Village Head's Debauchery

"I apologize for the delay. There were several matters I needed to handle at the Bastion of Ashen Hope before I could return," Orion responded.

Nadia shook her head quickly. "No need to apologize. What matters is that you're finally here to lead us into the Harbinger's domain," she replied.

The high advisors nodded in agreement.

They had already assumed that Orion and his companions had delivered the same message they had given them to the Bastion of Ashen Hope and the Tidal Depths Kingdom. As for how those forces had responded, it wasn't her place to know, nor did she care to find out.

Orion smiled. "In that case, allow me to introduce you to Goddess Aurora, one of the divine beings primarily responsible for protecting Paradise. She's also the one who created the headless, winged spawns that have been protecting you all," he said, gesturing toward Aurora to introduce her to Nadia and the others.

Nadia and her high advisors stood frozen in place for a long moment before they recovered from their shock, their expressions becoming dignified.

BANG!!

BANG!!

BANG!!

They dropped to one knee on the watery rock, crushing it inward under their legs, and lowered their heads, bowing towards Aurora.

"A divine being from Paradise has graced us with her presence! Everyone, kneel and properly welcome her!" Nadia's words thundered across the ocean depths, piercing the ears of every nymph present.

In an instant, they all realized that a goddess was in their midst, and one by one, they dropped to their knees and bowed towards Aurora.

Countless soft chimes of bells resounded across the surrounding water, and the floating trees descended to the ground.

"On behalf of the Bastion of Wailing Gnarled, I welcome you and thank you for the aid you have provided us through our most desperate times!" Nadia spoke, her voice controlled and steady.

"I wasn't expecting such a welcome," Aurora said with a light chuckle. "I like you all more now. After this, I'll ensure you can fit right into Paradise, so you don't have to worry about encountering any issues."

Nadia was surprised by Aurora's words but showed a look of relief on her face. She had been worried about getting on the goddess's wrong side for not showing enough respect after all the help she had provided. However, it seemed she had been overthinking it.

Despite being responsible for creating such a dreadful technique, the goddess wasn't as intimidating as Nadia had initially thought.

Still, Nadia didn't ultimately lower her guard. After all, divine beings were said to live far longer than mortals, each possessing distinct personalties. She knew it was best to tread carefully around Aurora.

"Thank you for your support, goddess. We feel much more at ease with your presence," Nadia responded.

The high advisors also nodded excitedly. With the support of a genuine goddess, their settlement within Paradise would be much easier than they had initially expected.

"Alright, you can all rise. We don't have all day to spend here," Aurora said.

Nadia nodded and rose, gesturing for the others to do the same.

Orion walked forward toward the edge of the cliff, and Aurora followed beside him.

In the distance lay an enormous pit, seemingly created by a sunken landmass on the ocean bed. Floating above the pit was a large, flat mountain with an immense, jagged stone fortress built upon it.

Numerous tainted emerged from the pit and surrounded the entire area, even encircling the floating flat-top mountain. The fortress could only be seen in glimpses through the gaps between the swarming tainted.

With the help of his mask, Orion could make out energy levels as high as 4,998 BEM. Previously, he had wondered why they had only encountered weak tainted wandering around the ocean. Now, he had his answer-it was because they had all gathered here, guarding the Harbingers' domain, making it nearly impossible for anyone to break through. ṚäꞐó฿ĘＳ

"Have you gotten a sense of the situation inside?" Orion asked, glancing at Aurora.

She had sent her spawns to infiltrate each of the Harbingers' domains and report back on what they had observed, allowing them to end the battle smoothly and without unnecessary complications.

Aurora's strength was the cornerstone of his confidence, which would be instrumental to their victory. However, he wasn't about to take any chances by underestimating the enemy.

Aurora nodded. "There's an immensely powerful figure within it. It's not someone any mortal could face," she responded. "No wonder no one has been able to break into the domain. But I believe it's something I can easily handle."

Orion nodded. "And the others?" he asked.

"They're similar, though there's a slight fluctuation in strength. With my spawns accompanying the other forces, they can break in and out of the other domains as they

please," Aurora replied.

"Good," Orion said, turning to Nadia. "Lead the forces and conquer the domain. We'll break in directly and deal with the Harbinger."

Nadia nodded firmly. She turned to the nymphs and shouted, "Sisters, prepare yourselves! The battle is about to begin!"

The Bastion of the Wailing Gnarled readied themselves, unsheathing their weapons. Countless bells chimed across the surroundings, causing the trees at the edges of their formation to float upward. Their roots and branches moved more erratically than ever.

"The Stone Gale Corps, form an outer ring-scatter the enemy and distract them! Frost Spine Corps, take the vanguard-freeze the enemy and reduce their momentum. Cut them down as you see fit. Dead Roots Corps anchor the left flank and stop any flanking manoeuvres. Gnarled Shield Corps, guard the rear-be ready to turn defence into offence if they come close to attack. Spiked Branch Poison Corps, take the right flank! Mountain Blade Corps, hold the

centre!"

The Arch-Knights swiftly swam into their positions. Aurora's spawns followed overhead like

guardians.

Tightly gripping her greatsword, Nadia turned towards the cliff's edge, her eyes locked on the Harbingers' domain in the distance.

"Everyone else, hold your positions; stay within the formation!" she called out, then

commanded loudly, "ATTACK!"

As her words rang out, waves of water rippled violently, and the entire force surged forward

with loud war cries, rushing toward the Harbingers' domain.

As they closed in, their figures were finally noticed by the swarms of tainteds, who swam toward them aggressively.

BANNGG!!!

BOOOMM!!

Countless violent ripples surged outward as both forces clashed fiercely.

Fortunately, the headless, winged spawns joined the fray, taking down the stronger tainted- three to six with a single strike-while leaving the weaker ones for the Bastion Of Wailling

Gnarled forces to handle.

Witnessing this, Nadia's heart swelled with confidence. She continued cutting down the

tainted that approached her, her frozen greatsword freezing them entirely before they shattered into pieces, scattering in the swirling water.

The entire Bastion of the Wailing Gnarled was also inspired by the sight and attacked with

renewed vigour as more tainted converged on their position.

On the cliff, Orion glanced at Aurora and nodded. "Let's go."

Aurora returned the nod, placed her hand on his shoulder, and vanished into her shadow.

......

The atmosphere was stifled with silence and tension within a dimly lit, large hall. The floor was marble, yet there were no other decorations in the room, not even a door at the wide entrance, except for a sizeable throne at the far edge of the hall.

Seated upon the side of the throne was an armoured man. His pale blue skin was marred with

countless unnatural black spots, and his icy blue eyes shone brightly in the darkness. Sprouting from his head were two fierce, reindeer-like antlers that stretched upward.

Strangely, the antlers seemed alive, moving as if stirred by an unseen wind despite the absence of any breeze in the stony hall. Resting against the armrest and the ground was an enormous battle axe, its blade gleaming dully, with a darkened helm on top, featuring two

wide openings on either side.

Suddenly, the man snapped his head towards the entrance, with a brief flash of surprise crossing his eyes before his expression returned to normal. "Who is it? Reveal yourself!" he commanded, his voice reverberating across the hall and violently shaking its very foundation.

Without another word, the man picked up the helm and placed it over his head. His antlers squeezed themselves through the gaps with swift, nimble movements.

At that moment, two individuals stepped through the entrance. The first was a man dressed in

a black shirt and trousers adorned with detailed golden patterns embellished with precious stones. His shoes, similarly adorned with jewellery, fit snugly.

A black mask with no lip or nose outline covered his face. It featured two black crystal lenses and was decorated with strange vines and monster designs, concealing his identity. Beside him stood a woman with a blend of golden and green hair pouring down her waist. She wore a mixed green and crimson gown, flowing just above her ankles, adorned with shimmering patterns resembling stars.

On her feet were simple string sandals, and in her hand was a mysterious sceptre shrouded in

fog. Only its half-arching head and a strange ball of light were visible, pulsing with powerful, mysterious energy.

They halted a distance away from the throne.

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