Game World: I Can Share Talents

Chapter 147 - 145: Devourer

After reaching an agreement with Hecate, the future Great Witch, Westheid returned to the front lines of his campaign without a moment’s rest.

Westheid knew Hecate’s personality very well. As long as he achieved results in the fight against Chaos, the Red-haired Witch was certain to give him her full support.

Miss Witch’s request was perfectly reasonable. If you wanted to cooperate with someone, you first had to demonstrate your own value and strength. It was the simplest of principles.

He had never deluded himself into thinking he could make Hecate submit willingly with just a silver tongue.

’A shudder of his mighty body as his kingly aura overflowed?’

’Westheid really wished he had some kind of hypnosis app to freely adjust affection levels. Even better if it could just make him the Flame-Bearing Male Lead right away.’

’But alas, there was no such thing. Even with his Flawless Face Charm Talent, he still had to follow the basic rules to grind affection. Only when there was a massive difference in Tiers could he fully unleash his succubus-like attraction and achieve a speedrun victory.’

After rushing back to the base at the very front, the first thing Westheid had to do was consolidate the Transcendents under his command.

The Mercenaries recruited in the Imperial Capital, the surviving members of the Qinghui Territory’s Guard, and the newly minted Transcendents created through the Knight’s Magic Tome.

These three groups formed the core of Westheid’s Transcendent forces. The first two could be considered Elites, but their numbers were too small to sustain a major war.

Thus, the newcomers who had just set foot on the Knight Path would have to shoulder the burden.

"Brother, if you plan to use the fires of war to burn away their inexperience and accelerate their growth, then you must be prepared to lose over half of them in every battle."

Yolanda bluntly pointed out the cruel reality, saying,

"Sending Tier One—Elite-Tier at best—Transcendents directly onto a Chaos Battlefield typically results in a 46% survival rate. And that’s if we win."

’Defeat would mean they all die.’

Westheid frowned. "Now, I don’t like the sound of that. How can you measure the caliber of our Purity People by average standards?"

The humans living in the Purity Forest have all received some measure of the Holy Spirit’s blessing, making their base attributes superior to those of ordinary people... though the Pure Holy Spirit’s blessing mostly affected their looks.

Yolanda lowered her head for a moment. "You’re right. A sixty percent survival rate, then?"

"So you’re already assuming our army will suffer nearly fifty percent casualties?"

The platinum-haired young woman shook her head, fixing her brother with a resolute gaze.

"Please don’t misunderstand. I’m not criticizing or mocking your decision. In fact, sending them to the battlefield is the right thing to do. To reclaim Qinghui Territory, all Purity People must be prepared to make sacrifices. Forging any glory and washing away any shame requires blood."

’You sound a little bloodthirsty.’

Westheid said, "I just want to significantly increase the combat strength of these Knight Apprentices. Even if casualties of war are unavoidable, I still hope that as few of my loyal and precious subjects as possible will die."

Yolanda replied, "Then the best way is for them to learn more Combat Techniques or Magic directly. But the Magic Tome only contains the most basic parts. We’ll have to figure out and create the subsequent advancements ourselves."

’Advancement beyond the Knight Path...’

Westheid held the Knight Path in high regard, but he also knew he couldn’t just blindly copy the Yonglan Knights—not that he had the ability to. Many of the Yonglan Knights’ traditions were unique to the Knight Realm; otherwise, he really would have just copied them.

But for the Qinghui Knights to forge their own independent path, they would ultimately have to rely on the Pure Holy Spirit. As long as he could get the Holy Spirit under his control, a world of possibilities would open up for Westheid; creating a brand-new tradition wouldn’t be difficult.

"While we can’t optimize their Path for now, we absolutely cannot skimp on our Warriors’ weapons and equipment. I’ll go see how the Shadow Fire Weapons are coming along."

Westheid immediately headed to the Shadow Fire Technicians’ workshop. Inside this most crucial building, scores of Shadow Fire Technicians worked day and night, forging the various materials needed for the territory’s reconstruction.

"Where’s Shamuel?"

Westheid asked the nearest technician. The man silently pointed to a corner of the workshop.

Shamuel was lying on a long bench. She had taken off her intricately patterned gothic dress, her flaxen hair tied back in a practical ponytail that fell over her work clothes.

As Westheid drew closer, he heard Shamuel whimpering.

"Sob... sob..."

The usually composed and mysterious young girl had her back to Westheid, squirming from side to side as she let out a series of nonsensical whispers.

"The... the struggle against the Great Chaos Enemy is so tedious... so arduous and trying... Ugh, my flame! It’s about to burn out, leaving nothing but pale ash."

"N-No! It cannot be! Shadow Fire is not a glorious blaze, but an eternal star! How can it be extinguished after such a brief burn? The spark... the spark must be reignited from the embers!"

"Shamuel."

The moment Westheid spoke, the young girl shot up with incredible agility, sitting ramrod straight.

Shamuel raised a hand, groggily saluting Westheid.

"Sir! Duke Qinghui... the quota you assigned me, a total of one thousand three hundred Shadow Fire sets, plus nearly ten thousand assorted Alchemy Bombs and Enhancing Potions, can all be completed within the week!"

Taking a deep breath, the young girl roared in a hoarse voice, "I guarantee the mission will be completed!"

The illusory flames in Shamuel’s bright eyes were flickering faintly, looking as if they were about to go out. She seemed on the verge of fainting at any second, yet she forced herself to remain standing tall.

Despite her youth, as a member of the Shadow Flame Clan, the young girl possessed the unwavering discipline of a soldier.

An order from a superior had to be completed, even if it meant death.

"I see... You’ve worked so hard."

Seeing the young girl’s exhausted and delirious state, Westheid, the one responsible for it all, couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt, as if he were employing child labor.

However, this guilt lasted only a second. Westheid patted Shamuel’s shoulder.

"Keep up the good work! You’re young and healthy. A little hardship builds character, it’s good for you!"

"Yes!"

In truth, Shamuel could no longer clearly hear what Westheid was saying; she was just replying on instinct.

"By the way, is Mivana still feeling unwell?"

After leaving the workshop, Westheid asked about the Wolf-eared Maiden’s condition.

"Yes, Miss Mivana is still resting, but she has been much better lately. She also told me she is ready to fight at any time."

Westheid’s gaze grew serious. "There’s no rush. Let her rest and recuperate for a few more days."

In the great battle to come, they would face the Dirt World Desolate God. The Lady Knight’s combat prowess was indispensable; one could even say success or failure hinged entirely on her.

But upon drawing near the Purity Forest, the Wolf-eared Maiden had begun to feel extremely unwell as the activity of her Cursed Source Blood surged.

It forced Mivana to cease all activity and focus on suppressing her suddenly agitated bloodline.

Westheid had a good idea of what was happening, but there was nothing to be done. It was the inevitable fate that came with Mivana’s curse.

’But he would face it with the Beast-eared Maiden.’

"From now on, don’t let Mivana operate alone. Assign her to my squad."

........

「Meanwhile, as Westheid was intensely preparing for war, on the other side of the Pure Holy Land.」

Although it was called the "Purity Forest," it was in fact an incredibly vast Domain, composed of numerous forests, river valleys, plains, and hills.

But having fallen to Chaos, these lands had long lost their former lush prosperity. Only endless Demons roamed free. Hordes of beasts inhaled and exhaled the Chaos Magic Power that saturated the air, transforming it into a thin mist that blanketed the forests and mountains, causing flowers to wilt and trees to rot.

In the center of the desolate jungle, a dim light flickered. A massive vortex, churning with an incredibly foul mist, loomed over a hill.

Endless Chaos Power flowed through it, from which Mad Beasts emerged, thrashing about in ever-increasing numbers.

Within this cold, black, hellish mist, one could faintly discern a pair of gigantic, flapping bat-like wings that seemed to be made of flesh and blood. Countless strange patterns on their surface shimmered with the blood-red light of Magic Power.

Under the influence of this light, the winds gusting over the forest grew ever more violent. The clouds and air currents for dozens of kilometers around seemed to shift their direction because of these wings.

"HISSS—Mother, I know. I now understand..."

A hoarse, muffled growl rumbled from its throat. The crimson-and-black figure shuddered, its Chaos Magic Power boiling as a black-red mist shot toward the sky. The mist mixed with dust and rubble, scattering to every corner of the forest.

Countless Demons inhaled this Chaos Power to fuel their materialization. A Red Jade-like exoskeleton began to form on their bodies, piece by piece, bearing a wild and bloody power.

"The Primordial Harbingers are trapped within mortal bodies! They are sunk deep within a prison, and I shall be the one to liberate them!"

The low, hoarse voice rang out, echoing throughout the forest.

Its twin wings beat, blowing away the enshrouding mist, and the lord of the Demons revealed its form.

It was a giant seemingly composed of rusted black iron and chunks of red flesh, but its sharp claws, sharply-angled features, hammer-like head, and the Scale Armor covering its entire body made it resemble an upright Mad Beast.

Its fluid musculature possessed a beautiful, primal strength. Its spine, skull, and claws were formed from scarlet gems that gleamed with a bizarre, malevolent beauty and a terrifyingly peerless sheen.

Opening its massive maw—a serrated mouth in which only molten fire churned—the Devourer casually snatched a nearby Chaos Demon, shoved the indescribable mass of flesh into its mouth, and began to chew ravenously.

While it ate, it looked toward the forest on the horizon, which was enveloped by an azure barrier, and burst into laughter.

"Heh heh... HAHAHA! Once the Primordial Harbingers are liberated, this turtle shell can finally be cracked open. I’ve wasted far, far too much time here, but it has all been worth it."

"Not only will I liberate the Primordial Harbingers, but I will also correct this disgusting, filthy Holy Spirit to its proper form!"