Yarra's Adventure Notes-Chapter 1394 - 180: Backlash

"Have you ever tried throwing a stone straight up into the sky with all your might?" Facing the questioning gazes of the young girls, Pannis gently tossed the stone cup on the table, catching it and repeating the action as he spoke, "If you attempt such an act, you will definitely learn the consequences."

"Sorry, we’re not that foolish to stand underneath and wait to be killed by the stone we threw." Lina couldn’t help rolling her eyes, but she immediately grinned and inhaled sharply, saying, "Is this the result you got? That’s truly desperate."

"Yes, this is the result we obtained," Pannis sighed and said softly, squinting, "Mortals attacking deities is meaningless, as deities dwell high above. When mortals strike at them, it’s like throwing stones at the sky; the result is the same. All attacks bounce directly back onto oneself, even with the same intensity."

"No wonder, when you first mentioned concepts of deities and divinity on the Ice Plains, you said that mortal attacks have no effect on deities. Is this why?" The young girls had remembered every piece of lore Pannis had ever mentioned. They knew Pannis’s casual comments during conversations were meant to instill his accumulated expertise and experiences into their minds, though unspoken. The purpose was clear: to better prepare them for safe travels in their adventures if one day he was no longer there. Despite their dissatisfaction with Pannis’s premature preparations, they did not want to reject his care and memorized everything, so they immediately recalled his past words when Pannis mentioned deities, and queried, "Do you mean your attacks were rebounded by the deities?"

"No, not rebounded. If it were merely a rebound, that would be better, indicating the other side’s defense has its own limits and could potentially be broken through," Pannis shook his head helplessly, "However, what we faced was not a rebound; it was worse than a rebound. It’s hard to explain in words. Simply put, when you attack the enemy, in this case, Danacus, you think you’re attacking him, but you are actually attacking yourself; all effects of the attack return directly to your own body. This isn’t a matter of energy rebound, but the manifestation of a certain rule. The deity doesn’t need any expenditure to defeat you; it is actually yourself who does."

"Hard to understand," Catherine reflected on Pannis’s description, trying to visualize the situation, but unfortunately, those who had never experienced it firsthand could not comprehend that bizarre state. The young girl frowned deeply, her index finger tapping the table irritably, murmuring, "So, when you attack him, you are actually attacking yourself?"

"Precisely, when you attack ’towards’ him, you are actually attacking ’towards’ yourself," Pannis tried to explain, "Your attack seemingly lands on him, but the effect appears on yourself; that’s the feeling."

"This... there’s no way to break this, is there?" Catherine said in shock, "How is one supposed to overcome the enemy like this, wounding oneself before the battle even starts?"

"No, to be precise, wounding oneself as soon as the battle starts," Pannis corrected with a wry smile, "Master Klarke’s axe, imbued with strong aggression, struck the Soul of Danacus. Although a physical attack cannot harm the divine soul, the aggression on the axe did affect the divine soul. At the moment his axe struck the Soul of Danacus, blood spurted from his own neck. The potent aggression broke through his own Aggression Shield, nearly severing half of his neck. Had we not warned Maya to be ready with a high-ranking Healing Divine Spell in case of injury, we probably would not see this formidable weapon master alive today. Also, it was fortunate that Master Klarke’s control over his body had reached an almost extreme limit; even with an almost full-force attack, he was able to adjust his body in time and withdrew some power, otherwise the axe might have chopped off his head, and no Healing Divine Spell could save a dead person then."

"It turns out Master Klarke was the first to be injured," Catherine commented surprisingly. Although she had never witnessed the Dwarf Master Klarke, she had heard plenty about this dwarfish weapon master. Even though he was not a defensive profession, his body had been tempered to the pinnacle of mortals. Even if he stood still, injuring him would not be an easy task. She had not expected that in that year’s expedition, he nearly had to leave the first round of the real attack.

"Master Klarke’s encounter alerted all of us. After launching attacks, we immediately intensified our shields, which prevented most members from being severely injured by their own attacks," Pannis recalled, "The situation was extremely chaotic at the time. Each person’s attack would ultimately return to their own body, and it was utterly indefensible. I had tried to instruct Nellie to focus solely on shielding each attacking member from the backlash, but we soon realized that it was utterly impossible. These attacks were not like projectiles or energy-generated shockwaves; there is a process from their launch to hitting the target. Danacus’s attack backlash left no processes; the attack hit and immediately affected the attacker’s body, giving no chance for defense, only reliance on the shield to endure."

"So that’s why you said you were actually fighting yourselves?" Catherine reconstructed the scenario in her mind, "Issuing an attack, unable to confirm if the enemy is hurt, but certain that you yourself are first to be wounded. Even if the enemy truly suffers some damage, it would likely be you who could not hold on first."

"It wouldn’t get to that point. Don’t forget, there’s also the Divine Punishment," Pannis shook his head and said in a low voice, "Divine Punishment wouldn’t cease because of the attack backlash; on the contrary, the two would cooperate very harmoniously. As soon as our attack struck Danacus, we would immediately experience a sensation of death. Simultaneously, the backlash would timely land on us. In the midst of experiencing dying, we were unable to strengthen our shields, yet paradoxically we had to; otherwise, what was merely a psychological death could become an actual death."