The Star Circle, as its name suggests, was dedicated to observing the sky and the 'cosmos,' drawing upon the stars beyond the world as a source of magical power. After all, the sun, moon, stars, and the laws of the cosmos were, in a sense, all part of 'Nature.'
Initially, the Circle focused on the sun and moon, as these two celestial bodies were closest to the Main World. In an ordinary world, observing the sun and moon would be harmless. But in this world, celestial bodies like the sun and moon were all incarnations of 'gods.'
Due to the unique nature of the Druid class, which allowed them to draw power from Nature, this act of observation genuinely strengthened them, enabling them to master Star Magic.
But therein lay the problem. The only celestial body that could still be considered 'normal' was likely the sun. The moon had already been corrupted, and the other observable bodies in the dark, starry sky were no better—some might even be the true forms of Evil Gods.
As a result, every Druid in the Star Circle had been corrupted. Not a single one survived unscathed.
In contrast, the Moon Circle, despite its name, had little to do with the moon itself. Its Druids didn't observe the moon but rather the various animals that roamed under its light at night.
Imagine a silver full moon hanging high in the sky. At that moment, an animal—perhaps a wolf, a tiger, or something else—leaps high into the air, soaring over everyone's heads. As you look up, its silhouette overlaps with the moon. How beautiful is that scene?
This was the true origin of the Moon Circle's name. However, the various Druid Circles followed a strict policy of non-interference—"well water doesn't mix with river water." As a member of the Earth Circle, Daphne was completely unaware of this history, which led to a series of misunderstandings.
In the center of the basin, the crimson storm gradually expanded. From within, the voice of the Glasses Man Druid echoed, "If those damn Moon Druids hadn't kept getting in my way, I would have succeeded long ago. But thanks for your help. Otherwise, dealing with that red dragon's dying counterattack would have taken me much longer."
Aria seemed to finally snap out of her daze. She stared blankly and said, "So... you're the bad guy!?"
Aria's Divine Smite dealt increased damage to evil creatures, and her recent attack had naturally triggered this effect. She had assumed it was because her Divine Smite struck the dragon. But now that she thought about it... could that have been wrong? Was the damage boost actually caused by her Divine Smite clashing with the Glasses Man Druid's Stardust Smite?
"Haha!" the Glasses Man Druid's voice echoed. "Are all Paladins this gullible? Didn't you notice that in my last two attacks, I deliberately aimed for the exact spots you were striking?"
Of course, Aria hadn't noticed. Her attention had been entirely focused on the enemy. Who watches their teammates instead of the enemy during a fight?
Her mouth fell slightly open as she stared at the distant crimson mist. Her initial shock gradually twisted into fury. Aria was usually good-tempered—Cipher had never seen her truly angry—but this time, she was genuinely enraged.
From within the blood mist, the Glasses Man Druid continued to taunt them. "When the Druid Artifact appeared out of thin air in this Moon Circle tribe, they celebrated. Little did they know it was the beginning of their disaster."
"This Divine Artifact had long been influenced by the Great Mother Goddess over the course of its cycles. That 'Fortunate One' Druid was quickly corrupted. Originally, he was meant to be the vessel for the Mother Goddess's descent here, but the fool didn't know what was good for him and ended his own life.
"After that, the Druid Artifact was placed under strict guard by this tribe. I went to great lengths, creating countless Mutated Animals to weaken them, launching relentless attacks day and night. Finally, during the last assault not long ago, I wiped them all out. But I never expected to miss one—and he even managed to escape with the artifact.
"Still, the end result is good! It's all thanks to your help. When the Mother Goddess descends, I'll make sure you're credited with a great deed! Hahahaha!!!"
BOOM!!!
The instant the Glasses Man Druid's voice faded, Aria's fully charged Divine Smite crashed down. Golden light completely engulfed the area where the crimson mist had been. The golden radiance even surged toward the heavens, forming a spiraling pillar of light.
Daphne watched and couldn't help but murmur, "What a terrifying strike..."
But Cipher frowned slightly. "It's not that simple," she said. "His aura... it's actually growing denser."
The Druid Artifact's effect was the ability to transform into any creature—provided, of course, that the user had at least seen the creature and knew its appearance. Theoretically, then, could it also transform into the 'Mother of Flesh'?
The Glasses Man Druid had long been corrupted. He certainly knew what the Mother of Flesh looked like, which meant he could use the artifact to target that form.
Of course, the difference in power was immense. A mere Divine Artifact, even if it could successfully transform, would never possess 100% of the Mother of Flesh's strength. But even 10% would be enough to unleash a catastrophic disaster upon the world!
The golden light slowly faded. At the very center of Aria's recent strike, a black sphere over ten meters in diameter hung in the air, resembling a massive lump of coal.
Crack—Crack—
Then, with a series of crisp cracks, the black outer shell fractured and began to flake away, revealing the red flesh beneath.
It turned out that Aria's attack had merely 'scorched and carbonized' the outermost layer. The core remained largely unharmed, and the carbonized shell was quickly shed by the creature's powerful self-healing ability.
Thump—
Thump—
A heartbeat like rolling thunder echoed from the mass of flesh, which began to pulse rhythmically, just like a real heart.
At this sight, Aria, Daphne, Feidric, and all the Warlocks wore grave expressions. Only Douglas broke out in a cold sweat. He glanced at the Star Druids surrounding him, cutting off all escape routes, and muttered, "Come on, guys..."
He'd just been standing in the crowd, trying to buff his allies. Who could have guessed that all these Star Druids were enemies? Now he was completely trapped.