383 You Can’t Possibly Be This Pathetic, Can You?

As Baiyi soared towards the Gundam-like monster at full speed, its features became clearer. On closer inspection, it looked even more surreal. Its body was made out of tree roots and tendrils wrapping around each other, forming what resembled arteries on its huge wooden arms. It resembled a man whose skin had been flayed. Its appearance really was a terrifying sight to behold.

It began to look more like a swamp monster than a Gundam, as Gundams were supposed to be tall, grand, and awesome, which was enough to make any fan smile.

If the monster he was to face was this ugly, then Baiyi decided not to pull his punches. As soon as he got into a range he found ideal, black flames appeared on his hand, forming two black spears. Without sparing a glance at the Void Spears, Baiyi hurled them at the monster. He had no need to aim because the monster was really large.

This time, the monster did not attempt to take Baiyi's attacks head-on. It stopped its charge and raised its hand, which was several times larger than a normal person's, and placed it before its chest. A white glow began to radiate from the raised hands.

Baiyi's Void Spears, which had been able to penetrate just about anything in the past, could not penetrate the white glow. Baiyi did not find this surprising, though. He found the white protective glow familiar because it had been constructed from Holy Power.

Baiyi's previous fight with the Divine Leather Suit had taught him that Holy Power was incredible; it was no weaker than Void Energy. The monster's main ability — which was to nullify every form of power — could do nothing to Void Energy because it was a power that existed outside the fabric of reality. This made the battle very tough; he would only win if he gave everything he had.

After deflecting Baiyi's Void Spears, the monster instantly replied with an attack of its own. It did not attempt to engage in physical combat since it knew it could not match Baiyi in terms of speed. It waved its large hands slowly around itself, creating pale-white orbs. As though they had a life of their own, the orbs streaked towards Baiyi. 

"Mjolnir!" Baiyi murmured, and black bolts of lightning shot out of his palms. The bolts perfectly stuck the orbs streaking towards him. However, the orbs did not disappear after exploding. They shattered into smaller white orbs and continued flying towards Baiyi; only this time, they moved like a swarm of wasps. 

"Uh…" Baiyi instantly took to the air and began to evade the swarm of light orbs. They were more difficult to shake off than guided torpedoes. No matter how spectacular Baiyi's maneuvers were, the orbs still chased after him.

"Okay, so why have we never thought of creating a technique like this?" Baiyi asked in the Void as he nimbly evaded the orbs. However, it did not take long for the orbs to form a circular perimeter around him; he was trapped. Baiyi did not look worried, though. He came to a sudden stop, then he brought his palms together. 

"Return to the Void!"

Black flames surged out of him in all directions. When the flames covered the swarm of orbs, they did not shatter into even smaller pieces; instead, they were directly obliterated.

The short scuffle seemed to have ended in a tie.

The monster now seemed to realize that Baiyi was a very difficult opponent. It lowered its huge arms, then it turned to face the airborne Baiyi and asked, "Who are you? How is it that you possess such a power?"

Its voice was strong but calm and clear but piercing. It was as though it was directly speaking into the hearts of those that heard it. This voice could inspire fear in just about anyone. If commoners heard its voice, they would instantly drop to their knees.

However, it was facing off against a Voidwalker. The Voidwalkers were a group of special individuals who considered all gods their enemy.

"I'm one of the few who were abandoned and later banished. As for this power, consider it a compensation for the fate we suffered," Baiyi replied. A jet-black formation appeared quietly behind him. The monster did not seem to see it, however.

As the avatar of a god, the monster possessed a great amount of knowledge and understanding of the world, much more than mortals did. Hence, Baiyi's answer — which most would see as vague — actually piqued its interest; it seemed to understand what he had implied, so it replied, "Are there really living beings born in the depth of primordial disorder and chaos? In that place where no Laws exist to offer protection and shelter?"

Suddenly, a look of realization appeared on its face, and then it said, "We are not enemies. Our goals are one and the same. There is no need to continue this fight.

"I'm Krachlon, the God of Nature. Not only am I the master of all seasons, but I am behind every change in nature. Man from the Void! Submit to me, and I shall create the world you have always desired!" The monster calmly said, introducing itself.

Baiyi was quiet. 'Has this guy's brain been fried from the intense fever he had at a young age?'

The Bard Walker had already proven that the insignias on the altars erected by Godsfall represented the God of Power. The monster had also displayed the ability to influence the powers of others, which was something only the God of Power could do. Despite all that, it had just called itself the God of Nature. Was there something wrong with it?

Baiyi was curious about this, so he halted the construction of the formation hidden behind him. He gazed at the monster and said loudly, "You claim to be the god of nature, huh... If that is the case, why do you possess the Privilege to influence power?"

A sinister smile appeared on the monster's face — a face made of tree bark. Baiyi had only ever seen a smile this evil in novels. It was so unsettling, even Baiyi could not help but quiver.

"This is our plan. Our Great Work. If you want to know more, join us."

The manner in which the monster replied made it sound like someone from Godsfall. It sounded like the being who the High Reverends of the cult called 'Director'!

However, Baiyi did not know about this. He knew nothing of the hierarchy within the cult, neither did he know that the Mad King was the Second Reverend. Hence, he did not know that the High Reverends of Godsfall answered to a being superior to them.

Baiyi did not need to know that much, however. Since the enemy was already in front of him, all he needed to do was slay it.

The black formation hidden behind him fully formed in a matter of seconds. Baiyi suddenly stepped to the side, leaving the monster to face the black formation.

Baiyi's reply to the monster's invitation — a thick black beam — burst out from the formation.

This was a modified version of Voidbeam, invented by the Voidwalkers to attack non-agile enemies that attacked from a distance. The spell required a long time to build up and a stationary target, but its power was immense. Its piercing power was equally as insane, making it perfect for an opponent like the monster.

When the monster saw the thick black beam, it smiled with confidence before snorting. "Hmph. Foolish mortal." It raised its large arms across its chest, and the white light appeared once again to shield it.

However, Baiyi did not think that a simple attack like the Voidbeam would finish off the monster. As soon as the formation fired the black beam, Baiyi suddenly vanished. He appeared inches away from the monster's knee, and he hurled the six Void Spears in his hands at its kneecaps.

The monster did not expect this form of attack. After all, the being was still not used to the horrible body it was forced to inhabit. Hence, Baiyi's sudden attack was successful.

Although its power was able to shield it from Void Energy, its main body was made from the trees that had inhabited the Eternal Tree Ocean, and they could not survive Void Energy. The monster's knees exploded instantly, causing it to crash to the floor.

Despite possessing a cheat-like Privilege and an immense amount of Holy Power, the monster had poor control over its body. It had no idea how to fixed its injured knees. With much effort, it attempted to get back to its feet in ways that made it seem like a paralyzed human.

Baiyi did not give it a chance to catch its breath. He kept attacking different parts of its body, causing the monster, who had almost gotten to its feet, to crash back down to the ground.

It defended poorly against Baiyi's onslaught of attacks. It was much slower than Baiyi, and its ability to control Holy Power turned out to be quite pitiful. The energy pulses it emanated were horrifying, and it was filled with Holy Power, but it seemed to be struggling against some sort of binding.

Since it was at an immense disadvantage, the monster no longer tried to talk or act cool.

From a spectator's point of view, the battle was being fought by two beings at the same power rank, so why was it so one-sided? Although the monster's body had been crudely made, its creators did not intend for it to get trampled this badly.

"Tsk tsk. You look this ugly, yet you fight like a damsel," Baiyi said, with a chuckle. 'Why was your body made this large? Does Godsfall really prefer monsters that resemble mechas?'

"Hold on. It said that it was the god of nature, right? Why can't it heal itself by making the trees grow back?" the Archmage suddenly asked. "There is no way a god of nature can't control trees! Was it lying? Or, is it unable to use its own Privilege?"

The Scholar Walker replied, with a question of her own, saying, "Another point of contention: before the activation of the massive formation, why did the cultists frighten the animals that had been living in the woods away? If offering more lives would make their creation have a better body, why did they discard the idea of sacrificing animals?"

To the Voidwalkers, Baiyi should not be having such an easy time with the monster.