Village Head's Debauchery

"As our benefactors, I urge you to take my advice seriously. Do not trust these two. It's only a matter of time before they betray and poison you, just like they did to me." He coughed heavily, spraying thick, red-and-greenish blood that drifted slowly away. "I hope you'll reconsider and come to rest at my Tidal Depths Kingdom."

Orion sent a brief message to the others before shaking his head. "I appreciate your advice, but as I said before, I won't force my companions to follow my decision. They will choose which force they want to join back."

Izak, Knight Darian, and Knight jMayril nodded, their expressions serious.

"Which force do you all want to return with?" Orion asked, turning to the others behind him.

"We will go with them," Brane said, with Zara nodding in agreement. They made the first choice, stepping out of Fifi's water sphere and approaching the forces of the Bastion of the Ashen Hope Territory, halting beside them.

Next, Iris stepped out of the water sphere and approached the Tidal Depths kingdom, stopping beside him.

"I will go with them," Iris announced, glancing at the Prismerions and the other races behind her, who distanced themselves slightly, intimidated by her presence.

Orion nodded at her decision and focused on Fifi, awaiting her choice.

"I will go wherever you go," Fifi responded, her tone firm.

Orion nodded, already expecting her answer. He then turned his attention to Aurora, who stood beside him.

"I'm coming with you to whichever force you choose to join," Aurora sent a message to his mind, sensing Orion's gaze through his mask.

Already anticipating her response, Orion shook his head and replied, "We were both given the keys to Goddess Ilse's Golden Palace to use when we want to return or in an emergency, so it wouldn't be proper if the two of us stayed together. We need to improve our survivability and ensure the group's safety."

"Besides, Fifi and I are four-star warriors, and with Morphic Puppet and the Crimson Greatsword, we can flee or survive against a stronger opponent if we encounter one. We are also connected through the Eternal Heart Covenant, so we can sense when we are in danger and each other's location."

Aurora furrowed her brows briefly, then nodded. "Okay, I'll choose a force to join," she said, still concerned for his safety due to their current location but understanding that separating would allow them to complete their tasks more efficiently.

Aurora moved toward the Tidal Depths kingdom forces and nodded at Orion to indicate her decision.

Aurora found this force more interesting than the others, as its races were unfamiliar. Although the humans and nymphs seemed unique compared to those in Paradise, she could always learn about their differences later.

Izak and the others were unaware of Orion and Aurora's conversation and watched them curiously as they exchanged glances.

Only Fifi and the others understood what was really going on.

Observing the beautiful woman whose powerful aura had shaken him, Izak didn't know whether to smile joyfully or cry. He still felt threatened by their power and wondered if he was putting his kingdom at risk. At the same time, he was glad he hadn't lost to the forces of the Bastion of Ashen Hope Territory.

Knight Darian also had mixed thoughts.

At this moment, only Knight Mayril was nervous about the unfolding situation. She could only hope the remaining members would choose to join her force, or she would lose out to Tidal Depths kingdom and Bastion of Ashen Hope Territory.

Her emotions were conflicted-between gaining a potentially powerful ally and bringing a disaster to her territory.

Fifi dispelled the water barrier and appeared beside Orion.

Orion approached the Bastion of the Wailling Gnarled forces with Fifi.

"I'll go with the forces of Bastion of the Wailling Gnarled," Orion said, stopping next to them with Fifi.

With the armour Ilse had given them, combined with Brane's strength, experience, and Zara's abilities, Orion wasn't worried about their safety. Aurora and Iris were very familiar with each other. They should be able to handle themselves, except if they encounter another divine being.

He and Fifi could also care for themselves, and with the keys in their possession, their chances of survival were certain.

Knight Mayril exhaled in relief, but her heart still pounded in fear and anxiety.

The headless, winged spawn surrounding them protectively began to scatter, their

movements catching the group's attention.

They peered through the gaps as many tainteds attempted to attack, but the headless, winged spawn stopped them, devouring the enemies and pushing them back to a safe distance.

Suddenly, some headless, winged spawn formed a protective barrier around each force, shielding them from further assaults by the tainteds.

Witnessing this strange sight, the soldiers in each group couldn't help but exclaim in awe and excitement. Now that the tension had eased, they felt freer to express their emotions.

"Haa... I never thought a day would come when I'd be protected by a Tainted," remarked a man from the forces of Bastion of Ashen Hope Territory.

"It's unbelievable. But aren't these travellers too powerful?" added another in a whisper. "Hey, keep quiet. They're our guests now. But if you want to become Knight Darian's next target for practice, I won't stop your gossip," another man replied.

"Thank goodness we survived today. But it looks like we'll have to wait a while before we can take revenge on those backstabbers," muttered a woman with a half-fish tail from the Tidal Depths forces, her teeth clenched in anger.

"We'll get our revenge, no matter how long it takes," a man said, his tone tinged with anger.

Their eyes burned with fury as they glared at the forces of the Bastion of Ashen Hope and the Bastion of the Wailing Gnarled.

With the unexpected turn of events, they knew they had no choice but to return to their kingdom and recuperate until they could repay the hostility both forces had shown them

several times over.

"Are we sure bringing them to our territory is the right thing to do?" asked a frosty-looking nymph from the Bastion of the Wailling Gnarled forces.

"Tch! Knight Mayril must already have a plan in mind. She's a knight, after all, so she must have thought of something. The only thing we can do is trust her judgment and support whatever she decides," another nymph with mixed wooden and metallic armour responded. "He's a human, so I don't feel good about this either. And we're still unsure about their capabilities, and there's a high chance they were sent by the Harbingers."

A few soldiers from each group whispered their concerns to one another, their voices barely

audible.

Unfortunately, Orion and the others were sensitive enough to pick up on their whispers.

"Each of my spawns will follow and protect you all until you reach your destination, so you don't need to worry about being attacked along the way," Aurora announced, glancing at the

three forces.

The moment she finished speaking, Izak, Knight Darian, Knight Mayril, and everyone from each force stared at her in shock and fear.

"You... you're the one controlling the tainted?" Izak stammered. He had suspected one of them was responsible for the tainteds protecting them, but he never expected it to be the terrifying woman who had chosen to side with his forces.

Aurora focused on Izak and nodded silently. She still found it strange that her spawns were

called tainteds.

Knight Darian and Knight Mayril exchanged glances and breathed a sigh of relief, feeling pity and delight for Izak's situation. They knew he was doomed if he tried anything foolish. Knight Mayril felt a heavy burden lift from her shoulders. Even though she was returning two unknown individuals with unfathomable strength to her territory, the others were doing the same.

At least the one capable of commanding such formidable tainteds wasn't in her forces! The unpleasant scenario was the thought that they all might be capable of commanding such creatures. Still, she wasn't overly concerned since this meant everyone else was in the same

predicament.

"Now that everything is settled, please follow me, kind travellers. The Tidal Depths is quite a distance away from here," Izak said, clearing his throat and shifting his gaze from Aurora.

His perspiration would've formed a small puddle if they hadn't been underwater. Fortunately, he managed to retain some of his dignity. However, just as Izak was about to swim forward, his movements faltered, and his steps became unsteady.

"My king!" the Prismerion commander rushed to Izak and caught him before he collapsed. He looked at his injuries, noticing that several were turning green.

The lethal poison inflicted on him by the Bastion of Ashen Hope and the Bastion of Wailing

Gnarled was becoming fiercer!

Izak's strength faded by the second, and his vision grew hazier. To the others, it seemed as though he would lose consciousness at any moment.

The Prismerion commander quickly held him beside Iris and Aurora, pleading, "Kind travellers, please, save our king." His voice was tinged with desperation.

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