Brain bloom

When they came to their senses, the entire island had been split in two.

"—You won't live past today, I told you." The coffin bearer's arrogant voice echoed across the sea, "I've come to collect my debt."

……

(It'll probably be late for another update... I'd better wash up and go to bed first.)

Volume 1 #328: Debt Collection Scene - Everything Goes Smoothly!

Heroes always appear last, cleaning up the mess and saving the world. Mori felt that if this was the responsibility he bore, he would be grateful to fate.

The Thundercloud Worm was incredibly fast; even flying directly from Silver Ring City to 1848 took only a short time. Mori had planned to prepare various combat items on its back, but in the end, it was only enough to polish one gem.

But in any case, it's good to arrive as soon as possible.

I hope he's still alive.

When they could see only the black "1848," Mori clearly saw the name box filled with question marks. She still remembered how much fear and unease it brought when she first saw it, but now it only felt familiar.

"It's the evil god Hodge," the Thunderstorm Cloud Worm reminded Sen, wondering what that complex mass exuding the aura of a true god was.

"Ah."

Now that we know the goal, things are much easier.

At her command, the Thundercloud Worm carried Mori to the edge of the cloud. Looking down, all that could be seen was a vast sea murky by the ominous fog; it was impossible to even discern how high above the ground she was…

She forgot her fear of being high up and simply took out her slingshot and some pellets.

The bullet was a finely polished gemstone, the kind that could fetch at least ten gold coins on the market. However, Mori used magic to nourish it, keeping it in a state where it could explode at any moment, thus unleashing a powerful explosive force.

Sen Shi was focused intently on Hodge, confirming the other's wealth.

At that moment, the thundercloud worm beneath its feet chuckled.

"Coffin bearer, is this your weapon? How ridiculous! If you don't want to fight seriously, how about I do it? It's nothing more than a bloody battle with the primordial evil. I've been holding back for a thousand years, and I'd be happy to do it for you."

"Once, it was a magnificent longbow."

Mori simply uttered those words and offered no further explanation. Because at that moment, she sensed an aura of abundance.

The sea god… was probably the wealthiest of all the enemies she had ever fought. Mori finally felt relieved; it was just as she had predicted. It ruled the sea and was a long-established true god, having witnessed the births, aging, sickness, and deaths of countless generations of believers, and had amassed immense wealth from them…

"Are you trying to provoke it? You don't actually intend to attack with that thing, do you?"

The Thundercloud Worm remained puzzled; it seemed the coffin bearer genuinely intended to launch the small slingshot. But given its flimsy appearance, whether the attack would even land on 1848 was uncertain…

But Mori casually shot out a gem that was about to explode.

"This is not funny."

"Are you kidding me... huh?!?"

Because that filthy island had been split in two by a burst of fire.

Immediately afterwards, blazing red flames surged into the sky, engulfing many weaker mobs, monsters, and puppets, turning them into fuel to light up the night sky.

1848—it was once a country. Even with its sparse population, it was a bountiful island. But whatever history books record about this place, that is now obsolete history.

Countless eyes, filled with terror, gazed up from the now-vanished island. Their hearts trembled, and they had only one thought: to call upon the divine name of the one who had come—the one who brought the coffin.

Of course, Mori seized the opportunity and loudly announced his arrival. Then, gritting his teeth, he wore the title of True God for a second before quickly removing it because he couldn't afford the strain. But to others, it seemed as if the True God had unleashed a mental attack that overwhelmed the entire scene.

It felt like something was missing... After thinking for a while, Mori had an idea.

She stomped her foot hard, and the still-stunned Thundercloud Worm immediately understood. Thunder roared incessantly, a deafening boom punctuating the grand arrival of the coffin bearers. Of course, it also considered itself a powerful, calamity-level monster.

In the night sky ravaged by lightning, Mori stood proudly, looking down down at the shattered island.

"Still alive? That's tough, Hodge!"

"The one who delivered the coffin...you...you actually launched a sneak attack?!"

The evil god Hodge was still alive; Mori's attack had only destroyed two of its divine cores. Mori felt he had leveled up slightly, but had no time to confirm it; the enemy he faced this time was unlike any he had ever faced before.

"Mori? Are you alright?" Yuan's surprised voice was like a gentle breeze, cooling down the battlefield.

"I'm here to help you, thank you."

The arrival of spring has made it impossible for travelers to stay still any longer.

More than a dozen figures emerged from the darkness, each surrounded by countless powerful ominous mists. In Sen Shi's eyes, these traveling souls averaged only level 5, but his intuition told him they were extremely dangerous.

The heartbeat of primal evil continues...

Each roar was like a death knell, or a countdown to a duel.

But some people might find the roar quite sweet.

"Great! I thought the ceremony had been interrupted by the coffin bearers!" Hodge exclaimed happily.

"It was the Grand Elder Martyr who protected the ceremony; it was just a hair's breadth away."

"Next, we should confront the most powerful true god in the world."

"—Thunderstorm Cloud Insect! A seasonal creature... It's not surprising that it's kept as a pet."

"Is this the coffin bearer...? It is indeed lush and green, but it has no flower crown?"

"Take revenge on the Four Seasons!"

A dozen or so pairs of eyes from the wandering souls observed Mori. They seemed to have a deep understanding of the Four Seasons, and from time to time, one could hear them reminding each other to be careful as she broke the seal and unleashed her true power.

Mori didn't care about the nonsensical clamor; he just clicked his tongue, filled with frustration. That attack had only resulted in a loud bang, the biggest victim being the innocent Kojima, and few other problems had been resolved... a truly terrible situation.

But the shouting subsided without anyone noticing.

Because of Yuan's presence, she easily struck and flattened the loudest guy, who didn't even have the strength to resist. Immediately afterward, a dazzling flame burst forth from Yuan's hand and into the sky.

Sen Shi glanced at it and his expression changed drastically.

Yuan, without any chanting or using a staff, unleashed two top-level fire elemental spells simultaneously! Both were blazing offensive spells, capable of easily burning down a village. Yet, in Yuan's hands, they appeared harmonious and peaceful, as if dancing gracefully together.

"The Blackfire Duet"

Many enemies suddenly realized that the magic was extremely dangerous, and only then did they remember that there were more than just coffin bearers here.

The traveling spirits sprang into action, some commanding the ominous mist, others preparing incantations or drawing their swords. Even Hodge gritted his teeth and used his remaining divine essence to stop Wish; no one wanted the magic to be unleashed.

However, they still underestimated the dangers of the battlefield.

The thundercloud worms were also granted permission to act—the vast surge of lightning, sealed for millennia and never released, finally had its chance to rage.

Volume 1 #329 The Silent Scales

The rhythmic flashes of electricity illuminated the sky.

The thundercloud worms imbued their thunder with a great deal of emotion, further amplifying its power. There was the joy of finally being able to stretch its limbs and unleash thunder at will; and the anger of being a divine being, deserving of fear yet cruelly ignored.

Lei Yong was forged into a long spear, thin and sharp, yet as vast as the Milky Way.

It hangs high above the enemy's head, spreading unease to every corner of the battlefield.

At this point, the balance of power in this battle is tilting in favor of the coffin bearers.

Seeing this, Mori kicked the Thundercloud Worm and whispered a warning: "Don't hit Yuan."

“Oh right, that’s your companion… Or should I evaporate her too? At least… that way of dying is painless,” it asked earnestly.

"What nonsense are you spouting?"

"If we continue to expend our strength and fight recklessly like this, that little girl will definitely not see the sun tomorrow. Her fate is to die, and she will die today."

"In short, if you dare to strike Yuan, I swear I will personally seal you away for ten thousand years."

It grumbled a few times, but its feverish head gradually calmed down. Adjusting the angle of the Thunder Spear, it finally unleashed the spear, which had been hovering for a minute, towards the sea—

"I've kept you waiting, my enemies!"

A straight bolt of lightning shook the entire sea. Any place grazed by the lightning spear didn't even leave a trace of scorch; it turned directly into ashes. The sea was even steamed and boiled.

If the fog hadn't already polluted the surrounding sea beforehand, it probably would have blasted out dozens of tons of fish, all thoroughly cooked, with even the bones soft and delicious.

"This is the first time I've ever felt so comfortable from thunder..."

Mori took off his ear, finding it quite novel.

Having lived this long, I'm surprised to still have the opportunity to witness lightning and thunder from a perspective overlooking from the clouds.

The thundercloud insects seemed to be having a great time, so much so that the electric current that reached Moritoki's boots was twice as strong as the previous slight tingling, turning into a stinging sensation. Moritoki had no choice but to find a material with high resistance to place under his feet so that he could continue watching the battle.

With the enemy suffering more than half their casualties, Hodge was no longer a threat.

Overall, everything went smoothly...

With the powerful firepower of the Thundercloud Worms, most enemies are tied down, allowing Yu to deal with them with ease. Each time thunder rumbles, the enemy must defend against forces descending from the sky or magic that may appear at any moment.

This coordination wasn't sophisticated; it was more like just throwing out skills randomly.

However, the overwhelming strength caused the battle to gradually turn against them.

The opposing true god, Hodge, should have stepped forward at this moment to turn the tide with the power of an evil god, but unfortunately, he encountered his natural enemy, his true natural enemy.

"They steal my followers, block my path to wealth, and are richer than me. Now... now..." Hodge trembled with rage, "They've come to attack me again!!"

"You're the one who's richer, don't be too sad."

After finishing speaking, Morishi fired another shot with her slingshot. From beginning to end, she focused her attacks on Hodge, since everyone else was poor... Hodge had no way to fight back and could only concentrate on barely defending himself, feeling anxious, angry, and with nowhere to vent his frustration because Morishi's attacks were very powerful.

Its speed rivals that of lightning, and its power shakes the ocean.

But Mori was also taken aback. His debt collection attacks had always been successful, but Hodge was still alive and kicking, and even had time to curse...

"Coffin bearers, are we guaranteed to win?" the Thunderstorm Cloud Worm suddenly asked.

"Until you actually win, everything else is just bullshit. It's best to say less and avoid it, or you'll ruin your reputation." Mori stomped his foot.

"But I think we're going to win."

However, Mori Toki doesn't think so; whether he can win is still an unpredictable question.

Standing high above, she had a panoramic view, so she could clearly see a strange name frame always outside the battlefield, as if it were taking a nap. Even as her divine might swept across the entire area and the sky was illuminated by thunder, that name frame remained unmoved.

[Level 0 - The Traveling Soul - Martyr]