MTLNOVEL Chapter 313 Divine Spirit
Arthur ran madly through the forest, his figure swiftly passing by the black branches, while screams echoed in his ears. These were the sounds emitted by the dark trees. Whenever Arthur passed, an old and twisted face would appear on the trunk of each tree, releasing a heart-throbbing scream.
However, Arthur turned a deaf ear to all these, with only one thought in his mind, to keep running forward.
Behind him, the elite squad also opted to venture into this dangerous jungle. Unlike Arthur's reckless escape, they chose a steady and slow advance, as their orders were clear: they needed to bring back a body, dead or alive.
Forming a circle, they slowly pushed forward, with one of them nervously remarking, "Captain, there seem to be way too many Ents here."
Ents are a special species in this world, existing between plants and animals. Every Ent looks like a tree but has an old human face on its branches. They like to scare passersby and, after causing their emotions to crumble, consume their souls and bodies. However, in the presence of powerful beings, they become very submissive.
"Keep your voice down, this forest reeks of strangeness, let not awaken the terrible magical beasts that dwell here," the captain sternly scolded the one who had spoken out of turn.
The whole team fell silent instantly, every member tensely watching their surroundings. They no longer hoped to capture Arthur alive; bringing back his body would be good enough.
But obviously, they had underestimated the dangers of the forest. A bizarre and piercing sound suddenly arrived, causing everyone to look up and see a red crow with a human face perched atop an Ent, emitting a hoarse cry.
The team instantly felt dizzy. The captain, his face dripping with sweat, used his powerful will to suppress the dizziness caused by the cry. To his horror, he realized that under this sound, all the Ents around had awoken, countless old faces appearing on the tree trunks.
The entire forest seemed to come alive at that moment. The Ents, too, started emitting ghastly roars, which mingled with the Human-Faced Crow's cries, transforming into an even more bizarre sound.
The captain watched as his team members one by one fell down before him, gradually falling silent. He knew then that this mission couldn't be completed, but he believed that Arthur, with his own strength, couldn't possibly survive in this eerie forest.
He yelled forcefully, his aura bursting out like a flame, seemingly heating the air around him.
The armor he wore turned red-hot, like a glowing sheet of steel, flashing brilliantly in the dark forest.
The light, like a red lightning bolt, struck into the circle of Ents, and a ghastly scream echoed through the forest. The leading Ent was blasted away by this powerful force, catching fire; however, for the entire forest, the death of a few Ents meant nothing, as countless others had already completely surrounded the captain, leaving him to watch helplessly as these terrifying beings engulfed him and accepted his death.
Meanwhile, Arthur, who kept fleeing ahead, also heard the commotion behind him but chose not to stop, knowing that stopping would mean death.
But human stamina has its limits. Although his body was exceptionally strong, it couldn't maintain this high-intensity activity for long. Soon, profound fatigue enveloped him, leaving him no strength to continue running.
With no other option, Arthur had to stop, even though he knew it was dangerous.
When Arthur halted his frantic pace, he saw a large lake with emerald water surrounded by tall trees, and amongst them, sparsely scattered Ents, which, having been attracted by Arthur's movements, started moving slowly toward him, fortunately too slowly to reach him immediately.
"Damn it, if I were a Sky Knight, I would never consider these people a threat. Laine, you just wait, if I survive to return, I will kill you myself," Arthur gasped in breath.
As recent events flashed through his mind, his heart filled with hatred. The disgraceful traitor had taken his glory and, worse, received the Divine Spirit's approval, making Arthur feel as if he had been abandoned by the world.
Just as he succumbed to his hatred, a dark shadow suddenly appeared on the lake surface. It started as a small spot but quickly took on a ferocious form.
This was a creature known as the Ghost Crocodile. It resembled a crocodile but was entirely black, with a fierce ghostly face on its hide. On closer look, one could see that this ghastly ghost face was intermittently opening its mouth, emitting silent roars. The Ents, sensing the presence of the Ghost Crocodile, immediately halted their movements, closed their eyes, and their old faces gradually vanished into the tree trunks, blending into peace as if they were mere trees.
Arthur quickly noticed the changes in the lake and recognized the creature before him. It was his first time facing such a terrifying creature. It was said that the Ghost Crocodile had immense power, and what was more terrifying was that every person it killed would have their soul bound to the ghost face, forever becoming its slave. The more ghost faces it bore, the stronger the Ghost Crocodile became.