Game World: I Can Share Talents

Chapter 385 - 20: You Can Stomach Even This

Westheid stroked his chin, contemplating how to usurp Ailorus’s position.

"Duke Qinghui!"

Just as the Wave-Breaking Ships lifted off the ground again to change their course, another vessel approached Westheid’s position.

An Elf Military Officer wearing a Zither Bird Flying Wing Helmet and a pale silver Light Armor Cloak leaped over from the bow of his ship, striding quickly to stand before Westheid.

"We are about to enter the domain of the City in the Lake, which is now occupied by Demons. The Master of Decay has defiled several of the lake cities. Our forces will advance first to clear out the enemies along the way. Duke Qinghui, your army can observe for now and familiarize yourselves with the environment."

"You, in particular, should hold back for now. Please preserve your strength to face the Master of Decay. Our army finds it incredibly difficult to contend with this Demon."

The Elf officer spoke without reservation, the frustration and helplessness in his voice palpable.

The Thousand Laws Royal Court hadn’t requested Westheid’s aid because they coveted the strength of his legions. While the Royal Court certainly wouldn’t refuse more troops, that wasn’t the main point. The point was that they needed a heavyweight powerhouse capable of standing against the Demon on equal terms.

The enemy was a Celestial God’s Shadow, and any Transcendent within Emperor Qianlu’s system would be severely weakened when facing a Demon.

It wasn’t that they were completely incapable of fighting. It was more that if you actually *wanted* to fight one, you must have a death wish.

This was the inferiority complex that Demons instilled in those who followed the orthodox path!

Only an outside powerhouse like Westheid, completely unaffiliated with Emperor Qianlu, could ignore the terrifying suppression and face the Demon’s true form.

Therefore, to minimize losses in this battle, Westheid’s performance was paramount. The Royal Court’s Elf Warriors were already prepared to act as the vanguard for Duke Qinghui.

Westheid nodded. "Of course. Don’t worry, when the time comes, I’ll deal the Demon a heavy blow."

The Elf Military Officer was about to turn away but seemed to remember something. He turned to Amithren and said:

"Oh, right. Your Excellency, Swordmaster, the Grand Law Officer has issued a permit allowing Duke Qinghui to use the Runes of Music... with an unlimited allocation of resources."

Hearing this, the Silver-haired Elf Sister’s beautiful eyes widened. "They’re actually allowing the use of Runes of Music?"

"Runes of Music..." Westheid raised an eyebrow. "What are those again? The name sounds a little familiar..."

Amithren replied, "You’ve heard of them? They are a type of enhancement from the Thousand Laws Royal Court. We extract a segment of the Grand Ensemble and craft it into a physical Rune that provides the user with a buff."

"The creation and inscription of a Rune of Music is extremely difficult and extravagant. Every fragment taken from the Grand Ensemble is a masterpiece of the Divine Ancestor. They should be quite effective, even for someone of your current strength."

Westheid’s interest was piqued.

"Oh? If you put it like that, I’ll have to see for myself. Bring them on out!"

By now, Westheid’s self-sustaining abilities had reached their zenith. Most Enhancement Techniques weren’t even a fraction as effective as his own innate Talents. However, if this involved the nature of a Celestial God, it should be a different story.

"Please wait a moment. The specific allocation still requires some preparation."

A moment later, a group of Mages surrounded Westheid, bringing with them Rune after Rune, each perfectly sealed within a special case.

The Runes had beautifully drawn contours and emitted a Magic Power that made one’s very soul tremble. The space around them seemed to distort slightly.

"The maximum number of Runes of Music each person can bear is different, and each of these Runes has its own effect. Which ones would you like to have inscribed?"

"What are the options?"

The Royal Court Mages listed them off as if reciting family treasures: "Deadly Rhythm, Warlord, Sound of Victory, Indomitable, Ghost Step..."

As Westheid listened to the effects of the Runes, his eyes lit up.

"All of them."

"Huh?"

"I said, all of them! Load me up with every offensive Rune you have. Don’t stop until I tell you to."

"Y-yes!"

While Amithren and the others bustled about, preparing to apply the Runes of Music to Westheid, the Royal Court’s fleet had already departed, forging a path ahead of the Qinghui Legion.

As they ventured deeper into the Demon-occupied domain, Westheid could clearly feel the faint, soft singing that had always lingered in his ears disappear. In its place rose waves of eerie, mournful music.

The lush green grass and colorful groves on both banks had become twisted and withered. All color was replaced by a dull gray, and even the air he breathed felt exceptionally murky.

The branches of the trees were bare, without a single leaf to be seen, and the sprawling thickets had become a vast forest of thorns.

Yolanda couldn’t help but remark, "It’s just like the regions eroded by the Corrupt Holy Tree."

"No, the two are completely different."

Westheid held out his arm, letting the Royal Court Mages carefully infuse the power of the Runes into him as he spoke:

"The Corrupted Holy Tree is pure Chaos Contamination. It completely repels any Order Holy Spirit and is a domain where humans absolutely cannot survive. But Demons... are fundamentally beings of Order, sometimes excessively so. The domain of each Demon is entirely dependent on its own attributes."

"A Demon will corrupt its domain into whatever form it prefers. Generally, they aren’t too different from the Mortal World. This scenery can only mean that the Master of Decay has a taste for this sort of thing. Doesn’t seem like a very upstanding individual."

"You’re absolutely right. The territory occupied by each Demon is different."

The lead Mage in charge of inscribing Westheid’s Runes said:

"The Master of Decay’s true demonic form is that of an extremely rare Cannibal Bone Demon. Thousands of years ago, these creatures were active in the depths of the Land of Thousand Lakes. They especially loved to hunt ensnared creatures of flesh and blood on withered lands. This type of Monster was thought to have gone extinct after the Divine Ancestor took action..."

The Royal Court Mage left the rest unsaid, but Westheid could deduce the hidden meaning from his hesitation.

’No need to say more. Why would the long-extinct Cannibal Bone Demon reappear in the world as a Demon?’

’One could only say that Emperor Qianlu truly wasn’t a picky eater—he could even stomach a freak like that.’

’No wonder the Royal Court Mage, who knew the inside story, was being so evasive. Anyone in his shoes would be reluctant to reveal their own Divine Ancestor’s dark past to an outsider. But since they were pinning their hopes on Westheid’s performance, he still had to explain the racial characteristics of the Cannibal Bone Demon in detail.’

"Enemy contact!!"

Suddenly, a piercing horn blast sounded from the fleet ahead. The Wave-Breaking Ships went on high alert. From the withered groves on the banks, countless dark figures emerged. They raised their arms high and hurled spears at the warships in the channel.

WHOOSH—

Accompanied by a shrill whistle through the air, the seemingly ordinary spears struck with the destructive force of cannon fire, creating exaggerated ripples on the Wave-Breaking Ships’ shields.

This gave Westheid a chance to see what the so-called Cannibal Bone Demons looked like. They were extremely tall figures draped in black or drab gray robes. Beneath, there was no flesh at all, only thick, inhumanly large, dark bones.

Large, stag-like antlers were covered in thorns and strung with the skulls of various animals, exuding an aura of primitive savagery.

Seeing this, the Royal Court Mages spoke with hatred in their voices:

"Spawn of the Master of Decay! There are more of them than our reconnaissance indicated! The Bone Demon race was clearly extinct. Are they really making a comeback just because of one Demon?"

"Wait, those behind the Bone Demons... aren’t they Elves, too?"

With his excellent vision, Westheid immediately saw that the attacking Demon forces included not only Bone Demons, but also a considerable number of mortal Elves participating in the ambush.

"Not anymore!"

Amithren bit her lip, her voice a mixture of hatred and sorrow.

"They are traitors, seduced by the Demon! The corrupt of mind who have abandoned the teachings and creed of the Divine Ancestor! They are more despicable than the Demon’s own spawn!"

’Divine Separators? Ha! So the disowning has already begun, has it!’