At the same time, the Wood Golem flexed its left arm. The bracer armor, formed from condensed Holy Light, acted like a shield protecting its flank, absorbing the lashing strikes of several other roots with brute force.
BOOM! BOOM! Golden light flared violently. Rooted firmly into the earth, the Wood Golem stood as steady as a mountain; the attacking roots were actually knocked backward by the sheer force of the recoil. The demigod's attack had failed to even breach its defenses.
Several other roots seized the opportunity to coil upward, attempting to bind the giant's legs and waist. The Wood Golem abruptly lifted its right foot and slammed it down with crushing force!
"War Stomp: Shockwave!"
THOOM!!!!
Centering on the point of impact, a circular wave—a mixture of materialized life energy and subtle Holy Light pulses—erupted outward. The ground buckled and rolled like water; the entangling roots were instantly numbed and shaken loose, their surfaces even showing fine cracks.
"Excellent!" A sharp glint flashed in Cenarius's eyes. Instead of stopping, his offensive grew even more ferocious. More roots, sharp stalagmites thrusting from the ground, and even massive nuts catalyzed by natural power hurtled toward the Golem like cannonballs. He was clearly testing the war colossus's comprehensive defense and reaction speed, casting spells with nearly his full might.
Throughout the encounter, Rhodes did not tap into any of his own demigod origin power. He simply operated the Wood Golem, combined with the power of Holy Light, without even applying any buffing magic to the giant.
Under Rhodes's control, the Wood Golem utilized its massive frame like a master martial artist. It either used its Holy Light-clad fists to shatter incoming "nut shells" or nimbly stepped aside to dodge deadly stalagmites. For unavoidable area-of-effect attacks, it directly triggered its dual cores in the chest, forming a more condensed golden barrier across its body.
Facing the second wave of Cenarius's assault, the Golem demonstrated staggering adaptability. Seven or eight barrel-thick living thorns erupted from the ground, covered in barbs and shimmering with corrosive dark-green light. They lunged like vipers toward the Golem's joints—Cenarius had changed tactics, attempting to cripple the giant's mobility.
"Interesting." Rhodes's lips curled slightly. He formed a complex hand seal—though he didn't strictly need them anymore, he felt the need to keep up appearances.
"Wood Style: Thorns Reflection!"
The wood core in the Golem's chest erupted with emerald light, conducting rapidly through the wooden meridians beneath the armor to the surface. Countless fine but incredibly tough dark-green vines exploded from the gaps in the armor, covered in their own spikes and sticky secretions.
This move was exceptionally effective against melee-style attacks. As the living thorns made contact with these new vines, they were counter-entangled. Barbs locked onto barbs, and the corrosive secretions were blocked by the vines' protective layer. Furthermore, the vines Rhodes created began actively siphoning the natural energy from Cenarius's thorns, feeding it back into the Golem itself.
A look of surprise flashed across Cenarius's face. "It can reverse-absorb my spell energy?"
"Don't be too surprised, Teacher Cenarius. You are using the power of nature, which is life energy. This Wood Golem of mine possesses the power to absorb life energy," Rhodes said with a smile.
In truth, if he wanted to, Rhodes could have used the Golem to entangle Cenarius himself and drain his life force directly. However, since this was his teacher, Rhodes had no intention of playing for keeps; the Golem remained strictly on the defensive-counterattack.
Hearing Rhodes's words, Cenarius stopped holding back. He threw his head back and let out a long, resonant stag's cry. The natural energy of the entire training grounds began to converge frantically. The sky suddenly darkened as black clouds gathered above the Golem, crackling with brewing thunder.
"Wrath of Nature: Heavenly Moonfire!"
This was the most powerful attack the demigod could muster in his current state. Cenarius was not specialized in combat; he excelled more in healing, control, and support roles.
KRA-KOOM!
A pillar of blue fire over five meters in diameter tore through the clouds. Carried by the weight of devastating natural authority, it struck directly at the Wood Golem's head! The power of this strike was close to a demigod's full output—enough to grind a small mountain peak into dust.
Malfurion's face paled as he watched. "Teacher! This is too dangerous!"
But Rhodes did not retreat; he pressed forward. The Wood Golem's arms snapped upward, and two golden beams extended from the cores in its palms, weaving together above its head into a massive, hexagonal light-shield covered in divine runes.
"Holy Secret Art: Divine Bulwark!"
The Moonfire and the light-shield collided with a deafening roar! The blinding radiance forced Malfurion to shut his eyes. A violent spherical shockwave expanded, sending rocks at the edge of the training grounds flying. The protective barrier Cenarius had placed groaned under the strain.
When the light faded, Malfurion looked anxiously toward the center of the field.
The Wood Golem still stood.
The light-shield above its head had shattered, and the Holy Light armor on its arms showed scorched, blackened cracks. There were signs of carbonization on its wooden arms—but the giant remained standing. The core in its chest continuously pumped out emerald light, repairing the damage, and within moments, it was restored to its original state.
More importantly, Rhodes, standing atop the giant's head, remained perfectly steady. His clothes weren't even ruffled. With his arms crossed, it was clear he hadn't even begun to take the fight seriously.
"You win this battle, Rhodes. Beautifully done. I used my full strength, even my trump cards, yet I can see you didn't even push yourself. You were strictly defending, and even then, I was no match for you," Cenarius said, ceasing his attack and walking forward, his eyes full of admiration.
It had only been six months of study, yet Rhodes had made such progress. He truly was the one chosen by Azeroth; having received life energy directly from the World-Soul, his life origin was far stronger than that of other demigods.
"You flatter me, Teacher Cenarius. If you wish, I can teach this technique to you. While you might not summon a giant as massive as mine, forty or fifty meters should be no problem," Rhodes offered. Much like the Clay Golem, this technique was transferable to Cenarius.
"No need for modesty. A perfect energy circulation system... Rhodes, this war colossus you've created is already qualified to stand in mythic-level combat." Cenarius noted, though he lamented that other druids likely couldn't learn this; it was a spell unique to Rhodes's specific blend of powers.
Rhodes floated down from the Golem's head, and the massive wooden giant vanished instantly. Since it was a creature created with a vast amount of life energy, he couldn't simply summon it as a disposable tool every time. Instead, Rhodes used spatial methods to place the Golem directly into his system's town space. In the future, he could summon it from the Heroes of Might and Magic system at will. Between battles, it could remain rooted in the city, requiring no upkeep.
"I must thank you for your guidance, Teacher," Rhodes said sincerely. "Without these months of deep understanding of life energy, I could never have achieved this level of control." Now that he was proficient in Holy Light and Life energy, he planned to master Order next—starting with the "positive" side of the cosmic forces before eventually touching Death, Fel, and Shadow.
Cenarius shook his massive head. "It is your own talent and creativity. I have taught countless druids, but you are the first to combine natural force, Holy Light, and... that unique summoning system to this degree."
Malfurion finally approached, the shock still visible on his face. "Junior Brother Rhodes, that strike... if it were me, I wouldn't have even survived the aftershocks. I wonder when I might possess such power?"
Rhodes smiled. "Senior Brother, strength isn't just about time accumulated; it's about understanding and application. Your talent in communing with nature far exceeds mine. If there is a chance in the future, I will help you become even stronger." This wasn't just politeness. If Rhodes advanced further, he could potentially mimic Azeroth's method of creating demigods and infuse Malfurion with life origin to bring him to that level.
He checked the time. He had been away from Azshara's palace for over half a year. Including his training with Cenarius, seven months had passed.
"Haha, no need to comfort me, Rhodes. I will continue following the path of the Druid, though I suspect I'll peak at the Archdruid legendary level," Malfurion said with a wave of his hand.
"I mean what I say, Malfurion. By the way, has there been any news from Queen Azshara's palace lately?" Rhodes asked.
"I was just about to tell you. Recently, the energy of the Well of Eternity has become extremely unstable. Azshara and her Highborne mages are summoning something—something dangerous. All of nature feels the unrest," Cenarius replied.
"I've been studying with you for half a year now, Teacher. Perhaps it's time I return to investigate what exactly is happening in Azshara's palace," Rhodes said after a moment of thought.