Chapter 1434: This Mud Runs Too Deep

Malverin stood outside the church and raised a hand.

The blue smoke drifting in from the distance immediately changed course. As if answering his summons, every wisp poured into his palm and seeped into his body.

He closed his eyes and absorbed the information it had brought back.

"More outsiders."

A low chuckle came from beneath the bird-beaked mask.

"This place gets livelier by the day."

Malverin tightened his grip on his scepter.

"You’ll make the perfect feast to celebrate my god’s arrival."

Dark blue mud surged from beneath his feet, forming a road that stretched toward the beach.

Malverin planted his scepter at his side with ceremonial authority and followed the blue path forward.

The others were still by the ocean.

As they watched the forest’s edge, they noticed that the dark blue mud, which had previously flowed flat along the ground, had risen even higher in the short time since.

Without the divine barrier holding it back, it would have already crawled onto the beach.

"What was the person who made this stuff thinking?"

Ethan crouched at the edge of the barrier, watching the dark blue mud press against the golden screen.

"If it keeps growing, this entire forest will disappear sooner or later."

As he spoke, he idly formed an energy sphere in his palm and tossed it high into the air.

The others gave it a glance, then went back to preparing the little crabs they had caught by the water.

The sphere traced a perfect arc over the beach and the edge of the forest before beginning its descent.

It happened to be falling directly toward the rapidly approaching Malverin.

Boom!

Another thunderous explosion reached the beach.

The shock wave tore through the trees and tousled Ethan’s hair. This time, no mud was thrown into the sky. Instead, a powerful suction came from the blast zone.

The energy had been absorbed.

Ethan rose and looked deep into the forest.

Had the person responsible for all this finally arrived?

"Who the hell keeps throwing garbage around?"

The furious shout reached them before the speaker did.

The explosion had left Malverin’s bird-beaked mask rattling against his face. He brushed the dark blue mud from his ceremonial robe, then hurled his scepter toward the beach.

It tore through the forest, churning the air with a piercing whistle.

Malverin leaped onto the blue mud and raced after it.

Ethan had already formed another energy sphere.

The sphere had barely passed through the barrier when the incoming scepter pierced straight through its center.

White energy exploded on either side of the shaft.

Malverin emerged from the forest in his bird-beaked mask. His scepter continued forward until its tip struck the outer barrier around the group head-on.

Crack.

A thin fracture appeared across the screen.

Malverin stared at Ethan through the barrier, his mask trembling heavily with every breath.

"Young man."

His voice was full of reprimand.

"You’re the one who’s been throwing garbage around, aren’t you?"

He grabbed the scepter embedded in the barrier and pulled it free.

"Do you have no consideration for anyone else?"

A tendril rose from the surrounding dark blue mud and wrapped around the scepter. Blue matter slid from top to bottom, cleaning away every trace of white energy before returning the weapon to Malverin’s hand.

Ethan froze at the scolding.

He had been the one throwing things around first.

When he looked at it that way, apologizing wouldn’t be unreasonable.

"Sorry, I..."

Ethan lowered his head for a moment.

When he spoke again, white light was already gathering in his palm.

"I’ll throw whatever I want!"

He hurled the energy sphere straight at Malverin.

This guy had turned an entire forest into man-eating blue mud, and he had the nerve to lecture someone else about being considerate?

Malverin vanished.

The sphere kept flying, but dark blue mud rose from the ground to intercept it. Several tendrils crossed into a wall, then shattered in every direction under the explosion.

"You think you can run?"

White energy covered Ethan’s body as wings unfolded behind him. He shot over the barrier and charged into the forest, visibly furious.

The others didn’t react right away.

Hadn’t he just been apologizing? How had that turned into a chase?

They were about to follow when Catheryn remained where she was, idly playing with the dark energy in her palm. A thin black thread extended from her fingertip and connected to Ethan in the forest.

"Don’t worry."

Catheryn watched the thread stretch between the trees.

"If Ethan’s life is ever in danger, he’ll—"

The thread suddenly snapped taut.

Ethan tumbled out of a mass of darkness and landed right in front of them.

He steadied himself and looked around blankly.

There wasn’t a single wound on him, but the energy sphere in his palm had swollen to the point of exploding.

"How did I get back here?"

Ethan turned toward the forest and immediately spread his wings again.

"No. I have to finish him while I’ve got the advantage!"

He launched himself forward once more, his wings kicking up a gale. The energy sphere in his hand flew over the treetops and into the forest.

"You’re dead!"

Watching Ethan disappear into the distance again, Catheryn finally understood the Umbral Servitor’s teleportation mechanism.

Whenever it judged its master to be in danger, it immediately transported the target back to a safe location.

Judging by Ethan’s complete lack of injuries, though, the gap between him and his opponent probably wasn’t as wide as the Umbral Servitor believed.

Still...

Had Ethan always been this easy to rile up?

The others smiled helplessly and finally followed him into the depths of the forest.

Ethan had already caught up to Malverin again.

White energy covered his entire body, holding back the dark blue mud creeping toward him from every direction. His fists handled the close-range attacks while his energy spheres repeatedly cut off Malverin’s escape routes.

Every punch sent a ring of white ripples bursting through the air.

"What’s your name, birdman?"

Ethan chased Malverin over a line of treetops.

"I, Ethan, don’t kill nobodies!"

Malverin rose into the air and struck the space beside him with his scepter.

Strange ripples spread from its tip and wrapped around his body, forcing the incoming white energy aside.

"Birdman?"

The bird-beaked mask turned toward Ethan.

"My name is Malverin! I am not a birdman!"

He raised his scepter, and the dark blue mud beneath him climbed into the sky.

"Young man, I suggest you leave this place."

"This mud runs too deep for you."