BOOM—!
A flash of lightning split the sky.
Thunder crashed down, striking Fenric's Thor's Hammer directly.
Countless bolts of lightning were drawn into the hammer. Arcs of thunder danced wildly around Fenric, enveloping him in an electric storm.
He stood like a deity in the heart of lightning.
Even the thick surrounding branches dared not approach him anymore.
Faced with such violent power, the ancient tree demon and Lillian instinctively trembled with fear.
Lillian, especially, was so frightened that she kept backing away, like a startled cat.
She could feel it clearly—if that lightning struck her, she would be obliterated!
In the next moment, Fenric pointed the Thor's Hammer toward the ancient tree demon. A thick thunder dragon burst out, roaring from the hammer and racing across the sky, striking the distant monster with blinding force.
Zzzzt!
A massive explosion erupted where the lightning landed, forming a thunderous blast radius filled with crackling electric arcs.
Within a hundred meters, the land was scorched—barren and blackened.
"AHHHHH!!!"
The tree demon had no time to dodge—it was the speed of light! The strike landed squarely, and a wretched scream echoed as its body charred on the spot.
In the blink of an eye, the tree demon clone turned into a smoldering chunk of burnt wood.
All the surrounding branches instantly recoiled, vanishing without a trace.
Far off in the distance, the real body of the tree demon reappeared. Pale-faced, it stared at Fenric in sheer terror.
Just now, one of his clones had been annihilated by that thunder in a single strike!
He never expected that this human could command such terrifying lightning.
Thunder—descended from the heavens—was the natural nemesis of all demons!
Luckily, the ancient demon was always cautious. Whenever he went out to devour humans, he never used his main body.
If that had been his true form just now, he would've been dead!
There would've been no chance to resist.
He scrutinized Fenric from afar and realized—he was merely a mortal. At most, his vitality and blood were stronger than average.
But how could a mortal command thunder?
Was he... the reincarnation of the Thunder God?
From a distance, Fenric's voice rang out loudly:
"Old demon! I know you're still alive! From now on, this beautiful ghost is mine. If you've got a problem with that, come to Orchid Temple and face me! Even if that old bastard Black Mountain shows up—I'm not scared!"
Fenric intentionally raised his voice when mentioning Black Mountain, making sure the old demon heard every word.
Sure enough, the tree demon took the bait. She turned to leave—intent on informing the Black Mountain Old Demon.
It wasn't a bad move. After all, she'd already promised Lillian to the Black Mountain demon. Technically, she belonged to that demon now.
If someone else stole her, it wasn't her problem.
Let Black Mountain handle it.
She'd just sit back and enjoy the show.
With that, the old tree demon's figure vanished.
She had no intention of provoking that terrifying human again.
Even more terrifying than the bearded man in Orchid Temple!
"My lord, the tree demon has fled," Lillian whispered cautiously.
Fenric lowered Thor's Hammer in his hand.
Instantly, the storm clouds dispersed, and sunlight returned.
Fenric was very pleased with the power of the hammer.
Fighting monsters with lightning was way too convenient.
"Miss Lillian, do you believe now that I can save you?" he said with a slight smile.
Lillian looked at him in awe, then suddenly knelt down.
"I didn't realize the great god had descended in person. Please forgive my ignorance!"
Fenric blinked in surprise.
Did she just call him a god?
"Stand up," he said helplessly. "I'm not a god. I'm just a human."
"A... human?" Lillian looked disbelieving. "How can a human command thunder from the heavens?"
Fenric scratched his head. "Just assume I have... boundless magic."
"Anyway, I said I can save you, and I will. But I'll need your help in return—to lure out the Black Mountain demon."
Seeing his strength, Lillian nodded without hesitation. "Thank you for your grace. I'll cooperate however you need!"
Fenric nodded with a smile.
At that moment—
A loud voice rang out from the distance: "Where's the monster?!"
A figure soared through the air and landed before them.
It was Chixia!
When he saw Lillian, he glared and shouted, "You vile spirit! How dare you show yourself again? Die!"
Shing!
With a flash, his sword left its sheath, slashing toward her.
Lillian turned pale in terror. She had no time to dodge.
Fenric sighed and used his Telekinesis to shove Chixia aside, saving her.
"Seriously, Big Beard? Can't you assess the situation first before swinging your sword?"
Chixia looked at him, frowning. "Boy, she's a ghost! Why are you protecting her?"
"I know she's a ghost—but not all ghosts are evil," Fenric replied, shielding Lillian. "Lillian is kind-hearted. She's not like the others. Put away your sword."
"You fool! She was hanging around that old demon—no good ghost would do that!"
Lillian bit her lip, clearly upset by the accusation.
Fenric groaned. "I'm not arguing with you. You're too stubborn to convince. Let's head back to Orchid Temple and talk things out there."
"Wait!" Chixia paused, narrowing his eyes. "I heard thunder earlier. What happened?"
"Oh, that? I summoned lightning and destroyed a clone of the tree demon," Fenric said nonchalantly.
"What?!"
Chixia was stunned. "You can summon lightning? That's impossible!"
Fenric pointed to the blackened area in the distance. "See for yourself. That's where her clone burned. Go look."
Chixia followed the direction Fenric pointed to and found the thunder-charred zone.
At the center was the trunk of the clone—now just a husk of dead wood.
He'd been fighting that demon for years and could tell at a glance—it was the dryad's clone.
"You..."
Fenric waved dismissively. "If you've got more questions, save them. We'll talk later."
Chixia grunted. "Fine. What about the ghost?"
"She's Lillian. I'm saving her from her cursed fate. So she's coming with us."