Chapter 321 Catastrophe
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"The Tree of Beginnings!" Titania panicked, pointing her rapier at the door. "Planta, step back!"
FLAAASH!
Her rapier shone bright pink and purple in color, as she quickly unleashed a series of attacks against the door, breaking it open!
CRASH!
"Ah, it didn't offer any resistance, the magic barrier is already broken…"
Titania's face panicked, as the two of us ran inside the enormous hall where the roots of the Tree of Beginnings were being protected.
The stench of Miasma filled the entire place.
"Tree… Tree of Beginnings?" I asked, trying to call for him.
"Plan… ta…" The voice of the tree of beginnings echoed, the old and tired voice of the tree.
"Are you okay? I can't see anything in this dark place…" I sighed.
"Light."
FLAAASH!
Titania conjured a flash of bright light, as we were suddenly revealed something horrendous!
All of the roots of the Tree of Beginnings were completely black, as countless black veins spread over its roots, spreading down into the floor with the Miasma.
"Ahhh… Run… RUN!"
The Tree of Beginnings last cry echoed across the hall, as his roots began to grow larger and more monstrous, pulsating grossly as then, red eyes appeared all over them.
The presence of the Demon King of Miasma emerged once more!
"Hahah… HAHAHAH! I told you I was going to get a new Vessel! And such a perfect one this is!"
It was indeed his voice, and his presence!
I am fairly sure I destroyed most of his soul but… did he sneak a part of it into here while we were fighting?!
"How…?!" Titania cried. "Let go of the Tree of Beginnings!"
"How you ask?! It was very easy to take a fragment of my soul and insert it here while I distracted you back then…" Laughed the Demon King. "I am sorry, Titania, but this time there is absolutely nothing you can do to save this forest anymore! You're all doomed!"
TRUUUUMMMM…!
Suddenly, the entire Tree of Beginnings began to move upwards! His roots didn't attacked us, the Demon King simply ignored us completely as he began to push the entire body of the tree upwards, breaking through the ceiling of the ruins and reaching the surface!
Countless boulders began falling from above, as I quickly grabbed Titania, who was left shocked and paralyzed in disbelief and flew away from the place using Spirit Leap repeatedly. Some Wind Spirits summoned through the Dragon Veins began generating Whirlwinds to push me faster away as an enormous amount of debris started chasing me from behind.
TRUUUUUUMMMM…!
"Uwaaaaahhh!"
CRAAAASSHHH!
An enormous boulder fell right in front of me, as more debris were coming from all around. Even at Level 60, I am fairly sure I can die crushed by giant boulders without transforming…
"Land Spirit Call!"
FLAAASH!
Suddenly, several Land Spirits came to my rescue, all of them looking like big golems. Oh! It was the big ones!
"GRUOH!"
One of them grabbed me with his enormous rocky hands and the other protected me from the impact of countless boulders falling from above.
CRAASH! CRAASH! CRAAASSHHHHH…!
…
…
…
"Ah… it stopped."
A few seconds later, things became oddly peaceful.
"Inventory!"
I quickly opened my Inventory and began storing all the boulders inside. The Inventory doesn't work on items that are moving, so I had to wait for them to fall before picking them into the Inventory.
Like that, I stored tons of Stone and Ruins Debris, which seemed to be materials for alchemy and crafting for some reason, as I made my way outside of the ruins, going back to the ruins where I left my Familiars.
"TITANIA! Are you okay?"
I called upon Titania, but her Spiritual Projection seemed completely depressed, shocked and flabbergasted.
"Everything is over… everything…"
"Eh? Why?! Even if the Tree of Beginnings was possessed, there's still a way!"
"No… It is over now."
"W-Why?!"
"The Tree of Beginnings is the Core of the Forest, the Core of Nature and Spirits, the last child of the Great World Tree that you saw through those memories once we defeated Saphee…" Sighed Titania.
"T-That means…?"
"It means that now that the Demon King has corrupted it, the last hope for this world's nature and spirits is gone, corrupted! It cannot be purified now… As it was the source of the spirit's power." Titania sighed, suddenly, she began growing fainter and fading away. "My power is banishing…"
"Wait, wait, Titania! There must still be a way to do this!" I said while growing desperate. "Can't we make a new core?"
"No that's impossible… Only children of the World Tree can become the cores, and it is a delicate process made by the gods intervention. The gods have grown weaker, the world… the elements of the world, everything… The end is approaching… It is over."
I never thought Titania would ever say such harsh words, her form slowly banishing more and more.
"No, it is not over… While I am still here, it won't be over! Titania, remember the tree I made?" I asked her.
"That tree?" Titania wondered, as she was banishing more and more.
"Bring everyone there! That's my Heart of the Forest, you can draw Spirit Power from there!"
"Ah… but…"
"Protect it! Don't let that get corrupted! I'll be on my way right away once I regroup with everybody else!" I told her.
"But…"
"TITANIA! Snap out of it!" I roared back at her. "Since when have you been like this?! Where's the brave queen of fairies at?!"
"Ah…!"
"Come on!"
"…Right."
Titania's eyes gained some more light.
"You're right… I don't know what happened to me! Sure! Alright! We can… find a way! Planta, hurry! We'll do everything we can to protect your tree! Our last hope!"
"Thank you!"
FLASH!
Titania's Spirit Projection banished. Even if I wanted, I wasn't able to bring her again. For some reason her powers were directly connected with the Tree of Beginnings, and so might be of all the spirits of this forest, and all of nature and the trees and vegetation, everything!
I have to go pick up everyone else first, they must have already woken up!
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