"Crap… my whole body is burning like hell…" Billy said, trying to cool down his body.
"How…" the spirit of life said.
"You almost did the same as him, but instead of throwing away your body, you just forced it to become ethereal like to cross the Barrier…" the death spirit said.
"Actually, I was just trying to pass through using brute strength, but I guess it worked better than expected," Billy said. "Regardless, I tried this without having the necessary requirements to control my mana properly. Thanks to that, all that mana was dispersed. Anyway, you will have to help me force her to obey."
"Is this something that you have been planning to do?" The death spirit asked.
"The theory isn't complete, but I want a barrier that can prevent Uvish from opening portals around our base," Billy replied. "Regardless, we don't have time to waste here."
Billy dashed to the point, only to find a small tree standing at the top. That tree was probably the life spirit choice… even though it was weird. Nevertheless, she was strangely silent.
"You have two options: going with us without making a fuss or going with us after making a fuss," Billy said. "Once Uvish is finished, you can return here and live while hugging other trees, but I can't take any chances in leaving you behind and making that asshole even more powerful."
"I am not helping him more than I have to, and you will soon confirm that he isn't interested in our powers," the death spirit said.
"Shut up, everything about you annoys me, your presence, your voice… It makes me feel like I should get a body and smash your face on the ground," the life spirit said. "Truly, I alone cannot fight against Uvish and his schemes… But if you plan on obtaining my powers using any suspicious tricks… You will soon learn that I have a few tricks up my sleeve."
"Whatever you say," Billy said. "Just hurry up and come already. My friends are waiting for me."
"You're already starting to annoy me with your bossy attitude…" The life spirit said.
The life spirit was weird. She was indeed full of life but in a bizarre way. Regardless, she followed Billy's orders and entered his body. Without wasting any time, he left the mountain while he killed some liches along the way. The death spirit buffed Billy's glaive, and the strikes felt like they were destroying the matter of the enemies' bodies without having to worry about any resistance…
After using all the mana he got, Billy increased his speed and returned home after five minutes. Things were still heated there, but a lot more people had arrived. The barbarians and Galatea followers were almost there. Still, Alessandro and his archers had arrived. After a couple of minutes later. Icarus, Lucyna, and Meryl had come as well with thousands of demi-humans. Both groups frowned while looking at each other, but nothing happened. Right now, they have a common enemy… Or perhaps they had the same goal, which was to survive.
"Woah, the streets are packed with people…" Icarus said. "How many people have arrived already? A few million?"
"Less than a million considering the number of Golems that had returned," Billy replied. "By my estimations, this world should have around five million inhabitants."
"Only that much… I guess it makes sense considering that every five hundred years, almost everyone dies," Lucyna said.
"Billy… Your presence changed again," Natalie said while frowning.
"I also can tell that… It's like something else is inside you," Meryl said.
"I guess there is no point in hiding… While I was away, I found some guys who know a lot more about Uvish than us, and they are the spirits of life and death," Billy explained. "They once were Uvish allies."
The group frowned when they heard, but then they began to listen to their history. Naturally, Billy kept some pieces of information hidden since it would only bring more questions to the table, but everything about Uvish they knew now.
"That is…" Sarah said, showing a complicated expression since she once had been an enemy of her friends and current family. "Quite tragic."
"I suppose people who live that long have their own share of troubles… Troubles that most people can't relate to," Lily said. "Regardless, that doesn't change the fact that he caused a lot of problems, and because of him, many people died. Even if he wanted to save the world, he shouldn't have sacrificed so many people."
"In any case, it seems that he is creating more portals around the state…" Billy said. "Eventually, more and more enemies will come, so we need to prepare for it. Those who can't fight should work with my trees, gather fruits, make pills, and distribute them around. As for the Edish ones, they need to feed to the core of the barrier."
"We will deal with that since we can't fight," Kate said. "Or should I say, we will deal with that until the time comes?"
"Don't think with so much certainty that I will let the situation escalate to the point that you three will have to fight…" Billy furrowed his eyebrows.
"Come to think of it… Ah, I guess more of your children are coming. Congratulations," Icarus said. "I can see why you look so exhausted. You have been working nonstop to prevent the worst-case scenario."
"We don't have time to talk about that. Assume the positions that you think need help around the city and wait until the real battle starts," Billy said. "For the time being, the spirit of death can close the portals that might appear inside the barrier, but don't let your guard down."
"They don't have names?" Icarus asked.
"Names are things given to humans to differentiate each other and for the sake of convenience… These guys are unique, so they don't need that," Billy said. "Still, I suppose calling them like that would be weird…"
