Chapter 301 This is My Promise (1/2)

Never one to care where etiquette was concerned and always living as he pleased, Joshua rarely bowed.

As the leader one of the world's top martial arts dojo in his past life, people would bow to him most of the time in hopes that he would take them in as a student. In this world, he's a formidable Gold-tier warrior and a noble count. Unless there was an existence that could earn his veneration, he would not need to bow.

Still, as he encountered a god—especially a sagely name like Father Nature—the warrior willingly paying homage.

Late in the Battle of the Dark Abyss in his past life, large tracts of lost ground on the Mycroft Continent was reclaimed. However, the demon-polluted earth was uninhabitable; should people or livestock drink or eat within the contaminated zones they would be infected by the magical malady known as Corruption.

It was a horrifying malady that could change any living thing gradually into an ooze, a monster that resembled slimes. The infected person would only be able to watch as every muscle and gut (save for his bones) stink with putrefaction and melt into the sentient mud. In the end, the squirming puddle would replace the infected person's brain, killing them.

The divine spell needed to cleanse such zones was too enormous; even a single deity would have trouble sterilizing the land as big as a country. That was why when the heroes claimed each victory over the Dark Abyss the tough responsibility of rebuilding fell on the common folk.

Then, the Reformers of the World appeared.

Though they used one tenth of the energy required for Divine Purification, the effect was seven to eight times more effective than the original. The success had caught the eye of every faction on the continent—even the gods. However, it was still a time of war, each faction was unable to provide casters for world-cleansing purposes.

Thus, it was solely thanks to the materialistic support the Organization had provided, many players joined their ranks and cleansed the land alongside the druids. According to one who managed to enter the higher hierarchy amongst the Reformers, the power they employed came from a divine source of another world—in other words, His Majesty Father Nature who now lives before Joshua.

Illgner must have been invaded by the Evil God of Calamity in the preexistence too, although according to the data recorded by the Reformers, Father Nature had fallen into eternal slumber then. Furthermore, just before he went dormant he had given his power to all lives who were intent on preserving nature—which explained why the druids had such incredible powers of purification; all they were using were pure divine power.

And now, Father Nature—otherwise known as the Soul of the Forests, had just been awakened. This meant that the battle which would return him to his eternal nap was yet to arrive.

Meaning that there was a still a chance to turn the tide.

”All elven souls are yet to be recalled completely.”

The Soul of the Forests and Joshua looked at each other. Its overlapping speech was slower. ”I had a plan against the Evil God of Calamity, but things have changed now that you're here.”

”I see.” The warrior watched the flashing bunch of lights without blinking. He nodded thoughtfully with his hand pressed on his chest. ”I understand. What would you have us, do Your Majesty?”

”Truly the successor of the Sage. You see things quickly.” The green light slowly rose and seeped into the gigantic stone tree, and it slightly shuddered as if satisfied. ”I'll be counting on your party before I truly awaken.”

WAIT A MINUTE—Friend, hold up, HOLD UP! What did you guys just say?

In a corner, Roland was taken aback by Joshua's conversation. The elven deity —or His Majesty, Father Nature had suddenly revealed his identity—gripping him in genuine wonder. That amazement did not dull against that which he experienced when he witnessed the descent of the Seven Gods.

According to the Church of Seven Gods' data, Father Nature was a deity that had descended in the Glorious Era—a time lost almost three hundred years ago. Now it appears that not only did he survive, his power as tremendous as it once was—moving mountains at ease.

What amazing news! If this were the Mycroft Continent the word would probably shake the entire world. Elves of the Far South would even go crazy immediately; though some the Sevens Gods were patron deities of elves—could they even compare to Father Nature?

Nonetheless, Roland quickly and completely dropped the idea of spreading the news. He had recently discovered that his friend had come to some sort of mutual understanding with the divine existence.

Blinking forcefully and shaking his head, Roland gazed once more upon the towering stone tree and Joshua with a muddled and befuddled expression. The blond holy knight reflected on the dialogue between them and promptly felt a stomach ache.

What are they saying? How could they suddenly understand each other?!

Black, Ling, and Ying could not grasp what was happening either, though unlike the holy knight they simply went along with it. As long as they followed Joshua there would be a way—there wasn't any need to worry.

Therefore, their response was unanimous towards the fact that their owner could see through a god.

”Ah, Master is so impressive!”

”Such terrific knowledge and wisdom…”

”Roar (Good job! Skillful!)!”

Noticing that Joshua companions were feeling a little lost, the stony skin of the Divine Tree of Beginnings began to shift. Infinite pieces of grey boulders began to peel off and fall, revealing a brown skin brimming with life force that bore the face of an elderly man.

He gazed upon the party, and a gentle voice rang in their head.

”We are Him, We are not Him. We are the Soul of the Forest, the will of the Divine Tree of Beginnings, and also the soulful composite of every Elven King. Divinity, Father Nature and the Guardian of the Forest Elves only come when those two combines, and that process would take some time.

”Thousands of years ago, I built a Dimensional Bridge with all my power to escape the Mycroft world that was sealed by the Chaos Evil God and the Dark Abyss. It was then that the elves were guided into this world; the price was my long slumber. To recover, We absorbed the magical powers of this world and reformed it.