The Guardian gods
Chapter 355

Chapter 355: 355

Seeing her teammate falter, Moanae sprang into action, sweeping her arms forward to draw water up around Kaimana in a cocoon, neutralizing the residual electricity. But the Harpies weren’t done. Sylas and Lira dove at Moanae from either side, Sylas cloaked in a blazing aura of wind while Lira’s talons glowed red-hot, ignited by her fire magic.

"Not this time!" Rumblefin bellowed as he lunged between them, wielding a thick shield of solid muddy water swirling around his body like armor. He twisted, sending a surge of water crashing into Lira’s flames, creating an explosion of steam and embers that obscured the view and bought his teammates a moment to regroup.

From above, Icaros took advantage of the chaos, summoning a thunderous bolt that shot down toward Moanae. She barely managed to dodge, the bolt grazing her shoulder and scorching her skin. She let out a hiss of pain, but quickly countered, spinning around and launching an icy spear at him in retaliation. Icaros weaved midair, but the spear caught his leg, tearing through flesh and feathers. He screeched as he dropped a few feet, struggling to keep himself airborne as blood dripped down his leg.

The Harpies, now emboldened by their success, pressed their advantage. Sylas swooped down again, a deadly wind cyclone gathering around her as she closed in on Kaimana. But instead of dodging, Kaimana snarled and braced himself, encasing his fists in swirling water. Just as Sylas reached him, he thrust his fist forward, colliding with her wind-imbued claws. The impact sent a shockwave through the arena as water and wind burst outward, sending both combatants flying backward.

Rumblefin and Lira clashed next, with Rumblefin rushing forward in a wave of water, while Lira countered with an inferno swirling around her talons. Their attacks collided in a sizzling clash, and Rumblefin’s shield began to evaporate under Lira’s intense flames. For a moment, Lira broke through, slashing into his side with a fiery claw, leaving a scorched, bleeding wound. But Rumblefin, ignoring the pain, grinned through clenched teeth and brought a water-clad fist down hard on Lira’s wing, causing her to scream in pain. An explosion of mana shot out from her which distanced her from Rumblefin.

Kaimana shot a look at Moanae, signaling her to move forward. With a fierce nod, Moanae raised her hands, creating a dozen small orbs of water that hovered around her. She then launched them toward the Harpies in a rapid barrage, each orb freezing mid-air before speeding toward their targets like icy bullets.

Sylas flapped her wings in rapid bursts to evade, and Icaros countered with a surge of wind that deflected some of the ice, but several shards hit their marks. Blood seeped from fresh cuts on Icaros’s arm and Sylas’s thigh as they narrowly avoided more serious injuries.

"Enough!" Icaros roared, fury blazing in his eyes. Gathering his remaining energy, he raised both wings to summon a massive bolt of lightning, one that split into several smaller arcs, each one targeting the Mermen.

Kaimana managed to shield himself with a thick dome of water, dispersing the lightning, while Rumblefin dove into the swampy ground, avoiding the attack. Moanae, though, wasn’t as fortunate. She took a glancing hit to her side, the electricity jolting through her body and leaving her gasping for breath.

But even as the smoke from the lightning began to clear, Rumblefin emerged from below, his eyes blazing with determination. He launched himself at Icaros, water swirling around him in a churning vortex. He rammed into Icaros with a force that sent both of them sprawling across the arena floor.

Realizing their situation was dire, Sylas and Lira regrouped, sharing a look of silent determination. Lira ignited her talons once again, but this time with an intensity she hadn’t shown before. Her whole body glowed as flames wrapped around her, and she launched herself at Moanae, intent on taking down at least one of the Mermen. Moanae raised her hands to defend herself, creating a thick wall of water, but Lira crashed through it, slamming into Moanae and clawing deep into her side. Moanae cried out as blood streamed down, struggling to push Lira off.

Kaimana, though battered and bruised, saw the desperate situation and made a decision. Ignoring his injuries, he channeled all his remaining strength into his fist, once again coating it in a powerful vortex of water.

He punched out at Sylas who only had to now to the side to dodge only to find a shadow covering her. The vortex of water she dodged seemed to open a portal as a huge construct shake made of water with its mouth wide open bit towards her exposed back.

The shark mouth didn’t close instead it absorbed Sylas into its mouth, Sylas eyes widened in pain as she began suffocating, she tired to disperse the construct from with a huge gust of wind but Moanae who now has a frozen construct of Lira beside her, shot an ice pick at the shark construct freeze it with Sylas inside.

As the medics entered the arena to tend to the fighters, the crowd erupted in applause, cheering for the intense clash they had just witnessed.

It didn’t take long for the announcer to reappear and introduce the next matchup: the apelings versus the werewolves. Meanwhile, in Ikenga’s realm, a new visitor was being welcomed.

Back in Ikenga’s ever-growing domain, Osisi and Boros stood intertwined, their colossal forms watching the apeling kingdom, where the competition was taking place.

The two pusedo-deities were making a bet on which godling would emerge victorious when, all of a sudden, the atmosphere around them shifted. A portal opened nearby, revealing a familiar yet ethereal realm beyond—a place similar to Ikenga’s, but imbued with a more spiritual essence. This was the spirit world.

Through the portal, an ape with keen, intelligent eyes poked its head out, scanning the new surroundings. Unlike an ordinary ape, this one wore garments that set it apart from its kind.

The ape gazed up at the colossal figures of Osisi and Boros, barely able to see the top of the towering tree or make out the shape of the massive serpent coiled around it. Though much of this grand scene was beyond his sight, his attention was immediately captured by the tree’s fruits, glistening and radiant. His eyes widened, and he began to jump in a circle, visibly disturbed and in disbelief.

"Had he really come upon the sacred tree, a myth among his people?" He knew of a story passed down in his tribe: that the great god Ikenga had promised to reveal an ancient tree of knowledge to any who pursued understanding.

Excitement surged within the ape as he looked down at the garments he wore—the first of their kind among his people created by him. Was he blessed with this opportunity because of them?

After composing himself, the ape stepped through the portal, landing fully in Ikenga’s realm. His body shuddered as he felt the pure energy in the air, washing over him like a wave.

Entranced, he didn’t notice when something resembling a door appeared in the great tree. From this door emerged "The All-Knowing Oracle," a cursed being.

The Oracle strode toward the ape, casting a large shadow over him. Startled, the ape cried out and leaped back.

The Oracle made a sound similar to that of an ape, calming the newcomer and allowing him to communicate with the giant before him.

Making another sound in the ape’s language, the Oracle pointed toward the tree and its fruits. "You came here for the fruits, didn’t you?"

The ape nodded, and the Oracle continued, gesturing to himself. "I am the guardian appointed by the great god Ikenga to protect the fruits and the knowledge they hold."

Upon hearing this, the ape bowed, then asked, "What must I do, great guardian?"

The Oracle turned and began walking. "We will journey through the tree and its branches until we reach the fruit that calls to you."

The ape looked up at the immense tree. Even craning his neck as high as possible, he still couldn’t see the top. Hesitating for a moment, he followed the Oracle, who was already moving toward the tree. The closer they drew, the less the tree resembled a mere tree; it seemed more like a mountain, with winding paths reaching into the sky.

As the ape cautiously followed the Oracle, the aura of the colossal tree intensified. The bark shimmered with veins of iridescent energy, pulsing like the rhythm of a heartbeat. The closer they got, the more the ape’s senses blurred and twisted, as if his very thoughts were being reshaped by the tree’s influence.

As they ascended, the Oracle glanced back, noticing the ape’s eyes beginning to glaze over. A bemused grin tugged at the Oracle’s lips. He knew that any mortal in the presence of this tree would be affected by its knowledge-laden aura—a test, of sorts, for those who sought wisdom.