Freedom Divine Art

When Zorvix's power was raised to Fifth-Order Initial Stage Mortal, the wolf beastmen warriors remained unperturbed.

Many of them had already elevated their power to Fifth-Order Late Stage Mortal, while some were at Fifth-Order Initial Stage Mortal. In terms of both quality and quantity, they far surpassed Zorvix.

However, they knew that despite Zorvix's power being at Fifth-Order Initial Stage Mortal, he could still pose a significant threat.

As a hierophant, Zorvix possessed divine arts and blessings bestowed upon him by Sylvanus, his lord god. This advantage could potentially allow him to contend with, or even defeat, those at higher power levels.

Hierophants often had the ability to cross major realms due to the divine arts granted by their gods. While such cases were rare, it was common for hierophants to be invincible within their power level, provided their opponent was not another hierophant.

That's why an unwritten rule existed among the gods: gods should fight other gods, believers should fight among themselves, and hierophants should only engage with other hierophants.

Of course, this was just an unwritten rule in divine war. A god could choose to send their hierophant first to wreak havoc among enemy believers, killing them outright.

Barbatos had the option to do this, but he refrained. He wanted his followers to gain experience from this first divine war to better prepare them for future conflicts.

If he wished, his hierophant Eldric could easily decimate the entire forest kobold cultist group single-handedly.

Confident in Eldric's capabilities, Barbatos entrusted the safety of his wolf beastmen warriors to him. With Eldric's presence, it was impossible for the warriors to die unless they were instantly killed.

Witnessing Zorvix's desperate attempt for a turnaround, Eldric sneered, "Thalric, lead the warriors to attack Zorvix with all their might. I will support with buffs and healing."

Thalric and the wolf beastmen warriors nodded in agreement. 

In terms of hierarchy, Eldric was not only the hierophant under their lord god but also their tribe chief. Because of this, if Barbatos gave no specific commands, they would follow Eldric's orders.

Of course, this assumed Eldric's commands did not disrespect their lord god. However, they did not worry about this, as Eldric was a fanatic willing to do anything for their lord god, even sacrificing his kin.

They also did not hesitate to sacrifice their lives for their lord god, which is why they dared to join the front lines in this divine war.

After receiving Eldric's command, all the wolf beastmen at Fifth-Order Mortal charged toward Zorvix. Those at Fourth-Order Mortal stayed behind to avoid becoming a burden.

Seeing the wolf beastmen warriors charging without hesitation, Zorvix snorted and raised his wooden staff, aiming it at them. "Forest's Embrace!"

Casting a divine art, Zorvix used his mana and a hint of divine energy borrowed from Sylvanus' divine blessing to accelerate the growth of the surrounding trees.

The trees in the forest expanded, their roots bursting from the ground and snaking toward the wolf beastmen warriors, attempting to bind and restrict their movements.

Eldric, witnessing Zorvix's attempt at crowd control, sneered and activated his own divine blessing, "Freedom!"

A soft green light enveloped all the wolf beastmen as the Freedom divine art took effect.

With the divine art of Freedom, the wolf beastmen felt a surge of confidence as they rushed toward Zorvix, undeterred by the tree roots attempting to entangle them.

As Thalric and the warriors made contact with the roots, they seemed to phase through them as if the bindings and restrictions had no effect.

That was the power of the Freedom divine art. It granted them immunity to all crowd control skills, unless the caster of the control skill was significantly stronger than Eldric. As long as the gap in power wasn't too high, Eldric's Freedom divine art would prevail.

Thus, Thalric and the wolf beastmen warriors remained free from any crowd control effects. The Forest's Embrace divine art cast by Zorvix had no impact on them.

The wolf beastmen warriors, now unbound by the roots, surged forward with renewed vigor. Zorvix, realizing that his crowd control attempts were futile, shifted tactics.

He raised his staff once more, and with a fierce incantation, wooden spikes erupted from the ground, aiming to impale the charging wolf beastmen.

"Take them down!" Thalric roared, his voice cutting through the chaos.

The wolf beastmen didn't falter. With their claws enhanced by both Blood Limit and Berserk, they easily shredded the wooden spikes, splintering them into harmless debris.

The sharp, blood-colored claws sliced through the forest defenses as if they were nothing more than brittle twigs.

Zorvix's eyes widened in desperation as the wolf beastmen closed the distance. He attempted one final spell, but it was too late.

Thalric, leading the charge, lunged forward with incredible speed. His claws gleamed in the dim forest light, and with a powerful swipe, he tore through Zorvix's defenses and struck him down.

Zorvix let out a final, pained gasp as Thalric's claws ripped through him, his body falling to the ground in a lifeless heap. The remaining forest kobold cultists, witnessing the fall of their hierophant, scattered in fear and confusion.

Thalric stood over Zorvix's body, his breath heavy but triumphant. He reached down and severed Zorvix's head, raising it high as a trophy.

"Victory for Lord Barbatos!" he bellowed, his voice echoing through the forest. The wolf beastmen roared in response, their victory cry shaking the very trees around them.