After another day of traveling, on the following afternoon, the group of six had already arrived at the edge of a forest known as the Forest of Calamity.
It must be said that the Forbidden Zone truly lived up to its name. Even with Epunia and his imposing Earth Dragon, Violet and her companions encountered several attacks along the way.
Among them were reckless bandits who blindly sought their own demise, as well as peculiar and fierce magical beasts they coincidentally ran into. Various methods such as digging pits, setting traps, and poisoning were used against them.
However, despite the intimidating appearances, they were all just small fry. Not a single opponent beyond the Earth rank appeared, and the girls didn’t even need to intervene. The president and his mount easily handled all the threats.
The only strange incident occurred yesterday afternoon when the group rested at a teahouse on the official road. A few richly dressed fools took an interest in the girls’ beauty and deliberately approached them, attempting to be inappropriate.
Moreover, four of the seemingly guards among them turned out to be quite powerful, each possessing standard Earth-level abilities, and one even reached the level of the sky. Such a configuration could dominate not only the entire Forbidden Zone but at least most of the Bolt Kingdom.
No wonder they were so audacious.
Then... Epunia threw each of those playboys out of the window single-handedly, and the four guards, ranging from Earth to Sky level, were all knocked down by Leila’s spear. They followed in the footsteps of their master.
In the end, these individuals had to compensate the inn for its losses before Epunia let them go.
Violet wasn’t particularly angry. After all, she hadn’t been touched, and since she transmigrated into this otherworldly realm as a woman, the priestess had encountered this classic scenario for the first time, finding it rather novel.
In a sense, it was also a proof of her own charm... perhaps?
She casually stopped a certain dragon girl from turning them into debris.
However, when she had run a certain distance, Miss Priestess seemed to faintly hear those guys uttering some threatening words like “wait, empire,” but she didn’t know exactly what they meant.
Putting aside idle talk, since they had already reached the Forest of Calamity, the operation to subdue the Southern Calamity was considered officially underway.
In reality, Violet had no long-term plan. What she had in mind was simply to find the other party, give them a good beating, and then decide whether or not to finish off that thing depending on the situation.
However, even in lion-catching-hare mode, without knowing the true strength of the Illusionary Cloud, Miss Priestess had made thorough preparations and was ready for a major battle at any time.
World-class calamities, no one knew what kind of trump cards they were still hiding.
The trees in the forest were somewhat strange. Although their appearance was similar to the common species in the Bolt Kingdom on the way, Violet could sense a faint sense of incongruity in these things.
“Be cautious, everyone. The Forest of Calamity is full of dangers. From now on, we may be attacked at any time, so stay alert.”
The president, who had previous experience, warned like this and took the lead.
Epunia’s weapon was a simple and unadorned long-handled greatsword. Although it looked ordinary, it was said to be a purple magical weapon that had accompanied him for decades. The former “Battle Maniac” had swept through dangerous zones, and there were few opponents who could match him.
Seeing him so careful, the legendary Leila, Rene, and Edwina, also not daring to be careless, took out their weapons one after another, assuming a stance ready for battle. They positioned Violet, who was considered the most important, in the center for protection.
All three of them knew very well that this person’s strength far surpassed theirs. Perhaps this move had no practical significance, but the attitude of doing something useless and not doing anything at all was completely different.
So, the group slowly began to advance into the depths of the forest.
The lush greenery of the forest seemed slightly dim. For some reason, even though it was an undeveloped primitive forest, there was no trace of the activity or sounds of insects, birds, and beasts. An eerie silence permeated the air.
“Wait.”
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After walking for just a few minutes, the half-beastman at the front suddenly stopped and raised his hand to signal to his teammates behind.
Violet, as if sensing something, turned her gaze to a seemingly ordinary large tree not far away, which didn’t appear much different from other plants.
About ten meters tall, with a thickness that three people could embrace, it was a very common tree species in the south. In the kingdom’s academic terms, it should be called “Silver Fir.” The wood was solid and resistant to decay, with a faint fragrance, commonly used in construction.
“What’s wrong, Mr. Epunia?”
The holy knight cautiously approached the half-beastman, holding up her crusader shield to survey the surroundings, seemingly trying to identify the target of his vigilance.
Epunia didn’t speak, just tightened the grip on his knife handle and took another step forward.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!
Dozens of vines, as thick as adult arms, suddenly shot up from the ground, rushing towards him like whips!
However, the man was well-prepared. The greatsword, accompanied by an unparalleled fierce momentum, swept out a dazzling blade light, instantly cutting down all the gray vines, while on the other side, Leila immediately identified the source of the attack and shot out her spear without hesitation!
“There, Rene!”
“Got it! Starlight Charge!”
A brilliant stream of light surged forward from the white-haired girl’s staff, colliding with the target – the seemingly harmless tree that Violet had noticed earlier.
The previous attack had come from it, and at the same time, it had constructed numerous layers of vine barriers in an attempt to resist Leila and Rene’s counterattack.
But the blazing meteor with its tail flame crashed into the vine barrier first. Although the flames from the sky magic couldn’t ignite these strange materials, the meteor itself forcefully shattered a large number of vines, creating a big hole in the center of the several-meter-wide defensive barrier.
Leila’s thrown spear, precisely at the moment when the strange tree couldn’t replenish its vines, surged directly through the gap, tearing apart its core and piercing through the other side.
The sisters’ coordination remained as seamless as ever.
“Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak!!!”
Though it was a tree, this strange entity, in the moment of being heavily damaged, emitted a high-pitched, mournful cry reminiscent of the eerie parasitic creatures in Anilo City.
Countless gray mists gushed out from its penetrated body, clawing towards Violet and the others. However, Edwina, who had experienced a similar situation before, preemptively erected a barrier of holy light.
While her strength and the purity of her holy light were far inferior to Violet, she was much stronger than the average temple follower. Dealing with these sneaky but seemingly ordinary creatures with limited actual strength was entirely within her capabilities.
A large amount of gray mist was purified by the pure holy light, and the monstrous tree that Leila and Rene had swiftly eliminated quickly withered. After the mist detached from its form, it turned into wood shavings that crumbled at the touch, scattering all over the ground.
“Wow... what on earth is this thing? Can the ‘Calamity’ infect even plants?”
Edwina, patting her quite substantial chest through her armor, expressed some post-fright. Honestly, if it weren’t for Epunia’s early detection of the anomaly, she wouldn’t have realized that this tree was an enemy.
If she had been alone, not to mention losing her life directly, she would have undoubtedly suffered a great deal due to the sudden attack.
Swinging his greatsword, Epunia’s expression remained calm, indicating that he had encountered similar situations before.
“Thirty years, and nothing has changed at all. Please remember, anything here, other than ourselves, could be an enemy. Don’t let your guard down.”
“The reason it’s called ‘Calamity’ lies in its terrifying ability to corrode. Anything with life, regardless of its form or size, can be parasitized. ‘Calamity Beasts’ and humans are just the most basic manifestations.”