"Damn it, where did that guy come from?"
Nurabe, an elder of the Oath of the Reversal, gritted his teeth as he watched his minions and monsters being torn apart.
The cause was this human, or perhaps a Lycansrophe, or some other unidentified monster that suddenly appeared.
It was the one who had stolen the carefully prepared sacrifice and was now fleeing.
'I thought I was lucky recently, but this happens at the last moment!'
It started when he acquired an elf through a slave trader, as usual.
His sect was able to contract with stronger demons or summoning beasts through sacrificial rituals, and the more valuable the sacrifice, the more effective the ritual.
That's when he discovered it while managing the slaves.
They had a High Elf qualified for a sacrifice in their grasp.
'I was lucky. The demon I had summoned had the ability to recognize it.'
He immediately followed the demon's advice and put a stronger sealing magic tool than usual around the sacrifice's neck.
To prevent the World Tree from easily exposing the sacrifice's information due to causality.
Still feeling anxious, he hurriedly set the date for the ritual.
He knew what High Elves meant to the elves.
They would use any means to recover the sacrifice.
His plan was to finish the ritual cleanly and then move on.
'Was it greedy to use a branch of the World Tree?'
The value of 'one qualified as a High Elf' and an actual 'High Elf' couldn't be the same.
It was natural to want to make better use of the top-grade sacrifice he had obtained.
So, he planned to use a branch of the World Tree, kept by the organization, in the ritual along with the sacrifice.
It wasn't possible to turn her into a real High Elf, but he could temporarily make her a 'pseudo-High Elf' using the branch as a medium.
It seemed like all the luck in the world was on his side.
Everything went smoothly when he gathered most of the personnel and started the ritual, planning to move immediately after finishing.
Until a hole suddenly appeared in the barrier.
'Who would have thought the World Tree would interfere at that moment!'
It was an intervention aiming for the brief moment when the ritual was shaken.
The branch of the World Tree had been sealed until it came here, and after the ritual began, interference should have been blocked by the law.
The problem was that the ritual had been shaken.
However, due to various limitations, the miracle manifested solely through the branch of the World Tree wasn't significant.
At best, the sacrifice was moved from the deepest part of the cave to slightly outside.
Considering the complex structure of the cave, it wouldn't be too far in a straight line.
The problem was someone had taken the sacrifice and fled, but fortunately, he could quickly pursue.
'The seal is still in place, so our location shouldn't be exposed yet. But I need to recover the sacrifice as soon as possible to not miss the timing of the ritual.'
At first, he poured monsters to exhaust the guy's stamina and safely recover the sacrifice, but looking at the current situation, that seemed impractical.
"Hahaha! Come at me!"
His muscles swelled, and his appearance was a mix of human and demonic beast.
Yet, despite his wild appearance, his movements were strangely refined, and even the dark knights under his command couldn't keep up.
"It seems this won't do. I can't delay any longer."
He tried to control him, thinking he might be a monster hybrid, but it was futile.
Meanwhile, he continuously recovered his stamina by consuming the flesh of the surrounding monsters, which was more than monstrous.
Nurabe signaled to his dark sorcerers.
At his command, a summoning circle was swiftly prepared.
And then.
The battle entered a new phase.
***
"Kahaha! This is trouble! Real trouble! Hahahah!"
The situation deteriorated rapidly.
Specifically, after new foes joined the battlefield.
A killing intent, piercing like a needle, was felt, and Halli's "Wildness" immediately reacted.
Chaaang!
A black greatsword, enveloped in dark magic, was deflected off his ax.
At the same time, a bolt made of ore aimed at his head flew towards him, but he wasn't going to be caught off guard twice. Halli's right hand weirdly twisted to catch the bolt and crushed it.
'Tricky. These are indeed no easy foes.'
The dark sorcerers seemed determined to step up their game, introducing significant summonings to the battlefield.
[Impressive, hybrid!]
Even demons.
He suffered considerable damage from summoned creatures, including a demon over 3 meters tall relentlessly swinging a massive sword.
Not to mention his body was covered in blood...
'Still, thanks to "Wildness", losing one eye doesn't seem to greatly impair my fighting ability.'
The greatest damage was, of course, the loss of his left eye.
The sudden participation of the demon and summonings turned the battle chaotic in an instant, and in that unavoidable state, a bolt from earlier struck his eye.
'If that were all, I could have restored it with "Regeneration."'
But the ore bolt exploded, leaving him no chance to save his eye.
Moreover, wary of his "Devour" ability to recover stamina, the dark sorcerers had withdrawn the smaller monsters, making energy replenishment difficult.
It seemed they planned to confront him with just a few strong summonings.
'But still, they've become nothing more than precious nutrition for me.'
By now, most of those strong foes had fallen.
However, the situation was still dire with energy almost depleted due to the opponents interference, preventing recovery.
The silver lining was less worry about Cecily.
A gentle aura flowed from the World Tree's branch wrapped in leopard skin, protecting her from the shock.
'While it only absorbs indirect impacts, without it, movement would have been more restricted.'
The situation demanded vigorous motion.
Though the enemies didn't target her directly, the fallout from the fight was inevitably affecting her.
'It doesn't seem to last long, though. Is the World Tree also strained?'
The tips of the branches poking out of the leather were dry and twisted as if devoid of moisture.
Certainly, they hadn't looked this way at first.
Whoosh!
Then a greatsword, engulfed in burning dark magic, swooped in.
In the moment Halli tried to respond.
'Damn! Not this again!'
A brief moment of stiffness.
But in a battle where moments decided life or death, it was a critical error.
He hastily raised his aura to fend off the greatsword, but a long wound was inflicted on his forearm.
'Huff, it seems I need to deal with that demon first.'
The demon, along with a particularly troublesome opponent.
It was a jewel human, aiming a metallic crossbow from behind.
"Expensive-looking body. Must be worth a lot."
The summoning, in the shape of a human, was made entirely of jewels emitting a faint green glow.
It was the sniper using psychokinesis who had taken his one eye.
'It seems the eye on its forehead is the problem.'
Although it had three green eyes, the one on its forehead was notably darker.
Every time it manipulated bolts or applied psychokinesis, that eye would flicker, so it was probably the key.
"Huhuhu... This is getting tight."
Despite being surrounded by monsters, the ones in front of him didn't give him a chance to use "Devour."
These creatures could inflict more damage in the moment he tried to heal, so he couldn't ignore them.
The various curses cast by the dark sorcerers were straining his "Life Aura," draining his strength and dulling his senses.
To conserve his dwindling energy, he even suppressed "Regeneration," leaving his body bloodied.
[Kekeke. Thinking of giving up, hybrid?]
The demon in front of him taunted Halli, tapping his shoulder with a greatsword.
"Kahaha! You can't even handle one-on-one, but your mouth works just fine! What a waste of size!"
[Bluster! If it weren't for the sacrifice in your arms, I would have chopped you up long ago, hybrid!]
The demon, showing its teeth in anger, paused for a moment and then gripped its greatsword more firmly, sneering.
[Seems like you're trying to drag out time. No way!]
And it immediately swung its greatsword at him.
Attacks poured in simultaneously from all directions towards Halli.
"Not wrong there? But I've already achieved my goal! Hahahah!"
Halli, responding to the attacks from all sides with his "Wildness" senses, kept his one remaining eye on the group of dark sorcerers, memorizing their location.
Right after that.
Pop
"...What?!"
"Holy power? Suddenly?"
The shocked voices of the dark sorcerers echoed simultaneously with a flash of light bursting above their gathering spot.
By then, Heinrich had already appeared in the air, spinning his body like a top.
Wielding a large sword of light drawn with nearly bishop-level holy power.
Skakakakak
The sharply honed antagonistic energy was unleashed multiple times in succession, shredding the surrounding shields in an instant.
"Enchantment: Strengthening" overlaid with the archbishop's enhancement rites, various skills specialized for close combat.
Heinrich's sword of light, exerting full power, tore through those who were slow to respond to the sudden turn of events.
"Kuhuk!"
"What is this...!"
In that storm of holy power, only one who had reacted in a split second remained unharmed.
The rest were either lucky to be on the outskirts or got swept away.
"You! How did...!"
The one who reacted to Heinrich's surprise attack.
An old man, who seemed to be the leader of the enemies, his face turning as red as lava.
His 'how did' implied many things, but...
"Haap!"
Heinrich, of course, had no obligation to answer and simply charged at the remaining dark sorcerers, swinging his sword.
More than half of the group of dark sorcerers were killed or injured in the initial surprise attack.
The surrounding monsters, now in disarray due to the loss of control.
Upon losing their summoner, the summoning creatures began to vanish, and others hurriedly moved to protect the survivors. In an instant, the battlefield turned into complete chaos.
[Keugh! This fool!]
The demon wielding the greatsword swiftly flew towards Heinrich's direction.
And at that moment, Halli, who had been facing off against the demon, suddenly found himself free.
A momentary sense of liberation.
It was an excellent opportunity to heal his body through "Devour," but he had something else to do first.
Halli's leg muscles swelled, and he quickly rushed towards the jewel human.
He couldn't let this one escape, not this one!
"Hah! Looking elsewhere when I'm right here?"
Even though he was still there, the enemy's attention was elsewhere!
Halli lunged directly at the jewel human, thrusting his right hand forward.
[!]
Halli's hand hesitated for a moment as it reached the flickering green eye on the forehead of the jewel human.
But this creature had been protected at the rear of the battle the whole time.
Its psychokinetic power, suited for long-range attacks and support, was not strong enough to overcome his strength at close range.
Crack!
Halli's sharply honed nails pierced the jewel human's forehead in an instant, and a silvery liquid, like mercury, flowed down his hand.
"Kahaha! Finally got you, you bastard!"
This thing had cost him an eye.
A one-eyed savage warrior!
Of course, that could be cool too...
'No, it's still too early for that. I'll think about it when I'm more seasoned.'
But for a part as complex as an eye, with his current regenerative abilities, it was uncertain how long it would take to fully regenerate.
'If it had been "Hyper Regeneration," it would have been restored in an instant. But with "Mutation," a suitable eye transplant might work... Wait a minute?'
If he was going for a transplant, why not choose something with better performance?
For example...
[!]
Like the one he currently held in his hand.
"Hey, you. You had good eyes, didn't you?"
Conveniently, this fellow had three eyes.
Considering Halli lost one eye because of this creature, the situation seemed incredibly unfair.
So, it was only right for him to take one.
This was clearly self-defense.
"Hahah! Let's share the good stuff!"
Without hesitation, he plucked out the luminous green gem.
[!]
The jewel human, emitting a strange vibrating sound, shivered and then collapsed, its entire body made of gems losing their light and falling apart.
'Ah, it looked expensive as a whole. What a waste.'
Now it was nothing more than a pile of dull rocks.
Apparently, the gem in the forehead had been the source of its existence.
'Is this a silicon-based lifeform?'
It was a characteristic distinctly different from any lifeform I had seen before.
I recalled some knowledge he had picked up somewhere, but in a fantasy world where common sense didn't apply, that wasn't a crucial issue.
Halli glanced at the gem in his hand.
A smoothly polished eyeball with a delicately carved iris, more like a radiant gem than biological tissue.
He placed the gem directly into his empty left eye socket.
Whether it would work as he expected was uncertain...
'Well, I'll find out soon enough!'
Although he was currently acting as a barbarian warrior, his true nature was the pinnacle of a creature that sought repeated evolution by assimilating different genes. Even though the jewel human was composed of different physical elements, there was no reason for Halli not to assimilate it, as long as it was a living being. Indeed, the jewel was not a mere gemstone, as "Mutation" activated and connected optic nerves to it. But that was as far as it went. Due to the different structure, it wasn't fully compatible.
His left eye area, connected to the optic nerves, began to suffer intense pain, detected by "Mind Hub." The blood vessels around his left eye bulged, and the surrounding muscles spasmed.
'Is this not going to work? Are our species too different?'
"Ha! Nonsense!" Halli scoffed at the thought. How many demonic beasts and monsters had he devoured so far? Had they ever been similar enough to be considered his nutrients? The eye, although crystallized, was part of a living organism and was already connected to him. Therefore, it was his now.
Creak
Driven by Halli's near-mad obsession and strong will, a powerful suggestion followed. The jewel connected to the optic nerves changed under the influence of "Physical Mutation." All parts of the jewel, except for the shining green iris, turned white and soft, resembling a human eye.
[A new body part has been transplanted. Due to the effect of the special skill "Mutation," you have acquired the skill "Gem Eye: Psychokinesis."]
"Wahaha! As I thought, nothing is impossible in this world!"
Halli, now back to his usual barbarian warrior form, stood tall, laughing heartily as he chewed on monster meat to recover his energy. Of course, there was a reason for his newfound leisure.
Whooosh
A tremendous storm suddenly erupted, sweeping through the area.
Fwoosh
A brilliant radiance enveloped the vicinity, blocking off the space.
"Smash their skulls, you heretics! Hahah!"
"Haap!"
Two paladins began to sweep through the battlefield.
[Kwoooar!]
Then, from the dark sorcerers' side, a giant demon engulfed in flames appeared, clashing with them, but it seemed unlikely to last long.
'Is this a creature they hesitated to summon until now to ensure the safe recovery of Cecily?'
Indeed, looking at its flames spewing in all directions, it wasn't suitable for tasks where it needed to avoid harming a specific individual. It could be used for widespread destruction, though.
'It's being hunted now, anyway... It's a pity demons are summonings and can't be eaten. It would be nice to try some of their meat.'
Halli had already tried eating a few demons, but they all vanished like smoke.
To eat them, he would have to venture into the demon realm to target their true forms.
As Halli sat down, regretting this, an idea struck him.
"Oh! I almost forgot!"
He hurriedly untied the leather strapped across his chest. The leather, barely hanging on, unfolded, and from it, a limp elf girl emerged, still clutching a seemingly useless twig.
"Hey, miss, are you alright?"
He carefully shook her, concerned that she was breathing but not regaining consciousness. After calling her name several times...
"I feel... suffocated... dizzy... I think I'm going to throw up..." Cecily murmured, wriggling a bit.
Fortunately, she seemed to be without any serious issues.
"Hahah! Glad to see you're safe!" He laughed heartily, watching the giant demon that had appeared so imposingly turn into smoke and vanish.
'Objective achieved. This mission was quite a thrill.'
The battle had allowed Halli to grow significantly, benefiting him in many ways.
'Of course, the gains dont end here.'
As the battlefield was being cleared...
Laphori and the other elves, surrounded by wind, were flying towards Hallis location.