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Chapter 102: All Things Wither

In the shadowy depths of the jungle, a pair of pus-filled, dark green eyes cast a cold, mocking glance at the emerald nightingale.

“The time has come, great mother goddess, dear mother! Your child shall offer you the most perfect sacrifice!”

The black-haired woman pressed her hands to the ground and shouted, unleashing a bizarre, dark green wave of extraordinary power.

In midair, the flying extraordinary tools that monitored the contestants in real time were affected by this force, plummeting from the sky. The live broadcast of the Trial of Blue was instantly cut off, causing a stir among the onlookers.

Teachers, mages, and rangers waiting outside the secret realm sensed the unusual aura.

Everyone’s first instinct was to rush towards the secret realm, halting the trial just to ensure the students’ safety.

However, as they crossed the plains and prepared to enter the Misty Forest, they all stopped dead in their tracks, dumbfounded by the scene before them.

The forest was stirring.

The once silent trees suddenly seemed to come alive, surging like a furious tsunami!

Among the stunned crowd, only the rangers wore solemn expressions, gritting their teeth in recognition of this familiar anomaly, their murderous intent surfacing.

This power, this phenomenon, was the very symbol of the foe that had taken so many of their comrades!

“All Things Wither…”

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“Stop! He is not the enemy.”

Under Douglas’s order, members of the Gold Sand faction, though wary, lowered their weapons.

Confirming that there was no hostility from the other side, Nia also relaxed her stance, a flicker of disappointment crossing her face.

Looking at the worn, battered, and breathless members of the Gold Sand faction, Roy felt a bit puzzled.

They had just entered the forest; how were they so battered, considering their strength?

Even if they had encountered that witch, it shouldn’t be this bad, right?

Of course, keeping the peace was essential, and given their previous unpleasantness, both sides were willing to ignore each other to avoid unnecessary conflict. Roy was already satisfied with that.

But Douglas proactively spoke up, “Roy, please wait.”

“Have you seen Yana or any other members of the Gold Sand faction nearby?”

The prince of Gold Sand, displaying genuine unease, had shed his earlier arrogance.

Roy exchanged a glance with Nia, who answered, “Nope, not even a shadow.”

“You’re sure?” Douglas frowned slightly.

“Why would I lie to you? You’re not here to start trouble, are you?” Nia huffed, rolling her eyes.

Normally, this might have led to a conflict, but this time, Douglas surprisingly let it slide and sighed, “Sorry.”

Nia, prepared for a fight, was thrown off by the apology.

“Just a heads up, this forest is really off…”

Before she could finish, a chilling scream and a violent wave of extraordinary power erupted from afar.

That was Yana’s extraordinary energy!

Douglas’s expression changed dramatically as he immediately led the others to rush forward.

“Quick, let’s go check it out.”

Roy and Nia followed behind the group, delving deeper into the forest, quickly spotting Yana’s figure.

But at this moment, Yana had lost all her former pride and elegance.

She emerged from the depths of the mist, trembling, her school uniform tattered, covered in cuts and bleeding profusely. Even her once splendid golden hair lay in disarray, looking utterly tragic.

The strangest part was the yellow-green pus flowing alongside her blood!

Even Nia, who bore grudges, felt her scalp tingle with fear, unable to muster even a shred of schadenfreude.

Roy, however, sensed a chillingly eerie aura emanating from the girl.

It was just like facing the mutated Dragonkin of the Cult of the Evil Dragon for the first time!

“Help… me…”

Yana’s once vacant eyes struggled to regain a glimmer of light, reaching out with her last ounce of strength, calling for help.

After all, they were their own team; instinctively, the members of the Gold Sand faction rushed forward to rescue her.

But just then, the eerie aura that made Roy’s heart race surged sharply, exploding!

“Watch out!”

Roy hurriedly shouted a warning, but it was too late.

Yana’s abdomen erupted violently, sending flesh and pus flying everywhere, while countless dry twigs and vines burst forth in all directions!

The frontmost members were instantly pierced through by the branches, while others in the distance found themselves ensnared by the vines.

Except for Roy, who was already prepared, and Nia, who reacted quickly enough to dodge in time, everyone from the Gold Sand faction was caught.

Extraordinary beings are quite tough; even when pierced, they don’t die easily—

However, these branches seemed conscious, rapidly draining the blood of their prey. Those who were impaled had become mere husks within seconds.

And those caught in the vines appeared to be losing their life force as well, their faces rapidly paling. Only Douglas managed to break free from the vines with brute force; the others were dragged away.

“Help them!”

Roy projected his longsword, swiftly joining forces with Nia to slash through the vines, saving the remaining members of the Gold Sand faction.

At that moment, ‘Yana’ slowly licked her pus-dripping lips and smiled eerily.

Her eyes swirled with a mycelium-like, extremely sinister dark green.

“Holy crap, what kind of monster is this?!”

“Why is there such a thing in the secret realm?!”

“The teleportation magic crystal broke; how could this happen…?”

The surviving students were utterly terrified, thrown into a state of complete panic.

They may have come from noble backgrounds, possessed remarkable talents, or even undergone trials of blood and fire, but before such a powerful, terrifying non-human entity, they seemed all too immature.

As if to relish the scene, Yana’s lips curled into a slight smile, and her voice, a strange blend of Yana’s and a dry, rasping tone, devoid of emotion, chimed, “Allow me to introduce myself, noble lords. I am not a monster, but a child of the mother goddess, the priestess of All Things Wither, Sharon Blackwood.”

“No wonder she uses such disgusting methods; she’s definitely a cultist!” Nia spat disdainfully, then added almost humorously, “Daring to strike right under the nose of the Magic Academy, you really don’t know how to write ‘death’ do you?!”

Despite her brashness, Nia’s mood had plummeted.

Despite causing such a ruckus, no teachers had arrived, indicating that the other side was clearly prepared.

The manipulated Yana slowly shook her head. “You’re mistaken.”

“To be able to offer the bloodline of the Forest Elf to the great mother goddess, we do not fear death!”

At this, the members of the Gold Sand faction erupted in protest.

They completely forgot who had just saved them, directing glares of anger and resentment at Nia.

Some even attempted to curry favor, saying, “Since your target is her, that has nothing to do with us, right?!”

‘Yana’ smiled slightly.

“Of course, your vulgar bloodline is unworthy to serve as a sacrifice.”

Hearing this, the members of the Gold Sand faction felt as if a weight had been lifted and sighed in relief.

“But the mother goddess is all-loving.”

“Even you, with your vulgar bloodline, will receive her mercy. So don’t worry, I will help you liberate yourselves from this flesh prison and lead you into her embrace!”

The sinister priestess spread her arms wide, and in an instant, countless dry branches and vines surged forth to attack the crowd!

 

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