The sky was a vast expanse of blue, with not a single cloud to block the sun, which had been shining brightly since morning. To the followers of the God of Nature, it felt as if even the air was suffused with a sacred aroma. Followers gathered from all directions to participate in what they dreamed would be an opportunity to unite with the God of Nature.
However, amidst this grand and sacred scene, the local magistrate of Airi was acting quite unreasonably. He gathered all the available manpower in the city, even including those sweeping streets, keeping watch, patrolling, and collecting taxes—essentially everyone who could be mobilized. Along with three thousand regular troops dispatched from the royal capital, they set up barricades on the main road leading to the forest to prevent the followers from advancing. At first, the magistrate's forces could handle the small groups of followers, stopping them from proceeding. But as noon approached, and with the followers calling out to one another, the crowds continued to swell, resulting in increasingly intense clashes. Both sides had begun to resort to violence, and the entire Airi region was thrown into chaos, resembling a pot of boiling porridge.
On the other side, two thousand soldiers had already charged onto the grassy field in front of the Whispering Forest. Many followers from nearby villages had arrived. The soldiers began driving the followers away and prepared to destroy the statues. However, when the soldiers finally managed to topple one statue and were about to smash it, all the followers became enraged. They started attacking the soldiers with stones, branches, and other objects. Meanwhile, more followers arriving from different paths joined in, and as the number of worshippers increased, the soldiers found themselves surrounded.
"Everyone, stop!" Seeing the situation was getting out of hand, Asa leaped out of the group of soldiers and onto a statue to shout. "Please listen to me!"
"Get down from there!" the thousands of followers on the grassy field shouted in unison.
Although Asa knew that nothing he said would likely make a difference, he had no other option. He shouted, "We're all local villagers! Think carefully! This forest has been here long before, so why has it suddenly become the Forest of the God of Nature? This is nothing but a scam…"
"Drag that bastard down and kill him!" The followers began throwing stones and clumps of dirt at him, some even climbing up the statue.
With a thunderous boom, the upper half of one statue exploded under Asa's fireball, scattering debris and shockwaves that injured many of the followers. The raucous crowd was stunned into silence, and those near Asa hurriedly stepped back. It was clear to everyone that if that explosion had been directed at them, the outcome would have been dire. Even Asa was taken aback; in a moment of panic, he had acted, but it seemed that a show of force was proving to be more effective than persuasion.
However, something even more unexpected occurred. A black liquid began oozing out from the shattered upper half of the statue. The nearby followers hurriedly covered their noses and scattered, as the stench emanating from the liquid was not just foul; it felt like needles stabbing into their nostrils and brains, causing tears to well up in the eyes of those closest.
"Take a look for yourselves! Is this filthy substance what you call the great God of Nature?" Asa shouted, suddenly feeling triumphant. "Let me tell you, this is a trap! This so-called God of Nature is nothing but a lie created by those necromancers of the Necromancer Guild…"
"Shameless!" A voice boomed suddenly, powerful and dignified, easily drowning out Asa's. "Do you think I'm unaware that you've used vile means to corrupt our guardian statue and now seek to deceive everyone?" The prophet, dressed in white, had appeared at the edge of the forest at some point, berating the deceiver standing atop the statue as if he were the very embodiment of justice and righteousness. "This man secretly tampered with our guardian statue last night. Look! These nobles and officials have resorted to such despicable tactics to slander our divine being and destroy our faith. Do you think we can't see through these schemes…"
"Good! I was just looking for you," Asa shouted as he jumped down from the statue. The followers didn't have time to react before he dashed through them, colliding with them left and right until he reached the prophet, grabbing him before turning to leap back onto the statue.
"Ah, Prophet!" "Let go of the Prophet!" As noon approached, the grassy field was now densely packed with followers, and the sound of their frantic cries made Asa's ears hurt. However, he was not worried; since last night, he had hoped to expose the puppet created by the necromancer in front of everyone. He had thought the necromancer would keep this secret puppet hidden, but now it had unexpectedly revealed itself.
Grabbing the prophet felt like clutching a lump of mud; upon a closer look, he noticed that fluid was seeping from the prophet's once-majestic features. With the slightest touch, the skin began to decay like rotting fabric, and tufts of silver hair fell away. It was evident that this puppet's lifespan was nearing its end.
Asa held up the prophet by his clothing and proclaimed, "Everyone, look! This is the Prophet you have all respected. He is nothing more than a puppet created by the necromancers!"
To Asa's astonishment, this decaying corpse could still speak—not only could it speak, but it did so with a booming, solemn voice, eloquently driving Asa to a dead end: "He has used dark magic on me, just as he polluted our statue. I will soon perish. But do not let my death shake your faith! The miracles of the God of Nature will still be revealed at noon, guiding you to the realm of unity with the divine. Please, hold firm to your beliefs…" The remaining words came out as mere grunts, as its throat finally rotted away. With a sudden thud, the prophet's arm fell from his shoulder. Asa released him, and the prophet's already decayed body shattered on the ground, revealing the worms that had been hidden within.
Such a bizarre death only amplified the effect of the prophet's final words. The entire crowd of followers erupted into chaos, and countless stones and clumps of dirt were hurled at Asa. Soon, the entire scene descended into extreme disorder, and a wildly chaotic melee ensued. The followers desperately sought weapons, and anyone who managed to grab one immediately charged at the soldiers. Those who couldn't get weapons used their fists, feet, and teeth with all their might. Facing a mob of fanatical followers, the soldiers quickly abandoned Asa's orders. Initially, they defended themselves with their weapons, but soon they began to slash at any approaching follower in a frenzy.
Asa watched in despair as the situation on the ground escalated. Under the bright sunlight, the world seemed to go mad, filled with the deafening sounds of screams and shouts. From a distance, the crowd looked like swarming ants, fighting and tearing each other apart.
The number of followers continued to grow, and the local magistrate, unable to manage the situation against the thousands of worshippers, looked helpless. Asa knew that beyond this grassy field, even more followers were gathering beneath the statues, waiting to consume him. In a state of panic, he watched his surroundings when a stone flew and hit him in the back of the head, sending him into a daze that nearly made him fall.
Suddenly, a strange noise emerged from the forest. At first, it was faint, but it quickly became audible to everyone on the grassy field.
It was a deep, rumbling sound, like many heavy objects colliding, slowly approaching the field from deep within the forest. The ground began to tremble slightly. The Forest of the God of Nature, which had always been silent, was now producing such unusual sounds, causing several followers to cease fighting and turn their attention toward the forest.
As the noise drew closer, even the soldiers halted their actions, stunned by what was emerging from the forest's edge. All of them stood with wide eyes, watching as gigantic tree-like beings began to step forward.
"This is the miracle of the God of Nature!" a follower exclaimed, and soon others followed suit, kneeling or sitting in reverence. The remaining soldiers stood bewildered.
However, these tree giants showed no regard for the humans' worship or respect. They trudged forward, seemingly with great difficulty, toward the statues.
The followers began humbly kneeling and sitting, but as some of them screamed under the crushing steps of the wooden guardians, they realized how their comrades were being turned to mush beneath their idols' feet. Panic spread among the followers still in the path of the guardians, causing them to flee in terror.
The further they moved from the Whispering Forest, the more stiff and awkward the movements of the wooden guardians appeared. Each step was laborious. They reached the vicinity of the statues, swinging their wooden arms to strike the silent figures. With each thud, the crowd stared in stunned silence, witnessing events that had exceeded their expectations and comprehension.
"Alright." Only Asa shouted in delight. Just when he had nearly lost all hope, such a turnaround had occurred. If he could, he wanted to hug Ruya right now and plant a few kisses on her little face. A withered wooden guardian was approaching the statue he was standing on, and fearing collateral damage, Asa hurriedly jumped down.
Despite the clumsiness of the wooden guardian's movements, the force of its strikes was beyond human imagination. Several statues had already begun to crack, oozing out the same black liquid that emitted a nauseating stench.
Even with such attacks, the statues remained immobile. Asa looked up at the sky; it was almost noon.
With a loud crash, one statue finally shattered under the blows of the wooden guardians. The guardians continued their assault, and it was evident that the necromancers' plan was on the brink of collapse.
A strange sound rose from a corner of the crowd, reminiscent of someone singing out of tune, making the already stunned crowd of worshippers even more bewildered.
As the strange sound reverberated, the statues finally began to move. But unlike their swift actions from the night before, their movements now appeared even more labored and slow, as if they were elderly men, decrepit and crippled, trying to move away from the guardians' attacks.
"Everyone, get out of the way!" Asa shouted, pushing through the astonished worshippers in the crowd, searching for the source of the strange voice. He knew it was the necromancer from the previous night, hidden among the crowd, manipulating the golems. The slow and laborious movements of the golems were a clear sign of insufficient magical power; if he could just capture the manipulator, everything would be resolved.
The wooden guardians, plodding along, pursued the even slower-moving golems, striking them repeatedly with their thick wooden limbs, causing more black liquid to seep from the golems. However, as they moved further from the Whispering Forest, the guardians also became increasingly sluggish, widening the gap between them and the golems.
Finally, Asa spotted him. In the crowd, a nondescript old man knelt on the ground, his hands raised as he recited the strange incantation. Asa yelled, "Everyone clear out!" and lunged toward the old man.
The old man suddenly opened his eyes, his murky gaze shining with piercing intensity. Defying his age, he sprang up with agility, grabbing a nearby worshipper and hurling them at Asa. The worshipper screamed as they flew through the air, limbs flying, but fell silent mid-flight.
In a panic, Asa dove to the side, rolling to avoid the incoming worshipper. He didn't dare to kick, strike, or catch them, having witnessed such tactics used by Sandru before.
The worshipper, used as a weapon, crashed into another follower behind, splitting open and spraying black liquid everywhere. The coated worshippers shrieked as they writhed on the ground.
Realizing he was no match for the necromancer's magic, Asa knew he had to engage in close combat. In just a few strides, he closed in on the old man and threw a punch.
The old man recoiled, floating upward unexpectedly, and suddenly rose into the air, hovering more than ten meters high while glaring down at Asa.
Flight was one of the most advanced air magic spells, and those capable of using it were not rare. Almost every mage who mastered such transcendent magic would prefix their titles with "Grand." However, if they saw this old man using such a high-level spell with the casualness of a common trick, most would likely renounce their names and start over as apprentices.
Asa paid no mind to this; he outstretched his hand, unleashing a full-force fireball that hurtled toward the floating necromancer.
The old man merely floated like a feather, effortlessly evading the massive fireball that could have reduced him to ashes, as it whizzed past him by a meter. His timing and movement were impeccable, making it seem as if it were merely a child's toy being tossed.
Yet the old man did not appear pleased by his effortless dodging; his face was twisted with anger and frustration. He had to split his focus to maintain the flying spell, and the golems had completely halted. The wooden guardians quickly caught up and resumed their attack on the already battered golems.
Asa remained calm, fixated on the necromancer above. Controlling such massive golems was no easy feat, and as long as the old man maintained his flying spell, he wouldn't be able to manipulate the golems.
The sounds of the wooden guardians' strikes continued, and the stench of the liquid oozing from the golems filled the air. With two loud cracks, two more golems shattered. The total annihilation of the golems was merely a matter of time.
However, just as victory seemed within reach, suddenly all the wooden guardians halted. It was as if they had received a silent command, turning around and slowly retracing their steps back toward the Whispering Forest. Asa watched in disbelief as his allies retreated, unable to comprehend what was happening. Even the floating necromancer appeared astonished, though his expression quickly shifted to delight.
The sun beat down fiercely, marking noon.
The necromancer remained suspended in the air, but the golems began to move.
In the Whispering Forest, two elves forcibly pulled Ruya out of the Sunwell, while Elder Cranford extended his hand into the well's water, summoning back the wooden guardians.
"Just a little more and we could have destroyed those evil things. They could threaten us and the entire Whispering Forest," Ruya struggled, but the two elves held her tightly.
"There's no need for further discussion. Do you realize how serious your transgression against our clan's rules is? No elf has ever dared to command the wooden guardians out of the Whispering Forest without permission, exposing them to thousands of humans," Elder Cranford slowly shook his head, a strong expression finally appearing on his face for the first time. "There's no need for a judgment from the Elders' Council. Such a grave offense can only be met with the severest punishment—your permanent expulsion from the Whispering Forest. It will be executed immediately. You are no longer one of us. Leave."