The roar was filled with rage.
Amidst the crowd's sarcastic jeers, the burly man's sanity seemed to have reached its limit.
Just as Alka had thought, these interfering gods seemed to be struggling mentally.
Clearly, their condition was much weaker than that of the flower fairy.
His axe no longer struck the distant enemies, but instead lashed out wildly at Alka and the others.
His fleshy tentacles also began to swing wildly.
The moment the attack struck,
Everyone immediately became alert, doing their best to block it.
Mirror after mirror shattered.
Vast clouds of mist swirled around the enemy's tentacles and axes, attempting to slow their attack.
Matriasa's sixteen fine needles were inserted into the joints of the crowd, increasing their speed and healing them.
The attack struck Alka first, shattering layers of mirrored surfaces before breaking again, and several layers of shields crashed down upon Alka's shield.
His shield, a faint pink, dented under the attack.
Even after resisting the attack, the pressure and shockwaves still inflicted considerable damage to his internal organs.
He could sense that his left arm, resting on top, was definitely broken, and his right hand, resting beneath, was also sore and limp.
A cool, subtle energy coursed through his body, repairing the damage to his hands.
These fine needles played a crucial role.
They also helped restore their physical strength and magic power.
The attack struck again.
This time, Pororo blocked the attack.
The others took turns.
At some point, the crystal dragon flew in from the large, damaged hole behind them.
It opened its massive maw and spewed crystal-colored iridescent energy toward the burly man's back.
Crystallization was highly contagious.
Even though this body had absorbed some of the divine spirit and power, the physical form itself hadn't undergone significant changes.
Under this powerful attack, the crystals quickly infected and crystallized its back.
Compared to the armor formed from the fear energy, its defensive power seemed much lower.
Sensing the sneak attack from behind, the burly man immediately turned and hurled his axe.
A wall of crystallized stone rose up.
The axe struck it, then became stuck. However, a blood-colored tentacle still clung to the axe handle, attempting to pull the weapon back.
But the crystal dragon wouldn't let it succeed so easily. Its claws gripped the axe handle fiercely, and a vast amount of crystal energy began to cling to the crystal axe.
However, the overwhelming force from the other end forced her to let go.
The moment she let go, the crystal dragon spun, its long, slender tail condensing into a crystal-like meteor hammer. It slammed heavily into the partially crystallized axe blade in mid-air, sending it flying to the side.
The crystal's energy had already frozen half of the axe blade, and as the tail hammer struck down, it shattered, leaving only half.
Seeing this rare opportunity, Alka decided to use his last trump card, increasing his strength to that of the dreamer.
This should temporarily grant him the ability to fight back and inflict a level-one fatal blow.
Golden and silver energy began to flow from the mirror.
However, a voice in his ear halted his movements.
"Thank you, leave the rest to me."
An old man with a white beard and a flowery robe appeared before the crowd.
Watching the arrival of the Great Gardener, Sofia, who was transporting the wounded outside, retracted the darkness.
A multitude of flowers grew on the injured, their life force and fragrance healing all those still alive.
Alka and the others finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The tall man had arrived.
The Great Gardener held a massive flower scepter in his hand, staring at the burly man before him.
Looking at the Great Gardener, the burly man, who had been utterly furious, finally seemed to calm down and opened his mouth to speak.
"Shut up!"
The Great Gardener's calm voice was thick with anger.
As he finished speaking, a multitude of flower vines sprouted from the burly man's open mouth.
These flowers and plants quickly blocked his throat, filling his mouth. The vines began to spread, emerging from his nostrils, eyes, and ears, as if growing within him.
The burly man began to struggle frantically.
Arka clearly saw a blood-red ball of light leave the monster's body.
Then the burly man let out a wail, until he could utter no more.
Vines sprouted from his body.
Finally, a flower stained with blood and flesh blossomed from the pores of his limbs.
The burly man's body and the flower merged into one.
The head gardener turned and looked at Arka and the others resting behind him.
Gilliana, suppressing her fatigue and pain, tried to stand.
The head gardener stretched out his hand and lightly pressed.
"Rest, child."
As he spoke, the fragrance of flowers drifted in, carrying petals.
Surrounding everyone, they immediately felt their physical strength and magic power rapidly recovering.
The fatigue and pain that had been felt vanished in an instant.
He felt refreshed, as if refreshed.
"Thank you very much for your help. I can't imagine what would have happened without you.
Get some rest. We'll take care of the rest."
Alka and the others nodded.
A priest entered and nodded to Alka and the others.
"Please follow me, everyone! I'll take you to a rest area."
Alka nodded.
He walked out with Sofia and the others.
The outside was filled with the stench of blood, a scent that no amount of flowers could mask.
Body parts and pieces of flesh were scattered across the ground.
However, those soldiers who had survived were now standing intact.
They were scattered everywhere, picking up pieces of their comrades.
Alka and the others looked on, their heads turned in dismay.
Then he felt his shoulder sink as Lucilia fell from the flying structure and sat down next to his ear.
Then he handed Lily, whom she was holding, to Alka.
"I don't know what's wrong with her. She's been sleeping."
Alka looked at Lily in his palm. "It's okay. She's just lost in a dream."
Simon, who was sitting outside, saw Alka and his men coming out and quickly followed.
"Are you all okay in there?"
"Do I look okay?" Jason said with a smile, his arm around Simon's neck.
Simon nodded in relief. "That's good. It seems like there's a lot of commotion inside."
Everyone nodded in agreement at this.
It was almost certain that the burly man inside was possessed by two different gods, one before and one after.
However, it looked like both gods were in poor condition, even worse than the flower fairy.
This could be considered a blessing in disguise.
Led by the priest, they headed towards the city center.
Along the way, they saw residents emerging from their hiding places.
Some residents spontaneously began clearing the damaged houses and ruins.
They began to gather the bodies from the ground with the soldiers.
Cries and wails echoed in their ears.
Everyone walked in silence, occasionally glancing around and then quickly turning their heads away.
"If we..."
"We've done our best..." Alka immediately interrupted Sofia. "Don't feel guilty."
When they reached the square,
The ruins had been partially cleared, and the residents, who had gathered mostly there, had dispersed.
There were very few left.
Julia and Juanlu sat by the shattered altar.
They were recovering their strength, their thoughts etched in their minds.
Seeing Alka and the others approaching, they quickly stood up and approached.
They observed Alka and the others carefully.
"I'm glad you're all right."
"Yeah, you too," Alka said, turning to look at Lucilia.
"How are the doll girls doing?"
"Fortunately, the damage isn't too severe. Twenty-one sisters need major repairs, while the others only need minor maintenance."
Alka nodded. "That's good."
"Major repairs" meant that some parts were definitely missing.
Luckily, they were doll girls; unless they were completely destroyed, they could be repaired.
They watched as the priest seemed about to take them to the church.
Alka said bluntly, "No need. We'll live in the flower forest. It's quite nice."
Hearing this, the priest leading the way turned, looked at the others, and nodded.
He was about to escort them to the flower forest.
Alka said, "No need to lead us. Go and get on with your work. There are many others who need you."
The priest pondered for a moment, then nodded, "Thank you."
He turned and left quickly.
Alka and the others walked toward the flower forest near the inn. More and more aircraft flew back.
They carried many puppet girls.
When they arrived at the inn, they saw a group of soldiers resting at the gate, each looking somewhat miserable.
Civilians were nearby, treating them, and the remaining soldiers were in better condition.
A young girl knelt down with her head bowed.
This young woman was none other than the proprietress of the inn that had brought them to the flower forest.
In her arms, she held a severed arm.
Her hands trembled constantly, and a hint of moisture could be seen on the broken arm.
Looking around, blood, flesh, and body fragments were everywhere.
Alka and the others sighed silently.
They slowly made their way from the edge of the crowd into the flower forest, not disturbing anyone.
"Is this war?" Lucilia asked, perched on Alka's shoulder.
Alka shook her head. "I don't know, maybe."
None of them had any experience of war.
Their only experience might have come from information, from various books and books.
They entered the hall.
"Rest well for now. We can talk about anything when we wake up."
Everyone nodded and returned to their rooms. However, Alka and Simon stayed, along with Lucelia, the leader of the Puppet Girl Knights.
"Anyone seriously injured, come over here and let me check," Alka said, addressing the doll girls lying around him.
Minor injuries might only have a few nicks on their bodies, while more serious ones might even have broken limbs. Numerous defects, including the head, were evident throughout the bodies.
Thankfully, while these girls possessed souls, they were still essentially puppets.
The head wasn't a particularly important organ, merely a component that allowed them to speak and look.
While these injuries would have been fatal to any other normal person, they presented no significant problems for them.
"Those without missing parts, I'll leave them to you," Alka said, turning to Wu and his team.
They nodded quickly.
As logistics and long-range support, they suffered relatively little damage.
The same thing happened to Nine, who had wings for aerial combat. The others suffered losses to varying degrees.
Arka began inspecting the damaged girls, then recorded them. Simon began crafting replacement parts and checking their stability.
In this way, the group used the hall as their workshop to begin repairs.
Thankfully, these girls were all made by them, and they had a stockpile of replacement parts long ago.
Adding some newly made ones, the repairs proceeded smoothly.
Shortly after they returned.
The curtain of darkness was torn apart.
…
It wasn't until the last ten hours of the next day.
The rested group gradually woke up.
The last to wake were Arka and Simon, who had been busy until dawn.
They repaired all the doll girls that needed repairs and replacements before falling asleep.
As soon as he awoke, he smelled the fragrance wafting from the hall.
His stomach rumbled.
"You're awake now. I've been waiting for you. Come on," Juanlu said from the table.
The two hurried over, sat down at their respective seats, and began to eat heartily.
"It's such a blessing to eat well."
Hearing Alka's words, Sofia smiled beside him.
"What's the situation outside now?"
"I went out to take a look when I woke up. Most of the blood has been cleaned up. They're still repairing the damaged greenhouses and clearing the debris left by the battle."
Jason said as he ate.
So, the entire Fragrance Land is currently in mourning and bustling with activity.
"Then let's not disturb them. Let's get some rest tonight. Tomorrow we'll head to the Giant Tree's Roost to retrieve the treasure," Alka said after a moment's thought.
Upon hearing this, everyone at the table nodded, without the slightest objection.
At this moment, the Fragrant City was in a state of both grief and construction.
They couldn't offer much help, and the overly heavy atmosphere wasn't a good fit for them.
Perhaps things would be much better by the time they returned with the treasure.
"Is Lily awake?" Alka suddenly asked.
"Awake!" Lily jumped out from somewhere and landed on Alka's lap.
Looking at the awakened Lily,
Alka asked, "I didn't see you in my dream yesterday. Where did you go?"
"Hey, didn't that bad guy get away yesterday? I chased him in my dream."
Lily said proudly, his hands on his hips.
"Bad guy?" Alka looked puzzled.
Then he suddenly thought of Lily. Who could he be talking about?
Considering Lily's location at the time, it could only be the Nafas family member who orchestrated this operation.
The black-robed man who had left alone and taunted them as they rushed to the house.
As Lily spoke, everyone's attention shifted.
"Did you find him?" Alka asked, looking at Lily.
Lily shook his head with some regret. "I think I know where he went. The dream over there is too chaotic."
Hearing this, Alka looked to the side and back, towards the giant tree's habitat.
Is the dream too chaotic?
He couldn't help but think of that chaotic area and the two evil gods who weren't in good shape yesterday.
One was bloody and brutal.
The other was foul-mouthed and crazy.
He also seemed to be able to harness some kind of energy from dreams.
Thinking of the god who seemed to be associated with terrifying nightmares, Alka couldn't help but recall some of his words back then.
From his words, it was clear that he had certainly known the original owner of Alka's fragment.
The fact that he had repeatedly blocked his path suggested that both were gods from within the dream realm.
If he were within the confines of the Giant Tree's habitat, the dream state in that area would undoubtedly be in chaos.
As Alka pondered this, Lily added, "Although I don't know his exact location, I marked him when he entered that area."
"Marking?"
"Yes, I learned that from Shadow Robe," Lily said.
"What does it do?"
Hearing Alka's words, Lily nodded and replied, "When a dream gets within a certain distance, I can sense its location and more specifically its direction."
At this, Alka narrowed his eyes and nodded.
This was indeed a good harvest.
This finally gave them some clues and a foundation to help them find that guy.
Besides completing the commission and avenging the people of the Fragrance Land, they also obtained the final piece of the treasure.
After feasting and drinking, the group did not leave the flower forest.
Instead, they quietly stayed in their inn.
Each of them went about their business.
Yesterday's battle had not been without its rewards for them; they needed to carefully reflect on it.
Discover their own shortcomings and address them.
Except for Simon, of course.
He needed to recover the patrol aircraft that had been shot down but were not completely damaged.
Yesterday, he had invested heavily, using almost his entire inventory and even using special constructs for all operations.
He also had to find the six mechanical devices placed at various nodes and the massive central device beneath the Sky Flower.
He wasn't wealthy enough to just throw these things away.
These mechanical devices had been painstakingly constructed, costing him nearly all his wealth.