This Necromancer Just Wants to Plant Trees - Chapter 152

Chapter 152: May I Touch Your Horns?

The long-awaited mission update.

Matthew's eyelid twitched.

He forcefully resisted the urge to rush over and steal kills from Reiga.

The tactics were set; he had to stick to the plan. Even though both he and Reiga could probably crush the enemies here, they couldn't afford to relax.

With Spanther as an unexpected factor, things could go awry.

They might end up in a mess.

Immediately, Matthew ordered Afei to support Reiga.

And he didn't hold back on specific instructions: "Kill every withered one with your own hands!"

"Don't let Reiga steal the kills!"

Not just that.

The Ghost Wolf pack and Renaismae joined the battle directly.

While Matthew continued to execute Old Gito's strategy - he wore the invisibility ring, guarding the position at the bottom of the stairs.

The clamor on the platform grew louder.

Soon enough.

Footsteps echoed in the corridor.

Another group of withered ones rushed down upon sensing the commotion.

Matthew chose to bide his time.

Calmly, he observed the situation, Reiga seemed to be handling it for now.

Not long after.

Faint footsteps sounded on the stairs again, and a woman with only a few black leaves stuck to her body appeared.

A strong aura of decay emanated from her!

Matthew's pupils constricted.

He recognized her! During the Catastrophe Church's assault on Oakwood Forest, Matthew had seen her near the Underground Alliance, but she retreated with the Silver Frost Brotherhood at the time, and he hadn't seen her since.

Eli had mentioned her - her name was Kunna, the leader of the withered in the south!

Matthew felt a pang of murderous intent.

Kunna, like the other withered ones, swiftly passed by the stairs.

Matthew held his breath.

He was about to act when, at that moment, footsteps floated up the stairs again:

"What's happening?"

"Why is it so noisy in the middle of the night?"

"Kunna, I warn you, if you don't control your subordinates, I'll reconsider our collaboration with your Withered Cult!"

A pale-faced man descended the steps.

Clad in a luxurious and exquisite robe, adorned with several rings on his fingers, he was, without a doubt, Spanther, the thief who stole the Swift Gem from the Alliance's treasury.

Spanther looked visibly weak; his thighs were shaking as he descended the stairs.

Kunna furrowed her brow as she turned back.

She was about to say something when, in an instant, her expression changed:

"Watch your back!"

Matthew lunged forward, landing a punch on the back of Spanther's head, causing him to stumble and fall.

A faint protective shield activated around Spanther.

But in that split second.

Matthew triggered the "Dragonfire Talisman" he had held in his left hand.

A burst of dragonfire hit Spanther, who immediately cried out in agony, rolling on the ground. He barely managed to catch a glimpse of Matthew's face.

But the next second.

Spanther was horrified to find Matthew's eyes turned into terrifying black holes.

His body seemed to shrink infinitely.

Everything around him was sucked away, leaving an endless darkness!

"No!"

Spanther struggled against Matthew's "Mind Capture Gaze."

His mental strength wasn't weak.

So Matthew opted for the easiest negative effect: sickness.

...

"Notification: Mind Capture Gaze in effect...

Judgment successful!

Spanther fell into a state of weakness akin to illness. His ability to act will be greatly diminished, plagued by excruciating pain.

Duration: 60 seconds."

...

60 seconds gave Matthew plenty of time.

He saw Spanther writhing in agony on the ground.

And in the corner of his eye.

A black panther had already pounced in Matthew's direction.

Swift and high, its icy claws were about to tear at Matthew's throat. But at the brink of disaster, a ghostly figure suddenly emerged from Matthew's waist!

The panther flinched.

In an instant.

Afei's fair face turned horrifically ugly, pressing against the panther's claws.

Then came a horrifying howl!

"Ability: Lament of Doom"!

Afei's Lament of Doom targeted the soul, an attack almost instantaneous, rarely failing in close-quarters combat.

The panther's eyelids flipped.

Instantly, it fell into a dazed state.

Meanwhile, Spanther on the ground clutched his ears in agony, legs flailing.

No time to waste.

Matthew calmly retrieved his staff, swiftly chanting a curse. The Malevolent Transmutation accurately hit Kunna!

The panther turned abruptly into a goat.

It wandered aimlessly on the ground.

In the next moment.

Matthew rushed to Spanther's side, taking advantage of the enemy's weakness, retrieving a sharp dagger from his pack.

Stab!

The dagger plunged mercilessly into Spanther's throat.

Almost simultaneously.

Spanther's robe swelled dramatically.

That mystical robe turned Spanther into a sphere, forming an indestructible barrier.

Afei moved closer.

Her claws scratched the robe, sparking only a few flames!

Unfortunately.

The robe's defense was futile.

Spanther, in agony, tried to cover his throat with both hands.

But Afei grabbed each hand separately.

He could only despairingly feel a torrent of blood gushing from his throat, losing his breath in no time!

...

"Notification: You have slain the traitorous mage of the Seven Holy Alliance, Spanther!"

...

"Phew."

Matthew breathed a sigh of relief.

Throughout the surprise attacks on Spanther, he maintained a highly concentrated mental state!

This guy had plenty of good stuff on him.

Matthew knew he couldn't afford to give the opponent a chance to catch their breath.

The initial physical attacks carried some risks, but that punch not only disoriented Spanther but also revealed that he didn't have any spells or items to automatically protect his head from damage.

The subsequent Dragonfire Talisman was to counter any potential spell resistance.

And the Mind Capture Gaze was the crucial step to establish dominance.

As for Kunna.

Matthew wasn't underestimating this level 14 leader of the withered.

But non-legendary withered indeed had nothing impressive!

After eliminating Spanther.

Matthew instructed Afei to guard the body, then turned to the goat.

Kunna's resistance wasn't weak.

By now, she was gradually breaking free from Malevolent Transmutation.

The panther's space for evasion shrunk, her movements slowed.

Finally.

After dodging one of the claws of Malevolent Transmutation, she suddenly reverted to human form, then tore open the few leaves covering her chest!

What was terrifying was not what the leaves concealed, typical of a woman's bosom.

But two dreadful black holes, densely covering the chest.

At first glance.

Matthew felt dizzy.

As if a malevolent force invaded his consciousness.

Soon.

He heard Kunna's prayer by his ears:

"Mother, please grant me... cough, cough!"

Her prayer interrupted by intermittent coughs.

Matthew then opened his eyes.

Looking at the coughing staff in his hand, he quietly let out a breath.

He successfully predicted the moment.

When Kunna tore the leaves, he sensed something was wrong and swiftly used the coughing staff while she was distracted.

Luckily, it worked.

Matthew vaguely sensed

that Kunna's incantation wouldn't have been very lengthy. His successful interruption was partly due to Margaret's inspiration, significantly improving his observation and prediction skills.

And partly luck.

...

"Notification: You used the coughing staff to interrupt Kunna's prayer to the Dark Queen Babaosha."

...

"Ahem!"

Kunna coughed violently, her eyes filled with disbelief. Faced with the surging claws of Aesodro, she clenched her teeth, sat on the ground, and transformed into a bloated, gigantic mud monster!

*Plunk!*

Aesodro's claws struck the mud monster.

But it remained motionless.

The creature emitted a stronger putrid smell than Kunna in her human form, a stench twice as foul.

Matthew knew.

This kind of mud monster had a high resistance to negative energy, making it hard for spells to directly harm it.

He glanced at the frontline in a momentary break.

Reiga seemed to struggle, attempting to outmaneuver Aebing for a kill, yet repeatedly failing.

So Matthew stepped back and called out loudly, "Reiga, lend some sword energy here."

Reiga grumbled in response, "Why do I have to support everywhere?"

"Please, can't you see I'm busy?" Matthew urged.

Despite his words, Reiga hurried over and unleashed a cross-shaped sword energy towards the clumsy mud monster.

The surging blood cross, accompanied by hellfire, fiercely struck the monster.

The massive creature staggered backward unexpectedly.

Reiga's sword energy proved stronger than anticipated.

The monster was flung more than twenty meters by the strike, nearly reaching the edge of the platform.

In the next moment, Kunna painfully canceled the mud monster form. She staggered a few steps, but the flow of blood from her abdomen hindered her agility.

Clamping her teeth, she ran a couple of steps towards the railing. Then, with a kick-off, she cursed, "I'll come back."

"I'll return to shred you into pieces."

"I'll come back and take your oak forest and your Eli!"

With those words, she leaped outside the platform, her body rapidly plummeting down, soon transforming into a zombie bird bundled with feathers stuck together.

The zombie bird soared in the air for a while.

Her heart filled with hatred.

But at that moment, she suddenly felt the airflow around her shifting.

Despite descending, the airflow seemed to envelop her, dragging her backward!

"No, no, no!"

Kunna, sensing something, fearfully canceled the zombie bird form, attempting to plummet faster in her human shape.

Swoosh!

A colossal figure swiftly passed through the sky.

The Wind God Winged Dragon's claws mercilessly tore open Kunna's chest. Its hook-like beak seized her neck and twisted it to the right.

Kunna's eyes widened, her neck twisted, breath severed!

The Wind God Winged Dragon released her.

Kunna's body plummeted rapidly downwards.

But in seconds, her neck snapped back, her gaze regaining life.

"Thank goodness for feigning death..."

This thought flashed through Kunna's mind as she felt intense pain, as if two walls were squeezing her fiercely!

Crack! Crunch!

The Wind God Winged Dragon chewed the corpse in its mouth, then swallowed it whole.

Only after that did it spread its wings and soar back into the sky.

...

"Hint: You have killed Kunna, the southern leader of the Cult of Wither, a follower of the evil queen Babasha.

Babasha's animosity towards you increases by +20!

Your ability 'Predator' is in effect.

You've regained most of your mana, stamina, and mental strength!"

...

With the 'Predator's help, Matthew distinctly felt the corpse devoured by the Wind God Winged Dragon was instantaneously digested.

The process was unbelievably quick.

The subsequent surge of energy made him remarkably refreshed.

He thought he would resist such a process.

But under the influence of the Wind God Winged Dragon, what would be unacceptable for humans seemed as simple as eating and drinking.

"What's up with this Babasha? Holding such a grudge?" Matthew pondered.

He had offended plenty of dark gods or outer beings before.

Like the Evil Spirit Lord Omadoci and the Great Demon Teril, killing their cultists only increased animosity by ten points.

The Red Dragon Kusules was even a friendly example. Killing his dragon puppet only added a single point of animosity.

Only this evil queen... Matthew nibbled a bit and gained twenty points of animosity, making him quite uneasy.

Matthew recalled Li Weiqi's introduction to Queen Babasha. She was a deity from another realm, not belonging to the mainland of Eindor. Thus, during and after the ascension in the Celestial Palace, she wasn't affected but rather gained more influence due to the loss of control over mortals by the gods.

Known instances included monks from the Far East and the Zol faith in the gloomy territories that worshiped Babasha.

Layla used to be a subject of Babasha until she left the deep city due to her perverse ways.

This deity was capricious and narrow-minded. Matthew guessed she would soon retaliate against him.

The only good news was that being an outlander deity, her reach was limited, despite her increased influence.

"Once Li Weiqi returns, I need to consult him about Babasha's knowledge," Matthew decided.

In his thoughts, the Wind God Winged Dragon returned to the third platform.

The battle was nearing its end.

With Kunna gone, the Withered had no fighting spirit left. Even Reiga's sarcastic attempts couldn't keep them in place.

Aebing rampaged.

Matthew also struck hard in his Wind God Winged Dragon form.

Only Reiga clumsily trailed behind, trying to collect some heads, but unfortunately hadn't managed to score any.

After a while, the platform was covered in corpses.

Under Matthew's close watch, not a single Withered escaped.

After the Withered perished, many parts of their bodies rapidly decayed into semi-liquid pus.

Abandoned by nature and resenting it in death, they couldn't return to nature's embrace anymore.

Even for necromancers, these bodies lacked value.

Matthew reverted to his human form, joining Reiga. He casually asked, "Why did the horns on your forehead grow larger?"

Reiga touched his two swollen, crimson-black horns, explaining, "This? It's stimulated by the blood's scent in battles. The more bloodshed on the battlefield, the more my horns absorb it, becoming harder and stronger. Simultaneously, my inherent armor strengthens."

"Oh," Matthew responded, intrigued, "Can I touch your horns?"

Reiga immediately withdrew, firmly refusing, "Hey, for a devil, that's an inappropriate request. Our horns are sensitive in non-combat situations. You can't just touch them at will. Typically, only the closest partners exchange the right to touch each other's horns!"

Matthew showed a regretful expression but quickly asked, "How long can you maintain your transformation?"

Reiga replied grumpily, "Why are you asking such personal questions? I can only tell you that it reverts on its own."

Before he finished, his body rapidly shrank back to normal.

Fatigue painted Reiga's face.

Matthew estimated the time and comforted, "Ten minutes, it's quite long."

Then came the enjoyable cleanup time.

Most Withered were impoverished, not carrying much worth collecting.

Aebing took care of the scavenging.

The two arrived at the body of the Alliance Mage

Spanther.

He had a lot of valuable items.

Matthew casually searched and found five or six good items.

However, the thrilling moment followed - Matthew flipped Spanther's body and discovered three greyish, glowing spheres behind him.

"Dimensional Pouches."

These only appeared when a spellcaster unexpectedly died possessing advanced storage items.

It was well-known that items within these spaces were mostly bound to the original owner, and after their death, most items would be lost in the void.

Only a few appeared near their corpses as loot.

The Dimensional Pouch was an even higher-grade form of loot.

Before opening them, no one knew what was inside.

Matthew and Reiga exchanged glances.

"One for each," Matthew proposed confidently, reaching out to touch the first Dimensional Pouch.

With a *poof*, the glowing sphere vanished.

A single gold coin fell into Matthew's hand.

His expression immediately fell.

"You're so unlucky, Matthew!" Reiga laughed uncontrollably, rolling up his sleeves, "Let me show you the luck of an old adventurer!"

Saying that, he reached for another Dimensional Pouch.

Snap!

A pair of smelly socks landed in Reiga's palm.

"What? I don't believe it!"

Reiga was furious, attempting to grab the third pouch, but Matthew pulled him back.

"Wait! Let her do it!"

Matthew summoned Renaismae, asking her to bend down and touch the Dimensional Pouch.

However, Renaismae seemed not to understand Matthew's intention and casually walked over, kicking the pouch.

The light faded, leaving nothing.

Reiga couldn't help but explode, "Does your zombie even understand? A Dimensional Pouch is a sacred item! How could you kick it? You should use your hands and heart to open it to get something good! And I suspect she's the unluckiest among us..."

Before he finished, a series of gold coins pelted his forehead.

At that moment, Matthew and Reiga looked up, noticing a narrow space-time rift above their heads.

The next second, a flood of coins and other items poured over them!

Splash!

They were soon submerged in a small mountain of gold coins.

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