"Is this… so brutal?"
Thorne was somewhat dumbfounded.
Glancing at the visibly weakened Shelley, Thorne felt a chill. This woman wielded such devastating power—and even more terrifyingly, her attack could harm him too.
But now wasn't the time for shock. With five Transcendent Tier beasts dead, the tide grew more chaotic. No longer charging in a unified direction, the beasts scattered in all directions—everywhere Thorne looked, there were magic beasts.
In Shelley's current state, she could hardly fight again. Thorne hid her at the lake bottom and began a relentless slaughter, hoping to kill as many beasts as possible.
The Ghost Thorn Tree and Magic Dragon Gecko needed no orders. Already in sync, the tree's eerie attacks paired with the gecko's razor claws made them unstoppable amid the beast swarm—like fish in water.
Volleys of ice arrows felled batches of beasts, but it was too slow. Many had reached the opposite shore, and the lake surface teemed with them.
Thorne considered churning the water to drown some, but with Shelley underwater, he couldn't risk it without endangering her.
Though not overly righteous, Shelley was his ally, and Thorne wouldn't abandon a teammate so callously.
"Ah, Lake God, save me!"
Thorne heard the Huang Tribe's cries from the far shore. Beasts had spotted them and attacked. Just over twenty in number, they stood no chance.
Screams and pleas echoed. The Lake God was their last hope in death.
"Lake God, protect my Huang Tribe kin—I'll fight them to the end!"
It was Gordon's voice—a shy boy Thorne remembered.
"Alert: Host, your followers are dying rapidly. If all followers perish, the skill [Blessing] will be revoked."
"What the—skills given can be taken back?"
Thorne hadn't anticipated this.
His current followers were only the few dozen Huang Tribe members who'd seen him, plus the long-silent High Priest.
If they all died, and the High Priest met an untimely end elsewhere, Thorne would lose Blessing.
System skills were invaluable—he couldn't bear to lose one.
With no choice, Thorne pulled the shore's Huang Tribe members to the lake bottom, splitting his focus to create a protective barrier so they wouldn't drown.
The group, yanked underwater, panicked at first. Realizing they were safe, they understood Thorne's intervention, and their loyalty soared to over 90.
But this slowed Thorne's beast-slaying pace—a bad sign.
"After this, I must figure out how to build an underwater mansion."
The remaining beasts, though numerous, posed little threat—just energy fodder.
Yet Thorne stayed vigilant. The real danger was the elf behind this, still unseen.
He didn't fear their arrival—he feared they wouldn't come.
With so many dead beasts, an elf would notice. If they investigated, fine. If they reported back to a true elven bigwig, Thorne was in grave peril.
Gazing at the seemingly endless tide, Thorne calculated how long it'd take the elves to get word and arrive. He had to end this before they came, or the beast-filled lake would sap his strength.
"Never thought such a being existed in the barren boundless desert."
A black figure appeared abruptly on the shore—so sudden even Thorne hadn't sensed their approach.
Thorne's heart jolted, but he forced himself calm.
The Transcendent Tier Level 8 mage hadn't detected him—perhaps this figure couldn't either.
"Not coming out? Hmph, I'll flatten this lake—see if you stay hidden then."
A powerful aura erupted from the figure, their wide black robe bursting apart.
Thorne saw it was a woman.
Though petite, she was all muscle, like a beastman warrior.
Her eerie green skin and pointed ears marked her as an elf.
Unlike the lithe, beautiful elves Thorne pictured, this one was… hard to describe.
"I'm Elysis, sent by the Elf King to avenge Grandi."
So, the Elf King dispatched her for revenge. How she found this place was unclear—perhaps tied to the yellow light that shot out after Grandi's death.
Grandi's memories held no trace of her, but they mentioned a fearsome, secretive group in the elven ranks: the Black Forest, answering only to the Elf King.
The Black Forest was an enigma within the elves—unknown to outsiders, both dreaded and despised.
Thorne doubted Elysis's claim. Fill an entire lake with her Transcendent Tier Level 8 strength?
He was soon stunned.
Topless, Elysis drew a massive axe from her back. Yellow light surged as she hacked, carving a deep trench straight to the lake.
Water gushed out, flooding the desert.
She didn't stop, switching directions to dig again.
At this rate, Thorne's water would drain dry.
He'd imagined her using earth to fill it or fire to evaporate it—not this brute-force drainage.
He couldn't wait longer. If the lake emptied into the boundless desert, he'd vanish.
Water rushed out, and Thorne felt his strength ebbing.
"Ice Cage!"
Three Ice Cages trapped Elysis.
Then, he conjured thousands of ice arrows. The moment she broke free, they surged toward her.