A gloomy swamp.
Even the blazing sun hanging overhead, its own light and warmth radiating here, couldn't dispel the gloom.
Roars and the crackling sounds of twisting bones surrounded them.
Arka and the others gathered in a group.
They didn't know when they were surrounded by the undead, those at the border between life and death.
Arka looked at the undead creatures before him. Without exception, they were covered in moss and green leaves.
Luckily, the strongest of these monsters was only a fourth-stage one, probably a moss monster like a gorilla.
A half-face, rotting to the point of exposing the bones, was revealed. An unknown wildflower sprouted from its eye socket, the other half covered in weeds and moss.
The Silent Saint made no move, but raised her hands and cast a thin shield of holy light over the three.
Without waiting, the three charged directly at the surrounding monsters.
Gilliana drew her sword, imbued it with magical power, and thorns tightly wrapped around it.
With a single swing, the plants on the surrounding monsters grew violently, pinning the undead creatures to their spot, unable to move.
How could the Land of the Spirits, despite its vastly disparate numbers, hold back these plant-based undead from the borderland of life and death, who far outnumbered them in both numbers and quality?
It was all thanks to their control over the plants.
Though these undead intertwined with the living plants, forming a paradoxical union,
It was precisely because of this that they were able to be trapped by the plants themselves, which enhanced their strength.
With just a simple swing, the movement of more than half the surrounding undead monsters was restricted by the plant growth.
Branches pierced through the cracks in their bones, becoming lodged within them. Even movement was extremely difficult for them. Some plant roots even burrowed through the cracks in their bones, straining their already fragile skeletons. They were crushed by the vegetation, becoming their very nourishment.
A beam of light ricocheted wildly through the swarm of undead monsters.
Every time it landed, a monster was shattered by an invisible blow.
Facing the lone Stage 4 monster.
A blue comet slammed down from mid-air.
Even without Alka's powerful attack, the gorilla was instantly reduced to a twisted heap of weeds.
It was clearly incapable of movement.
The three attacked, completely unconcerned about whether the surrounding undead monsters would harm them.
The holy light shields they wore completely blocked any damage. If the undead accidentally touched the holy light shield, they would actually be burned.
The entire operation was incredibly relaxing and enjoyable.
The first wave of danger they faced upon reaching the border of life and death was easily resolved.
After watching the three men finish their work, the Silent Saint nodded slightly at them, signaling them to quickly depart.
Not long after leaving the area, Alka sensed an angry roar from behind.
And a distant sense of danger.
The aura stung them like a cold wind.
Thankfully, they left quickly after completing their work.
…
Even on the other side.
Julia joined the team.
Leading the team was the mermaid Chanaris, while the other mermaid, also at the fifth stage, remained at the border.
She was part of the team that would escort them.
At this point, they were not operating in the water, and their team members had been carefully selected.
Aside from the captain and Julia, both mermaids, the remaining two fourth-stage members were from the Church of the Holy Machine.
They were currently beneath the vines, navigating the waters toward their destination.
Chanaris, with her jade-green tail, wielded her magic.
It was unclear whether it was her special spell or the power of her treasure.
At the bottom of this murky, turbid sea, they lay within an oval, capsule-like volume of azure water.
The water even shone with tiny glints of light, as clear and transparent as glass.
And these four people were within it.
The two members of the Church of the Holy Machine had some kind of mechanical construct on their faces that allowed them to breathe underwater.
At the border between life and death, even the waters beneath this zone of death had long been eroded by the murky power of the dead.
If the vines formed above, the chaotic interaction between the vines and the power of life was also evident. The underwater world was completely overrun by the power of the dead.
Julia swung her tail, remaining within the capsule, peering out through the clear, transparent waters.
It wasn't pitch black outside, nor was there any sign of life.
Countless deep-sea undead, with rotting bodies, withered bodies, and even entirely composed of bones, swam around the azure capsule.
They seemed ready to break through and burst into the capsule, devouring the few living creatures within.
However, all their actions were clearly futile.
"Don't be afraid. These weak undead won't get in. Rest here for a while.
Although we're traveling underwater, our actions are somewhat blatant. When we emerge, we'll undoubtedly attract many enemies, and we'll have a tough battle then."
Chanaris controlled the capsule formed by the azure water, accelerating forward and urging the others to prepare themselves mentally.
The three people behind her nodded.
Everything has its ups and downs.
Chanaris looked at the sea filled with the aura of the dead.
And the area above that defied natural order.
She shook her head helplessly, sighed, and said, "This is truly a desecrated sea. How can we cleanse this area?"
As she spoke, she couldn't help but think of the Withering Ritual she had just experienced yesterday.
The one who died was a Life Master who had reached the sixth stage of power.
Even such beings perished in this area.
"According to our speculation, this area will be cleared in a few years," one of the members of the Church of the Holy Machine suddenly said.
Hearing this, Charalis turned and looked at him: "Why do you say that?"
"According to the limited records, this area has become the boundary between life and death, and has become such a distorted environment.
It is because of the fall of the ancient undead dragon and the fall of the flower fairy on the other side.
Based on our research and archaeological evidence, there is sufficient evidence to prove that it was the flower fairy who dealt the undead dragon the fatal blow.
We speculate that it was because of this battle between the two that, even though the flower fairy ultimately emerged victorious, she was still unable to withstand the attacks of the others and fell."
Another member of the Church of the Holy Machine nodded and said, "Indeed, based on our findings and speculation, the attacking force is likely the undead dragon and the gods it is entangled with."
At this point, the two members of the Church of the Holy Machine exchanged a glance.
They felt this was a rare opportunity.
One of them looked at Chanaris and asked, "Lady Chanaris, does your church have any records of the divine war in Zehai?"
The sudden question made the mermaid pause for a moment, then she shook her head.
"No, there are no records."
"Is that so? It's said that among the beings belonging to the Flower Fairies at that time, there was a deity who also possessed power over plants.
It's said that he's one of the Four Gods today. May I ask..."
Before the member of the Holy Machine Church could finish his words, his mouth was sealed shut by a stream of water.
"You must not speak carelessly about our gods. This is a serious offense."
Another member of the Holy Machine Church nodded repeatedly. "We are the ones who have offended. Please, sir, remove the seal on his mouth. I believe he recognizes his mistake."
Chanaris waved her hand gently.
The stream of water from her mouth instantly vanished.
"Thank you." Feeling the water drain from his mouth disappear, the member of the Holy Machine Church quickly bowed in gratitude.
He and his companion exchanged a smile, clearly having received the answer they sought.
Meanwhile, Chanaris sighed softly.
She knew the best approach was to remain silent. But as a follower of the gods, she clearly couldn't do that. Her actions were the best answer.
Julia stood by, silently observing the actions and exchanges between the two sides.
Somehow, she gained some remarkable information nearby.
Suddenly, the water trembled, and the azure waters surrounding them began to swirl upwards.
"Get ready! We're about to leave!"
Hearing this, the other three immediately grew serious, revealing their treasures.
"Based on our speed, we should be the fastest. Let's hope nothing unexpected happens."
…
Even on the other side, within the team Pororo was a member of,
At this moment, his team was engaged in a fierce battle with the surrounding undead.
Even the team leader, Rekai, joined the fray.
"Roar!"
Pororo roared angrily, a bluish-gray glow emanating from his body, forming exaggerated lightning patterns.
Embracing lightning, he swirled around him.
Of the four present, even Rekai, a fifth-stage player, couldn't match him in terms of special effects.
With his entire body shrouded in gray-blue lightning, he stood out in the battle, especially given his massive size.
His eyes had completely transformed into lightning, casting long shadows. Pororo leaped up and slammed heavily into the mass of monsters.
A massive splash of water erupted, falling like raindrops.
Under Pororo's deliberate control, the rumbling thunder transformed into a crackling of lightning.
Dense bolts of lightning emanated from his body, spreading outward as the blow struck, the seawater serving as the perfect medium.
This group of resilient undead, like mud and ash, was instantly shattered by the gray-blue annihilation lightning.
The area struck was even reduced to ash.
A single strike cleared a vast expanse of space.
Suddenly, a sharp bone spike erupted from the seawater, piercing forward with lightning speed.
It glowed with an oily green light, clearly coated in a potent toxin.
This scene was witnessed by another Stage 4 member nearby.
He quickly warned them.
"Little..."
However, he had barely uttered the word "be careful" when what happened made him swallow it back.
Faced with the sudden attack from behind, Pororo, fresh from landing, instantly buckled as if he had an eye behind him.
The bone spear lodged itself squarely in his back, slashing upwards. It met perfectly, yet it didn't injure Pororo at all.
Not even a sliver of flesh was touched.
The teammate who tried to warn him was stunned by his extreme evasion.
Then Pororo spun abruptly, his right hand grasping the base of the bone spear protruding from the water, and yanked it out with a fierce force.
A gigantic, undead monster, resembling an octopus, with eight whip-like, bone-like limbs, was dragged out.
"A sneak attack! A cowardly act!"
Bororo, his eyes already red with anger, roared.
The lightning from his body entwined itself with the giant octopus. Then, dragging one of the octopus' legs, he began circling among the monsters.
The octopus itself was not very tall, but the seven long whips it swung out transformed into sharp blades.
Added to the gray-blue lightning wrapped around it, it caused massive damage.
In an instant, the surrounding undead monsters were almost completely wiped out.
"Die!"
With a furious roar,
The huge monster was flung forward.
Its body slammed heavily into a fourth-stage undead that was about to charge,
instantly knocking it to the ground.
Before the undead monster could stand up, a gloomy member of the team, who might or might not be from the Church, arrived at its side.
A spear condensed with holy light pierced the monster's body.
Holy light erupted.
Amidst the soul's roar, the monster was blasted into pieces.
The battle here was drawing to a close.
Over there, Rickey had already raised his massive mechanical power hammer, engaging another undead monster with the strength of a fifth-stage monster.
No one interrupted their battle.
He was battling a humanoid monster whose arms and half his body had completely transformed into tree roots.
The roots attacked in unison with the vines below, turning the battle area into a virtual arena for the two men.
And it was the enemy's home turf.
The massive mechanical power hammer blazed with an insanely high temperature, even emitting a dazzling red glow like a red-hot iron.
As Rickey swung it down, a large amount of steam and the sound of mechanical whirring echoed.
Water exploded, and a light, artificial rain began to fall from the sky.
One of the monster's tree-root arms snapped.
A man behind him tried to reach safety first.
But then he seemed to sense something, and the soul-like flames in his eyes flickered wildly.
"Want to run?"
At some point, Rickey, holding the massive power hammer, suddenly appeared behind him.
The moment the sound rang out,
The massive power hammer had already struck the monster's back.
The monster was in disbelief. He had never expected Rickey to appear behind him, and he had no idea when he had appeared.
Circles of shockwaves pushed the air, spreading outward in visible shapes.
The humanoid undead suddenly froze in place.
Silence reigned all around.
As if all sound had vanished.
Bang!
A sharp sound echoed.
A piercing wave spread outward.
The humanoid monster had vanished from its spot.
A large amount of water sprayed out in front of them, scattering in both directions. A flaming object was struck out like lightning.
A fourth-stage team member didn't have time to react.
Borolo, who was beside him, grabbed him, and the two of them dodged to the side in an instant.
The moment they dodged,
A flash of red light passed by them, and a large amount of water spray fell on them.
All the undead along the path of the red light were instantly shattered into pieces.
"What is that?" the team member asked, still apprehensive, as he stood up.
Then he caught Pororo's gaze.
He looked toward the source of the attack.
On Ruikai's battlefield, Ruikai had already shouldered his weapon.
He was breathing slightly.
His enemy had vanished.
He turned.
The monster that had been sent flying had slowed down as its momentum faded, allowing the others to see it.
Now, only the head, neck, and shoulders remained of the undead monster.
The rest of its body had completely vanished, its whereabouts unknown.
The remaining parts bounced and bumped through the water like a floating bobber, until it silently stopped after colliding with a tree trunk and sank into the water.
"Don't rest! Move on! We're making too much noise, and we might attract a powerful enemy." "
Rikai said, quickly leaving with a few people.
Bororo and the others immediately followed.
On the battlefield they had ravaged, only the dry and wet remains of the undead remained, floating across the area, carried away by the gently swaying currents.
At some point, a recorder resembling a watch appeared in Rikai's hand.
The red pointer on it spun frantically back and forth.
"Damn it, why at this moment?"
Frowning and cursing a few times, Rikai returned the recorder to his pocket ring.
He picked up his pace once more.
"Hurry! We're running out of time."