Chapter 1627: Chapter 1627

The self-proclaimed Trojan soldier screamed in agony as Maria read through his soul, causing severe pain and disgust at its core. His soul cracked and shattered into pieces, which fell into her shadows. Maria ate the fragments.

"Oops, I think I killed him. Reading into someone's soul can be exhausting for the recipient if they cannot take the pressure of my gaze, it seems," Maria said, rubbing her chin. "Oh well."

She threw the bronze soldier aside. Its body hit the floor and shattered. The villagers watched in awe. Then the younger members ran forward with weapons and started hitting the remains, crushing them into pieces.

It was clear they resented these invaders for desecrating their sacred home. Maria watched in silence as even children kicked the golem body, crying over their losses.

"It's the same as back home..." Ferleen said. "I had no idea that in the time we didn't visit this floor, so much would change."

"We are at the mercy of the higher floors. It's always !" Melianna complained angrily. "The Crimson Order, and now Olympus, then Vedas and Thebes! All of them are awful people who only come to make us suffer! I hate them! I hate them all so much!"

The little fox girl started crying, remembering her home and how her paradise was desecrated. Her normal life was taken away. She and her brother had to run with nowhere to return.

"Melianna..." Nyx glanced at the young fox girl. "It's okay. I promise I will save your world!"

"Eh?" Melianna looked at Nyx. "You're a kid...!"

"I'm really strong!" Nyx said, nodding and furrowing her eyebrows cutely. "I am a big dragon actually! I go raaarrr! And then everything burns! I swear!"

"W-What?" Melianna looked at Nyx and giggled slowly. "W-What are you even talking about? Hahah..."

"Muh! Don't laugh! It's true!" Nyx pouted angrily. "I'm not transforming here because I don't want to cause a mess..."

"I suppose this world will serve as nice practice," Emeraldine said. "Maria, what did you see?"

"As the guy said, the one in charge of this invasion is a man known as Phobos. He is one of the three sons of Ares, a God from Olympus," Maria explained. "He's a God, and he's trying to extract the Spiritual Spring Water from this Lake. It has potent healing and strengthening properties for body and soul. It's an incredible elixir."

"Yes..." The Elder stepped forward. "Thank you for helping us, outsider. After seeing this with my own eyes, I can tell you are not with them. Your power, though dark and feared by the spirits, seems used for righteous purposes. I don't judge your appearance, nor the nature of the strength you draw your power from."

"Oh well, thank you," Maria smiled. "Glad we're on the same page. Can you provide more context, Elder?"

"I am not the chief..." The Elder sighed. "But yes, I can. Lakevale is a Spiritual Realm created by the Divine Spirit Queen, or as some call her, the Lady of the Lake. She is the mother of all Spirits. We are descendants of the survivors she rescued from her original world, a realm of Spirits long forgotten."

The Elder walked toward a pond of dark blue water and touched it. He groaned in pain, showing his slightly dried hand.

"As you can see, the water is now dark blue. Our Queen struggles to keep her domain from the invaders," he said. "She made it to protect it. The Lake is made of her tears, shed after her world was destroyed. It contains her divine spiritual essence. Those who drink or swim in it avoid diseases and live longer, like I have."

"So that's how it is. This must be recent. I don't remember this world the last time I visited," Ferleen said.

"Indeed, they arrived a month ago. Now look at what has happened. Any opposition met merciless slaughter. Hundreds of our people are dead!" The Elder lamented, gazing at the dark blue water. "The darker the water becomes, the weaker the Lady of the Lake grows. We don't have a month left before this invader breaks her. We won't know what happens after."

"Hmmm..." Maria nodded. "Phobos uses a weird Machine. It's not like the technology from Azure Star or Zodiacron Prime but fueled by Divine Power. He built massive dams, moving the lake into habitable zones. This drowned villages and the tower entrance."

"So that's why we fell into the water when we entered!" Ferleen said. "Agh, damn it..."

"With that dam, he's trying to purify the water to its original state, bottle it, and teleport it home," Maria continued. "The bastard wants a tasty drink."

"And a whole world pays for that? That's awful!" Nyx said angrily.

"Yeah... we have to do something!" Celes said. "I feel a presence down there... is that her? She's growing weak..."

"Hmm..." The Elder looked at Celes, noticing something in the boy. "You, boy..."

"Huh?" Celes looked at the old frog man. "W-What is it, sir?"

"For a moment, I felt you close to the Lady of the Lake. Almost similar to her," the Elder said. "Something in your soul is unique."

"Ah... yeah... it's a long story," Celes nodded.

"Hmm, I can guess," the Elder nodded. "Very well, if you intend to help, we'll be forever in your debt. Once she's rescued and recovers, the Lady of the Lake will reward you greatly."

[You have received the {45th Floor Trial: Save Lakevale}!]

[The Elder and Chief Druid of Lakevale gave you the task of saving them from Olympus invaders. Phobos, one of Ares' sons, intends to drain the spirit water for his selfish desires. Stop him and save this world before it's too late. The Lady of the Lake weakens hourly. You have a time limit before she dies. Failure ends the Trial.]

[Defeat Phobos, God of War and Fear]: [0/1]

[Destroy the Divine Dam]: [0/1]

[Time Limit]: [16 Days]

"Alright, we got it," Maria nodded. "Elder, stay here and protect your people. Just in case, I'll leave some Familiars."

"Hm? What do you mean with- Aaaahhh!!!" The Elder screamed in horror. Everyone else in the village did too. Maria's shadows opened portals. Giant Undead creatures emerged.

A mix of Hive Insectoids, Skeletons, Kaiju-sized Nightmare Beasts, and new additions: ten-meter-tall black octopuses with a single red eye and black horns. Born from Maria's Hive Egg Creation Skill, they were "Abyssalopods." As strong as S+ Rank Monsters, they surpassed most of her Undead.

But they were newborn and inexperienced in battle. Any fight would help them develop. Maria nodded with a smile at the horrified villagers as the Undead and Abyssalopods surrounded the village.

Their crimson eyes and auras made villagers feel afraid rather than protected. Maria didn't calm them. She had no time.

"Alright, no time to waste. Let's go!" Thɪs chapter is updatᴇd by novel-fire.net

With her family and the two fox siblings, Maria flew into the mist-covered skies. She created a void bubble to disperse the mist. They traveled kilometers until they reached it. A massive dam had pushed the lake aside, drowning half the Realm in dark blue waters.

"It's really a dam?!" Alma gasped. "Who would build this here?"

"The bastard behind it, obviously," Partner said, smiling. "So how do we do this? Jump on him at once?"

"He has an army, Partner. It won't be easy," Lucifer said. "Where is he?"

"I don't know, but let's find out," Maria smiled. She pointed down and fired a black laser. It pierced the dam. Half of its structure exploded and crumbled.

A tremor shook the Spirit Realm. The dam, a Celestial Artifact of high-quality materials from upper floors, could not resist Maria's Void Ray. It collapsed.

The lake shook and rushed back to its place. Gigantic water quantities splashed over the invaders' outpost and fortress.

"T-The dam! It's destroyed!"

The bronze soldiers couldn't escape in time. Their huge, robust bodies became their weakness as dark blue waters drowned them.

Their blazing hearts extinguished. Their bodies, needing constant heat to move, stiffened and sank into the depths.

In the fortress throne room, a tall muscular man stepped out. He glanced at the rushing lake. His crimson eyes filled with disbelief.

"How is this possible?! Who dares- Aaagh!"

Water engulfed him. Maria and her family watched from above. They noticed how funny it was.