Blacksmith of the Apocalypse - Chapter 1200

Chapter 1200: Betrayal from the Off

When Garroun heard Minas Mar talk about the Guardian Tree, he pictured the World Tree in his mind. A holy plant and an incarnation of the pure life force of nature. It had incredible healing and purification properties. Often it had the ability to create a protective barrier or enchantment around the forest it grew to protect itself and its followers.

What he thought was that the Guardian Tree would have a similar defensive power. A shield, and illusion barrier maybe. Maybe a buff and improvement to the people in the area it protects, but not this...

From the crown of leaves, that had thrust Delta into twilight just moments ago, descended a curtain of vines delimiting the edge of the crown far past the city boundaries. As if to tell Garroun that offense was the best defense, as if to mock all those inert, unmoving symbols of protection, they began to move.

There was no shield, no buffs, no holy magic, only carnage. Moving at terrifying speeds, even though he couldn't really follow most of the time, the vines attacked the undead horde. Where they passed, beasts were split apart, but it wasn't the speed or force that struck fear in the commander's heart.

Whether it was a giant undead beast, or a small humanoid, once caught by tendrils of doom, there was no escape. Whether zombie or skeleton, the undead visibly dried up, their maws opened in silent screams as the very essence of their being was sucked out of them, turning them into piles of dust that littered the battlefield.

The process took maybe a fraction of a second, disregarding the size of the undead, but the hopeless plea for mercy, as the creatures were mercilessly robbed of their existence and erased from the world, was burned into his mind. For not one second, he doubted that this was also his fate if he ever stood on the opposite side of this plant.

This was no guardian, this was a meat grinder! It just so happened that it was on their side. After the initial shock of the vines, came the secondary shock. Looking down the slopes of the mountain, whole patches of the purple army vanished in the blink of an eye, dragged to the depths of hell by the roots of the tree.

...

---Outside of Delta---

In a battle between legends, it was often a question of how their power matched.

Natural advantages such as size and elemental affinities and specialization played a big role, as much as the defense against them. Legends usually had a few specialties, that were outside of the bounds of causality.

Ceres, the Tormentor, could cause pain even to the undead or inanimate objects. The lightning eagle could also call the monsoon and the lightning storm for almost no cost. The Hydra on the other hand had its perceived immortality, extreme regeneration, and poison.

The hydra was a nightmare for an opponent that specialized in strength and physical combat, like the one in its most famous legend. Ceres, however, had no need to sever any heads, or burn stumps. Bolts Lightning, thick like skyscrapers, striking in a rhythmic staccato of terror pinned the Hydra down.

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This wasn't going to happen anymore. Even if it wasn't Lord Byron's ample benefits, nobody in the elite teams had any confidence in Natina as the Leader of this expedition. The journey here had convinced them further and the giant tree had squashed any guilt they may have had left. In Spatia, it should be the strong and competent to get to the top, Natina was only strong.

His colleague nodded after listening to his “inspirational” speech.

“Alright then, let's hurry and install the gate stones before the stealth magic wears off,” he urged them to continue.

Lord Byron, the current emperor's cousin, hat offered them a lot of money to tweak with Natina's haphazard plans. Their task was simple, they simply had to place two sets of gate stones in the city of Delta. The royal would do the rest from his side.

None of the special ops were privy to the full plan, but it was about opening gates to Delta and taking the necromancer's achievement. Whatever little that was since they entered this world. Natina was lucky, that she couldn't be demoted as long as she controlled a legend, but even if she managed to defeat Minas Mar, her social life would be dead, once the imperial family finished punishing her and the Durnham Family.

“Gah!” they heard the scream, just before someone crashed into the pavement of the street opposite if them. His body tore a large groove into the street cover before he came to a halt. For just a moment, they thought they were caught!

The leader observed the man from a distance and recognized the face. This was a person of interest from Minas Mar. His name was Jace, or something and he was a tank. He just asked himself what the many were fighting, when the Rhino of Destruction entered the crossing, coming from the same direction as Jim. That answered his curiosity.

~We shouldn't get involved. Take will take a detour and pass their fight with as much distance as-~

His telepathic message fell silent when his thoughts went blank at the sight before them. The Rhino of Destruction, a beast that used to be a legend when it was alive, had suddenly been bound by roots that shot up from the ground below.

The beast already looked quite dilapidated, covered in burns and wounds. But seeing the creature turning into a lifeless husk in a matter of seconds awakened a primal fear in them. It also showed that its danger was not restricted to the outer perimeter.

Wherever they stood and walked in this city, they were in life-threatening danger!

~Maybe you are right with your worries...but it's not like we have a way back. Let go ~

Nervously, they continued their mission, in the knowledge that imminent death was waiting for them the moment their stealth wore off.