Thirty years. A measly thirty. Back when her Minor God Avatar confronted the Infernal Cult, even if it only contained thirty percent of her overall strength, it wasn't what Gulistan could contend with. Were it not for Berken, the Serkas would have been wiped out!
But three decades afterward, Gulistan stood without an ounce of cultivation, but battle-power clearly standing at True God altitude. What did she eat?
"Wait, True God strength but no cultivation?"
Nessriane wondered, and her dark-green eyes studied Gulistan with scrutiny, not leaving out any detail. Snow white skin replaced the previous olive shade, and icy-blue pupils stood in lieu of the black hues. Hair color may be different, but the looks betrayed not. Worse, the more she stared, the more Nessriane could find the similarities between Gulistan's flawless face and that abominable devil whose figure turned her dreams into nightmares.
"Konrad, it's him! Another one of his damnable tricks! How are you related?"
Nessriane interrogated with her booming voice. At that time, the quivering Ilkaalt dragged herself into the scene, arriving soon enough to hear Gulistan reply:
"How are we not? He's my son, boss, and Plowing Service Provider. I admit; that's not ethical."
Gulistan's candid words rang in Nessriane and Ilkaalt's eardrums, making them gawk in incredulity.
"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. A degenerate will sire another. What a decadent family."
Nessriane stated, and Gulistan included, all nodded in approval. But although Gulistan's strength leap took her unprepared, Nessriane remained undaunted. Primal Laws were Primal Laws. Unless Gulistan achieved Death Wielding, she wasn't her match!
The emerald flame wings burned brighter, and without paying attention to Ilkaalt's sorrowful form, Nessriane flew at Gulistan, hacking her Nihility Flail right at her neck!
"Omnislayer."
Gulistan uttered while stretching out her hand, causing an icy-blue broadsword to appear in her hand as chthonian energies erupted from her form. Wielding it, her already considerable strength skyrocketed, and she deflected Nessriane's flail with a single blow.
*Clang*
The weapons met in one ringing sound. But with her Blood Burning and wings empowering her, Nessriane didn't fall behind, spun on 360 degrees, and crashed her flail on Gulistan's side with startling momentum!
*BOOOOOM*
Instead of Gulistan tumbling with gushing blood, it was a massive energy collision that awaited Nessriane. Indeed, a vortex of chthonian energy stood where she struck, preventing her flail from harming the tiniest part of Gulistan's body.
"Blood Burning."
Gulistan uttered, using the Chthonian Immortal Race's innate Blood Burning ability to let her strength rise to a new level, and make up for the law gap between Nessriane and she. Boundless chthonian forces unfurled, filling Gulistan's complete form with unending energy surges.
The air winced and even with the reinforcements it'd received, space cracked, ripped asunder by the overwhelming force!
Gulistan drove her sword in a frontal thrust aimed right at Nessriane's demonic heart. Her Life Laws erupted in a protective shield that failed to withstand the blow and crumbled in an instant! Still, the thrust deviated from initial trajectory, and lost power.
By the time it reached Nessriane's chest, her flail slammed it upward, and Gulistan replied with a frontal kick!
*BAM*
The two recoiled, then vanished to turn into colliding beams, one emerald-colored, the other icy-blue.
*BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM*
In a flash, the two exchanged hundreds of moves, and Ilkaalt was startled to see her mother unable to seize the advantage! At this rate, perhaps Konrad didn't need to show himself before the entirety of their forces suffered destruction!
Again, Ilkaalt recalled images of her end, images her mother helped her deny. But seeing the place she now stood in and calculating the time, she dared not gamble!
"Run, I must run at once!"
She exclaimed and turned heels, ready to abandon the threatened ship to seek an escape road! But at that time…
"OUUIIIIIIIIN!
OUUUIIIIIIIIIN!!
OUUUUIIIIIIIIIIN!!!"
The World Tree's wailing resumed, bringing alongside it a massive, formless destructive force that blew Yvonne's War Legions into smithereens and slammed both Nessriane and Gulistan into the ground! The runaway Ilkaalt was not better off, Gulistan and Nessriane aside, all the individuals standing within the Hidden Forest found themselves suppressed by the howling World Tree.
Although Nessriane foresaw the World Tree's revolt, she didn't expect its might to reach this level!
"Tarnation. None will survive this."
Nessriane spat with her face contorting in a horrible grimace. And as if to corroborate her words, the World Tree's countless roots dug deeper into the ground, targeting the Zenith Ant Colony underneath, and stabbing all that lay therein, without exception! But mere death wasn't the fate of the stabbed, those millions of Zenith Ants all became nutrient for the World Tree, with their Life Essence siphoned at breakneck speed.
The weaker they were, the faster they died!
"AAAAAAAAARGH!"
The Zenith Ants howled in anguish! And in a flash, those at the Saint-level or below withered like drained mummies!
The Sage level ants struggled harder, but one by one, all withered to turn into food for the tree! The sky darkened, obscured by unending grey fog that stretched across the entire world!
As she witnessed those events, Ilkaalt's knees weakened, and she collapsed on the ground with her body trembling in one realization:
"It's…now."
Indeed. This eldritch scene was the perfect replica of how she perished! And as the weaker Sage level ants mummified, the World Tree unleashed more roots unto the living! They tore through the earth to shoot toward the gathered ladies!
Before Ilkaalt could react, massive roots tore through her chest, abdomen, and arms to nail her on the ground. Verena, Else, and Yvonne used Truth, Space and the Ancient Secrets at their disposal to avoid that fate. However, the roots never stopped trailing them and pursued no end!
Right now, only Nessriane and Gulistan could effectively suppress the onslaught. But even for them, it was a daunting task!
And seeing Ilkaalt nailed by the four roots, Nessriane went into a frenzy!
"ILKAAALT!"
She roared, and desperately tried to come to her daughter's aid, but to no avail. More roots gushed forth, forcing her into a defensive stance while Ilkaalt's lifeforce dwindled one bit at a time!
Knowing that the ongoing siphoning would ensure her daughter's destruction, Nessriane no longer hesitated and activated Ilkaalt's seal, causing the vast life essence robbed from deceased Zenith Ants to surge from within her body and reinvigorate her lifeforce!
Alas, before the World Tree's retaliation, that only made her a more delightful meal, and achieved nothing beside delaying the inevitable!
Soon, all came to the same conclusion. If things progressed the way they were, to say nothing of them or the Hidden Forest, no one across the Ancient Crystal World would survive this calamity.
Therefore, Yvonne chose an extreme road. And as firm resolve shone within her eyes, she used her Absolute War Sense' state-changing ability to fall into an ethereal state, then activated the Essence Ruler Physique to do the unthinkable!
She barreled into the World Tree, and forcefully merged with it! In an instant, the World Tree's draining of all lives stopped. And in that very same instant, all were startled!
