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Chapter 242: Blood Tree

“Can we find it?”

Seeing her master look over, the little dragon daughter, who shared a bond with Miss Vilyric, immediately nodded in understanding, then hesitated and shook her head.

“I can smell the strong scent lingering here, but… those guys are quite cunning. They’ve purposely spread the scent all over this forest, so it’s likely going to be difficult to track them down accurately.”

“Is that so? Seems like a seasoned one.”

But it doesn’t matter; completely hiding and covering up the traces of a crime is not an easy feat.

Before long, everyone had checked the scattered, ruthlessly drained corpses and, upon the suggestion of the soul, arranged them neatly together.

“There are fourteen in total: five humans, two tree spirits, and the rest various hybrids. Three of them clearly dressed as clerics, but it’s a bit strange…”

Summarizing briefly, the soul crouched down and found the body of the temple knight that he had first approached, pinned to a tree by a dagger through the heart, before pulling aside the neck armor with a puzzled look.

“Look, although he’s a holy knight, he isn’t wearing a holy emblem, and we couldn’t find the sacred seal either.”

“The holy emblem and sacred seal are basic and signature equipment for the Church of the Goddess’ followers. Not only do they represent identity, but losing them greatly weakens the intensity of faith-based magic for clerics, which is a significant disadvantage in battle.”

At the same time, the Dark Spirit, who was checking and organizing other corpses, chimed in.

“What the captain said is true; this priest and the Arbiter are in the same situation. Judging by the occupations of the three of them, they’re likely members of the same team.”

The White Fox Girl stared at the bodies in contemplation, while a certain little dragon daughter merely stood beside her, seemingly indifferent. After a moment of silence, only Miss Tilysha, eager to avoid an awkward atmosphere, quickly jumped into a topic she wasn’t very good at.

“Uh, could it be that the enemies took them later?”

The Gray-clothed Swordsman stood up, shaking his head solemnly.

“That’s possible, but unlikely. The holy emblem and sacred seal of the Church of the Goddess’ followers, aside from the top-tier six-winged ones, don’t possess much additional value. It’s just a medium for communication with the goddess, and when issued, they’re bound to the holder to a certain extent, making it difficult for others to use.”

“At least from what I know, very few would specifically go for the holy emblem or sacred seal of a cleric, especially after a battle has ended.”

“Eh… is that so?”

“Yes, it is.”

The one joining the conversation wasn’t anyone else but Miss Vilyric, who had been pretending to ponder until now. She turned her silver-blue eyes toward the crowd that had just been drawn over by her voice.

“Just asking, is there anyone here who can use faith-based magic?”

“……?”

Seeing everyone glance at each other and then shake their heads in unison, the White Fox Girl, who had just noticed a possible distinction, could only give up helplessly.

Well… ultimately, there really aren’t any proper clerics here.

How I wish Edwina Cecelia were here.

Setting aside the matter of the holy emblem and sacred seal, in general, among these unlucky souls drained of blood from the attack, there existed two different causes of death.

Approximately two-thirds met their end like the female tree spirit she had initially seen, having sharp objects pierced directly through their necks or vital parts, their blood completely drained away.

But there were also some, such as the three clerics noticed by the soul and others, who were first killed with daggers or rapiers before being drained in the same manner.

Though these are just small details, at least they indicate one thing: that special sharp object cannot really be classified as a weapon. Its greater purpose seems merely to draw blood, hence why it was necessary to take extra measures when dealing with individuals of considerable combat power.

Regardless, let’s first check out that place.

After casting one last look at the countless bats perched amidst the tree canopy, the White Fox Girl ignored them and turned to stride forward.

“Everyone, follow me. Be careful; there might be fighting ahead.”

“Ah, Xī…”

A hesitant voice came from behind, but Miss Vilyric shot a glance at the soul, who didn’t continue speaking. The White Fox Girl didn’t say anything further either.

After walking for a while, a certain Gray-clothed Swordsman, who had first lagged behind, finally caught up with the group at a brisk pace.

Vilyric glanced at the dirt clinging to him, roughly guessing what his intentions had been before.

Surprisingly, he’s a pretty good guy, just a lolicon…

Silence reigned as the group continued.

About ten minutes later, under the lead of the White Fox Girl, they arrived at the heart of the forest.

As they parted the bushes and tree shadows blocking the view on either side, a tree far larger and sturdier than the others—a veritable giant that could block out the sun, and nearly the size of the Life Divine Tree near the gate of the Mountains of Ten Thousand Demons—suddenly appeared before everyone’s eyes.

“Whoa, this tree is really strange ~.”

The White Fox Girl, the first to stop, stepped out from the bushes with a light laugh and looked up.

“What… what is this?!”

“Oh my god…”

Behind her, the other members, who were initially just following along without much understanding of her purpose, fell into a state of bewilderment and shock.

Not only because of the overwhelming and epic stature of the giant tree entering their sight but also due to its incredible appearance.

This tree, its leaves and branch patterns were red.

The crimson shade spread across the sky, much denser than any other ancient tree’s shadow, seemingly transported the onlookers back to witnessing the shocking sight of the blood-red curtain obscuring the sky at the sacred Pelgen Mountains.

The trunk, like a great pillar under the blue sky, was covered with thin, vein-like tendrils spreading and climbing up, the leaves pulsing faintly like a heartbeat, leading the observing beings to involuntarily develop the impression that this was a sentient creature with its own consciousness.

No, it’s not an illusion.

The words spoken not long ago by a certain Blue-haired Girl resurfaced naturally in everyone’s minds, and even she herself, after a moment of dazedness, let out a startled gasp.

“Hey, snap out of it.”

“Clap clap~”

As if unaffected by the oppressive and eerie atmosphere, the White Fox Girl clapped her hands, her calm and clear voice resonating like heavenly music suddenly sounding in the dark ghostly realm.

“……”

Thanks to this external intervention, the soul and others from Grim Reaper’s Scythe finally exhaled in relief, realizing the significance of what had just occurred.

“How could such a dense aura of blood and killing intent appear on a tree???”

The blue glow in her beautiful eyes flared, and it seemed as though Tilysha had just escaped some kind of peculiar atmosphere. Her face abruptly turned pale, and she hastily alerted everyone!

“Everyone, be careful! This elder has been tainted by some external force and has gone mad!”

As soon as she finished speaking—

“Swish swish swish swish swish swish swish!!!!!!!”

Endless rustling sounds followed by what sounded like blades cutting through the air suddenly surged from the shadows of the blood-red giant tree, transforming into indistinguishable dark shapes like frenzied beasts that lunged at every being under its shade!

“Fourth sword, curtain of rain!”

The long sword sliced through the air, instantly dividing into countless blades, confronting the black shadows charging down from above—blood-red branches that spread forth like a serpent, sharp and sly.

Countless phantom swords clashed with blood branches in mid-air, cutting and colliding, emitting the sharp, discordant sounds reminiscent of beating drums!

“This thing seems to suck blood! It might just be the mastermind behind the previous attacks on those people. Be careful not to get stabbed!”