Chapter 224: The Great Shaman

He turned his head in surprise, only to see that the man had not been knocked unconscious; he was currently holding a drumstick-like object, struggling to crawl back up.

At the same time, a doll made of clay and straw fell from his waist, shattering into two pieces on the ground.

This thing... could it be some kind of substitute doll?

"Great Oak, Spirit of the Ancestors... heed my call... intercept this train!"

"Thump!" The drumstick struck the floor of the train.

A muffled sound echoed far and wide. Murphy felt something was amiss and threw Felix into the Undetectable Extension Charm case as well.

The next instant, "Boom!" Murphy felt a jolt beneath his feet, and his entire body was suddenly thrown into the air.

Several tree roots, thick as a man's embrace, suddenly bulged from beneath the tracks in the middle of the train, like tentacles, directly prying up the rails. The immense force even lifted the train itself.

They were immediately smashed into fragments, but the tracks had been destroyed. The carriages behind derailed one after another, and the entire train began to thrash wildly like a long snake shedding its tail.

Soon, the front carriages were also dragged off the tracks. The massive momentum caused the entire train to fold into a 'Z' shape; the leading carriages were pulled over, yet they continued to slide across the ground for a long distance before finally coming to a halt.

A bolt of lightning suddenly darted out from the train, taking the form of Murphy in mid-air. He frowned, looking at the derailed train, and sighed.

Even with his current power, he was completely helpless against a disaster of this magnitude.

He sensed the werewolf mercenaries through the Soul Seeds planted within them and found that they were all still alive, though suffering from varying degrees of injury. However, as long as they transformed into werewolves, these minor wounds would not affect them much.

But what was more troublesome was that some of the soldiers who had previously fallen unconscious from inhaling the thick fog were now waking up under the violent stimulation.

Perhaps this was that fellow's goal.

Now, there wasn't enough Essence of Dittany or Runespoor venom left to create more sleeping fog.

Since that was the case, let the battle begin.

Suddenly, bursts of black mist drifted from his body, and with a crackle, countless bolts of lightning scattered outward, each transforming into a lightning crow in mid-air. Within moments, thousands of lightning crows flew into the sky, forming a black cloud that blotted out the sun, circling and dancing around the train.

"Seal this place!" Murphy issued the order.

Just then, with a "Thump!" sound, that wizard also crawled out from the train, holding a large drum that looked like a shield.

Several lightning crows immediately spotted him, cawing excitedly as they launched a diving attack.

However, the wizard struck the drumhead again. With a "Thump," a hurricane formed on the drum surface, instantly doubling in intensity to become a wind vortex, which swept the crows up, flipping them and tossing them away.

Murphy flashed to his side as a bolt of lightning and threw a punch. The opponent retreated while striking the drum; Murphy felt as if his fist had struck a wall made of water, his force silently neutralized.

The wizard dared not engage Murphy in close combat and struck the drumhead once more. The soil beneath him surged, suddenly swallowing him whole.

A ridge of earth immediately appeared on the ground, fleeing toward the forest at an astonishing speed.

Earth-Style Submersion?

His wand had been broken by Murphy, so he couldn't use methods like Apparition?

This fellow's drum looked very old and seemed to have some history, and the magic he was using now felt completely different from the system of spells, as if it came from a much more ancient heritage.

However, since he couldn't Apparate, there was no need to worry too much.

Earth-Style, is it?

Can it be faster than lightning?

With a "Snap," Murphy flashed directly in front of the earth ridge and stomped down.

But the fellow seemed capable of sensing his movements; the earth line swerved instantly and vanished into the roots of a large tree.

Just then, the tree swayed, and several branches hung down. Before Murphy could figure out what was happening, the tree shook its entire body, and the branches suddenly elongated, sweeping over like whips.

What kind of magic is this?

Did this guy possess the tree?

Murphy flicked his wand, slashing upward like a short sword. An arc of light lit up before the wand, severing several branches.

Then, he pointed his wand, "Confringo!"

"Boom!" The tree was blasted open, snapping in two. A figure was ejected from the tree trunk. Murphy flashed in front of the figure again as a bolt of lightning and threw a punch.

"Bang!" The figure was smashed into the ground like a cannonball. With a "Snap," a shattered head snapped off from the body, bouncing once on the ground before rolling to the side.

Hmm?

Why does this feel wrong?

Murphy stepped forward and picked up the head, only to discover it was a wooden sculpture.

Looking at the headless corpse on the ground, which had also broken into several pieces, it was also made of wood.

Wood-Style?

Substitution Jutsu?

Hiss... could this guy have transmigrated from the Ninja world?

Looking left and right, the wizard had vanished without a trace. All around, there was only the rustling of leaves.

This guy could use Earth-Style and Wood-Style; he must have escaped through the forest.

But in such a short time, where could he have gone?

Murphy transformed into black smoke and flew into the high sky, drawing his wand, "Fiendfyre!"

Suddenly, a giant firebird flew from his wand, then plunged into the forest, circling in a massive arc with Murphy as the center.

The firebird moved at extreme speed, drawing a ring of fire through the forest in a mere instant.

Given the wizard's speed, it was impossible for him to have run more than a thousand meters in such a short time.

Therefore, by encircling the forest within a radius of two kilometers with the Fiendfyre bird, he could trap him inside.

If I burn this entire forest down, where can you hide?

The fire soared into the sky, and the firebird grew larger and larger within the flames, until it was dozens of meters long with a wingspan of nearly a hundred feet, terrifyingly majestic like a divine bird descending.

"You... you dare to burn the forest with the fire of demons!" The wizard's angry voice suddenly came from the bushes. "You shall be severely punished by Nature!"

"Nature?" Murphy's gaze searched the forest, looking for the direction of the voice.

"Before it punishes me, you shall perish first."

"Thump! Thump! Thump!" Several drumbeats echoed through the forest. The sound was distant and deep, carrying over a vast distance, and the wizard's voice was mixed within the drumbeats. "Hurry, leave this place! The forest is about to be incinerated, hurry and leave..."

Countless animals ran out from the thicket—birds, monkeys, various rodents fled the forest, followed by wild boars, deer, and even black bears. They seemed to understand the wizard's words and fled their burning home.

"Found you." Murphy's gaze suddenly locked onto an extremely tall oak tree in the bushes.

Then, he flicked his wand, and the giant firebird spread its wings, kicking up rolling flames as it dove straight for that oak tree.

"Boom!"

The moment the firebird struck, a massive fireball exploded on the spot. The impact, like a cluster bomb, shook the entire forest. Immediately after, waves of fire surged outward, threatening to incinerate everything within several kilometers.

Just then.

"Thump!"

A light sound echoed at the center of the flames.

The sound was extremely faint, as if someone had casually tapped a drumhead with their palm.

Yet it reached the ears of everyone and every animal nearby with absolute clarity.

Amidst that drumbeat, the raging fire was sucked away as if by a vacuum cleaner. Not only did it stop expanding, but it actually recoiled and retreated toward the very center.

Even the flames on the trees that had been burning were drawn away. Within moments, the sea of fire that had spread for kilometers vanished, leaving only scorched earth and withered wood.

And at the center of that scorched land, the giant oak tree remained lush and green, completely unharmed.

Standing beneath the oak tree was a short, hunched old man.

He raised his head and looked up at Murphy in the sky.

Murphy also saw his appearance clearly.

His face was dark and covered in wrinkles. He wore a headdress of feathers and antlers, was draped in tattered animal skins, and wore a necklace made of animal teeth around his neck.

In one hand, he leaned on a staff taller than himself, while in the other, he held a round leather drum—the drum looked much older and more dilapidated than the one the previous wizard had held.

The wizard Murphy had been hunting was lying on the ground beside him, seemingly affected by the explosion of the firebird, with blood flowing from his seven orifices. However, upon seeing the hunched old man, he revealed an expression of wild joy.

"You have come!"

"The Great Shaman!"

(End of Chapter)