Game World: I Can Share Talents

Chapter 142 - 140: In This War, There Are No Civilians

Westheid’s sudden change of heart—his decision to go all-in, bringing the farmers and their families with him—was born from the confidence Shadow-Born had given him.

He had initially believed the reconquest would be a long, drawn-out war. He would have to wait for the land to be purified and for his newly trained Guard to be ready. Naturally, such a strategy was far from satisfying for him.

Even under the best of circumstances, it would take at least a year to reach the depths of the Purity Forest. By then, Westheid’s Chaos Erosion Level would have climbed to at least sixty or seventy, and the Pure Holy Spirit would likely be overwhelmed to the point of delirium.

Even if he successfully reclaimed Qinghui Territory, just restoring it to its former glory would require immense time and effort. Westheid wasn’t sure he could even transform Qinghui Territory into a solid bastion before the End of the Dharma Era arrived.

So when an opportunity arose, he had to be greedy.

What about the low margin for error? What would happen if he failed?

He never considered it.

For he was a man of insatiable greed. As long as the temptation was great enough, Westheid wouldn’t hesitate to put everything he had on the line.

To walk the Ascension Ladder, a path of no return, one could not leave a guaranteed escape route. If he didn’t even have the courage to face death and be reborn from it, what right did he have to seek Ascension?

And so, at Duke Qinghui’s call, great throngs of the Purity People crossed the Ying River, their hearts set on returning to their homeland. They arrived on the newly purified land and began to build fortresses and outposts.

Perhaps the renown he had cultivated was taking effect; the Qinghui People were willing to trust and follow their Clan Leader, crossing the river despite the dangers.

More likely, however, they were simply sick of living like stray dogs. They would rather die trying to reclaim their homeland.

The thousand-year heritage of the Qinghui Territory had instilled a powerful sense of pride in the Purity People.

They could not bear the thought of being eternally exiled. Two years as refugees had been a deep humiliation for the Purity People. Now, with tangible hope before them, everyone eagerly signed up, vying to take part in the operation to reclaim their home.

In an instant, the ports on both banks of the Ying River were bustling with activity. On the purified land, sentry posts, cannon platforms, and arrow towers sprang up one after another.

Once outside a Chaos Domain, even mortals could harm the Chaos Demons.

Still, some remained worried—namely, Mivana.

"Gathering so many ordinary people for reconstruction is certainly the fastest way to restore Order, but if the Chaos Demons attack, the casualties will be catastrophic."

The Lady Knight, born on the frontier of civilization, had the deepest understanding of Chaos. In her eyes, fighting Chaos was no task for mortals!

Westheid replied, "I have never forced a single person onto the battlefield. This is their own choice."

’In this war, there are no civilians!’

But he couldn’t be so blunt in front of Mivana, so he opted for a more diplomatic approach:

"How can you assume they are ordinary people? Anyone who steps onto the battlefield with such courage and determination is a noble Qinghui Warrior, regardless of their strength!"

"Besides, I would never order mortals to confront Chaos Demons head-on. They only need to secure the rear and clear out stragglers. This isn’t a suicide mission. I will not let my people in the rear face the Chaos Beast Tide directly. Not unless they cross over my dead body!"

"I will strike down any who dare invade Qinghui Territory!"

He hadn’t said this to Mivana in private; it was a guarantee Westheid had made to everyone during a council meeting.

Duke Qinghui was a man of his word; he never made empty promises. From that day forward, he shouldered the burden of reclaiming, purifying, and defending the Qinghui Territory almost single-handedly. He worked around the clock, never resting for a moment.

Not only did he lead the vanguard to clear a path through the Purity Forest, but he also rushed to the scene the moment a Chaos Beast Tide appeared anywhere.

Even as more and more Transcendents who had embarked upon the Knight Path joined the Guard, Westheid maintained his habit of leading from the front. He took the brunt of the pressure, leaving only a small number of Demons for his subordinates to practice on.

It wasn’t that Westheid’s sense of responsibility was so profound; he simply relished the task.

’Fighting Chaos is considered a Top-Grade Merit, in no way inferior to receiving the Celestial God’s Recognition. And that’s not even mentioning my Dragon Soul Furnace, which plunders power by destroying my enemies’ bodies and souls. With a Divine Artifact made for fighting Chaos in my hands, how could I not grind for experience like a madman?’

The power of a Growth-Type Tier 0 Talent was no laughing matter. Westheid could feel himself growing significantly stronger every day, and this tangible transformation was intoxicating.

.......

HISS—

In the dark, gloomy depths of the forest, Westheid swung his crimson blade and severed the hind leg of a Chaos Demon that stood thirty meters tall and resembled a Liger. The creature let out a pained roar and swept its long, tentacle-like steel tail toward him.

Westheid shot backward, evading the attack. He then began to circle the Liger-like Demon, which was wreathed in flames, dodging its attacks and landing a strike whenever he saw an opening.

Although the Chaos Hundred Forms rarely included flashy Magic, and most of its Demons lacked even a shred of intelligence, they were all stat monsters with frighteningly high numbers.

For the average Transcendent, fighting Chaos usually went something like this—

It was all about kiting. They had no special mechanics to exploit. They were underpowered and needed time to scale. It was a high-difficulty matchup where they couldn’t win a pure stat check and would get one-shot by a superior foe...

Unfortunately for them, none of this applied to Westheid.

Because in terms of both stats and mechanics, Westheid completely outclassed the Chaos Demons!

Under the raging flames of Shadow-Born, the most common Low-Tier Demons of the Chaos Hundred Forms didn’t even have the right to face Westheid. They were devoured by the Dragon Thunder-infused fire long before they could even get close.

At a minimum, only a Tier One Chaos Demon of the Mad Beast Vanguard rank could possibly endure the burning damage long enough to clash with Westheid.

However, standing on the soil of Qinghui Territory, near the Purity Forest, his Holy Spirit Bloodline Talent, In Purity, was in full effect. Westheid considered this Talent a "burst" ability; its main drawback was its Earth-bound Spirit nature, but in terms of stat bonuses, it was a genuine top-tier T1.

Westheid didn’t even need to engage the Chaos Demons in a true life-or-death struggle. The flames generated by Shadow-Born could not be resisted or extinguished. No matter how powerful or ferocious the Demon, it was forced to endure the bone-searing, soul-burning blaze, and they rarely lasted long.

And so, Duke Qinghui just kept repositioning, chipping away at the Chaos Demon’s health as if on a leisurely stroll.

’Just keep on kiting.’

Once the Liger-like beast before him showed signs of weakening, Westheid unleashed his most difficult combo: basic attack, basic attack, basic attack. Shadow-Born’s crimson blade tore through the Demon’s flesh like a hot knife through butter, dicing it into pieces on the spot.

SQUELCH—

The foul, black blood of the Chaos Demon spattered onto him, triggering a violent rejection from his Holy Spirit Bloodline. Westheid felt a wave of nausea and his brow furrowed in disgust.

"How disgusting..."

And yet... so very delicious.

Westheid licked his lips and closed his eyes. The moment the Mad Beast Vanguard died, its corpse was instantly devoured by Dragon Thunder. The pure energy it converted made the blood-soaked Duke Qinghui’s fingers tremble.

Better than cumming, that was the only way to put it.

A moment later, Westheid opened his eyes. Before him lay a stretch of forest ravaged by the Fire of Extinction. Not long ago, he had faced down a Chaos Beast Tide right here.

He had slaughtered every last one of them, all by himself.

’This is what a Tier 0 player is all about. Overpowered stats and overpowered mechanics!’

’Diving past two minion waves for a solo kill on an enemy of the same level. So much skill involved!’

’If this keeps up,’ Westheid mused, ’I should be able to attempt my advancement to the Hero Tier soon.’

Westheid’s eyes half-closed as he calculated his current rate of advancement. He had only advanced to the Exemplar Tier a few months ago, and now he was already on the verge of reaching the Hero Tier. His progress could only be described as terrifying.

’But the deeper I go, the fiercer the Chaos counterattacks will become. I wonder how many more beast tides like this I’ll have to face...’

He gazed into the distance. The border of the Purity Forest was already visible, but the ancestral lands of Qinghui were encircled by ring after ring of thick shadow. That was where the main Chaos army lay in wait.

Although the common Chaos Demons were little more than free experience for him, Westheid knew he’d be hard-pressed if the battle’s intensity were to truly escalate.

Just as Westheid turned to leave, a long, drawn-out cry reached his ears. It was followed by a voice—weak, yet clear and gentle:

"Is... is that a child?"