MMORPG: Rebirth as an Alchemist

Chapter 836  Clouds of Conflict: Aeolus vs. Ren      

  Ren swiftly sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the first wave of clouds as they crashed into the ground with a soft thud. He could feel the moisture in the air thickening around him, the clouds swirling menacingly as Aeolus continued his assault.

Determined not to be caught off guard again, Ren focused his energy, summoning a barrier of protective magic around himself. The clouds collided with the barrier, their fluffy exterior unable to penetrate the shimmering shield.

Meanwhile, Pamela watched the exchange with a mixture of fascination and amusement, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Looks like you're in a bit of a bind," she remarked casually, as if commenting on the weather. bn

Ren shot her a glare, his frustration evident. "This isn't the time for your commentary. A little help would be appreciated!"

Pamela rubbed the back of her head, mustering a strained smile. "I'm afraid I don't possess any notable magical attacks," she admitted sheepishly.

Ren frowned, his disappointment evident in his voice. "Utterly useless."

"Gek!" Pamela recoiled at Ren's cutting remark, feeling the sting of his words.

Turning his attention back to Aeolus, Ren concentrated his magical energy, preparing to unleash his most devastating spell in an attempt to finish the God with a single strike. He was fully aware of the potential consequences — killing Aeolus might draw unwanted attention, but he reasoned that as a minor god, Aeolus wouldn't be missed much. However, Ren also saw a slim chance to defuse the situation and turn things around.

With that in mind, Ren decided to try his luck at negotiation, though he didn't place much hope in it. "We're not here to fight you. We just want to pass through," he stated firmly, hoping to reason with Aeolus.

Aeolus's response was anything but conciliatory. "Is that right? Without any offerings to me? You just barge in here, into my territory, take all that's mine, and kill all the creatures I created, and you expect me to just allow you through? How brazen of you!" Aeolus's voice dripped with indignation as he continued summoning clouds, preparing to attack Ren.

Ren sighed inwardly. It seemed negotiations were off the table. "Well, too much for negotiation," he muttered to himself, resigned to the inevitable confrontation.

He couldn't help but feel a twinge of frustration. Why were these minor gods so touchy? Ren understood that they had intruded into Aeolus's domain without permission, but this was the only pathway connecting them to the next part of the map. This was supposed to be a public highway for the citizens!

And who made an entire forest their territory in such a public manner, anyway? These gods seemed more interested in extorting offerings from the citizens than in actually protecting their domains.

Ren shook his head, feeling a mixture of annoyance and resignation. It seemed they had no choice but to face Aeolus's wrath head-on and fight their way through the Cloudy Forest.

Ren was certain that Aeolus was taking advantage of the fact that this pathway was the sole route to the rest of the map of the Heavenly Realm from the Celestial Town where souls first appeared in Heaven.

Aeolus had staked his territory in this area because he knew that the other gods had already established their domains elsewhere, leaving this passage as the only thoroughfare for souls and angels.

With no other gods to contest his claim, Aeolus had no qualms about exploiting the lesser beings that traversed through his domain. It was a calculated move, one that allowed him to exert control and demand offerings from those who passed through. Ren couldn't help but feel a surge of frustration at the thought of Aeolus manipulating the situation for his own gain. It was unfair that Aeolus could wield such power over the souls and angels simply because of his strategic positioning within the Cloudy Forest.

But as unfair as it was, Ren knew they had little choice but to confront Aeolus head-on if they wanted to proceed on their journey. The tension in the air crackled with electricity as Ren's words hung heavy between him and Aeolus. Aeolus's expression contorted with anger at Ren's defiance, his cloud-like form pulsating with dark energy.

"You should have just let us through. Now you're going to die," Ren declared, his voice echoing in the forest.

"D-did he just . . . did he just tell Aeolus he was going to kill him?" Pamela stammered in disbelief, her eyes widening in astonishment. "How brazen! . . . And cool . . ." With nothing holding him back, Ren unleashed a torrent of spells, each one crackling with raw magical power, aimed directly at Aeolus. Bolts of energy lashed out from Ren's fingertips, weaving through the mist-filled air like a snake.

"How impertinent! You're only a puny little soul in here!" Aeolus roared in response, his voice thundering through the forest. Despite being a god, Aeolus was nothing more than a minor deity, with stats comparable to that of a hidden boss in a video game. Ren knew that he could defeat Aeolus with his spells alone, and he was determined to do just that.

As Ren's magical strikes continued, Aeolus found himself pushed to the brink of defeat. Clouds of dark energy swirled around him, but they were no match for the relentless barrage of spells unleashed by Ren. "H-how could this be?!" Aeolus exclaimed in disbelief, his voice tinged with shock. "How could some puny soul outmatch me?! I am a god! I am invincible!"

With one last desperate attempt to defeat Ren, Aeolus entered Berserk mode and summoned a giant golem made of clouds. But Ren easily defeated it with a burst of Wind magic that he had copied from Elena.

Now that he had grown stronger, he could easily replicate Lorelai and Elena's magic, as well as Azazel's and the Warlord's.

Ren could finally say that he had reached the peak of what no player had done in the past.

With each passing moment of the battle, Aeolus's form flickered and waned, his once imposing presence now reduced to a mere shadow of its former self.