Chapter 186 Staff of Nature
Cecil's vision was a blur of red—blood covering his eyes.
They were injured, including Stuart and Delia, but as evolvers and professionals, they endured.
Cecil remained fearless, neither dodging nor backing down, relentlessly throwing punches at them.
Memories of Riley flashed in his mind, from happy times to her cold, bloody corpse.
He thought, "I never wronged you, Stuart. I gave up being an Elemental Master to be a Shield Bearer for you. I risked my life for these Career Scrolls to repay you for making me an Evolving person."
"But how did you treat me? How did you favor Delia?"
"Not only did you treat me unfairly, but you also trapped and tortured me daily, forcing me to reveal the secret of obtaining the Professional certificate."
"I stole it from a monster's territory. Why didn't you believe me?"
Cecil was overwhelmed with grief and fury, regretting everything yet realizing it was too late.
Now, all he could do was avenge Riley.
No defense, just pure offense, punch after punch.
His skin split open, blood spurted, bones exposed.
But Cecil didn't make a sound, just kept swinging his fists.
The team members were moved.
What kind of hatred made someone so relentless, not caring about his life, using such a self-destructive fighting style?
It was venting—hatred, anger, and longing.
William, about to open a box, stopped. He saw Cecil's crazed state but didn't help, just watched.
Stuart and Delia's resistance weakened. They were terrified of Cecil.
Anyone would be scared seeing such a reckless fighting style, aiming only for death.
Stuart, who once controlled thousands, pushed his son away with his good hand and hugged Cecil, shouting, "Delia! Kill him for me!"
Delia, dizzy from Cecil's punch, ignored everything else. She grabbed Cecil's neck.
At this moment, they forgot about being Evolving persons or professionals, leaving only primal struggle.
Dean, trembling, stood up against the wall. Seeing the fight, he wanted to help despite his fear. William's eyes flashed, and Pill sprang out, biting off half of Dean's head.
"Dean!" Stuart cried out.
Witnessing his son die, Stuart was heartbroken, his eyes bulging with blood trickling from the corners, looking terrifying.
Cecil's face turned purple from Delia's chokehold, but his arms were held by Stuart, and he couldn't break free. He seemed unaware, desperately stretching his head towards Stuart.
Stuart, immersed in grief, didn't notice anything, but Delia's expression changed. She guessed what Cecil wanted to do. She used all her strength to strangle Cecil quickly, shouting at Stuart to back away, but Stuart didn't hear her.
Cecil got closer to Stuart. He finally reached the distance, opened his mouth, and bit down on Stuart's neck.
Blood splattered, Stuart's body twisted violently, attempting to free himself from Cecil, but he was instead tightly held. His efforts failed, widening the wound on his neck.
Delia screamed frantically, but the blood made her hands slippery. She watched helplessly as Cecil bit Stuart's neck, filled with deep fear, rapidly losing strength.
She saw Stuart's eyes losing their luster, his struggles slowing down, and a small pool of blood forming at their feet.
Cecil released his mouth, slowly withdrew his arms, pushed away the cold body. Then he grabbed Delia's hands on his neck, pried them off bit by bit, turned around, and placed his hands on her neck.
"Before you die, don't forget to apologize to Riley," he whispered like a demon from hell.
Redwood County, like the former Hope Base, had descended into chaos.
The only difference was that Hope Base's chaos stemmed from fear and confusion, while here it resulted from looting and killing.
Refugees flooded into the city, finding no guards or Evolving persons, and went wild. They looted everything. Under the cover of night, human depravity ran rampant—robbery, murder, arson, rape, and torture were everywhere.
The group stood on the street in front of the house, feeling the chaos around them.
"Captain Wright, do you think Cecil will be okay?" Jack asked, glancing at the house, worried about Cecil still inside.
Cecil's straightforward nature was similar to Jack's. They had bonded over the past few days, and Jack was scared something might happen to him.
"He'll come out after he vents. Don't worry," William said, patting Jack's shoulder. He knew Cecil was saying his final goodbye to his past.
"Should I go in and use a Restoration spell?" Lucy asked. Seeing William shake his head, she continued, "What's this wooden staff in the box?"
William had already opened the box and taken out the item inside. He immediately understood why the Royal Guild had helped Stuart—it was because of this.
"This is the Staff of Nature," William replied.
Michelle came over, touched the rough wooden staff, and asked, "It has a white halo, so it must be rare. What's with this oval hole?"
William stood the roughly 60-inch-long staff on the ground and pointed to the hole, saying, "This is an inlay slot for embedding Natural gemstones. The staff's attributes change based on the gemstones."
"It's just a pity..." William paused.
Candice, intrigued by the staff, asked, "Pity what?"
He continued, "Pity that this is the Staff of Nature, which needs Natural gemstones to unleash its power—elements like wind, fire, water, and earth. It can't embed a Bright gemstone; otherwise, Lucy could use it, and her power would at least double."
"That much?" someone exclaimed.
Everyone was surprised. Doubling Lucy's power? That would mean her Restoration spell's healing effect would greatly increase, and the Air Shield's defense would significantly improve.
It was that powerful?
William hadn't fully explained the true power of the Staff of Nature. It was more than setting a gemstone in a staff; survivors previously used this rare gear as a weapon in team battles.
The Staff of Nature had abilities for each element type. When the corresponding elemental gemstone was embedded, the owner could activate these abilities. Fire, ice, and lightning were usually attack skills, while water and earth were defense skills. Wind and other elements had their own uses.
Since Elemental gemstones were consumables, the Staff of Nature's skills could vary in strength. They could be used multiple times or exhaust the gemstone's energy all at once for a full activation.
This feature made it a favorite among survivor teams, often used as a last resort in battles.
The power of the Staff of Nature depended on its level and the energy level of the Natural gemstones.
In the past, Sienna, whom William had met recently, had a gold-level Staff of Nature. When embedded with a high-level or ultra-high-level gemstone, her power was immense.
However, high-level Staffs of Nature and gemstones were rare treasures, hard to come by, even for top-tier powerhouses.
Although this Staff of Nature wasn't very high-level, it was valuable at this stage. If William could find a Natural gemstone, it would be a powerful asset.
Stuart had managed to get the Staff of Nature. Whether from a roulette or a guardian monster, his luck was impressive.
As everyone discussed the wooden staff, Cecil walked out, looking rough. His wounds were deep, showing bone, and he was covered in blood and flesh. Clearly, he had vented thoroughly.
"All done?" William asked.
"All done," Cecil replied hoarsely, but he seemed calm.
"Heal his wounds," William ordered.
Lucy immediately used a Restoration spell on Cecil.
Watching Cecil's wounds heal rapidly, William said, "Once you're healed, take control of this place. Many people should still recognize your face."
Cecil and the others were shocked by the madness of Redwood County's people; restoring order appeared impossible without violence.
William explained, "I need to do something, and I need this place to quiet down."
