Cloud Thinking

In the heart of the Black Forest, the light is greedily swallowed by the layers of ancient tree canopies, casting only dappled, fragmented patches of eerie green light on the muddy ground.

The air was damp and heavy, filled with the stench of rotting leaves and the distinctive stench of the monster's territory.

Iros led a small elite squad of a dozen or so men, stealthily making their way into the deepest part of the forest, following the trail of fleeing magical beasts and the increasingly noticeable chaotic magical fluctuations in the air.

The deeper you go, the more twisted and eerie the vegetation becomes.

Dark, vein-like patterns meandered along the tree trunk, and certain fungi emitted a pale phosphorescence. A malevolent, deathly silence enveloped the surroundings, with only the sounds of footsteps on wet mud and the pushing aside of sticky vines clearly audible.

"Your Highness, the magical fluctuations ahead are unusually strong... There is a large cave entrance, obscured by powerful nature magic." The mage in the group, who was skilled in sensing magic, reported in a low voice, pointing to a rock wall covered with thick aerial roots and deep purple magical thorns.

Iros raised his hand, and the squad instantly went into a state of silent alert.

In the depths of her sapphire blue eyes, a more profound light seemed to flash—a perception originating from the essence of a deity, surpassing ordinary magical vision.

Behind the rock wall, she "saw" a core of magical energy, like a boiling swamp, filled with aggressive and chaotic will. It shared the same origin as the aura of the berserk magical beasts on the outside, but was dozens of times stronger, and exuded an unnatural, catalyzed sense of intelligence.

“Right here.” Her voice was calm, and with a wave of her hand, Theodore appeared silently in her hand, its staff shimmering with magical light.

“The situation inside the cave is unclear. I will lead the charge to clear a path, and I will also need four guards. Carlisle, you and the rest of you will guard the cave entrance and set up a barrier to disperse and purify the air. People are allowed to leave, but no one is allowed to enter.”

“Your Highness, it would be safer for me to scout ahead first…” Carlisle gripped his sword hilt and advised in a deep voice.

Sending Helia into the unknown cave herself is too risky.

“Its target is me,” Iros interrupted him, his tone leaving no room for argument. “If I don’t go in, you’ll be the ones who suffer.”

Without saying another word, she tapped her wand lightly, and the crystal at the tip of the wand hummed. A layer of translucent, pale flames flowed over her entire body, forming a protective shield of pure flames.

She stepped forward, her wand pointing at the thorns—the tip of the wand didn't even touch them, but the deep purple thorns, radiating ominous magical energy, withered and turned to ash as if afraid of the blazing sun, revealing a deep, pungent, fishy-smelling hole.

The cave's interior passageways twist and turn downwards, the rock walls are slippery, covered with sticky secretions and broken animal bones.

The air was stifling, a cloying stench mingling with the thick, tangy residue of magic, creating a dizzying atmosphere.

From deep within came the screeching sound of scales scraping against the rock walls, and the unsettling scraping sound of some heavy creature dragging its body.

Iros did not stop walking; the tip of his wand continued to emit a steady pale light, serving both as illumination and to dispel the harmful miasma in the surroundings.

Suddenly, without warning, she instantly cast a short-range blink spell to the right!

"Boom!"

Almost the instant she disappeared from her spot, a thick snake tail covered with scales that gleamed with a dark metallic sheen slammed into the spot where she had just stood, causing the rock wall to crack and sending debris flying!

By the light of her wand, everyone was horrified to see that it was only the tip of a snake's tail, but its diameter was already comparable to the waist of an adult man!

"It's a 'Shadowscale Python'! Adult! All personnel on alert!" a soldier named Gavanel growled.

This magical beast not only possesses astonishing physical defense, but can also exhale highly toxic acid mist. It also exhibits considerable resistance to magical attacks and often inhabits areas of elemental disorder, making it highly susceptible to dangerous mutations.

As if enraged by the intruder, the grating scraping sound of scales rubbing together in the depths of the cave suddenly intensified, and two enormous, scarlet eyes, like furnaces of purgatory, lit up in the darkness, radiating a cold and twisted light of intelligence.

A massive shadow snaked out, revealing an unimaginably gigantic serpent. Its raised head alone was like a small fortress. Its dark, diamond-shaped scales reflected a cold luster under the pale, demonic light, and its forked tongue dripped saliva, sizzling as it corroded the ground.

What's even more unsettling is that its scarlet vertical pupils gleam with clear resentment and greed, not just bestial madness—this is an enlightened Shadowscale Python!

The giant python launched the first attack, its blood-red maw opening wide. Instead of physically tearing apart the snake, it spewed out a thick, dark green acid mist, mixed with visible fragments of dark magic power, which surged toward the passage like living things!

"Purify!" Iros chanted the spell rapidly, waving her wand. The crystal at the tip of the wand burst forth with dazzling light, and a pure white halo suddenly expanded outward from her, colliding head-on with the poisonous cloud.

Amidst a violent hissing sound, the poisonous fog was quickly purified and dissolved, but the white halo also dimmed noticeably.

At the same time, she chanted incantations rapidly, tapped her wand lightly, and three highly compressed pale fireballs shot in a triangular formation toward the giant python's scarlet eyes and open mouth!

The giant python displayed an agility disproportionate to its massive size, abruptly closing its eyes and tilting its head. Its tough eyelids and scales blocked two fireballs, causing them to explode into two bursts of intense sparks. The third fireball was intercepted and neutralized in mid-air by a second, even denser plume of poisonous mist it spewed out.

Its thick tail swept across again, and the fierce wind it generated even made Carlisle and the others behind it lose their footing.

Iros moved with the agility of the wind, using short-range blinking magic to dodge and weave through narrow caves, narrowly avoiding fatal physical attacks every time.

Her attacks were incredibly fast. With each swing of her wand, she unleashed not just simple fireballs, but a variety of precise and deadly spells: scorching rays that sliced ​​through the gaps in the scales; bursting rings of fire that forced back the snake's attempt to coil around it; and even summoning several chains of pale flames to temporarily restrain the giant python's movements, creating opportunities for the other soldiers to attack.

The giant python hissed angrily, its massive body twisting and thrashing wildly, making the cave teeter on the verge of collapse.

It seemed to realize how troublesome the enemy before it was, and the ferocity in its scarlet eyes intensified. It coiled its body, and an ominous eerie green light shone from deep within its throat, clearly brewing a more powerful breath or magic.

"Stop it!" Iros's eyes sharpened as he realized this was a deadly threat.

She held back no longer, her magic surging within her, she raised her wand high, the crystal at the tip of the wand shining brightly, and she chanted an ancient and concise incantation.

The surrounding fire elements converged wildly, condensing in front of her into a spear no longer than an arm's length, yet as solid as crimson crystal, its tip burning with pale flames that seemed capable of purifying all filth.

"Flame Spear! Break Evil!" she shouted, and the crimson flame spear transformed into a streak of light, shooting with unparalleled speed and precision at a slightly lighter-colored reverse scale below the giant python's neck, which was pulsating slightly as magic power gathered!

This time, the magical defenses and tough scales were not enough to completely stop it.

The moment the Flame Spear struck the Reverse Scale, it emitted a dull bang, and the pale, pure flames burrowed into the scales like maggots clinging to bones!

That is the key point in its magical cycle, and also where it is relatively vulnerable!

"Hiss—!!!" The giant python let out a deafening, painful hiss. Its massive body convulsed violently due to the severe damage to the magic node. The attack it was preparing was interrupted and backfired, and eerie green light surged wildly within its body.

It shook its head wildly, crashing into the rock wall and causing it to collapse, but the light in its eyes quickly dimmed, and it finally crashed to the ground, kicking up clouds of dust.

Iros put down his wand, panting, the light from the crystal at the tip of the wand noticeably dimming.

Her left sleeve was torn by a flying, magically imbued pebble. The wound wasn't deep, but the surrounding skin turned an unnatural bluish-black, and numbness spread rapidly.

It wasn't just physical trauma; it was also contaminated by the deadly poison from the python's magic.

She immediately mobilized her internal magic to seal the meridians in her left arm, preventing the toxins and chaotic magic from eroding it, her face turning slightly pale.

Although this human body has strong magical resistance, it will still take time to deal with this mutated poison that combines physical and magical properties.

"Your Highness! You are injured!" Gavanier and the others rushed forward, shocked and worried when they saw the fallen giant python and the wound on Iros's arm.

"It's alright, it's been temporarily suppressed." Iros's voice remained steady, but his breathing was slightly disordered.

She looked at the giant python's corpse, her brow furrowed.

The enormous corpse was decaying at an alarming rate!

The dark green flesh seemed to be dissolved by an invisible force, rising up large plumes of thick, dark green poisonous gas, containing toxicity, chaotic magic, and a kind of mental pollution malice that far exceeded the previous attacks!

"It's going to explode! Retreat! Retreat now!" Iros shouted sharply, while waving his wand and casting several "Whirlwind" spells in an attempt to disperse the poison gas and set up a "Purification Barrier" to slow its spread.

However, the toxic gases produced by the decay were too strong, and the barrier was quickly eroded and dissolved.

Without bothering to investigate further, the group ran back towards the cave entrance.

Behind them, the dark green poisonous gas spread rapidly like a living nightmare, corroding even the rocks in its path.

"Cough cough... Your Highness... I... I can't go on..." While running, the young soldier named Todd suddenly staggered and fell, clutching his shoulder in pain.

During the fight with the giant python, he was accidentally struck by its tail, which ruptured his skin, damaged his internal organs, and left him with cuts from rubble.

At this moment, under the corrosive influence of the dense poisonous gas and chaotic magic field, the area around the wound has turned bluish-purple and black, and is rapidly spreading throughout the body.

His face was ashen and his breath was weak, clearly indicating that the poison had penetrated deep into his internal organs.

As an ordinary soldier, he was almost powerless against such erosion.

The team was forced to stop.

Todd's vitality is rapidly fading.

Iros looked at the dying Todd, then glanced at the billowing poisonous fog behind them.

Almost instantly, reason prevailed: abandon him, as this would maximize the team's chances of survival.

If I take him along, everyone, including myself who is injured, could perish here.

The life of an ordinary soldier is insignificant compared to her own.

She was almost about to give the order to abandon them.

But Stella's insightful gaze, Carlisle's doubts, the soldiers' whispers... suddenly came to mind.

"She is not Helia."

"Too heartless..."

Could it be that the lack of that inefficient burden called "humanity" caused her perfect performance to falter?

She had to suppress her rational and even ruthless way of thinking and try to think in a more emotional way.

What would Helia do in this situation?

We will save them. We will definitely save them.

Even if it's foolish, even if it's dangerous, because it's "her responsibility."

Absurd! Foolish! Iros inwardly resisted.

But... if doing so can solidify Helia's image and dispel those doubts...

That might be worth a try.

This is merely a compromise that had to be made to achieve the ultimate goal.

"Has he tested the elemental affinity?" Iros asked Gavanel quickly, his voice tense.

Gavaner was taken aback, then immediately said, "Todd? It's been tested. He has a higher affinity for fire than the average person, but due to family issues, he couldn't become a mage..."

“Okay.” Iros breathed a slight sigh of relief, his gaze falling on Todd’s rapidly deteriorating wound.

Time was of the essence, ordinary detoxification methods were ineffective, she did not possess healing magic, or rather, "Helia" was unable to cast healing magic.