Game World: I Can Share Talents

Chapter 150 - 148: If They Dare Invade, We Will See Them Routed

When the fierce gale stirred up by Westheid gradually subsided, a sight that rendered everyone speechless unfolded before them:

The once-gray, scorched plain was now smeared with a thin layer of gore. Shattered limbs and mangled fragments were scattered everywhere. The thick stench of blood assaulted the senses, a scene straight out of Purgatory.

The good news, however, was that the Qinghui Army likely wouldn’t need to clean up the battlefield. The Dragon Thunder was gradually consuming the mangled corpses, slowly but resolutely, causing every speck of flesh and bone to dissipate like ash.

Beneath the clear sky, countless crimson embers, stirred up from the desolate plain by the storm’s aftershocks, drifted chaotically through the air before scattering into lightless dust.

The architect of this scene was half-kneeling atop a small hill built from Demon corpses, leaning on his sword with his head bowed, gasping for breath.

The black-haired, purple-eyed Duke Qinghui, clad in his Shadow Fire Light Armor, remained as still as a statue, as if the frenzied slaughter moments ago had nothing to do with him.

Waves of vertigo from the rapid spinning washed over him, making Westheid feel like he was about to vomit. And yet, the feedback from tearing through bodies with his blade and devouring flesh with Dragon Thunder was so exhilarating it sent shivers through his entire being.

"Hah... hah..."

Shaking his head, Westheid struggled to his feet with Mivana’s support. His every breath carried sparks of fire.

"COUGH, COUGH, COUGH... If another wave comes, I won’t be able to hold out. It’ll be up to you,"

Westheid said, looking at the Lady Knight.

Mivana nodded. "No problem. But it looks like... there won’t be another Demon Tide."

The Lady Knight’s gaze shifted to the edge of the Purity Forest. After two consecutive Demon Tides, even if the Chaos Army’s numbers were truly endless, mobilizing them would still take time.

"Huh, what a shame..."

Westheid felt a pang of regret, but then he realized it was his bloodthirsty instincts talking. He immediately centered himself, forcibly suppressing the murderous urges within, and headed back with a shake of his head.

The moment he stepped into the base, he was met with a deafening roar of cheers.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"

"My Lord is invincible!"

"Long live Qinghui!"

"Hooray!!"

"..."

People have always worshipped the strong, especially a powerhouse on their own side. After recovering from the shock of the Blade Storm, the Qinghui Warriors felt none of the hesitation or fear that usually follows a first battle.

The joy of victory had completely consumed them.

Whether they were veteran members of the Guard or young Warriors, all of them stared at the blood-soaked Duke Qinghui with fanatical gazes, completely lost in their adoration for their leader.

Only Yolanda seemed both happy and worried. She walked over to Westheid and said softly,

"Brother... you’re not being very ’Qinghui,’ are you?"

’What kind of proper Duke Qinghui has such a brutal fighting style?’

’It was a slaughter devoid of any elegance, a display of pure, violent aesthetics that even a Yonglan Knight would have to call masterful.’

"..."

To be fair, Westheid didn’t really have a good answer. After all, he was a mix of just about everything at this point.

He had the Holy Tree’s Withered Glory Sun, the Dragon God’s Dragon Soul Furnace, the Yonglan’s Knightly Hundred Arts, and even the Great Demon’s Shadow-Born.

"...Hey, don’t be a hater. In Purity is a crucial Talent. What would I ever do without it?" he said, his voice dripping with deadpan sarcasm.

"Really? Getting stronger is a good thing, of course, but Brother... you can’t forget your roots."

Westheid found Yolanda’s nagging tiresome. He waved a hand dismissively and said with a frown,

"Is there any point in dwelling on this? Hurry up and tally our casualties and losses. We need to regroup and prepare for the next attack."

"Yes, sir!"

Yolanda had only brought it up out of her duty as a member of the Qinghui Direct Lineage. After all, anyone could see Westheid’s tendency to disdain tradition. But the platinum-blonde girl knew what the priorities were. She immediately accepted the order and went to organize the reformation of their defensive line.

Facing their first Chaos Shock, the defensive line was far from complete, and many facilities had not yet been constructed.

With a little more time, they would have more defenders, sturdier shields and Barriers, and a more intense network of firepower.

’If Chaos dared to attack again, they would surely be sent back in crushing defeat!’

However, in the following days, no Demon Tide assaulted their defensive line.

This was highly unusual. Normally, as soon as Chaos Demons sensed a threat from Order Creatures, they would retaliate immediately and relentlessly, without a shred of hesitation.

Westheid’s plan had been to lure the Demons out of the Purity Forest and wear down their forces as much as possible in a defensive battle on advantageous terrain.

But according to the intelligence from Hecate, a Dirt World Desolate God was currently entrenched in the Purity Forest. If it truly possessed intelligence, it might actually be ordering the Demons under its command to hold their position.

No, judging by the reconnaissance reports, the Chaos Army wasn’t holding its position. Instead, it was completely ignoring the Qinghui Legion and had redoubled its assault on the Purity Forest.

They were sending Demons to smash themselves to death against the Barrier erected by the Holy Spirit without any regard for the cost. It was as if they were determined to capture the Holy Spirit quickly, even if it meant sacrificing every last one of them.

’Are my intentions that obvious? Is it so certain that I’ll have to be the one to attack? This is clearly a trap, and it’s waiting for me to walk right into it.’

Westheid immediately understood the Devourer’s thinking. What was more infuriating was that he had no choice but to take the bait.

He had to.

Because as soon as Duke Qinghui got close to the Purity Forest, he was bombarded with frantic distress signals from the Pure Holy Spirit.

"SOB, SOB, SOB! Child, come save me! Help, help, help, help, help!"

"The ugly monsters outside have suddenly gotten so fierce! They’re charging like their lives don’t matter, and they won’t stop no matter how many of them die!"

"I can’t hold on much longer... I’m gonna die, I’m gonna die, I’m gonna die..."

If it had been anyone else saying this, Westheid would have assumed they were exaggerating to secure aid. But since it was the Pure Holy Spirit... he had no choice but to believe it.

Because he had serious doubts about the Pure Holy Spirit’s actual capabilities, Westheid didn’t dare to gamble. No one knew if the Desolate God had an ace up its sleeve. If the Holy Spirit’s defenses were breached, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"We have to take the initiative and push into the Purity Forest."

Westheid didn’t hesitate. He made an immediate decision to advance deep into the Purity Forest and begin purification operations.

No one objected to this. Their goal was to liberate the Pure Holy Spirit, and they couldn’t afford a prolonged war of attrition with Chaos. Chaos Demons didn’t need supply lines; in a battle of attrition, they could never be outlasted.

The best way to fight Chaos was always to attack proactively and purify the Chaos Domain. Only in the Land of Order would Chaos suffer irreversible losses.

However, there was a small point of contention regarding the specific deployment.

"The vanguard will only need two people,"

Westheid announced to everyone.

"Me, and Mivana. Until we’ve cleared out the Demons and purified the corruption, everyone else is to remain in the rear and observe. No one is to advance rashly."

"!!!"

Yolanda immediately objected. "Brother? That’s far too dangerous! How can we allow our leader to place himself in the most perilous position!"

Westheid retorted, "Wrong! It is precisely because I am the leader that I must lead from the front! Besides the two of us, who else can shoulder this heavy responsibility?"

"Furthermore, we aren’t afraid of the number of Low-Level Demons. But if High-Tier Demons appear... then it would be useless for the rest of you to follow. It would only add to the casualties."

Knowing full well the enemy had likely laid an ambush, Westheid was not about to foolishly lead his army to their deaths. This was especially true given how fragile the Qinghui Legion currently was; the slightest misstep could lead to their complete annihilation.

It was better to use himself as bait to spring the Devourer’s trap. In fact, he had to spring it. The choice was between sending his legion to their deaths or personally facing the danger. There was no other way.

This entire reclamation effort was being propped up by Shadow-Born’s ridiculously powerful purification ability and its game-breaking effectiveness against Chaos. To minimize their own casualties as much as possible, Westheid was destined to bear the heaviest burden.

Duke Qinghui overruled all objections and forced his plan through.

"Mivana, are you willing to go with me?"

Westheid asked for the Lady Knight’s opinion as a final step. He had already explained to Mivana exactly what he intended to do. To put it bluntly, it was no different from a suicide mission.

After a moment of silence, the Wolf-eared Maiden with long, violet-black hair twitched her fluffy ears. Her beautiful golden eyes looked at Westheid with resolute determination.

"For such a noble and fearless undertaking, I must insist that you allow me to accompany you."

"This is also to... uphold my own code of honor."