Chapter 106
Chapter 106
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 106
Chapter Title: The Corrupted Spirit Realm (2)
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The high fire spirit's head split open before vanishing in Raymond's strike.
Having dealt with all the spirits guarding the fruit trees and stream, Raymond let out a sigh of relief as he sheathed his Soul Sword.
"Your Majesty!"
Before he could even signal that the area was secure, Silvia rushed over and checked him for injuries.
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
"I'm fine."
Raymond replied with a faint smile to her voice thick with worry.
"Thank goodness..."
Silvia breathed a sigh of relief. While Raymond had been fighting the spirits, she'd felt a deep sense of helplessness at being unable to help. Worrying about him like this was the only way she could bear it.
"Instead of worrying, secure our drinking water and food before more spirits show up."
The battle against the high spirit had consumed a massive amount of mana. Any spirits nearby with decent detection skills would sense the disturbance and come swarming. They needed to gather supplies and get out before that happened.
At the belated warning from the wind spirits, Silvia's face tensed as she filled the leather waterskin and picked a generous haul of fruit.
Her hands paused mid-pick as she gathered fruit without rest. The wind spirits were warning of hostile presences approaching.
"Your Majesty, we need to move."
Raymond nodded slowly at Silvia's words. No hostile spirits had entered his detection range yet, but he knew her scouting abilities far surpassed his own, so he trusted her judgment.
"Let's head somewhere safe for now."
"I'll lead the way."
Silvia took point. Hostile spirits were closing in, tightening their encirclement.
By the time the spirit horde drew close enough for Raymond to sense them—dozens strong—Silvia had already evaded them, keeping their footsteps steady.
The spirits moved with trained military precision. High spirits seemed to be coordinating them, maintaining lines of communication.
They kept trying to tighten the noose, but Silvia outmaneuvered them every time.
She eventually slipped them completely, guiding Raymond to safety.
"We're safe here."
It had taken five hours to reach the forest's heart. Constantly deploying wind spirits had left Silvia as exhausted as when they'd first met here.
Her voice was hoarse; she needed rest and sustenance right away.
"Rest first."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Silvia sat on a broad rock, pulling out her waterskin and bringing it to her lips.
Her thirst must have been intense; she drank steadily from the steady stream without pause.
"Ahhh!"
"Feeling alive now?"
"Yes... hehe."
Raymond asked as she finally lowered the waterskin, letting out an uncle-like sigh of relief. She ducked her head sheepishly at her own exclamation, cheeks flushing pink. It was cuter than expected.
She'd lived a tragic life—used by the Second Prince, her clan's village attacked.
Moments like this were rare, so Raymond stared intently, wanting to savor it longer.
"I-Is there something on my face?"
As expected, her reaction was adorable. Raymond grinned.
"No, nothing like that."
"Want one of these?"
To his casual response, Silvia offered an awkward smile and handed him a fruit.
The earlier fight and nonstop march to safety had left him hungry. Raymond devoured the fruit she'd given him in seconds.
"I'll take watch tonight. Get some real rest."
They still hadn't found a way out of the Spirit Realm. It didn't seem solvable immediately, so they'd alternate watches for the time being.
"But Your Majesty..."
"You're exhausted. You couldn't stand watch properly right now."
"Yes..."
Silvia bowed her head to his logical words.
Soon, a simple campsite was set up—a small tent was all it amounted to—but Silvia fell asleep the moment she lay down.
Raymond perched on a nearby rock and began his night vigil.
* * *
The next day, Raymond focused on securing food and water. No telling how long they'd be stuck here—it was necessary.
He also began scouting the surroundings. Gathering intel was key to finding an exit.
The search continued until afternoon with no real gains. But that evening, something broke the monotony.
As he finished scouting and grabbed a fruit to eat, Silvia—still directing her wind spirits—approached cautiously.
"A high spirit is heading this way, fleeing the others."
"Fleeing the others?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
This was new. Every spirit they'd encountered so far had been hostile only to them, never turning on each other.
"What should we do?"
Silvia asked carefully. Her question implied she sensed this pursued high spirit was different.
"Tell me its exact position, Silvia. We'll rescue it."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Silvia gave the precise location, and Raymond dashed off with Soul Sword in hand.
He left her behind, but he wasn't worried. Her wind spirits would warn her of threats; leaving her alone briefly was fine.
He'd just mop up the hostiles fast and return. Even if he couldn't find her, she'd track him down.
"Found it."
The pursued high spirit was water-aligned, chased by aggressive wind spirits. The water high spirit was wounded, its mana body dissipating bit by bit.
Judging time short, Raymond stepped out before the spirits.
The wind spirits bared naked hostility at the sudden 'human,' but the water high spirit did not.
Instead, it radiated a mix of anxiety and relief. That confirmed it—this one was different.
"You there, water spirit. Can you hear me?"
The water high spirit nodded slowly to his cold query. Raymond traced a magic circle with his left hand and spoke again.
"I've got questions. Answer them, and hide behind me. I'll spare you."
"Thank you..."
She didn't refuse, slipping behind him. Unlike the eerie cries of the others, she spoke clear human tongue—proof she wasn't corrupted like the rest.
"Grraaah!"
Seeing her join him, the pursuing wind spirits roared in fury, aiming weapons forged of wind mana—sharp swords and spears.
Ice Spear
Piercing chill skewers the air.
"Grraaah!"
The completed spell pierced the sky. Wind spirits impaled by ice spears scattered powerlessly.
Five spirits vanished in an instant. The remaining fifteen spirits and one high spirit charged Raymond fiercely.
"Stay behind me."
He advanced indifferently. A barrage of razor slashes filled his vision. Instead of swinging Soul Sword, Raymond extended his left hand, tracing a circle.
The mana-forged shield of magic blocked the wind blades. Undeterred, Raymond scattered icy energies woven from mana, burrowing deep into the spirits' formation.
Soul Sword flashing alongside frost bursts, the fifteen spirits crumbled without resistance.
"Grraaah!"
"One left?"
The lone high spirit survived the brutal cold storm. Raymond swung Soul Sword at it. The wind high spirit countered with twin blades, parrying Soul Sword while targeting vitals in a dazzling flurry.
"Supporter!"
But Raymond wasn't defenseless. As a magic swordsman, his left hand was another weapon.
Summoned in a sharp cry, multicolored magic orbs lunged at the wind high spirit.
It aborted its attack for defense, but Raymond's onslaught didn't relent.
Mid-to-high-tier spells poured like a tempest without pause, Soul Sword in his right hand never ceasing its arcs.
His swordsmanship was transcendent, denying the high spirit any counterattack.
'Weaker than the first fire high spirit I faced.'
A cold smile curled Raymond's lips. This one was definitely inferior to the fire high spirit from shortly after their arrival.
"Grraaah!"
Soul Sword slashed relentlessly through its body. Each strike convulsed its wind-mana form, spewing vivid mana in place of blood.
"Grraaah..."
The fourth slash carved deep into its right side. The high spirit staggered badly, its pained groan weakening.
"It's over."
Its will broken, Raymond declared the end, thrusting deep as he closed in.
The white mana blade pierced its wind-armored core. The nucleus shattered; unable to hold form, the wind high spirit collapsed as mana dispersed.
Confirming its total dissipation, Raymond kept Soul Sword's power active.
One spirit remained—the water high spirit, clearly unlike the others.
But he needed to double-check for hostility.
He turned silently toward her, Soul Sword still in right hand, left poised for instant spellcasting—ready for battle.
"You still wary of me."
"Wouldn't you be?"
"I'm not like the corrupted spirits. Please believe me."
"Corrupted spirits? You know something."
Raymond's eyes sharpened. The water spirit nodded wearily and spoke.
"My name is Eina... I can answer your questions."
Her clear eyes held no deception.
"Do you know the Spirit Realm's current state?"
"I grasp the broad situation."
"Explain."
He commanded firmly. As Eina began, Silvia arrived, having sensed the fight's end.
Her eyes widened at Eina's relatively intact form, unlike the others.
"A few months ago, a massive black cloud appeared in the Spirit Realm."
Eina began, and Raymond and Silvia nodded slowly. But before she continued, Silvia noticed the anomaly.
"More spirits incoming. We should move."
Wind spirit scouts reported it. Raymond trusted her scouting implicitly and nodded, suggesting they relocate.
Eina's wounds made movement tough, but Silvia transfused spirit-force mana for first aid.
"Can you move now?"
"Yes, thank you... High Elf bloodline."
They swiftly evacuated the battlefield. They walked in silence until reaching safety.
"We're good now."
"Shall we hear the rest?"
At Raymond's words, Eina nodded and resumed.
It all started with the sudden black cloud.
"After that day, spirits across the realm began acting strange, bit by bit. The hot-tempered, potent fire spirits changed first, followed by wind and earth spirits. We water spirits, with our quick recovery, held our sanity longest... but..."
Overcome with emotion, Eina's shoulders shook.
"One day, something fell from the black cloud. That was the beginning."
A massive meteor spewed from the cloud slammed into the ground, unleashing corrupting energy like an explosion. Everything changed after that.
Chapter 36: The Corrupted Spirit Realm (3)