Chapter 1626: Chapter 1626

Catfish, frog, and salamander people emerged from their homes. Frogs and salamanders carried their swimming children inside small water bubbles, while catfish bore theirs on their backs. Their faces closely resembled the animals they represented, though smaller and more refined. They had vibrant eyes and could express emotions like any human.

Above all, they possessed humanoid forms. Some females were strikingly beautiful, and Maria glanced at their alluring hips and exposed torsos with mild curiosity before dismissing the thought under Emeraldine's sharp gaze.

"So the Lake issue isn't your doing, huh?" Maria asked. "Can you tell us what's happening, please? Anything? Like, who are you fighting? Who are these invaders?"

"You've been fortunate to avoid them thus far!" an elderly frog man stepped forward, wearing a crown of wood and leaves, his long green beard made of seaweed.

"Oh, a wise elder! Hello, what's your name?" Maria asked.

"I am merely an old man, but everyone here calls me Elder," he replied. "I have no name, as I never needed one. I communicate with the spirits, and they know my true name. Our bond strengthens when only they know it."

Suddenly, numerous tiny spirits of various colors surrounded the old frog man. Emeraldine was astonished, having never met someone so beloved by spirits. Even her contracted spirits and root were drawn to the Elder, greeting him as a figure of authority among spirits and druids.

"Elder, you are truly cherished by the spirits!" Emeraldine exclaimed. "This is remarkable."

"He's indeed quite popular…" Celes nodded, noticing that even his three water spirits showed interest in the Elder, greeting him from a distance.

The only spirits unmoved were Maria's, dwelling in her dark shadows with no interest in the light.

"Who are these invaders you mentioned?" Lucifer asked. "Any information could be helpful."

"Our invaders… Hm?" The Elder's eyes widened, hearing a spirit's whisper. "They're already here… It seems you've drawn them to us."

"Huh?" Maria was surprised. She hadn't sensed anything, but her earlier Aura release might have attracted them.

Several trees were abruptly uprooted as a group of large figures advanced. It was a small army of soldiers, perhaps human-like, but not human at all.

Crafted from hard stone, their mouths emitted flames and steam, and their eyes glowed with dark red light.

The water beneath their feet turned to steam, while the trees they touched ignited, consumed by flames radiating from their bodies. Get full chapters from novel[f]ire.net

Their armor was oddly… Greek.

They wore long white togas with golden armor on their shoulders and legs, and donned large golden Spartan helmets.

They carried massive shields and long spears, forged from gold and red steel.

"We've finally found them…"

"It's time for you rebels to know your place!"

"This floor now belongs to Olympus!"

"This world now belongs to Lord Ares' ever-growing territory across the Tower!"

"Your Spiritual Spring Water is his, and you will teach him how to restore its healing properties!"

The golem-like soldiers spoke with commanding voices, demanding answers.

The Elder retorted firmly.

"The Spirit Queen of the Spring Lake rejects outsiders like you! Those deemed unworthy cannot access the Lake's true power! Its dark color is a curse she placed upon it, ensuring no outsider can benefit from its light!"

"That must be the 'Elder' those we tortured spoke of before they died."

"He is surrounded by spirits!"

"Perhaps we can use him to persuade the Spirit Queen to restore the water."

"I'm certain Lord Ares will be pleased!"

"Ares, huh?" Maria mused, stepping forward and glaring at the golems. "Olympus… I suppose Vampires aren't the only foes we'll face on this journey."

"You dare interfere?!"

"Do you have a death wish?"

"Do you?" Maria replied with a smile.

The Spartan golem-like soldiers roared in unison, flames bursting from their mouths as their giant, sharp spears surged toward Maria's head, torso, and stomach.

However, as before, the weapons had no effect. Though they pierced her body, the soldiers believed they had struck her, only for Maria to pass through the spears as if she were a ghost.

And she was, in a way.

"That's it? That's your might? What exactly are you? There's no way the people of Olympus are all strange steam-powered golems, right?" Maria asked casually.

"Y-You…! How are you alive?!"

"We are the proud bronze soldiers, crafted by our father, Hephaestus, to serve Lord Ares across many worlds!"

"Our cores house the souls of warriors who fell in battle. We've been granted the honor to return, stronger than ever, to aid our Gods even after death!"

"I see," Maria nodded. "So you're like Undead? No… it's something else, isn't it?"

Maria extended her hand, opening her palm as black darkness coalesced into a small sphere.

"I'll try to spare a few of you, but… {Starless Apotheosis}"

Darkness engulfed the soldiers instantly, their existences beginning to vanish in a moment.

Maria had unleashed one of her most potent skills to lure the mastermind behind this invasion and resolve the conflict swiftly.

To everyone's shock, a massive sphere of darkness consumed nearly everything, sparing only a single soldier from the devastation. He watched in horror as his squad was obliterated.

"What sort of wicked power is this…?" the Elder gasped, the spirits hiding behind him as he beheld a vast crater in the swamplands, still smoldering with black flames, right beside their village.

"Everyone is dead…?" the last soldier gasped. "You will…! You will see! Lord Phobos is far stronger than you could ever imagine. He is the son of Ares!"

Maria seized the soldier with her giant spectral hand. He struggled relentlessly, even attempting to take his own life with his magic spear, but his efforts were futile as Maria thwarted each attempt.

"Let me die! I must perish with my comrades, as the Trojan Warrior I once was!" the golem-like man screamed.

"Calm down. I won't kill you, nor will I let you die," Maria said with a smile. "Now, let me peer into your mind."

"Aaahhh! Aaaaaagghh!"

The Bronze Soldier clutched his blazing head in agony, screaming as Maria probed his soul, causing excruciating pain unlike anything he had ever endured.