NOVEL NEXT Chapter 176: Aralia spinosa
The player who suggested creating the thorn formation was an unremarkable fellow. Her achievements in every aspect were subpar to say the least. Nonetheless, this didn't mean that her potential was less than others.
She was a botanist back on the arc of Noah. Compared to everything that had occurred in the sanctuary, the life on the peaceful spaceship was like a forgotten sweet dream. There was no threat to her life and nor were there harsh restrictions on what she could do. The children were given free rein when it came to choosing their carriers and chasing their aspirations.
It was inevitable for social hierarchy to exist no matter the era, but at least the humans had reached a point where none of their kind had to worry about food and shelter, even when they were in the midst of an interstellar migration.
Tristan was one among the many middle-class families that were onboard the arc of Noah. Her achievements in the field of botany were mediocre just like every other aspect of her life. If there was one thing that stood out then it was her obsession with a shrub like tree called Aralia spinosa.
There was no grand reason behind this either. Just like how little Zyrus was once fascinated by the vast cosmos, she found the spikey yet beautiful tree she saw in the greenhouse enchanting. Tristan learned everything there was to know about it and even published an academic article. It was one of the few moments in her life when she felt different from the masses, a moment that shaped the core of her identity.
Such a story was unremarkable in the sanctuary where all sorts of unimaginable things were doable with the power of mana. She harbored some hope that maybe she'd be able to learn a skill or get a class related to what she was good at, but that was nothing but wishful thinking.
The reality was cruel. Her knowledge on plants meant nothing when a goblin was clawing at her throat.
So, she took a sword and started swinging it like everyone else. She submitted to the strongest player in her tutorial camp, who then died at Zyrus's hands. Once again, she went with the flow and did what everyone else was doing and submitted to him.
Years passed while she followed the army and shared their glory. She felt alive when they won, felt accomplishment whenever the system reminded her of a level up, but that was it. She was no different from others. She didn't feel sad about it either since that's just how her life had been, and compared to the pitiful players who ended up in the stomachs of monsters, she was grateful for her life.
But as fate would have it, Tristan's life changed ever since the army arrived at the Mudao island. Many hated this place and the natives that lived on it. They were tenacious to the extreme and the terrain was a headache to march through.
But in Tristan's eyes, that place was a paradise.
Wonderful and strange plants adorned the whole island. She didn't feel much when other players were experimenting with the runes and creating formations. Since others were doing their own thing, she had thought that it was good as long as she followed through with them. And yet, her thoughts changed on this island.
She observed the runes on the plants and trees. There was no time to experiment on them and neither did she have the equipment that were present on the arc of Noah. The only thing she could do was try and learn the language the plant spoke, to read them and understand them by the runes they carried on their surface.
And she succeeded.
She missed the little trees she had planted as a child. Even if she knew how to grow them, she couldn't because just like her, they were unsuitable to survive in this place. Thus, there was only one way left.
Just like her and everyone else, they too needed to evolve.
…
Ten-foot-tall trees swayed in tandem with the waves. Their compound leave were large and created an umbrella like shape around them. The trees were mildly interesting due to their straight stems with sharp spines. This also earned them a nickname of 'Devil's Walking Stick.'
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This was how the trees were back on the arc of Noah. When the power of laws and mana were used to create a formation that manifested them, the results were eerily different.
4 Seconds, 21.5% HP left
Half of the players collapsed after executing the formation. Thin-white strands floated out from their bodies and flew towards the ghastly forest. The strands were none other than the extract of their vitality.
3 Seconds, 20% HP left
Zyrus strained his eyes and looked at the forest that was starting to bloom like a blood-red flower. Every spike on the tree was glistening with a sharp brilliance that was unique to the laws of metal.
One glance was enough to tell him that they had won. He had heard about Tristan in passing, and now, he couldn't help but feel the irony of fate. The difference between the status of star marked tyrant and that little girl was vast beyond measure, and yet, it was her contribution that would deal the final blow to a once renowned existence.
This was the case of a horde of ants devouring an elephant. This was the true might of an army.
2 seconds, 19.5% HP left
The cannons and ballistae were unable to damage the field boss as it was surrounded by the forest from all sides. Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at the formation with agitation and hope.
The leaves bled mana and nourished the thorns that were growing on the plants. All of the players' energy and willpower were condensed on the sharp and crimson thorns.
| - - -_Release_- - - |
The forest withered as countless crimson sparks tore through space. It was as if the trees were infuriated at the heavens that made them unable to fly. They were born like that, but they didn't wish to die in the same manner.
Even if it was for a fleeting moment, they wanted to soar with a dazzling brilliance. This was the desire the formation was based upon, and at this moment, it was fulfilled.
-10k,-10k,-10k,-10k,
The rows and rows of damage numbers were unable to occupy a space under the rain of thorns. In less than a second, every inch of the star marked tyrant was pierced by hairlike thorns.
1 second, 0% HP left.
"Ha…hahahaha,"
"We diiid ittt!"
"Fuck yeah!"
The players roared and screamed their hearts out. This victory was special. It wasn't the first time they had slain a field boss, but this was definitely the first time when they were the ones who had dealt the final blow.
The confidence and pride gained from this were invaluable.
Zyrus smiled at the celebrating players and jumped towards the corpse of the star marked tyrant. Of course, he wasn't alone.
*Grrrrrrr*
Weak growls echoed behind his steps as a tide of grey 'things' floated behind him. There was one last step remaining before the ghouls were born anew.
'This is much more easy than subduing Pugalo,'
If it was any other field boos then their will would have left their body once they were dead. It was the system's way of using them throughout the time loops.
But now, the star marked tyrant couldn't retract its will even with the system's aid. Half of its existence had been extracted and assimilated under ghoul reanimation. It was alive and dead at the same time.
That was also why the system hadn't announced the message of their victory. The star marked tyrant wouldn't be considered dead so long as its will remained on the scene. There was only one way in which it would disappear- The ghouls created by Zyrus would have to consume the remains of the star marked tyrant.
The fragmented will would become a new existence that would either be controlled by Zyrus or become hostile, in the latter case it'd become a new 'monster' which'd be controlled by the system.
All of that seemed complex, but Zyrus knew that there was a single thing that he had to do.
'Overpower its will with my own and make it submit.'
This would be the most difficult step for anyone else, but for him, it was the exact opposite. No one except existences like Nidraxis and Jörmungandr had stronger willpower than him in the sanctuary.
"Eat."
*Grrrrr*
The ghouls were like a swarm of locusts that had invaded a fertile plain. Skin, flesh, bones…not a single thing was left under the maws of ghouls. What intrigued Zyrus more than their eating method was the shape of their mouth. He had thought that the ghouls didn't have facial organs since their head was similar to a reverse triangle, but now it looked like they had inherited the star marked tyrant's 'Drag'.
The triangular heads of ghouls had split apart in the middle, revealing a bottomless maw filled with sharp teeth. The sight of them feeding on the corpse was gruesome to the extreme. Zyrus wouldn't have felt anything from this as he had seen far more horrifying things, so it was obvious to him that his mind had been affected by something.
To be precise, it was the emotion of Despair that was transforming into a law.
'Looks like they'll be stronger than I'd thought…'
Zyrus calmed his nerves and waited for the assault of the foreign will. Sure enough, he was dragged inside the memories of the star marked tyrant right after.