Shota's Isekai NTR Adventure Chapter 2061: Area of control

The ritual they performed wasn't a one-off event or something done just a couple of times.

We'd been staying here for several days already, even though we ventured out occasionally to fetch supplies, since we couldn't exactly survive on the same sustenance as the rock elementals, and resting on stones wasn't exactly cozy.

In the meantime, the rock elementals kept repeating the ceremony over and over.

Every instance involved the same actions: they appeared to offer prayers to the rock pillar, then harnessed its power to generate soil that they dispersed across the terrain.

This soil shot out in all directions, and after observing for some time, it became clear that the soil seemed to navigate precisely. Indeed, it would shift aside whenever an obstacle lay in its course.

Should anything obstruct its path, the soil would redirect itself autonomously, as though guided by an unseen force.

Were it not for the divine energy that formed this soil, the whole spectacle would have appeared utterly bizarre.

Yet when we inquired with the rock elementals, the elder provided a straightforward explanation.

"It’s our power. We’re manifestations of elemental energy, so of course we can control the dirt."

I regarded the elder with a puzzled expression, but ultimately, I held back from probing further.

Spirits possessed the ability to manipulate elemental energy, and even after their influence faded, things reverted to their prior state. It stood to reason that elementals, being composed of elemental energy themselves, could achieve the same feat.

As days went by, greater quantities of soil were produced and spread far and wide.

Nevertheless, the rock pillar showed no signs of diminishing from this ongoing use. On the contrary, it expanded daily, thanks to the increasing amounts of divine energy I supplied to it.

I had no idea how much time would pass before the trial I was undergoing could be deemed complete, nor did I know the required size for the rock pillar to signify success.

Thus, my aim was to restore it to its initial dimensions.

However, as time wore on, the daily increments in size grew smaller and smaller. With the pillar's diameter widening, it demanded even more divine energy to expand further.

Even basic arithmetic like this was something I understood well.

This slowdown was concerning, especially since we couldn't linger in this location indefinitely.

Eventually, the forces of Destruction would stir into action once again.

All the same, it was encouraging to witness the positive impact of our efforts on this realm.

Following that initial day, I'd explored the area and discovered subtle signs of demise woven into the forest. These weren't visible in plain sight, but once you recognized what to seek, spotting them proved simple.

This made it evident that the rock elementals' endeavors were yielding results.

From our observations, the flora and fauna were gradually reviving, appearing more robust than before.

Precisely how this revival influenced the rock elementals remained unclear to us.

After all, rock elementals didn't depend on vegetation or wildlife for survival, drawing instead from stone itself.

"It’s the dirt itself that we need. We need a balance of elemental energy in our surroundings to draw on to live." The elder clarified this point, yet we remained perplexed about its exact implications.

Beyond that, another detail began to draw my focus.

It started as a subtle feeling, but it intensified with each repetition of the ceremony.

Whenever the soil was dispatched to various parts of this domain, that feeling grew more pronounced.

It was the sensation of wielding authority over this entire space.

Though unusual, it resembled the power to command the very soil composing the ground here.

Still, it wasn't entirely surprising, given that I had infused the rock pillar—from which this soil originated—with my divine energy. In essence, this soil stemmed directly from my divine power.

Even so, it shouldn't have linked back to me in this manner, as I hadn't directed its creation personally.

Eventually, the connection strengthened to the point where ignoring it was impossible.

With just a flick of my wrist, I lifted a portion of the soil from the earth.

As it hovered in the air, I sensed the myriad possibilities for shaping this soil.

Then, with a mere mental command, I molded it into a sphere and divided it into smaller orbs.

Manipulating this soil came effortlessly, bolstered by the bond between us.

Yet the more I experimented, the clearer it became that this went beyond a mere link.

It seemed that by extending the soil throughout this space...

As this idea crossed my thoughts, I ceased toying with the soil orbs and reverted the material to its usual state. From there, I scattered it around myself, forming a kind of enclosing shroud.

Once the soil enveloped me in this way, I immediately perceived a shift.

Surrounded by this soil, it felt as though I commanded complete dominion over the surrounding region.