Genius Warlock

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"Roaaaarrrgh!!"

Duncan, donning a black suit and armor, clashed midair with Shamus. Their collision echoed through the surroundings.

Shamus clenched his fist tightly and threw a punch, but Duncan, equipped with a gauntlet infused with black magic, skillfully used his tonfa as a shield, deflecting Shamus's attack.

Shockwaves rippled through the open air, but they failed to make an impact.

Shamus wore a look of surprise on his face.

It took some resistance for a punch to connect successfully, but it was shocking for him to find his attack blocked by a mere corpse doll.

Even Oliver was taken aback.

While he knew Corpse Doll-Duncan was skilled, he couldn't compare to Shamus in terms of raw power. Yet, Duncan seemed to be holding his own.

Thanks to the black suit and armor that Oliver put on Duncan, and the tonfa made by Ewan. The performance was better than expected.

"Roaaaarrrgh!!"

Duncan kicked Shamus once again, causing him to lose his balance and plummet. Meanwhile, Duncan used the force of gravity to propel himself towards Shamus.

The tables had turned completely.

Shamus attempted to swing a beanstalk like a whip, hoping to latch onto the body of the tree giant, but Duncan swiftly closed the distance and effortlessly snapped the beanstalk with his tonfa.

"You damn…!"

Enraged, Shamus swung his fist at Duncan, who was approaching him. However, due to his unstable posture, his attack lacked finesse, and Duncan once again blocked and counterattacked.

With a combination of punches, whip-like strikes, axe-like chops, and grappling maneuvers, Duncan exploited the opening created by the tonfa. Gradually, fear began to creep into Shamus's heart. In the midst of this, Duncan extended his other tonfa straight and thrust his fist into Shamus's chest with all his might.

As the punch landed, both Shamus and Duncan tumbled down into the forest below.

BANG—!

⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩

Kurung…! Kutururururururur…! Thud! Kwang! Kwalalalalalalang—!

Shamus's tree giant couldn't withstand the impact and slowly collapsed. The branches, roots, soil, and grass that composed its massive form lost their strength and cascaded down, creating a massive cloud of dust that enveloped the entire forest.

"… If it's okay, could you drop me down there?"

As the dust began to settle, Oliver gestured toward a specific spot and made a request.

It was the center of the forest where Duncan and Shamus had fallen, where the energies of their clash still lingered.

The tree giant, understanding Oliver's words, nodded after a moment, bent one knee, and carefully extended its hand toward Oliver.

Oliver stepped onto the giant's hand and descended slowly to the ground.

Thump.

"Thank you. You did an incredible job."

Expressing his gratitude, Oliver disembarked from the tree giant's hand. It nodded slowly in response, returning to its natural state.

A thick haze of dust hung in the air.

As Oliver surveyed his surroundings, several things caught his attention.

First, a colossal World Tree stood before him, surrounded by various mechanical devices and logs crafted from its wood.

Second, there was an altar assembled from numerous corpses—an eerie and remarkable sight.

However, what intrigued Oliver the most was Shamus, with a gaping hole in his chest, surrounded by a few fallen Druids.

While many Druids had fled upon witnessing Shamus's defeat, these few had courageously charged at Duncan, trying to save their leader at any cost.

Indeed, they had perished while supporting Shamus, exhausting their last ounce of strength. It seemed not all of Shamus's followers had blindly followed him solely for his power and wealth.

Despite it not being Oliver's area of expertise, risking one's life in the face of certain defeat would require something more than power and money.

"…"

Oliver surveyed the scattered Druid corpses and sighed as he looked down at Shamus, who lay dying with a fatal chest wound.

The wound was severe, and Shamus appeared to be drained of energy, making it difficult for him to recover.

However, Shamus did not succumb to fear and despair. Despite experiencing various negative emotions due to the pain and impending death, his unwavering sense of purpose and willpower shone through.

It was truly a remarkable sight.

Coughing and gasping for breath, Shamus extended a hand towards Oliver, radiating indignation and confusion.

It was unclear whether he sought help or intended to harm Oliver with that hand.

Oliver simply observed him and slowly reached out, extracting Shamus's emotions from his chest.

With a whoosh, not only blood but also Shamus's final emotions gushed out through the hole in his chest. Oliver collected these emotions in his hand and placed them into an empty test tube.

As the extraction concluded, Shamus's breath ceased, and Oliver, surveying the surroundings, realized that the situation had come to an end.

The Druids in the vicinity were either dead or fleeing far away.

Pondering for a moment, Oliver debated whether he should pursue the fleeing Druids or not.

After careful consideration, he decided against chasing them.

Feeling somewhat fatigued and having depleted most of the emotions, Oliver assumed that the Anti-Shamus Alliance, who had surrounded the forest, would handle their capture.

"Moreover, something else is troubling me…"

Oliver glanced at the World Tree, connected to numerous mechanical devices, and contemplated.

This World Tree surpassed the one in Landa in size, likely due to its location in the forest. It emanated an alien yet potent energy from within.

"It feels familiar… just like that."

Oliver peered at the altar constructed from corpses and pondered its nature.

What could it be? It was filled with incomprehensible elements.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Oliver decided to set aside what he couldn't comprehend for the time being and approached the World Tree to investigate what he could confirm at that moment.

Surprisingly, as Oliver drew closer, the entity within the World Tree quivered with greater intensity.

It exuded confusion, anger, and even joy.

From his pocket, Oliver retrieved a test tube containing emotions and mana extracted from Shamus and cradled it in both hands.

He then slowly brought it towards the World Tree.

⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩

Not long after the battle between Shamus and Oliver concluded, the wooden pillars encircling the forest's center began to collapse one by one. Through the gaps, a large number of armed forces surged in.

Various factions, including the City Security Bureau, Pinkman hired by the Sisterhood, direct forces of the Crime Firm's director, and the Fighter Crew, meticulously inspected every part of the devastated forest and the remnants of the battle. Eventually, they discovered Oliver seated in the heart of the forest.

"Have you arrived?"

Oliver, who had been resting, stood up from his position and greeted them nonchalantly, as if nothing had transpired moments ago.

However, unlike Oliver, the renowned power groups from Landa couldn't respond hastily. They remained on edge, for they had witnessed the events beyond the wooden walls.

Shamus had unleashed devastating sorcery, summoning natural disasters and giants, while Oliver had confronted him with even more terrifying black magic, shattering his onslaught.

The observers couldn't help but be wary, well aware of the horrors that violence can unleash, as they had built their lives around it.

In the midst of their apprehension, the sole individual who made a living not through violence but with the pen stepped forward to address the situation.

"Yes, we have arrived."

The person who emerged from among the numerous armed forces was none other than Paul Carver, the city official.

Having witnessed Oliver's heroic deeds, Paul was in a state of shock, admiration, and a hint of fear. Nonetheless, he prioritized his responsibility of dealing with the matter, attempting to feign composure as he faced Oliver.

Landa truly seemed to be filled with remarkable individuals.

Carver inquired, "Dave… Are you alright?"

Oliver responded, "What do you mean?"

"Didn't you fight against Shamus? I witnessed it from beyond the walls. Are you okay?"

Oliver looked towards the wooden walls that Shamus had constructed and quickly understood what Carver was referring to.

"Ah… yes, I'm fine."

Many people were once again taken aback by Oliver's calm response. It was natural for them to be surprised since he emerged unscathed from a battle resembling a natural disaster and maintained his usual demeanor.

"Did you defeat Shamus?"

"Yes."

"Then, where is he?"

Oliver pointed to the leather case at his waist, more specifically, to Big Mouth within the case.

"I took him along with the bodies of some other Druids."

"Bodies?"

"Yes, they're dead… is there a problem?"

"Well… it's not necessarily a problem that Shamus is dead. However, we need to recover the ABC investment funds he ran away with, so it would be better if he were alive, or at least another Druid."

"Ah… I apologize. It's a complicated situation to explain, but somehow the other Druids either escaped or were killed by the Corpse Doll. But-"

"-It's alright."

At that moment, wizards emerged from among the armed forces. They were the wizards from the Moirai School, including Albert.

"We have confirmed that a significant amount of Druid information is stored here. If we connect to the World Tree now, we can determine the whereabouts of the funds Shamus stole-"

"Excuse me…"

Oliver raised his hand carefully, interrupting the middle-aged magician from the Moirai School mid-sentence.

The middle-aged wizard felt a twinge of displeasure at the interruption but restrained his emotions upon witnessing Oliver's earlier actions. He responded politely.

"Yes?"

"I apologize for the interruption. However, I believe I must speak up now."

"What would you like to say?"

"They have moved all the locations of the ABC investment funds over there."

Oliver pointed towards a large log situated next to the World Tree, surrounded by various machinery. It was a log crafted from the World Tree itself.

Everyone turned their attention towards the direction Oliver was indicating and then glanced back at him with puzzled expressions, silently questioning how this could be possible.

"Do you mean… within the log?"

Carver inquired when the others were unsure how to react.

Oliver replied calmly, "Yes, it appears to be a log made from the World Tree, but it contains the hidden locations of the ABC investment funds totaling 3.130255 trillion. Most of it is deposited in anonymous bank accounts, stored within the safes of banks or storage companies. There will also be traces of money scammed by other Enjoyment Druids like Craig, and so on."

Oliver nonchalantly revealed astonishing information.

The only response from the audience was silence as they absorbed what they had just heard.

"Excuse me… are you a Net Navigator, Dave?"

Albert from the Moirai School broke the heavy silence and asked.

Oliver shook his head. "No, I can simply connect to the World Tree. I'm not some grand figure like a Net Navigator."

"If you can connect to the World Tree, you are a Net Navigator… Especially if you can decipher that information, you are an exceptionally skilled Net Navigator."

"No, I didn't discover it on my own. I asked for it."

"Asked? Asked whom?"

Just as Oliver was about to respond, Carver intervened with a serious expression.

He was bewildered by the sudden influx of immense information but attempted to focus on what mattered most.

"First of all…! Let's begin with the most crucial task. Wizards, please connect to the World Tree log and verify if what Dave said is true."

The Moirai School hesitated for a moment but, urged by Carver, they finally approached the World Tree log.

Carver turned to Oliver, his expression filled with bewilderment, questions, and a hint of fear, as if he were facing an enigmatic entity.

"I apologize, but could you wait until your statement is confirmed, Dave?"

Oliver nodded in agreement.

"Yes, I will wait."

(To be Continued)

OR

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