Looking at the four creatures approaching them, the fairies instinctively took a step back.
Their fear of that two-tailed fox went without saying; after all, the speed and power she had demonstrated in battle, killing creatures that had killed them so easily, was plain to see.
The white flames she unleashed were so hot that even from such a distance, they could still feel the scorching heat radiating from them, not to mention the look of agony they saw on the faces of those struck, an agony far greater than being burned by ordinary fire.
Flying alongside were the two armored fairies; clad in that extremely frightening black armor were the siblings Pip and Elle.
The fairies, whose lives were dedicated to painting the colors of flowers and ensuring the balance of vegetation, watched Pip and Elle with horror and disbelief.
To them, the aesthetics of the Living Armor, composed of the rigid black hexagonal scales of Lohan’s Obsidian Exoskeleton, was an abomination that defiled nature.
They could no longer see the two "invisible gardeners" in those figures moving like war machines across the battlefield, still reeking of the lizards they had killed.
Their fear was so deep that some of the older fairies could not even look at them, refusing to accept that those armored creatures, bathed in greenish blood, belonged to the same race of noble fairies as they did.
However, to the surprise of those who expected to see grief or sadness on the faces of the two members of Astralis Requiem, neither Pip nor Elle felt bad about the isolation.
On the contrary, they experienced a satisfying sense of relief they had never felt while being treated as "burdens" in the village.
Pip felt Mana flowing through his system like an overflowing river as a huge smile spread across his face as he looked at his own small hands.
As they turned their gaze toward their former companions, who were now hypocritically backing away after being saved, Pip and Elle felt nothing but pride. They had protected what they loved, even though they were not loved in return, using a strength they had earned through their own merit, under the tutelage of those who truly valued them.
But the fairies’ true terror was not focused on the armored knights, but rather on the creature resting on the back of the mythical fox.
They saw, with painful clarity, that the blue Slime was the one truly responsible for that one-sided victory.
He had been the mastermind who coordinated the clones to hold back the tide of lizards and the amplifier that elevated Pip and Elle’s power to an incomprehensible level.
The aura Lohan emanated, even when contained by the Energy Contraction technique, exerted a Mana pressure that made the fairies’ magical cores waver in terror.
Unlike the evil form with red eyes he had assumed in combat mode to terrify Varkas and his trio of scouts, Lohan now looked at the survivors with his artificial white eyes, blinking them out of sync and in a deliberately cute manner.
To the fairies, that contrast between the devastating power and terrifying appearance he had displayed in battle and the appearance of a cute little blue "jewel" was even more frightening; they didn’t even have the courage to open their mouths in his presence, fearing that any wrong word would turn them into food.
Finally, breaking the oppressive silence that dominated the clearing, the Elder and Village Chief, Basil, stepped forward.Unlike his ungrateful subordinates, he possessed the wisdom to recognize a superior being when he saw one.
Basil ignored his people’s murmurs of "impurity" and bowed deeply toward the group in a gesture of submission and respect.
"Thank you very much for coming to the rescue of Petal Village, saviors. If it weren’t for you, I fear we would all be dead by now," he said with his head bowed. "Peoni has already informed me of the condition you demanded to come to our rescue, and even though that decision was made without my consent at the time, even if I had been present I would have done the same thing, after all, you have no obligation whatsoever to save us."
Hearing the elder speak so respectfully to a Fox and a Slime, the arrogant fairies felt even more ashamed, but the words coming from the man’s mouth were entirely true, so despite feeling wronged, they simply accepted it.
Such was the law of the jungle: if you lacked the strength to protect yourself, someone stronger would emerge and take your place. Having lived centuries of peace, they had forgotten this harsh reality.Then a calm, magnetic voice echoed in everyone’s minds.
"Thank you for your consideration, Elder Basil. To be honest with you, not even the reward offered would be enough to make us act in defense of your village after the disrespect Peoni and Pecan showed toward our Guild. It was only the love that Pip and Elle still felt for their former home that made me overlook the disrespect and still come to your aid."
Hearing that, Elder Basil felt even more ashamed, bowing his head even lower in apology, and the other fairies around them looked at Peoni and Pecan with accusing eyes, as if they hadn’t been doing the same thing just moments ago.
Peoni and Pecan were the most affected by the words, feeling a mixture of shame and fear after seeing how powerful the creatures were that they had threatened and mocked so openly earlier.
But Lohan didn’t dwell on it, and Elder Basil also took advantage of the moment of silence to change the subject to something more pleasant.
"Saviors, here is the reward we promised you," he said as he raised his own staff and, with a delicate gesture, removed the small, shining Tear of Flowers.
Just by looking at that item, Lohan could feel the power contained within it, a level far greater than the Basic Seed of Life that Elle had given him. Although it contained a very similar energy, Lohan was still shocked by the scale of it.
Suddenly, a flood of memories came to Lohan’s mind, along with notifications regarding the digestion of the group of Players.
In addition to the new Evolutions that Lohan had stolen from them, what he received was troubling news for Petal Village.