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1198. Rise of the Guardian Tree
🕑 Added 2024-10-20 15:59:50 +0000 UTCThe Palpatating Spear clashed with a pitch-black shield in mid-air. It looked like a knight in dreadful armor, but Azul could smell the reek of undeath from the creature. Arcs were licking across the shield, but Azul was unable to push the undead knight back.
During their trip, the former leader of the Chimeras had managed to step on the path to legends and reached lv.117 before her return. Right now she was lv.125, but she was unable to gain the upper hand after several exchanges.
Actually, the knight had the upper hand in melee combat. The shield he was using had to be a legendary item, the durability, and defense matched up to her Palpatating Spear. Even the Item breaking effect didn't seem to leave any mark.
Even when she managed to get off lightning attacks during short pauses, also had little effect. it was like her opponent was specialized in dealing with her. Was she his target all along? Maybe if she could concentrate, they would have been equal, but the situation weighed heavily on her mind.
The knight before her wasn't the only high-level undead that had infiltrated. She could hear the sounds of battle all around and it seemed that without someone of Azul's level, they were struggling to just stay alive. These people were mostly adventurers who refused to leave and stayed to protect Delta, but they were nowhere near the level needed to survive here with guys like this appearing.
Suddenly, a silver whip wrapped around the undead knight's throat and pulled him back, away from her.“It looks like you could need a little help?” a hollow voice, with a hint of emotion exclaimed. At the other end of the whip stood a golem knight, slightly smaller and slimmer, than the regular ones.
“You are..?” the chime exclaimed. Azul remembered it to be one of the oldest golem knights and one who had recently chosen a name. However, she couldn't remember.
“I'm...Trepadora!” it answered sounding like it had to remind itself, just before the undead knight managed to free himself from the whip. For a moment, the three stared at each other vigilantly, giving Azul the time to check their opponent.
<Hell Knight, Hector lv. 135>
Azul also glanced at the other battles. The screams had fallen silent, as more named golems had intervened in the battles. She was about to have hopes when the sound of impacts echoed in the district.
Looking up, her face fell. The giant dragon, wearing the golden colossus like a necklace had landed on the dome of the city. Its weight pushed on the floating peaks, and its skull hovered above the hole in the shield. Its maw opened wide, but this time there was no bright dragon flame churning in its throat.
“Everyone, evacuate! It's the breath of decay! Get away from the opening! if you aren't fast enough, use Home Call!” Azul shouted in a hurry. None of the players here had a chance to survive this kind of attack. Even she herself was not sure whether she could resist it. They had to flee, no matter what.
Despite her Warning, barely anyone had the time to hear her or follow the command. Almost everyone was still where they were when a stream of dark power flooded in through the gap in the shield.
This was it, it was over for her, for Delta. Probably not even Evee's undead could take the effects of this attack. Everyone currently in the city would die.
The moment the breath broke forth from the beaming maws of the skeleton dragon, the floor in the center of Delta collapsed as a thin trunk shot up toward the sky.
...
This was it! Finally, Minas Mar would reveal their final trump card. The progenitor tree that spawned the main defense for their little settlements. With this, Minas Mar would have revealed their full hand, and once she got rid of it, there would be no more hope for the blacksmith and his people.
Suddenly, it felt as if the world was changing in slow motion. The breath looked like it halted, while the the tree grew in fast motion. At first, it was just a small trunk, no thicker than a hair from this distance, but its growth was not natural.
The speed and motion of branches appearing was less a growing and more of an unfolding, like a 3-dimensional flip book. At first, it was just the size of the buildings, but before the breath of the dragon had even passed the hole in the barrier, it had already reached the size of the early saplings that protected the tree stations.
“Wait...” Natina thought, witnessing the spectacle.
With this size, the crown covered the central quarter of the central district, but it was obvious that the tree was far from finished. Its growth showed no sign of slowing down. In a fraction of a blink, it rivaled older saplings, like the ones covering Little Sigma, or Little Gamma. Now it covered the central third.
“Wait!” the Chosen of Kali thought in a slight panic. But the tree didn't wait, it didn't even notice her gaze. There were still no signs of slowing. The dragon breath had now passed the hole in the barrier.
The Guardian Tree had been confined and hidden in the bowels of Minas Mar for months. Karina had given it special care over the past two weeks, constantly nourishing it. It was time to unfold its branches and reveal itself to the world.
The Guardian Tree grew further and further, easily dwarfing any other of its offshoots spread across Minas Mar, as the main body saw the light of day. The branches of the crown reached far into the sky, grasping and supporting the floating islands and peaks that made up Iego.
“What in the world...” Natina could not help but watch the abomination created by the horrors of Urth and the blacksmith's abnormal skills. This was far, far outside her expectations.
Where the leaves and branches touched and grew into the spreading breath of the dragon, they constantly decayed and regenerated. But their growth was not stopped, only slowed. In exchange, the breath was actually filtered and disarmed by the tree.
Before she could react, the crown had also begun swallowing Kalzemir. The skeleton dragon was in the middle of releasing his attack, while the branches grew past it with super speed, grasping its claws and intertwining its legs.
“Fu...”
Kalzemir was stuck up to his rib cage in the sea of green leaves, still releasing his breath against the constantly regenerating foliage. The flock of doom, that had scrambled to get in through the gap in the shield and stayed in the vicinity had been caught by the tree. She had instantly lost contact with half of the remaining flying beasts.
By the time the growth finally slowed, the net of energy and lightning arcs, the Iego system, had become a decoration in the sweeping, emerald crown of the Guardian Tree that covered not just the district at its feet, but had grown beyond. The shadow of the tree covered Delta and the whole side of the volcano.
A tree that could cover a whole district with ease. In this state, it outgrew the size of the Hanging Tree, Seth had witnessed at the very beginning of his journey. When it finally stopped growing, Natina heard a dreadful notification.
<Ding! You have Witnessed the Guardian Tree of Minas Mar. All your Attributes are reduced by 50 in its shadow. Bleeding and Drain effects are 50% more potent. >
Natina swallowed hard. Time seemed to finally return to normal, but the over two thousand meter high tree that had technically blinked into existence continued to defy common sense.
For the first time, Natina felt doubt in her mind. Even if she stepped in herself, together with Kalzemir, would she have a chance to destroy this tree? A big manic grind could be seen on her face.
Maybe not with just Kalzemir.
Her heart was quivering, but not from fear, but in anticipation. The chosen of Kali was ready to jump into this fight! It was time for her move.
