
With a shift of his will, the fiery ribbons would sometimes condense into sharp flame bracers attached to his forearms, perfect for close-quarters parrying and cutting. At other times, they would extend and solidify into a scorching, dazzling flame spear, which he wielded with all his might to pierce through enemies at mid-range. He could even instantly expand the flames into a circular shield to block a sudden energy blast. His control over this power from another world became increasingly skilled, its application more flexible and varied.
Belle's growth, however, was more reflected in her mindset. After the trials on Amphoreus and the baptism of this war, she no longer panicked as easily when facing monsters.
This newfound composure proved especially crucial when they faced their final, formidable enemy in this area—the Molten Splendor Drake-Statue. This colossal monster, composed of rock and lava, possessed a peculiar transformation mechanism, shifting between two states: "Stoneclad" and "Molten."
Belle's first few attacks had accidentally triggered this mechanism, forcing it into the Stoneclad state where its defense skyrocketed, greatly reducing the effectiveness of Wise's attacks.
If this were the old Belle, she would have likely become flustered, her movements clumsy with self-reproach. But now, though her brows were slightly furrowed, her eyes were exceptionally calm.
After several attempts and keen observation of the monster's energy conversion patterns, she quickly made a judgment. "Brother! This monster's state transformation seems to be related to the attribute and intensity of the attacks it receives! My ice attacks tend to make it enter a defensive state, so I can't be the main attacker!"
She decisively retreated, no longer rashly using Hyōrinmaru's power. Instead, with a thought, she summoned the companion that had evolved during their time on Amphoreus—a cute yet cool-looking Chimera named Xiao Ni, which had incorporated some of the black tide's power.
"Xiao Ni, it's your turn!"
"Awoo!" Xiao Ni let out a powerful growl that belied its cute appearance. Its body flashed with light, and it summoned several mighty Blood Crystal Lions made of pure energy.
These lions roared as they charged toward the Molten Splendor Drake-Statue. Their primary attack method was not elemental, but pure physical biting and ramming, which effectively avoided triggering the Stoneclad mechanism. At the same time, Belle directed Xiao Ni and the Blood Crystal Lions to specifically attack the monster's lower limbs and joints, effectively distracting and interfering with its movements.
"Mr. Venti!" Belle then called out to the bard, who had been providing support from the edge of the battlefield.
"Understood~ The wind guides direction and also fuels the flames!" Venti smiled slightly, gently plucking his lyre strings. A soft yet precise whirlwind subtly appeared, not to attack the monster directly, but to circle around Wise's flame attacks.
With the blessing of Anemo, the flame bracers Wise swung and the flame spears he threw gained a significant boost in both power and speed. The scorching flames roared in the wind, becoming even more violent and unstoppable.
Under Belle's precise command, with the diversion created by Xiao Ni's summoned beasts and the assistance of Venti's Anemo, Wise seized the opportunity. He used his enhanced flame attacks multiple times to successfully force the Molten Splendor Drake-Statue into its "Molten" overload state.
Seizing this fleeting moment, Wise pushed the power of the Fire-Woven to its absolute limit. Condensing all his strength into one final throw, he launched a meteor-like flame spear that pierced straight through the core of the Molten Splendor Drake-Statue.
The gigantic monster collapsed with an unwilling roar, turning into a pile of burning rubble and extinguished lava.
As night deepened, the various teams finally completed their respective cleanup operations and escorted the last batch of civilians to safety. They began reporting their results through the chat group, and the tense atmosphere seemed to ease slightly.
However, just in this darkest hour before the dawn, an unexpected change occurred.
[Inorin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me!
Want to read ahead on our official home, or unlock 50 advanced chapters (plus an Ad-Free experience) to feed your addiction? Help keep this shameless translator alive here:
(P.S. Replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
🌐 Official Website: elysianreads[.]com
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters & Ad-Free): patreon[.]com/InorinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/InorinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]