It went without saying that all of us wondered whether we would get a - normal - demon king and what that meant.

Kei, now eager to regain some of her power after she�d seen the level that Edna and Lumoof achieved, set out to the south. She hoped to challenge a few demon champions and regain some semblance of power so that she could be of some use in Alvin�s fight with the demon king.

Oh well. It couldn�t be helped that she felt a need to assist her one and only remaining friend from Earth.

On the domestic front, I gained a special type of tree while I kept tweaking with the ley lines.

Unique Tree Type unlocked: The Trees of the Earth Veins. Helps to channel and direct ley lines. Requires gems and crystals in large quantities and also tends to spawn monsters.

It reminded me of the Ginseng Tree , another of the trouble tree types that had the whole monster lure functionality. But I wasn�t the same tree from that time, and I had the ability to station far stronger defenses with dedicated commanders. I functionally had no real limit in terms of artificial minds now that there were tens of millions of connected trees all across the continent.

Sadly, my ginseng tree limit did not change much, in spite of my levels and domains. At about fifteen ginseng plants simultaneously, this was my second real bottleneck in massively increasing the output of high - tier individuals, both unlocking said individual and then subsequently having the dungeons needed to train them up to the necessary levels.

Restrictions.

Right now, I felt like I was hitting quite a few limits. Like in terms of Soul Forge, I�d not had a new color for quite a while. In terms of Titans, I was still hesitating on activating my third Titan, simply because I was not sure what I�d need in the future.

Patreeck had been exceptionally helpful administratively, but his levels, too, had stagnated. Hytreerion had only seen one large - scale battle against the demon king, and even in that battle, he didn�t really show any exceptional performance.

Reviewing their performance thus far, the Titans were pretty much champion class, despite requiring a hero�s soul fragments. In fact, in all combat forms, they just failed to live up to the strength of a real hero or a domain - class individual.

Thus, as bad as it sounded, I felt that Hytreerion had been a mistake. The Titans, despite their strength, were meant to be utility providers.

- But we don�t have level limits, well, until level one hundred fifty anyway, - Patreeck clarified. - It�s just that. well, it�s hard for us to level. -

I wondered whether Hytreerion could get to level one hundred fifty, but because of its size, there was no way it could go into a dungeon. Dungeons so far were all relatively - small. - Even the largest of the dungeons I�d seen and created so far were just big enough for Hytreerion to squeeze in, but it was effectively useless in such a tight spot.

I would have to reengineer Hytreerion�s loadout to be more of a utility player, with more support functions, and to serve as a staging and resupply function for the real damage dealers. The very nature of their capped leveling meant they would never keep up.

So I thought greatly about Hytreerion�s role again. He was huge, and that meant he functioned more as a tank and perhaps a power source. Were there advantages that size had that could not be as easily replicated by levels?

Because levels clearly overpowered everything else, so why should anything be big? Surely there must be merit to being naturally big. So what would that be?

Firstly, I would think about materials. Certain materials had overlapping roles with equivalent skills or levels gained, but size meant massive mana crystals and runic formations. Sure, size meant more space to duplicate skill functions. So, firstly, Hytreerion would need to be reequipped as a mobile mana bank and also store runes. It was also easier to have - conflicting - magical formations separated by the sheer size of Hytreerion. The walkers were all massive creatures, and they could grow even bigger with levels.

Like equipment slots, they should be carrying larger, titan - size equipment. Things that individuals could carry but render them unable to do anything else. Titan - size anti - demon ballistas were one of the first few ideas.

Or could I equip Hytreerion with enough magical crystals to make him a walking bomb, give the demon king a taste of their own medicine? I would have to rejig Hytreerion�s internals such that it could contain a massive, multi - layer bomb.

Still, I decided to put the idea up for discussion.

Using the log obtained from Lilies, I subjected it to a huge amount of scans and tests. Then we ran some tests on how they interacted with the Blackstar Gems. We wanted to know the degree of protection these Blackstar Gems provided, whether they would be able to protect the lower - leveled individuals from divine influence.

I wasn�t sure what I expected, but the log shook violently after a huge amount of blackstar gems were placed around it. It. needed more tests.

Right now, only Patreeck and the domain had any chance of resisting divine forces. I wondered whether I could enhance or at least replicate a bit of that mind - checking ability, perhaps package it as a familiar? Like a voice next to my followers that helped keep the gods at bay.

I had more questions, of course. Was my domain a type of - divine - power? If so, the domain abilities that Lumoof and Edna both had should encounter some resistance from these Blackstar gems. But then they didn�t?

Why was that the case? Was domain not the true - divine? - Was there another tier above us? Perhaps domain was the realm of the demigods? In terms of power levels, that idea made a lot of sense, since gods summoned heroes, and whoever managed the demons could create demon kings. So to place them a realm above the domain was sensible.

In terms of levels, would level two hundred be that threshold? Or was it higher still?

- Should we send our senior Valthorns to take on the demon champions, too? - Lumoof suggested. - At this point, with the Court of the Deitree, you could teleport us back at any time. I�ll go with them. -

One of the small - flaws - of the Court was that I had to activate the recall. The recall function could not be activated by the Valthorns themselves, so I would need to send Lumoof with them in order to activate the failsafe.

- Defeating the demon champions will speed up their leveling. -

Duh. I decided that it was worth it, so Lumoof and a group of fifteen Valthorns, all with the Court of the Deitree, journeyed down south and helped suppress the demons. The mission was simple: fight demon champions, level up, and run before the king came along.

It was also my chance to see the south through Lumoof�s eyes.

In terms of bombs, Alka�s continued research in the underground cities yielded slightly improved bombs. After all, the idea of bombing the hell out of the demons was hugely appealing, and I supposed one day I�d like to make Tree of Fruit Bombs.

Between Kei and Aria, we were now acquainted with two beings who were naturally crystalline in nature, so Alka had been really keen to obtain crystal samples from Aria, for testing. The goal, of course, was to find and make even better bombs.

On hexes and soul magic, my progress had not amounted to any real improvement in weaponry, though I was making some improvements in my conceptual understanding of their raw components. The main challenge had been the corrosive nature of hex, which distorted any surrounding runic formations.

I had yet to figure out how to store a hexbomb for long periods. All the hexbombs we�d made so far had a shelf life of no longer than one year, and after that, the crystal would be destroyed and we�d have a puddle of hex to clean up.

That said, I was getting a lot better at processing hex. Hex and curses were linked, since my Curse - breaker clearly improved my ability to process and clean up areas filled with hex. From an etymological point of view, the two words did have similar meaning. Was a hex essentially a curse made of the soul?

The Treelogy Priests quickly whipped up the small continent of high - tier Valthorns into a PR campaign to expand our clout among the Southern Continent nations. After all, we were already planning to send Valthorns there, might as well get some good press out of it.

We sent out communications with the southern nations that were in trouble and arranged to send them where they could make a big spectacle by slaying the demonic threat on their lands. Of course, we chose those kingdoms and nations where their relationship with the four churches was already frayed and tested in the recent decades.

The journey to the south took the Valthorns took a month, and then they started whooping ass. Lumoof mostly stayed back, blessing the Valthorns with various enchantments, and I didn�t pay attention to the battles, since the demon champions were relatively easy foes for a group of level one hundreds.

The Four Churches mostly retaliated by seriously deploying their own forces to help suppress the demonic threat.

But as always, the defense of the Southern Continent was mostly left to the local kingdoms. Most kingdoms quickly formed coalitions to fight the demons together. The churches, after all, lacked the flexibility to deploy their high - level individuals; they already didn�t have many of them in the first place. Their best generals were around level fifties to seventies, and usually demon champions required a few individuals at that level.

So they compelled the hero Alvin to move out of his harem palace. Like, fucking finally. I still didn�t understand why the hero didn�t just rush off and kill the demons. I didn�t recall Harris and the gang being so lazy. It was free levels and at no risk.

YEAR 177

Reefy was located on the southern part of the Central Continent, and I suspected his magical senses had improved recently.

The demons are here.

They are underwater? I asked. I had to treat Reefy�s words a bit more literally.

No. But I feel them. Invaders. I will kill them.

Uh. Good?

But they don�t come underwater. They don�t. swim?

I think they do? I believed the champions did swim over the oceans. Well, at least the walker - series of demon champions could swim over the oceans, but I wasn�t sure about this current generation of stereotypical winged demons with massive axes. I�d actually like to capture one of these demon champions, if possible. I wondered what it�d be like if I managed to convert one of the demon champions into my own.

Would the axe or sword remain? Were those demonic axes a physical body part of the demons or a magical creation of the champions? Why did they disappear when killed?

I wondered what it�d be like if we got an underwater demon king. That�d be something of a sight, but I supposed since all the demon worlds we�d seen so far lacked water, I thought that was quite unlikely. The demon kings were clearly - grown - in their home environments before they arrived here. The best they could do was a shapeshifting demon king that took on an underwater form.

Thinking about it, if there were underwater civilizations beneath the oceans, they should theoretically have survived since the beginning of time, unless a Rottedlands - class incident occurred.

But I had not heard of any. Was it because they were hiding? Or was there something else down there that prevented the creation of a long - lasting underwater civilization?

Or perhaps it was just the immense pressures of the deep sea that made it impossible for intelligent creatures to emerge.

The Southern Continent endured the demonic waves relatively well. I saw more rifts open; my vision of the astral ways indicated that one rift now glowed, but I couldn�t interact with it. Not without void mana.

Stella felt it, too; her own senses for the starways spoke to her. Her skill had an interesting name: The Ways Through the Forest Between Worlds . It really reflected how one�s understanding of the world reflected in the skill�s nature. Or was it the other way around?

To her, she described it like there was a path of torches through the dark forest. More importantly, thanks to the path, she could now look back at the path to their home world. She opened just a tiny, tiny hole. It was somehow easier, despite the distance.

She could tell it was really far away, but with the figurative - torches, - it somehow meant it didn�t cost as much void mana for her to open a portal to see their home world. The demons clearly had a way of - lubricating - the astral path. With a small peephole, she saw a world of red and fire. Literally fire and brimstone. Demons with wings. It was as if the gods copied a stereotypical demonic home world and pasted it in this world.

We monitored it for weeks and months; the torches got brighter, and there were more of them.

- It�s soon, - Stella said, and honestly I knew it was coming. The tendrils appeared to glow and pulse in a bright white and red. I made sure my sensors were all honed in; I wanted to collect every single data point I could get. I notified Lumoof to be careful in the south and that I would recall them immediately if the demon king spawned too close for comfort.

We both saw it. To Stella, it appeared like a fireball that surged through the path. It consumed the torches, growing each time, and then it reached the south. I felt the world twist and turn. To me, the tendrils appeared to flash and glow, like a filament of light. It was incredibly bright when I used it, and I saw like a blob move across that filament of light.

Demon King Ethrezen has arrived.

The world suddenly felt significantly hot. Areas filled with snow - capped mountains started to melt, and avalanches of mud crashed into their nearby cities. In the deserts, oasis suddenly vanished, and the water evaporated into violent thunderstorms, followed by torrents of rain that flooded.

Dry forests burned, and I felt the entire continent was suddenly filled with flash fires. Farms and orchards, too, quickly started to burn. The intense heat generated strong hurricanes and whirlpools, and strong winds battered the coast.

In the south where the demon king landed, it seemed the regular demons now had a halo of flame, their once regular - looking axes replaced by red - flaming axes. The regular hounds turned into fire - breathing hounds.

The demon champions had wings of flame, and their aura of flame burned most that got close.

- Do we stay or retreat? - Lumoof mentally asked. - We can beat the demons with ranged weapons, but fighting at close range is a bit risky. - I may have flame resistance, and Lumoof certainly shared that resistance, but the other Valthorns didn�t.

My sensors and artificial minds made some calculations and concluded the demon king was quite far from them. - Stay, but engage carefully. -

- Got it. -

Meanwhile, the hero, Alvin, finally arrived in the south.

YEAR 178

After locusts, it was a global heatwave. Strangely, the heatwave made some places colder, some places hotter. Global climates were strange things, what with the complicated interactions with magic and mana.

- I�m not melting, - Aria said through the ice mirror that seemed unaffected by the heat. I was once burning, so the heat didn�t really bother me anyway. At least, I thought of checking in on the two - in - one ice spirit. - But thanks for asking. Aispeng�s powers keep the island cold and snowy, and it�s strong enough to overpower the demon�s global influence. -

Local specific powers were stronger than global generic powers. That was like a principle for magic.

The main problems were the volatile winds that now whipped the oceans of the world into a craze. Traditional trade ships that relied on the gentle trade winds to move from continent to continent now had to contend with more chaotic and dangerous winds. But for the more experienced and higher - leveled captains, the stronger winds were a net advantage since they could predict and use these strong winds.

I checked in on the other growing spirit. Reefy just felt rather uncomfortable. It�s kinda hot. It�s not nice. I recalled some reefs were particularly sensitive to heat, so I wondered whether Reefy felt anything.

Will you be all right?

My energy sustains the reef. Without it, they die.

Will you need help? I offered to supply cold water through the roots. My roots were designed for heat transmission anyway, and it worked both ways.

For now, no. But I want to kill the demons. They did this, right?

Yes.

Can you pull them underwater?

It�s in the south. It�s too far for me. Maybe next time?

Next time, then.

Lumoof and the group helped to fight off some of the demon champions. They were stronger, empowered by the presence of the demon king. Still, their flames meant their close - range engagements were limited and strictly ranged attacks only.

I could theoretically possess Lumoof and engage the demon champions in close range, but that would defeat the purpose of letting my Valthorns level. Besides, the challenge of fighting a demon champion at range helped their leveling.

Kei was also battling it out with the demon champions, but her tactics were rather underhanded. She fought like Techies from Dota; she planted her crystal bombs in a particular location and lured the demon champions to the bombs, then nuked them. It worked really well with the mostly stupid demon champions.

Their presence was overpowered by Alvin�s exploits on the battlefield. He did not directly engage the demon king, and the demon king seemed rather content to stay in one place. My mages attempted to use farsight and scrying to view the demon�s activities, but it seemed this demon king had spying protection.

Was the demon king so confident that it was willing to wait for the heroes to get close?

Alvin and Kei regrouped, and they attempted to fight the demon king for the first time. Kei had one of my Court of the Deitree familiars, too, just so that I could recall her if she was in a bad situation.

It didn�t go very well, as Kei later narrated the battle to me. The demon king really was a typical demon king, in a sense. It was massive, had six large arms each wielding some kind of flaming weapon or shield, a cow - skull head with four horns, a body covered in some kind of black scale armor, and eight floating fireballs of different colors, each of them capable of independent attack. It was a demon king designed for direct combat.

Alvin and his ranged missile arrays didn�t do very well. His missiles numbered in the tens of thousands. He rained fury on the battlefield, but the demon king�s flaming shield detonated the less - powerful missiles before they got near. His stronger penetration missiles detonated on the demon king�s shield - arm, and they made a large hole, but it wasn�t sufficient to seriously injure the demon king.

Reviewing the battle, I concluded that Alvin was underleveled. His abilities, in the level one hundred twenty�plus range, was not sufficient to singlehandedly take on the demon king at full strength. Kei succeeded as my bombs helped weaken the demon king, but Alvin? He was too weak. Even with Kei�s bombs assisting at the distance, it wasn�t enough to tilt the balance.

Alvin lost badly.

He attempted to retreat, and it was then the demon king radiated a big reddish flare that interrupted the hero�s teleportation ability. The flare latched to Alvin like a chain. The demon king closed in, and Kei slammed the panic button. Kei activated a crystal that contained a short - range teleportation spell and teleported to the nearest city. She then messaged one of the Valthorns for a recall back here. Home.

Alvin died. You received a fragment.

I had a total of ninety - one hero fragments now. Nine more to go.

Once more, the world erupted in panic. The hero had fallen! I swiftly recalled Lumoof and the team, too.

- The demon king is not moving. - My sensors got better at nailing down the demon king�s location, the way its energies distorted space, the way its abilities spread into the world and heated everything up. The demon king was a presence, and it wasn�t afraid to say it.

I looked back at the path between worlds. It was a lot dimmer now, but I wanted to observe something else. The torches were smaller, almost fading away. The demon king itself was some kind of rift conduit; I felt its energies leaking into the pathways between the worlds.

The gods would summon the next batch of heroes soon. I told Stella, too, that if she wanted to see the path home, she would have to focus and pay attention. We would need to see what happened, whether the heroes came the same way as the demon king. If they left trails, we could follow their path.

- What. what do we do now? - I�d had this question so many times. When the previous heroes also died at the hands of the demon king, they came with this same question. History had clearly shown that all we had to do was wait and watch the cycle repeat itself. It was quite annoying to face these same things, like that coworker that never seemed to learn despite telling them countless times or like being that long employee teaching new interns for the umpteenth time. Was this how it felt?

- Observe, wait, and prepare. - What else was there to do? What was there to do when it rained? We hoped our preparations so far were adequate and observed the situation. If it flooded, we�d flee to higher ground.

- You all right? - Lozanna and Stella both asked Kei. Kei rested at her house in Freshka after the whole fight. She was injured, but not much.

- . I�m not sure, honestly, - Kei answered. - I thought I would feel sadder. I know I felt quite sad when I heard Hans died. But somehow this time, I feel a little bad. Like, I�m more tormented that I don�t feel sad than from the sadness of his death itself. -

- That sounds quite serious, - Lozanna said. - Mentally serious. -

- I�m not sure if it is because I actually helped, so I felt like I did what I could. Whereas for Hans, I didn�t help at all. Not that I could do anything then, but still. I feel kinda bad gaining a few levels, too, even though all I did wasn�t much. -

Lozanna shrugged, and Stella just patted the golem girl on her shoulders. - So how long do you need to get out of your funk? -

- Uh. I�m fine. I think. I think I just gotta deal with this feeling. -

Stella shrugged. - Sounds like what you need is some monster - bashing. It helps with my negative emotions, and I think it�ll help with yours. -

- When did you ever become such a monster - hunter? - Kei laughed.

- Uh. it�s complicated. But seriously, try it. Hunting monsters is fun. The adrenaline and the satisfaction of bashing something is really. wow. -

- Where�s the meek and quiet painter I used to know? - Kei wondered aloud.

- It�s gone when I lost my classes for Void Mage , - Stella answered. - Seriously, come monster hunting. Shoot some monsters up, like the boys, y�know? -

Kei had a facepalm moment. Lozanna just stood there. - What the hell did you see in those forty years? -

- A lot of really mundane stuff. Mostly a lot of warping here and there. I guess that messes with my brain? - Stella laughed.

- This image of three ladies smashing monsters for fun isn�t exactly what I had in mind. - Kei frowned.

- Two ladies and a golem. Technically, you are sexless. -

- I�m emotionally and spiritually still a woman. -

- I believe spirits are sexless. No, correction. Your soul is sexless, - Stella emphasized. - You can ask A/ . Apparently when we boil ourselves down to our raw soul particles, we are all sexless. You believe you are a woman because you inherited memories of a woman, but if you let yourself embrace your new body, you will think differently. -

Kei just laughed. - All right. All right. Let�s go smash some monsters. This conversation took a really weird turn. -

Lozanna just rolled her eyes. - Did you meet some kind of eldritch creature on the other side that you�re now all cuckoo? -

- I suppose exposure to the void should theoretically make me more susceptible to insanity, - Stella mused. - But monster - smashing time! -

- You�re surprisingly calm when there�s a demon king that�s in our world, - Kei said.

- We have A/ , Edna, and Lumoof. They�d give the demon king a good fight if it wants one. -

- You have a surprisingly high level of confidence in their ability. -

- They survived the last demon king, and they leveled for sure. They may struggle, but I think they can force a stalemate. -

- This demon king has an axe. I think it�ll probably have some anti - tree chopping perk. -

- Oh. Let me know when they send a Woodcutter Demon King. Then I�ll panic. -

- That would make a fascinating thought experiment. I wonder the kind of skills and stats that kind of demon king would have. -

- Is that something we should be thinking about? Let�s go smash monsters. A level fifty dungeon would be good. -

The demon king moved but remained in the Southern Continent. It seemed rather disinterested, and it raided kingdoms throughout the south with its army of demons. It attacked, destroyed cities and towns, and then retreated back. I didn�t quite understand why it did so, strategically, but now that the demons had their - mind, - I supposed their behavior would change.

Refugees and escapees abounded. In fact, the escape began once the hero died. Most of the royalty sent their children away to escape the problem, and some came here to the Central Continent. It reminded me of my earlier days of being a refugee center. The masses, all fleeing for their lives. The fear.

The refugees that arrived on our southern shores were mostly the less - wealthy sort. The nobles and those with sufficient funds would not antagonize the four churches by escaping to the Central Continent, so they escaped to the other continents instead. So it was those who didn�t have the flexibility and financial power for a longer journey to the other continents, those who could only afford the shorter trip here. They took whatever they could to make the trip.

Generally, I left the management of refugees to the respective local governments that received these refugees, so each jurisdiction treated their refugees slightly differently. Some had a talent - harvesting or collection mechanism where new refugees were assessed for their skills and qualifications and deployed to fill missing needs.

Some just placed them in dedicated refugee towns and let them fend for themselves. In these places, the refugees then took charge of buying supplies and food from their nearest towns and cities with whatever resources or cash they had.

The life of a refugee was one where they made do with what they could get, and I did think the people of this world had been culturally ingrained to be - hardy. - It was an admirable trait.

The Valthorns generally ceased recruitment from fresh refugees a while ago, due to the suspicions of loyalty. Patreeck�s mind - reading abilities were, after all, still limited to only the vicinity of Freshka. The refugees themselves usually had some combat ability, though not at a very high level. Usually they would have five to twenty levels in some combat class, which, strangely, made them more combat proficient than my local group.

The newer generation of Central Continent citizens were on average less combat capable than their predecessors, as the presence of beetles throughout the continent had reduced the amount of monster attacks they faced. Instead, for the average citizen, their main threats were petty crimes and thuggery from their local rulers or criminal gangs. For the most part, lesser criminals did not attract the attention of the Valthorns.

On the other hand, the specialized military forces were significantly higher leveled due to their privileged access to dungeons and the effects of my assisted training, and the average Valtorn Order soldier pretty much outclassed everyone except for the above - average adventurers.

As a result, there was a power gap between the common populace and the Valtorn s, and the Valthorns were quasi - nobles, despite their lack of a noble title. A military aristocracy, in a way.

Refugees generally had a very awkward relationship with the Valthorns they encountered, simply because in their other kingdoms, the nobility controled the army. Here, the federal army was an independent entity, and that was something that needed some time to adapt.

That said, based on Patreeck�s data, almost all refugees eventually settled in the Central Continent, with only a minority returning to their home continents.

In terms of the total number of citizens, the Central Continent had increased between two to three times since fifty years ago. The growth in terms of total number had been primarily caused by the generally higher reproductive rates of humans, at least compared to dwarves or elves. In terms of actual percentage growth, lizard - people and treefolk dominated, due to both of these races coming from a low base, their ability to have multiple children at any time, and the effect of the Treeology Priests various saps and syrups significantly improving their survival rates beyond their infant years.

I didn�t have the exact number of people on the continent prior to the Rottedlands, but it seemed that records suggested that it took only three decades to repopulate the continent, and it seemed we were about fifty percent more than prior to the Rottedlands. Still, it was hard to really estimate the total lives lost with unreliable data.

We saw the starways dim even more, though there seemed to be some kind of string or line that came from our world, and there were flashes of light that moved through that string. It seemed to suggest that the demon king was able to access the starways from its end and not just rely on their gateways on their home world.

I shared my memories of the demonic gateways with Stella through Patreeck, but it didn�t do much. She did not recognize the magical words or enchantments on those gates.

Throughout the continent, I kept my magical sensors ready, and just as before, I spread the Valthorns out.

The heroes would arrive soon. When they did, I wanted to know whether they were here. It was important to get them before monsters or any strange criminals got to them. I would need to keep my eyes open for the path they took.

- What if we can�t see it? - Stella asked.

- That�s a datapoint, too. It meant they used a different method. -

- Huh. True. -

- More importantly, what if you can�t go home? That it is impossible? -

Stella just sighed. - Uhm. oh well? -

- That�s good. -

- Yeah. I think this world isn�t too bad. It�s in better shape than the other two worlds. -

- Have you met any other spirits on the other worlds? -

- Uh, I mostly stayed with Vallasira and only went to the cities occasionally myself. The good thing is they speak the same language. Strange, how the language of both worlds are identical. -

- It could be a skill, - I wondered. - A passive? -

- Pretty sure it is. Feels like maybe I�m actually talking gibberish, but the system auto - translated the content to the recipient. -

YEAR 179

My sensors were glued to the skies, waiting for the moment. The forest was dark, and then momentarily, there was a flash of light. The darkness of the void momentarily twisted and swirled, and a ring of light appeared. Ten flashes of light shot out, like little meteors streaking through the dark night sky. Despite our best efforts to observe the phenomenon of a hero summoning, the magical energies were extremely subtle.

Ten heroes have been summoned.

Another ten landed, and instantly I sounded the alarm. I wanted eyes on the ground to look for them, whether they were on the Central Continent or elsewhere.

- I didn�t see much. - Stella frowned, upset at how the path back to her original world eluded her. It was faint, and there was that strange - ring - like thing. Something I�d not seen before until I had this - astral sight - ability.

Still, while my forces kept watch for the heroes, I and Stella tried to follow that path back. A few of the other senior Valthorns, Kei, and Lozanna all dropped by at times.

- What kind of people do you think we�ll get? - Stella asked. She tried to make conversation while we tweaked with the daemolite and attempted to retrace the path of the heroes. There was no path. It was as if someone had just airdropped the heroes. No, someone just drop - shipped the heroes.

- Probably the same type. Young kids, fourteen to eighteen years old, too young to know how shitty the world truly is, and easily controlled by the gods. -

- That bad, huh? - Stella said. - Kei�s pretty all right, isn�t she? -

- She has this weird hang up about helping former Earthlings. -

- Some people are helpful like that. I think too much skepticism and suspicion would just paralyze her. It�s good that she still cares, even after what she has seen and been through. I know I certainly don�t have that kind of mental strength. -

- You survived forty years in other worlds. I think you deserve some credit. - Our experiments didn�t really seem to go anywhere. It was frustrating that the gods had even more unique powers that even void mana couldn�t breach.

- Heh, practicing magic for forty years hardly counts as hardship. -

- Well, you did lose some body parts. - Which had all fully healed.

- Shit happens. You know. bad mistakes when practicing magic. In fact, if it wasn�t for your familiar skill, I�d probably be dead. The healing abilities of your familiar saved my life a few times. -

Stella just shrugged when it didn�t work. - A part of me suspected this wasn�t going to work. The rules of our home world were too different. Our planets and galaxies don�t float on some kind of interstellar fog. -

- So that�s one data point for Earth being an entire alternate universe and demonic worlds existing within our present same - universe. But that raises the next question: why do the gods summon all of the heroes from these alternate universes? -

- My guess? -

- Yeah. Go for it. -

- We�re blank slates. Clean, untouched by mana ever. Maybe it�s just easier to control us that way. -

- Isn�t every soul a blank slate when they die? -

- Hmm. that�s true. Then the next likely thing is that there�s something interfering with the gods ability to capture fresh, clean souls from this world. Maybe they just can�t see this world very well. Maybe our home worlds are godless, so that makes it easy for them to pick and choose who they want. -

- Then why do they need administrators? -

- I don�t know? - Stella laughed. - Maybe it�s just specialization, I guess? -

- Ever wondered how they came to be? Like. how did those reincarnation administrators become reincarnation administrators? -

- My bet? The gods made them. They�re not real individuals, just a system personified and anthropomorphized. -

- Huh. -

- Wild, right? I mean, back home we have AI and machines that can mimic people. Why wouldn�t the same thing be doable via magic? -

That was really true. The gods could easily achieve self - awareness and be mostly autonomous operators. If I could create artificial souls, the gods surely could go further.

Within two weeks, it was clear that the heroes did not spawn on the Central Continent. It was also a good point that none of them died soon after summoning.

- I want to spy on the heroes, - Kei said.

- Huh? Why? -

- I want to see what kind of shit the temples throw at them at the start, whether it�s the same as us. -

Stella immediately rebuked her. - You do know that volunteering yourself to be a hero�s secret guide is a huge death flag, right? -

- I have no idea what you are talking about. - Kei rolled her eyes.

- It�s a story trope, come on! Mentor occupational hazard! Ever heard of it? - Stella repeated. - I say don�t do it. -

- Why is it that you believe all these norms? - Kei responded.

- If anyone should go, it�s either Edna or Lumoof. Edna and Lumoof can get teleported away if they are ever in danger, and they are far stronger than you are. -

- Who won�t go because their place is here, - Kei responded. - My place is to assist the heroes. I�m just going to spy on them. -

- You�re a golem, Kei. You�re not a spymaster or ranger . Is this really the best use of your time? Going with the heroes to play babysitter is not going to be a good idea. You�ll stunt their growth, too. -

- I won�t participate. I�m just going to watch from afar and prevent deaths, if any, - Kei said. - Enough have died from this, and I don�t want any more foolish deaths. -

- There are a lot of foolish deaths, - Stella said. - The world�s full of it. -

- I know, but this is the one I choose to do something about. -

- Why, because heroes lives matter? -

- Uh. I guess? - Kei was young, and she wasn�t very politically aware. - I feel like I should contribute, even if it isn�t much. -

Stella just had a facepalm. - You know, back home, there are so many people who died for whatever reason, starvation, sickness, lack of jobs, depression. It never occurred to you that the world is usually a shitty place? -

- I guess? - Kei shrugged. - I just want to do this, so just let me, all right? I can�t save everyone; that�s the kind of thing maybe some like A/ can do. I�m just going to help prevent some deaths. What�s the big fat problem about it? -

- I guess you�re just a little. hmm. ungrateful, I guess? -

- Look, when you see a doctor and the doctor saves your life, sure, you owe him, but do you reorient your entire life around the doctor�s whims? No, right? There�s a part where we draw the line and say, all right, that�s your life, and this is mine. No, in fact I feel this is my way of paying it forward. -

Stella paused for a while and then laughed. - I guess that�s why you�re a hero. -

- Eh, I actually don�t think that�s a criteria after all. Look at Alvin. He isn�t really that honorable. -

Kei left on some ships to the Southern Continent once news of their location came. The group of ten was essentially split in two: one group on the Eastern Continent, another group on the Southern Continent itself.

I outfitted Hytreerion with multiple mana batteries and crystals to help it act like a mobile mana battery and then, with the help of many blacksmiths, artisans, and mages, I built a massive magical cannon array on top of it.

Alka named it the Mana Cannon Version One. This was essentially the first idea, to convert Hytreerion to a massive cannon. Hytreerion as it was already had an energy blast, a power inherited from the demon-walker, and on its own generated quite a bit of mana.

Its power still paled when compared to the hero weapons, but at least it could regenerate on time.

- This is a utility? - I wondered.

- Not really. - Alka laughed. But the real utility was the battery. Normal folks were unable to channel huge amounts of mana unless they had specialized skills. So the first real utility test was whether Hytreerion could act as a mobile teleportation gateway, together with Stella�s existing void powers. The idea was whether it was possible for Hytreerion to act as a mobile link on the other worlds. Of course, this was putting the cart before the horse, because we didn�t even have a way of opening a portal or rift large enough to the other side. - But once we have the power source, we can figure out what to do with it. -

Another aspect of the utility was - terraforming. -

Essentially, the other worlds, some of them were very hostile to life. The intense aridness of the demon worlds meant my forces would be fighting in an environment that was uncomfortable. It was a penalty we didn�t need. So, in terms of beetles, and to a lesser extent, Hytreerion, we wanted to see whether we could have - environment generators. -

Beetles that had little combat ability but spent their mana or energy to - empower - their surrounding beetles. This included a wide range of possible functions, from adding humidity to the world such that my beetles joints and limbs operated better, to stacking - auras - such that they could overcome the negative environment on the other worlds.

What we discovered was that it was impossible for beetles to carry - aura - functions. We needed - dedicated - commander - beetles. Like Horns, but taken to the extreme. I also wondered whether it was possible to have an Aura titan, something that boosted the combat abilities of my allies, and the thought instantly triggered the system to award it.

The Aura Turtle � Titan

A turtle with multiple crystals on its back, each crystal generating a different aura. Default Turtle generates healing aura, mana recovery aura, damage reduction aura, and endurance/stamina aura. Additional Auras gained with level, consumption of magical artifacts and upgrades.

- Huh. - I had to think about this, though; was this really a good idea? I only had two titans left.

I finally recreated a level one hundred twenty dungeon after tweaking with a few ley lines. I had to subtly guide four ley lines to meet somewhere deep underground anda new dungeon for my Valthorns to power - level. This time, I tried to mess with the dungeon�s settings a little bit more, so that the energy was focused on just spawning high - tier monsters rather than just mobs. Essentially, I hoped for a dungeon full of mini - bosses.

A town quickly sprung up outside the dungeon to serve and support the Valthorns making the dive.

- Which is better, hunting champions or dungeon diving? - I asked the Valthorns one day.

- Depends on what kind of dungeon, really. If it�s the trap - filled dungeons with all sorts of funny tricks, I prefer the Champion any day. - Roon laughed. He was still around level one hundred thirty. It was hard for them to level, strangely. Clearly the effects of the multiple hero fragments were more pronounced than I knew.

Kei sent word that she found one group of heroes. Four of them. One of them had gone missing, but they couldn�t find him. The heroes were practicing on monsters and smaller demon swarms in the south.

- Missing? - Edna wondered. She was based in the underground city, right outside the level one hundred twenty dungeon, just in case a monster escaped the dungeon. - Is he dead? -

- No. I didn�t get a notification. - I checked with Stella, just to be sure.

- How many fragments do you have, Stella? -

- Uh. lemme count. I think thirteen? Ten from the bunch I was summoned with and three from Kei�s batch. Why? -

- One of the heroes went missing, and I wanted to know whether he�s dead. -

- Huh. Strange. Heroes don�t go missing normally? Not on some secret training mission or anything? -

- Kei isn�t sure. If he isn�t dead, that�s a good sign. We just need to wait and watch out. -

There was another group on the Eastern Continent. Five of them. They too managed to survive their initial scare with regular monsters. Kei quickly relayed that this batch of heroes was - conventional - heroes, as in two of them were super - knights, and the other two were super - mages. The missing hero was a super - mage, too.

Conventional heroes and conventional demons, eh? It felt like there was a larger supercycle of demons and heroes. Were the gods just playing some kind of Magic the Gathering campaign throughout the expansions and blocks and were just moving through the gimmicks of each block?

Stella sat. Kei messaged to say she would continue to observe them.

Back home, we continued on with our weapons program. Alka and his group of artificers and mages were very busy with multiple concurrent projects running. He preferred it that way; the multiple projects seemed to allow him to gather magical inspiration from many places. They worked on many types of ideas for anti - demonic weapons, from suicidal golems, flying golems to - airdrop - rigged crystal bombs, and just better crystal bombs and weapons all round.

My woodsmiths and blacksmiths made thousands of anti - demonic spears and enchanted them. The Central Continent had a thriving defense industry, linked by my network of carrier - beetles. Throughout the continent, we built multiple weapons stockpiles.

It was overpreparing in a sense, but high - quality weapons took time to make, and even master smiths and workers labored months on a special weapon, or a special knife, or a special rod. Some enchantments took just as long, especially those that required the threading of multiple different spells.

We didn�t have the hero�s overpowered Hero Forge to shortcut a lot of that. If I needed superweapons, I needed to make them early. Ten years early.

The demon king continued its raid on the kingdoms, and the heroes rushed to gain levels. The eastern group apparently started to sail to the south to join their compatriots, the regular monsters of the Eastern Continent insufficient to feed their growth. I wondered whether they had an experience multiplier for killing demons. I suspected they did.

Kei commented that the southern group reached level sixty within a month. Level sixty was enough for a champion, at least, with their hero powers, but the demon king needed them at the level one hundred range. If they were too weak, they�d die quickly.

The missing hero was still missing. I wondered what would happen if the missing hero never appeared? Would the gods summon new heroes? Or would the demons destroy the world until they found that hero?

Are they coming? Reefy asked.

No. The demons were still on their continent.

I have new spiky weapons I�d like to use on them. I don�t like this heat. But I gained skills now. I have Perfect Waters .

What in the world did that do?

My environment is always perfect for reefs!

Ah. That does sound useful for a reef.

Of course. But can you get me some of the demons? I wonder whether my fishes will eat them. Are they food?

No, Reefy, they aren�t food. They�re just. enemies.

Spiky corals, then. Poison hurt them?

Some. I didn�t recall seeing a hero with a poison focus, or maybe I just couldn�t remember. Maybe it was a bit dumb to have a poison focus when the demons weren�t even human, so the poisons just didn�t hurt them. Most likely not.

Ah. No poisonous corals, then. Just really hard and pokey corals.

Yes. That would be optimal.

I thought back about the Tainted Demon Core captured from the demon king. It remained a puzzle I was unable to crack, even as I leveled. Demonic mana remained key, at least, master of it.

The Rottedlands on the Central Continent were extremely small now, a tenth of what it once was. This space was - preserved, - mainly to hold the - hybrid - plants that I could control, and for my Valthorns to continue their combat practice. With the smaller size, the relative strength of the demonic hybrids that spawned naturally dwindled.

This was a limited space for me to practice the mana these hybrid plants sometimes produced.

- Perhaps an artificial mind fused with a hybrid may be the solution? - Patreeck proposed one day. I sometimes wondered why I couldn�t think of these solutions myself. Did I try it before?

Well. it didn�t work. The artificial mind collapsed soon after exposure to the demonic mana, like trying to boot up a faulty computer. Or maybe a computer with insufficient parts. Why? Or perhaps. like a computer, it was not.

Wait. Was it a power source issue, then? But artificial souls generated their own mana. Was that why there was a conflict between a hybrid plant that passively generated tiny bits of demonic mana? It was like a computer getting both AC and DC power simultaneously, so it fried the computer.

I supposed it was time to revisit the fundamentals of this - artificial mind. - Like, what was an artificial mind, and what differentiated them from regular people. Why were they limited?

- I suspect the issues may be. about the creation of life, - Patreeck theorized. - That a full soul is essentially a life and a living being. -

- You don�t feel like you are a living being, Patreeck? -

- Well, no. I am always a part of you, even if I am capable of independent thought, master. - Huh. Perhaps it was that sense of self? Their soul, being incomplete, like a very good AI, but lacking that last spark that truly made an AI more than just an AI.

But. what was I trying to achieve here? These were dangerous grounds. Did I want to - create - life unwittingly? My goal was to achieve control over demonic mana and thus, hopefully, gain another color for my soul forge. Already, one of the ideas I had was to use the huge stockpiled void mana and attempt to unlock a new soul forge color, but I suspected the system required me to generate my own void mana, not just rely on stored mana.

It was a deconstruction of the artificial souls. Artificial souls were pieced together from the remnants of the dead. To use a computer term, they were salvaged from the usable parts of many - dead - computers and pieced together into a whole. But they lacked the - core - that differentiated a person from a - machine. - I�d developed quite a significant understanding of these parts over the decades through my analysis of hex. The hex was when these parts were combined in such a way that generated toxic negative thoughts. In other words, hex was pretty much weaponized negativity.

Again, what else could the parts make? Could the parts be better made than how I currently - know - them? After all, I learned it by way of skills and levels. There should be better versions.

YEAR 180

- Nine of them spotted, - Kei spoke via long - range message. - All of them are around level eighty, and they are still challenging the champions. The king seemed content to let them do so and continued its destructive acts. -

It was a pattern, repeated since long ago. The king almost always waited for the heroes to level up. This was a quirk that I did not understand. Was it a rule? Or were the heroes - invisible - before they turned level one hundred? But clearly the demon champions were able to find the heroes. So why?

It really felt very game - ish. One instance suggested some observational flaw or quirk. But now after numerous demon kings, it really felt like this pattern suggested a - game - like - arrangement between the demons and the gods. I really hoped the Aivan church agreed to send the triumvirs over. I did want to interrogate the damned Aivan god on why the fuck we were playing this game.

But there was that hero that did the whole - sneak attack thing, but that was because there was an existing group of surviving heroes. If so, the demon king must have a trigger to engage in their hunt.

- No luck on the missing hero? - The missing hero. was still missing. But if he was alive, and he was leveling up, he couldn�t stay hidden for long. Not with the demon king�s divine - hunting sight. I recalled Harris once said that the demons could sense their presences, and the higher levels they were, the stronger they glowed to the demons.

- No. - Kei sighed. - I hope he�s fine. The other heroes have attempted to contact him, but he refused all communication. -

- You�ve made contact with the heroes? -

- Yes. We spoke a bit, - Kei said. - At level eightyish, they are able to spot me. There was no way I could remain hidden for long. -

- And what did you tell them? -

- Almost everything, really. But nothing about you, - Kei was quick to repeat. - Just about hero stuff, really. About the things we�ve seen. I mean, about life as a hero. and our lives after we win. And the gods. -

- They didn�t kill you there and then? -

- They seemed to mumble something about Ken saying the same thing. Ken�s the missing hero by the way, and he�s. uh, he pretty much went cold turkey and had no contact with the rest of them after the first week together. -

- Huh. - Ken, eh. - So. how are the heroes taking to their new roles as saviors of the world? -

- Quite enthusiastic. It�s actually embarrassing to hear it. Was I so naive and innocent? - Kei sighed.

- Yes. Yes you were. In fact, you still are. -

- Ugh. -

Roon and the others kept at their dungeon raids. The dungeon at level one hundred twenty was large, and their foes were a mix of giants. According to their post - raid reports, the space after the dungeon gates was significantly larger than before, and the dungeon exhibited some kind of spatial distortion that magnified its size.

I, too, had some spatial abilities with my Secret hideouts and Subsidiary Tree rooms.

Roon and another of the Matreearchs managed to hit level one hundred thirty - five, so they were only fifteen levels away from their own domains.

The monsters were large, but ultimately they could be defeated. Still, after my earlier experience with the collapsed dungeon, I started work on another set of ley lines, and I hoped to have a new dungeon active before this one collapsed in the future.

These dungeons, their rewards were mostly the remains of the dungeon monsters, and they were often set aside for my blacksmiths and mages to experiment, to craft into weapons and armors. There was a gradual upward drift in the quality of the equipment among the Valthorns, as they got a wider variety of equipment over time, instead of just my own items. Things I made or that were blessed by me personally were strong, but my items tended to have anti - demon effects. Equipment made from the monster�s remains in the dungeon tended to be more varied.

Those who made a living outside the dungeon also soon made more - mobile - setups once they were informed of the temporary nature of these high - tier dungeons. These were pretty much the best craftsmen and smiths the entire continent had to offer, and it was something we noticed, that the higher leveled they were, the more likely that they had passion in what they did.

For these level eighty - plus craftsmen, they relished working with the unique materials that a high - tier dungeon provided, so they moved where the materials were. That said, for these craftsmen, almost eighty percent of their time was spent making equipment to process the materials, and only twenty percent on the materials themselves. There was a whole lot of preparation work that went on before the craftsmen laid their lands on the harvested items.

Many of these higher - tier monsters were - new - to us, since the dungeon generated these monsters somewhat randomly, so even - harvesting - the monsters took a lot of experimentation. At higher tiers, the dungeon monsters resembled more like a Frankenstein - ish mixture of creatures, materials, and skills. In fact, I would personally say most monsters looked their best at around level eighty, where they conformed to what I believed was usually considered a monsters - normal - appearance.

At level one hundred twenty, cerberus would have strange laser eyes, teeth or claws made of some rainbow metal, and sometimes even heads that regrew when chopped off, as if it was some lovechild of a cerberus and a hydra. It was like the dungeon system had an archive of what items or effects it considered high level and just mashed them together to form whatever random miniboss. They usually had a few gimmicks, too, like a cerberus where one eye used lasers and one of the heads caused explosions.

I wondered whether a level one hundred fifty or two hundred dungeon would look more - proper - once every part of the monster was upgraded with higher - tier materials. It was just a theory, of course. According to Edna, there was no great difference in their appearance between level one hundred twenty and one hundred thirty, just more skills, more gimmicks, tougher, and stronger.

The whole - moving - ley lines thing also made me think of that volcano I acquired early on. If there were natural sources of energy, I supposed using my own world knowledge, the greatest power source right now would be the sun. The stars and the sun would generate the most power, so I wondered what level would a sun - powered dungeon be?

Could I even - create - gods outright? I mean, if a dungeon had level one hundred fifty monsters, wouldn�t that mean these monsters were mini - gods in their own right? If so, how could a dungeon contain them?

This suggested a few likely outcomes.

One was that it was impossible to create dungeons beyond level one hundred forty - nine, unless the dungeon itself was some godly being.

Two, it was possible to create level one hundred fifty monsters, but controlling them was impossible, so a dungeon break must happen.

Three, it was possible to create level one hundred fifty dungeons, and it was possible for the dungeon to still control level one hundred fifty�plus creations despite their domain, or perhaps these creatures did not have a domain. It was possible if the monsters were - soulless - despite having that kind of power level, that they were just super - strong automatons with strength at that level.

Which made me wonder.

- Any of the druids attempted to enslave or tame the dungeon monsters before? - I mean, the dungeons generated high - tier monsters, but druids and beastmasters naturally had abilities to acquire - companions. -

I also remembered that old story of the elven hero with the ability to - enslave - spirits, including spirit trees. It was something that I was still afraid of, even if I had the domain as a shield. I wondered when a hero�s skills and a domain clashed, how did the system resolve the conflict? Like, a hero with a special spirit - capture ability, against me, a spirit tree with a domain?

Anyway, the druids soon explained that they had attempted to capture the dungeon beasts but had only managed to tame those in the lower - tier dungeons, around level eighty or so. They had not had any success with the monsters from the higher - leveled dungeons. They suspected that it was due to their diversified focus, so their success relied on their huge level differentials.

A pure monster - tamer. That sounded like something from an isekai story. If I was able to - convert - a demon, could a very powerful monster tamer or beast master control the demons and, at even higher levels, take control of the demon champions and kings? It was essentially the same issue with heroes and me, wasn�t it? If a powerful beast master could control the demon king, a hero must be able to control me.

- That train of thought implies the demon king to be a domain holder, which, from our data thus far, nothing seems to suggest it is a domain holder. In fact, we don�t even know if the demon king has levels. - Because the king didn�t talk.

The heatwave meant druids and mages were in huge demand, as they had to help use their weather abilities and skills to help - reduce - the impact of the heat. Our master builders had to rush to the shores and areas that suffered huge floods and rainfalls to help redirect the water, on top of my trees. My trees soaked up the water easily; after all, my roots naturally transported water, and I used this to great effect to help direct water from areas that faced torrential rain and floods to areas that faced exceptionally dry weather.

The response to the weather changes were mixed. Some just moved to places where the effects were milder. Like Freshka itself, it was quite insulated from the effects of the heatwave due to the presence of many druids skills that helped soften the effects of the demon king�s energies on top of my own heat - channeling abilities.

The farmlands within the same region as me pretty much survived the heatwave unaffected; at this distance, my abilities easily overwhelmed the global effects of the heatwave. Further out, there had been some fires and destruction of farms. Small damage, generally, as my influence waned somewhat at a distance.

That said, the nobles and royalty were generally pretty pissy about the weather, and they�d hired mages and druids to keep the weather pleasant. Strange that they got so pissy. I observed less of such behavior from the older kind.

One group that I needed to assist a little more was the treefolk. They seemed rather sensitive to the weather and needed to consume more water to offset the increased evaporation and heat. Trees generally helped to cool their surroundings through evaporation, but that did mean that they lost more water, and treefolks needed to constantly replenish water, a problem when the rivers themselves were drying up.

So far, no area had faced terrible droughts yet, thanks to my roots performing their role of distributing both heat and water to where they were needed. Funny that all my fire resistance and training from previous demon kings meant I could resist this effect relatively easily. Truly, what didn�t kill you made you stronger.

The elves, humans, and dwarves were uncomfortable, but they generally did well. The lizardpeople enjoyed the heat, but they preferred the humid heat, not the dry heat, so those close to the coast actually found the heatwave pleasant. The lesser races like those winged garudas and harpies didn�t enjoy the more turbulent winds from the heat.

Fishing was down significantly, as the heat made the waves more dangerous throughout the world. That said, if a fisher and sailor was to set out now, they would generally level. if they survived.

Trade was wobbly, and so was fishing. But the oceans were generally calmer out in the open oceans. A master captain with a great ship could still make the journey.

- Our pirates and privateers are stranded on the islands. - Well, one of the drawbacks of a land - based continental force was my naval forces weren�t amazing. Even with all the training and special centers, they just didn�t have the opportunity to really challenge themselves for sea battles. Unless I did mock battles with Reefy?

Mock battles sounded like a good idea.

Reefy?

Yes?

Do you want to do practice battles?

Practice. battles? I shared images and scenes through our somewhat connected - roots - of practice duels, mock battles, and so on. The purpose was to practice strategy and tactics, gain familiarity on whether combat was effective or not.

Why don�t just kill?

Not enemies. Friend. Just to get stronger.

Reefy seemed to struggle to process fighting their friends for a while. It seemed to have a rather convenient categorization of friends and foes? Or did it just classify people to their threat levels?

Don�t understand. Share images again.

I did so. Reefy still seemed rather confused.

In the meantime, since Aria and Aispeng were ice spirits, I wondered whether they had abilities that could offset the heat. They did, but it was an aura ability so they couldn�t share it. The Northern Isles, despite being naturally colder, had stronger heatwaves, and this manifested in stronger blizzards and winds. In a way, this demon king�s abilities weren�t really a heatwave, but more of extreme weather. Did the demon king copy some climate change rulebook somewhere?

The heroes kept on with their battles, and they had their first encounter with the demon king. It did not go well, but it seemed the demon king did not give much chase.

Ellis Myers has died. You received a fragment.

Jenna Kari has died. You received a fragment.

Kei had apparently attempted to help.

- You idiot! - Stella screamed over the message spell. She had two fragments, too. - Don�t risk your fucking life. -

- I�ve already died once. What�s another time? -

- I thought you promised us! - Apparently Kei had a promise with the girls? Huh. I sure didn�t see them being so close.

- . I know. I feel like shit, though, - Kei said. - I can�t just stand and let them fight. -

- Kei, we�ve talked about this. There are battles that are out of our leagues. Each of us needs to do our part, do what we�re good at, - Stella repeated. - I�m a void mage , and I�m good with portals. That means I�m not going anywhere near a battlefield. You�re a biocrystalline golem , and you can make crystals do all sort of stuff. But you�re not a one hundred percent combat class, and you don�t have hero powers. Don�t fight battles you can�t do shit in. We all want this shit to end, but we need to work together, dammit. Another act out of line and I�ll get A/ to recall you. -

- . sorry. -

- Good. -

The death of two shook the group of seven left. They were nervous and afraid. What seemed comically easy once they leveled suddenly was hard again. The gap between the champions and the king was large, and only now they understood it.

Kei had to be their counselor. But in the south, there were other temples, and some heroes sought help from the temples instead.

- Should�ve sent priests here! Right now they need the calming abilities of the priesthood! - Kei complained. That was something I�d take note of. Certainly Lumoof could help to provide serenity and calmness in face of loss. These were young teens in need of emotional support, and that was certainly a neglected aspect of their journey.

- Do we have counselor classes? - I asked Lumoof and the group. Actually, if heroes got out of this with PTSD, was that why they ended up indulging themselves in all their harems and all that? It was a way of coping with the shit they�d seen? I wasn�t in their place, and I hadn�t seen their struggles. But on reflection, it did seem almost all of them were broken or chipped in some way.

I knew his answer before he answered thanks to our mental link, but I let him say it out anyway. - We do have Priest of Tranquility , and certain skills like Calm Composure , Emotional Appeasement . -

- Then we must find ways to train this further. - I�d been growing class seeds all this while, but I supposed I needed to experiment and create these - counselors - or - psychiatrist - classes.

I looked at my own Tree of Prayers . These helped in the past, just as my tea did. I needed to make them mobile, without using Lumoof. The people of this world were naturally resilient and seemed to endure the destruction really well without emotionally breaking down, but the heroes clearly were cracking, even if they outwardly appeared fine.

YEAR 181

The heroes tried again, if anything out of a desire for revenge. The demon king killed two of them, and they were going to live this time. They hunted champions and gained more levels, and all of them were now in their level one hundreds, if only in the early one hundreds. The two fragments each of them had made them level faster and made them stronger.

- They know I�m talking to you guys, - Kei said.

- So? You�re free to have friends, right? -

- I think they�re all right, but some of them are suspicious why I�m reporting everything to you. And rightly so. The way I�m behaving is very much a spy. In a way, I am a spy. - Kei laughed awkwardly.

- I thought you told them everything? -

- Yes, but still, they continue to maintain some distance. - Kei paused. - If I was in their shoes, I�d be suspicious of a girl or golem who claims to be a former hero and somehow reports on their activities back to someone they don�t know. -

- Then stop staying there. I think they no longer need your help. Not anymore. The longer they stay, the more suspicious they get. -

- . you�re right. -

Kei had one last conversation with the heroes before their fight with the demon king. They�d reached level one hundred, and just as before, they�d unlocked their star - mana forms. There were seven of them at level one hundred�plus against one demon king; honestly, the odds were pretty good that they�d win. She spoke of hero - made items from previous generations and whether the heroes wanted a trip to the Central Continent before their second encounter with the demon king.

They refused. Well, some of them wanted it, but they already unlocked their own Hero�s Forge and could make their own hero items.

- You think they�ll live? - Stella asked through message , as Kei made her way to the shore. I could recall her at any time, but she wanted to wait for the heroes to actually fight the demon king before she left. - What did you think of the demon king? -

- I saw it briefly. I was really far away, but I think. I think they have a good chance of winning. But I think half of them will die. It�s still a bit too early. -

- Huh. Are they prepared for a self - destruction gimmick at the end? -

- I don�t know whether they remembered. When I reminded them they just brushed it off. -

- Huh? - Stella asked.

- I�m not sure whether what I told them got through to their heads. Lately they just seem. I don�t know how to put it. -

- Stubborn? -

- No. -

- Confident? -

- Not that, either. -

- Middle - grade syndrome? -

- . that might be it. -

- But they are late teens, right? -

- Yes. One of them reincarnated as a half - dark elf, so age is a little bit more flexible, but yes. Late teens, mentally. -

- You were there once. You should know why they don�t listen. -

- Fuck that. -

We felt the effects of the battle from a distance. The heroes pulled out all the stops, and my magical sensors felt the churn of magic in the air, even so far away. The weather seemed to sense this, and the world waited for the outcome of the battle of heroes. The instability of magic lasted for a day, and this time, I felt sensations that were very familiar.

It felt like those old, healed wounds had been torn open. But I was still physically fine. Why did I feel it, then?

Demon King Ethrezen has been slain.

Kenny Hills has been slain. You received a fragment.

Elly Pato has been slain. You received a fragment.

Nancy Pelos has been slain. You received a fragment.

Only three deaths. That meant four of the heroes survived. The four survivors were Prabu and Colette, both archmages, Hafiz the Knight and Chung the Archer. There was an explosion at the end, but somehow they still managed to survive it.

Kei, of course, felt the explosion. The explosion�s shockwave could be felt a world away, and she ran at full speed toward the center of the explosion once it was clear it was done. The entire area had been turned into a volcanic wasteland, but the four were alive, but weak. All of them suffered heavy burns, and their skin was charred. They lived. Both archmages were unconscious, but they somehow managed to sustain a multi - layered magical shield that collapsed once Kei approached them. The burns were so bad that they could not speak, not yet.

She quickly stabilized them with her familiar�s healing abilities. Despite how horrific the burns were, they were heroes, and the healing quickly restored them. Though they were exhausted and weak, even though somewhat healed, Kei escorted them out and brought them to the nearest town where they got food and shelter.

- Well, that�s over. - I gathered the Valthorns. - As usual, we�ll have to face the issue that the heroes may be hostile or may be friendly. We will initiate our hero - preparations procedure again. - We had this preparation since the crusades, mainly to consider how to fight heroes on our home ground should the temples order another round of crusades.

There were four of them. Five if we counted the missing hero. We knew that two of them were mages, and they had good shields, shields strong enough to stop the demon king�s last bomb. They also survived the demon king, so that should put them in the level one hundred twenties. In a straight combat, we were in trouble. Even with both Lumoof and Edna, I thought it�d be a long shot if we even won. So avoiding combat should be the first priority.

At least the propaganda from the temples were not outright hostile these days, so hopefully the heroes didn�t turn out that bad.

They would have to mop up the rest of the demons, too. There were still demon champions and large hordes of demons left unchecked. The heroes would get to them soon, perhaps in a month.

- We should start aid, - Lozanna proposed. - It�s a good way to win friends through the reconstruction process. -

- This is usually the period when they start maneuvering for territory and start their own kingdoms. We�ll need to be careful not to get tangled in a case where the kingdoms use our support as a weapon or shield against the heroes, - one of the lords presented some diplomatic implications.

- Agreed, but we can just decline or pull out should that happen, - Lozanna proposed.

- Then we as a faith will look weak, because we can�t resist the heroes. It�s a signal to the temples that we are afraid of the heroes. -

- No, no. Let�s step back here. We�re not going as a missionary force, and we�re not going to be some pillar to stand up against the heroes or the other temples. We�re sending workers, craftspeople, farmers, druids to help fix the damaged lands, and if we encounter any hostility, we will pack up and move, - Lozanna repeated. - We can do this without having a need to appear as a political entity. -

- Then what you are suggesting is a clandestine aid operation? Any action we do will be viewed through national, geostrategic, or geopolitical views. How strong, how weak we go. -

Lumoof paused. - I believe it may not be a problem if we go weak. -

- Then we won�t be winning over allies in the south, so why go? -

Lozanna took a step back. - I think we need to draw a line here on whether we�re going for political reasons or going for the purpose of assistance. I�m voting to go and provide assistance and help the nations rebuild their lives a bit faster. -

The debate went on for a while. I was all right either way, whether the council decided to go or otherwise. In the end, Lozanna volunteered for a small assistance group, supported by the priests.

I also needed more Domain - level servants, and Johann, Roon, and a few of the druids kept on grinding the level one hundred twenty dungeon. They were at the edges and stagnating, around the early level one hundred forties, and yet it wasn�t moving much.

- Level one hundred twenty isn�t enough, A/ , - Roon vented. - We�ve done this for months, and we�re not leveling. Something�s not right. -

Patreeck and my artificial minds quickly made comparisons between their experience and that of Edna and Lumoof. The analysis revealed that there wasn�t much difference, except they didn�t participate significantly in the conflict with the demon king. Did the system actually require some kind of - significant - event - record in order to move past certain levels?

But. what about me? Did the fragments help override the system or give it a boost?

I needed more power to feed the ley lines. I wondered, just wondered, whether heroes could supply the power needed to summon super - tier dungeons. No. back about the idea of the sun. Could I create a portal to the sun and then use that as a magic source?

Of course, I asked Stella about the possibility of creating permanent portals. In theory, yes, but the further it was, the more difficult it was to be permanent, simply because the void and space was subject to so much interference and fluctuations that the mage or portal - maker had to constantly adjust their skill or spell in order to account for those changes. A super - strong solarflare or a magical supernova could rip your portal to shreds, if at the wrong place and at the wrong time.

The way between worlds was a forest and perhaps also a sea that was constantly moving. The path was a bit like trying to create a bridge made of floating ships through a volatile sea. It was easier if it was nearer, since the distance traveled wasn�t too far. I wondered whether it was better to just, well, be the ship and float on the sea, but anyway, it was certainly possible to establish a - permanent - portal, given enough mana, time, and having the right skill sets. Distance increased this complexity by introducing disruptions and fluctuations. Both source and destination also played a part in the complexity of the process.

I thought about it, and then Stella went back to research.

I thought of other ways of cracking the problem with the creation of a high - level dungeon. I decided I would experiment using my roots as electrical cables and move the mana from the various ley lines to a single location.

The thing was a dungeon�s power source could not be a living thing, and so, if the mana came from me, it would reject that source and only consider the non - living thing. It also had to be at a certain level of stability and quantity, which caused the dungeons to reject mana batteries as a source of augmentation.

So I needed a magical root that absorbed the mana from various ley lines and then dumped that at a particular location where the dungeon could then use it.

I tested it out with a few dungeons, and creating the roots that were independent of me wasn�t that difficult. Essentially, I�d make the root, but then cut it off once ready.

It didn�t work, even though the mana was still moving through the roots. I tested it out, too. What other ways could I trick the system into accepting the mana as a valid source of power? Could the solution be something extremely simple that I had never considered so far?

The heroes recovered quickly; the wounds and physical damage were gone. But Kei was worried.

- We need to get them checked for parasites. They could have parasites like Alvin. Alvin�s parasite was initially dormant, too. -

- Why? Do they have any symptoms? - I asked, curious why Kei suddenly asked.

- No, no, they don�t. But it�s just. what if they did? We have to check. -

- With your familiar�s healing skills, did you detect anything unusual? -

- No. -

- Then why are you worried? -

- Because it just feels uneasy. They look all right, I think. Physically they are back to tip - top shape. But you never know. They could have some accumulated, hidden damage that only something as strong as your magical biolab can pick up. -

Stella rolled her eyes. - That�s like taking a kid to an MRI because he hurt his knee. If there�s no symptoms, leave it. -

- A/ �s testing doesn�t have side effects like MRIs, so it�s really a risk - free test. -

- Get them to a priest or a healer and have them checked for any soul damage. -

- I�ve done that, but the priests are so low level I�m not sure they are even able to see through the heroes natural protective defenses. -

- Then there�s nothing to be worried about, - Stella said.

- That�s a death flag. -

- Being a hero is a death flag. No. It�s a death sentence. -

- Fuck. -

The mop - up operation of the remaining demons lasted just a month or two after the heroes recovery. Still, they didn�t expect to see Kei back then, so they thanked her for coming to their aid.

I kept digging underground, and by now I explored about thirty to forty percent of the underground areas of the continent. During this time, we also dug up the area near where the elven capital once stood. It was supposedly destroyed during the Rottedlands era.

- Something doesn�t seem quite right, - I mused to the Valthorns, summarizing the underground explorations.

Alka, my chief researcher, nodded. - Indeed. The amount of remnants we dug up seems rather small for what was a large capital. -

- Could everything be destroyed? - a senior druid proposed. - So many other kingdoms were destroyed that day. -

- Indeed, but most of them left behind a lot of noticeable debris or damaged structures. - Alka soon ordered a far bigger archaeological study of the area. Within a month, we mapped out the debris and places where the damage was found. Indeed, there was a large circular area where there was very little debris or ruins. It was strange.

- What are we theorizing here? - Edna asked.

- Is it possible for the destruction to be so uneven? -

- It could be something that exploded and then destroyed the city before the demon king�s sludge reached this place. - We soon created a lot more magical sensors in that area in hope of cracking the clue, but we didn�t detect anything at all. Perhaps whatever magic that caused this had faded after the decades.

- If something happened, we were too late, - Alka said.

The death of the demon king meant the seas and oceans returned to normal. Gradually. The storms closer to the Southern Continent were the first to recover from the turbulence. It would still take some time for the traders to resume; usually those merchants that were forced to change their jobs or businesses in order to adapt to the turbulent weathers would still need some time to research which trades were worthwhile, while some of the more - confident - or - foolhardy - merchants would immediately jump back. These were usually the first to move anyway.

During this time, Patreeck picked up some interesting individuals through his mind - reading abilities. These guys had magical camouflage abilities that hid their presence, but they could not mask their very clear - thought bubbles. -

- The artifact is acting funny. That missing hero is not here. -

On closer look, I felt like I�d seen that thing before. A hero - locator. No, more importantly, there was something pressing against my presence, and I pressed back. The little mental or magical tug of war happened only shortly, then it disappeared.

- False positive. Again. - The two talked. I remembered how I felt like they seemed really high level all the way back then, but now, not anymore. Based on my much more refined magical sensors and my inspection , I suspected they were in their level sixties but had special equipment to support their tasks.

They paused.

- Someone just used Inspect on me. - Ah. They had a counter - detection ability. That was interesting. It functioned just as how my domain protected me.

- Me too. Stop talking. This means whoever did that could hear us. -

- Oh. What do we do? -

- Retreat. -

At that point, Patreeck asked, - Should we pursue and follow? Once they are out of my mind - reading range, it�ll be hard to find them. - His mind - reading powers essentially revealed all - hidden - characters, a bit like a detector.

- Yes. But don�t kill them. I want to know what they are plotting. - I quickly called on my high - leveled Valthorn rangers and scouts. They had counter - espionage skills, though they were a little underdeveloped due to my extensive tree network.

My rangers gave chase, and they seemed to know it.

They fled. In fact, they actually disappeared out of my sight for a while and managed to throw fake trails that led my rangers and scouts on the wrong path.

Their skill or ability had a time limit, because about two towns away, deep in the woods, my trees could see them appear out of their illusions.

- The hell was that? -

- We�re too careless. - Well, they still were. - We should�ve known a supposed deity could see through our invisibility charms. -

- Okay. Okay. Let�s calm down and review what we have. We didn�t detect any sign of the hero. -

- A/ has a depository of hero - items. So our artifact is probably detecting that. -

- So he�s not here. -

- He might still be in the south, then. - They took out their bag, and I saw something that looked pretty broken, a circular disc that was cracked.

- When did that break? - one of the spies asked the other.

- I. I don�t know. I was too busy running away. -

- We need to report this. -

At this point, I decided to let them believe they managed to lose my scouts. I kept my eye and watched them make the entire journey to the eastern seaboard and then got on some ships. Throughout the entire time, I learned a few things.

They were part of an organization called the Laenza, and they were trying to find heroes. I wasn�t sure they were helping them, or trying to kill them, because it seemed they were prepared for both.

- Find more info on this. Laenza. -

What we soon found was that there were actually multiple members of the Laenza even on our Central Continent, but most of them were only mid - tier individuals, around level thirties to fifties. They had attempted at various times to recruit individuals of higher levels but with mixed success. There was very little they could offer the nobility that they could not already obtain in some way or form from the existing structure.

Those we interrogated revealed nothing unique, other than the Laenza was a group dedicated to assisting heroes in their tasks. Or killing them, if they were detrimental.

They also had a magical ring that was hidden by magic but soon revealed itself when brought close to me. It seemed that my domain had an anti - illusion effect. I wasn�t sure what it did, but for now, it went into the magical labs for research.

More importantly, what did they want with the missing hero?

YEAR 182

We looked back at the stars again now that the demon king was defeated. We noticed the path that the demon king used turned extremely dim. It just seemed like these - paths - were all taking turns, each getting stronger over time. Once they reached a certain strength, the demons would then open a path.

I also didn�t understand how the demon king actually moved across worlds. Like, if Stella took so much energy just to send Lumoof to a nearby world, it must take a few magnitudes more to send a demon king that far. Unless, like Stella herself, the demon king was able to create a portal on its own.

So I looked back at the tainted demon core with far more interest. Was it possible that the demon core wasn�t actually a core of some kind, but actually a mobile void generator of some kind?

- Doesn�t that explain the explosions? If the demon king kept the void energy within itself, a crack in that shielding caused the void energy to react explosively with its surroundings. Especially if star mana was used extensively to defeat it. - That was how Alka somehow succinctly explained a problem. - It also posits that, if we were able to defeat the demon king entirely without the use of star mana, it may be possible to avoid the explosion at the end and preserve a pure demon core for our research. -

- That�s a horribly difficult thing to do. -

Stella was rather fascinated by the idea and looked at my tainted demon core with great interest. She tested it and attempted to use void mana with it, and it did have some reaction. But again it was complicated by the hybrid mana it required. - I think your demon core�s just broken and distorted by whatever it experienced. -

- You�re saying this thing that I have is a dud. -

- I�m saying it is broken. It�s like a. erm. paint that�s meant to be white, but now it�s mixed with some other color and can never be white again. It�s like trying to repair a broken mirror, really. -

. fuck. Unless I break it up and try to rebuild it again. - Are you sure it�s broken? -

- I think so. When I channel my void mana into it, I can feel it trying to do something but it�s just not working properly. -

- Can you fix it? -

- I wouldn�t try. Void mana is inherently dangerous, and this thing looks like it can blow up really, really hard. -

Defeating a demon king without heroes. If that was what it took to get a functional portal generator and get access to the demon�s interdimensional technology.

But even so, maybe I could use it differently. Could something that powerful be configured to corrupt the pathways? What were these pathways? Were they just markers through some space? What was this - path, - if not a magical data packet through space? Could I build a massive firewall around the planet and filter out all these things? Were these daemolites nothing but trojan backdoors?

- Do you think it�s possible to hide the world, Stella? -

- I don�t know. But I suppose I can try to see whether I can interrupt or disrupt it? Move the rift around? -

- That�s a good idea. If you could redirect the demons to the moons and let them stay there and float around harmlessly. Or crush them in the depths of the oceans. If it was me, I�d try to see whether I could tweak and control the rifts, if I can�t block it out entirely. -

Stella nodded. - I suppose I�ll try. The zaratans hoped to never have to face hostile demons ever again. -

- When you were there. did you see other demon kings, too? And other heroes? -

- I don�t know, actually. The zaratans made sure to leave the moment the demon kings were about to arrive. I think there are other heroes there, but I have not met them. -

No. More importantly, if there were other heroes, was it possible to gain fragments from them? Or was the system intelligent enough to differentiate me and those heroes, that I was a summoned person from Earth to this world, not that world, so I was not entitled to the fragments of that world?

What else was duplicated? No, if anything, I�d like to meet other spirits. There must be others, from those worlds. If we could gather a collection of like - minded spirits, we�d have a force that could stand toe to toe with the demon king and obtain that demon king�s core.

No. What if we were thinking this the wrong way? If I had a core like that, I could find a world that wasn�t yet touched or seen by the demons, colonize that world, and gradually move the inhabitants of this world over there. Eventually, that world could grow into a powerhouse that could reinforce these worlds that faced periodic demon kings.

Or I could use the portals to find a world rich in magic and create powerful dungeons where great heroes could be forged out of mere mortals. Surely the level of natural magic and ley lines in each world was different.

I shared these ideas with my confidantes again. Stella merely wondered. - It sounds like you truly intend to create a multi - planetary empire to compete with the demons. -

- Well, yes. If I cannot hide or avoid fighting them, then I must have the firepower to push them back so decisively that they can do no harm. And once I can do it for one world, I will expand it so that I can do it for multiple worlds. -

- Sounds like the true beginnings of a multiplanetary god, - Stella quipped. - I mean, no offense, but yeah. It�s kinda scary. -

- Scary? -

- Yeah. Being so close to a being that�s a borderline god is scary. I mean, some days I don�t realize it so it feels normal, but some days, it just dawns on me that you could kill tens of thousands without batting an eye. -

- The heroes could do that, too. Any high - level individual could. -

She was silent for a long while. - That�s a good point. The whole level dynamic really changes the whole equality thing. There�s no equality when there�s at least a magnitude of power difference between people of different levels. -

- The system is merely facilitating such differences, but there are other ways such differences can play out. Even in your world, money and political positions do make some more powerful than others. -

- But that�s indirect power, through their ability to mobilize others. Here, the level system meant every single person could gain levels and cause a whole load of pain. There�s no equality at all when the power levels are so different. It�s like asking humans to grant equality to ants. It�s never going to be equal. At best, it�s fair. -

Stella just laughed after she finished that sentence

- Anyway, I�m not really trying to debate such weighty stuff. I just wanted to say you�re scary. No. People in this world are scary. You guys are like superheroes with superpowers. I mean, this entire leveling system makes superheroes out of normal people. It�s a wonder this world didn�t destroy itself. -

- With your own levels, you�re not very far away, either. You are powerful in your own way, archmage. So it�s rich coming from someone who can walk to another world. -

- Uh. yeah, I guess that�s true. By the way, do you. uh. ever talk about it? - By now, the news that I had the memories of another world spread to almost everyone in the senior Valthorns, and that included Stella.

- About? -

- Your life before this. Before. tree? -

- What is there to talk about? -

- I mean. you don�t miss home, too? -

- . no? Perhaps some of the tastes and pleasures, yes, but I had few friends and some family. We were all right, and maybe they will be sad, but I believe they will be fine. -

- You sound. confident. -

- There�s nothing I can do, is there? At least, for the first two centuries, the idea that it�s even possible to get back did not ever occur to me. This seemed to be a one - way street. -

Stella frowned and looked a little sad. The years had taken their toll, especially those forty years in the other worlds, even if her levels somehow granted her vitality. If she wanted to live longer, she�d need to reach the higher level one hundreds. - Yeah. I suspect it�s really like that. But I�ll still try. -

- Well, what level are you? -

- I�m capped at level ninety - five cumulatively. Most of my levels are in Void Archmage and some of my earlier Artist class. - She exploited the trick with void magic�s destruction of the soul spring to free up her levels, simply because when the - level bricks - were destroyed, you lost levels.

- Hmm, you have a higher natural cap. -

- I do? -

- Level ninety - five is ten levels higher than normal. -

- The heroes don�t have a cap. -

- They don�t, but they are heroes. They get special rights. -

- Maybe it�s my Late Bloomer skill. -

- No. Skills rarely change your level caps. - It was strange. Was it possible that void - related class and skills just used less space in the soul spring and that was why she could level more? - In any case, I�ll need to train you up to the higher tiers. -

I gave her the soul - strengthening seed the next day and had her continue researching the tainted demon core. I wanted to be sure, like, very sure, of what it was and that it was star mana that corrupted it. I needed to be sure, because I would have to form a strategy on this conjecture.

There was strange news coming from the temples. The temples somehow claimed that the gods summoned nine heroes to fight the demon king, and five perished in their battle. There was no mention of the missing hero, nor did they acknowledge their presence.

I had wondered before how the temples knew about the heroes. I believed they got notified; perhaps those closest to their gods got informed by way of a ping, just like I did. Or perhaps they had some artifacts that allowed them to receive such notice.

My senior priests clearly did not get the notification, so how did the other priests know about the heroes?

- Can we find out how the temples know of the heroes arrival? - I asked the leadership team. One of the lords quickly responded.

- Some say the gods themselves bestow the leaders with a message. -

- It is a saying. I want to know for certain. -

The diplomats and the Valthorns would activate their intelligence network to gather the data. Perhaps some of the priests would talk and reveal their secrets.

YEAR 183

The demons were eradicated, and the four heroes were - free. -

- I�m coming back, - Kei said. - And the four heroes are coming with me. They want to see the journals. -

They arrived by ship at our southernmost city. There was no fanfare for them; I forbade it. In fact, they arrived so quietly very few knew they were heroes.

- Well, you�re on the Central Continent. - Kei nodded. - So next we�ll need to get the four of you to Freshka, where the journals are kept. -

Chung, the hero archer, immediately asked, - Are we walking? Or magic? -

Colette, the archmage, shrugged. - I could use teleport, but what�s the fun in that? We have all the time in the world now. -

- It�s more efficient. -

- Usually taking the long way means we gain more levels and get to earn some extra skills. Who knows what we�ll discover? -

- I�m more worried if this is a trap. -

Kei shook her head. - It�s not. -

- I trust you enough, Kei. But you cannot say for sure it�s not a trap, - the archer responded. - Your patron may have other plans. I�ve seen enough of this world to suspect Ken may be right after all. -

Ken. The missing hero. Kei didn�t press it. - I don�t think A/ will do that. It�s certainly not in A/ �s interest to make enemies out of four heroes. -

Chung didn�t reply. - Let�s just go, but we�ll keep our guard. - My trees subtly detected the presence of magical shields. They were on guard, even with Kei. - And please, no communication with your patron without us present. It�s just. suspicious. -

Kei nodded. The archer was quite tense, like he was going to shoot arrows at any time. The other three seemed quite relaxed, though. Kei walked to the port�s Valthorn office and spoke to one of those present, with the heroes nearby. - All right, it seems it�s already ready. -

They walked to a building that was arranged similar to a large bus interchange, where multiple convoys of beetles were parked. There were different platforms, each headed for a different destination. At the end were the - express - and - charter - services.

Given the relative safety of the Central Continent, my beetles took on more utility and support roles. That meant they functioned as the blood of the transportation network, the engine that kept people and goods moving.

Colette laughed. - This is so Ghibli. Beetles as an express bus. Seriously. -

Kei somehow laughed with her. - I actually never thought of that. -

- What�s Ghibli? - Prabu asked.

- Never mind. -

The beetle convoy had eight large carrier - beetles. They were each the size of a truck, and they had a fully furnished cabin on their backs. The smaller, regular - size beetles acted as escorts and protectors, but very few bandits ever attempted a raid on the beetle convoys due to the retaliation from my constantly watching artificial minds. There were multiple artificial minds dedicated to just managing the logistic networks of beetles.

Kei just repeated the itinerary to the four heroes. - Freshka�s quite far from here, so it�ll take about four days from all the way in the south. These beetles will need one stop, just to restock, but you can just chill out and wait. -

The four heroes mostly played various games found in the cabins. The cabins each had four beds, and a living area for the passengers to relax. There was some food, mostly preserved foods, stored in little magical containers to keep them fresh for the journey. Sadly these preservation spells didn�t last very long so there was a need for a restocking station.

Colette, the female archmage, was extremely interested and kept asking Kei about everything. - So these things are magical fridges. -

Kei nodded. - Magic solves a lot of things. Those gems emit a constant cold and freeze. They just need to be recharged before every trip. Food�s prepared offsite at dedicated kitchens and just loaded onto trays. -

- It�s like airplane food. - Colette was very amused. - It�s so cool. -

The other archmage - hero, Prabu, ate it happily. - It�s a little jarring, from the levels of poverty throughout the Southern Continents, to this. -

Kei sighed. - It�s not as widespread as our world. You guys are getting the best treatment, by the way. These cabins are reserved for the wealthy and nobility. -

- It starts that way, right? - Colette smiled. She was really young; I thought she looked like she was only twenty. That meant she was. sixteen when she was summoned.

Prabu, on the other hand, was just munching down all the snacks in the cabin. - Oh god, junk food. How I missed junk food. - One of Kei and Stella�s great contributions to the economy of the Central Continent: junk food and snacks. That meant sealed packs of dried, deep - fried fish skins or potato chips. - Seriously, this is good. -

We had to use magic to get some of the effects, and we were not able to truly mass - produce them the way our industrial factories were able to, but every few months, our smiths and inventors made steps that took us closer to that eventuality. Our contraptions were getting more sophisticated, our machinery more robust and complex.

Chung was always tense throughout the four days, even though he did partake in the games and the snacks. - It�s way too peaceful. I. I�m not used to it. -

Kei shrugged. - It�s not a perfect place, but I imagine this to be life under a robot overlord. -

- That�s not exactly a glowing review, - Chung responded.

Kei merely smiled. The four days passed by quickly, and they were then closing in on Freshka.

Now that they were closer, I saw their features a lot better. They still nursed scars from the battle; their healing was well done but incomplete. A lot of the subtle magical fluctuations I could not fully see through my other trees were now obvious to me.

Their presence and auras also pressed against mine, and mine held.

- It feels kind of. stifling, - Chung said. He clearly felt my presence, and I too could see through a lot of the energies that were clashing. Some kind of Damage Aura and a type of unknown wind - like energy.

Kei nodded. - Ah. Yes. Uhm, I suggest you retract your auras if you have them. -

Prabu nodded. - I don�t see a need. Mine feels like it just coexisted with the presence. -

The beetles went over the outer hills of the valley, and the entirety of Freshka was now in view. A large expanse of green, with a few towers, representing the city, the School of Treeology, the Academy, and the Treetiary College. There were smaller areas, the newly set up void school, and the expanded merchant areas. Gigantic trees were everywhere, and they towered over various areas of the city.

Freshka was now home to almost two million people, and it sprawled throughout the Freshkan Valley. There were sectors, each meant to support the academic institutions.

- Wow. - Prabu, Colette, and Hafiz all went gaga for a moment. - This is like the biggest city I�ve seen. -

Kei laughed. - It�s not the biggest. Some of the northern capitals are larger in terms of population. But it is the most impressive because of the massive trees everywhere. And it�s not where you all are going. -

- Huh? -

- We�re headed to the real valley. The one that�s hidden. You may choose to visit the city later. After your goal. -

The tree that held the journals waited for the next set of logs.

YEAR 183 (PART 2)

The beetles stopped outside the tunnels. The place was unassuming, but the heroes could tell the presence of my camouflage and illusions abilities here.

- This looks like the perfect location for a trap, - Chung said as he took in the tunnel.

Kei nodded. - That is the intention. A/ is located somewhere that�s perfectly defensible. -

Prabu just tapped Chung�s shoulder. - It�s all right. We survived the demon king�s deathbomb. We can take whatever this tree can throw at us. No need to be overly suspicious. -

Colette smiled. - Let�s go. I think it�s fine for Chung to be suspicious. We can�t all fall for the same trick, right? -

Hafiz just grunted and started walking. The tunnel was relatively short for them, and they were out on the other side and in my own personal valley, the home of my giant trees and the still - burning flames of the dark mana. These days they were a lot smaller, so it was just little embers, small flames that lit up from the branches.

I liked the flames. It gave the valley a very unique look and feel. A burning valley, yet not hot because the heat had been transmitted outward by my roots.

Colette�s eyes lit up. - Oh, this is so. -

- Anyway, the journal is in one of the trees. We won�t be seeing A/ , not unless you guys want to, - Kei said and led the way to the tree. The tree had a magical door, and they walked through to see the book.

The book was a large tome; it grew slightly after Kei inserted her own memories some time ago.

- Well, it�s here. All you need to do is touch it and it�ll interact with you. I�ll leave now so you can have your own time with it. The rest of the hero items are downstairs. - The tree had expanded to have a few floors internally. The journal was first, the rest of the items left by the previous heroes downstairs.

Chung held up his hand. - I�ll do it first. -

Prabu shook his head. - No. It�s clearly magical, so I�ll do it. - Prabu walked up and touched the journal, and he just stood there.

- Prabu? -

He just froze there. Chung immediately turned to Colette. - Is he all right? -

- He�s alive, - Colette said. - There�s a lot of magic swirling inside. -

Prabu turned. - I. I need a while. I need to process this. - He magically moved a chair close, and he just sat down, one hand on the tome. - Just, uh. relax? -

Colette, Chung, and Hafiz shrugged and soon settled on the chairs and cushions in the tree. The entire area was decorated like a comfortable library. Prabu just sat and closed his eyes. After an hour or so, he stood and turned.

- Yeah. I�m all right now. You guys want to give it a shot? I need to pee now. -

- What was it? - Chung asked.

- It�s. it�s like the condensed memories and personalities of the heroes before us, and their lessons. What they saw, what the gods said, what they�ve seen from the demons. It�s just like. a bit of everything. Even Kei�s in there. -

Chung nodded and sat down where Prabu sat, and he too touched it. He froze and sat there for an hour, too. At some points, his face changed to show various emotions, like pain, like sorrow. In the end, he stood.

- . I was wrong. Ken needs to see this. - Chung looked at Colette and Hafiz, who were both still waiting for their turn.

- Huh. Hell of a drug for it to change your mind. - Colette looked at Hafiz. - You think we can both touch the book together? Doesn�t make sense that only one of us can touch it at the same time. -

Hafiz just nodded in agreement. He waited for Colette, and they both pulled a chair close and touched it together.

Chung stood, and around the same time Prabu came out of the washroom. Prabu went straight for the snack bar at the corner. - How did I miss the snacks? -

Chung rolled his eyes. - Seriously, Prabu. Is it time for snacks when we just saw that? - He pointed at the book. Prabu snorted and started eating. - Really? -

- All I�ve seen made it pretty clear we�re just pawns. May as well enjoy ourselves first. - Prabu munched. - And I�ll start with eating snacks when I want to. -

The archer merely rolled his eyes. From here, in the tree that held the journal, I could observe and listen in to their conversations. The archer and the archmage took opposing sides of the snack - covered table. Chung just frowned. - That�s a very negative way of looking at it. -

- Those before us clearly thought that way, though. - Prabu munched. - Some of them descended into debauchery and had many lovers, perhaps as an act of vengeance. -

Chung�s frown continued. - It�s just an excuse. The gods may have put us in a spot by giving us this shambolic hero role, but we are still responsible for our own actions. -

- Not if they are clearly influencing our minds. - Prabu just kept eating. - Now that we can step back and reflect on what we�ve been doing, we�re pretty crazy. Young teens sent to another world on a mission to fight demons with superpowers. The way we are dedicated to that cause and kept on doing it despite the horrors we�ve seen, I�m pretty sure the gods have a hand in it. All four of us didn�t crack at the deaths or the horrors. I�ve seen so many mutilated body parts. -

Chung didn�t seem to expect that from his compatriot.

- So the god�s magical influence is clearly not just to make sure we do our job. It�s probably to assist us to face the horrors of the world, too. It hardened our senses, numbed us to death and gore. I mean, it does seem like the gods touch attempts to hammer these goals into our mind and somewhat converts us into these robots. Okay, robots are a bit too strong. The gods make us obsessed with demons, and I see in our predecessors that they attempted to deal with that obsession with other obsessions and vices. I already see it in me, with snacks. -

Chung snorted. - Does being an archmage make you so suddenly intelligent? -

- Occasionally. I�m pretty sure the system made me a mage because I�m smarter than I look. And you�re an archer because you�re all tense and all that. Like a highly strung bowstring. Like, you gotta like chill, man. -

- Fuck you. - It got a laugh out of the archer.

- I�m serious, Chung. The demon king�s dead, but with all that tension you are carrying, your muscles are gonna knot themselves up and choke you to death. - The archmage handed him a bowl of snacks. It was deep - fried, crunchy leaves coated with some kind of mixture. I probably should ask Lumoof to have a bowl one of these days, so that I�d know what it tasted like.

- There�s always the next demon king. -

- That�s like saying you statistically have a 0.0001 percent chance of dying when you take a bus. -

- Which happened to us. -

Prabu paused and realized he seemed to have said something stupid. - You�re right there. -

Chung took a bite this time, instead of abstaining. - You know what? This is actually pretty good. -

- I know, right? - Prabu nodded.

- But seriously. We need to do something. I mean, we know the demon king can see us. They can see us once we have crossed a certain level and stuff. The demon king will be hunting us. -

- We could do what Kei did: camp here and if the demon king comes for us blow the shit out of it and then land the finishing blow, - Prabu said. - I honestly thought that was a very clever move. We engage in battle on our terms and stack the odds in our favor. -

- But that means working with this. tree. -

- What�s so bad about that? We�re pretty much divine mercenaries. Ken seemed to think so, and now we know he�s pretty much right. -

Chung paused. - I should drop him a message. - He activated a magical glowing ball and spoke to it. - Hey, Ken. I know you�re out there, but I just wanted to let you know that we�re safe, and we�re on the Central Continent now. And uhm. you should get here and see this journal left by the old heroes. I think it�s quite similar to all that stuff you�ve been talking about, that this whole thing is a ruse. -

The ball of magic transformed into a glowing arrow with a letter wrapped on it, and the arrow wooshed into the immaterium.

Prabu smirked. - We should ask Kei to come in. She saw this before. -

- I think we should have our own discussion first. Just four of us before we ask her to come in. She was a hero, sure, but we�re not sure how much her new form is subject to the control of this. tree. -

- You�re implying she�s not who she says she is. -

- She could just be a golem of crystal combined with the copied memories of the real Kei and the real Kei is long dead and we�re dealing with essentially identity theft. -

Prabu rolled his eyes. - You�re sometimes a step away from being as crazy as Ken. -

- I know. We are best friends, you know. -

- Seriously. -

Colette and Hafiz were done, too. Colette didn�t seem particularly fazed, but Hafiz was straight - out weeping. They both soon collected themselves and sat with the other two heroes.

- Didn�t take it very well, dude? - Chung said.

The knight or paladin - I wasn�t sure what his exact subtype was - nodded. I wondered how Hafiz would stack up against Edna and whether their powers were comparable. He let out a huge sigh. - . bad. It�s so bad. -

Colette could still smile, though. - Felt like I was in a movie, you know, like watching their lives flash by before me. I found it rather sweet that they took the effort to make this memento for us who came after them. It�s a really good idea. -

Chung then asked, - All right. Important question. Did you share your memories with the book? -

Hafiz, Prabu, and Colette nodded. Chung frowned. - I didn�t. -

Prabu thought for a moment. - It�s okay. Not everyone should share, actually. It�ll be a good thing to test whether this will have drawbacks. -

Chung nodded. - Exactly. You�re not stupid after all. -

Prabu materialized a wooden staff and attempted to bonk Chung on the head. He blocked it with a wooden plate.

The female archmage took a bite. - All right. I feel we all need some time to digest what we saw today. So let�s just go check out the previous heroes items instead. It�s just downstairs. -

They all nodded.

Nothing much happened when they went downstairs. They were rather fascinated with the Harris - era items due to the summon - mechanics it employed, and Kei�s - tower - mechanics. -

- We�re like vanilla heroes, - Prabu complained. - Two archmages, a knight, and an archer. Seriously. -

- We�re missing a healer, though, - Chung responded.

Colette frowned. - I feel like I�m missing some context about all these game stuff you guys speak of. -

- It�s just game classes, - Prabu said. - Kinda like traditional RPGs. -

She frowned. - Traditional RPGs are weird. I only played a few mobile MOBAs, and they don�t split classes this way. -

Prabu paused. - That�s actually a good point. Guess this world�s gods are like from the older generation where their rules are more 3E than mobage. -

They didn�t take anything. Not yet, anyway. They wanted to think about it a bit more, and the rules left by the previous heroes required them to essentially exchange their own hero - made items, or add their own, before they could take those made by the prior heroes.

They returned to Freshka where Kei placed them in a nice inn. When it was late at night, Chung snuck out alone. Prabu and Colette slept, while Hafiz walked the city.

I followed them, of course. Chung ran all the way to an open field outside Freshka, where there was nothing but shrubs. Then he activated a set of skills and then a magical glowing ball, again.

- Ken, you there? - he asked softly. He had a magical bubble that protected himself.

- . are you really safe? - A voice was on the other side this time. Ken. I could still listen in; after all, there were shrubs and grass all around, and he neglected to cover the ground.

- Yeah. It�s. it�s quite safe here. No, it�s so safe, it�s jarring when compared to what we�ve seen the past few years. -

- Hmm. So that book that you saw, I should see it? -

- I think so. It�s similar to what you talked about. I mean, they don�t have your angle to it, but I think their perspective would be valuable. -

- Think I can sneak in? -

- With the right spells, probably. I�ll make a hero item with a marker so you can find it. -

- I see. Got it. How are the others doing? -

- As you expected, they�re taking this way too easy. No, actually, I�m even surprised at how easily I am accepting all this. -

- I knew those guys weren�t entirely honest with us. Who the fuck gets outworlders to do their dirty work if they have nothing to hide? If they are gods, they should have tons of entirely gullible followers to manipulate, so it didn�t make sense at all why they needed us. -

Chung just nodded quietly. - Where are you? -

- You know I won�t answer that. -

- That book says that the demon king can sense our star mana. When our levels cross level one hundred, the demon king could probably sniff us out. -

- I suspected that. The heroes and demons are opposite polarities of a magnet meant to collide. They must collide or they will mess things up. -

Chung sighed. - So what do we do? After I saw that book, I�m convinced you are right, but I don�t see a way out of us. Not without dying. It says something that all previous heroes die, and I think we�re meant to die. -

- We�re designed to die. We�re essentially disposable Band - Aids. I feel we have two ideas if we don�t want to die. -

- Which is? Get stronger and defeat the demon kings consistently? - Chung stated the obvious.

- No. We know the gods tell us that the demon king changes every time, so each demon king will stack against us differently. I feel we should figure out a way to trick the gods to summon more heroes. -

- By letting them think we are dead? - Chung paused. - You mean like Kei? -

- The golem? That�s not my ideal result, honestly. I would like to keep my powers, not just retain a fragment of memories in some other form, - Ken responded on the other side. - We�ve got slightly less than ten years to prepare, and personally, I want to know whether we can run away. If we do, or somehow vanish from the eyes of the gods, do the gods summon new ones? -

Chung looked around. It was dark in the middle of the night, but he was well covered with a heavy cloak. The wind was strong, but it didn�t affect him all that much. - Huh. Want me to look out for it? -

- I�m a mage, too. I�ll figure it out. -

- You don�t have to do this alone, you know, - Chung said.

- I know, but I want some independence to pursue slightly more. unconventional ideas. -

- Blood magic? -

- Maybe. I�ll let you know. -

Freshka. The heroes walked around and explored the city and noted the presence of strangely modern facilities. Of all the cities on the Central Continent, Freshka was the most magically modern. There were magical equivalents of most common machines, like fridges, magical wagons and trains, magical lifts, with a healthy dose of trees between everything.

Kei walked with them.

- There�s a theater! - Colette�s eyes immediately homed in. - What do they play? Anything from our world? -

Kei shook her head. - Nah. The lords and nobles of this world love political drama, so the theatres here are more like episodic sitcoms. The nobles come to watch the writers of the imaginary story of nobility go through the challenges of life. -

- Seriously. - Colette frowned.

- The paying group are mostly wealthy nobles, and they have huge egos so they love stories about them, even if indirectly. Theater is something enjoyed by the elites, not the masses. -

Colette stomped her feet. - Things like this really reminded me how horrible this world is. -

The other three boys chuckled.

Kei brought them to one of the Valthorn - maintained segments of Freshka. She knocked and led them to one of the houses that very much resembled a modern home.

They saw a middle - aged lady sitting on the table.

- Astia, these are the heroes, - Kei said to Stella. - Heroes, this is Astia. She�s from Earth, too, but as an accident. -

- An. accident? -

They met, and Stella gave a brief overview of how the accident happened. At this point, Kei was also aware of the Frozen Tree, but not aware of Aria�s true nature as another - accident. - Edna and Lumoof wisely kept their mouths shut about Aria and Aispeng. The discussion between the heroes and Stella was polite and didn�t touch on much. Stella did not mention her nature as a void archmage, either. Perhaps she thought they would have known, if they made any research.

- Well. At this point, this is it, - Kei said.

- What do you mean? -

- I�ve brought you here and introduced the surviving outworlders to you. -

- You won�t introduce us to the tree? - Chung wondered.

Kei paused. - You want to meet the tree? I mean. I could ask, but. -

Chung paused and looked at the other three heroes; they shrugged. Prabu paused and then asked, - Actually, we were wondering whether we could somehow cook up an arrangement like you. -

- Me? - Kei responded.

- No. I mean your strategy of softening the demon king with traps and bombs. That�s smart stuff. -

- It worked because we could detect and pinpoint the exact location on the Central Continent. If the next demon king doesn�t appear on the Central Continent, that would not be possible, - Kei said frankly.

- This detection ability, is it something that can be shared? Is it an artifact or a tool? - the archer asked.

- I�m not sure, but my gut feeling is it�s something like A/ �s own sense. If it is his senses, then it wouldn�t work outside of the continent. -

- Unless we move him to another continent, - Prabu said, and I mentally flinched at the idea.

YEAR 184

The heroes eventually left; well, they split up, really. Prabu, Colette, and Hafiz decided to travel to the Northern Islands, and they wanted to do a - world tour, - at least before the next demon king came along. So a few middle - ranked Valthorns were assigned to just bring them to the sights of the Central Continent.

Like Kei�s battlefield, and the Rottedlands. And some other stuff like volcanoes, some beautiful beaches and reefs. But not in Reefy�s area. That was a no - go. I did not want Reefy and the heroes to ever meet. Not now, not yet. Not when Reefy was still generally murderous.

The archer hero, on the other hand, took a ship back to the Southern Continent. It seemed that he had other plans, and it involved some magical preparations.

Throughout the entire thing, it seemed they remained oblivious of my ability to see them even from this distance, these days I felt that was truly my superpower. The ability of a massive hive - mind of trees to watch the entire continent at once, so long as there was a tree or a grass or a bush present.

The two archmages, however, were not exactly just having a holiday. They were brainstorming for some kind of an idea.

- Look, from what we see in the heroes memories, there�s clearly merit for preparations. All the heroes that fail do not prepare all that much. We must over prepare for the next demon king, even if its skillsets are different. So I propose building a super - flexible arsenal. - Prabu spoke one day while they were touring the northern shores. They would sail to the other continent soon.

- All right, I�m interested. Go for it, - Colette said. - What do you have in mind? -

- The demon kings have as many shots as they want at us, and they just need to get us one time to win. The demons bring an adapted arsenal each time, each more honed and better at killing us. -

Colette frowned. - All right, spit it out. - Hafiz clearly nodded at the other archmage�s words.

Prabu simulated some kind of global map. - We become weaker over time, especially during a battle with the demon king. We also don�t know where the demon king will appear. So my idea is we need to have small recharging bases everywhere, places where we can run to instantly restore our health, our star mana, and also equip ourselves with powerful gear. We need to build mini - mechas for ourselves, with different weapon loads. -

- And this will help us when we�re outclassed by the demon king? -

- It�ll make us more durable, and we can fight longer. Our levels are the main thing that we have that gives us a chance to survive. If we can gain more levels, we can live. -

- We�re still pretty soft, - Hafiz said. - We�ve seen how it took two shields to protect ourselves. -

- Our hero items, for example, amplify our powers and make us stronger, and yet our hero forge has odd limits. Like the size of our items, and the nature of powers that we can infuse into it, and how many functions. -

- And? - Colette was impatient.

- We need to find allies who can help us make superweapons. - I was really tempted to tell them I was trying to do that, too. But I supposed this was like being one of those old farts in a really big company watching a young one join the company and try to do something they�d tried doing a long time ago.

At some point, I�d probably lose track of all their names, too. Especially when the names started repeating, because it was inevitable after so many generations that these hero names would start repeating. Maybe I�d get a Tiffany, or a Kayson, or a Rei. And maybe a Mambo Number 5. This was part of aging, right? As a tree, everyone and everything started repeating itself like the seasons going through its regular cycles.

Even the heroes were starting to feel same - ish. Like they started to fall into these - tropes - of the friendly one, the resisting one, the crazy one. Just rehashed and remixed versions of the same few underlying components, at different ratios. The schemes too felt similar and felt like something I was trying to do, too. Like, the whole superweapons idea was essentially my own mini - nuclear crystals.

How do you deal with it, for things to feel like everything�s meant to repeat itself? I didn�t know why that made me talk to Lilies, but I supposed it was life. Despite me trying to hold on to life and meaning, I was cursed to watch things repeat. Because it was just how it was.

I even felt like I had this question before. It is life as it is, fleeting, ever changing, and yet remains the same. It is the irony of our long lives, that we have more to do with it, and yet find that everything has been done in some way or form.

That�s shit. I mentally sighed. It tended to result in my branches and leaves swaying in the sighing motion. Even heroes with their unique powers eventually fell into types, and I wondered if I was like a voracious light novel reader at the tail end of my journey, feeling like everything had been done before and nothing was fresh.

Does it bother you?

A little bit, I responded. I tried to remember that life had meaning, even if it�d been done before. So what if all these people tried to do the same thing? If it worked, it worked. Must every new hero attempt to change all norms? No. If the heroes wanted to try something that may work, then they should. Just because those before failed didn�t mean they couldn�t succeed.

I was at a different level now, and my powers to push the arc of the world grew with each level. If the heroes wanted a way to sufficiently deter the demon king, I should assist them.

Do you bother doing the right thing?

Sometimes. When we feel like it, Lilies responded. The tide of fate pushes everyone.

At our levels of power, can we not resist?

The world�s gods have changed, as you have found yourselves. What more of us?

If you put it that way, why bother doing anything?

We feel like it. Some of us.

I certainly don�t see you as one of whims and fancies.

Some of us are. We try to capture them, these fleeting emotions, from our own, and from that of the dead. Each of us holds a little more strongly to some types of - memories, - emotion, - and - moment. -

Huh, so each of Lilies was a hivemind of different feelings.

While all things eventually form part of the cycle, you should see it as your contribution to the cycle, like we are the spokes of the wheel, like we are the sun and stars that holds the world together. Though they do become parts of the cycle, part of a recurring movement across the stars, the sun does not stop from playing its part. It is not duty, it is not right. But it is just the way it is. We bend the world in years, decades, and centuries. We are gardeners of the world, tending to the plants even though they wither eventually. So they may flower so momentarily, usually when we are not looking. We care for the garden as a whole and would sacrifice a few for the betterment of the garden. Right is a relative concept.

That was a long one from Lilies.

Right is relative to the powers and goals we have, if we have one. Right is measured against what we care and feel are important, if there are such things. Even in the cycles of great things, they have a path. For most mortals, the world would force a few steps back before letting them move ahead. This see - sawing motion of resistance and breaking resistance is instrumental to growth. We as plants, we defy the natural forces of the world to rise to the skies. The higher we go, the stronger the forces push back.

This feeling of sameness, it was the forces of inertia trying to exert itself on me? Wait. How did I even get to this point?

I felt like mentally slapping myself. - Patreeck, can you check whether I�m all right? Any gods trying to meddle with me? -

- No, Master. -

- Strange. Why am I thinking such weird thoughts? -

The heroes clearly tried, and Kei volunteered to approach the local Valthorns authority for some building permissions for the heroes bases - all - over - the - world plan.

- So you�re essentially planning to leave some kind of hero item in these locations? - the Valthorns asked Kei.

- Yes. -

- That�s a strategic risk for us. What if they turn against us or other heroes not aligned to us activate these hero items and destroy whatever that�s around us? What if they use these locations as waypoints for their teleportations? -

- They didn�t do that with existing hero items. -

- But these structures can be activated from afar? Lady Kei, you know very well that this is a strategic risk. The committee will not approve this, and you will have to go to A/ to get dispensation. -

- But the heroes. -

- This is something A/ and the high council must decide, - the Valthorn officials responded. - Matters of strategic risk cannot be decided by provincial officials. -

Bureaucracy permeated the entire Central Continent, overseen centrally by my council and senior leaders. My artificial minds generally oversaw the bureaucracy, though they were more concerned with threats, internal corruption, and dissent. - Then I will have to go to meet A/ ? But the heroes are leaving soon! -

- They can return once approval is obtained. -

My artificial minds helped to track the expected timeline of the next demon king. It was relatively easy to do, now that my ability to view the astral star - ways meant the timing was super clear. I could see them come, literally. They were at least seven to eight years away. That was good. The heroes still had a lot of time for their plots.

Ardi, Lozanna �s human husband, passed away from old age. He lived a long life for a human, about a hundred years, and already his lifespan was extended by his levels. He was in the early level sixties. Perhaps he would�ve lived a few more decades if he reached level eighty.

They held a small funeral for him in Freshka, where his body was buried in accordance to a simplified version of Gawa �s death ceremony. In the recent, later years of his life, his age really showed, unlike Lozanna , who was a pure - blooded elf. Lozanna even today looked only a little bit older than the day she left on her big journey around the world.

Arlisa and Lauda, too, returned to see their father. Laufen, as the mother - in - law, also attended the funeral. About a week after, Laufen sat down with Lozanna . - Do you regret it? -

Lozanna sipped her tea. - I don�t know yet. I remember telling you I wouldn�t, but now that it happened, I�m not so sure. -

Laufen merely held her daughter�s hand. - The thing about us elves is that when our children marry someone not as long lived as us, we will often witness the aging and death of our great - grandchildren. Like Arlisa and Lauda, as half elves they will live much longer lives, but eventually, they will die before we do. It is a very sad thing to witness our children�s children and their children leave before we do. -

Lozanna just sat quietly as she digested the gravity of the truth.

- But I believed in the beauty of the moment. It�s something humans and those with shorter lives like the lizard people are incredible at. Their ability to throw caution to the winds and just be at the moment. Us elves and the treefolks, too, have a distorted sense of time, and we worry too much about the future. -

- . yeah. -

- So, go spend time with Arlisa and Lauda. - Laufen smiled. Lauda did not inherit her mother�s love for spear - combat. Instead, he was more of an academic and reminded me of Roma, who was now a senior executive at one of the Central Continent�s many trading companies. He hated her mom�s dungeon expeditions and preferred more leisurely pursuits like writing and arts. - Preferably not both together. -

The two siblings, born so many years apart, did not see quite eye to eye. They were born in different times and with different expectations. Lozanna at one point was rather stressed that she was one of the strongest in Freshka, but now, I had Edna, Lumoof, and many others who were now stronger.

Perhaps it was the weight of duty that as one of the strongest, she felt, even if a tiny bit, responsible to this nation that I built and not - free - to live the life she wanted. In a sense, I believed I neglected what they wanted personally. That weight lifted, Lauda was able to grow up with a more confident, less stressed mother, and that, too, reflected in how relaxed Lauda�s disposition was, compared to Arlisa, who was confused and easily stressed, despite her natural talents.

Training people was really a gamble. They didn�t always turn out the way you wanted them to, and they often had plans on their own. This was something I concluded, and so the way I could maintain a steady talent pool was to expand the talent pool and keep looking. People like Edna, or Lumoof, young or old, so long as they had the drive and the spark, I was willing to give them a shot.

Because I�d seen many talents fizzle out after a good early run. Lumoof, as an example, was one of those old guys who had a second wind. Now he was the second strongest. Life was strange, and a lot of it required opportunity, drive, motivation, and the right mindset at the correct time. Some of these talents had to be given time to stabilize, to mature on their own before they were ready to be pushed further.

It was a numbers game and also about spotting them as they rose up.

Talent was something Freshka was dedicated to training. It was why I wanted all these different academies, to train different people for different things.

But like Arlisa, it was also important to acknowledge those who had all the talent were spotted and quickly groomed but then just fizzled out.

Some were like that. Perhaps something sniffed out the fire in them. Perhaps the comfy environment of the academies stifled them. They needed to be out alone, struggling against the world, to succeed. People who seemed to have similar circumstances could perform wildly differently.

Despite that, I still saw the merit of having a robust talent - collection network. One Edna or Lumoof easily outweighed the cost of training one hundred thousand students who never got there. In truth, about fifty to fifty - five percent would end up as above - average individuals in the level fifties to sixties. About thirty to forty - five percent would drop out, usually plateauing at about level forty, and a smaller two to five percent would rise up to about level eighty. This was despite these individuals being already pre - selected for some talent. This also took years, especially with the fifty to fifty - five percent bunch. They worked hard and had some talent, and yet the journey remained tough.

Throughout the Central Continent, we had multiple - smaller - academy towns, feeder schools to train even younger kids in just basics and recommend anyone with an iota of talent for further development. With the relative safety and prosperity of the Central Continent, especially in the past few decades, we noticed a subtle but soon noticeable decline in young children and more young children pursuing more trade and mercantile exploits.

As quality of life improved, it seemed that families were also getting smaller. I thought this was just a modern world phenomenon, but it seemed even in a world like this, generally improvements in living standards did lead to decline in childbirth. Which was extremely strange, and I needed to investigate more.

There were clearly better facilities to support young children, and there were centrally funded nurseries and creches. And yet families were just getting smaller.

YEAR 185

- I�ve got bad news and good news. Bad news first, - Stella said, concluding her years of experimentation into the Tainted Demon Core . - That tainted demon core you got, I�m very sure it�s busted. It�s damaged and cannot be repaired, not with my level of ability. Not without causing a detonation. After multiple tests, I�m sure whatever caused it is due to damage from an unwanted interaction with star mana. There were few really convincing scars throughout the core. -

I mean, it wasn�t the first time she�d told me it was busted, but I requested that she did tests to be absolutely sure. It took a lot of time, of course, and I had to assist her over the past few years with the - hybrid - mana - and supplied tiny bits of - star mana. -

- So we have a dud. Confirmed. Now, the good news: from what I saw and can reasonably conclude, your idea that the demon core is a portal generator is very likely to be correct. From the internal structure and the design, I�m now about ninety percent sure the demon core is a massive shielded void battery and portal key. There are some undamaged component elements of it that responded so naturally with void mana, and there were magical pathways that tried to access some records or pathways in an inbuilt library that�s unfortunately mostly damaged. -

That explained the sensation that the tainted demon core wanted to do something, like starting a computer that had some hardware failure. It was accessing the still - functional parts of the demon core but unable to fully complete its startup.

Stella, of course, knew I had earthly memories by now.

- It�s pretty much like a starship�s hyperspace reactor, stellar map, and guidance module rolled into one. -

- All right. Very sure it�s star mana damage? -

- Ninety - nine percent, - Stella said.

- So, if I want the demon�s way of sending someone like the demon king over, I�ll need to kill a demon king without using any star mana. -

- Well. whether the demon king is alive or dead doesn�t really matter, isn�t it? -

YEAR 186

We heard stories of the heroes completing their tour of the Northern Islands. They spent close to half a year visiting various kingdoms and cities and apparently created some defensive devices, too. Then came the stories about assassins.

The heroes were attacked by assassins armed with hero - items. This wasn�t in any of the official channels, but it was clearly noticed by my Valthorn�s network of spies.

So much so that one of the top spymasters came to me with a request to send more people to the north.

- You have the floor, Master Intip. -

- The north has been one of the more difficult places to crack. The natural archipelago means news travels slower via conventional means, and magical messages are often disturbed by the magical winds. -

- We face those challenges elsewhere, - Lumoof responded. Certainly, islands and magical disturbances were not exactly uncommon.

- Indeed. But we�re facing assassins. Already ten of our informants have been killed, and our own agents are on the run. We need high - tier individuals in the north, not just the regular rank and file in the level thirties to fifties. -

At this point, I asked, - Do we not have higher - level spies? -

- Spies are essentially a thieves and informants. Their classes are fundamentally criminal in nature. The spies we have essentially recruited from the noble classes, who traditionally served their lords to spy on their neighbors. - Internal disputes between my vassals, essentially. They died quickly, and often, so the good ones didn�t last very long. This was a flaw, clearly. I did not realize that my dependence on my trees as my main intelligence network meant there was no real program to develop my espionage and spy forces; even if I could grant them higher - ranked classes, they still needed opportunity and challenges.

But it was too late. I�d have to fix it for future conflicts. - All right, so what do we do now? -

- We can send our higher - leveled Valthorns in, those in their early level fifties, and train them in some spy skills, - Master Intip proposed. - This would give our spies the combat competence needed if there�s a fight with whoever�s killing our informants. -

Edna paused. - These. assassins, are they related to the Laenza? -

Kei, who happened to be in the meeting, said, - When I was there, I encountered and engaged the services of another organization. The Rosewood Alliance. -

Master Intip nodded. - The Rosewoods are one of my primary suspects, but we are still attempting to establish a motive. They used to work with us, at least, on a lower level, but something has changed recently, and they�ve refused to talk. Those that we captured didn�t say much, except they won�t work with us. -

- Any suspicions? -

Kei paused. - Is it because of the heroes? - At that point, Kei repeated what her experience was and what she said to the Rosewoods.

The spymaster clearly nodded. - I suspected it had something to do with our earlier mission, but we were not aware of the contents of that conversation. It�s clearly something that should have been shared a lot earlier. - The spymaster glared at Kei, and Kei shifted uncomfortably.

- It seemed they already knew it was us, then, and also had something to do with the heroes. How does this tie in with the assassination attempts on the heroes? How did these group of assassins have hero - items, and what are their motives? -

- My sources claim it is an ancient feud. They are a cult of demonic worshippers that attempts to harness the demon�s powers to bring salvation. -

That sounded really familiar.

- They are often mixed with those who used blood magic, but a few decades ago, those who used blood magic separated from them, and they�ve pretty much disappeared for a while. But few know the truth. -

Edna frowned. - If they have hero items, they can threaten any of us. These hero items are not so easily found, so how did they get their hands on it? -

- And hero items are all really bulky if they need to be recharged. -

- This doesn�t make sense, - Lumoof repeated. - If their goal was to annihilate the heroes all along, Alvin was there right for the picking. -

Edna jumped it. - It�s possible that there�s another group, these Rosewoods who are working against them. These two forces are battling it out in the dark. -

- Lady Edna, are you speculating that the Rosewoods consider us aligned to these. hero - hunters? -

- Possibly, but our past action of healing Alvin should clearly suggest we are not affiliated. -

At this point, I jumped in. - There�s also the Laenza. What�s going on with that? - How many - parties - were at play here?

- The Laenza are more of a loose alliance of hero - friends, but there are bad elements who�ve infiltrated them who are from these hero - hunters, - our spymaster explained. - They used to be more of a supporting cast, hoping to ally with the heroes for benefits should they survive, but they�ve weakened considerably after some bad bets. -

One of the lords stepped in. - All right, the Northern Islands are a collection of small nations. The largest of them hold the biggest islands. Are they all pro - heroes? -

- No. Some of them are outright anti - heroes despite being part of the four temples. There�s an odd relationship where the temples tolerate their heretical behavior. -

- And how do they get away with it? -

- They justify it politically. That it�s not a religious disagreement, but a political one. That they disagree on heroes on political principles. -

- That kind of shit gets accepted? -

- The ways the four temples blend propaganda, rhetoric, and the twisting of words is quite an artform, - the spymaster commented.

Lumoof actually laughed. - To be fair, as religious leaders, we are often asked to take sides on political matters. So many of the kingdoms and vassals of A/ had asked for special status and recognition in the name of faith. -

- All right, so what now? We need more resources in the north, correct? More firepower. But that doesn�t solve our problem of lacking information and losing our network. Having the swords to back up our people is one thing, but these people were there for decades. - One of the lords brought the conversation back on topic.

- Indeed. But it is the best we can offer at the moment. It is also a risk, because with hero - items on the table, it is possible that these hero hunters may use them on us if they feel sufficiently threatened. -

- Wait, wait. Let�s take a step back. What are we trying to achieve in the north? -

- Build a network of informants, in order to have valuable military and hero - related information. Keep ourselves informed on their movements, so that we can prepare for any unusual movements. -

Was this really necessary?

- Aria. - I activated the ice mirror that linked me with Aria. Lumoof was present so that I could speak through him normally. - Do you have informants in the north? -

- Nope. I�m a hermit, remember? All I do is hide in my part of the world. -

Ah. I had hoped they had informants in the north, given her general proximity.

Lilies, what do you know of the north?

Only the tales of merchants and adventurers.

Ah. Another rejected one.

Was spying really the only way to gain information?

- Are there any nations in the north with proper diplomatic relations that we can contact? That can act as our informant of the north? -

Surely there were magical solutions to this, perhaps magical farsight or something to that effect? My mages quickly commented, yes, there were such spells to allow remote viewing, but they were costly and required more mana than normal.

This led me back to my earlier research on ocean - crossing roots. Previously I had limitations, in that my trees had to surface at certain distances. Given that there were vast swaths of oceans where there was absolutely no land, this made this method unrealistic.

Next was the idea with Stella for a - permanent - portal. That meant opening a portal linking my continent and the north and then, through that permanent portal, extending my trees to the north.

Stella posited it was not yet possible, since she would still have to close the portal, and that meant large segments of my trees would be disconnected from the network. Was this really a solution or just a stop - gap?

- So why do you want to open a portal there? -

- Spread my trees? Having my trees there means I can access the magical energies there, - I answered, ignoring that trees also extended my vision and intelligence network.

- Do you have some kind of magical feeler? -

- Yes, pretty much. - I wasn�t lying. My magical labs were essentially magic sensors.

- Why not test it out? - Stella proposed, so she opened a magical portal with the assistance of other young void mages . My roots went through it, and I could see a new place. I felt the cold, and my trees felt the chill, too. A familiar sensation.

Cold. I quickly spawned more trees, and Stella watched more trees appear along the path of my roots. The portal opened somewhere in the largest island in the north, but even so, the overall population of the islands tended to cluster around the coasts.

I didn�t know where I was relatively speaking. The portal just opened somewhere in the proximity of the Northern Islands, but I just kept expanding.

- All right, close the portal. -

The portal closed, and it severed my roots. I instantly felt the loss of those new trees on the other side. It hurt.

Losing trees hurt. - Ah. Open it up again. -

Patreeck immediately shielded me from the cries and sorrow from my other trees. It seemed that even till now, I was vulnerable to the sensations felt by my trees.

Stella nodded and opened it up again. I sent my roots over and didn�t find the trees.

- Hmm. it seemed that my portal drifted and did not open in the same place, - Stella mused, and the other void mages joined in.

- That�s not good. -

- Unless we have something like a beacon, it may be hard to lock the portal to a specific location. Void magic is inherently volatile like that, but the portal will hold. -

- Can�t you open a normal portal? -

- I only have void mana. You�ll have to get someone else to do it. -

- Ah. - I gathered the archmages, and they commented that maintaining a long - term portal would drain huge amounts of mana, so it wasn�t feasible for them. - Surely if Stella can do it, you guys can open a portal, too? -

- Well, it will consume more mana and will transmit our presence to the whole world. -

Oh. That was a distinction between a normal magic portal and a void magic portal! Void magic was imperceptible to others.Stella then quickly debunked it.

- Not exactly. I can sense the use of void magic by my students. If I�m not wrong, if there�s someone who could use void magic, they would sense my portal on the other side. After all, I�m doing the magical equivalent of connecting to points through the void - space. -

Huh. So no one used portals to invade because using portals was like telling the whole world I was here. But how did a portal differ from a teleport spell? I mean, it looked like there was, but was there?

- A portal is a folding of space. A teleport is a folding of self into a shell and then sent through space. There�s a distinction in the execution of the spell, - an archmage explained. Taking this concept, did the demons open a portal through the rifts, or were they - teleporting - to our world?

- A portal for sure. Those rifts are portals. -

- If the demons can do it, why can�t we? -

- We don�t have their level of magical understanding, - Stella said. She�d been leveling up since her limiter was cleared, and now she was approaching level one hundred ten. I gave her special permission to join the Valthorns in the level one hundred twenty dungeon raids to help her level up.

- All right, okay. Can we apply the teleport concept to traveling through worlds? -

Stella nodded. - I�m not opening a portal when I travel through worlds. I�m only floating through it on a little ship. But I can�t remotely send someone on my ship when I�m not on it. -

- Unless we teach everyone to be a void mage. -

- Well, yes. -

Alka, my field scientist, wanted to experiment on the star - mana and void - mana interactions. Of course, the idea was simply to replicate the mechanics of the demon king�s deathbomb. Alka, being more of a generic mage, had to spend a lot of time figuring out how the demon king�s tainted core worked.

He had to make smaller experiments first in an attempt to understand the concepts used in the massive tainted demon core. Not all of it was relevant; after all, if Stella�s understanding was correct, this core was mainly a battery and also a world portal. We were trying to understand how it reacted with star mana, which was not part of its original design.

Or was it? I wasn�t exactly sure whether the demons were that deliberate in the way they engineered the demon core, such that they blew up on exposure with sufficient accumulated star mana.

- If this core is designed to blow if star mana hit it, then wouldn�t it be possible to just hit it with star mana, cause it to blow up, and take down the demon king with it? We saw from our own earlier battle that the demon core is hidden somewhere and has a threshold it hits before it blows. It can endure a certain number of star mana before exploding. -

- Or the demon king�s own energy regulates and suppresses the core from blowing up, - Kei retorted. - If so, the idea of extracting a demon king�s core is probably futile because it will blow up once taken out of its suppressed state. -

With no one to ask and no clear understanding of how the entire core worked, it was a risk we would have to take when that day came. For now, Alka kept experimenting. Hopefully, with the additional knowledge, we could figure out whether it could be safely extracted.

His experiments, as always, caused explosions of various sizes. Explosions were good; after all, this entire research was about making better bombs.

It built on years and years of continuous experiments, even when I wasn�t particularly paying attention, and he came up with bigger, stronger bombs by weaving magic a little tighter, timing them a little closer, and using improved amplification spells and designs. A long process of small, incremental changes.

Void magic and the interactions with star mana offered a chance for a quantum leap. The change when man moved from conventional explosives to nuclear bombs.

Alka�s initial experiments, though, somehow scared him. The way star mana and void mana interacted was just naturally explosive, and there was something exponential at work, even if we didn�t understand it.

- This may destroy the world. - Alka privately relayed his worries. - We should never get to that point. - With Alka�s calculations, at least based on our data points, that amount was significantly higher than what we thought the heroes were likely to have, but we didn�t know what the upper limit of the heroes was.

But they could achieve it. The heroes and the right amount of void mana could pretty much destroy the entire world. - I would not ask you to get there. Our goal is to end the cycle, not end the world. -

Alka nodded and went back to his experiments, but Patreeck mentioned concerns of his mental state as he walked ever deeper into more and more complex magic.

Back on topic on the Northern Islands.

- So what do we do? - One of the lords complained of the sixth meeting about the north. - We�ve had so many meetings and no conclusion. Are we sending muscle, or are we not sending muscle? -

- I thought we already established we are going to send, but we are now trying to figure out how to avoid hero items being used against us? - another one responded.

The spymaster shrugged. - The hero item is essentially a great leveler for the north. On the Central Continent, we can count on A/ �s overwhelming power to offset the hero item�s advantage. -

I could open portals, but already, I could sense my power projection was not great. The portals did not transmit power very well, quite unlike the demonic rifts.

There clearly was a qualitative difference in the demonic rifts and the portals. Why did the rifts allow me to transfer or project power to an entire world with just a small loss, but the portals imposed greater power - loss via transmission? Was it a quality of the portals, that they had lower throughput?

I brought up this issue to the group, and Stella, surprisingly, nodded. - I think it�s just the size of the pipe. As you know, portals cost mana to maintain, and the more power you push through the portal, the more mana it costs. Just as how it cost a lot of mana for me to send Lumoof to the other side. I believe the same is with the portals. -

- So if you open a full - powered portal, I could increase the power output on the other side? -

- Theoretically yes. - A test soon proved it to be true; he felt the trees on the other side gain strength they didn�t have, but again, the portal lasted two hours before closing and fully consuming the mana of all the gathered void mages.

Instead of using the portals, I thought about Lumoof. Lumoof was my avatar, and my link of power through him was linked in the system. Could he function as a conduit? A wireless connection?

So I summoned him and sent him through a portal. Thankfully, it was still within the same world so the spell didn�t cost all of their void mana. Then I activated the active avatar state.

At that moment, Lumoof, who was alone in the middle of nowhere, glowed, and then he levitated, and a magical frame resembling a tree appeared around him. The roots of the magical tree embedded itself into the ground.

I was now in the north.

Lumoof could only enter into this state a third of the time, the rest of the time he would have to rest, but between Lumoof�s self and the portals, I could theoretically use Lumoof as an anchor to send more people through, especially in combination with my Vine - Ropeway Network, which allowed me to send anything between two connected trees.

- A/ , with this, you could theoretically invade any of the other continents? - Lumoof mentally pinged; in this state, our conversations were through our shared mind.

- Indeed, but doing so means you are disabled and are locked into this tree form. It is less useful than your normal form. -

- I certainly don�t see it that way. We could use it on other worlds, too, and expand your tree�s reach there. -

Indeed. Lumoof would be the key in any demon world invasion, such that I did not have to fear the collapse of any portals.

Ah. Back to the meeting.

- Send the muscles. You will have reinforcements, - I declared to the group. - Lumoof is already in the north, and through him, my presence will be there. -

We would focus on those plans some other day, but for now, it was time to crack the north.

After decades of being locked to the Central Continent, it was time to make full use of my avatar and infest the north with my trees.

YEAR 187

The north was a chain of islands, but that honestly didn�t stop me. It seemed that no one sensed Lumoof�s presence, well, except Aria and Aispeng.

- You�re in the Northern Isles? - they asked through the mirror.

- Yes, through my avatar. - My trees gradually expanded, and I added artificial minds to support the amount of monitoring.

Here, I detected a second - barrier - or - bottleneck. -

There was a limit of how much information that Lumoof could send and process. It was still a decently high limit, we could simultaneously look at about twenty places, and I couldn�t switch views instantly. That meant there was still value in having a real root connection. Somehow, all of this information flowed through Lumoof, and it taxed his mental capacity heavily, even with the assistance of the extra minds.

A person, even if he was a high - leveled avatar, was not meant to be full - on - god mode. -

My trees spread discreetly and quickly, adapting to the appearance of the local flora. At first, a lot of it was just pointless chatter. We had to filter that out. It occupied too much of Lumoof�s brain - time.

I tried creating an artificial soul there, through Lumoof, but I couldn�t send the souls I gathered here to Lumoof. That said, Lumoof was in fact a portable soul - collection machine with the avatar ability. This meant, if he fought with the heroes, he could actually facilitate the gathering of Titan Souls!

Yay! He was like a massive soul vacuum cleaner, and he was collecting the north.

- Come to think of it, do you collect souls? - I asked Aria and Aispeng. After all, they were spirits in their own way.

- No. Not our department, - Aria responded.

Then where did all the souls in the north go? Surely they must go somewhere, or did they drift along?

I tried using my soul powers to interrogate the collected souls. This power was rarely used because when I could see and eavesdrop on almost the entire continent, that was a much more reliable information source than interrogating the dead with their incomplete memories due to death. After all, incomplete information without context could be dangerous.

Still, in the north, I needed to quickly gather information, and soon I chanced upon the dead souls of two operatives.

- Kill. Hero. -

- Why? -

- Hero. Enemy. Mission. Rewards. Dead. -

So there was a reward if the hero died? What kind of reward?

- Big money. Levels. Special. Class. - A special class for those who killed heroes? That actually made sense. - Power. Immortality. -

- That�s awfully vague, - Lumoof remarked mentally as he, too, was a participant in my interrogation of the dead. Even if they had pointed us in a direction. -

- I faintly recall killing heroes results in a curse. - But only if they were killed before their designated demon king perished. Thus, for this generation, they were all targets.

- That is probably also true, but worth it. Given the risks, the rewards should be fairly good. -

- If so, surely there must have been successful hero - killers in the past. - If there were, they managed to hide themselves from the historical records available to us.

But then again, why did I need records when I had Lilies and Aria? I quickly asked the two about whether they knew of the hero killers. It was a no from both of them. Lilies commented that they had never met hero killers.

Hmm. Surely there were people who killed heroes, even if entirely by accident? It couldn�t be that the heroes were so lucky, right?

Or they were.

- It�s not easy to kill heroes, though. - Kei frowned. - We�re pretty tough once we hit level one hundred. We get all sorts of natural defensive perks, and most of us have abilities to ignore low - level damage. We�re also usually immune to one or two elemental types that we are aligned to, and we get most status effects negated. -

- Most, - I wondered. - It�s possible for a hexbomb to kill you. -

Kei shifted uncomfortably. - Well, yes. A hexbomb would be bad. Wait. Are you saying there�s a plot to use hexbombs to kill the heroes? We need to warn them! They may not be aware of hexbombs! -

- I�m sure they are. They�ve seen the journals, no? - I retorted. - Harris�s generation faced hexbombs and a world riddled with hexbombs as a demon-champion countermeasure. We�re lucky those days are over. -

The first of the Aiva Triumvirate arrived via ship. They were led by one of the Triumvirs, Grandmaster Engka, and they came in one of the finest ships we�d ever seen. A beautiful warship of a glistening paint of gold and bronze and loaded with magical enchantments. Accompanied by a small delegation of Aivan Templars, his arrival was a secret, of course, but everyone noticed the presence of a warship like that.

- Not a hero - item, but very high quality as they go. It�s been in their care for centuries and painstakingly maintained, even if their craftsmen and ship workers couldn�t quite repeat the mastery of the ancient times. - Lozanna explained her experience, and she was one of those tasked to greet the Triumvir.

The ship was parked in one of the larger port cities on the eastern coast. - Nice to meet you again, Lady Lozanna . - Engka gave a small nod as he stepped off. - It seemed that A/ truly meant business. -

Lozanna didn�t quite smile. - It�s been a while indeed, though I must admit I accepted this assignment at great reluctance. Allow me to introduce the officer in charge of the escort. -

Engka laughed. - Still bearing old grudges, I see. - There was something faintly divine in his presence. To my spirit sight, it seemed like there was something else swirling with him.

- This is Lord Johann. The master ranger in charge of your security, - Lozanna introduced. Johann outranked Lozanna as he was in the level one hundred twenties, and was fully informed of the greater details of the visit. Though the Aivan Templars had their own escort, we were not taking chances.

Already their arrival sparked rumors, and I had my artificial minds on high alert. There were secret messages bouncing between the locals and people from out of town and then ships headed our way.

- I see I�ll be in good hands. - Engka smiled. The templars unloaded crates after crates of items. The dockworkers quickly loaded them on the beetles, the specialized transport for this visit. These were some of the toughest beetles yet. - But tell me, are we expecting company? -

Lozanna glanced at Johann. Johann merely smiled. - No. But we are prepared. - A few of the higher - ranked rangers were also nearby, shadowing their movement. They were there for security and to catch anyone who took the bait. My spirit vision sensed some unusual magic in those crates, things that felt similar to that log I had, but different. Engka himself also had some interesting magical gear, and I sensed at least two hero items on him. If they were so small, this meant these were either single - use items, or hero - items made for normal people.

- Well, let�s get moving, - Johann said, and a few administrative team members sorted the templars to their respective caravans. The chatter in the background was intense, as many soon asked why the Aivan were on the Central Continent.

We were expecting company soon enough, as my magical sensors detected uncommon types of magic activating across the continent. The agents planted were finally moving, and my minds were watching, marking spies from the other temples, the Laenza, some of the southern kingdoms.

And there were secret requests to the assassin guilds throughout the Central Continent. Sadly, they were all met with a swift rejection. The guildmasters of all these assassin guilds had an understanding that their presence was merely tolerated so long as no Valthorns were targeted, and they had sufficient brain juice to not interfere with my things. Those old enough to remember my punishments decades ago would know better.

Still, with the guilds themselves staying away, these foreign players directed the requests to the assassins personally with hefty rewards. The smarter ones knew better than to accept. Even if they succeeded, they knew they couldn�t escape. But there were always fools tempted by the huge sums of money.

I viewed this as a net positive. My Valthorns may be high leveled, but they did need anti - assassin practice. And a good reminder to those who had forgotten. The memories of men faded so easily.

- How�ve you been? - Engka asked as Lozanna sat in the same cabin. It was a large, lush, and well - furnished cabin similar to the ones used by the heroes. - It�s been decades. -

- Much better now that I�m no longer running demon-hunting missions, - Lozanna responded.

- There�s no need for that bitterness, is there? - Engka smiled. - I am, after all, here at the invitation of A/ itself. So how much do you know? -

Lozanna smiled. - Not much, but I don�t mind. It�s better when I don�t get involved with your business. I am here merely at A/ �s behest. He figured that you�d enjoy some banter. -

Engka laughed. - True. The matters of the Triumvir are never simple. That is a wise choice, a wise choice. - He then looked at Johann, who was on a lookout. The caravan of a hundred beetles passed through the valleys and were soon closing in on some patches of forests. My artificial minds pinged that some assassins were going to strike there.

I waited and let my Valthorns do their work. They had to detect their presence themselves, and Johann made some hand signals. A few of the subordinate rangers fanned out.

Engka looked at Lozanna again as he watched the rangers. - I must say, A/ �s ability to cultivate talent is truly second to none. I would trade my hero items if I can convince some of your rangers to serve me. I�ll even accept you. -

Lozanna responded, - No thanks. -

- The Aivan is really short of capable, high - leveled folks. Surely A/ can share? -

- No. -

- I can count the number of level seventies we have in one hand. That�s how bad we have it. A little bit of pity? -

- No. And certainly that�s not something you should be revealing so casually. - Lozanna seemed to have some bad memories of the man, and I wondered whether it was a mistake to get her to be the liaison. She didn�t reject it, though.

Engka laughed. - Oh, anyone level seventy and above serving for the Aivan church is a public figure through and through. You even met them. -

Lozanna didn�t reply. The caravan now took the roads through the forests. The assassins struck. The Valthorns intercepted. They were slightly slower to pick them up. The assassins were quite low leveled, some in their level thirties. A few of the assassins backed off, deciding that it wasn�t worth it once they saw who they were dealing with.

Those who went for the attack found arrows lodged in their heads within seconds. Operatives hired by groups unknown.

- Do they always try to kill you? - Lozanna asked.

- As you should know, I have many enemies, and I believe most of those who try to kill me are my allies. -

The caravan would take three days to cross the continent to reach Freshka.

- The Aivan triumvir is here? - Kei stormed and asked Edna one day. She didn�t know until the caravan moved. - Why? -

Edna paused and obtained my permission to tell her. - Because they reached out to us for a ceasefire. An alliance. -

- No. My sources tell me the entire Triumvir will be here. They never meet unless something of divine importance. -

Edna nodded. - Yes. It is of divine importance. -

- What is A/ trying to do? -

- A talk with a god. The truth to whether there is a way to end this. -

Kei stared at Edna, her mind spinning as she processed it. - I want to be there. -

- Very well. -

Diplomatic messages and secret messages flew across the world as they speculated about the Aiva�s intention. The other three churches were particularly tense, and they sent strongly worded messages to Engka.

Engka smiled when he received them. - Isn�t this amusing? -

Lozanna shrugged.

- The Gayan Master of the Temple just demanded that I clarify my presence on the Central Continent. I got similar messages from the Gawa and the Neira, too. Pathetic, when all of us together couldn�t even muster a force to stand up to A/ �s overwhelming power. -

- Are you here because of power, then? -

- My personal stance on this, yes. We are weak, and we acknowledge that. It�s especially clear now that you could invade the Eastern Continent and win. -

- That just makes me even more suspicious of your presence, - Lozanna responded.

The caravan arrived in Freshka safely. There were a few more smaller assassination attempts, but nothing too big. The caravan of beetles was led to a special clearing site made at their request. The crates were unloaded, and the templars started work. We had mages, builders, and crafters on standby to make any structure or amendments to the site as required.

They built a circular temple with a central clearing, and I would speak through Lumoof. I would have to stop my northern observations for this, but I would do so once they were ready.

- The other two Triumvirs? - Edna asked.

- They will be summoned here. - Engka showed a magical ring. - This is the Ring of the Triumvirs and allows me to summon the others here. - They walked to my valley. Edna was with him, and she was fully armed in her best equipment, just in case.

Engka bowed before my massive tree. I could see his legs shiver, and he seemed pale. - I had doubts, but now I do not. Greetings, A/ . -

- Speak. -

- I will commence the Ceremony of the Heavenly Gate to open a means to commune with our God, Aiva. Three of us will be there to keep the gate open, and we will sacrifice three divine items to maintain it. But once commenced, we will be very vulnerable and will require your protection. -

- You have my word. - Indeed. I had the entire area on lockdown. Who dared to mess with my ceremony?

- But that�s not the main point, really. We have never performed this ceremony, and we only learn of it now. Could you ask a question on our behalf? -

I wondered what it could be.

- Why are we left to die? - Engka said.

The site was ready, three hero items in the middle, filled with star mana. Engka twisted his ring, and his ring glowed. For a moment, I saw with my astral sight the world momentarily twist, and then two others appeared.

- Grandmaster Amdar, Grandmaster Mianas, let us begin. - They both looked around and noticed that everything had been prepared. They sighed and nodded.

They formed a triangle; the floor had already been marked. There were runic formations on the floor that I did not recognize, and it seemed that this was new to the grandmasters, too. No matter, they started chanting, and the strange energies within them, however miniscule, vibrated and then glowed. This was entirely invisible to everyone else, only visible in the spirit vision. It shone out and linked together, and then the three items burned, melted, and transformed into a levitating blob of the night sky.

Lumoof had been called back, and he waited. I would activate the Avatar if needed. Still, I early summoned Stella to watch on a hunch. Then we saw it, the blob twisted, and a door opened in the astral starways, so small and tiny.

A light reached out, a stringy light crawled out, and then the front bulged into a wisp. The string was still there, present.

At that moment, the entire world felt it; it was an oppressive feeling. Everywhere, even in the further towns, people were vomiting, and some fainted.

A feeling long forgotten. Lilies spoke through the roots. They live after all.

I would reply later, my focus on the ball of light that stood before Lumoof. Lumoof and Edna was unfazed; their domain protected them and allowed them to stand. Kei fainted briefly but quickly caught herself. Stella, strangely, only vomited.

The wisp formed into a face. - Greetings, A/ . I go by my names across the many worlds I touched, but here, I am Aiva, and long ago, Deyar. My time is limited, my true self many worlds away. Let us speak quickly. -

- Greetings, - I spoke and saw through Lumoof.

- You have questions. Quickly, - Aiva asked. - The time we have for this gate is short. -

- How can we stop the demon kings and end this cycle of destruction? - At this point, this was really the main thing on my mind.

- We don�t know. We have tried, destroyed some demon worlds, but we failed in the end. The demons are infestations of corruption. They can be delayed, they can be defeated, but they will eventually return. They are drawn to the worlds of the living, but more importantly, they are drawn to us, the gods. They have a vendetta against us, and we fight them across a thousand worlds. They find your world through the remnants of their champions, and also, so long the world lives, they seek to corrupt it and eventually turn it to a demon world. So long as a world lives, they will look for it. Each demon world weakens us all. -

- Can we hide the world from them? -

The wisp paused. - Possible, but not something I can do. Quickly. Next. -

Good. That was something I�d figure out then. - Why do the gods attack me? -

- I speak not of the others, but we often mistake native powers as nascent demonic presence. It is hard to tell what is a corrupting cancer and what is a robust defense from where we are, our knowledge and information distorted by void, distance, and limited perspective. I sensed some demonic energies in you but am relieved that you remain the master of them. So many worlds lose the ability to defend themselves from the demons, the body weak and in need of external assistance. -

- Can you call them off? - We needed a united front.

- I will try, but they are far away, - Aiva responded.

- Why do you control the heroes? - This was something I wanted to ask for a long time.

The wispy face bobbed. - Oh? Well, the medicine must do what it is meant to do. Strong medicines can often damage and harm the flesh, and so they must be controlled. We cannot inject medicine and then hope that the medicine will find its own target. We tell it what to find and mark them such that the demons are drawn to them. It is a balancing act. If we inject too much medicine in the patient, we may damage the flesh more than the demons. -

. fuck. The heroes were nothing more than tools. I felt something attacked my domain , like something was scanning me from my leaves to my roots. I felt something stir in the distance, my magical sensors starting to ring. Edna, Kei, and Lumoof seemed to take it quietly.

- Why let them die? -

- Because even gods could not be everywhere at once. Our powers are strongest close to us, but the great void of time pushes and pulls on many worlds, and this world has drifted on the void sea further and further away from my sphere of power. It is a great relief to see a native god emerge at long last, however weak you are now. Take my followers, and they shall treat your word as my own. -

- Wait. Your eminence, are you sure this is a good choice? - One of the Triumvirs could not help it. He had to ask. I didn�t blame them. Aiva�s magical face turned to face the three Triumvirs who struggled to maintain the spell.

- Yes. I am too far to properly protect you. I will repeat. A/ shall take my followers. That includes all of you, - Aiva�s floating face responded, and the three Triumvirs shook.

- I have enough to protect. - Seriously. I already had a continent, but then again, if I was going to end this cycle, I did need more.

- As you grow, you�ll have the capacity for more. The distance between us in this great void continues to grow, and it is an eventual fact that one day, my powers will no longer reach this world. It is far more just and fair for me to say truthfully that my power wanes in this world and better for those who believe in me to seek an ascendant pantheon for protection. -

The Triumvirs could not respond. I had another question. - How long do you have? Will you still summon the heroes? -

Aiva paused. - Perhaps a century or two, much depends on the flux of the void. An ancient pact binds us, the old gods, to defend these worlds. We have to, even if we don�t want to. -

There was a shocked look on the faces of everyone present. - What pact? -

- It�s. complicated. You will know once you ascend. -

- What are you? - Like what were the gods? Where were they?

- We were once like you, though our paths meandered in different ways. Time is running out. - The blob was shrinking. - But here, a small parting gift from me. From a predecessor. Good luck and goodbye, A/ . I, for one, eagerly await your ascension to the divine realm. We are weary from the eons of war, and we could use some new hands. Ones not bound by the ancient pacts. -

The blob of light flashed and entered Lumoof. I felt a bolt run through the link between me and Lumoof.

You�ve gained 2 levels. You are now level 199.

All tree - type laboratories upgraded.

Whoever wanted to interrupt us was too late, and it seemed a familiar weapon was used against me. A hexbomb. It flew from the south, but it was small, probably hastily gathered. I activated multiple shields to block it, and the bomb was stopped even before it got near the valley.

The blob was gone, and the runes vanished. The three Triumvirs collapsed, exhausted from the gate. Kei looked at Stella. - Holy shit. -

Everyone in the world breathed easier, as the divine presence vanished from the world.

YEAR 187 (PART 2)

The Triumvirs heard it from their god, and they were honestly lost for words. How did they even explain that the Aivan church would now be assimilated? Did the prayers now go to me instead of Aiva? There was a lot to think about.

Edna and Lumoof�s first comment was, - A true god is incredibly intimidating. - They had not felt such a strong sensation. Already, messages were flying everywhere throughout the world, requesting for information on what had happened.

- Indeed. I now understand the huge gap between our power. - If the levels each resulted in an exponential bump in power, perhaps the gods would be someone in their. level three hundreds? Or maybe four hundred?

The Triumvirs of Aiva were incredibly puzzled and distressed. - We. we must discuss this. -

- None of you leave, - I said to everyone present, including the Triumvirs. A cage of roots emerged around the entire area and coated it with all the anti - magic aura. - And no messages. -

Everyone nodded.

- First, I want to hear everyone�s thoughts. What do you think of assimilating the Aivan faith to ours? -

The Triumvirs were at a loss for words. - I need a lot more time to process this. It is too sudden to find out that our god has decided to abandon us. -

The problem of assimilating, no, taking over the Aivan faith was a lot more complicated than it seemed. If I could nod, I would. - Indeed, and has such things ever happened in the history of the world? -

Lumoof could answer that. - No. In our records so far, that has never ever happened. -

I looked at Kei and Stella, who were both present. I spoke as if I wasn�t one of Earth because the Triumvirs were present. - Both of you came from the other worlds and have seen similar schisms in faith. Surely your histories would enlighten you the moments where a faith or a temple is torn apart due to differences. What happened then? -

Stella was the one who answered. She was after an adult when she came, so she had a more thorough education on the histories of Earth. - War. Civil war. -

- I ask of you three, and of your knowledge of your priests, and your people. Do you think they will accept an outright conversion to my faith so easily? -

The three Triumvirs all shook their heads. Engka was the one who stood to respond. - No. Many have believed in Aiva for years, decades, perhaps even centuries. So many priests preached of Aiva�s greatness and kindness, of Aiva�s powers, of Aiva�s sense of duty to our world. I am afraid that what that lady said was true. If we were to follow what Aiva willed of us, the Aivan church will break apart. No. I am convinced that they will go to war against us, even if we are the Triumvirs. -

Indeed. - Exactly. This message, if spoken, the other priests of your faith would say all of you have been corrupted, your minds altered by my powers. You three will be hunted and killed. -

The three Triumvirs could imagine it already. Such a message could never be accepted. What Aiva asked was for his followers to abandon what they had known their entire life, and I saw that it was impossible, even if his logic had a sense to it.

Stella looked at the Triumvirs and then back at Lumoof. - A/ , what. what are you proposing? -

- We say nothing of what Aiva had said. - Everyone gasped. - I asked that everyone present to seal those divine words in your mind. -

The Triumvirs looked at Lumoof. - . but? -

- Your god commanded you to obey me. And my first order is for you to keep everything that happened a secret among secrets. We shall maintain our separate faiths, and the Aivan church will continue. Let no one, other than your successors, ever learn of what Aiva has said. -

One of the Triumvirs immediately kneeled. - Thank you, A/ , for your wisdom. - The other two immediately followed.

- Aiva may desire that I take over, but it is not in my interest to do so. I have no desire to wage war against the Aivan church and have no need for the church�s followers. - The Central Continent continued to grow, and I wasn�t about to just accept the shit that this god decided to throw my way. - But we will have peace between us, and in the future, friendly relations. But I may have requests for you that I hope you will assist me to carry out. -

The three Triumvirs nodded. - That should be fine if we keep it discreet and find ways to establish a secure communication channel between us. A ceasefire and a peace treaty should not be an issue, either. -

I saw so many potential pitfalls in absorbing the Aiva faith, and already the world had lost enough. It didn�t need another crusade, one triggered by the supposed capitulation of the Aivan faith. Those who believed did not see reason or arguments, and people would act based on their feelings and their conviction, even here. When religions back home broke apart due to fundamental differences, it always led to war.

We didn�t mind wars. We even allowed wars between our vassal kingdoms.

But the Aivan war had the potential to trigger serious questions of the possibility of the faiths coexisting peacefully, and it would be a war aimed at me, and it would be a war we didn�t need. No, more importantly, I did not want what I was implying: should I absorb the Aivan faith, a similar fate awaited the other three temples. I wanted my faith to be one that could coexist with the other four and that we could all work together.

I also saw problems even if they did accept my faith. I was limited by the natural geography of the world, and so even if they believed in me, I wouldn�t be there to protect them. It would not be fair for the Triumvirs, either, when they would have to defend my cause and the only way I could do so was to send my Valthorns across the sea and fight a war.

Not until I figured out how to properly cross the oceans. Using Lumoof as an avatar was like a stopgap, and I would like a far more permanent arrangement.

One of the Triumvirs apologized. - I had not expected Aiva to escalate from an alliance to an outright absorption of our faith. -

- At this point, what is the sense among your people? Would they accept an alliance? -

- Honestly, it�s a mix. Many admire the strength of the A/ ic faith and the powers that backed it. But out of principles and loyalties, many prefer to remain with the other three. An alliance may also trigger some dissent, though I expect it to be milder. That said, it would be riskier for the Aivan believers on the other continents where the other three temples are stronger. -

- Then we shall not rush into it, - I decreed. - Let us have peace, and we shall be friends. Allow our forces to travel to kingdoms who follow your faith. Perhaps in time, an alliance will be a natural evolution from friendship. -

I had the time to play the long game, and there was no need to rush things and create so much bad blood. A war won by friendship would last longer, anyway.

The Triumvirs returned to their temporary lodges, relieved. They would have a lot to figure out, like how they planned to secretly tell their successors. The words of their god by convention was to be recorded in a magical item, so they had to keep it safe.

I made sure they all received a familiar from me.

I turned to Stella. - You saw it, right? -

- Yes. - The pathway through the stars, that temporarily bridged this world, and the world where Aiva resided. - I didn�t think that the temples had a way to open the pathways of the stars, too, and it used a different mechanic compared to void magic. -

- Good. I believe this means all the four temples must have some variant of such summonings or meetings with their gods. It makes sense that it is not widely known. After all, it communicates with their god, which can be very, very far away. -

Stella paused and looked at Lumoof strangely. - What are you implying? -

- We need to gather all of the methods and figure out how they work. So I�ll need a team of infiltrators to sneak into the secret temples and libraries of the other three temples and get that information. - For Aiva, I could simply just ask them to give it to me; after all, I was now de - facto owner. The puppet master behind the strings.

- Oh no. - Stella was horrified.

- Looks like I must take training spies and infiltrators much more seriously now. -

Edna and Lumoof merely smirked. - A proper raid on the temples of the other three? -

- Not just that. We must first find where such information is kept and who would have it. Don�t worry, I believe this will be a long process. For now, you may focus on studying the techniques used by the Aivan church. -

The Triumvirs gladly parted with the techniques, after all.

I needed spies and thieves, a lot of them, and I needed them to be good at what they did. I had the ability to create higher - tier classes for spies, but ultimately, spies gained levels by doing spy - stuff. This meant sneaking into places and taking on roles where they were in real danger. As it was, we had spies who were doing missions in the other nations across the oceans, but the survival rate was pretty low. They usually died when caught.

- We could give them the Court of the Deitree, - Patreeck suggested. - But the slots are limited. - That would mean we could recall them if they were ever caught, but that didn�t feel like it would work.

I decided to go back to my dungeon creation ability and tweaked it. I wanted to know whether I could create infiltration dungeons where the spies had to figure out how to sneak to the end. It didn�t quite work.

Failing, I decided to create mock dungeons instead. I hired craftsmen and mages to build dungeons filled with non - lethal traps for my new practice spies and thieves to - practice. -

- The thing with spies and thieves is that they could easily double - cross us and we wouldn�t know any better. - Kei and Stella both frowned. - I mean, you heard about the whole double - triple - agent thing, right? -

- Of course, but who cares? - Next, we set up multiple competing spy guilds. The idea was that these spies would play both spy and counter - espionage roles, and they would have to compete against each other on a non - lethal basis.

Then, from the pool of promising and loyal spies, I chose one, a man named Varida, and used Gift of Accelerated Growth . This pushed his level to sixty, and he gained a bunch of skills overnight. Varida became the Central Continent�s second level - sixty spy after Master Intip.

Yet, even with the new levels and skills, Varida still needed practice and experience. Knowing the skills was one thing; applying them out in the field was another.

One thing that particularly annoyed me about spies was their ability to speak to each other using some kind of magical code. If it was not for Patreeck�s constant recordkeeping and continuous decryption, we would have missed a lot more spies. Each spy required far more resources and mental capacity to track than most other classes, simply because each of them had skills that interfered with my surveillance. Someone with a low - level stealth ability would take twice the normal bandwidth, but a high - leveled spy needed the tracking of a single artificial mind.

So if there were multiple level sixty�plus spies or a hero - tier spy, it was possible for me to miss them or only detect them if they did something.

A hero - spy could probably sneak all the way to Freshka, at least until they ran into Patreeck�s range and the bubble of my domain powers.

The good part so far was that spies couldn�t maintain their abilities full time. So far both of my level - sixty spies had skills that were only active for up to four to six hours with a cooldown of a day. That meant I could still spot them once they dropped their skills. Yet that was a time consuming, tedious thing to do that I delegated to my artificial minds.

As it was, I had so many trees on the Central Continent that I could support quite a lot of artificial minds, perhaps in the thousands. Technically, these minds did most of the mundane administrative oversight work to allow me to function as a divine being. That meant keeping eyes on prayers, on people, on other tasks. Each artificial mind could do a lot, but now they took up space. The Valley of the Unrotten, once filled with giant trees, was gradually replaced by the artificial minds.

They were the buzz in the background, the constant hum of their thoughts; they each observed their own part of the continent. Some followed individuals, like spies, or supported the continental beetle transportation network. Some worked on my many little improvement projects, like beetle weapons or insect adaptations. Some checked on my own Valthorns and the priests, ensuring that they were safe and performing their duties properly. Thousands of little artificial minds, each a name, but in the background. Patreeck, as the special one, lorded over them all.

But I considered whether there was a point to having another one. Two super - minds instead of one, to expand the range of our powers and to compute more things.

My artificial minds were my magical equivalent of having a big - brother surveillance state. I was the big brother of Central Continent, as much as a part of me loathed myself for it. The world would be watched, the gods were watching, even if they were far away, and these days, I suspected everyone was trying to spy on each other.

That said, a surveillance state was primarily defensive. It kept control of the state that it held. Offensively, I would have to either expand to that continent, which was bottlenecked by one single Lumoof, or use spies.

I sent Lumoof back to the north and continued our surveillance of the forces at work. The nations of the Northern Islands were highly fragmented, despite their outward unified appearance. The bickering happened beneath a veneer of civility. Here, where seas, straits, channels, and lakes separated the islands, the assassinations became a favored way of fighting.

The heroes left successfully for the other continents and were now working on other things. But even they were curious about the whole god - summoning incident.

- I got a message from Colette, - Kei replied. - They wanted to know what happened. I only responded that you spoke to the Aivan god. -

- Good enough. -

- They want to know the contents. -

- Tell them to ask the Triumvirs. We are not at liberty to disclose. - Push the problem to someone else.

The Triumvirs made an announcement about a week after our meeting that a special conference was held with the Faith of A/ and that a great peace treaty had been agreed in principle that all aggressions arising from faith should thus formally cease. The formal terms would be signed at a later date.

It sent messages flying, as the other three temples demanded to know the details. At this point, the three Triumvirs had not left, and they sought my guidance.

- Act as if I don�t exist, - I responded. - You three are to lead Aiva like normal, and that means you must be free to make decisions on that basis, so long as it does not contravene our agreed peace treaty. -

The Triumvirs had to leave quickly, as those back on the Eastern Continent would have plenty of questions. But they first leaked that it was a peace treaty brokered by the Aivan god and that the two faiths had agreed to peace with no reparations on either side.

Peace wasn�t so bad, and most of them could accept it. The Aivan church would have to cough out some sums from their own treasuries to compensate the kingdoms that were most devoted to the war, but that was it.

Peace as the god�s will? That was plausible, believable, and certainly, it aligned to what most kingdoms wanted. A war with a continent an entire ocean away? What good did that do?

It was easy, in this case, to claim it was their god�s will.

A lie, but necessary one. I had bigger problems to fry.

- I�m not feeling too good, - Kei admitted privately to Stella. The whole thing with the gods made her feel a sense of dread. - And there�s no one I can talk to. -

Stella patted her back. It was a useless gesture; she was a golem, so she didn�t feel any physical muscle soreness. - Oh, come on now. There�s me. -

- You were not a hero. You don�t know what it feels like to suddenly be told that we�re just nothing more than medicine. That we are unstable medicines that would harm the flesh. -

Stella sat next to her. - It�s something you and the other heroes have realized to some extent, so I personally believed you would have expected it. -

- It�s one thing to suspect your parents don�t want you and another to hear it straight from the horse�s mouth. -

- I would never have imagined you would think of the gods as your parents. - Stella sat. - That�s honestly quite creepy. -

Kei caught herself. - Yeah. That�s a bad analogy. I guess it�s like your crush telling you to buzz off, I guess? -

- That�s still kind of weird. - Stella laughed. - But cheer up. Now that you know they don�t really care, there�s no reason to take their requirements all that seriously. -

- I mean. how do I put it? - Kei looked at Stella; her eyes were a little watery. - I think it�s predatory, what they are doing. They pick us and send us across the worlds, tell us - us young, impressionable souls seeking validation, value, and recognition - that we are destined to be heroes, instill within us this sense of grand purpose, magically influenced our minds such that we stick to the goal. -

- You�ve known that. -

- Yeah, but hearing it said so matter - of - factly really is different, - Kei said.

Stella smiled. - Heroes are just like young, innocent, fresh graduates who are sucked into the corporate feel - good mission statements and sent out to the world, only to discover that their support isn�t great and the purported values are nothing more than just something written to satisfy some arbitrary rating system. -

Kei turned and looked at Stella. - Shit. Corporate life is like that? - Despite their age, I still occasionally forgot that all these heroes never had any working experience. This - hero - stint was probably their first job.

- That�s what my friends say, and you seem to be manifesting similar symptoms. Burnout from work. A realization that everything is just corporate speak. -

Kei had a look on her face. - Wait, are you saying I�m having a quarter - life crisis? -

- You�ve been at this hero thing for a while, and then you moved on and now focus on helping the heroes. Now you�re wondering why you�re doing it all in the first place. That sounds like a quarter - life crisis. You�re feeling lost, even without the gods mind control. -

Kei gently smacked Stella on the arm. - Stop it. You�re making me feel worse. -

- Am I wrong? - Stella sat. - I mean, we�ve known each other for how long? -

- You didn�t seem that interested in being my friend at first, though, - Kei responded.

- I�m just slow to warm up. -

- Really. -

YEAR 188

The north was in a frenzy, after a rumor that the missing hero was in the north. Strangely enough, I found him before anyone else did. Once Lumoof was back in the north, my trees continued to spread. My trees soon covered most of the largest island in the north, and I started to spawn subsidiary trees in the unpopulated places in the north.

The north, being a colder place, had most of its populations concentrated on the coastlines and along key rivers. That meant there were large pockets of uninhabited pine and spruce forests. There were also some parts where they were considered - taigas - or snow forests or boreal forests, where I could expand my roots and connect to more trees with little need for holding back.

There were a lot of hidden things in the north. Within a month of expanding, I discovered so many hidden dungeons buried under snow and ice and even more buried cities and towns hidden under no more than a few feet of dirt. The harsh cold and winters seem to deter adventurers, and the cold environment spawned monsters of quite a high tier, generally level forty to sixty. Some were familiar, like the dire wolves and snow foxes I�d seen during the great blizzard spell.

Snow.

Ice giants were common in the hilly, ice - covered peaks, like those we�d seen on Aria�s island.

- Your presence seems to fluctuate a bit. -

- Oh. - Sensing the presence of others was a hard thing. Like the heroes, I couldn�t sense their presence until they were close to my main body. I concluded that - domain - presence - was something that only the main body possessed. Ice. Forests. An entirely new continent. I wondered what other secrets were buried beneath these dirt. No, more than that, could there be submerged continents?

Were there the equivalents of Atlantis in this world? If so, could I find them with my roots? Right now, my roots still could not cross the oceans. If there was any Atlantis equivalents, they would be in the vast oceans of the world, submerged by some grand magic.

Thus, I asked my mages and Valthorns to perform research on long - lost cities and submerged civilizations. Ah, back to the north again; I�d gone off tangent.

My trees spied on the cities, and the villages. It was a lot easier to spy on villages that were surrounded by trees and forests, but these were places where nothing much happened. Usually.

Then I found the missing hero in one of these quiet villages, deep in the mountains. We did not recognize him at first; after all, he just seemed like a regular person who hunted in the woods, collecting snakes and lizards.

It was a magical orb that appeared one day that gave him away. It appeared suddenly from the aether, like an invisibility spell was dispelled, and it floated in a wooden lodge. - Ken, are you there? - Ken was a plain, somewhat handsome man, and my allocated minds were listening when the conversation happened. There were many clues in hindsight, because in this village, everything seemed new. The lodges were surprisingly well built, and the facilities were strangely modern. There was also a huge wall and a very large stone building that I couldn�t look through.

Ken was not alone.

- Your friend�s calling you again, - a half - elf girl responded. Ken smiled and just patted her head.

- Thanks. - He went to the room and sat down. - Chung. What is it? -

- Where are you? -

- I told you, I�m not saying a thing. -

- Look, right now, all the temples are looking for you secretly, and there�s even the nasty guys out there. The hero - hunters, the wannabe hero - friends, some secret spy and assassin guilds. There�s a lot of people on your tail. They are already on the fake trail I left in the south, but they�ll figure it out soon. -

- I know, but I�m close to my breakthrough. Just give me a bit more. -

- Dude. I can�t keep doing this without you telling me what the fuck is going on, all right? -

Ken took a deep breath. - I�m going to give up my hero class. -

- . wait. How? - Chung on the other side sounded pissed.

- I�m going to commit heresy, of course. -

- Heresy? - Chung�s voice sounded uncomfortable.

- The former hero, Astra, used blood magic. That was enough for him to be excommunicated. I plan to do the same. -

- Wait, Ken. Are you sure? Is this really worth it? Remember that I told you about how Astra was marked? No, Ken. Don�t do this. -

- Look, my friend. This whole thing is a scam. The journals you�ve seen already hinted at it to you. We�re not heroes. We�re just tools. I am not planning to let myself be sucked into some stupid overarching system of the gods. Not now, not ever. I�m quitting. -

- Ken, the demons will come anyway. Why not just be a hero and defeat the demon king? -

- And what? We have ten years and then the next one. No. I�m calling it off. -

- It doesn�t work like that. Not with Astra, either. -

- I�ll figure out how to deal with the demon king once I�m not a hero. I�m sure after I do this, the gods will meddle with your mind and make you look for me as an enemy. I want you to resist that. Can you do that? -

- Ken, this is insane! What if I can�t resist them, and I�ll be forced to hunt you down? No, don�t do this -

Ken pressed something on the Orb, and it went poof. He got out and looked at the others with him. I could now detect the faint presence of blood magic, masked under layers. It was then a strange magical creature appeared from his shadow. A small spirit - snake.

- Was it a good idea to lie to him like that? - the spirit snake asked. - I thought you two were good friends. -

- He is, but it wasn�t a total lie. We don�t know what the gods will do, - Ken answered with a sigh. - Come. It�s time to summon the rest. -

The snake coughed. He took out a small red knife that glowed in my spirit vision. Ken withdrew multiple other items that were all hidden in his spatial pocket and placed them around the village. All of these items were strange, with markings I had not seen before. I quickly mentally noted them down.

At that point, I noticed something strange with all the other - villagers. - They all had a spirit snake companion of some kind, and they were all behaving unnaturally. It took a bit more effort, I increased the number of trees present to improve my resolution, and then I noticed it.

Ken�s shadow was linked to all of them, a faint magic. The villagers were all possessed. They moved perfectly; they seemed to know where to put everything without requiring instruction. Some of them were mages, and they muttered something under their breath. The stone structure in the middle opened up to reveal thousands of snakes and lizards.

They all moved into position, and Ken walked close to the snakes. With his red knife, he beheaded all of them, one by one, as the villagers started chanting. All of the earlier items all glowed, and then, as he slaughtered the snakes, I saw strange snake - like and lizard - like shadows run around, never able to leave that small area. The ritual lasted three hours, and Ken�s red knife was soon drenched in the blood of all the lizards and snakes. During that entire time, the possessed villagers chanted.

Then he lifted up the red knife, muttered a few words, and I saw all the shadows drain away and sucked into the red knife. Then all the blood and remains of the snakes and lizards melted into a reddish paste, then swirled into the knife.

In a quick but practiced motion, Ken then stabbed himself in the heart with the blob.

At that moment, I felt like I had a stinging migraine, and I felt my mind -

Domain Preventing Mental Attack

Then I saw Ken�s body glow red. The knife glowed, and I thought I saw the shadows of the thousands of snakes and lizards. If this was blood magic, this was a very strange one. I tried to use more powerful surveillance visions then and changed one of the trees to a subsidiary tree.

I now saw fragments of spirits and souls, all in that red knife. I tried to identify the knife.

Blood Knife of Sacrifice � A knife used for sacrifices. Collects fragment of souls, spirits, and essences.

Well, thanks, but it didn�t tell me what exactly was happening. No, if it collected fragments of souls, what was it trying to do?

A massive red snake made of blood then surged out of his body; in its fangs were a big white marble block. It rolled and coiled, and the white block seemed to attempt to move. But the red liquid blood snake wrestled with the white block; they tossed and spun and rolled, the snake�s body smashed into the structures in the village.

Then Ken�s body glowed again, but this time, a massive shadow with thousands of snake - heads popped out of his body, and it smashed into the white marble block. The white marble block�s outer layer melted, and what was left was a white, spherical core. Ken moved, and with a swift, well - practiced slash, the red knife slammed into the spherical core. The knife hit the white core head on, and then the white core shook violently.

Warning: The Hero Ken � Error. Status unclear.

I saw the red snake swirl around the white core; it shrank and formed a red cube around the white core. The multi - headed snake shadow followed next; it shrank into the size of a small lizard and then melted into the red cube. It instantly changed the bright red cube to darker red. The knife shattered, then instantly melted.

All the villagers collapsed at the same time, like puppets whose strings were cut.

Ken�s body stopped glowing, and he stood as the molten red liquid from the knife swirled around his body and coated his skin and flesh. His wounds healed.

He didn�t move for a good ten minutes, and somehow he managed not to fall. Perhaps it was magic, though that was probably the least of the things I should think about. His eyes opened, and he looked around. He briefly closed his eyes again, and then when he opened them, the snake appeared once more from his shadow.

- The Ritual was a success. Though I feel we have. company. -

Ken looked around. - Really? I don�t see anyone. -

The snake looked around, too. - It�s. never mind. -

- Great. Now I can live in peace. - He seemed to activate a skill, and in an instant, his hair grew long, and his facial features changed slightly. His skin turned more scaly.

The magical orb immediately started vibrating, but Ken did not respond. - Ken? Ken? Are you there? What happened? -

He looked at it, tapped it. - I did something. I�ll let you know in two to three months whether it�s successful. But if it fails, I think you�ll get a notification. - The orb sent a magical arrow that flew up into the air, then disappeared. Ken tapped the orb again, and this time, the orb vanished into some kind of pocket space. The villagers were still unconscious, and Ken left the village that day.

The shapeshifted Ken did not say a word since then as he wandered from town to town, never stopping for more than a week. The villagers who regained consciousness did not seem to remember why they were there and what they did at all.

- This hero probably possessed some kind of mind - control or possession ability through those snake shadows. -

- What are those snake shadows? - I had no idea. As a tree that lived so long and seen so much, it absolutely annoyed me that there were still so many new things I�d never seen. I suspected whatever that ritual was, it was otherworldly in origin, because it was able to remove or tamper with a hero class.

That said, I still kept watch. Could he be a threat? After all, he was able to tamper with a hero class.

What did he do then? I saw the fragment of souls. no.

I had an epiphany.

I had been trying to remove the hero class by force and magical power. This was when I developed a speculative theory, that he absorbed more soul fragments and some kind of essences, and those essences flooded and merged with his hero class in his soul spring. He wasn�t removing the hero class. He was corrupting it so that he could be free of its influence! Using the soul - ish qualities of blood magic to enhance and corrupt his own soul such that he was free of the heroes?

The other idea was that they somehow used the soul fragments as some kind of abrasive or removal agent. Like using soap to bind to the hero - class and then pull it out.

- We�ll need to find a volunteer to try it, - Patreeck said. - But it�ll have to be a hero. Looking at it, it would probably kill anyone else who tried to do it. -

I agreed, that ritual looked really complex, but I had enough data to attempt to replicate it. But how did Ken get the people necessary to do so? I also had other questions. Like who was that snake spirit?

I tried to follow Ken as he moved through the cities. There were parts I couldn�t see him; here in the Northern Islands, my network of eyes and ears was full of holes.

What did he do?

Thankfully, he dropped his guard about two months after the incident, as he was taking a break. The snake spirit curled out and sat on the log. - How are you feeling? -

- Not as bad as what you described. I think I�m ready. We got lucky, I think, that the hero class was relatively low level. - Ken sat as he munched on a loaf of bread. It was hard.

- All right, hit me with it. What�s next? - Ken said as he finished his loaf of bread.

- Great. Now we need to prepare for our next step of the bargain. We need to send the swallowed class to my world. That�ll be a lot harder. A lot, lot harder. Well, for one, I do not have a foolproof way of sending something back home, - the snake confessed.

Ken paused. - Wait. You do have an idea, then? Is this the crazy - enough - to - work idea? Because if it is, then we should use it. -

- I do, but it involves you dying. That�s not what we agreed on, and I wouldn�t do it because I�m stuck with you. -

Ken laughed. - Then tell me the alternatives, but still tell me that idea that involves me dying. Because I need to know. Just in case. -

- Never mind. I still don�t get where you have all these strange concepts. -

- There�s this website called tvtropes. - Ken said. - Where they explain the common story paths and events. -

- Is this website an oracle? -

- Well, not really, but it�s more like a. -

- An astrologist�s predictions? -

- Something like that. - Ken sat. - Anyway, I feel much more clear - headed now that the demons aren�t always appearing in my dreams. It�s safe for me to speak with Chung, right? -

The snake shrugged. - Yes. But later. First, we must investigate that presence we felt last year. I must know whether it is the gods. -

Ken frowned. - Seriously, why do you care? Why get involved in their schemes again, after all you�ve said about their plots? After all you said about how they�ve surrendered your worlds? -

The snake remained silent.

- I want to live peacefully, find a place somewhere where I can raise a family, and watch my kids grow up. Maybe work as an enchanter or an artificer, - Ken said. - All these plots, in the end, are just the games these powers play. Now that I�m out, I have no intention of getting back in. -

- We don�t have to, but. but I just want to know. I want to send word home, if we ever find the gods. -

- I met the gods when I reincarnated. -

- Those are different. -

- Fine, I�ll just ask for news once we get to town. If we can use your abilities to control some people in the towns, that�ll help. -

- I used up quite a lot of my magic when I performed the ritual. I�ll need more time to recharge. It takes longer for me to replenish my magical energies in this pathetic spiritual form. You�ll have to do it the old - fashioned way. -

- All right, all right. Just pray I don�t trigger some stupid town - gathering quest chain. I�m not jumping from one hero storyline to another type of storyline. -

This Ken seemed. genre aware. That was strange; I supposed I was looking at a hero who had some light - novel knowledge and he was applying it to get himself out of trouble.

They left and headed to town. Sadly, the town they were in was all cobbled up with stone and rocks, and I couldn�t follow them all the way.

The three Triumvirs returned to their respective cities, and the peace treaty was formally announced. Our growing network of spies revealed that the other temples were quite relieved that it was nothing more than just a peace treaty, and some small trade - ish agreements.

The status quo held, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

YEAR 189

It was a little bit more annoying to expand my trees to the cities in the north. Unlike the Central Continent where trees were plentiful and common, in the Northern Islands, the cities were not tree friendly at all. That said, there was still room for shrubs and less obvious trees like wall - crawling plants. But this was inherently slower, and I felt a sense of repulsion for the treeless cities. Even in the cold weather there were ways to integrate plants into the terrain, and I would have used my root - network to use my roots as a form of heat distribution system. That would create a warmer environment that could support more verdant cities.

The lack of parks within the city area itself was also absolutely disgusting; only certain cities had them.

It seemed, though, there were at least two agencies at work.

One was led by the Rosewoods. Their agents were generally well equipped and trained, and they were the counter�hero hunters. But even they had not - so - loyal operatives. Then, there was the hero hunters, those that wanted to kill the heroes and gain some special class, though there was no data on what that special class was.

Also, it was a little pointless for me to kill a hero if I couldn�t gain classes. So, if anything, it should be a humanoid thing.

- Would you kill heroes? - I asked. He was motionless as he rested in a giant tree. His body was linked to the giant tree, and through him, I controlled the rest of the trees.

- If you ask me to, yes, - Lumoof answered. There were days where I still felt uncomfortable to be at the receiving end of such devotion and loyalty.

- One day I will, - I said. It was inevitable.

- We will be ready, even if we have to die to do it, - Edna responded, too, at the same question.

As my surveillance expanded, I was able to - support - the other Valthorn operatives. I provided cover fire and protected them in the event of any conflict with the other forces. Here, in the north, I decided against using my beetles, since we were supposed to operate without being detected.

I also did not want to reveal that I had somehow stretched my trees to the north. At least, not yet. I would use beetles if I had a more secure root - link to the north. My operatives, with my support and intel, were able to thus confront and attempt more high - risk infiltrations.

This was when I encountered one of the Rosewood hotels, a large wooden structure six stories high and a large subterranean presence. There was a magical quality to it, a very faint but strangely familiar one.

It was when my roots touched the hotels that I felt and then knew who it was.

Domain blocking mental attack.

- What was that? - I immediately put the name to the sensation. - . Meela? -

It�d been so long. Had it already been a century? Yes. It had been a century since they left. The sensation immediately made me wonder and think about how they�d been after all this time. Their soul contract would have maybe. nine hundred years left?

I thought about Alexis and her constant plots. Was she still angry, or had time mellowed her thoughts?

No, I had to talk to them face to face and then called Edna, Roon, Johann, and a few other of the high - leveled Valthorns together. For old - time�s sake, I asked Lozanna to come along, too. She and her mom was probably the only one left who remembered them.

I briefed the group of twelve about Alexis and Meela, and then Stella opened a portal, again, and sent them through to the other continent.

Lumoof transformed back to his normal state, and the giant tree opened up to let him out. - We�re going to meet an old friend of A/ , - he said to the group.

The Rosewood Hotel in Roshendam stood. To anyone who did not know, it was just a luxury inn, one of many throughout the Northern Islands. Those that did know understood that it was also the base of an influential espionage and assassin group, also named the Rosewoods.

Lumoof, fully geared for war, walked through the door, and instantly I sensed it. The entire hotel was her. Meela was here, somewhat, and already the employees in the hotel all stared. The receptionist, a half dwarf, merely glanced and quickly bowed. - Greetings, esteemed guests, and welcome to the Rosewood Hotel. Do you have a reservation? -

Lumoof walked close to the receptionist. - No, I don�t. -

The smartly dressed receptionist glanced at the other members of the group, mainly Edna and Lozanna .

Lozanna looked around and merely smiled. - I�m actually here for a meeting, and I would like to have a discussion with Lady Mika. -

The dwarf receptionist nodded. - Lady Mika has been expecting your group for some time. -

- Oh? -

The other staff members and guests of the hotel quickly walked away. They behaved as if something was going to happen, and perhaps it was. Already, I spread my roots and trees and attempted to surround the hotel. The half dwarf smiled. - Well, for such high - ranking guests such as yourself, please give me a moment and let me prepare. -

But the place was built with enchanted stone and skill - infused roads. My roots couldn�t penetrate them so easily. The walls of the hotel were sturdy, easily made to be a fortress, even if it appeared like a luxury hotel. Lumoof smiled back at the half dwarf. - That would be most appreciated. Please assist us to arrange a meeting room. I believe we have a shared history and will have much to discuss. -

The dwarf smiled and picked up a magical crystal. - Call the Board. - There was some inaudible noise from the magical crystal. The dwarf nodded in response and then placed the crystal back on the table. - All right, right this way. -

The dwarf hopped off a stool at the back of the reception counter and then led the way. A magical wooden staircase descended from above, and at the end of it, a door that was previously closed by wood.

- Will everyone be coming, or just the few of you? - the dwarven receptionist asked. - The boardroom is large. -

Lumoof looked at Edna, and Edna nodded. - Just five. - Edna, Lozanna , Roon, and Johann joined the walk upstairs. The rest waited at the lobby. The dwarf signaled to a bunch of other employees, who promptly led them to an area with comfortable sofas. They went there as told, but some insisted on standing up.

Upstairs was a straight walkway. I sensed that the walls were probably moving, and there were hidden rooms around us. Still, nothing that we could not handle.

We were led to a large boardroom with a long, oval - shaped table. There was enough space for at least fifty, and it had high ceilings, magical lighting, and all the amenities one could expect of a boardroom. A few pots of tea were also prepared, with matching cups.

A meeting with tea. That was nice. Fragrant, too. It seemed that Meela had been waiting, but I sensed this wasn�t really her. No, that wasn�t right, either. It was her, but this was like just a part of her. I suspected then that Meela probably had a way of - splitting - herself to all of her branch hotels.

- It�s been a while since I�ve met someone that works for A/ , and it�s been a while since we�ve met, Lozanna . - Oh! She probably didn�t know Lumoof was my avatar and that I could see through him.

Lozanna smiled. - It�s been a while, too, Lady Mika. You look a lot better than I last remember. -

Meela�s wooden form sat on the chair, and she gestured for the rest of us to sit. - You, too, Lozanna . Come, there�s really no need for hostilities today. It must have been a long journey, and we have so much common history that we should at least give diplomacy a chance. Please, sit. -

I smirked at Meela�s opening line. Lumoof gladly took the seat, and so did the others. Lozanna was first to ask. - So, uh. only you? -

- Alexis? - Meela smiled. - She�s out hunting. It�s a busy time for us, with the hero hunters about. What brings you here, really? -

Lumoof took the lead. - We�re here to meet the power brokers of the region, of course. - Well, that wasn�t exactly a lie, but it dodged the point of revealing our own clandestine activities.

- Well, I�m sure you would be very busy, then. It seems your agents have been doing a lot more than just meeting people. - Meela smiled, her voice strangely firm. - But I suppose I shall lead in establishing friendly relations. I owe that much to A/ . So what do you want to know? -

Lumoof just smiled and lied through his teeth, a gift of the priestly class. - We are genuinely looking to meet those who hold sway over the Northern Islands. There has been incredibly concerning news of attempted assassinations on the heroes and even more blasphemous tales of a supposed tenth hero. -

Meela grinned. - Patriach Lumoof, certainly A/ can tell you with high reliability on whether there is a tenth hero, so there is no need to pull that trick with me. I may take the appearance of a young lady, but I have lived decades in the north. Yes, there is a tenth hero, and we are also looking for him. The hero hunters want to get to him first, of course, for the rumored gift. -

- A gift? - Lumoof feigned ignorance. - Well, I know nothing of a gift. -

- Yes, the Gift. Which we still don�t know anything about, because nobody has killed a hero. Not that we know of, - Meela said. - We actually thought you guys would be the first to earn it. -

- We? -

Meela pointed at Edna. - It�s a pleasure to finally meet the famous Vanguard of the Central Continent. Thank you for not killing Alvin or my partner. -

Edna didn�t reply, but she had a look of annoyance on her face.

- Anyway, we are bound by soul contract to A/ . - Meela finally got to the point. - So I really don�t see a need for us to be hostile with each other. Our goals may differ, but I�m sure we can find common ground. Tell me, what exactly are you here for? If you�re looking for the hero, we don�t have him. -

- No. We�re here to make friends, - Lumoof deadpanned.

Meela paused. - A/ sent you to make friends? - After a while, she laughed. - Ah, I�ve forgotten A/ �s dry sense of humor. Surely, that can�t be true? -

- Well, he also asked us to check on you, whether you are all right. -

She smiled and played along. - I�m fine, thank you. -

Lumoof nodded. - That�s good. How is Miss Alexis? Does she still hate A/ ? -

Meela stared. - Wait. A/ really sent you just to check on us? -

- Yes. He sensed you recently and wanted to talk to you. I think he thinks of you two every now and then, - Lumoof said. - He felt your presence here. -

There was a moment of silence. Meela didn�t say a word as she seemed like she was processing the statement. Lumoof, being the trained priest that he was, gave Meela the space to process her thoughts. He could tell when someone was going through some complicated emotions.

I felt maybe I, too, was a party that contributed to that. I thought about them occasionally, and I sometimes missed Meela�s rather cheerful presence. Now that I�d said the truth of my origins to Aria and my senior Valthorns, I wondered whether things would have been different if I had revealed the truth then.

But I consoled myself that circumstances were different, and I didn�t have the power or security that I had now. No, more important, I had a slightly different mindset. Back then, I hadn�t experienced the destruction of New Freeka, nor had I resolved that this cycle had to end, even if I did contemplate it.

In truth, it was all the little deviations that led to that branch of the story.

- . this is weird, - Meela responded after that moment of thought. - We struggled, but I like to think we are fine now. -

Lumoof smiled and gently nodded. He allowed her words some space and then finally answered, - That�s good. A/ said to me that he still wished to respect the agreement back then, that the two parties do not bother each other and will continue their separate ways. But with his recent growth and scope, an interaction between the two parties is inevitable, so he hoped to come to some kind of arrangement. There are also some things that he wished for your input. -

Meela nodded with a smile. It actually seemed genuine, rather than a practiced one. - Even after a century, the agreement holds. In this world, only the spirits of nature can uphold and comply with such long agreements. -

Lumoof didn�t need to respond to that statement, as Meela soon continued.

- Yes, I understand his concerns. It is something we have been thinking about since we heard of his resurgence in the Central Continent. What does A/ have in mind? -

He paused and glanced around. Everyone had heard of it, Lozanna too, even though she was no longer in the higher ranks of the Valthorns. - Is this room secure? -

Meela snapped a finger, and the walls had an additional layer. These were anti - magical sheets. - Mostly secure. A hero could still listen in. -

- Good enough. He intends that we cooperate on matters involving the demons, the gods, and the heroes. -

Lumoof placed his hands on the table, his eyes locked on Meela. A gaze that Meela returned.

- I�ll explain what A/ �s goal is, and it is only known to the inner circle of the Valthorns, and A/ has said that he wished that these words are not shared to anyone else, other than Miss Alexis. Will you accept these terms? -

Meela leaned in. - Well, yes. -

- A/ �s grand overarching goal is to end the cycle of demons and heroes. The world has suffered too much, the earth weakened by the centuries of constant warfare. Ruins are scattered all over the world, buried and destroyed. He is tired of this entire scheme; he is tired that this world has to serve as a battlefield of the gods and the demons. So he wants to break the world free of this seasonal disaster. Will you help us? -

Meela�s eyes widened, and she processed it. She leaned back on her chair and spun around for a while. Her eyes darted back to Lumoof again. She stared and scanned the eyes of every other person present and then locked on Lozanna . - Lozanna , do you know of this? -

- Only fairly recently, - Lozanna said. She was thankful that she didn�t accept the soul - strengthening seed, then. A pawn in the war of gods and demons? That was too much for her.

- Doesn�t this mean he will go against the gods and also the demons? Is he prepared for that? It explains a lot, no, it explains his secrecy, and the things he has been collecting and gathering. This explains all his behavior since those days, too. The perpetual paranoia. - Meela seemed to have a huge trove of data and information that she had collected, and I felt a little slighted at the term. I was always paranoid. It was partly why I liked to work alone.

But I couldn�t. Not anymore.

Edna chimed in. - A/ believed that yourself and Lady Alexis, as former heroes, can add some insights and provide some perspective to how such a plan can be accomplished. Together with other former heroes and accidental summons, he wished to form a team capable of something more daring. -

Meela looked at Edna. - This revelation must be discussed with my partner. I will say it frankly that I am willing to assist where I can, but the Rosewoods are a partnership. -

Lumoof smiled. - We understand this is quite a bombshell to receive during an unexpected reunion. -

- It is, - Meela said. - I must call my partner now. -

Everyone stood, and they gave gentle nods. - Thank you for the meeting. May we receive favorable news. -

Meela nodded, and ushers came to escort the group out of the hotel. They offered refreshments, of course, but no one took any.

About a week after the meeting, the demonic rifts opened. There were two more years left on the clock for the next demon king. This time, it was on the far Western Continent.

I summoned my Valthorns for a brief strategy meeting. It was time for us to go on the offense and start chasing demon kings and get a bit more of that sweet demon king experience. Fighting champions was a contentious point. In terms of challenge, the higher - level dungeons and their bosses provided an equal if not superior challenge. Yet dungeons at that level had long cooling periods, and fighting demons would be a large part of my Valthorns future combat careers.

- Our plan is simple. When the heroes fight the demon king, we want to be there. I want those with the Court of the Deitrees to fight and support the heroes, so that all of you can get stronger. If any of you are at risk of death, I will warp all of you back. It�s possible that I can�t react in time, or if any of you feel too weak, let me know. Those level one hundred and above will be deployed to chase down champions and destroy them. -

YEAR 190

We focused on preparing for the upcoming fight. We were going to hit the demon king hard and hopefully get some levels out of it. I wanted my level two hundred, I was so close, and I would empty my entire arsenal at the demon king if it got me there.

So, first things first, Kei got in touch with the heroes to negotiate an arrangement.

- Hi, Colette and Prabu, where are you two these days! - Kei said. It took a while, but what Aiva said was now faintly at the back of her mind.

- We�re actually in the Western Continent already to hunt the champions. - The Western Continent, home and stronghold of the Neiran Temples. Or was it? My spies told me some of the Neiran top dogs had moved to the south. But I wasn�t sure; Neira was probably one of the more secretive temples but also one of the weakest, despite being spared of most of the demons attacks.

Perhaps Neira was even more distant. No. Maybe Neira didn�t even bother anymore. At this point, I really wondered which god still looked after this world. Whatever little that meant.

Kei nodded. - All right, that�s great. So remember that question you asked a few years back, about having an arrangement to fight the demon king? -

- Uh - huh. - Prabu nodded.

- A/ would like to volunteer his elite forces to support your next battle with the demon king. I�m not sure whether you guys want our assistance; that�s why we thought of asking. -

The two mages paused. - Hmm, I need to talk to Chung and Hafiz, but it shouldn�t be a problem. More hands should help. At least, we could use some help with the champions and all the other small fries while we focus on the king. -

- All right! - Kei nodded.

Next step was figuring out how to deploy and project sufficient force that we could have an impact on the demon king. The system clearly favored those who contributed to the fight, and it was a reasonable assumption that our level gain was correlated to the contribution.

So this meant we needed a few things. One: a way to send my forces to where the demon king was at a short notice. It was possible to use my own tree - networks and Stella�s portal to send a small force there quickly, so that meant the logistics of manpower was partly solved.

One of the things I wanted to test out was whether Lumoof was able to function as - home - when using the Court of the Deitree�s recall function. It didn�t work, and they still automatically returned to my main body. I supposed the system for the Court was still programmed to only consider my main body as home.

It was too bad. If it worked, I essentially could use Lumoof as a warp point and then dropship the rest of my forces around him. I could even use him to send people across worlds, as long as he was on the other side.

Perhaps some other upgrade to the Court of the Deitree would allow this. No matter, I had to work with what I had at my disposal.

I also needed to figure out how I could throw huge amounts of crystal bombs at the enemy. Thanks to Alka�s persistent experiments over the past few years and almost decades, we now had a rather huge arsenal of crystal bombs. Similarly, we experimented with my vines flinging the crystal bombs through a void portal. It worked, as long as the components of the crystal bombs did not involve star mana.

It was a crude solution, but I didn�t like the fact that everything depended on Stella and her band of void mages in training. A single point of failure meant if the next demon king had some kind of anti - magic or anti - void energy ability, we wouldn�t be able to use it. No, there was also the risk that the demon king, a creature with at least some void magic ability, would be able to interfere with Stella�s magical portal.

So we had to consider alternatives.

Through a bit of upgrades and outfitting, we finally managed to get Hytreerion to gradually swim to the Western Continent with a huge arsenal of crystal bombs. But thanks to its incredibly slow speed, it would take half a year for him to actually arrive there. We also arranged for ships loaded with crystal bombs, too. The idea was to plant the bombs everywhere and then detonate them when the demons were near.

Stella didn�t seem particularly pleased with the idea. - This has the problem with landmines written all over it. -

- That�s partly true. - But of course, these crystals were magically activated. They shouldn�t cause such problems, right?

Wait, no. Actually, all bombs had this problem. It was possible that some crystal bombs didn�t detonate and were instead embedded in the ground. Some day, they would get accidentally triggered by some hapless adventurer. Or their demon-sensing runes would get confused and blow something up.

Everything decayed over time, even magic. So, once they decayed, their behavior was unpredictable. Institutions decayed, too, and I noticed it in the Valthorns. As the Central Continent accepted my dominion, there was a shift in the behaviors of those who were admitted to the Valthorns, especially those who grew up knowing that I was the supreme authority of the land. Arrogance. Minor abuse of power. Some of these were hidden when they were just part of the Valtorn Order, but the promotion to the Valthorns revealed some of this.

Worse, I was only made aware of this after a few incidents I witnessed while doing other things and commanded my artificial minds to highlight all of them. There were many small instances. Arrogance was not punishable, even if it did make us unlikeable. For the minor abuse of power, it was hard to really assess whether it was the person who provided or granted the payments that was trying to curry favor.

There were benefits to being in high places, and I saw how the Valthorns would recommend their friends or families for certain roles. Not exactly unallowed, but it was nepotism.

As an institution, now that the Valthorns and Valtorn Order were considered mature, I needed my artificial minds to play the role of an - opposing - or - offsetting - force, of identifying those who were outside them for admission.

But I went off tangent with my thoughts there. Back to crystal bombs, was excessive use of magical artifacts the equivalent of using landmines? Maybe, but I argued that danger posed by the demon king, as a beast of significant destructive power, offset the risks of using magical artifact.

One day when I, or the non - heroes under my wing, gained sufficient power to challenge a demon king without such bombs, I would remove them from our combat plans. But now, the bombs were a necessity, even if I was doing the magical equivalent of carpet bombing. The destruction of the demon king easily killed more than my bombs ever would.

Stella nodded, though she did make a rather poignant statement. - He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. -

- Nothing to worry there, for I am already a monster. - I was, by all means and definitions, a monster tree with magic and godly powers.

Stella sighed. - In our pursuit of peace and the end of this cycle, we will turn a war between man and demons to a war between monsters and demons. -

- Eh, that�s not accurate. The gods were always the puppet masters. In the larger scheme of things, you�ve heard from Aiva yourself that this is a war between gods and the demons. We are just the background, the terrain and the natural environment rebelling against that stupid war. -

- But on the ground. -

- I think that�s better, actually. It�s better for the citizens that the war is fought by monsters. We can take the losses a lot better. -

Druids gathered giant birds and flying creatures. Most of them were small, but master trainers and animal tamers could - grow - their tamed beasts to larger proportions. I looked back at my Titan choices. If I had an air force, the air force could functionally perform as my bombing squads, drop the crystal bombs from the air, and fly off. Or could I have suicide bombers?

No. It wouldn�t be suicide bombing if we used - summons - and - spirits - that could respawn to deliver the crystal bomb payload. Magical summons would be the best weapons delivery tool.

Through some magical modifications, we managed to upgrade Hytreerion to be a floating ship with cannons. A battleship. More oil rig than ship, it carried large cannons that could throw the crystal bombs a certain distance to their target. Its range wasn�t fantastic, so it wouldn�t be able to shoot far inland unless more upgrades were made.

For Lumoof, he moved to the Western Continent, our expansion plans in the north put on hold. That could resume after we captured whatever experience and levels we could from the demon king. Hell, maybe I could get something that could solve my damned ocean problem.

It was also my first time in the Western Continent.

One thing I noticed was that the culture of the world was actually relatively aligned. There were kingdoms everywhere, and the differences in cultures were usually in the small things. Like the way they ate certain foods and the other small stuff. Kings were still kings, and nations ran the way they were run elsewhere. That meant the local lords were pretty much local gods.

Like the Northern Islands had Aria and Aispeng, I wondered whether there was a tree spirit or some other spirit here in the Western Continent and whether I could rope them into the fight.

The kingdoms of the Western Continent were putting up pretty good resistance against the demons. Many of them had large standing armies, courtesy of their relative safety during the past few decades. Instead, they were mostly focused on fighting each other. From what I understood, they were still in the period of warring states when the demonic rifts appeared. Nothing to unite a nation in war than a bigger bad guy.

Oh well, no matter, Lumoof arrived in a port city called Pelabuhan Dikelang, on the eastern shore of the Western Continent. The first thing I noticed was that the Neira priests had really lovely outfits.

We came, formally, as reinforcements at the invitation of one of the friendly kingdoms on the Western Continent. We came by ship, because we did not want to reveal our possession of void portals.

Our goals were multifold, of course. The main objective was to participate in the battle against the demons and gain levels. Not so publicly, our goals were to make friends, get more information on the powers of those who ruled Neira, and use the demonic attacks as an excuse to freely explore places that were previously not so accessible.

Even more secretly, it was the best chance to mix my spies into their society, get to know some of the individuals, and see how we could gradually grow our influence on the Neiran Temple. Our goal, with Neira, Gaya, and Gawa , was to learn their methods of communicating with their gods.

The Neira priests were hostile, but they did not attempt to fight Lumoof or the entourage. The gap in our strength was clear to anyone who bothered to do some research, even if politically, we generally allowed the other temples some dignity by not openingly comparing our relative strengths.

There were some boring formalities of introducing ourselves to the local rulers and all that, but that was a task I allowed Lumoof and the group to do. Even in the face of demons, there were sycophants and asskissers. These were tiring for me to deal with, so when there were political matters, I allowed Lumoof to handle it.

Lumoof wasn�t the wisest politically, but he had enough sense to give empty but pleasant - sounding assurances most of the time, such that the asskissers realized that they were going to have better luck with his subordinates.

On this front, this was also one of the problems we had with diplomats, spies, and our other agents. When they were away from my eyes on the Central Continent, all I could do was trust them to know what to say, to know how to spot those who sought to curry their favor with the powers they possessed, to know that just as we sought to gain from them, they too would gain from us. There, I had to believe that they had the experience and skills needed to spot what they should spot and know of their biases.

There were no eyes to watch them when they were away.

Well, except through Lumoof.

While Lumoof handled the preparations on the Western Continent, I also spoke with my fellow spirits.

- I intend for my warriors to join the fight against the demon king. Would you be willing to make some weapons for them? - I asked Aria and Aispeng for the best weapons they could make. They agreed and forged ten weapons made out of some magical ice, which I offered to ten of my strongest Valthorns.

For Lilies, they made five sets of magical staffs made of fused bone and metal, which amplified both healing and death - elemental magic.

I also asked the fused wolf - shaman for some things, but it had nothing to offer. That was fine.

I decided not to ask for anything from Reefy. I thought it would probably be mistaken what my intentions were.

The demons that spawned this time were mostly smaller, impish creatures. They looked like dark - red versions of goblins, with small reddish wings that seemed to do nothing but let them hop a little bit higher.

We also encountered one demonic champion, a large, two - headed reddish ogre with tentacles. I thought we were gonna have the demonic corrupted orc hordes for the demon king. If so, were we gonna get some kind of corrupted orc shaman for a demon king?

- I must admit I am absolutely clueless about what you are talking about. - Both Kei and Stella probably didn�t play the popular gaming series.

Of course, we also met the heroes, this time as fellow combatants.

- I�m actually pleasantly surprised that A/ would help us, - Prabu said face - to - face to Kei. Lumoof was there, of course. Edna was on her way by boat. One of my concerns was what if the demon king was early? In that case, we would avoid combat until we could get our full forces in order. - You made it sound like he was rather hesitant. -

Kei smiled. - Well, just consider it a pleasant change of heart. -

- Just to be sure, there�s no catch, right? -

- Nope. Just help fight the demon king, and they�ll leave right after, - Kei repeated. Of course, the prize was the demon king itself.

- So what�s the strategy? -

- Wait for the demon king to spawn and lure the demon king to you on favorable grounds, - Kei said. - I�m sure you�ve seen in the journals how the demon king can see us. It�s possible to pretty much shout, We�re here, with the use of star - mana. Hopefully we get a dumb one that woill fall for the trap, then we�ll soften the demon king up and you guys can land the finishing blow. -

The part where Yura and Lovis landed the finishing blow was happily omitted. There was no need to highlight that it was my people that did so. But it was a common story on the Central Continent, so maybe they�d heard it.

The mage - hero nodded. - Sounds doable. We�re setting up our own magical formations, too. Hopefully it�ll help. But if the journals are right, there must be a trick. -

The heroes, too, were scattered. Only Prabu, Colette, and Hafiz were here. Chung seemed to be working on some kind of secret project, but he promised that he would magically teleport to the Western Continent once his project was ready. As for Ken.

With Lumoof preparing for the demon king, I lost my ability to see through the trees of the Northern Islands, so I lost Ken. I was not very confident I could find him again, especially with that snake spirit, but I weighed my priority and decided that gaining levels from the next demon king outweighed whatever risk they posed.

- Well, we can�t predict the trick. The best we can do is prepare and fight like crazy, - Kei said.

Prabu paused. - True, not like we have a choice with all that godly mind control all over us. -

- Try some tea, - Kei offered. - It might help. -

YEAR 191

The astral paths opened. The path of light that glowed brightest repeated what happened before. Stella and her team of void mages attempted, however little, to meddle with the demon�s path. I watched as her dark energies attempted to tamper with the path, and the void mana drained out of her.

She was not strong enough to fight the complex powers of the demons. But she tried repeatedly, and she leveled up from the attempts.

- It�s a lot more complicated than I thought, - Stella commented. - It�s like they�ve just dug this river from their world to ours, and they are just floating on it. -

- Huh. Some kind of space travel lane. -

- Yeah, it�s also not just void mana. There�s something else in this space river. But it�s not star mana for sure. If I�m right, the demon king�s core is nothing more than a cocoon to allow something so large to float through it. - Stella�s ability to visualize the path had also improved since ten years ago, partly due to her levels and new skills. - Or it may be that the astral path is like a rope, and the demon king is hanging onto it like a ropeway, using this demon core as a tether. -

- Oh? That�s new information. -

If what we saw previously was just streaks of light, she�d gained some ability to see what was in the streaks of light. I still couldn�t, so sadly for me, I was just relying on her narration to figure out what exactly it looked like. This was normal to me, of course. I lived most of my life in this world without full vision, just partial, spiritual vision until I gained the Tree - Eyes ability.

- I�m not even sure what I�m seeing. It�s like recognizing words but not truly comprehending the meaning, - Stella said.

- So it�s like you have two eyes but you can�t see Mount Tai. -

- Yeah. -

She kept trying, of course. She injected a bit of her void mana into the sky.

And she kept failing. - It�s not working. It�s either my powers are too unfocused, or by the time my powers reach the path, it�s just less than what it was, - she complained.

Wait. What was that again? - You said it�s less by the time you reach it? -

- Yeah. It�s kinda like. it dissipates before it reaches the path. -

- Would being closer to the sky help? - She thought for a moment and nodded.

- No harm trying. -

That was how I made the tallest Giant Attendant Tree, as tall as I could manage, complete with a wooden, vine - powered ropeway lift to the top. I made it such that there was a large flat surface at the very top, a platform for the kinds of rituals Stella and her team of void mages could ever need.

It was really, really tall, and with my magical augmentation and energies, it was probably the closest I�d get to a space elevator, even if it was still pretty tiny. I could even feel like the top of the tree was pulling away from me.

Her team attempted it again, and still it was not successful.

- It still dissipated. But at least I�ve only lost about half of our magical strength. -

Well, to truly escape the world�s planetary shell would require something that was on the moon or even further. - Do you think you�ll do better if you attempted to interfere with the astral paths from the moons? -

She thought about it again, and she initially shook her head wildly at how crazy the idea was, but then I could tell a part of her agreed with the idea. - That�s really, really crazy levels of distance. -

- But it�s possible. With enough magic, you could open a portal to the moon. Even then, the moon may not be ideal as the moon may have its own sphere of interference. -

- Well, yes. - I�d rarely seen Stella�s face look so conflicted. Even more than actual moral dilemmas. - But give me some time to mentally prepare. I�m not prepared to open a portal to the moon. Not yet. -

- Wouldn�t it be cool? -

- What if it just opens a vacuum and sucks everything up? -

- You know that doesn�t happen. -

Stella sighed. - I need some time with the idea. -

I wondered then whether I could spread my trees on the moon. With the right amount of magic, assuming that magic worked on the moon, we should theoretically be able to terraform the moon into an inhabitable space.

In fact, if I could convert the moon into a safe space, that would be a less - ideal, long - run solution.

- It�s quite strange that you consider terraforming the moon as a possible idea, - Kei complained one day.

- I don�t see why you�re complaining? The demons clearly only pop up here. -

- What if they follow you there? -

- Then we�ll deal with that problem later. - I mean, why did all these heroes worry about all this stuff when it hadn�t even happened yet? - We�ll try it and see whether it works. -

- Yeah. That�s true. Actually, I�m not against the idea of terraforming the moon. I�m because it�s like. uh, the moon? No. Wait. That doesn�t make sense. I guess I just assign a weird sentimentality for the moon, like it should be what it is. -

- Eh, back home, men have always dreamed of colonizing the moon and Mars. Here, a tree dreams of greening the twin moon. -

- You know what? That actually sounds quite cool, - Kei admitted. - Hopefully Stella sees it your way. -

- Oh, she will. She just needs time to process the idea of portals to the moon. She�s like that; her first reaction to any idea is to say no. Usually. - I�d seen Stella enough to know that her first choice was to do nothing or hide. This part of her she still took a while to undo, and in some ways, I really resonated with that.

Stella, as predicted, agreed to the idea a week later, but after suitable preparations were made. For now, she continued her attempts to challenge the demons astral path from the top of my Tower - Tree, as she felt she could still make improvements to her technique. She tried repeatedly, and at one point, she actually succeeded in interfering with one single transmission.

She wasn�t sure what happened, though.

At the same time, Lumoof and the team of Valthorns on the Western Continent continued to hunt the demons. We witnessed a few rifts, and the rifts were actually vulnerable weak points. I did not activate my avatar ability, as the heroes were also fighting along. I did not want to reveal the full scope of my avatar powers to them.

So we allowed the other level one hundred�plus Valthorns to lead the battles with the champions. They needed the experience and the levels to prepare them for the real thing.

Lumoof and Edna mainly played a supporting role and often just stayed back. Kei, of course, understood this. As for the heroes, they thought it was just kinda weird. They, of course, could not really understand how slow normal people leveled when compared to them. They claimed they got it, but they didn�t feel and live how slowly it took for any regular person to level up. With their divine blessings, they usually just needed a champion or two to gain a level.

Demonic ogres and giant ogres were actually pretty pleasant to fight. They fought very much like regular humans, only with exceptional strength and power, and they also had a few skills. This went on for about two months, and during this time, my ships and Hytreerion also finally got into their position. Near, but not too near.

I wasn�t sure what gimmick this demon king would have. Maybe it�d just cut off the world�s magical communication network again. Hopefully we didn�t get that.

Every day, Stella recharged the void batteries and kept battling the demonic paths. It didn�t seem to make any impact on the number of demons, but she gained levels even from failing, so there was no real reason to stop.

Then the path glowed brightly. It was coming. Stella wasn�t afraid, so she tried again, this time with everything. She wanted to see whether she could disrupt the path so that the demon king couldn�t properly enter the world.

Her void energies formed a shovel and attempted to cover the path of light that cut through the void forest. The path glowed, and little sparks of flames lit up along the path. She attempted to put out one of the flames, and she managed to cause one of them to dim slightly.

The path glowed and then seemed to bend at where the light was dimmer. Then a glowing ball of light appeared and moved quickly along the path. Stella held on and used her void mana and attempted to mess with the path. It was either now or never.

She pushed, and her void mana caused the path of light to dim ever so slightly. The glowing ball, however, smashed into her void mana at full speed, and from the skies above, a void - energy shockwave hurled right at Stella. I immediately wrapped my roots around her to protect her and created multiple wooden shields.

The void energy shockwave smashed through my shields, but thankfully, I had many, many layers of them, and they were stopped.

Stella was safe but shaken by how suddenly it happened. - Fuck that. -

On the Western Continent, my sensors detected the rift energies gathered at a particular location, but then it shifted and moved suddenly, like a car that made a last - minute swerve.

Demon King Bagradva descended.

It appeared right over a river, and the water where the demon king descended instantly vaporized. Through Lumoof, I could feel its presence, it was like a hot fire. It didn�t appear where we wanted it to be, but now we had to lure it to the few designated battlefields across the Western Continent.

The heroes knew it was coming, too.

- Well. - Colette said, and then a magical gate appeared right next to him. Chung walked right through, fully armed and equipped. - Shall we get with the plan? -

Prabu and Hafiz both nodded. Chung passed the other three heroes some stick - like artifact, then took a glance at Edna and Lumoof. - So you two are the supporting fighters? -

Lumoof smiled. - Yes. Hope we are not much of a bother. -

Chung shrugged. - Oh well, let�s get with it. -

The heroes quickly moved to position, and they periodically activated their star mana forms. Our spies and scouts tracked the demon king�s movement, and it seemed to have picked up the heroes location and moved toward them.

This was a good sign, since it meant it wasn�t intelligent enough to recognize the trap. Either that, or it would learn from this experience and not fall for it the next time.

More crucially, through Lumoof, I called my Valthorns together, and I spoke to them. I�d sent them to war many times, but few as risky as this. Perhaps only the war with Kei.

- My faithful Valthorns, once again I call on you to fight the demon king, and this time, through Lumoof, I will be right at your side with my full strength. I do not intend to lie that all of you will be safe. You�ve seen for yourself those who have sacrificed their lives in earlier battles, and I make no guarantees for your survival. We will go to war with the demon king, whose powers we do not fully comprehend. Though risky and many will die, it is a step we must take, only through challenging the demon king itself, we can gain the powers needed to stand our own feet, and stop our world�s toxic dependence on heroes. -

Everyone present nodded. Kei merely listened, as one of those who would play a supporting role. She would not join the fight. Not now.

- First we beat the demon king, then we break this cycle of destruction. Only then, peace will truly come to our world. - Through Lumoof, I nodded. - We all know the plan, so let�s do it. Let�s bomb the demon king! -

They roared.

The Valthorns split up. They all had their part to play. Lumoof immediately joined the heroes in a pre - built fortress; this time, it was dug out of the ground itself. There was no point to above - ground structures that would be vaporized by laser beams, unless specially enchanted.

- It is moving as predicted. Each flare and use of star mana powers, it adjusted its position and direction, - the scouts explained. The heroes had their own monitoring artifacts, and archmages like Prabu and Colette had magical farsight. Chung, being the archer, had a set of magical birds that could spy for him.

- So time to show off what you�ve been working on? - Prabu asked.

Chung nodded. - Yup. - At a large, empty clearing, he pulled out a contraption that seemed to unfurl itself into an array of massive ballistas.

Prabu just stared. - Wait. You built a huge ballista? -

- Yup. But not just any regular ballista. This is a combination weapon of at least twenty hero - item equivalents. Sadly, only single - use. Use it once and it�ll break apart. -

- This is your plan? -

- It�s very, very difficult to make a combination weapon, mind you. Had to work around the stupid hero forge restrictions, - Chung complained. - What about you guys? Did you make the mecha zords that you wanted? -

Prabu shook his head. - Nope. We just built a large number of magical batteries and healing devices all around this continent. We�re not going to repeat the earlier mistake of taking on the demon king without preparation. -

- Good. - Chung nodded. - Pray that it is enough. -

- You�re not the type to pray. -

The demon king and its horde of ogres crossed one of the designated battlefields. We�d rigged the place with so many magical crystals that it should cause some harm. All of the crystals were hidden underground and made to be magically linked such that they caused all the crystals nearby to detonate simultaneously. Burying them was hard work, and it took months of my druids time. We activated the crystals, and Alka waited for news.

He was like a scientist who was waiting to see how his invention performed against the real thing. He was excited, stressed, and just a big bundle of nerves.

We felt a sudden pulse, and the battlefield exploded. Our scouts watched from afar, but the demon king was unharmed. There was a huge red sphere that protected the floating demon king. It was a massive demon king and had a rhino - shaped head and a big, buff body with a dark maroon hide. A glowing tattoo covered its entire body. The demon king held up a large flaming axe made out of flesh and metal on one of its thick arms and roared.

The earth shook as massive chunks of rocks were lifted from the ground and then melted into round spheres of lava. With those molten balls of lava, it bombed the land in its path. This detonated or destroyed the crystals that were hidden in the ground.

Ah darn.

It was smart enough to destroy the land in front to eliminate any traps. We had to move on to the next stage. Our ranged weapons. We had limited ability here, the only truly ranged weapon we had in the area was Hytreerion and an assortment of middle - range weapons like super - large ballistas and other similar classes of weapons.

The demon king had a shield or barrier ability of some kind, and it looked like it was better for us to use our ranged weapons during the fight with the demon king. The shield was most probably rechargeable, so if we were to use them now, we would just waste our weapons and traps.

Therefore, we decided to just wait as the demon king approached. The heroes, too, got ready. They had their own weapons and traps, and they understood enough.

- Well, time to do it again, - Prabu said as his body shimmered from the glow of star mana. The four heroes all transformed, their bodies surrounded by their unique star mana armor.

The demon king approached closer; the heroes and demon king were now in combat distance. It raised its axe up high. That instant, both Stella and I felt the fabric of space twisted. All the rifts moved, and it now appeared above the demon king itself.

The astral path burned with a strange light. At that moment, the rifts twisted and expanded. Then the heads of monsters appeared from the rift. These were large, as large as champions, maybe even more.

There was no notification, but Lumoof quickly used Inspect on the giant monsters that appeared.

Summons of Bagradva - The Demon Worm

Summons of Bagradva - The Demon Fox

Summons of Bagradva - The Demon Hawk

The three monsters that appeared quickly split up. The hawk soared, while the demon worm immediately went into the ground. The fox landed smoothly next to the demon shaman king, and the fox also roared.

- I�m the archer, so I�ll go for the hawk. - Chung immediately moved to his large ballista, and the ballista glowed.

- Wait, shouldn�t we discuss this? - Prabu said as he activated a magical shield. Colette and Hafiz both looked a little lost, but the ground started shaking. Hafiz, the paladin or knight, activated a shield ability as the ground tore apart. The worm had started to engage.

Edna looked over at Lumoof and the rest of the Valthorns. - Well, it�s already started. Shall we? -

Lumoof nodded, and through him, the avatar activated. I immediately could sense where the worm was, my tree�s root senses. It would be the easiest to destroy. - Heroes, I�ll handle the worm. -

Lumoof glowed and transformed into a tree, and instantly we flooded the ground around us with roots. From our experience with demonic worms and centipedes, the roots would effectively disable the worms from tunnelling. The worm moved quickly, but the roots extended and chased after it.

We created multiple giant trees everywhere, and beneath the ground, the roots of these trees formed a cage underground.

My roots attacked the worm and found it had thick shells. Yet my roots broke through easily, and I unleashed a barrage of root strikes that skewered the worm underneath. The worm compressed and then detonated with a small boom. However, my roots were able to withstand the underground explosion.

The demon shaman king immediately turned and faced me and Lumoof, and it charged at us immediately instead of the heroes.

Edna got in position. - All right. - She charged her shield with her mana and then waited. The demon shaman king�s burning fire axe came crashing down, and there was a huge wall of flames. Edna activated her shield, and the shield glowed in white. The axe landed, but it did not break. Edna stamped her feet then, and my roots immediately wrapped around her leg and supported her. I felt her drain mana from my roots as her shield glowed and grew even larger.

The axe didn�t get through, and her shield released an energy blast. It hit the demon shaman king right in the chest.

It didn�t really hurt it; there was a reddish layer of magical protection around the demon king. There was a look on the demon shaman king�s face, but I wasn�t sure what it was. The demon king was massive, and it was way larger than Edna.

Perfect for root strikes. The larger the body, the more places I could hit. Roots flew from the ground and smashed into the demon shaman king�s reddish magical shield.

At the same time, Edna charged ahead with both shield and spear. Edna�s spear glowed, and she stabbed the demon shaman king. Her spear met the demon king�s shield. The magical energies from the tip of Edna�s spear hummed and clashed with the red energy shield in huge sparks of light and color, and she pushed.

The demon king�s fiery axe came down, but rather than dodge it, Edna took it head on, her spear active, and activated her domain skill Duty Beyond Life and Death . Her body instantly glowed in a faint yellow, and the axe smashed into her arm. There was an explosion around her, but the buckler on her arm did not break. Her ability allowed her to absorb the demon king�s attack.

I thought I saw her faintly smile when her domain skill activated.

The demon pulled the axe back and hacked again. But Edna had abandoned defense altogether, and she retaliated with a spear stab. I helped with more root strikes through the immobile Lumoof.

The spear landed a few more hits and then shattered. She took out another spear from her magical pocketspace.

- How does she take the attack like that?! - Prabu seemed surprised but took the chance to activate more magical spells on the demon fox. Hafiz, the knight - hero, charged ahead with his glowing star mana sword and attempted to slash the demon king.

The hero�s sword met the energy shield.

The star mana energies on the sword sparkled, and then the demon�s shield cracked. Hafiz pushed, and the shield shattered. The demon king took attacks from me, Edna, and Hafiz once the shield was done.

The sword from the hero caused a cut across its massive body, and my barrage of root strikes and Edna�s spear - stab caused small holes along its chest.

It roared, and the tattoo throughout its body glowed. The wounds we made closed, and the fiery axe moved autonomously and hacked the knight - hero. Edna took full advantage of her near - immortality to help block the demon king�s attack with her magical shield. The shield cracked and broke apart and then met her arms.

She parried it, despite her relatively small size, and then stabbed the demon king.

The knight - hero ducked below the axe and landed a few star mana�powered cuts on the demon king. He activated some kind of magical slash skill, and his sword flashed. He chopped off the demon king�s arm.

Through Lumoof, I immediately called on my roots to wrap around the demon king, and I felt the roots connect and touch the demon king�s skin. I attempted to drain its mana.

The demon king glowed. I knew then it was one of those area - clearing abilities.

- Shields up! - Colette and Prabu shouted as they activated magical barriers. Chung immediately stopped engaging the demon hawk and with a magical step retreated next to Colette. Hafiz activated a magical armor that coated his entire body, but even so, he retreated.

The demon king emitted a bright flash of light, followed by an energy blast that incinerated everything around it. Well, except Edna, she ignored the attack and just stabbed the demon king. The energy blast burned some of her equipment and singed her skin lightly, but it quickly regenerated.

When the bright light subsided, the demon king�s dismembered arm had regenerated.

Edna�s spear was vaporized by the attack, but then, she punched the demon king with her energy - infused fists. She shouted, - I�m not dealing damage! -

- What the hell is that overpowered ability? - the heroes shouted in unison, clearly unaware of Edna�s short - term combat immortality. Still, despite her multiple punches, those punches didn�t do much damage. It merely annoyed the demon king. Edna was quite similar to me, in the sense that she had tremendously high defensive abilities, but her offensive abilities lagged far behind.

Hafiz immediately ran ahead and summoned two star - mana swords. He threw one of them at Edna. Edna was the only one nearby, and she grabbed the sword. She slashed and managed to land a few cuts.

Then the sword ran out of star mana and turned to dust.

The demon king punched, and this time, Edna was knocked back really far. She may not take damage, but they could still push her. The demon fox took the chance to rejoin its master.

I immediately mentally spoke to the heroes. - Let Edna do the tanking. You guys keep attacking the demon king. -

They nodded, and the two archmages charged up a bluish energy ball and fired it. The blue energy ball transformed into a glowing piece of ice and smashed right into the demon king�s regenerated shields.

The shield instantly shattered. Edna moved in.

Edna pulled out a magical ice sword from Aria and slashed. The ice sword landed five hits and then shattered. She pulled out another set of spears and stabbed the demon king when the energy shield was down. I also followed up with a few root strikes. Once again, I attempted to wrap the demon king with my vines.

Our attacks did some damage, but it was Hafiz�s star mana sword slash that dealt most of the damage.

But I could tell the heroes were at least impressed that we were holding on and could even contribute. Around the same time, I immediately got my mid - range and long - range weapons to be ready. Hytreerion got into position, and a few of my other Valthorns prepared the magical artillery, loaded with an arsenal of crystal bombs.

The hawk in the sky launched thunderbolts. Its dark - red feathers were lava and lightning combined. Chung�s magical arrows chased the hawk through the sky, but Chung also tried to launch an attack at the demon king every now and then.

The hawk took a hit, and it crashed on the ground. Right before it flew off, my roots immediately surged out of the ground and wrapped it and attempted to drain as much of its mana as possible. The hawk struggled.

Chung immediately charged up a magical arrow and blasted the hawk through the head. The hawk disintegrated to magical dust. We were left with the fox and the demon king. The fox roared and blasted out an energy wave.

It leapt toward Edna, its claws armed and ready.

The fox clawed and slashed Edna, but it didn�t hurt her at all. However, it freed up the demon king from Edna�s annoying presence, and the demon king took the chance to charge at the rest of the heroes. The demon king�s shield was back again. As it charged, it attempted to move the earth around the battlefield.

I felt the demon king�s magic tug at the ground strongly, but my roots had covered the entire battlefield, and together with Lumoof, we fought back and kept the ground stable. It roared in frustration and then used lightning instead. Lightning from its axe surged toward the heroes. Both Colette and Prabu somehow automatically activated magical shields, and the lightning axes smashed into the shield.

It exploded, and both the archmages were knocked back.

Yet the same attack also gave Hafiz an opening. The knight - hero slashed the demon king from the back and left two large gashes that ran down its massive body. It roared and glowed again. This time, I felt a stronger twist of magic in the air.

The two archmages were a little drowsy from being knocked back, and they got up. They immediately put up shields. Hafiz�s body glowed in armor, and he too slashed again. Edna continued to battle with the fox, and she was winning. The fact that the fox could not hurt Edna meaningfully meant she ignored her defense and just kept on attacking the fox.

I wrapped the demon king with my roots again. Its glowing body twisted and struggled. This time, it turned to face Lumoof. It shot out a focused beam toward Lumoof.

I activated all the shields as I could manage, and the beam pierced through almost all of it. But my shields was sufficient to deflect the beam slightly off center, and it merely hit Lumoof right in the legs. It vaporized his legs, and my roots immediately stepped in to start healing the wounds. I would have to mend it later.

Lumoof yelped in pain, but he grit his teeth. - We can continue, - he insisted. My roots managed to stop the bleeding and started repairs. My roots entered the wound and supported his body momentarily, but permanent repair would need to happen after the battle.

The demon king stopped glowing, and the gashes healed again. Yet the change in the magic in the air was clear. Each regeneration drained it. It swung its axe around like a hurricane and surrounded itself with a fiery tornado. It activated more magic, and the earth itself turned to lava. The lava burned my roots, and I quickly flooded my roots with water drawn from a river not too far away.

The ground turned into a mix of lava and water. The ground started to release steam as the water evaporated and the lava cooled. The demon king stomped the ground, and the ground shattered. Pieces of hardened, dried lava rock cracked out of the floor.

The heroes activated a range of ice - spells as they pulled moisture out of the team and formed them into icicles and launched them at demon king. This also helped clear out the mist. It was then I noticed Chung�s contraption was already destroyed.

Some of the dirt and lava rocks broke free from my weakened roots, and these dirt chunks transformed into lava axes midair. The demon king magically hurled them toward Lumoof, Edna, and the heroes. The sky swirled above as the heroes also activated some kind of blizzard spell. Ice shards started to rain down, and these shards homed in on the demon king.

They smashed into the demon king�s red shield. These ice shards didn�t crack the shield.

The lava axes met one of my wooden shield skills and exploded. At that time, the demon king raised both its arms, and then the sky parted. Edna dodged the lava axes; she made sure to avoid the places where the ground was soft. The lava may not kill her, but she could get trapped and be effectively disabled.

A massive, deep - red fireball came crashing down.

- Fuck! - The heroes screamed as they grouped together and then activated various shields. I instantly surrounded Lumoof with layers and layers of wooden shields and barriers. The entire battlefield exploded, and it destroyed all my giant attendant trees.

But the heroes survived. All four of them huddled together. Only one shield remained. Had they used their shields separately, they would have died. For Lumoof, the fires burned through most of the shields, but thankfully my avatar mode meant he shared my fire resistance. Had it been any other element, Lumoof would be in trouble.

Yet the explosion left the demon king frozen in a daze. It stood motionless.

This was Edna�s moment, again. Edna immediately took out more spears magically and stabbed the demon king. Her attack snapped all of us to action. I called on Hytreerion and my mid - ranged Valthorns to start their barrage while I also activated more root strikes. The heroes attacked.

From afar, my crystal bombs zoomed across the skies and then landed around the demon king. They exploded on impact. The heroes magical spells landed on the motionless demon king and left multiple wounds. My root strike pierced through some of the weakened parts of the demon king�s skin. The knight - hero left more cuts and gashes across its body and then attempted to behead the demon shaman king.

His star mana sword stopped halfway.

The demon king glowed, and everyone retreated except Edna. She went in, activated her Court of the Deitree and surrounded herself in wooden armor, and started punching. Her fists were shaped like spears, augmented by the wooden casing around her.

The demon king regenerated, again.

Edna punched, and the demon king smashed Edna with its molten club. The rest of my Valthorns, those in the level one hundred twenties to one hundred thirties, launched ranged attacks where they could. Roon and Johann, who was initially located a distance away to coordinate the mid - ranged weapons, now came to join the battle.

Their attacks didn�t do much. All of us lacked the firepower to deal game - ending damage, as our attacks were stopped by the shield that came back online.

Chung launched a rain of magical star - mana arrows at the demon king, and the arrows slammed into the demon king�s back. The torrent of star - mana arrows cracked the shields.

- Its shields are down! - Chung said.

The two archmages launched magical energy blasts and reactivated their blizzard spell. This time, the ice shards slammed right into its body. The demon shaman king raised its axe, and this time, a rift appeared in the sky. A demon-dragon came out. Summon of Bagradva - Demon Dragon

The dragon roared and shot huge beams.

- Focus on the demon king! - Chung shouted. - It�s already dying! -

The dragon immediately landed on the ground with a slam and attempted to attack the heroes. But before it could do so, my roots surged out of the ground and constricted the dragon. Thousands of vines and roots emerged and pulled the dragon down. I drained the dragon�s mana, and Lumoof coughed as the dragon�s energy flowed through his body.

The heroes kept attacking the demon king. The demon king�s axe slammed right into Hafiz�s shield and cracked it. The ground shook slightly, my regenerated roots absorbing the vibrations. The steam turned to mist as the heroes blizzard reduced the temperature greatly.

Hafiz�s glowing star mana sword slashed a few more times, and finally, with a great glowing slash, he beheaded the demon shaman king.

The severed head immediately sprouted a snake - like body.

- What the shit? It�s not dead yet! - Chung screamed in frustration and used a star mana blast. The energy blast missed as the head slithered away quickly. I activated my roots and attempted to wrap it.

- I�ll hold it. Take a shot once it stops! -

My roots wrestled with the snake - body of the demon king�s head. It was strong, but I was just a bit stronger. My roots twisted, and it stopped. I tried to crush the body but couldn�t; all I could do was hold it in its place.

Colette and Prabu launched a combined super - dense ice blob, and it exploded right at the head. The head turned to ice, and then the entire head and the snake body disintegrated. The summoned dragon also immediately disintegrated.

At this time, we felt a magical pulse coming from the original demon king body. We knew what it was.

- It�s gonna blow. -

No. My roots immediately wrapped the original body and pierced it. It was weaker now, and my roots searched for the core.

We found it. The demon core. I wrapped it with huge amounts of roots and vines and started to drain the mana.

Lumoof coughed and winced in pain as his body endured the huge amounts of demonic mana and other kinds of weird energies from the demon core.

My head hurt; I felt like I got hit with a jackhammer and then fed a few bottles of alcohol. Both drunk and dizzy. Was this mana poisoning? But I kept on draining mana from the demon core, and then the pulse finally stopped.

Demon King Bagradva has been slain!

You have gained 9 levels. You are now Level 208.

Yet, immediately after the notification, I felt the effects of the mana poisoning sink in, and I felt like I needed to sleep. For a short while.

YEAR 191 (PART 2)

The battle was over, and I rested for a few days. Lumoof, thankfully, recovered from the damage far faster than I did. It seemed that in avatar mode, all the mana was transferred to my main body, so I bore the brunt of the mana intoxication. Patreeck and the rest of my artificial minds assisted to regulate the excess mana and stored them in the potato batteries. We would come back to it someday. I hoped.

Edna had to take a long, long nap and spent days doing nothing but sleeping. Though her ability gave her combat immortality, once the one - day timer was up, she was pretty much a puppet whose strings were cut. She could barely walk or move.

But it was worth it. She gained a lot of levels and hit level one hundred sixty - five and gained even more abilities with it. Her new ability Regenerating Guardians granted her the ability to create five guardians that shared her toughness.

Lumoof, too, gained some levels, but most of it only enhanced his connection with me such that he could withstand more of my power.

But more important were those that we wanted to groom. Roon, Johann, Alka, and Stella all gained levels from the victory for their contributions to the combat effort.

Roon, Johann, and Alka were now in the higher level one hundred forties. It was likely that we could breach the level needed to obtain their domains by the time of the next demon king.

No, more importantly, I returned to my notifications. I activated the menu, and instantly a long list of notifications appeared.

You have gained 9 levels. You are now Level 208.

Level 200 grants Minor Pantheon Powers. Minor Pantheon Powers are dependent on subdomain choices.

Further skills once a subdomain power has been chosen.

Subdomain Power Choices: You may choose one out of three choices below.

Subdomain Choice: Tree of Life. This choice leads you down the path of regeneration, evolution, immortality, and life creation. Each of your main body and your cloned bodies gains significant regenerative abilities. This choice allows the creation of cloned bodies under the Tree of Clones. Your trees gain the ability to adapt to all kinds of environments, and terraforming ability.

This subdomain choice will lead to creation of life, greater - monster minions, evolution - alteration, healing, endurance, regeneration, clones, and multi - body skills in the future.

This subdomain grants the Pantheon Power - Immortal Tokens - Domain - level individuals who join your pantheon can be remade and regenerated even if they are killed. On death or destruction, their souls will return to you for - respawn. - The respawn time depends on how strong they are. Stronger deities require longer respawn times. However, choosing this ability will mean the death of these pantheon members will no longer grant Titan Souls, and you will not be able to gain any stored experience from their familiars. These domain holders can still die if all your tree of clones and your main body are destroyed.

Choosing this subdomain also unlocks the Trees of Clones: You may now create clones in addition to your own. The number of main - body clones increases with level. You cannot die unless all cloned bodies are destroyed. You can regenerate any destroyed bodies after a small recovery time. Each clone body and your main body are magically intertwined, and you may move items and people between them, subject to a distance - adjusted mana cost, with a discounted or minimal cost for A/ ic - related items, classes, and individuals and also familiar - holders. Clones initially take the form of a basketball - size seed that can be transported and planted elsewhere. Tree of Clones may be placed anywhere and naturally terraforms their environment. They do not need to be physically linked as their connection is through the system.

Subdomain choice: Will of the World. This choice takes the first step in merging with the world that you are in. This choice removes any distance or depth restrictions for roots and trees. You will thus be able to spread your roots anywhere in the world, through oceans and under them. You may also create underwater trees. This choice leads to terrain and elemental magics and abilities, significantly improved offense and damage for you and those touched by your powers, creation of elementals, weather control, terrain shaping, and wielding the land as your weapon.

This subdomain grants the Pantheon Power - Strength of the World: This grants significant stats and strength boost (at least hero tier), improved elemental resistance, and enhanced abilities with the four main elements. Pantheon members also gain the ability to terraform and gain ability to temporarily transform into elementals.

Choosing this subdomain unlocks Elements of the World. This is a path where you gain access to the controls of this world. This includes more accurate astral maps, ability to move the world in the void sea, bend space and distance around the world and its neighbors.

Subdomain choice: Crown of Magic. You gain the ability to use all kinds of spells without requiring skills or classes and simultaneously generate star mana, void mana, blood mana, and any other mana type you discover. This path leads to - global - and - multi - world - spells and abilities. You will also be able to override any hero - item restrictions and use them to their full potential. Your magical laboratories and sensors gain increased sensitivity and functionality. Your main tree can now learn magic just by sight, and certain types of hero - abilities. You can also grant magical abilities to a limited number of individuals.

This subdomain grants the Pantheon Power - A Land of Magic: Domain Members can access and store their unique mana types in areas where your trees are present. They may also pre - cast and store skills and spells in the land itself, thus skipping any casting time and mana cost restrictions. Your trees will function as magical amplifiers for their abilities.

Tree of Magics: You may create Great Magical Trees. Each of these magical trees can generate a choice of star mana, void mana, blood mana, or any other mana type discovered. These Great Magical Trees can weave and cast multiple magical enchantments that apply over an area as large as a continent. Magical Trees can significantly enhance existing ley lines, link distant ley lines together, cast wide - scale protective spells, and interfere with other magic.

Crown of Magic also allows you to Forge Magical Items without restrictions. These weapons and items can generate their own mana, act as the locus of area enchantments, and amplify magical powers. You are also able to fuse Titan - Souls with deity - class (or higher) magical items to create unlimited - class weapons that can grow, gain their own levels, and transform into weapons that can exceed even the gods.

I sat down and looked at the three choices. Tree of Life allowed me to bypass the Avatar limitation and free up Lumoof to truly be my mobile avatar. It also pretty much made me functionally immortal, especially if I could get my seeds off world to the other two worlds or any uninhabited world.

This was a good choice for expanding to the demon worlds and the other continents and was essentially a step toward an intreedimensional empire. A true multi - world force. I could, through this ability, even take on demon kings on other worlds, thus speeding up our leveling speed.

The pantheon ability also made it less risky to put any lesser domain holders like Lumoof, Roon, and Alka right before the demon king. That said, this ability was quite useless with Edna, since she could already take all the damage.

The second choice, Will of the World, had the main benefit of bypassing all distance restrictions all over the world. With this, I could invade all the continents at the same time. That said, this choice did not allow me to spread my roots to the other worlds, and my main body still remained the single point of failure.

But the boosted stats to all my domain - wielders meant this ability synchronized really well with Edna�s Duty Beyond Life and Death . She could endure all the hits the demon king could dish out and then keep dealing damage with her significantly improved offensive abilities.

From the battle with the demon king, it was quite obvious that the heroes did a lot of the damage, if not most of it. Even my root strikes, which were generally super effective against demons, did not do exceptional damage against the demon king. If I wanted to kill a demon king with the rest of my pantheon members quickly, this seemed like a decent choice. It also negated and weakened the range of the demon king�s elemental attacks, so it wasn�t a total tradeoff against survivability, either.

The last choice led us down the path of magic. It seemed to overlap with Stella�s void magic; perhaps this meant I could amplify her power to actually deny the demon king, and the global magics suggested I could also use them to hide the world or redirect the demon kings.

This choice enhanced survivability indirectly through the stored spells and skills, which felt like an exploitable mechanic. The growing weapons that had no limits also felt exploitable, though I needed more time to think about a good way to abuse it. The ability to - grant - hero - tier magical abilities was also an interesting choice; again, I didn�t know what exactly that meant until I�d used it.

Did it mean I could functionally create heroes?

I could link ley lines together with the ability, so that was also a very good interaction with my dungeon ability, which would allow me to create even stronger dungeons for my Valthorns.

This path had the most unknowns, because I didn�t know what magic was capable of at that level. This choice potentially had the means to break the cycle through some kind of great magic, or perhaps it was possible to seal off the entire world from the demons, buying us some time to grow and recover. Alternatively, the enhanced magic could possibly interfere with the demon king�s void magic.

All these choices were interesting, and I brought the matter to my senior Valthorns for their input.

Edna was first to answer. - Honestly, can we delay it until Stella, Roon, Johann, and Alka all gain their Domains? If we could see what domain abilities they receive, we could choose what we lacked. -

Lumoof nodded at Edna�s suggestion. - I must say I agree with that assessment. We really don�t know enough. -

Kei and Stella, who were both present, stated their case. - We can extrapolate the powers from what they have now. It�s likely Stella�s domain will be some kind of void ability, so perhaps Stella can create even more powerful portals? -

Johann nodded. - I like the regenerating and immortal ability, though. It means we could pretty much fight the demon king with not a care in the world since we can�t die. We can actually win against the demon kings purely by attrition, a really interesting reversal of the situation. I believe this seems to be a long - term idea and plays well with Stella�s void powers. We could send a clone to the demon world! -

- The Will of the World is immediately more useful, though. It would functionally enhance our grip on the world, - Alka said. - The lack of depth restrictions means we could dig even deeper, and even below the heat. There must be treasures and more lost cities we have not seen. -

Kei then added, - Doesn�t it mean A/ �s trees can be everywhere? That means he could use his beetles everywhere! -

Stella paused and then added, - What if all of this is just an illusion of choice, if all these choices eventually result in the same thing, even if the journey to achieve those choices is different? Take how the tree of clones essentially extended A/ �s range, the same way the Will of the World does. -

- That does make some sense. - Alka nodded. - If so, should we think of this as which ability we can�t replicate or substitute with other abilities or spells�? If a few of us will eventually reach and acquire our own domains, then some of our domains must be able to substitute these skills. -

- Is that an argument for Tree of Life? Since immortality is not easily replicated, - Lumoof asked.

- Eh. I thought it didn�t really say anything. I think the immortality ability has substitutes, like my own. - Edna�s Duty Beyond Life and Death was case in point.

- Then it�s the underground ability, - Alka said. - The Will of the World. We could find all sort of stuff! Maybe there�s a secret even at the center of the planet! -

Kei smacked her face. - Given what I�ve seen, I�m actually afraid you might be right. -

- I�m sure there are magical abilities for that. It is possible that your Domain ability as a scientist may grant you the ability to find such treasures hidden beneath the ground, regardless of what�s in your way, - Edna quipped.

- That�s certainly not the only use, - Alka protested. - Merging with the world sounds like A/ will be the planet itself. -

- The magical ability to cast global spells, - Stella then suggested. - We should take that. It sounds like it�d work well with my abilities and would improve my chances to delay or deny the demon king. -

- A mage with domain could possibly do such spells, too. If we think of demon kings as domain - class, we have seen demon kings use global abilities. No, actually, are you trying to wriggle out of having to get your own domain ? - Kei looked at Stella. Stella shook her hands in protest.

- In the long run, all these choices probably make little difference, - Stella said. - But looking at the medium term, over the next few decades, these choices would affect how we survive the demon kings. -

Johann nodded. - I think the Tree of Life makes good sense. If none of us can die, we can all aim and plan. -

- Doesn�t that just trivialize death? -

- I�m sure the regeneration time of a domain holder will be quite long. Maybe years or decades, - Kei said. - This world does seem to take inspiration from games and ancient myths, and it�s not unusual for ancient evils or great powers to recover from destruction over very long periods. - That reminded me of so many stories that started with the rebirth of the evil god.

- Oh, so we may not die, but we waste a lot of time. -

- Time that may save lives and other worlds. -

- I�m against the magic route, - Roon said. - I feel that once a sufficient number of us can take on the demon king, with immortality, we can effectively continue fighting the demon king. No, fighting the demon king is even better since we become stronger with each fight. It�s a risk - free route. The earlier civilizations were destroyed after a long war of attrition. -

- Yes, but we will have to keep fighting forever. The magical route essentially offers a chance to close this issue by blocking us. No. The magical route also means we may have spells that create larger, more sustainable portals. With that, we may be able to invade the demonic world. -

- That still sounds like playing defense, - Roon responded. - Being immortal allows us to go on the offense. -

- We don�t know that, - Stella answered. - What if we invade the other worlds and find that there�s no solution there? The gods clearly have tried something, but they too failed in destroying the demons. Hiding may well be the only true way to avoid this fight. -

- Until when? - the ranger responded. - We cannot hide forever. -

- What if merging with the world allows both? - Alka wondered as he tried to steer the conversation away. - There must be something more to this merging with the world thing. If A/ becomes the world, A/ may also be unkillable. With that solid foundation, we�ll just need time to have Stella and the rest of the void mages gain their own domains. -

- A really long time, mind you, - Stella protested. - Void magic isn�t so easily taught. -

- He doesn�t have a point. We have twenty void mages in your void school, and A/ can give you upgraded classes, - Alka said.

Kei paused and took the conversation in another direction. - A/ , is it possible that at level two hundred fifty, you may actually encounter these choices again? -

I thought back to my level one hundred fifty domain choices. Nature , Spirit , and Astral . I chose Nature then.

As I thought about it, I thought it may be more accurate that both Will of the World and Tree of Life were essentially paths that went deeper along the path of the Nature aspect. Living Magic seemed to take a detour through magic, taking a bit from both Spirit and Astral .

So I answered Kei�s question. - Not exactly. These level two hundred choices were not what I got for my level one hundred fifty. -

Edna circled back. - I stand by the earlier suggestion. Hold on the choice until more of us get our domains. There�s no time limit, right? -

Everyone took a look at Lumoof, who remained mostly silent. Lumoof shrugged. - Don�t look at me, I�m A/ �s number one faithful, and if it�s me, I believe in A/ �s wisdom to choose. -

YEAR 192

With the battle against the demon king behind us, I moved Lumoof back to the north. The first order of the day was to find Ken again.

Where did he go?

We couldn�t find him. So we made sure to keep all my artificial minds on the lookout. It was possible they�d sailed to the other continents, and if so, there was no point looking for them here in the north.

Around this time, we received a letter from Meela. Another meeting with her and Alexis.

We met again in that same hotel, this time only Lumoof and Edna. There really was no need to bring anyone else.

- Patriarch Lumoof, we meet again. This is Alexis, my partner and co - leader of the Rosewoods. - Meela nodded, and this was when I saw Alexis again after so long. She was a tall, slender woman; her face was that of a human, with the exception of the beetle - like iris and two little feelers on her forehead. She had humanlike fingers, but the tips were like little claws with tiny hooks.

Alexis nodded, and Edna too gave a knowing nod. Lumoof made a guess on her class.

Assassin

Meela noticed the way Alexis and Edna looked at each other and immediately explained. - I believe we�ve met under less - than - pleasant situations. But let�s put that behind us and look forward. - Alexis was still tense, and she sat down. Edna could singlehandedly defeat everyone in this room, and everyone knew it.

Lumoof smiled and sat on the chair. - Indeed, I was also told by one former hero that you two tried to attack her. -

Meela nodded knowingly. - It was clear that she�s a former hero after that event. Our lack of intel from the Central Continent made us blind. It�s very unfortunate that our meeting devolved in that manner. -

Lumoof took a cup of tea and sipped. He wasn�t worried whether it was poisoned. - Oh, she was equally surprised to learn that the two of you were former heroes of another generation. It seems to us that the number of former heroes in the world only keeps growing. -

Meela laughed. - I suddenly feel a lot less special. -

Lumoof only nodded. - So let�s start. I would like to preface our discussion with A/ �s view. As he promised many years ago, he has no intention of meddling and wishes to respect that both of you have separate lives. -

Alexis immediately leaned in. - Define meddling. Is he not meddling when the two of you are here? - Meela merely sighed at the response.

Lumoof was calm, and he expected the question. - It�s important to look at context and the overall picture. A/ �s ultimate goal is to break this world from the cycle. To do so, he has to occasionally step in to save the heroes, especially if they are cursed, in order to minimize the destruction from the demon king. Though, as we could see from Alvin�s case, he didn�t do that well against the previous demon king. Nevertheless, after our incident in the north, A/ decided that he needed to move in the north, as it seemed that these islands are home to quite a bit of the anti - hero factions, if only to maintain the balance. -

- Sounds like an excuse to expand his power. -

Lumoof nodded. - Oh, we make no excuses there. A/ in his pursuit of power will have to expand to everywhere in this world. -

Alexis immediately turned to face Meela. The room already had anti - magic shielding.

- The world will run out of time, - Lumoof said before Alexis could continue. - Aiva told us that the god�s powers fade. - Well, we only heard from Aiva; we didn�t know whether the other gods were actually fading or not. - In a century or two, Aiva will no longer support the summons, and the world may end up without heroes to face the corruption of the demons. -

- Wait. What? - Alexis looked at Meela. Meela didn�t respond to the statement.

- A/ is aware of your past disagreements with his methods. - Rich, and hypocritical now that Alexis was an assassin that killed many others. But she was a smart girl, and I liked to believe her intellect could be useful. - But let�s work together, at least, to overcome this challenge. Past enmities can be managed. -

Alexis sat down. - You�re not lying. -

- We met Aiva herself. - I wasn�t sure whether to refer to Aiva as male or female. Honestly, it could go either way, though the Church of Aiva tended to refer to Aiva as a goddess, even though that wasn�t exactly in their scripture. - Her presence was real. -

- Can you tell us why A/ has all the hero fragments? - Alexis sat.

Lumoof mentally pinged me, and I agreed. - It was something he kept from everyone until recently, but he is what they call. collateral damage. An accidental tagalong during the hero summons. The fragments were awarded to all those who tagged along. -

There was silence as Alexis and Meela both processed it.

It was a long silence.

- You�re telling me now that he understood all our references all this time? And he never said a word? - Alexis had a look that was mostly anger.

- Yes. Infuriating as it may be, it was A/ �s decision in the early days. -

- This is ridiculous. - Alexis looked at Meela. She stood and slammed the table. - You believe this shit? -

- I must say I do. - Meela looked back. - It makes a lot of sense, taking account of his paranoia with his knowledge of our world; he is quite like some of the more paranoid heroes. - I didn�t feel I was paranoid. I thought I was reasonable in protecting myself.

- Why? - Alexis stood.

I took over Lumoof as Lumoof�s eyes glowed. I spoke through him.

- Because a tree cannot move. If the entire world knew of my origins, would they turn on me? Maybe yes, maybe not. But I did not take chances, not with what little power I had then. I am unlike the rest of you, who can afford to run, to hide, to alter how you appear with magic, or with the right spells to move to another world. If we made a wrong move, I was a sitting duck. I have been on the receiving end of so many hexbombs that I no longer bother to count them. The truth costs me a lot more. I am willing to admit the truth, because now I can afford to. The world is not a pleasant place. You�ve seen how assassins tried to kill heroes even with the overwhelming power of heroes. What could a tree, an immobile tree, do? -

Meela sighed. Alexis was silent.

- Meela and Alexis, we meet again after so long, and I would have preferred we met under more auspicious and pleasant circumstances. But the reality is this: we have just a few centuries left to chart our path and prepare for the moments when our crutches are off. -

They were listening, even if they felt intimidated.

- It may seem long, but it�s only fifteen to twenty demon kings. That may not be enough to level enough of us, such that we can survive subsequent demon kings without the support of heroes consistently. Not just one demon king, but for the rest of this world�s existence. Without divine support. -

Meela nodded. - I understand. So what�s the plan? -

Alexis turned. - Meela. -

- A/ is right. If the summoning of the heroes will stop, this world is truly fucked. Like it or not, we can�t ever reach that level. We certainly don�t have the right skills or items to even stand up to any regular hero, what more the demon king, - Meela defended me. - We�ve worked at this for a century, and you�re still only level ninety, and I�m barely above level one hundred. If A/ is able to even graze the level of the gods, then we need to work with him. -

I said frankly, - Honestly, I am willing to let the two of you continue as is. There really is no need for both of you to make massive adjustments to the new lives you have built over the last century. But I hoped to rely on both of you for intelligence, for support should it be needed, and mainly, to put things bluntly, don�t get in the way. What I want at the moment is an intelligence - sharing agreement and non - interference with our actions here in the north or wherever you may operate. I can dictate that by force, if I need to, but that�s an unnecessary waste of manpower. -

With the Valthorns, I could field far more power than they had. There was no need to have them enter combat or enter into a formal alliance. They just had to stay out of the way, and if they didn�t, I�d have to force them to.

Meela turned. - I can agree to that. -

Alexis stood and looked at her partner; there was a hint of displeasure in her statement. - We should discuss this. -

- Non - interference should be a clear yes, Alexis. This doesn�t change anything significantly, not with the proverbial Soul Contract on our souls. Intelligence is also an acceptable trade. We have an interest in keeping the world safe and supporting the heroes in their mission. We can do more working with A/ than against him. -

Alexis wanted to respond, and then she sat back down. She didn�t look too happy, but she seemed to accept it.

- You mentioned there were others like us? Like Miss Kei? - Meela asked. The point that I hadn�t quite decided on was whether I should expose them to Kei, Stella, or any of the other future heroes who may come under my umbrella.

- Yes. How about you? Have you seen any of your own? -

- . Yes. We have two under our care at the moment. But tell me, what�s their role in this? How do they fit in? -

Two? Hmm. I was beginning to suspect accidents were more common than I thought. I decided I could share some information. - They�re mostly helping me where they can, and how they could apply their own knowledge to improve things. One of them worked on portals. Another is helping with crystalline bombs, which we will deploy against the demon kings. -

- Ah, I�ve heard of the bombs, - Meela said. - Fascinating stuff. Alexis even got her hands on a few undetonated ones. Now that we know A/ was from Earth, it really explained some of these unusual combat strategies. -

Alexis asked, - How does A/ plan to end the cycle? We�ve heard the goal, but does he have a plan in mind? -

Lumoof shrugged. - This is partly why we are here. We don�t have a firm plan, we are attempting quite a few things, but if we had more minds, with different viewpoints, we could have more leads. Some of the ideas are quite outrageous. -

Alexis stared at Meela. - So all that rhetoric of a grand goal and A/ doesn�t have a plan. -

Meela smiled back. - Well, don�t all great plans begin with a vision? -

- Maybe it�s a vision that will lead us to hell. -

- Are we not in some kind of hell - world already? - Meela responded.

The two of them seemed to be pretty tense with each other. Maybe they�d been together for too long. It was hard to imagine a friendship that was a century - long would still be cordial. Lumoof and Edna just watched.

No point jumping into their fire.

What I found strange was that they did not respond to the portals. Did they hear it, or were they also working on something similar? Strange.

Stella finally completed her examination of the demon king�s core. It was a dud. Again.

- The core received star mana damage, and it�s clearly messed up whatever that was in there. Sorry, A/ . Not good enough. -

I felt like stomping my feet. We worked so hard, and it wasn�t enough! Of course, Edna expected it. - It�s not like we did most of the damage. -

- Your domain skill really delivered, though, - I praised Edna. - We just need to work on damage. - We both needed to work on damage. Even my fragments didn�t seem to make much of a difference against the demon king. It was likely that the fragments were only effective for non - demon kings. This, of course, suggested that demon kings were not demons, but in their own class entirely.

We also examined the mana I drained from the core to prevent that last - minute meltdown. It was a lot of void mana and demonic mana mixed in, and the trees and potatoes that I used to hold these manas were corroding rather quickly, and I needed to constantly heal the potatoes so that these void mana didn�t leak out and blow the whole place up.

But neither the mana type nor the ratio didn�t tell us much other than what we already knew. The demon king contained void mana within itself, and most of this was about to blow. Luckily, this time, I was able to absorb significantly higher quantities of mana to avoid any catastrophic blowup. In the first place, it was already weakened and had already consumed a bit of its void and demonic mana.

Oh well. Maybe the third time we�d get it.

Our spies were helpful, but they were not able to extract Neira�s secret god - communion methods. More correctly, they were not even sure it existed.

Among the mid - tier leadership team, they were not aware of any means of seeking out their god. They had the understanding that they would be contacted by their god, not the other way around.

This, of course, made me wonder why their followers even prayed, then. If their prayers did not actually go to their respective gods, then what were they for? Yet, despite the prayers never reaching the god, those who prayed somehow receive blessings? How did that work?

I attempted to make sense of this whole prayer thing.

As I understood it, Lilies once said a domain was a higher - order access to the system. But looking at what I�d seen so far, it was probably not just that. At this point, I theorized that a domain holder essentially created a spot for itself in the system. This was why Lilies felt my presence spread throughout the system.

If so, when prayers were given, I believed these prayers were then recorded by the system, and there was a - code - or a - program - in the system itself, created either indirectly or directly by a person�s ascension to the higher levels of domains, that then absorbed these prayers and responded to them.

In other words, the system functioned as an automated - god - system on behalf of the gods. The god may have set criterias for the system, or the system itself interpreted a set of criteria from the god�s behavior that formed the basis of how it responded to prayers.

I mean, that had to be how it worked, because I was not linked or giving powers to those who had A/ ic classes, and yet they clearly derived some power that was modeled after mine. The system did that, not me.

I did not assess these believers whether they were worthy or not; it was the system who did it. The system, as the only - impartial - operator in the world, made that judgment call.

Thus it was likely that even if Aiva drifted out of range of her normal, direct powers, the benefits from an Aivan blessing or class would continue.

No, thinking about it, would it be a good idea to link the world to where the gods were if they were friendly? Such that they could use their powers more directly here.

Certainly that would be good for the world, in the sense that Aiva could then protect this world directly, but not good for me, since they probably would not tolerate me being so close to them. A portal worked both ways.

The four heroes came to the Central Continent again, this time on their own accord. They�d finished the clean up of the demons in the West.

I didn�t like that they wanted to come, of course, but they were heroes, and they could just teleport to our continent if they wanted to. So, rather than resist and fail, since there were four of them, I decided to just allow them entry.

- I want snacks. All types of them, - Prabu told the attendants at the port. The attendants hurried to retrieve snacks from the warehouse.

A Valthorn quickly reached out to me. - As the heroes are not invited on an official visit, should we charge them the cost of their lodgings and food? - This was a diplomatic headache, of course. Previously they came at Kei�s invitation, so I agreed to waive the cost of whatever they consumed. I decided to call on my council for their input.

- I think we should absorb it for now, - one of the lords advised. - Most kingdoms absorb the cost of hero visits. After all, they never really stay for long. Most end up starting their own kingdoms. -

- I think we should be more concerned if one of these heroes wanted to start their own kingdom here, - another lord responded. - But until then, most kingdoms put on their best face forward. -

- What if the heroes start to mate with any of the younger princes or princesses around the Central Continent? That could cause some of the kingdoms to stray from influence. -

- And is that likely? - I asked.

- It�s possible. Many kingdoms historically attempted, with some successes, to absorb heroes into their royal families as a way of enhancing the unique status of the royal family. Granted, this has not happened yet in the recent A/ ic era, but it was a common thing, historically. Some heroes end up usurping the throne via marriage. -

Fuck.

A hero as one of the kings? There was no way I could keep them in line if that happened.

Prabu munched on a plate of snacks. - I love snacks so much I�m going to stay in the Central Continent. -

Fuck.

YEAR 193

- We want to make a deal with A/ , - Prabu and Collete said to Kei. It�d been close to six months since he�d arrived on the Central Continent, and he�d been visiting. On and off, they did travel to the other continents, but in the end, they returned.

Kei sighed. - Are you sure this is a good idea? I don�t speak for him, so I�ll have to take you to him, if he lets me. -

Prabu was firm. - Yes. Both of us talked about it, and we decided - no, I decided I want to stay here. Colette�s just staying here with me. - I wondered whether these two were an item.

Kei�s magical lips curled. - It�s really not a good idea to base your decisions on which continents have the best snacks. -

- Eh. Am I such a caricature that my entire thought process is summarized down to my love of snacks? -

- Well, no. But is it? -

- No. I like snacks, but I�m not stupid. I also like modern conveniences, and on that front, this continent is far ahead of everyone else. Especially here. If there was a place I wanted to stay, it�s here. -

- Have you thought about what you want to offer A/ as compensation? - Kei said. - Back when I was still alive, I helped A/ with magical research. -

- I�ve seen Freeka�s colleges, and I think the college needs a proper magical teacher. We both can do that. -

- You know these mortals can�t learn heroic magic. - Kei frowned.

- They can learn by exposure. Just having heroes as lecturers should be a huge selling point for the college. I honestly don�t mind being mascots. - Prabu laughed. - I used to wear costumes for my school plays. So yes, I mean it. I want to live here. -

Kei looked at Colette. - How about you? -

- I�ll travel around, but I�ll probably drop by and just rest here, too. - The knight - hero, Hafiz, was out to set up his own sultanate in the Western Continent, while Chung the archer went back to the Southern Continent to continue his work on magical contraption again.

I suspected they were probably more than friends, but they didn�t do anything strange while here. Maybe they used some magic to hide themselves from my prying eyes.

- We only have a few years of peace, - Colette said. - Before we�re back to that old disaster again. There�s still so much to see and so much to eat. -

- We�ve seen most of the big sights. -

- There are things hidden in plain sight, - Colette responded. - Like how we�ve never seen A/ �s true body even after we�ve been here so long. There are things we will only discover if we spend the time to find it. These magical senses are tuned to demons and very little else. -

Of course, that was really understating how overpowered their normal senses already were.

- Can you please ask A/ ? -

Kei led them to me the next day, and they saw my main body for the first time. They instantly backed a few steps as my presence and theirs clashed.

- The true body is really nothing to scoff at, - Prabu said with a bow. - We humbly greet the great deity of the Central Continent. -

- I have heard of your request, and it is granted, with some conditions. - They stared and waited for me to continue. I then listed my requirements. I wanted them to stay out of politics and avoid giving any tacit or implied support to any of the nobles, I didn�t want a political upheaval in my land, and I was concerned that the nobles would be able to gently maneuver the heroes against me.

The heroes were political newbies. They could find themselves indirectly led to a path where they were then forced to make a choice. The only way they could stay in the Central Continent was if they were directly under my control, and no one else�s. At the same time, they had to work.

I tasked them, mainly, with creating heroic items and also working as guest lecturers at FTC.

Just like Kei, when she was still a hero. Prabu accepted it without hesitation, and was more interested in debating the specifics of his compensation for his goods and services.

I then approached both Aria and Aispeng, and also Lilies, on the specifics of a pantheon.

Would you join my pantheon? I asked Lilies, and Lilies could not answer.

They had not reached that point. We don�t know. It is a commitment far above what we are ready for.

Why?

Lilies couldn�t answer, either. But I sensed turmoil and conflict through our linked roots; I felt its many minds in fierce debate over the invitation.

Aria and Aispeng frowned. - So level two hundred is a pantheon. If we get there, we can get it, too. But we�ll have to wait a few decades. But what happens if we reach level two hundred and can we leave the pantheon? -

I honestly answered, - I don�t know. The system does not answer such questions, but I would theorize yes. A pantheon may not be a fixed thing. Only those who selected a subdomain, like my priest Lumoof, are stuck with me. -

- What exactly is a pantheon? What are your powers over us? - Aria asked.

- I also don�t know. I�ll know more when Edna joins my pantheon. -

- Hmm. Then we will wait until then. We certainly are not friends of the demons or the gods, so I don�t see the problem in joining with you, if it�s not a permanent, irrevocable arrangement. -

In truth, any of my domain choices should make the world safer. If I had all of them, that would be even better.

I hoped level two hundred fifty allowed me to get all of them.

During the middle of the year, I got a ping from one of my artificial minds. My artificial mind drew attention to an individual who arrived by sea. The man had long hair tied up into a ponytail and wore simple armor.

- The Central Continent. How does it feel? - the man asked.

There was a small snake on his shoulder, a real, living snake with dark green skin, but my watchers were already on the lookout for anything snake - related. The snake had glowing red eyes. - We�re being watched. -

- Is it? - The man looked around but didn�t seem to see anything. - I don�t see any assassins or spies. -

- It�s everywhere. I can taste a faint presence. -

- Oh great. We�ve walked into a trap. -

- No. I don�t think so. -

It was easy to tell this was Ken. - Heh. So is this trip a mistake? We still can back out now. No, if this is a flag, we should back out. -

- No. The source of the divine energy we felt was here. Even now, I can still taste the residual divine energies in the air. We move. -

- I taste nothing. - Ken rolled his eyes.

- Your senses are crude, human. Come, we shall move to the source of this energy. -

We continued to watch Ken travel from the northern coasts of the Central Continent, slowly to the center of the Central Continent. It took them about two months, but Ken finally arrived at Freshka.

- There�s something here reaching out to our minds, - the snake said once they approached Freshka.

- What�s that? -

- I�m not sure. -

- You sure don�t know much for a supposedly all - knowing snake. - Ken laughed.

- I�ve never sold myself as an all - knowing snake. -

- Is it? I recall back when you latched onto my soul, I remember quite specifically that you said you have the knowledge of the world and you can help me. -

- My world, not yours. -

- Great, I fell for a marketing misdirection. - Ken rolled his eyes.

The snake didn�t answer.

- Ah, Freshka! I heard Prabu�s here. I should meet him, - Ken said.

- Is dropping by unannounced a common practice in your world? It would be an act of disrespect to us. -

Ken shrugged. - It�ll be fine. Prabu�s pretty chill. -

- He�s still under the control of the gods. They may not be. Not when they detect my presence. -

- Ah yes. That twisted backstory of your world, right? - Ken said. - But you know what? I�ll still meet him. I�m not at risk. You are. -

The snake was silent, and Ken smirked. Ken immediately activated a messaging orb. - Hey, Prabu. -

- Oh, hey! Ken! Where�ve you been? -

- Long story, but guess what? I�m in Freshka. Wanna meet up? -

- Wait. What?! Sure, dude! Sure! Uh, you wanna meet at one of the city�s restaurants? - I thought I felt a little bit of echo as I heard Prabu speak through my eyes and also through Ken�s observer.

- Yeah. Sure. Tell me where. -

They met at an upscale restaurant in Freshka, complete with a private dining room. Of course, the whole place was bugged with my trees. Prabu arrived first, as Ken took a while to find the place.

When they met each other, Prabu immediately frowned. - Who�re you? -

Ken paused and then realized his disguise was still active. He activated some kind of spell, and now he transformed back into Ken. - Sorry. I�ve got a disguise on, since there are a lot of people looking for me. -

Prabu frowned. - With that ability of yours, how do I know I�m actually talking to Ken, and not someone who just looks like Ken? -

Ken rubbed his chin. - That�s a good question. I actually can�t prove that. It�s entirely possible that Ken�s still back on Earth and I�m just a copy of Ken who can shapeshift with flesh - alteration magic. Or it is also possible magically that something ate Ken and stole Ken�s memories, and now this Ken - eating monster masquerades itself as Ken. -

Prabu smiled and sat. - All right, Mr. Looks - like - Ken - but - may - not - be - Ken, so I�ll still call you Ken for short, what�s up? We saw the notification and your message. Chung will want to know that you�re still alive. -

Prabu then pointed at the snake.

- And also, that snake of yours, where is it from? It feels. familiar. -

Ken immediately placed the snake on a chair. - His name�s pretty hard to pronounce, but I call him Snek, because he looks like Snek. He�s a spiritual hitchhiker. He�s been with me since the very first day we arrived in this world. -

- Really? -

- It took a while for him to wake up, part of the perils of dimensional travel. -

- Why didn�t you tell us? -

- I don�t trust the gods to keep both of us safe. Not with the power they�ve given us, - Ken remarked flatly.

- What is it? - Prabu stared at the snake, and the snake coiled up. - And why are you willing to do so now? -

Ken smiled. - Because I�m no longer a hero, and it separated from my soul after it consumed the hero class. -

- The snake ate your hero class? - Prabu�s eyes almost popped out at the second sentence. - How? And why? Seriously, why? What were you thinking? -

A knock on the door and Prabu tapped a button. The door opened, and three waiters came in. They served the food, drinks, and snacks and left when they were done.

- Yes. Where were we? Hero class, what were you thinking? -

Ken looked and smiled. - Well, I�m pleasantly surprised that you didn�t instantly try to kill me or the snake. -

- What? Why would I? - Prabu leaned back, slightly offended.

- Well, let�s cut to it. We all know there�s some mind - control element. It restricts what we think and what we do. I didn�t like that, and Snek helped me to remove it. It�s a win - win situation, since Snek comes from a world that�s devoid of heroes. -

- Wait. Are you saying Snek is a demon? -

- Not quite. Have you ever wondered what would happen to the world if the demons win? -

- Everyone dies? -

- Well, no. The demons kill those that they encounter, but what if they somehow manage to hide? -

- I thought the demons could find those who live? - Prabu frowned.

- They have refined senses, yes, but they are not perfect and certainly not omniscient. There are things they don�t know, and in the snake�s case, they got lucky. -

- What do you mean? -

- Their world was swarmed by flying demons, but they, the snakes and few others, are a species of subterranean creatures. They lived underground and surrendered the entire surface to the demons, and they built their cities deeper and deeper. But the gods only recognized those who were humans or humanoids as worthy of protection, so sentient snakes and other beasts were abandoned. -

That was fascinating.

- The flying demons and the demon king that made the surface into a demonic world, and yet beneath it, these snakes lived. And they remembered the loss. -

- That�s. -

- The gods discriminate by species. -

- No. The demons have tunneller demons, too. Why didn�t they use those? -

This time, it was the Snake Spirit that answered. - Because the demons have a system. Each demon king that wins a world claims that world for its type. The demon gods created a rotational system to allow each subdemonic race a chance to invade a world, but if it fails, another subdemonic race gets the opportunity to send their kings. My world was claimed by the dragon - demons. -

Prabu asked a question I always wanted to know. - Then do you know what the demon kings are? How do they become what they are? -

- In every world, the demons will create a massive pool or spawning pit. This is the Heart of the Demons, and it is linked to the Core of the world. The hearts steal power from the world to create a demon king. It takes almost a century for the heart of the demons to create a demon king. -

This story is different from the one told by the parasite. Prabu frowned and asked, - To be fair, it sounds like your world has managed to coexist with the demons. -

- We do not consider it coexistence. Not when all the surface - dwelling species have been eradicated, and those who fled to the tunnels have changed over the millennia. Our world is a demon world, and we feel the pain of the Core that feeds the demons. -

The demons were created from the energies of the captured worlds and used it to create demon kings.

- The world�s energy fades in strength. Each demon king it spawns kills the world a little more, and we fear what happens should the demons consume all of the world�s energy, - the snake answered. - But because we come from a world where the core�s energy has been tainted by the demons. -

Prabu shook his head. - Sounds like a pretty tragic background story. -

Ken actually laughed at it. - I know, right? Anyway, their world needs a hero, so, since I didn�t want to be controlled by the gods, I agreed to give my hero class to them. So I�m a free man now. Win - win situation. -

- Free only because someone else will be fighting for you. - Prabu frowned. - We could have used another person on the battlefield. -

- Eh. You four are doing fine! I heard of your incredible battles. -

- Those are all exaggerations. Those who were present in the battle all know it didn�t go like that. -

Indeed, there were no spectators. The risks were too high, and everyone present was at a higher level. I lost too many lower - level folks when I deployed them during the previous battle. It was also extremely difficult to scry the battle with so much magical interference.

- The four heroes defeated the demon king, - Ken said. - Though the Central Continent seems to have a different version of the story, where the warriors from the Central Continent supported the battle? - As usual, the temples had their own versions of the story, and we too had our own versions. Each side made statements to its own benefit.

Prabu smiled. - We had help. -

- I see. - Ken waited.

- So why are you here, really? -

- Someone called the gods here, - Ken said. - Snek wants to know. -

Prabu frowned. - And why is that? -

The snake shook his head. - Let�s just say it�s a curiosity. -

- Are you not afraid that someone who could call a god here can easily crush you? -

The snake nodded; its voice was angry. - So it could. But we want to know. We want to ask why we were abandoned. -

Ken looked at the snake. - Sometimes I wonder whether that�s how the demons came to be. These abandoned races ascend and then are on a quest for vengeance against the gods who abandoned them. Why are they obsessed anyway? -

The snake didn�t answer. We didn�t know why, and it seemed the snake did not, either.

Prabu frowned. - There�s so many holes in your explanation. How�d you even manage to latch on Ken when we are summoned? That�s a kind of power I�ve not seen before. Your ability to extract the hero class, what exactly did you do? -

The snake looked at Ken, and it was Ken who answered. - These snake - folk, they practice a kind of blood magic. -

Prabu�s face twisted. - Ken, you agreed to work with someone who sacrificed lives for magical power? -

Ken sighed. - Prabu, it�s hard to explain, but yes. There�s a lot more nuance to blood magic than you know, and these snake - folk have a very high - level understanding of it. I�m now free of the hero class with no side effects. -

- And how was that achieved, exactly? -

The snake and Ken seemed to share a look. - It�s complicated. -

- You�re not making a convincing case, Ken. -

The snake then said, - There�s a lot of sacrifice involved. Willing sacrifices are key. - Willing? Didn�t I recall the snake using some kind of mind - puppetry or mind control?

Ken leaned forward. - We�ve talked about something not relevant for a while. Prabu, I need your help. -

- Help? What kind? - Prabu asked.

- The rumors were very messy. Some of them said there was a heavenly meeting; some said it was something else. We want to know, did somebody summon the gods? -

Prabu laughed. - Ah. The Aivan god�s meeting. Yes, what about it? -

- Do you know how to trigger it again? Snek says it may be his ticket home. -

- I don�t. -

- Where did it happen? Here? -

- Yeah. Somewhere outside of the city. It�s off - limits, though. -

- Can you smuggle me there? -

- No. - Prabu shook his head. - Trust me, you don�t want to try weird shit in this continent. This isn�t a place you can fool around. Even if you�re a hero. -

- Why, some officer of the kingdom�s gonna stop me? - Ken said. - This continent�s a competent religious - military state with a supposedly divine religious figurehead. You�re a hero with divine powers. Heroes win. -

It seemed that Ken had a very different impression of the continent, and Prabu immediately frowned. - Those words are best not tested and said outside of this room, ever. You underestimate the rising god at your own peril. -

- Wait, it�s not a competent religious - military state? All those soldiers in fancy uniforms and high levels? That�s the impression I got. -

Prabu frowned. It was the Snek who stopped at Prabu�s words. - Wait. How powerful is the deity of the land? -

Ken looked at Snek. - Wait a minute, what are you implying? -

- Sawabesarulars, you damned fool. - I didn�t know how, but the Snek somehow managed to look like it had an epiphany as it cursed at himself. I presumed that was his name, since it was clearly pretty difficult to pronounce correctly. - Four hundred thirty - three years of waiting for the right moment and you miss this shit. Stupid, elementary mistake. -

- Spill it Snek. - Ken looked serious. Prabu�s frown turned into bewilderment.

- The competent religious - military state is competent because there is a singular, ascending god at its core. You had the logic backward. It is not the competence of the military order that maintains the illusion that there is a god. There really is a god, and it is a god that imposes competence. All those military guys with high levels, the massive background presence in this entire continent, it could only mean we were watched. All the damned time. -

Ken�s face paled. - Wait. But Chung didn�t say much about this A/ . The temples certainly painted A/ as a pretender. -

- Of course they would! - Snek screamed. - Have you no sense of politics?! Even we spirit - snakefolk know about talking shit about your enemies! This is an absolute failure of your information collection! -

- It�s my fault now? - Ken slammed the table.

- Well, yes. All we know about the Central Continent has been anecdotes and biased information from the temples and the merchants. Your friends didn�t say much, either. You, with your supposed treasure trove of tropes, seemed to happily categorise the entire Central Continent into this caricature of a military regime. -

- Tropes are never wrong. Only subverted! - Ken slammed the table again. - I got the trope right! -

- But we got the wrong decisions, you damned fool! -

- What the fuck are you two talking about? - Prabu said. The food was getting cold. Prabu�s plate was clean.

Snek turned to the hero. - Do you know what level A/ is? -

- I�m not sure, but his two generals, a priest and a knight, joined our battle with the previous demon king. The priest was able to have A/ descend on the battlefield through him. They really pulled their weight during the battle. -

Ken looked. - Wait. Wait a minute. The natives are not useless? -

- I don�t think so? -

Ken looked at Snek. - This flies against everything you ever said about natives having no chance against the demon kings, that we all need hero - classes to win. You�re wrong, too, alien - snake - person. -

Snek paused. - Our world never had anyone who was able to reach those levels. Even I, the one chosen to take a spiritual form and make the journey to the god - watched worlds, am no more than level eighty. We didn�t think it was even possible for natives to fight. -

Huh. They didn�t need super - high levels to break themselves free of the hero class. No, maybe it was easier to break if the hero class was low leveled.

Prabu looked equally puzzled. - Where�s this conversation heading? -

- I�m sorry, Prabu. We just had a few of our key assumptions rebutted. -

- We should stay here and watch a bit more, - Snek said suddenly. - If this is true, I have much to learn about this world. A lot more than just a hero class. -

Prabu frowned. - I�m not accepting freeloaders. You gotta get your own crib. -

YEAR 194

Afew more years to go, and I�d be two hundred years old in this world. That was really long, though honestly, it only felt like a few years. Time was relative to lifespan. For a person who would live to one hundred, ten years was ten percent of his life, but for a tree that could live to one thousand years, it was only one percent.

The leveling system, therefore, was clearly rigged in favor of those with longer lifespan, though the levels themselves allowed those with shorter lives to live far, far longer. Like Edna.

Roon and Johann were just one level away from level one hundred fifty. Roon was an A/ ic Sharpshooter , and Johann was an A/ ic Master Ranger . Both were ranged combatants, unlike Edna. Alka was level one hundred forty - three A/ �s Field Scientist .

They were a little restless. After all, they were so close. I totally understood how they felt. After all, I lingered at the edge of that level for a long time, too.

There were new people, of course. Every year we admitted more into the Valthorns, and from that, an even smaller group received the Soul Strengthening Seeds .

Looking at the entirety of my talent pipeline, I had three bottlenecks.

One: individuals who were able to reach their level caps of level eighty to ninety were not many. Not everyone had the disposition or the personality to strive and keep pushing. Some just wanted to back off and relax. This problem was mostly solved by expanding my recruitment to cover the entire continent. With hundreds of millions across all the cities, it was very possible to get the talent needed.

Two: training my talents to the level caps, and then beyond that, to the domains. I could cheat with experience seeds and give them upgraded classes and upgraded skills, and my gift to level them up to level sixty, but all of these were like giving a powerful car to a driver who may not be sufficiently well equipped to use them. They needed a good foundation, and then only the powerful skills could then make a difference.

Three: the soul - strengthening seed that broke the level cap. There was a finite number of soul - strengthening seeds I could make per year. The fact that these damned ginseng required long gestation periods only made this even more painful.

But, I wondered, why did it have to be me?

So I approached both Aria and Lilies for help.

- This here is a soul strengthening seed , made from ginseng. Are you guys able to make similar items? -

- No, - Aria said.

Maybe, Lilies responded and then produced a lotus root.

We would select Tree of Life. In the end, I thought the ability to invade other worlds and establish bases in other parts of the world to be too enticing for me to let go. Not just that, it fundamentally allowed me to engage with heroes with a lot less fear, since now they�d have to kill all of me, not just the main tree.

No, the first thing I wanted to do if I chose Tree of Life was the damned moon base.

- You cannot be serious. - Stella looked at me. - You want to send a seed to the moon? -

- Yes. I am. -

- You�re destroying the natural environment of the moon. -

- Is this a conversation about preserving the natural environment? Because as far as I know, trees are natural. -

- Not native to the moon. -

- The moon�s uninhabited. -

- You don�t know that. -

- Then more reason for me to go to the moon, - I argued. - Can a tree go into space? No, can a tree go to the moon? -

Stella frowned and smacked her head. - That�s lame. -

- I - m a tree. I am unable to walk. If I were an animal, I would be lame. -

Stella rolled her eyes. - . fuck you. -

- So will you open a portal to the moon, or not? -

- Fine, I�ll try. I�ll need some time to prepare. -

I selected my level two hundred domain, and I felt power surge and flood through all of my body. I felt my Heart, deep underground, melt, and then it split into five parts. One immediately embedded itself back to where it was.

I had four more seeds, Seeds of A/ . They were small, the size of a basketball.

At the same time, I felt the other powers of the domain activate.

Lumoof has been added to your pantheon automatically.

Pantheon invitation sent to Edna, Lilies, Aria.

Eh. Strange that the system knew to invite them.

Edna has accepted.

Aria and Aispeng have accepted.

There was nothing from Lilies. Not that he wanted them to urgently accept. They were probably still debating the specifics of such a pantheon.

Skill upgraded: Tree of Prayers now also emit a healing aura around them.

- Eh. That�s another skill. -

I watched Ken and Snek stalk my Valthorns around Freshka. They were extremely amazed when they saw Edna walking on the streets. They were almost caught a few times, but I told my Valthorns to ignore them. I wanted to see what they would do.

- That woman is special! - Snek said in amazement. - I could feel her radiant power here. We must see this tree. To think this background energy that we felt all the way in the Northern Isles was all from this place! -

- The tree was in the north? - Ken asked.

- Yes. It was. -

- When? -

- For a long time. I thought it was just some residue of this world, like something normal. -

Ken laughed and sneered. - You have eyes, but you could not see Mount Tai. And you�re a fish out of water - no, a snake out of the forest. -

- I�m a snake - person - turned - spirit! We live underground, we survive mostly on magic, and our diet consists of underground monsters. - Snek clearly was on a different conversational wavelength.

- Do you think it�s possible for me to take a spiritual form? - Ken wondered. - Think about it, a spiritual form. I�ll be a ghost! If I�m a ghost, nothing can kill me. -

- Of course it is, but as I said, there are risks. Nine out of ten attempts to take on an ethereal, spiritual form fail, catastrophically, - the snake said. - And of course nothing can kill you! You�re already dead! -

But these two guys got in trouble, not with my people - well, maybe they were my people indirectly. There was an Aiva delegation in Freshka, as part of our peace arrangement with the Temple of Aiva.

An Aivan high priest immediately stopped and saw them while they were in town. - You. - He pointed at Ken without knowing who he was. - I sense a foul ghost lingering about you. What are you doing, stalking about town with that ghost? -

Ken was defiant. - Last I checked, having a ghost for a friend isn�t a crime. -

The Aivan high priest discussed and whispered to his guards. - It isn�t, but I can still punish evildoers as I see fit. -

- No, you won�t, - Ken said, and he ran. The Aivan priest and his group of guards ran after him. Bloody hell. Ken moved quickly; apparently he picked up some Rogue classes. Snek, unfortunately, shielded him from Patreeck�s pervasive mind reading.

But Patreeck could still pick up random thoughts and little bits that they didn�t manage to protect. Snek spent most of his spiritual powers to protect Ken, and Snek�s was partly exposed. There were moments when we saw little glimpses of what Snek desired, and it was a bit of wonder and intrigue.

I found it interesting that Patreeck�s power could even be used on spirits. I didn�t manage to use it on the demon parasite previously, but maybe that was because it was inside Alvin.

He managed to lose the Aivan priests. - Damned holy people. They really don�t like you. -

- It is not my fault they confuse me with the undead, - Snek responded. - I really don�t understand this world�s culture of despising certain forms of magic. -

Ken shrugged. - People have prejudices. You are probably just blind on your own. -

I had enough of observing them from afar, and so I sent Roon to confront them. We knew where they walked and lived in Freshka. Roon knocked on their door; they�d borrowed some money from Prabu and rented a place of their own.

- Who the hell? - Ken wondered and activated Detect Presence . - Shit, it�s the Valthorns. Have we been discovered? -

Roon knocked again and then said, - I know you�re in there, Mr. Ken. I�m Roon of the Valthorns. A/ wants to see you. Both of you. -

Ken stared at Snek and whispered, - How�d he find us? -

Snek shook its tiny snake head. - You mean, what finally made him decide to send someone and get us? -

- Ugh. Are we dead? - Ken turned to the door and shouted, - What does he want? -

Roon said, - He just wants to see you and your spirit - companion. He has some interesting questions. -

- He knows, - Ken whispered. - Should we bail? Do you think Prabu exposed us to him? -

Roon had preempted that. - There�s really no use running, Ken. We�ve been watching you for some time. -

- That�s a lie. My Rogue skills didn�t pick up shit, - Ken responded.

- It only means your skills are too low leveled. -

Ken looked around. - Can we run? -

Snek shook its head. - Think, you fool. We have a high - leveled operative outside our door, and I think this A/ could easily catch us anywhere we go. Our odds are fucked either way. We should cooperate. -

- Are we in danger? - Ken shouted.

Roon smirked at the question and then knocked on the door. - You�re not, don�t worry. But as for your spirit companion, it really depends on what your friend is willing to share. -

Ken looked at Snek. - Oh, you�re fucked. - Ken opened the door and saw a carriage was already prepared, one of the continent�s finest, with a small convoy of beetles.

- Good. - Roon smiled. - Please get in the carriage. -

Ken nodded and went in. Roon followed. The carriage was magically enchanted by our mages for comfort and security.

- Where are we going? -

- Didn�t I say earlier? You both are going to meet A/ , of course. -

- What does he want? -

- I don�t know. - Roon shrugged. - You�ll have to see for yourself. -

Snek stared at Roon. - What level are you? -

- It�s classified. -

Ken looked at him. - Certainly below level one hundred fifty. But I�m guessing it�s very close. - They had seen Edna and Lumoof both in Freshka, so they must have gotten a sense from their relative power levels.

Roon smiled. - Good one. -

- What changed? - Ken then said. - My friend here says you�ve been watching us for some time. -

- Oh, I wasn�t watching you, but in Freshka, someone is always watching. -

- Freaking police surveillance state, - Ken responded.

We brought them deep into the Valthorn�s Keep and before one of the larger Tree of Prayers.

Snek was immediate. - This isn�t A/ . -

Roon smiled. - Very observant, snake - spirit. -

Lumoof then walked in and sat on the chair opposite them. Roon gave Lumoof a nod and left the three. Snek eyed him intensely.

- Greetings, and a very belated welcome to Freshka, the administrative capital of the Central Continent. -

- You. - Snek said. - I didn�t see it before, but. -

Lumoof eyes glowed, and I descended upon my avatar. At that moment, both Ken and Snek felt an oppressive pressure. - Greetings, Ken and Snek. - My voice was amplified by the avatar power, and it sounded like a thousand men said a single word.

The little snake spirit just whimpered. Ken looked at Snek in shock. - Uh. -

- I have much to ask of Snek. -

Ken paused. - How�d you know. -

- This is my city, and nothing here escapes my eyes, - I said as I stared at Snek through Lumoof. - Tell me the truth, Snek, and nothing but the truth. What are you, where are you from, and what are you doing here? -

Snek�s little snake body whimpered, and Ken just stared. He had most likely never seen Snek behave in such a manner. Eventually, I lightened the pressure, and the small snake managed to move. I could use the entirety of Patreeck�s mind - reading powers at this distance, but I wanted to see what it was going to do. I wanted to apply some of Patreeck�s power to force a bit of honesty.

But I decided to hold back and wait. The snake adjusted itself and then said, - I am Sawabesarulars, a snake - person turned snake spirit from a world consumed by demons. -

- Is that the truth? - I applied Patreeck�s power, and Snek vibrated from the mental shock. Patreeck said yes. - Good. -

Snek nodded, shaken, but it steeled itself. Ken immediately said, - Wait, you�re using some mind - reading powers? -

- Your snake has some kind of possession ability. It is but a taste of its own type of power, - I responded.

- How�d you know? - Ken asked. I ignored the question and just looked at Snek.

- Sawabesarulars, continue your explanation. -

- Our world was lost to the demons about five hundred sixty - three years ago, when the gods stopped summoning heroes to our world. Our gods, Gayas, Deyar, and Marak, all abandoned us simultaneously, and we were invaded by the dragon - demons. The surface world was mostly lost, and the few surface dwellers that remained lived in hiding, in fear of the consuming dragons. -

I checked. It was honest.

- We retreated to the subterranean tunnels, and that was where the survivors lived ever since. We dug deeper and deeper tunnels, and our people changed. But we always wanted to return to the surface. So, about five hundred years ago, our people hatched a plan. The idea was simple. We knew that there were multiple worlds and gods summoned heroes to them. We learned this from the zaratans who once lived in our world. At least, before the surface water was consumed. -

Again, no lies. I commanded Patreeck to continue and only alert me if it lied.

- We had great leaders and great mages. But only heroes could defeat the demon king. - Patreeck sensed an uncertainty here. - We thought, if the gods wouldn�t send us heroes, we would have to steal them from elsewhere. Our leaders and ancient masters had a good grasp of the higher magics of the world and were masters of spiritual - blood magic. We knew that it was very difficult to send a person from one world to another. But if a person was in a spiritual form, it was easier to endure the perils of the dark void. -

The snake continued.

- I, along with many other mages and wizards, were sacrificed as part of a blood ritual that stitched all our souls together. This transformed us to a spiritual existence. That was the first step. Next, we had to gain levels. A powerless spirit could not hope to steal a hero - class. -

I paused and asked, - How did you learn how to steal a hero class? -

- In our ancient history before our fall, our mages once helped a hero lose her class. It involved using soul fragments of other souls to significantly empower an underlying soul, such that it could shake off the hero - class that was latched to it. It was harder to do if the hero class was at a higher level, as each level gained in the hero class enhanced its grip over the soul. -

- Continue. - Huh, so the solution was really that simple. Make the soul strong such that it could get rid of the hero class? If I gave someone a really powerful ginseng, could it achieve the same effect?

- So I was made into a spirit, and next, we waited. We waited for the moment when the twin - headed dragon demon-king of our world was sent to another world. The demons had magical rifts that opened paths to other worlds, and when those rifts were open, I snuck into the rifts. But I didn�t come out on the other side. -

Ken looked.

- I waited in the dark void, for the moment when the heroes would fly through. There were many near - hits, but many of these heroes rebuffed my attempts to speak to them. But finally, when Ken and his group travelled from the other side, Ken agreed to talk to me, and it seemed we got lucky that he wanted nothing of this, too. -

I looked at Ken. - Lucky for you, the spirit you picked up doesn�t seem exceptionally malicious. Didn�t your parents tell you not to talk to strange creatures when travelling through the void? -

The former hero sniggered. Patreeck confirmed he wasn�t lying, at least. He could still fake it, but I didn�t see a need to.

- So you got what you wanted. What�s next? -

- I need to send the hero class back, of course. The only way I knew how to send a hero class back, sadly, involved consuming a powerful soul. -

- Did the gods say why your world was lost? -

- No. Maybe. - Maybe if one of the gods got out of range, all of the gods decided to pull out together? - I came here to look for answers. We felt it when a god descended, and I had questions. My people wanted to know why we were forsaken. -

Ken nodded and added, - I thought I should see his journey to the end. That�s why I came here with him. He�s spiritually bound to me, and he can�t stay too far from me. -

- I see. Tell me more about your blood magic. -

Ken�s eyes widened in shock. - Wait. Why blood magic? - Snek was in thought and failed to protect Ken�s mind. Patreeck, at that moment, read the now - not - a - hero�s mind. Fuck, it�s really an evil competent military empire with an evil god at its helm. We�re so fucked. We�re dealing with the empire and this person is the emperor.

I was amused at the thought. Snek continued. - Our blood magic involved the use of souls and spirits for augmentation. The idea was the soul of many is stronger than the soul of one, and it should be possible to enhance one from many. Our origins were troubled by malpractice, forced sacrifices, and wrongful use, but over the years we focused on the key elements of good blood magic. That involved wholly willing sacrifices and clean rituals. Consent and willingness was a fundamental concept, a powerful component that can significantly change the nature of a blood magic ritual. If we failed to consent, the ritual would generate hex. -

If consent and willingness negated the harmful effects. - How do you know someone truly consented? -

- We would do test - rituals to confirm consent. A smaller ritual involving just the blood of the participants. Consent and willingness is written in our soul and our identity, and parts of it can be detected in the blood with the right ritual. -

- Fascinating. -

Ken�s mind was just full of suspicion. Oh god, is this magical tree going to sacrifice people en masse? What have I done? No. No. Play it cool. Don�t alert the empire. Find the resistance.

Snek was entirely cooperative. - May I ask you some questions, too? -

I nodded through Lumoof. - Sure, if it is reasonable. -

YEAR 195

Snek wanted to know how we stood up to the demon kings. I was frank: we didn�t. At least, not yet. It was a very depressing conversation, as Snek wanted to know what levels were needed to be able to fight toe - to - toe with the demon king.

In truth, if Edna was alone, she would survive the first day, but she�d be dead on the second. So level one hundred fifty was not enough. No. Even level two hundred was not enough. We would need an army of us to do so. To think that the ancient dragons were able to hold the demons back, they had to have many creatures of that tier of power.

Or were the dragons naturally so powerful?

It was a very high bar. Level two hundred? They would have to gnaw at the demons for decades before they got there and, on top of that, fight the demon king itself. Without the hero fragments, it would be very difficult to actually reach such levels.

But my two compatriots did it. Both Edna and Lumoof did. In Edna�s case, she served me for about fifty years when she achieved her domain . Lumoof, relatively speaking, got there faster, because of the boost from the dungeons.

Could we transplant this to their world? After decades and centuries of hiding, they were not used to fighting. All they fought were the natural spawns that emerged from the tunnels, and there were powerful monsters even deep underground.

The demon-dragons of their world were not exactly interested in total annihilation, either. They seemed to only care about great crystal spires, the largest of which served as the spawning pools of demon kings. Snek had seen at least three such spawning pools on their worlds, nursed by the energies harvested from their world�s core.

There was clearly a mechanism in the background where a world would transform to a demonic world under certain circumstances. Snek didn�t know.

- Told you you should not have done shit, - Prabu said. - Now you�ve got yourself entangled with A/ himself. -

- I wasn�t expecting the empire, - Ken defended himself.

- Which signs did you miss? The extremely powerful subordinates? The strange compliance from even the peripheral states? The magical beetle creatures that are clearly controlled by someone that can reach the entire continent? -

Ken frowned. - When you put it like that. -

Snek, on the other hand, seemed absolutely converted. It was almost embarrassing how much of a fanboy he had suddenly become. - A/ is the hope we�ve been looking for. -

Ken sighed. - I really want to send you back now. I can�t stand all this praising A/ shit. Seriously. What do I need to do to send you back? -

- No. I need to learn more from A/ . Our world would do much better if A/ could help us. - Snek was a fanboy, and I felt secondhand embarrassment from eavesdropping.

- Where was the crafty clever snake I met? - Ken smacked his face. - I miss the snarky snake. -

- As you once succinctly described it, I had eyes, but I could not see Mount Tai. I have now seen the difference between heaven and earth, and there is much for me to do, - Snek answered.

Prabu laughed. - That�s the first time I�ve seen a spirit turn into a fan - animal. Ken, you�ve outdone yourself in training your pet. -

- One must know their place in the world. There are mountains beyond mountains. -

Ken sighed. - And I regret exposing you to xianxia quotes. -

Prabu, the archmage, was literally in tears. - You absolutely deserved this, Ken. You know, you did all this to avoid the whole hero - shenanigans, and here you are, entangled in the bigger shenanigans. -

- Yeah. A snake�s attempt to save their own world. I don�t see how one hero class is enough to change the scales, though. At least from what we�ve seen in this world, the demon kings clearly can take on multiple heroes. -

The snake spirit responded, - We don�t need to. The demon king, at maturity, would be immediately sent to invade another world. The demons defenses on our world are the demon champions, the greater guardians, and the demonic spawning pools spires. -

- The spires are defenses? - Prabu was curious.

- Yes. They are. -

Ken sighed. - What have I done to deserve this? -

- Bad karma, dude. -

Stella was ready, and the crystal batteries charged up. We avoided using daemolite, even though those could store more void mana, simply because we didn�t want to leave any trails for the demons to follow. Edna held one of my clones, the Seed of A/ , and we waited. Lumoof waited next to him.

- All right. Let�s open a portal to the moon. -

The portal manifested, and I saw a thread of darkness that seemed to stretch ever further. We had a portal to one of the moons.

Lumoof gulped, took the seed from Edna, and looked at Stella. They nodded. Now was not the time for hesitation. He stepped close to the portal, and Stella and the other void mages felt the void mana drain from the crystals. - Portal is ready and stable. -

Lumoof stepped through, and I felt a searing pain from Lumoof, as if we were suddenly exposed to something extremely harsh.

My priest was now on the moon, and even though the atmosphere was nonexistent, and his skin burned from the harsh, unprotected light of the suns, the sight was breathtaking.

It was like how the astronauts sent back the first pictures of Earth. I activated a range of shields, and I knew that any lesser druid would have died the moment they stepped through the portal. There was no life on the moon. Nothing for a druid to work with.

There was no breathable air, but Lumoof was sustained by magic and a bubble created from my adaptive powers.

He placed my Seed of A/ on the dirt floor of the moon, and I sensed that different, extremely parched dirt. The seed buried itself into the dirt.

Should I go back? Lumoof mentally asked, and I noticed the lag wasn�t as noticeable as the other worlds.

- Not yet. We�ll start by exploring the moon, whether there�s anything to see. -

Lumoof walked, and damn the moon was huge. For most part, there really was nothing to see. It was just vast plains and mountains of dirt and rock. Here, we had an unblocked view of the stars and the suns, and it was unforgiving. My wooden shields were hammered by the rays of the burning light, and I regenerated them constantly.

- It seems we can put the contentious theories of the moons to rest, - Lumoof said as he observed the moons in the sky. - There are five moons, after all. -

We mostly only saw two moons, these two being the largest and the closest. But there had been claims of multiple, smaller moons that were further away. - I wouldn�t be so sure. There may still be moons we have not seen, and the other three moons, are they really orbiting the planet? And are they really moons or just extremely large asteroids? -

- That difference is academic, - Lumoof stated.

There was mostly nothing to see.

And then there was.

In one of the valleys, we saw a crater. The moon was covered in craters, but this one was different. There was a big pile of silvery bones right at the center of the crater. This was a crash crater.

Bones. It wasn�t hard to tell what it was. Four wings, claws, horns on the head. It looked quite like a type of dragon, and it was massive, the largest dragon bones I�d ever seen, and strangely, the most well preserved as well. Strange that it did not decay under the battering of the sun�s harsh rays.

There was not a single bit of flesh left. It was just bones exposed to the harsh sun. It shone.

- How�d it get here? - Lumoof was just as amazed as I was. The fact that it crashed seemed to suggest it somehow flew here? All the way from the planet? It was large. - Maybe there�s some scales or other such stuff that�s in the dirt around us. We should dig. -

I sensed my Seed of A/ still gradually settling in. It took time for the seed to sprout in these parched lands. - Agreed. But let�s wait for the tree to settle in. These bones won�t go anywhere soon. -

I didn�t want to touch them. Not yet. I mentally marked the location on a makeshift map of the moon. Lumoof kept walking.

Patreeck said then, - We should tap into the bone�s memories when we can. - Yeah. That was right. The bones could show me a glimpse of what happened in the past. I wondered whether these dragon bones could show me something different from what I�d seen before.

If anything, dragon bones could be used to make very powerful weapons, at least, if I followed how the stories normally went. Hopefully these would be more useful than the previous batch of dragon bones.

We went further and walked more of the moon. I had to take over at parts, as Lumoof needed to rest. The moon was covered in craters, and the moon - dirt was all loose, the texture powderish. There was no water on this moon. I would have to magically create it as part of my terraforming program.

I felt mana flow to my seed of A/ as it created its first root on the moon.

You have acquired a new title: Tree on the Moon!

Ah! Titles! I�d forgotten such things existed. They usually did nothing.

It took months for my new clone tree to even make its first tiny sprout, as most of the mana was used to change the environment.

- We should make a cocoon rather than a full terraform of the moon, - Stella insisted. - Moon base, not change the moon. Atmospheric changes may bring about widespread weather changes and may cause things to decay. -

That was also a valid opinion. I should test out the impact of terraforming the moon on a smaller scale before applying it to the entire moon. In addition, I wasn�t fully sure how my new terraforming powers under Tree of Life actually worked.

This part of the project would take a while, since I would have to take some time to check the impact of my new powers on an entirely foreign moon environment.

- Maybe you should do this first, on an asteroid, - Stella suggested, too. - An asteroid is far more replaceable. -

- That�s a waste of my clones, - I said frankly. - It�s not like I can�t recreate my clones, but it is still a waste. If the plan is to create a moon base, then let�s do a moon base. Remember, the whole purpose of starting out with a moon base is to amplify void magic. -

Indeed, void magic as a whole was a relatively fragile type of magic. They decayed too quickly and easily got weakened by a whole lot of other factors. Stella�s earlier attempts to interrupt the demon king from my supertall tree tower was insufficient.

The natural next step was to go even further, and thus we decided on the moon base. If we could interrupt the demon king�s arrival, that�d be a good way to win.

My spies embedded within Neira and Gaya had rather upsetting news. We still could not locate any records of attempted communication with their respective gods, and my agents even managed to comb through their ancient records.

Nothing. Not a single mention of a way to speak to the gods, other than prayers. Gods found them, not the other way around.

With, of course, tied in with what Snek wanted to know. How did we speak to the gods?

- I can�t share that. It is a secret of the Triumvirs. - I was on friendly terms with the snake spirit, but some things should remain secret. They were also not aware of Stella�s portal magics, and that was a good thing. Stella�s ability to open void portals remained a secret known only to the top of my organization, just like my ability to create clones. I really wondered whether I should help Snek. I barely knew them, and though he had been honest, I wasn�t sure I should.

- Shame. My people have many words they want to say to them. -

At Prabu�s recommendation, Ken also got a chance to visit the journal, but sadly, it didn�t work for him. He didn�t have star mana, and the journal could not open for him. It was also their first time to the Valley of the Unrotten, and Snek was particularly somber.

- This reminded me too much of my world. -

Ken merely sighed. - That�s quite depressing. -

Back on our home world, we discussed where to put the other three more cloned bodies. No, what exactly to do with them.

- The other two nearby worlds are a clear candidate, - Edna said during the discussion. - We can send the high - leveled Valthorns to those worlds and help fight the demon kings there. This means we can essentially gain experience from three demon kings over the same period of time. -

- That�s a whole lot of fighting. - Lumoof sighed. - I�m not sure I�m keen to do that much of that. -

It was true, and at Lumoof�s advice, I�d also increased the dungeon battles for the other Treeology Patriarchs and Matriarchs. A few of them had gone past level one hundred recently. The most recent battle with the demon king made it clear to me that he wasn�t that fond of battle. With my clones on other worlds serving as - gates, - I could definitely send some of my priests and Valthorns there to gain levels.

Edna had another private opinion, one she shared only with me and Lumoof. - One tree on the Eastern Continent. For the Aivans who now require our protection. -

Another idea was to wait for the demonic rifts and hijack the rifts to send my seed to the demon worlds. In short, I would invade the demon world with my seed and use my seed as a springboard for a full - scale assault to retake the demon world. I could use my seed, together with the forest rod , to speed up the terraform and quickly establish a defensible position. I�d most likely need Lumoof to be in that demon world for some time.

Alka, my scientist, also had a view to use the clones offensively. He proposed that the clone trees be deployed on the continents where the demons were most likely to appear next. Three clones for the next three demon kings. That way, we would be able to significantly support the battles against the next few demon kings and relieve the pressure on Lumoof.

Of course, this would mean I would also be able to establish a surveillance network on the other three continents. Something that my spymasters would love.

Nay. While that was appealing in a way, I did prefer having the two seeds go to each of the other nearby worlds. Currently, I was already able to learn a lot through my spies, my network of minions and vassals, and trade. But the knowledge of these two worlds could be radically different, and the combined magical knowhow of the three worlds was likely to be more useful.

Not only that, I wondered whether there were others like me in those worlds. An alliance of spirits across the three worlds would be fantastic.

I�d have to send Lumoof for an information - gathering visit.

Why, it was time for my old priest to have his own isekai adventure on another world.

He gave me a look filled with horror.

YEAR 196

LUMOOF IN ANOTHER WORLD

Lumoof looked at the vastness of the grasslands, the strangeness of the green grass, same, but not the same. It was a different species of grass. The air had a faint taste of blood.

This was another world. Lumoof had been here before, very, very briefly, but this time, he would be here a lot longer.

- I got the Dimension Traveler skill and title, - Lumoof mentally said. This was his second alien world, after the moon, and now in this strange new place. The portal took a lot out of Stella, and almost half of the crystals shattered during the trip.

- There�s a skill like that, too, eh? - I responded. The lag wasn�t as pronounced as it was before. I suspected it had to do with the domain. The higher level I was, the lower the interdimensional lag became.

Lumoof nodded, and his shoulders sagged. He may be old in terms of spirit and mind, but physically he had the appearance of a mature, middle - aged man. The levels and domain had returned life and vitality and de - aged him. He took in the air, looked around, and started to walk. I could send the seed of A/ to him via my transportation ability, so as it was, he didn�t need to carry anything.

He walked, and there were some animals nearby. They took a look and just left him alone.

- Stella and Kei told me these stories. Isekai. -

- Yep. -

- I�m living it right now. -

- Yep. -

- Then the first thing I should do is find a town and register with an adventurers guild, - Lumoof said with a sly grin.

- That�s par for the course. -

- And I�ll rescue some beautiful ladies and build a small zoo of female beast - girls? -

- If that�s your thing, yes. -

Lumoof laughed. - It�s not. But I must really admire the creativity of the writers of Earth. It�s really something that they could come up with such ridiculous stories. It�s also uncannily accurate. But let us find this city of adventurers. -

I knew from Stella that each world seemed to have the same language. Lumoof didn�t have to walk very far from the grassy fields when he saw a sign that pointed to a town. There was also a distance indicator, but we were not very sure what it was.

There were trees and smaller scrubs; they were similar to those of our world but had small differences, like their flowers were different colors or different designs. - I don�t quite understand why there are such differences, if the system is the one that regulates the magical spawning of monsters, animals, and life generally. There should be the same, if they were based on the same templates. Like, why does the system want each world�s fauna and flora to be different? -

- Variety? - Maybe each world had a unique - seed - code that the system then ran through a creature - generator. I felt such a setup was more likely, as it gave each world�s fauna an internal coherence.

Our senses detected a travelling group from far away. They looked like merchants, and they had guards. Four soldiers, and four merchants. We waited for them to approach.

- Hey, traveler, - Lumoof said as they approached. Lumoof was not armed; all his equipment and armor was kept in magical pocketspace. He wore a casual, long, flowing thick robe.

- What is a priest doing here? - The soldiers were alert; they lifted their weapons. One had a spear, the other two had swords, and the last one had a bow.

- I happen to be lost. - Lumoof gave his best priestly, friendly smile. - A strange manner of magic sent me here. Do you happen to know where I am, and what�s the nearest town? -

The soldiers were apprehensive. The merchants came out of their wagon. - I don�t recognize that robe. Which temple are you with, priest? -

Lumoof smiled at the merchant. - Ah, very, very few do. I�m with a tree spirit. We�re an obscure temple. Very few would know of us. -

The merchant stared at Lumoof, and we felt the prickling of a skill.

Domain blocked attempted inspection.

- And it�s not nice to use a skill when I didn�t. -

The merchant�s face paled, and he bowed. - My apologies, Great Priest. - Lumoof�s spirit stirred a little at the title, and I felt his subtle annoyance. Clearly the failed inspection was an answer of its own. The merchant explained that we were in one of the kingdoms, and the nearest town was along the road. I didn�t bother remembering the name since it�d probably change in a few years.

Lumoof feigned his best polite smile and thanked the merchants. He declined the merchant�s offer to travel with them; there was something about the opportunistic words from the merchant that irritated Lumoof. - It seems it�s that way. -

The town we visited was small, perhaps similar in size to the early days of Freeka. About three thousand or so people lived in a wide area. The houses outside the town�s walls were simple, and ones within were made of stone. They�d clearly prepared for the houses outside to be destroyed.

- Stop, visitor. Identify yourself. -

Lumoof nodded. - Lumoof. Priest of A/ . -

- Never heard of it. - The city guard barked some orders, and another guard came by. - State your business. -

Lumoof once again flashed his best business smile and explained that he was a lost priest, flung to this place by magic.

The guard didn�t know how to process him. - No documentation at all? No one who could vouch for you? -

- It�s magic. You can�t always carry documentation with you. -

So they talked a little more as Lumoof waited in bureaucratic limbo. A senior guardsperson came, and the guards had adiscussion.

- It seems we are only seeing humans here, - Lumoof mentally spoke, and I didn�t notice it until Lumoof mentioned. - I wonder whether there are non - humans. - The guards left, and then a bit more bureaucracy later, a man that looked like one of the political leaders came.

- Priest Lumoof, thanks for waiting. I�ll be frank, we�ve never heard of the temples of A/ . - I chuckled mentally. This was entirely our chance to play the hidden master or expert.

Lumoof flashed his best friendly smile. - It�s no surprise. We are a hidden temple. Most of the time. In fact, this is the first time I�ve ever left my temple. I actually just want to return to my temple, but I do need food and shelter while I find my way back. -

- I see. - The man seemed somewhat affected by Lumoof�s friendly smile. He nodded. - In that case, please wait a moment. -

- Not a problem, I�ve already waited for so long anyway. What�s a little more? -

The man and the guards huddled and discussed, and in the end, the man returned with an iron plate. - This is a temporary identification for you, Priest Lumoof. Please return it when you leave. -

Lumoof smiled. - Thank you. -

The town was small and all human. Lumoof wasn�t going to ask anything. He knew people enough that things about the lack of - others - were best breached when they started the conversation. Life seemed rather slow here, though there were a lot of blacksmiths repairing weapons.

- You need a weapon, priest? - Lumoof shook his head.

- I�m just new here. -

The blacksmiths didn�t pay him any attention after that. The inn was basic, and it was more like one of the residents homes that had extra rooms and certain segments converted to a makeshift eatery. Inns were fantastic places for gathering information.

Lumoof discovered a problem immediately.

- I don�t have money. - Lumoof frowned, but he walked back to that same man who gave him his plaque. - Can I sell this so that I can have some money to spend? - He took out a small iron dagger; it was very fine but not enchanted. He had a lot more things like that in his own pocketspace.

The man seemed to stare at the dagger in amazement. - This is very good - quality stuff. The steel is quite finely made. - Lumoof wanted to roll his eyes. Of course it was. A level eighty blacksmith made it.

Lumoof faked the most sympathetic look on his face. - Indeed, it�s a gift from a friend, but sadly I�m in need of money, so I do need to sell it. - It was one of Lumoof�s skills, to help persuade and convince others to like him.

The man nodded. - I understand. Come with me. - The man returned to one of the larger buildings in the town and came out with a small pouch of coins. - Here, some official coins for you. -

Lumoof checked it briefly and smiled. - Thank you. -

The inn was rowdy, and the beer was bad. But Lumoof could hold his drink, and he listened to the townsfolk chatter. We picked up a few things quickly.

This world had gone to shit, in a way. There were three large alliances: the humans, the centaurs, and the sandpeople. Each was at war with the other two, but none ever attempted to fully conquer the world.

The demons came less frequently to this world, only once every fifteen years. The heroes were summoned in groups, and each of the three alliances would usually have the same number of heroes.

In a strange twist of fate, we had come full circle. I was the alien yeeted to a strange new world, and now I sent Lumoof to discover a strange new world.

- Strange, - I said, and so at night, we walked out to one open field, and through Lumoof, I activated my avatar and created my special tree type, the astreeal monitor . The astreeal monitor immediately looked up, and we saw.

There were fewer strands of light in the sky, these little trickles that linked the world to the demons. They were all fainter, a bit further away.

Lumoof looked, and he sighed. - Perhaps there is a secret here, why there�s less of them. Our goal here is to learn of the other world�s magic and make friends with potential allies. -

We removed the tree and returned to the town.

- You there. - A knight in magical armor approached us on our way back. - Identification. -

Lumoof handed the plate as commanded. He wasn�t planning to resist. The knight stared at the plate for a while and then returned it.

The bed was uncomfortable, but it was too bad we couldn�t go back freely, at least, not with Stella�s ability. I could teleport him back, but then we�d have to wait until Stella was ready to send him to another world. A waste of time.

- We should go to a capital city and see what we can learn, - Lumoof suggested, and I agreed.

It wasn�t hard to get a wagon or a caravan to the capitol. Most traders were headed there anyway.

Back home, my seed grew well. The moon dirt was really unpleasant, but my magic over the last year helped to transform bits of it into something a bit more usable. My clone body was now the size of a small shrub, and it contrasted with the lifelessness of the moon. Its greenery stood out like a sore thumb.

It�d get faster as time went on. I also noticed it took longer for me to create a tree, any type of tree, in this environment.

That was strange, because I remembered it wasn�t that long back on the demon worlds when my vines and roots snuck through the rifts.

This posited a few possibilities.

My tree creation abilities through Subsidiary Tree or Giant Attendant Tree or other similar classes had to check whether the terrain was suitable for trees. If the answer was yes, then the tree could be created almost immediately. But if not, then it�d have to magically terraform the dirt, then only the tree was created.

The second possibility was my ability actually tapped into some magical energy in the planet. If the planet, or in this case, the moon, was devoid of mana, then creating a new tree took longer.

There were a few other possibilities, but I thought these two were most likely.

The capitol of this kingdom was honestly not impressive. For someone like Lumoof, who�d seen the best of the Central Continent, and a few others, it was actually underwhelming. In many ways, it was comparable to just a large city.

There were scars of war, still seen. Lumoof learned there was a large battle a few years ago. Even though the demon king�s invasion was less frequent, the demons were still described as extremely powerful beings.

- We�re here, priest, - the convoy leader said, and Lumoof gladly made the last payments. The city had a smell, and strangely, there were no identification checks. The guards just waved everyone through.

He headed to the adventurers guild. There was one, even here in this different world, and it was mostly humans. There were few mixed ones, but they clearly hid their mixed heritage with hoodies, hats, or other bodily coverings. Lumoof, through a skill, managed to roughly sense the strength of those in the guild itself. They were mostly low level, in their level thirties and forties. The stronger few were in the fifties and sixties.

Lumoof smiled and approached the receptionist. - I�d like to hire an escort to the biggest city of mages on the continent. Do you know where I should go, and how do I get there? -

The receptionist thought for a moment and gave a name of a city that I didn�t bother to remember. Lumoof sold two knives and then took another wagon to this magic city. It took a month, but it was actually impressive.

The magic city was carved out of a large crystal mountain, and Lumoof immediately sensed very strong magical energies. It was extremely raw power; it was as if a part of the core itself was on the surface. Lumoof sensed strong magical defenses, comparable with the best of theirs.

- Welcome to the Magic City of Man, - those who greeted Lumoof said. - Here, we research the heights of magic and cast spells that the Centaurs and Sandpeople could not hope to match. -

An adventurer that travelled with Lumoof immediately whispered, - . that�s not exactly true, but let�s not talk about it publicly. -

More importantly, Lumoof sensed a presence that was within the crystal mountain itself. Was it a spirit? But he didn�t sense the presence of a domain. Or were our senses mistaken? Here, in the magic city of man, we learned more of the three great forces.

As it turned out, the Sandpeople had a great pyramid of Rock that survived the assault of countless demon kings. It was their ancient relic, apparently inherited and created by their god. It was a fortress and a bunker, and it was said the demon kings assaulted it for decades and failed.

The Centaurs possessed the Great Vanishing Country, which the great Centaurions controlled. The entire country itself could vanish, and the power to activate the great relic was passed down the Centaurions.

With such strong relics and artifacts, it was no surprise each of the three great forces managed to thrive, even with the assault of the demons.

The peoples of man worshipped Maelas, the Centaurs and the nonhumans worshipped Gayaar, and the Sandpeople and Scorpios worshipped Nair. One god for each group. We immediately wondered whether Gayaar and Gaya were the same, but it was hard to say without actually tracing the lines of heavenly power.

- Our world lacked such great artifacts. Perhaps only the great elf spirit could vanish and hide their city temporarily. But if these nations could hide an entire country, they could preserve their strength even with the demon kings, - Lumoof said.

I thought about the dwarves of Margmar and realized that may not be true. The Margmarian dwarves had great powers and powerful relics, too, but even they died in the end. The Ley Line Lens remained an unusual relic, even if I didn�t find much use for it. No, even the dragons with their incredible might, dragons that managed to even somehow land on the moon, died.

This world just did not encounter a demon king of the right power. All of this could be lost just as easily within centuries, if not decades. Such power was no guarantee, even if it did help.

At least, Lumoof noted, the rulers were prepared. He noted multiple magical defensive towers and mages on the lookout at all times. All of them seemed quite relaxed, though. - Are you here to learn magic? - one of the city�s receptionists approached him and quickly asked. - Though, given your age, it might be a little too late to learn advanced stuff, but you can still learn a few tricks to impress your kids. -

Lumoof smiled. - Ah, what kind of magic can I learn? Where do I go to know more? -

The Magic City of Man, Maelga, was segregated into rings that went closer to the peak of the massive crystalline mountain. The city itself was carved out of the crystal, and most of the academies here actually grew the crystal itself. The mountain was growing, literally.

It was so damned obvious in hindsight, in fact, I should�ve known it was possible when I considered that it was a relatively common activity for children in the more wealthy parts of our world. Children sometimes grew crystals out of sugar or salt.

This entire city had large groups that focused on cultivation of these crystals, and parts of it were harvested. The towers were made out of a combination of magic, skill, and materials harvested from far away. We saw large caravans that hauled smaller crystals and other materials here.

- Growing magic crystals is a sacred art available only to the high mage - priests of Maelas. - Of course, that was the first thing we asked. If it was possible to grow magic crystals, which I�d not seen anyone in my main world do, then I could totally grow different types of crystals.

No, it may even be possible to grow powerful variants of crystals.

Wait, was Aria and Aispeng essentially growing ice crystals all this while and I didn�t notice to ask them for more details?

Lumoof looked a bit sad, and then we approached another group of assistants and administrators. The rest of the magics were mostly normal, like spellcasting, forging, and so forth. Then we saw a part of crystal manipulation and crystal forging.

I bet Alka could find really interesting ways to use this new knowledge.

- Maybe it would be better if he was here, - Lumoof noted.

- Yes, but we need to make sure that this is a safe place for someone like him. He�s too valuable to just leave him here where others could hurt him. - Alka was not a combatant. As a Field Scientist , he got a lot of skills that supported his research, but he remained vulnerable to combat.

Back in Freshka, Alka was always protected by an invisible army of spiders and beetles. Not only that, there were always eyes to protect him. Here, I was not comfortable with that. Maybe once he obtained his domain and gained the ability to reincarnate.

Lumoof took on the role of the mature man who came to the big city for the first time and feigned ignorance at every turn. To do so, of course, he dressed like a villager. We explored the city molded out of crystal mostly unimpeded; most of the mages just sighed when they saw us approach.

We eventually arrived at a large crystal building that resembled a massive nest. - This is the Hall of Maelas, - a guard said. - No entry unless invited. -

- We should send spies here, - Lumoof said as we rested at an inn. It was nice.

- They lack the background. They�ll get detected. If anything, Stella or Alka fits this place best. -

Lumoof paused. - What about Kei? This place is a mountain of living crystal. As a bio - crystalline golem she would be of huge interest to the locals. - But Lumoof realized the problem. - And of course, it�ll be a huge mark on her, as many will ask where she had been all this while. -

Later that night, we joined the inn�s bar and gathered a bit more info. It was still about eight years to the next demon king, and there were still two living heroes, one of the sandpeople and one of the humans. The human hero had apparently started a small kingdom of his own, while the sand hero just turned into a hermit.

My senses still suspected there was something deep in these mountains, even if I wasn�t quite sure what it was. It may be possible that a spirit lived in these mountains, and it was my gut feeling that there must be.

YEAR 197

Another otherworldly episode of Lumoof

Lumoof spent time in the other world, making friends and establishing connections, and I redirected my attention back home.

Home. Snek shared all he knew about the demons.

Since demon kings were not outright creations but were instead - grown - in these large spawning pools, I wondered whether this meant their power level was usually determined by the world that spawned these demon kings. The core�s energy, or the world�s energy, was drained to feed the demon king.

Essentially, these demons figured out a way to channel an entire world�s ley lines to create demon kings.

I was amused that this actually meant that some of the earlier accusations against me that I was a demon god could therefore be true, since using ley lines to create dungeons was probably in the same category as creating demon kings from ley lines.

No, more importantly, could I do the same?

Currently, I was essentially using ley lines to create dungeons, which then translated to experience, to more powerful subordinates.

If Snek�s understanding was correct, after all, he could still be wrong since he was just an observer of the demon king�s spawning pools; it should be possible for me to - grow - a demon king using the powers of a world. Essentially, I could remove the dungeon part and essentially somehow use the ley line to create stronger subordinates directly.

Of course, this was the magical equivalent of me knowing that birds can fly, and then theorizing that I should be able to fly too if I had wings, and now I just needed to go about actually creating the wings. I certainly didn�t know the nitty - gritty details about plane designs at all.

Patreeck and my artificial minds got down to work and helped consider the issue and possible hurdles I would have to clear.

One: ley lines were currently difficult to manipulate. The demon kings must have a means of manipulating ley lines in order to create more demon kings. I believed this was true, because the forest rod was one such strange item. On this aspect, I would either have to steal the demon�s way of manipulating ley lines or invade that demon world and see how these strange artifacts were made.

Two: demons had a way of directing energy and mana into creating life or creatures at that level of power. I thought it was probably the harder hurdle. For me, I was not able to do so, and yet I suspected my soul forge colors may essentially be the one of the components. If each color of the soul forge created a more complete soul, a full soul forge should, in theory, create a whole soul. Essentially, I could create artificial souls that possessed sentience and sapience above my existing artificial souls and for them to then function as a vessel of the power from these ley lines. Based on what Snek described, these spawning pools seemed to be large, growing things.

It may be a good idea to - invade - a demon world just to gain control over these spawning pools. These demons were also thematic, and that implied that each spawning pool had to be configured differently in order to produce demon kings with different types of powers.

I supposed in our world�s terms, it was the equivalent of one country without planes that witnessed another country�s planes, and now it tried to make those planes by collecting the pieces of the planes and piecing them together. Or maybe just capturing the factories that made the planes.

It was possible that the schematics were offsite and the factory was just an assembly plant.

In any case, it was an idea I kept at the back of my head.

It was just Ken, Snek, Stella, Edna, Kei, and Prabu in the room when I introduced Stella and Kei for the first time to both Ken and Snek. Lumoof was still in another world.

Snek paused and looked at Stella. - She has void energy swirling around her. Have you discovered the way of the zaratans? - The zaratans disappeared from Snek�s world.

Stella smiled. - I was taught by a zaratan. -

Snek was amazed. - That means you could send me home. -

Stella shook her head. - Possible, but I believe we should first match our astral maps. -

Snek gladly shared. This snake spirit was incredibly cooperative. The mages of Snek�s world did have a map, but their maps were derived from whatever knowledge they stole or spied from the demons. Using the - dragon - demon-world as a point of reference, we were able to roughly estimate the likely locations of Snek�s home world.

- No. Your world is too far, beyond our astral vision, and so I sadly see no way of getting you there. -

Ken watched Snek and Stella interact, but then he asked, - Wait a minute, all this talk about going to other worlds is only relevant to Snek. I want to know is it possible to send us home? -

Stella shook her head. - Sadly, it seems Earthlings and other Earth variants exist in a different layer of space entirely. Only the gods are able to pierce that veil. for now. -

- Could star mana do so? - Prabu asked. To the archmage hero, star mana was the solution for everything. In most cases, that was usually right.

Kei then added, - Unfortunately, Stella�s void magic is incompatible with star mana. We�ve seen it react horribly when used together. So your trip is one - way. -

For now, I supposed. They could die and their gods reincarnate them back to where they started.

The news that Stella couldn�t send him home was disappointing for Snek, but it was not the end. There was a moment of silence as everyone was in their own thoughts. For Stella, and me, Snek�s own stellar maps expanded my own view of the multiverse. We knew, at least, it was located really far away, and somehow these demons were masters of these void paths.

- There will be a demon king in four years. It may be possible for you to sneak through those rifts. - If it was the correct world. Each demon king was linked to a different world.

Snek was aware of the need of mana modulation and resonance to access those rifts. - Alternatively, I could wait until the right demon king appeared. One from my world. With the right items and ritual, I could separate from Ken and he would be free to do whatever he wants. -

Ken, strangely, seemed to have an epiphany of his own. But what if Snek and this tree plot something? It�s better - Wait, what I am thinking? So what if they have a plot? Why should I even care? All I want to do is get out of this shit. That�s why I gave up the hero class. Does it matter if I live under an autocratic god - emperor of the world, so long as I don�t have to deal with it? No, if I want to live quietly and retire with a family, that�s actually good!

Ken�s sudden change of heart seemed to make him smile. - Yeah. I actually want to just live somewhere safe and quietly for the rest of my life. Maybe it�s a good idea for us to separate. -

No one heard him say it, well, maybe except Snek.

Since no one responded to Ken�s statement, I merely continued with my proposal. - I think it�s best to wait till the right demon king appears and figure out what�s the best way to send you back. We will have many demon kings to face over the next few decades anyway, and if it is on a rotational basis as you speculated, then your world will come around. -

We actually didn�t know whether the paths to the demon worlds that faded away eventually returned. The data of past demon-king types had been insufficient to prove that there was a larger - cycle - in the background that rotated the demon kings like some constellation movement.

My gut feeling was there was more than just the eight or ten lines we saw in the sky. The gods said there were thousands or millions of demon worlds. So why were only these few worlds targeting our own?

No, what I also didn�t understand was why not just flood a world with thousands of demon kings?

Was there some rule or perhaps a magical reason why they couldn�t come here directly?

Stella came and shouted in one of the rooms where my Tree of Prayers was.

- A/ . A/ . You must see this. There�s a world that suddenly popped into our astral line of sight, and it�s moving quickly! We must visit it before it goes away. -

Awfully convenient, but I supposed before this, I didn�t even know they came. We activated the monitor. It was funny that I considered this world home. Actually, I felt it was my home, and it was the same for Stella.

We saw a moving shadow, small and barely noticeable. I would not have noticed it. It may have been there for some time.

- It�s lucky that I saw it there. It�s thanks to Snek�s starmaps that I saw something faint that moved. -

It was far, but reachable, at least from what I understood of Stella�s limits. But it moved quickly, and based on what I could tell, it would move out of Stella�s range within a year or two. It was very dim, and as with worlds across space, they appeared like little bubbles. It was unique that the bubble was mostly dark, with little bits of light left. The other worlds, like the one Lumoof was in, were bright. - It�s a moving world. -

- Yes. We should investigate it quickly. Pull Lumoof back and we�ll send him there now, - Stella insisted, - while I can still reach it. Or send Edna. -

- No. It had to be Lumoof. - Lumoof spent a lot of time in the magic city of Maelga.

- We have a small window of interacting with this world. Given its situation, it may be very different from what we�ve seen so far. -

Indeed. I could pull Lumoof back if I was uncomfortable with the risks. All I needed was my seed to be deployed to this strange world. I immediately pinged Lumoof.

- Lumoof. We have a situation back home. I�ll need to send you elsewhere. - Lumoof nodded. He hurried off to make arrangements and said his goodbyes. It took three weeks for Lumoof to create a story that he would be away for some time. Luckily, no one asked too many questions.

I pulled Lumoof back. I shared the view of the strange alien world that we saw.

- You want to send me there? -

- Yes. Stella said she will be able to send one. It has to be you, because I want to see what�s there. -

Lumoof nodded reluctantly. Stella immediately made preparations.

I decided to name the world with the three large factions as Threeworlds, and the stray world as the Cometworld, since its behavior was comet - like. The fact that it drifted in and out of view suggested it had a path that it travelled through space. I was fascinated and intrigued by what a world like that would be.

- But Threeworlds? The magic city? There�s still so much to discover. - I could have put my clone tree somewhere just to lock my access to the world, but I decided it was better to wait. I wanted a good location, and I wanted to see whether it�d get certain special effects if my tree was located on some extremely powerful ley line.

- We can return to Threeworlds later. - Threeworlds and that other world seemed to be somewhat tidally locked, and our home world and these two worlds seemed perpetually close by. I thought it wouldn�t leave us for a while.

Lumoof stared. - Let�s go, then. -

Stella quickly gathered her resources and prepared far larger quantities of crystals than ever before. The spell strained her energy, and I had to support her with my vines.

The portal opened, and my vines went through. - Quickly! - Stella shouted as she felt her void energies fading. The relatively faster movement of this cometworld through the void sea increased the cost and difficulty of the portal. It was essentially trying to throw a line at a moving speedboat.

It was land. I saw floating. islands?

Lumoof stepped through, and I felt searing pain. It was a familiar one, a sensation of being torn apart. No, it was like one was hanging by the side of a speedboat, or one of those tourist things, where the boat lowered a paraglider such that their leg was partly in the water. I felt something smash into Lumoof�s body, and I tried my best to shield him from it.

Lumoof went through.

When we arrived, there were no trees, no grass. Just dirt and dust. The air was hot and burning but filled with magic. Unpleasant, angry magic. It was as if mana itself took a personality, and it was unpleasant. The ground was unstable and rumbled constantly. Huge chunks floated in the sky, and the sky was reddish.

I felt it instantly.

This was a dying world.

We saw a light, and it streaked across the red sky and smashed into somewhere off the horizon. Minutes later, a flash of light, and a shockwave of hot wind. There were more lights in the sky.

I shielded Lumoof instantly and encased his body in an armor of wood.

- What should we even do? -

I activated my avatar form, and Lumoof turned into a massive tree. I spawned trees by the hundreds and more magical labs. If there was somewhere or something left in this world -

I activated a dome of wood; there was another shockwave from another meteor.

The red sky was filled with it. The sun was red, and it was large. My sensors tried to sense for any magic, but there were too many of these shockwaves, and they contaminated the data. It was like trying to listen for the footsteps of ants when there was a band playing right next door.

Boom. Another shockwave.

- We should return, A/ . There�s most likely nothing here. -

- Wait, - I said. If Snek could survive in their world, there must be survivors. Even if all I could do for them was evacuate them offworld, that may be good enough.

As my roots spread, I felt something touch me from the deepest of my roots. It spoke to me directly.

Child of another world.

Who�s that? But before anything, I felt like I was entranced.

We are dying. The sun father nears its end. Our world is doomed. Save our children. They are there.

You have received a living map of the Cometworld.

The map appeared before me like -

The ground cracked, and it tore. A part of it started to float.

- We have to move. Quickly. - The map instantly marked certain red spots, which I presumed were where this voice wanted me to go. Lumoof closed his eyes and then brought out a magical scroll.

Greater Teleport

We were instantly warped, and I was suddenly on another cracking island. It looked like a city, or at least a castle. I saw people. No, they were. dogs? They had the head of a dog, and they were each a different type of dog.

They looked at me in horror. - A monster! -

- Kill -

A meteor smashed into one of the castle�s towers and incinerated it instantly. People were fleeing, but they didn�t know where they were going.

We saw another meteor. Lumoof instantly jumped onto one of the walls and created a wooden shield. The meteor smashed into the wooden shield and disintegrated. My first direct hit from the falling meteors, and I realized it contained star mana. Within these meteors were star mana. My shield would not have disintegrated so easily. Not to something as simple as falling rocks from space.

I turned and saw more dogpeople; they looked like mages, with their stone staff and crystals. - You. -

Back home, Stella was in no condition to send anyone back. She had collapsed after Lumoof went over. How did I.

No. The clone seed was one of the ways I could save these people. I could exploit the Tree of Clones to send someone to me.

Unlike the moon, which never had any trees, this world once had trees. I knew that from the brief avatar state and from when my roots touched the ground.

- Lumoof. Place my seed in the ground. Now. - Lumoof leaped off the walls and landed on the dirt.

- Are you sure? This world is dying. - Another meteor crashed elsewhere. This was a world experiencing a meteor - pocalypse.

- Lumoof, are you suggesting we let these people die? - I mean, I usually didn�t care, but I supposed seeing a world dying right before my eyes was something else. This was like watching a movie where someone used a black hole in the center of a planet.

- I can always make more seeds, but let us not waste time. -

My seed was planted in the ground, and it absorbed the mana from the ground and quickly turned into a massive tree. The dog people looked in wonder. I had never used the Tree of Clone�s transportation ability. I didn�t expect to have to do an evacuation of an entire planet, but I supposed there was a first for everything.

Our children die.

I felt the voice again through my roots. Lumoof immediately shouted, - This world is dying! We will send you somewhere safe. Come quickly! Tell everyone! -

The dog people talked among themselves, and some walked to the tree. The first dogperson to volunteer looked like a warrior of some kind; he had armor and a spear on his back. He touched my clone tree, and a large tree - door appeared.

I sent him through and felt it drain my own mana.

When he appeared on the other side, Edna had already mustered a group on standby. The dogperson looked shocked, and the first thing he saw was the blue skies outside.

- The skies. They are still blue! - he said. I would talk to them later.

The dogpeople looked apprehensive, but Lumoof was persuasive, and more went through the door. More meteors were crashing, and more of the land cracked and splintered. Essentially, this was a planet that was in the process of crumbling. Within months, the whole planet would turn into separated chunks.

The rest of the dogpeople of this town went through; I couldn�t tell who was what, it seemed some of them were more important than the others, but eventually almost everyone went through.

There were a few of them left who stayed behind. Not out of suspicion, but to help. The dogpeople had faced the falling stars for weeks. It started with a strange twisting of space, and the stars changed. The sun was once golden, and the skies were once blue, but it turned red, and the world started breaking apart.

Many cities had been destroyed by the falling stars since then.

There were no demons here, just nothing more than plain old stellar catastrophe.

This was no time to hold back on relics, so Lumoof used Teleport scrolls liberally and moved to the other cities. The map was real time, and the red dots marked surviving cities. Each day more of these red dots vanished.

I didn�t know why, but I felt really sad.

Our children die.

Sadly, the inter - dimensional transportation could only be performed at my main tree of clones.

- You must go, too. We need your portals, else more will die, - I told Stella three days after we were at the Cometworld. By now, the dogpeople had briefed the rest of my Valthorns of what happened in their world.

They were still an official secret, of course, and they never left my Valley of the Unrotten. Instead, the Valthorns set up an entire refugee camp in my valley. It was nostalgic, of course.

My valley was once the refugee camp of the surviving New Freekans.

Stella, with her portal, worked with Lumoof and opened portals between the continents and cities of the Cometworld. Most of these dogpeople called themselves the Canar. Together, for weeks and months, we sent the Canari people to our world.

We didn�t really negotiate much; it seemed the people there had acknowledged their doom, so Lumoof�s presence was perhaps that of an angel of salvation.

The sunfather collapses.

We couldn�t save everyone. Every day I saw more red dots vanish, either because of meteors or from the sundered earth. The earth cracked more every day, and eventually, the last red dot was gone from the map. Everyone I could save was saved. Millions more had died.

Three hundred fifty thousand Canari went through those portals over the course of months and arrived at my Valley of the Unrotten. We immediately found an isolated, quiet place on the Central Continent and transported them secretly there through our network of underground tunnels.

Then I sent both Lumoof and Stella back, and in the world of the Cometworld, my tree of clones was the last living thing that remained.

Stella returned, exhausted, and rested. The next day, she vented her despair. - I could�ve done more if we found them earlier. -

At this juncture, I thought about what would have happened if I chose Crown of Magic or Will of the World . With Crown of Magic, I should be able to create more void mana and therefore open those portals myself. Not just that, in theory, I should be able to use those spells through Lumoof. With Will of the World, I�d probably try to move our world closer to it.

The Cometworld�s meteor shower intensified, and the world cracked. A huge chunk had separated, and the weather had turned almost unlivable.

But my tree of clones was not something so easily destroyed. My roots extended deeper into the ground. There was something I wanted to do.

I sought out the voice. I may not be able to reach the core of my world, but I should be able to reach the exposed core of this Cometworld.

YEAR 197 (PART 2)

The Cometworld crumbled as large chunks that blanked the red sky drifted apart. I spawned my trees quickly, and my roots spread out through the rocks and dirt and grabbed the earth. There were still meteors that rained from the red skies above, but thanks to this large chunk of rock that drifted overhead because of the loss of gravity, it functioned as a meteor - umbrella.

I wasn�t even sure whether it was gravity or just some weird magical forces in this world. I certainly could feel it as it tried to tear my roots apart.

My trees had spread as far as I could, during the attempts to rescue as many of the Canari people, and I spawned more Giant Attendant Trees wherever I could. Still, a stray meteor that I failed to block could singlehandedly destroy my Giant Trees. These meteors contained powers that exceeded their size, and it was getting stronger.

The sun�s redness turned even redder, and it felt larger. The heat was immense, and part of my mana was spent cooling down my entire network of trees as I attempted to reach the exposed core of the cometworld.

There were no monsters left. No one.

Just the pull of some unusual magic tearing the entire world apart. It wasn�t godly, either. Magic didn�t work anymore. The tearing energies here seemed to interfere with magic, which was why I sent Stella home.

I popped my trees as fast as I could, and it was a race against time before the chunk of earth I was on would be torn away.

The meteors smashed into one of the floating chunks, and it split in half. A part of it drifted back to the glowing exposed core. I didn�t know why, but I felt drawn to it.

A large meteor slammed into the exposed core of the Cometworld, and large chunks were torn out. The parts that glowed flew up and turned into rock almost instantly, and I saw the core shrink in size.

I attempted to reach it.

Too late, child of another world.

I felt a really strong pulling force on the ground, and even as I increased the number of roots, it ripped them apart. I was trying to hold the ground together with flimsy tape during an earthquake.

The path to the core was lost, and I felt a bit weaker. No, my trees in that world felt a bit weaker.

The core was smaller, with most of the bits around it drifting apart. I saw the exposed core glow, and then it exploded into multiple fragments. A strange white fragment flew right toward me.

It was a white ore the size of a tree trunk, and it flew and dropped close to one of my other subsidiary trees. My roots immediately wrapped it and pulled it to my tree of clones. No time to analyze what it was, because I sent it back.

Once I did, the core seemed to glow again and then. crumbled. A layer in the sky shattered. It was like a protective dome that once existed over the entire planet faded away, and the entire world was blanketed by a burn. All my lesser trees were destroyed, and the ground burned briefly and then stopped.

There was nothing to burn. Nothing left.

Yet my main tree of clones survived; the reddish sun continued to batter my tree of clones with searing hot energy, but it did nothing. My tree of clones shared my resistance.

A part of me floated in space, and I watched the red sun glow and grow. It grew even larger and took up a bigger part of space.

Meteors now flew at me directly, drawn to me by some kind of magic. I felt the air was thick with a kind of mana and magic that I didn�t quite understand. It was like star mana yet different. I couldn�t get my magical sensors to check it; they were destroyed too quickly by the perpetual ambient rays. No, more accurately, everything disintegrated. except me.

The red sun grew over the course of the year and then, in a sudden moment. vanished.

Gone.

My tree of clones drifted alone in space, in seemingly perpetual emptiness and darkness.

- The world vanished. - Stella looked in horror back from the safety of our home. - How? -

There was nothing. absolutely nothing at all. All the stars in that world seemed to have disappeared as well.

In the emptiness, back home -

You�ve obtained a title: Witness of a World�s Death

You�ve obtained a title: Otherworldly Rescuer

The Canari people got a title. Otherworld Refugee . Both Lumoof and Stella all got the title Otherworldly Rescuer as well. Titles seemed mostly useless to me, but the fact that the system awarded them meant there had to be some use.

Anyway, Lumoof had to break the news to the Canari directly. - Your world has died. - The Canari howled and wailed. By now, they had relocated to a secret mountainous area in the Central Continent. Perhaps one day they would be introduced to the wider world, but for now, there were too few of them. There were secret convoys that brought food to them, while they adapted to the new world.

The Canari also had to organize themselves in order to communicate with me. Edna and Lumoof were both so powerful that to them, they were pretty much living gods. Strangely, they didn�t seem to notice me much and mostly paid attention to Lumoof. But I needed Lumoof elsewhere, now that the Cometworld was lost. I wanted Lumoof back in the Threeworlds.

I had Valthorn druids assist to build temporary housing for them, while their own builders and workers built something more to their own liking.

We had a meeting, mostly to discuss the future plans and also to better understand the past.

The meeting was held in a makeshift wooden hall in their part of the world. Their people sounded happy, but I wasn�t sure since I couldn�t exactly read the facial expressions of the Canari, mainly because I was entirely unfamiliar with them. In a sense, this was a problem I faced with the lizardfolks and treefolks, too.

At the very least, these Canari had tables and chairs, so this part was normal. - How�s everything? -

The Canari split into one large faction that largely embraced this new world and two smaller factions, one that seemed a little suspicious and wanted to go back, and a third group that strangely wanted to die. These last group seemed to say that they should�ve died with their world, with everyone else that died.

Stella called it - survivor�s guilt. -

I honestly didn�t know what to say about it. It seemed quite similar to what the heroes and those who survived great destruction experienced to some degree. All I could do now was to pop some tree of prayers and keep their stress levels manageable. I knew for a fact that the people of this world were hardy and seemed to take the frequent destruction and death in stride.

So the Canaris were somewhat different, and I wasn�t sure why. I also attempted to introduce my priests to them, to help these groups manage their anxiety and trauma, but most of them only pushed the priests away. They didn�t want help, even if they needed it.

There were people like that everywhere, and all we could do was ease them into their new environment. Some would always cling to their old world, just like how some reincarnated heroes still dreamed of home.

I focused on those who accepted reality.

- It happened out of nowhere, - one of the Canari folk explained to us. He was a level sixty - five Lorekeeper and spoke of their world history.

The world of the Canari had demons, and they came rarely, once in a while, with no real certainty or regularity. Even so, their description of demons seemed so relatively weak that their - champions - could defeat them. Their best warriors in the high level eighties were enough. I suspected they were the demon champions and not the demon king proper.

- That�s so strange, - Stella said frankly. - Why the demon champions, but not demon kings? -

As the world moved so quickly across the void sea, was it possible that perhaps the demon kings just could not establish a stable portal? It explained that they had enough time to open a small path that champions could walk through, but not enough for the kings.

- Our world is usually at peace, and our wars are fought with each other and monsters, - the Canari loremaster said. - We don�t know why our world suddenly behaved that way. We had wars and we had fights, but nothing seemed to have changed. -

A Canari astrologer gave a differing view. - Other than the stars vanishing from our skies. -

The gods that they worshipped were based on the sun, the land, the moon, and the darkness beyond. They didn�t have a notion of otherworldly visitors, other than the demons themselves, which they thought were just nothing more than creations of darkness beyond.

So they didn�t even know about Zaratans.

As we spoke to more and more Canari, all of them had no idea. They didn�t know why. All they could do was observe the eventual destruction of their world.

Some posited wild theories that the world was angry. Or that someone offended the sun. The sun was once a different color, and the sky, too. But somehow it just died.

I thought of the white ore.

The white ore stood in my main tree, hidden inside my secret hideout . These days, there was no one in my main body�s secret hideout. All of them lived outside.

Laufen lived with her grandson, Lauda, in Freshka. Lozanna usually taught at the Valthorn academy when she wasn�t chilling with her friends.

I took a good look at it.

Shard of A Destroyed World

Well, here goes nothing. My vines inserted it into a pod, and I had a vision, and I heard its voice again.

Our sun died, for no reason other than age. We are an ancient world, and our world lived for too long. Our sun was never meant to live long, for it burns bright and burns quickly. I shielded my children for as long as I could, but death comes even for a world like me.

I saw a shortened clip of a sun growing and then fading.

The grand mechanisms of fate granted me a final hope, a portal to another world. A hope for my children, instead of the nothingness I offer. For that, thank you.

You�ve received a skill: Canari Knowledge and Biology.

Your astral map has been updated.

The world sent me a goodbye memo. That sucked. But I was drawn to a sudden increase in my astral map. I saw, for a sudden moment, wide swaths that were revealed to me. This cometworld travelled in a long arc through the void sea, and I understood that these worlds may have moved since then.

I felt like a xianxia protagonist suddenly realizing the existence of the world beyond worlds.

Now that I saw how large the multiverse was, it truly narrowed my focus. I didn�t think it was possible for me to save the thousands of other worlds out there, and nor did I intend to,

My goal should be this world. Home. I would protect my home, and I would stop the demons from entering my world. The greater world could be a later problem, but my first and main focus should be to save this world.

I may consider reinforcing Threeworlds and the other neighboring world as a means to properly protect this world.

The path of the Cometworld through the seas also revealed that it came in close contact with some demon worlds. There were way too many demon worlds.

There was something else in the Shard. A strange mana I didn�t understand and that refused to interact with me. Did the Shard leave something else in there?

Ugh.

But the fact that this world could even talk to me told me something very important.

It was possible to talk to the world, and that meant it must be possible to talk to my world. If I elected Will of the World , did that mean I would merge with the thing at the center of this world?

What other kind of power did an entity like that have? From what I�d seen, the core had some way of creating shields, since the core shielded their world from the harmful effects of their dying sun and also had the power to give skills.

I remembered that some of the elves and treefolks worshipped variants of the - nameless mother, - and these were likely references to the world itself.

Did every world have a will at the center of it all?

Lilies. Do you know of the will of the world?

It sleeps at the heart of our world.

Have you ever spoken to it?

No.

How do you know of it?

We felt it once, a long, long time ago during a period of great destruction.

Huh. What was the relationship of the gods and the will of the world? Was the Will of the World a god? What is the will?

We don�t know.

Great. If it wasn�t a god, then it must�ve been a creation of the system itself. I didn�t understand why there were gods and demons in the first place. Like, our own world didn�t have them, but the ancient people invented them to explain the world.

But the other world called the Canari their children. Did this mean that the will of the world was responsible for the creation of the inhabitants, and thus all of those who lived here were creations of the will?

Wait. If we extend this train of thought, did this mean that the gods needed otherworldly heroes because the will of the world interfered with their meddling of the natives? Or maybe, only some would of the world interfered, so for those worlds, they needed to use externally sourced heroes.

Looking at it in another way, from what Snek described of how the demons used the energy of the core to create demon kings, this suggested that the demons ultimate goal was to capture the will of the world in order to create more demon kings.

But why? Why create more demon kings?

What was the end goal for the demons?

What was the end goal for the gods?

Some things just are, Lilies answered frankly. Like a reef that grows, it grows because it must. There is no why.

Was that a jab at Reefy?

Let�s assume that Lilies was right. The demons invaded other worlds, took control of their world, and then just used it to invade more worlds. If so, they were essentially a virus.

Then the gods? Each god was a sentient, sapient creature with its own intellect. So each of them would have their own goals, but clearly, each god had a limited sphere of influence. If they were higher - leveled versions of me, their ability to touch multiple worlds was clearly constrained by simple, practical issues like distance, unless the system allowed certain overrides.

Stella was also thinking about it, and she posited a fascinating possibility.

The void sea was expanding, in the same way Earth�s distance between galaxies expanded. A slow expansion of the multiverse, so worlds where the gods could reach were getting less, as each of them drifted further and further apart.

Certain worlds, where they were close enough such that they were clustered and locked together by local - magic - gravity, - remained reachable to each other, but those further apart were being ripped apart.

The expansion of the universe was an issue over millions, billions of years on Earth. But perhaps here, there was a magical equivalent at play. If so, this implied that each world would eventually be unreachable to the others. Even demons would eventually disappear.

YEAR 198

Lumoof was back on the Threeworlds to continue making connections and also travelled to find a good place to plant my seed. The little incident with Cometworld really made me feel the vastness of the world, that time and some space energies could tear a world apart so easily.

But what was important occurred back home.

We saw the rifts open. One of the pathways had lit up, and that meant the demons had arrived. I was sure I didn�t see any of it on the Central Continent, so that was a good thing.

- It�s in the south, - Stella said as she observed the skies from the highest peaks.

My tree on the moon was growing well and was growing faster. At Stella�s advice, I agreed to encase my tree in a sphere of roots; essentially I created the first wooden biome on the moon. I didn�t get any accomplishment for that. Still, it wasn�t ready for habitation yet.

I thought of converting the moon into a safe space for the Canari folk. They still struggled to adapt to their new life, though most of those struggles were mental and structural rather than physical. They had to rebuild their institutions from scratch and come to terms to live in entirely foreign lands.

It wasn�t easy to forget one�s entire life in another world, and even worse when they remembered that they could never, ever go back. It was a horrible feeling.

I would deal with them later. For now, I focused on looking for the demons.

Snek and Prabu met up frequently, and Prabu could feel the demons. Snek, too. Snek was sensitive to the starways, as a creature that managed to travel into the space between worlds, and he came from a world infested by demons, so he knew what it was like.

- As it always has. - Prabu sighed. - And it will come for me. Chung�s already making preparations for the demons. -

Colette had returned to the Central Continent to be with Prabu, and she slapped Ken the moment she saw him. She called him a - reckless piece of shit that abandoned his friends. - Ken took it like a man and admitted his faults.

- So, this Snek is an otherworldly creature that the gods may not approve of, - Colette said frankly, but somehow Snek didn�t seem afraid. Not this time.

Prabu displayed his work over the past few months and years to Colette. Here, in the Central Continent, and also in the special Tree of the Heroic Journal, Prabu made heroic items for the next generation and for himself. Weapons of war.

Ken acknowledged it was a good idea. - The strength of a civilization is its collective memory and collective capacity. I wonder why it took so long for heroes to come up with an idea like this. -

Prabu answered, - Because it leads to nukes and mutually assured destruction. -

- You two are walking nukes. -

- And that�s why it�s not a good idea. -

- Have you ever wondered whether it�s possible to mitigate the effects of a nuclear apocalypse with some global power? Something that A/ has? - Ken wondered.

- What are you implying? - Prabu stared at Ken uncomfortably.

- I mean, like, could we just nuke Snek�s world to death and then send A/ to fix it back after the world was effectively glassed? -

Snek glared at Ken. - Human, that is not an idea to be entertained. -

Ken continued, ignoring the snake. - Think about it. Remember how the Protoss glassed the Zerg - infested worlds to control their spread? What�s stopping us from doing exactly that? Especially if we could theoretically fix it back up. -

- You�re killing a bunch of innocents, too? - Prabu said. - I�m amazed that such an idea even came from you. Here you are, accusing this continent of being the literal Empire, and now you come up with this shit? What did you think this is? The Death Star? -

Snek agreed. - Don�t burn the bridge if you think of crossing it later. -

- It�s just a thought experiment. In the long run, there really is no loss. Especially if we could find ways to evacuate the innocents and then bomb them to hell. It�s the only way to be sure. -

- It�s not. There are millions of demon worlds out there. You can�t bomb all of them. -

- If not, is there a way to just. I don�t know, break all these interworld travelling altogether? Interrupt how the demons travel here, - Ken said, and of course, he had a similar idea as us. Stella�s goal was to interrupt the paths.

Snek paused. - You�re suggesting to destroy the void space rather than to close the paths. -

- Yeah. - It was the xianxia equivalent of severing the pathways to immortality. Destroying the world tree that linked the nine worlds.

- That�s absolutely a nuclear option, - Prabu said.

- But it will end the problem. -

- I don�t think it does, - Prabu said as he looked at Snek. - It just stops the many worlds from getting help, either from the gods or from each other. -

That was something worth thinking about.

We finally received reports of the demonic sighting, and it was not good. It was honestly the hardest kind of opponent for my Valthorns.

- The entire village was infested with corrupted men and women. These demons are all parasites, and they converted the humans into these demon knights! -

- What? - Edna said. - Corrupted? -

- Yeah. Some of them seemed still human, but they had demonic parts on them. They would still behave humanly but would then attack. -

Many of my Valthorns were powerful, and they had slain many demons. But corrupted men and people were a lot harder. How did they know who was still human? Not just that, it was possible they faked it.

- We did not engage. -

- Can they talk? -

- Yes! That�s what makes them so unnerving. We were not sure whether they were humans or elves or demons anymore! - Our spies were really disturbed by it.

Around the same time, the Churches of Gaya and Gawa both announced an immediate lockdown of the Southern Continent. They declared that they would handle the demonic infestation on their own.

- Fuck? - That wasn�t helping. If anything, we needed everyone on the field to figure out how to deal with these corrupted humans.

- Can you capture some of these infested demons? Knock them out? Send them to our nearest allied state. -

- Will try, Commander Edna. The men are quite disturbed by this. Some of them don�t have any visible demonic - infestation marks. -

- Shit. - Edna nodded. This was really the worst kind of demon. We could use some psychic abilities to suppress the demons or perhaps, in the old priestly way, exorcise the demons from these infested folks.

But Lumoof was still in the Threeworlds. I had to make do with the rest. I called the rest of my Patreearchs and Matreearches for counsel.

- Yes, we have some exorcist skills, mainly to remove foul spirits and curses. We could try them out, - Matreearch Arcila advised. - We will await the test subjects. -

Our forces in the south were quite strange. Level sixty or so, but even then they were surprised by how suddenly these demons attacked. Perfectly normal - looking towns could hide a demonic infestation, and they would spawn randomly.

In actual combat, my Valthorns could easily defeat the demons. The problem was the morale took a real hit. It was really something emotional to see a demon pop out of a perfectly regular - looking commoner, and a lot of the spies were emotionally affected by it.

It made them paranoid. Every single living being could be a demon. A cow could have a demon hiding in it. A playful cat. A friendly innkeeper.

My former heroes were all stunned by it. - How? -

- It�s safe to say that any place where the demons appeared are likely to have been completed corrupted, even if they appear outwardly normal, - our lords reported, and the counsel was somber. It was a difficult thing.

At least, if they died, it was a clean, clear death. This group of demons took the Alien route. They manipulated the hosts.

- Is there a puppet master? - Kei asked. - Most possession stories have a puppet master at the back, someone that holds the strings. Can we use our magic to find it? -

We were still struggling to get samples.

- Also, what if it�s like a virus? It corrupts people by touching the demonic flesh? - Kei added.

At that moment, I wondered whether my guys could be corrupted, too! The senior Valthorns frowned as she heard the briefing. Roon, Edna, and Johann all shared an uncomfortable look. They would face hard choices in the future.

- How do we know who is safe? - Matriarch Hoyia, one of the decarches, asked. - We need a group to smuggle ourselves there and see for ourselves. This corruption is not suited for spies. We should go and see. -

- I assume that you are volunteering? - a lord said, and Matriarch Hoyia nodded, albeit a little reluctantly.

I mentally pinged Edna. - Domain holders have some resistance to corruption. I think you should go and see for yourselves. -

Edna then nodded. - I will go with you. - Matriarch Hoyia looked relieved at Edna�s offer. If Edna couldn�t protect her, very few could. The meeting ended soon after, and the two met up for a chat along the hallways of the Valtorn Keep.

- Thank you for offering your protection, Lady Edna, - Hoyia said. She was, like Lumoof, far older than Edna in appearance. But, in reality, she was not much older. Edna achieved her high levels and domain, so her aging had ceased. Hoyia, on the other hand, was a priest of Gawa before she switched over. Some of her skills carried over, though she did suffer a small penalty for her conversion out of her faith.

- It�s nothing, - Edna said. - It is a matter of national interest, and as one of the domain holders, I should see it for myself. A/ said us domain holders have increased resistance to corruption. -

- I see. - Hoyia frowned. - I hope it is corruption or possession we can remove, and not body consumption and assumption. -

- You mean body snatchers. -

- Yes. Because that�s the most horrible outcome. We have individuals that look like us but cannot be saved. It�s a real hit to morale. -

Kei and Stella were in the hallway, too. - If it�s body snatchers, then we are truly fucked. -

Hoyia shook her head. - Not quite. Us as A/ ic Priests have access to A/ �s familiars, and we have access to a lesser version of A/ �s spirit vision . One of my theories is if these are body snatchers, there should be no souls left, and we should be able to pick out who the demons are. -

- Oh. - Stella nodded. - Infra - red goggles, essentially? -

Kei tapped Stella lightly. - They won�t get that. -

Edna and Hoyia both nodded a little. - Greetings, Lady Stella and Lady Kei. -

- My concern is, if the demons are in the process of consuming the souls, we need to decide who can be saved and who can�t under battle conditions. - Hoyia continued her conversation, and both the former earthlings squirmed uncomfortably. - I�d imagine being eaten inside out may not be the most pleasant sensation, and for us, we�d have to wield the scythe of judgment on people who look very much like us. -

Edna nodded. - It�s a task meant for the most heartless of us. -

I thought back to Ken�s earlier idea of glassing the entire world. Would I have to order the glassing of entire villages with this?

- I�d rather hope we not get there, so I�d first like to gather some samples and observe these demons in action, - Hoyia said. - I would prefer if Alka goes with us. His remote labs would be very useful. -

Edna smiled and shrugged. - Alka�s staying put. But we�ll have an army of mages and his other assistants with us. -

There was a huge clampdown on trade and movement of people in the Southern Continent as the temples combated the demons. They began huge inquisitions, where entire villages were captured and interrogated.

The temples took different approaches, and what happened reminded Stella of our own world�s history with witch hunts.

Entire villages were torched. In cases where the temples employed judgment, it led to a whole lot of false accusations, especially in larger cities. Those who were strange, had different hobbies, or were of an entirely different species were outed and accused as demons.

- I sometimes forget that I�m in a medieval fantasy world, - Stella said. - Sometimes. I thought here, in the Central Continent, I saw something that resembled an early - modern society. But then, this just really reminded me that outside of this place, it�s all fucked. That even with magic, the nature of people is just. ugh. -

- Those who use such a thing to accuse those they don�t like as demons should be punished, too! -

It was hard to tell who was a demon, and who was not. Partly because, well, the demon possessors bled like normal. At least, at a first glance.

So Edna, Hoyia, and a delegation of my Valthorns snuck into the Southern Continent. It was easy to do so with Stella�s portal ability, and I also used Stella�s portal ability to temporarily extend my trees to the south in a repeat of what I did in the Northern Islands.

Edna�s report came a week later.

- We located the demons. Hoyia�s suspicion is correct. Spiritual vision is able to fully discern those that have been fully corrupted by the demons. Our problem is really with those in the process of corruption. Exorcism works to a limited degree but is more likely to cause the demons to trigger some kind of self - destructive behavior. Hoyia was injured from one interrogation incident. We may require A/ �s dedicated interrogation chambers. The biolabs would be very useful here. We may need to request Lumoof to return. -

An assessment I agreed with, but it still annoyed me that I needed Lumoof everywhere. If I could spread my roots everywhere in this world, then I wouldn�t have to deal with this restriction.

But oh well, what was done was done. I�d have to improvise. Stella could only maintain the portals for a few days before she needed to rest, and she rotated with her other void mages. Her other void mages were gaining levels, but somehow they still lagged behind her.

With some coordination, Edna and the priests honed in on one village that had been confirmed to have demons, and Stella opened the portal. I placed my roots through it and then my trees. We had to work fast; I spawned my biolabs, and Edna moved swiftly to capture a few of those where we saw had - vanishing - spiritual presences.

In those where there were no more - spirits, - the entire inner organs had been converted into a demonic hatchery. There was a demonic creature that controlled the flesh, and it crawled and swam through its host.

They made these small, circular baby larva, and they attempted to infest my biolab. But my mana was too overwhelming so they were swiftly crushed. They were like little leeches or maggots.

With my trees, I also managed to observe it in action. It attached itself to a person�s leg, and often the person did not notice it at all. Its bites had a numbing effect, such that the person did not feel pain for the first few minutes.

Demonic parasitic leeches that possessed people.

With those that had been fully converted, I was able to have a conversation.

- You�re a demon. -

The infested woman denied it. - No. I�m Larri, a housewife. - The demon often left the brain untouched; instead, the demon had functionally attached itself to the brain such that the brain supplied the knowledge and the information.

- Don�t lie to me. - My vines wrapped around its leg. - I can see you wriggling in this person�s body. -

I wished I had Patreeck�s offensive psychic abilities here in the south. I could use it on the demon. Hoyia came and used Exorcise . It hurt, but the demon was so firmly embedded in the body and flesh that it was pointless. The woman screamed, - KILL! ! ! ! ! ! ! - Its arms exploded and transformed into a whip. It attempted to attack Hoyia.

My wooden shield parried the strike, and my vines wrestled the demon�s appendages.

- She�s no longer a half elf. - Hoyia took out a staff and then manifested a root. The root pierced through the body. The body wriggled, but the demon was not dead. We had to hit the parasite exactly.

- I see why the temples and the spies are having problems. We need to hit this thing. - My turn, my vines pierced through the lady�s body and my vines entered. Then I dug out, through the severed neck, a hairy worm. - This is the demon. -

It struggled and wrestled, and the female body collapsed like a puppet. Hoyia frowned. - It can move in the body? -

- Yes. And it�s not easily visible, even in spiritual vision. -

Spirit vision told us that it was a demon or demon possessed, simply by the extinguished soul. But it did not tell us where it was located within the body. I needed something that was the magical equivalent of battlefield X - Ray and MRI.

Else, it was possible that this larva could even infect someone directly. I cut the body of the lady up, and more larva appeared. They were in small blobs. I took some for studies.

Even in their small size, they could leap and hit someone.

Edna frowned at this. - The temples are just burning entire villages to the ground. I�m afraid I see merit in their approach. -

Me, too.

There had to be a better way than glassing a continent.

YEAR 198 (PART 2)

One of the junior Valthorns developed a simplified process to check on demons, especially when demons were not available. Something that apparently a few other places had independently developed.

If a demon consumed or destroyed a soul, essentially, that was just a body, but without the will in it. A person�s skills and abilities were tied to the soul, so the theory was most of these lesser demons would not be able to copy skills. Accordingly, they may appear like a person, but if they were unable to use any of their skills, they were quite likely to be demons.

It was quite clever.

Of course, it was likely that demons were still able to copy some skills, especially the champion class. So far, we had not seen any of these champion - class parasites, and honestly, it kept me awake. What could a demon king that was entirely focused on possessing people do? Could it even possess a hero?

I thought back to Meela and Alexis and wondered.

Was their demon king a corruption king, too? Or at least a variant of it? Why else was Alexis consumed by the flames of the demon? That batch even had those talking demon-knights!

That was at least one hundred�plus years ago. Had we finally looped the cycle?

I would have to approach them and ask them for more info. I recalled Alexis didn�t have much knowledge of the demons that possessed them.

Also, these demons were able to - read - memories of the bodies they captured. From this alone, I immediately considered Stella and Kei as very high risk. If they were captured by the demons, that would be a really, really bad outcome, especially if the demons were then able to share their memories back to where they came from.

I also wanted to know how these demons spread. They seemed to jump from person to person, and we noticed that they invaded drains, gutters, toilets, and other naturally dirty environments. We also found them in the waters, where they were, strangely, eaten by fish with little consequence.

They were able, with surprising adaptability, to infest travelling merchants and somehow remained dormant or non - hostile within them, at least until they reached a new area.

All these observations suggested each of these parasites had intelligence, one corroborated by how they responded to my abilities.

How did we fight them effectively while minimizing deaths?

Ken, Prabu, and Colette met up in Freshka, and by now, my Valthorns had shared a dossier of the demonic body snatchers with them and a rough summary of what we�d discovered so far. I wanted the heroes to live, at least, if they could gain enough levels.

Both Prabu and Colette had accepted my familiars as part of the deal to allow them to live here, and it was advantageous for me to keep them at a high level.

- How does the trope normally go? Body snatchers eh. - Ken said. - There should be a kind of magic that should be specifically effective on them. -

Prabu shrugged. - And what would that be? -

- I don�t know, we�d have to run some experiments. The common ones are usually electrical shocks or some strange foods. Maybe we could get some anti - parasitic drugs? Or maybe just some strange rare chemicals, - Ken said as he tried to approach it from a trope angle.

My Valthorns were already capturing these demonic larva specimens to conduct my own tests. We wanted a widespread way to hit these demons, and we wanted to know their weaknesses. They had weaknesses for sure.

There was one very immediate sample that worked really well.

Using Stella�s gateway, we sent three possessed individuals to Freshka, and Patreeck blasted the possessed individual with his psychic power.

It worked really well, since the person literally convulsed, and the demon actually crawled out of the possessed individual�s mouth in an attempt to avoid the psychic blast. It was pretty much nightmare material as everyone squirmed. Well, almost. Only the knights or those who usually had the Still Heart or Calm Mind or Horror Resistance or other similar passive abilities didn�t react to it.

Luckily, as long as the person was not dead, they did not spawn additional larva. In order to make a person into a living hatchery, they�d have to fully convert the person, so in such cases, it was straightforward. Kill anyone who didn�t have a soul.

Since they were just demons that had the appearance of people.

Snek suggested that it should be possible for certain classes to fight off such parasites, usually through boosting their own spiritual power. Their world, at least, prior to the conversion to the demon lands, were filled with naturally occurring parasites and body snatchers. But this was like multi - generational adaptation to parasites, not something that was possible for the people of this world to acquire on a widespread scale.

Wait. Unless I massively distribute Skill seeds with these skills. But I would need these skills in the first place. No, I�d need to know which skills work best against these demonic body snatchers!

Stella was extremely fascinated. - This is essentially planning to develop some kind of anti - demonic possession vaccine, and now you�re in the concept phase of testing which skills work best? -

I had a lot of skill seeds, and with them, I could make class trees and skill trees. These were old abilities that I still used on a smaller scale, but if this worked, it would essentially create safe villages.

- How are you proposing to test the effectiveness of the skills against the demonic possessions? No one here is going to volunteer themselves, and where do you get the demons? You�d have to have a hatchery! -

On a high level, the idea was really rather repulsive. It meant I�d capture one of these demon-possessed persons and keep it alive as a hatchery for demonic larvae and then test out the demonic larvae on different individuals of different skills and monitor them. Not just that, it was essentially a test that I could only perform in Freshka, since Patreeck�s psychic/mind blast could effectively sterilize anyone infected with the demons.

Stella, of course, wondered, - Could we replicate this psychic attack on a smaller scale? -

The heroes, on the other hand, went in a different direction. A good solution, too, but not one I could apply on a large scale. It worked well only for them since they had the star mana.

Chung, the archer in the south, asked for help. In fact, the idea even came from him, since he was on the ground. - We know demons don�t like star mana, and star mana is effective against them. Can we inject the villagers with star mana as a wave essentially? Is there a spell like that? If there is, can you make that spell into a hero - item and give it to me? I really, really hate having to kill all these guys that look like humans. I didn�t fucking sign up for this shit. -

Prabu and Colette, the two archmages, went to work. They end up with a kind of star - mana electromagnetic wave, essentially Star Mana X - Ray guns. It tingled for us, but it killed the larva and demons effectively, and they began making large quantities of them.

They also planned on creating large versions of the weapon, something large enough to cover entire cities, so that they could - clean - the entire city and areas in a single blast.

It was possible, but they needed time. Time that meant more cities were getting infested with demon-possessed folks.

The temples of the South Continent, however, publicly rejected all offers of assistance and claimed they had it all under control.

They didn�t.

Instead, they torched entire villages once they realized it wasn�t helping very much. The larva was able to remain dormant within a body, so just because one passed a skill check didn�t meant it did not carry the larva!

Entire cities became infested with demon-possessed individuals, even with the skill checks and spell checks. Chung had to essentially sleep alone out in the wilds, surrounded by multiple forcefields, because he got so paranoid with people and animals. Anyone could be possessed by demons. Anyone!

Then the kingdoms started going to war with each other and the temples. Trade and travel essentially slowed down to a halt, and cities that relied on food from trade had no choice but to go to war.

- Look, the cure is worse than the disease. - Glassing entire cities, and it was not even effective since the larva could still be in the waters.

- How is the cure worse? They�ve become demons! They should die. -

- We don�t know who can still be saved. -

- We�re not taking that risk. -

Paranoia, suspicion, and madness turned nations to chaos. Kings, mages, and healers tried their best, but when anyone could be possessed, it was not easy to even compel anyone to work. Some cities enforced massive lockdowns, banning visitors outright.

It took three months before the heroes all moved to the south, and Prabu and Colette had finally completed the first version of their new star - mana emitters. The emitters could even kill dormant larva.

They were greeted by feral monsters, as the emission of star mana on a wide scale merely triggered the possessed to run wild. At least now they resembled demons. The heroes killed the demons.

The only problem was emitting star mana on a large scale drained huge quantities of star mana, and the heroes could not be everywhere at once. There were too many infested cities, too many infested towns. Even if they methodically cleaned city after city, the demons could still return.

They needed something to hold the fort while they pushed their emitters outward, skills that helped resisting demonic parasites and body snatchers.

Edna made an observation while in the south, covertly. We were unannounced, the temples knew we were there, but they were too busy fighting their own fires to give Edna�s delegation trouble.

- The demonic suppression aura weakens the larva and slows the rate at which they take over individuals. - We could plant my Giant Trees everywhere, since those suppressed the demons.

I wasn�t particularly fixated with using my clone seeds on other worlds.

Edna shot down the idea. - No. Your clone trees should be reserved for the demon king. We shouldn�t deploy them yet. We can handle it. We�ll just need to deploy more Valthorns and higher - ranked priests to suppress the demons presence. -

But the aura fluctuated, especially for creatures that needed sleep, and true enough, the demons were still able to return.

We needed a better way to spot them, especially since these parasites had incredible natural camouflage and infiltration abilities.

An entire village attacked Edna�s delegation when she approached. The team had to kill them all, and they all needed a pep talk. Then we saw a man who seemed to be surrounded by thick, demonic energy.

A champion. He looked every bit human, well, other than the armor of demonic flesh that gave him wings.

- To think that the natives still resist. -

Hoyia saw and was bewildered. - He still has a soul inside! It didn�t consume it. -

- Consume? Why consume when we can enslave? Is that not our role? - The demonic champion shot a beam of fire, and Edna immediately stepped in to create a shield. Fire didn�t work. - Hmm. let�s see. this human can do this. -

The demon charged ahead and swung its sword. - Double Cut . - The sword blurred into two and slammed into Edna�s shield. Yet, at that moment when they were close, the demonic flesh detached from the human and latched onto Edna.

It attempted to infiltrate Edna�s body, and then, just as suddenly, Edna�s body made a glow of light. The demonic champion was incinerated by the power of her domain and turned to cinders.

Edna frowned as she later reported back. - This is not good. Demon champions can use possessed skills. Luckily, it went for me instead of the others. - Everyone was horrified as they tried to imagine the champion possessing them.

This meant the checks done could still miss the demon champions, since the demon champions were able to go beyond physical control and even turn the possessed person to a puppet and use its skills in conjunction with its own demonic abilities.

Could a demon king, therefore, possess a hero?

- You can�t be serious? - Prabu vented as we shared the news of the demon champions with them. - I feel like we�ve just made a few steps forward and this demon champion sent us all back to square one. -

Ken didn�t join them as he, without his hero class and without any star mana, was pretty much a sitting duck. - I don�t think you need to panic. The demons clearly are designed to attack heroes wherever you are. So, even if you miss them, they can�t help themselves and will attack you. -

Snek agreed with the assessment. - Our own records agree with that. Demons can�t help but attack heroes. It�s in their very nature. So it�s almost confirmed that you did not miss any champions so far. -

- . I�m not convinced, but all right, - Prabu said. - Anyway, can you arrange a shipment of snacks? -

- That�s not critical at this time, - Kei answered.

- It is. I�ll work for five years if you can send snacks here. Help me negotiate with the Order, please? -

Ken and Kei shrugged. Ken sighed. - Prabu, you know, if you keep doing this snack thing, you�ll be relegated into the disposable joke or fodder character trope, and you�ll die. Don�t play that part, please? -

- Fuck that trope shit. I want my snacks! -

We had a few spies infected by the demons, and we brought them back for further investigation. My familiars apparently helped to detect the demons, and because my familiars also occupied a link with the soul, they contested the demonic parasite�s attempts to possess my spies.

My spies received regular familiars, and the demons won two out of three times. But, even though they won, it took them longer to gain control of the spies bodies, and this gave the others time to get help or, in our case, put them into a magical coffin for further studies.

It had to be done, and we captured more and more of these demonic larvae. With sufficient samples, we sent them to Freshka for further studies in my biolab. I also created a small section in the Rottedlands, secretly, to attempt to - breed - these larvae in non - human bodies, such as hybrid demon-monsters.

It created a few rather strong monster - demons, but nothing we couldn�t handle.

We needed a solution, as our news in the south indicated the infestation spread really, really quickly. The heroes literally could not sterilize cities faster than the demons could infest them.

Worse still, some of the templars and warriors of the Gaya and Gawa temples were infested, and against the backdrop of a full rebellion by the kingdoms, it was getting, really out of hand.

Lumoof continued his time in Threeworlds magic crystal city. He played the role of the charming, affable, and clumsy old man wonderfully, and some of the local mages were quite smitten with him.

He spent a lot of time gathering information about the world generally, but the knowledge of magical crystal growth remained elusive. Those who held the secrets gave it in bits and pieces, and never the whole picture. Perhaps that was how it was structured over the years, that all these little pieces were separated in order to prevent total theft.

- Sir Lumoof, this way. - A mage was more than happy to introduce some interesting types of magic to Lumoof. To the locals, Lumoof seemed to be a wealthy but foolish old man, and they were happy to make money off him.

It was small money for us. After all, his expedition was pretty much funded by the entire Central Continent, which was, on an overall level, more developed than this world, even if this single city was pretty unique on its own.

They demonstrated some magical formations and ice spells, all tethered to crystals. They had slightly different magical formations, and they were really good at using some of the natural properties of these magic crystals. - What do you think, Sir Lumoof? -

- It�s nice. I�ve never seen it. How much would it cost? -

- Ah, this formation would cost three hundred forty - four gold coins. Or we would be happy to trade for an artifact of sufficient quality. -

Lumoof nodded. - I see. - He retrieved another magical sword from the inventory, made by a level fifty�plus magical smith. - I was told this was worth about four hundred fifty gold. If you can throw in another few more manuals. -

The mage stared with greed and nodded. - Certainly. -

Alka and a group of high - ranked mages assisting Alka would receive all these scrolls, and they would study them. They were aware of our expeditions to another world, even if they didn�t know of the full details. Anyway, once they studied the scrolls, they would proceed to replicate the spells and formations back home, and this added to our body of knowledge on magic and formations generally.

It was a very laborious process, but it worked.

I hoped this would allow me to unlock the knowledge needed to truly comprehend the demon king�s core, but from what I could see, progress remained very, very far away. Even with a platoon of researchers and mages, it was a very long process. The journey to get from the iron age to the space age was long indeed.

YEAR 199

The war in the south intensified, and by now, it felt like everyone was fighting everyone else. Yet the two temples continued to enforce the blockade on the Southern Continent, only this time to keep the people in. The temples did not want the demons to spread to the other continents, so they called on the other continents to reinforce the blockade.

- This is ridiculous, - Edna said to us and the council. - We need to act decisively. The temples are not doing a good job, and a lot of the kingdoms have openly gone against the temples for the recent madness. This demonic parasite is going to spread, and it will spread quickly. -

Madness, as in glassing of entire cities because of the suspicions of corrupted men among them. The champions also were more crafty than normal. They were adapted to the minds of men and were able to hide.

My spies told me some were already on the other continents.

It was a matter of time.

- I don�t get it. The heroes are clearing up cities. - One of the lords considered the facts. The heroes met a few champions, too, and they made short work of them.

- Every time a city gets cleared, refugees rush to it by the thousands, and inevitably, the demons return, - Edna explained. - They only managed to build one single large - scale star mana emitter so far, and that only cleaned up an area the size of Freshka and its immediate surrounding areas. Even that caused huge political conflicts that the heroes clearly missed. -

The heroes were rather oblivious to the politics of where they placed their - miracle cures. - Cities and kingdoms wanted it, so the city that possessed such an artifact had to protect it with their lives from the other kingdoms who wanted it.

Matriarch Hoyia, who was also on the call, said, - With every previous demon king, the worlds generally agreed to drop their arms against each other and support the heroes with the demons. Not this one. There�s not even a semblance of unity against the demons, and everyone seems to think that someone else is a demon. -

I thought to myself then that this was what it would be like in a world without demon kings. Everyone was fighting each other for the slimmest of advantages and wealth. Felt like an absolute shitshow. No. It felt like Earth. It was a sad thing to think about, that, even if we stopped the demon king, the world would just revert to its natural state.

So I didn�t.

I focused on the larva that we cultivated in our little patch of Rottedlands, and we experimented with them to a great degree. It was really easy to kill them when they were outside. We could squish them like maggots. The problem was still how did we kill them when they were already in a host without harming the host?

Anyway, as we researched, rather than actually gain the ability to create a similar larva - type parasite, I instead gained a different type of parasite.

You�ve gained the skill: Normal Tree Parasite Creation. You may now create tree parasites of your own. These parasitic trees take the form of vines that grow on the skin and flesh of living beings. They leech on the lifeforce of their hosts.

I checked. They did nothing else.

What the fuck? All that and these parasitic trees did nothing else? It didn�t even let me gain control like the demons?

I needed to upgrade the skill, then? Was that it?

Anyway, we conducted more experiments on the larva, with different kinds of materials and injections. It didn�t yield much.

- Maybe we�re not doing it correctly, - Alka suggested as he helped to run another separate batch of tests on these demonic parasites. He didn�t ask questions where the parasites came from, of course. - We should be testing a response on live persons. -

- Why? -

- From our earlier knowledge, we know certain skills and abilities can delay and stop the demons from taking control, but this is not very useful since we can�t give skills on a large scale. But we also know that mental attacks work very well on these demonic parasites, as they are attuned to thoughts. -

I allowed my field scientist to complete his thoughts.

- Can we drug it to death? Not to kill it, but essentially turn it useless by overwhelming it with stimulation. -

- With psychedelic sap? -

- Yes! - Alka said. - We should try it out. A dose of strong psychedelics on someone possessed by demons. -

I ran this through my council, the Earthlings, and my leaders in the south, just for their thoughts.

- Overstimulating the demonic parasite. could be worth a try, - Stella said. - If it�s better than killing the host. -

One of the lords theorized, - There�s always been a drug trade, even in the south. If this theory holds any water, those kingdoms where there�s higher use of these psychedelics should see lower demonic possession? -

- The south doesn�t have that kind of data, - another lord countered. - Not everyone has a bureaucracy that tracks everything. -

I felt like that was a jab at me, or at us generally.

- We can send a batch to Matriarch Hoyia and let her test it out with our forces there. -

Edna nodded. - The idea is these things should essentially drive the demons wild? -

Matriarch Hoyia had another view. - What�s our goal here? Even if the drugs work on the demons, we still can�t get it out. Once the drugs go away, will the demons return? -

- We don�t know, but some studies would be good, - Alka said. - These demons are really fragile things, even if they have some ability for self - repair. I�d like to know if these drugs could at least destroy their ability to interact with the body. Our tests on the larva itself so far seem to cause it to convulse and then die, but outside of a host, these demonic parasites seem to die to everything. -

- If it doesn�t get the demon out of the body, I really don�t see the point. But I will conduct some studies, - Matriarch Hoyia answered.

At the same time, I wondered, could I use my dream academy or similar skills offensively on these demons?

Psychic or mental attacks worked, but I rarely saw those in this world. In fact, outside of Patreeck, I really could not remember many other instances of psychic attacks.

Then we had our first instance of near - attacks from a nearby kingdom. It was only through Hoyia�s priestly abilities that an actual pointless conflict was avoided.

- Demons! These guys are here to spread the demons! -

Hoyia immediately used one of her priestly skills on them, one of her strongest pacification abilities.

Each patriarch and matriarch developed slightly different skills. Like Lumoof seemed more toward devotion and empowerment, Hoyia was more of the peace and calm type, so her ability at level one hundred was something called Hour of Calm , which gave the entire mob present an hour of peace and calm. Hoyia and Edna quickly used that moment of sanity to have a conversation with the generals.

Sadly, these abilities didn�t seem to work on demons, since, well, demons couldn�t actually be reasoned with.

As it turned out, some of the templars were infected by the demonic parasites, and they had been spreading the parasites. Accordingly, they suspected Edna and Hoyia to be the same.

Truth was, out in the fields, we were not sure, either. Hoyia and Edna both could use some level of spiritual sight due to the Court of the Deitree, but even that was not foolproof. It was possible that some of our guys had dormant demonic larva in them, and if we wanted to check this, they had to go under the biolab regularly.

Using Stella�s portal, we did these checks every three to four days, and so far, so good. But it was possible for demons to infest my guys over those few days, especially the weaker guys.

I only had faith in Edna, due to her domain. But even then, what if a demon king tried to possess her?

My only saving grace was that, if anything happened, I could revive her with my Tree of Life. Not so for the rest of them, who were lost if they couldn�t reach the domain stage and join my pantheon.

The kings were paranoid, and rightly so. Everyone was a suspect, and the demons were quite adept at stealth since they liked tunnels and hidden parts. These larva were pretty much parasitic pests, and they were very good at crawling through hidden places.

Across the continent, mages created various barrier spells, and these were pretty successful at keeping out the demonic larva itself, but not if these demons were already inside someone.

We needed something to force the demon larva out, so we experimented on more types of drugs.

Some of them worked really well, like my dose of psychedelic drugs seemed to trigger the demons, but their side effects were rather terrible on their hosts. We wanted something milder that still caused the demons to show themselves.

Then we stumbled on one little part of the solution.

Well, we stumbled on it over a cup of thick coffee. Edna and Hoyia traveled to a town in the south that was really big on coffee production, and through Stella�s portal, I also extended some trees there in order to help scout out the terrain.

At first, we didn�t notice anything.

But then Patreeck and the group of artificial minds noticed that the demonic larva was strangely absent from the coffee factories and cafes. Most of us were not trained to think about what was missing, instead of seeing what was there, so we started doing some tests.

Moderate quantities of coffee confused the demonic larva�s tendrils, and the confused larva tried to escape the coffee - laced environment. It would then be ejected from the body, usually through poop.

The host had to consume moderate quantities since a small amount was insufficient and the larva could still endure the mild level of coffee, so this was not picked up in our earlier observations. In fact, we didn�t test coffee as a possible solution initially.

- So we need to mass produce coffee shots and make everyone take them. -

- But kids can�t take it. -

- Small victories are better than none. -

This solution, sadly, only worked on humans, elves, centaurs, and dwarves. We still did not have a solution for demonic infestation for other races such as lizardmen, drakes, and treefolk, though both treefolk and lizardmen infestation so far had been rather mild.

Interestingly, there was also a race that was very resistant to the demonic parasites, almost to the point of immunity.

Minotaurs. Their bodies produced certain kinds of liquid that regularly flushed out parasites, and the pulses of energy throughout their bodies seemed to interfere with the demon�s ability to control them.

But minotaurs were an extremely small group in the south, and they were wary of all humanoid races.

I had yet to introduce the demonic parasites to the Canari since, well, it didn�t seem right for me to subject them to the horrors of our home world.

With the discovery of coffee as a possible solution for - cleansing - the body of parasites, we had to quickly grow large quantities of coffee. As it was, the Central Continent already had some coffee plantations, and we had some existing coffee stockpiles, but it was certainly insufficient if we were to push for a wide - scale consumption of coffee.

As we pushed the kingdoms that were affiliated or in a - hidden - alliance with us to consume more coffee, the temples seemed to have discovered our solution, and they too started widely promoting the consumption of coffee.

As a solution for the south, which had a large population of humanoids, the coffee worked for a few months, since it essentially forced the larva to make a choice: either - infest - or - leave - the body, rather than remain dormant or hidden.

The widespread consumption of coffee reduced the demonic parasites hold and brought about the end of internal wars and an odd tradition of visitors and travellers having to down a dose of coffee before entering new towns. I believed this would probably be a new tradition unique to the south, since they bore the brunt of the demonic infestation.

The temples, of course, began touting the discovery of coffee as their success, a claim that we disputed but did not strongly pursue. What was the point, anyway?

Also, the demons adapted and took a more adversarial stance. Once they possessed someone, the demons immediately infested and surfaced, rather than remaining dormant. This helped clear the confusion and fog on who were demons and who were not.

The kingdoms continued to struggle with the demon champions, since these champions were still very powerful, but it was easier when one didn�t have to watch their back all the time.

The heroes, thus, continued to push toward the demon-infested nations. There were large swaths of the south where the demons had fully conquered the kingdoms. The risk, of course, was that there were some that have yet to be infested by the demons, but the heroes advanced with their star mana serving as a beacon.

They burned brightly, and the demons were moths drawn to the flame.

- Two more years. - The demons were slain eight years ago. At least two more years to go.

YEAR 200

Coffee didn�t work that well on treefolk, drakes, and lizard - people. This was a secret, of course, but we couldn�t keep it for long. Once news of infested drakes and treefolks went out, it only resulted in more speciesism, as trade and deals with the treefolks, drakes, and lizard - people essentially dropped to zero. They were pretty much the pariahs in the Southern Continent.

That sucked. We needed something that worked for them, and it was partly because of how their bodies processed coffee. The caffeine that overwhelmed the demons was absorbed by certain organs unique to these three races and thus spared the demons.

Strangely, even minotaurs got ostracized even though they were close to immune to the effects of these parasites.

The Gawa temple, which counted humans, elves, and dwarves as the majority of its believers, outright commanded that these other races be banned from all of its allied territories and led to large refugee camps as these races were forced out of their homes and villages.

It annoyed me very much that our solutions amplified racial issues. We tried stronger doses and so on, but it didn�t work. We needed something with caffeine that the bodies of these races didn�t absorb.

So back to the drawing board. I tasked a few lizard - people and treefolks to lead the research, since I sensed that some of the human and elven researchers didn�t give the issue the same weightage as before.

That also annoyed me.

Meanwhile, the heroes attacked more of the demon-infested kingdoms. The demon champions had already taken over as the rulers of the various kingdoms, and they ran the kingdoms with their stolen skills.

It was annoying to fight them, because the demons were already strong with their own abilities, which augmented the basic strength of their hosts, and on top of that, they were blessed by the stolen king class skills or general or strategist skills. Some of these king skills gave these demons usable skills!

They could steal skills! They could even stack the skills and make the regular demons stronger than usual.

It didn�t occur to me to think about how to exploit the demons natural abilities, until Alka, who was still busy with Lumoof�s purchased otherworldly research, offhandedly suggested, - Capture one of these demon champions. We may learn how to use its power against the demon king. -

- Huh. - That made so much sense to me.

I felt like an idiot. I always was, of course. That was why I relied on those smarter than me.

I immediately pinged Stella and Edna, Stella to open one more portal and Edna to tell me where the nearest demon nation was. I would like to find one of these demon champions, if not more.

- We don�t know. It�s not as if the demons say they are demons. They just somehow know that they are demons. -

That was also a good question. How did these demon parasites identify each other as demons?

If there was a mechanism, could we copy it and alter it such that the demons identified us as demons? With such an ability, we could essentially smuggle ourselves into the demon world and explore it without fear.

Actually, taking that to the extreme, if everyone in the world was identified as demon, could we pretty much co - exist with the demons?

YEAR 200 (PART 2)

It wasn�t very hard to identify the demon-infested kingdoms, since, with the recent events, they declared themselves quite publicly. The demons as a whole was not a functional kingdom, since the citizens comprised of possessed demons.

They, sadly, cleverly used the population as a meat shield. The population all had demonic larva in them that were not fully infested, such that these populations could still interact and talk like normal, though, with some mental controls. Those who struggled or resisted the demonic control were quickly fully infested or killed.

When I started offensively expanding my trees into these demonic - parasite kingdoms, I noticed a glaring weakness.

The demons could not detect my presence. They had some sense of their own, but as parasites, they mostly leeched off the senses of their hosts. And if their hosts did not notice me, they didn�t, either.

That meant, with Stella and void mages, I could observe the demons without outside intervention!

First thing I noticed was how absolutely ordinary some of these villages were, except for a few villagers who clearly had demonic appendages throughout their bodies. No one reacted to it, even those we could still detect the presence of a soul.

Even as a - dormant - or - larva - form, the demons were clearly able to alter or change minds. There was no other reason why these people, who clearly retained some of their own cognitive abilities, accepted these demons so easily.

I therefore classified the demons into three categories, though the line between the infested stage and transformed stage was very thin.

The first was the larva possession stage. The demon was embedded within a living person, and the demon parasite controled the host via some kind of mind control. At this stage, they were able to use skills, and they could still be saved. Multiple larva could actually be inside the same body, so the larva possession stage could still infect others.

Then there was the infested stage, where the demons had killed the host�s soul and the body started to breed other larvae. At this stage, they were essentially demons, but with the appearance of regular people.

And lastly, there was the transformed stage, where the demonic presence could be visibly seen.

On top of these three stages, we had the demon champions, who were at the larva - possession stage but were able to either steal or mind - control and simultaneously merge it with their own demon champion abilities.

Those who were still in the larva possession stage continued to live relatively normal lives, though they focused on eating. Now that they did not have to keep up any semblance of a society, they abandoned things like paperwork and trade. The demonic parasites reorganized their society such that the larva - possessed collected food centrally.

That said, they continued to produce weapons and equipment, which these demons used.

These demons were able to use equipment, including magical equipment. Could they use hero items? As we continued to observe, we noticed the transformed demons taking charge. We kept spreading our trees and noticed even more cities infested with demons and finally found the prey we wanted.

A champion.

No. There were two of them.

We knew they were champions, because the transformed demons deferred to them, the way all these humanoid demons obeyed their commands.

Both the human king and queen had a champion in them, and if we strained our magical sensors a little, we could pick up their masked magical powers. Their strength was self - evident; it rippled outward in little motions.

- These human bodies are so fragile, - the possessed king said to the queen.

- Would you rather possess a lizard, then? -

- If it is a big one, yes. - The king laughed, strangely human. How did they speak? - Or are you referring to the Lizardfolk? -

The queen did not respond.

- No matter. Let us wait for the True King. -

We knew, with certainty, that these champions could not possess me. I saw how the champions were torched by Edna�s soul. I wanted to capture these demon champions, so I asked Stella and the void mages to rest for two days. I needed them at their best when I pushed my powers through their portals.

It wasn�t hard to find them after the two days. The two champions were incredibly confident. They walked about their - kingdom - with no guards, no defenders. Not necessary, when the demons as a whole respected and obeyed their inherent hierarchy.

I initially tested the concept on the demon parasites, the lesser larva to the effects of my mana. It killed them. They were just fragile to most things when not in a host. But I had a feeling it would work on the champions.

- All right, be ready, because I�m going to attack a demon champion, - I told Stella. I had my labs and everything on standby.

- Ready. - Stella understood my plans to study the demon champions, though she didn�t quite agree with having a war of the parasites.

The two champions were apart. One was with some of the possessed, and the queen was with a small battalion of demonic knights. These knights were no longer human, though they looked every bit like it.

I readied my artificial minds and went for it.

Somewhere nearby, I immediately created two Giant Attendant Trees . These helped amplify my aura and power. Then, at the same time, roots shot out from the ground and immediately wrapped the two of them. They reacted quickly, but their response was to attack my roots.

The two demon champions both released a huge burst of flame that burned the entire city, taking down a huge number of other demons with it, but it failed to burn through my trees.

- Heroes? - the king yelled as it transformed, and the demonic appendages fought the hundreds of vines and roots that spawned from the ground.

It was like two masses of snakes or eels with different colors wrestling in shallow waters. They were no match for me. Not with my current levels of power.

They struggled hard, and they resisted. But I didn�t mean to kill them.

I flooded them with my mana.

The eyes of the possessed king widened in fear. - no! -

It was time for the corruptor to be corrupted.

It�s time for reverse wololo.

Stella struggled, but she worked with a team of Void mages to stabilize the portals as huge amounts of mana were pumped through the portals. A few fainted, and they had to swap. But now, her school of void mages numbered in the hundreds, and this was within the same world.

My mana flooded the demon champions, and in the end, one of them decided to self - destruct rather than to submit to my influence. The body of the king splattered into mush.

The champion that inhabited the queen was not so lucky. My roots and vines penetrated the body and found the champion�s true body. A large, hairy, worm - like creature lived in the husk, and my mana flooded it.

The champion struggled, and I sensed its panicked flailing. It killed its host at that moment, but the body was still alive. Shit.

Was it going to run?

A chrysalis of wooden vines and roots emerged around the captured body, a vessel for the conversion. The demons in the surrounding area and the nation, who were not destroyed by the demonic flames, went wild, and they ran toward our location at full speed.

I spawned beetles by the hundreds and thousands and blocked them off. Horns went through and helped lead the defense of the wooden shell.

The demons rushed by the thousands, and the beetles fought off the demonic hordes from the surrounding nations for hours. My artificial minds supported the battle as I focused on capturing the demon champion.

It took hours, as my mana gradually worked its way through the demon champion�s real body.

Strangely, no demon champion came. Not even from the nearest kingdom, which hosted more demon champions. Just more regular stuff.

The demonic larva attempted to infiltrate the beetles, and some succeeded. But the beetles had extremely strong, demonic - resistant carapaces, and it was easy to tell which beetle was infected, since we would lose control of the beetle.

Horns, for example, couldn�t be infested, simply because my artificial minds were all linked to me at a fundamental level. My domain powers maintained the link with them, and that link burned any attempted infestations.

The battle lasted for two days, and Stella was exhausted. She didn�t sleep for two days, as my own trees and vines back home supported her.

The demon champion finally caved.

Natural Mana Overwhelming has converted a Demonic Infestor Champion.

You converted the demon into an A/ ic Infestor Champion.

The Skill Natural Mana Overwhelming has been upgraded.

The wooden chrysalis opened and revealed that same human queen but different. Her eyes were green and her voice ethereal. She retained some of her demonly features, but there were parts that were clearly wooden. Her skin now had a greenish tone instead of the original dark red of the demons.

The infestor kept the host, though the host changed as a result.

Stella was already at her breaking point; it was only my own energies that kept her awake. Since it was done, I allowed her to rest. Another group of void mages then took over and opened a portal to let the converted champion through.

The champion seemed to understand instinctively and stepped through the void portal. It was now in Freshka.

The infestor looked around, and the void mages stared. They were visibly afraid. Two of my Valthorns were there, ready for any eventuality. Roon�s bow and arrow glowed, ready to fire.

I felt it was safe, as Patreeck�s psychic power descended on the infestor. Nothing.

It bowed and knelt. - Greetings, A/ . I am your humble slave. -

Roon stared, still worried. - Stand, and speak. Who are you? -

- I am. I am nameless, A/ , but this vessel was once named Queen Ally Ardiasan of Erat. I was once an infestor champion from the Demon World of the Infestors, spawned from the powers of the Infestor King. - I felt my mana permeate the converted demon.

- So Ally, then. -

- If you so will, I will be Ally, - the former demon answered, and at that moment, I had more questions than ever.

- Do you remember where you came from? -

- Not much. We are created by the Infestor King, or what the people of this refer to as the demon king. The demon king created us as lesser versions in his image, with his powers to corrupt and to control. -

- What is the Infestor King? -

Ally stood, unsure how to reply. - I know little of its power, save that it has corruption and the ability to control others through its tendrils. -

- What do you know, then? -

- We are here to infest, spread our kind far and wide. We are to use the knowledge of the people against itself and prepare for the king�s descent and kill the Puppets. -

- The Puppets, - I repeated.

- Yes. Heroes. Puppets. Same thing, - Ally answered. Roon and Johann stared at the infestor.

- A/ , this is not a demon? -

- No. It�s. a converted demon. -

- It�s possible to convert demons? - Roon asked. I�d forgotten most of them had not seen my attempts to convert the demons.

- Yes. Hytreerion was made from the shell of a demon walker, - I added. It was quite strange that Ally didn�t need any of that, despite being a demonic champion. Or wait. - Ally, are you able to infest anyone or use your powers? -

Ally wanted to and then stopped.

A/ ic Infestor Champion requires a power source. You may attach a Titan Soul or an artificial soul to power it. It is currently relying on residual energies stored within its body and will need to rest near a tree to recharge. While in this low - power mode, it is unable to infest anyone.

- Oh. - Darn. The infestor champion had a memory box and thought unit but still needed a power source. Now that I robbed it of its original power source, it needed something from me. This sucked, since it meant I couldn�t scale this operation.

But I realized this infestor champion essentially was a spy�s greatest weapon. I could deploy Ally to other worlds and help me gather information that I could not gather myself. In a way, Ally was even better than Lumoof, since, well, Ally could seamlessly blend into the existing folk.

- Ally, do you kill your hosts? -

- Do you want me to, Master? As infestors, we have two modes, possession and infestation. Infestation kills the host. -

The only problem was I couldn�t see what Ally was doing.

- Tell me more about how you steal powers? -

- As infestors, we attach to the soul springs of our hosts and hijack it. We are all innately able to confuse the soul spring into thinking our commands are the soul�s commands. We exist on two levels, at a physical level and at a soul level, we can inject ourselves into the soul. This injection process, of course, drains a lot of magical power, but we also simultaneously steal power from the soul springs of our host. When we kill our hosts, we grab hold of the pieces of their soul spring and attach them to our own. But it doesn�t always succeed, and using these powers requires mana like normal. -

- Wait. Get into the biolab. -

Ally nodded and got into the biolab as commanded.

I saw a constantly shapeshifting, bloblike creature that resembled a jellyfish. It was hollow in the middle, like it was waiting for a power unit or a soul spring to power it. There were smaller rocks that floated in between the multiple blobby tentacles of the infestor champions, and I realized these were the stolen skills.

Skills taken from the queen.

I couldn�t see how it interacted and inserted into another soul, because, in its current state, it lacked the means to do so.

The tentacles and the blobs moved constantly, and there was no permanent form to the body. This was unlike how the others had a defined shape to the lake of their soul.

I doubted the shape was what gave it the ability to possess another, and I probably would have to insert a Titan Soul in order to fully understand what these demon champions could do. That, of course, sounded like a waste of a Titan Soul.

Well, maybe not, because from what I observed, Titans were most useful in a utility role. Patreeck�s usefulness had exceeded Hytreerion by a lot, so to use Titans for combat roles was frankly a waste of time.

In that case, would using the Titan Soul on Ally, an infestor, be a waste? Did I have other, better uses for the Titans?

Meanwhile, the kingdom that the champions once ruled turned into a frenzy, like a zerg swarm without their cerebrates. Wild, primal, and they rushed toward us.

This was strange behavior, as each parasite was capable of some degree of thought and self - regulation. Surely, they did not require a champion to function. But it did.

While the war against the parasites continued, Lumoof was still in Threeworlds.

- Sir Lumoof, this way. - A merchant led him to a large room that displayed one of the largest, most detailed maps of the Threeworlds. Lumoof had a sense something was off, but he wasn�t worried. No. If anything, he wanted them to bite. It was something he had planned for a while.

The three merchants gathered and started explaining the map, and Lumoof looked at it intently. This was helpful, at least, to strategize where to plant my clones . There were dungeons and magical ley lines marked, to the best of their knowledge.

It was a commission that took the past two years and a lot of our treasures. Lumoof nodded as the merchants started to furl up the map. It was made with some kind of magical cloth and with shrinking spells such that it shrunk to the size of a regular scroll.

The merchant passed it to Lumoof. - Payment, Sir Lumoof. -

Lumoof nodded and withdrew a magical sword from his pouch. The other merchants all stared, and some�s mouths seemed to be watering.

The goods exchanged hands, and the merchants stared at the magical sword. They used some inspection abilities and some kind of merchant - valuation ability. Yet at that same moment, the doors slammed open, and about forty mages walked into the room.

Lumoof quickly held the map, and in an instant, it vanished, sent back to Freshka. The merchants looked around, and they were all clearly puzzled at the mages. They stared at each other.

- What�s happening? -

We�d known something was up, especially when we detected a few failed Inspection type skills. Lumoof had a cloak that confused such skills, but it wasn�t perfect. So it was a matter of time before the Maelas priests sensed something was up.

In fact, I was surprised that they took so long to even attempt to arrest us. Here was an old man walking about asking for information, learning spells and so on. The mages were armed, and one pointed his staff at Lumoof. - Lumoof, on the orders of the council of High Priests of Maelas, you are to be detained on the suspicion of espionage. -

Lumoof lifted his arms. We were ready for this, and we would go along with the capture. The mages used a kind of crystal shackle and shackled Lumoof.

But all that happened was.

. detecting attempted skill - control. Domain overriding.

The crystal shackle shone, and then, like a whimper, it crumbled. The mages stared at each other. One of the high mage - priests immediately walked over and took out another shackle.

The second shackle crumbled, too.

- That�s. not supposed to happen. -

Lumoof smiled. - Anyway, gents, it�s fine. Come, lead me. -

The mages stared at each other, unnerved at how easy Lumoof went along with the capture. No, we wanted to be captured, because it was a convenient excuse. From what we knew, the high priests questioned their suspects within the depths of the Crystal Mountain, where they kept their strange artifacts, and that was somewhere we wanted to go anyway.

The mage - priests were shocked, of course, because it now seemed like they were escorting Lumoof rather than capturing him. - Don�t worry, I have no intention of resisting. -

Eventually, we entered a cave, high up on Crystal Mountain. Here, we took a look, and it was beautiful.

- Can I just appreciate the view for a moment? - Lumoof paused.

The mage priests looked at each other uncomfortably and then glanced toward the high priest for guidance. The high priest nodded. - No more than two minutes. -

Lumoof nodded and just looked at the view. It really was beautiful to see the entire city of Maelga with crystals everywhere. It was part�crystal mine, part�magic academy, and the glowing magical crystal lights paired with the faint fog and haze from the dusts only gave it an eerie, mystical aura.

- All right, let�s go. -

Lumoof nodded, and we went into the mountains.

YEAR 200 (PART 3)

The depths of the crystal mountain were magical. They had a magic lift, and the crystalline walls glowed in many colors. It was beautiful, and the ambience truly seemed magical.

- This is quite beautiful, - Lumoof said to the mages, who all seemed a lot more afraid of him than the other way around. Something about the shackles crumbling seemed to remind them that Lumoof was not just any old man, even though he had kept his domain in check for the entire period he was here.

The high mage tried his best to play along. - It is. Everyone who stepped into these lifts for the first time remarked how beautiful it is. Even the heroes. -

Lumoof nodded. - Ah yes, the heroes. They came from another world, right? -

The high mage gave Lumoof a suspicious look. - You seem familiar with them. -

- I have met a few. - Lumoof nodded.

- Are you from the nation of the Sandpeople, then? -

- No. - Lumoof smiled, and the high mage just gave him a stare. But Lumoof was used to such things. The lift eventually stopped gently, like it slowed down on a very measured drift. They hardly felt it. The door opened, and they were led into a chamber made of crystals.

The entire chamber was shaped by the crystal growth, and for me, looking through Lumoof, this chamber reminded me of ice palaces and chambers carved out of ice. Only it was crystals, and it wasn�t cold.

In fact, it was quite warm. The chamber led to smaller hallways, similarly carved out of ice. There were crystalline lights embedded into the crystal walls.

- This way. -

Lumoof nodded, and he was led to another chamber with a chair.

- Sit here. -

Lumoof complied. This seemed to be an interrogation room, but the high mage looked at the shackles and hesitated. The mages stared at each other. - Should we use the shackles? -

The high mage shook his head. - No, we�ve wasted two already. Just call the interrogators. -

The mage scurried out of the magical door. They used wooden doors, embedded with crystals. We could see that it was some kind of mixed item, part wood, part crystals. I wondered whether I could grow Crystal Trees, like how Kei was a crystal golem in the shape of a lady.

Maybe I could experiment with that dryad body I had stored all this time.

The interrogators, despite their fearsome name, were three skinny - looking humans with long crystal spears and many smaller pins and needles, all similarly made of crystal. They had different colors, and from a casual glance, I sensed that each of them was imbued with a different type of spell.

A torture set. Interesting. A far more elaborately dressed woman came immediately after, and I sensed that she was higher level than the rest, at least level eighty.

- Let�s make this simple, Sir Lumoof, - the lady started. - I have my interrogators with me, and I want to know, who are you, who do you work for, and what do you want? You�ve been buying magical spells and collecting various locational information for the past few years. Who are you sending it to? The sandpeople? Or the centaurs? -

Lumoof merely smiled. - Can I get your name? -

The lady shrugged and laughed. - I�m the Fourth Archpriest of Maelas, Yaddah. - There was an air of magic around her, strong, but nothing particularly impressive. Not when she was compared to my near - domain - level mages.

- Well, since you asked so nicely, I�m Lumoof. I serve the Temple of A/ , and I came from a faraway place. -

- We�ve checked. There�s no such thing as the Temple of A/ . -

- Oh, there is. - Lumoof smiled. - Now, if you want the juicy details with all the fruits, I would like to meet the true ruler of Maelga. I would happily explain then. -

Yaddah stared. - You wanted us to come to you. -

Lumoof smiled. - Well, it�s hard to get the bureaucracy to pass a message, isn�t it? What better way to get direct access to the top by making you come to me? -

- I could kill you here. -

Lumoof shrugged. - I think you know well enough that you can�t. In fact, maybe only the true ruler of this living mountain can hope to even hurt me. -

Yaddah�s fists glowed with magic, and she punched. A wooden barrier emerged and blocked it. Vines instantly absorbed the magic in her fists, and those vines quickly wrapped around her arms, and she stared. She flinched as she felt magic drain away from her arms. - . who are you? -

- Were you listening? My name is Lumoof, and I serve the Temple of A/ . - The vines let her arms go, and Yaddah staggered backward. The interrogators stared dumbly. They were not used to their subjects being able to use their skills.

Lumoof didn�t move and just stretched his legs.

- It really does annoy me when young ones don�t listen to what us old folk have to say. -

Yaddah stood, but she realized the power gap.

- So, now that I am here, deep within the mountain, I want to talk to the true ruler of this mountain. Can you get me an audience? I certainly hope we can have a friendly meeting, rather than one where I�m forced to go on a warpath. -

Yaddah dusted her robes. - I see we have invited the snake into the house. -

- Eh, I�m not a snake. I�m just a priest of A/ . I don�t bite. -

Yaddah looked at her team. - Stay here. I�ll go call the Crystal Holders. -

The interrogators looked afraid. - Milady -

Lumoof immediately interjected. - There really is nothing to worry about. Can I have some tea while you sort out the details? -

Yaddah looked at the interrogators. - Well? Go get some. - She pointed a finger at Lumoof. - And you don�t get too smug. You don�t know who you�re dealing with. -

My priest just stretched and yawned.

- But - The interrogators looked at Lumoof again and decided it was better to just get him some tea.

The tea was not bad, and Yaddah came back about three hours later. The interrogators kept watch, but they felt so uncomfortable around Lumoof that they decided to wait outside the door.

- The Crystal Holders will meet you now, - Yaddah said with a commanding tone. - Then you�ll know better than to offend us. -

- Oh? -

They led Lumoof through more narrow crystalline pathways and down more crystalline stairs and then another lift. A lift that went even deeper.

Then deep underground, we walked out of the lift into a massive cavern, with glistening crystals on the roof. The crystals had many colors, and around us, we saw giant crystal golems. These were massive things, and they looked like these golems could open up to be even larger.

There were a few more pathways that led to this cavern. Clearly the way we took was not the only way in.

- Feeling scared yet? - Yaddah smirked. Lumoof shrugged, and she couldn�t believe her eyes. - . you�re acting. -

We�d fought demon champions. Golems were just creatures in the same class. Then we arrived at a platform. There were eight large crystals and eight individuals seated right before them.

- Archpriest Yaddah, this is the individual that wants to meet us? -

Lumoof looked around, and here, I felt the conflicting presence of something. It was that something that hid underneath the mountains, it was here, but it darted everywhere, hopping from crystal to crystal.

These eight men were just spokespeople. The equivalent of my Valthorn councils, but not. me.

- Where are you looking, spy? - one of the individuals said. The voice was feminine, but here in the dim cavern, where the lighting came from the glow of crystals, it was hard to make out her features, unless we activated our skills. My spiritual sight identified her as human.

Lumoof looked around, and we tried to follow the presence. - Looking at the real power behind all of you. -

One of them slammed the crystal table. - We are the real powers here. -

Lumoof smiled. - All of you are just like me. The hands and legs. The executors of divine will. - He paused briefly and then said, - Minions. -

Three of them glowed, as I sensed them gather their magical power. Still, our eyes focused on that presence, and at that moment, a ninth crystal, one larger than the eight others, rose up out of the crystal floor. The ninth crystal was shaped like a throne, and a golem sat on it.

We felt that presence gathered in the golem. The golem was just a puppet of the spirit of this crystal mountain. Yet the golem looked incredibly life - like. No, at a casual glance, the golem seemed every bit human.

The eight immediately bowed. - We greet the Immortal Crystal King. -

Yaddah knelt, and she gave Lumoof a smug look. - You fucked now, old man. -

Lumoof smiled and respectfully clasped his hands together. We didn�t kneel. - Greetings. -

The presence was similar to Lilies and Aria. Maybe just a bit stronger. The golem radiated his domain , and the aura of the crystal king�s domain closed in and attempted to smother us. All of them cowered in its presence.

This was nostalgic. I did the same thing to my Valthorns. The crystal king stopped and stared with its purple eyes. The eight cowering minions immediately attempted to explain. - Your majesty, this is a spy. He claims to be a priest of A/ , but we�ve checked, and it does not exist. -

- No, - the king answered, and he sounded human. This was some really good puppetry. - Who are you? -

His domain did not pierce through Lumoof�s skin. Instead, it was pushed back. Lumoof gave a nod. - Greetings, Immortal Crystal King. I am Lumoof, a priest of A/ . Finally, we have been hoping to speak to the true master of the mountain. -

- We? - The king narrowed its eyes.

Lumoof nodded, and I descended. My domain pushed against the crystal king, and everyone, including the other minions of the crystal king, cowered. - . what?! -

- Greetings, Crystal King. I am A/ , and Lumoof is my avatar. - I spoke as Lumoof�s eyes glowed green, and my presence was clear for all to see. A greenish glow of light shaped into a tree appeared around Lumoof.

The golem narrowed its eyes as our two domains met. The usually quiet and motionless air of the cavern was twisted by our energies, and it whipped it up into a small, twisting gale. Yaddah, the archpriest, and the eight Crystal Holders were all horrified.

- I have been meaning to speak to you, though it is hard to get you through all of your institutional red tape. - I bet those who wanted to talk to me felt the same way.

The crystal king�s face was serious. - Speak, you have my attention. -

- I come from another world, just next to yours. I come in search of allies in my bid to defeat the demons that plague my world. -

- Is that not an affair of the gods? - At this point, all nine other humans dared not speak. They were all quiet. This was not their stage.

- The gods will abandon us in a century or two, - I said.

The crystal king looked. - I do not care of the cause. What do you want exactly? -

- Knowledge and skills. Cooperation. Friendship. -

The king glared, and stated bluntly, - Denied. I have no reason to cooperate and share my knowledge with those of another world. Every creature or beast of other worlds eventually attempts to invade us. Even the summoned heroes are not much better. No. We are an insular world, and we will remain so. No trade with outworlders. Friendship with another existence from another world? Impossible. -

- And what of trade? - I asked. Inwardly I was shaken by the immediate refusal. But Lumoof kept a stoic face.

- No. I refuse, - the crystal king said firmly, and I felt my spirit sink. What was this straight - out stonewalling?

- Any guarantees I can offer? What can I do to change your mind and work together? - I certainly came in peace, but it seemed they didn�t believe me.

- No. There is no negotiation to be had with otherworlders. I reject your presence in my lands. Leave and return to where you came from. The human - lands of this world will not receive you. -

I felt angry. Why? What was the cause of this. this. selfishness? What was the word for it.

The immortal crystal king was blunt. - I shall apply the full force of my powers should I ever see you again after today. I do not accept foreigners from another world. Leave. -

The crystal king flexed his domain, and his energies strengthened. I wondered, - Why? You accept the heroes! -

- They are part of a bargain we struck with Maelas. -

I felt there was an undercurrent of fear. - Must it be this way? -

- Yes, - the crystal king said. - Go. We are not friends. No. Friends do not exist for existences like. us. There are those stronger and those weaker. The strong take, the weak obey. -

Was that a challenge? Should I just take it, then? Darn. There seemed to be something at the back of all of this. Some history from long ago? No. Conflict should not be the first thought, especially when we had no reason to be enemies. Lumoof�s attempted capture was a small matter, really. Nothing was at risk. - Let�s talk this through. It is not my intention to come and occupy your world. -

- You will learn, and eventually, you will occupy. That is how it is, that is how it will be, and I reject your attempts to plant a seed here. Go. Leave. I shall entertain you no further. Leave peacefully, and that is the end of it. -

- And if I don�t? -

- Then it will be war. Our eventual outcome is war. It is the same with the others, as with the demons, and as with those before us. War is inevitable. -

If it was inevitable, why shouldn�t I just raise war right now?

But no. I calmed myself and focused. What was my goal?

My goal was to end the cycle of heroes and demon kings, not for all worlds, but at least for my home world. War with other spirits and forces was unnecessary, unless it led to the end of the cycle. This group of people seemed to have knowledge of crystals, which I could use in the future, but did I want to go to war with them just to have this knowledge, which may or may not lead to breakthroughs?

Would a war here, with this mountain, be a worthwhile investment of resources?

I stared, and for a moment, the entire cavern shook as our domains clashed. My power radiated outward like a wave and met the opposing force of the immortal crystal king. My greenish energies lit the dark cave with my mana.

The human minions stared, with their jaws wide, and two of them fainted.

I knew for certain I was stronger overall, but even then a battle would be hard to predict, since this was their home base and this crystal king most likely have more combat abilities. The strangely human immortal crystal king squinted his eyes and took a step back.

Ugh. Fucking fucking fucking fuck. Why the fuck was this damned crystal so irritatingly. aloof? What was the word I was looking for -

Lumoof mentally responded to me, - Let�s go, milord. There really is no need to wage this pointless war. We can have other means. Or find somewhere else. They are not the only masters of crystals. -

I sighed. - Very well. We will leave. -

The crystal king looked to its cowering minions. - Escort this otherworlder out of my mountain. Don�t let him in ever again. Notify me if he ever dares to appear at my doorstep. -

Such arrogance, but I had no real beef with this guy. I wanted knowledge, and there really wasn�t any need to destroy this mountain just because he refused to cooperate. In the end, my end goal was the demons and this cycle. Focus on the end goal, I told myself, using that to calm myself down. I did not have to destroy other functional civilizations to get there.

I tried to relax and reminded myself that not everyone saw things my way, and that was all right. It was normal that some people were just not cooperative.

It was normal. Perfect, perfectly normal.

I tried to convince myself, really, because I felt mad. Maybe mainly because I got rejected. It was fine. It was okay. I was a salesman, and I didn�t have to make every single sale. Not everyone was like Lilies or Aria.

The minions stared at Yaddah, and Yaddah gulped. She had been commanded, and so she did.

She escorted Lumoof, respectfully and quietly. Not a peep.

Back home, it was a game of whack - a - mole, as demons kept popping up despite the efforts of the heroes, temples, and us to clamp down on the demonic parasites.

We were generally gaining ground as we discovered more and more ways to detect them and counter them.

The food makers and coffee brewers around the world made condensed caffeine sweets and caffeine pills. The coffee makers and sweet makers even gained unique skills: Anti - Demon Coffee and demon-Preventing Coffee Sweets .

It was really cute that those who made food actually contributed to the war effort.

I supposed this was a feature of the system, that the system did respond to changes, but it took a while for it to hit the necessary threshold to - award - a skill.

Anyway, with foods and consumables that deterred the demons from infesting, the tide was somewhat shifting, and it was slowly returning to good old conventional demon warfare.

Normalcy! How I missed it so.

At the same time, I also granted one of my Valthorns a class Lovis once had: A/ �s Demonslayer .

I suspected that it�d help to sense demons, and it did, but its effectiveness was linked to the person�s level. It wasn�t very useful on a large scale, since, like the heroes, it was tied to a particular individual and so was largely local.

But it was good for interrogation and detection of demons among areas previously cleared.

Despite our progress, we knew it meant nothing if the demon king wasn�t killed. As the ten - year deadline slowly passed by, we waited for the demon king. I really, really wanted to know the kind of demon king we would face.

YEAR 201

The demon king took its time, and we waited. So I went on the offense and wanted to claim a few more demon champions for myself. Just like the Forest Rod , which I clearly wished I had more, I wanted more of these infestors.

I could find uses for them. Someday. Ally stood like a machine back in Freshka, and I quickly commanded it to sleep in one of my bio pods, safe in the valley. I didn�t want an infestor like her walking about the city, mainly because I felt such abilities were more suited to be hidden. A spy was most effective when no one suspected a spy.

Thus, only Stella and a few others were aware of it, and I made it a point to make them know it.

- What are your weaknesses? - I asked Ally, like, I tried my luck whether it was possible to directly ask a former demon the answer.

- I don�t know. - It wasn�t so easy, sadly.

We watched the star - ways with great interest. One of the paths glowed bright, but it wasn�t yet ready for the demon king. There were tell - tale signs when the demon king was about to cross, and so far, we had not seen them.

Down in the Southern Continent, we continued our great game of demon-parasite whack - a - mole, and eventually, I managed to catch two more demon champions. One was a general named Genid from a destroyed kingdom, and another was a king, King Rhoma of the Sanndea kingdom, which was no more since everyone alive was infested and incurable.

These two demon champions did not reveal anything new. They were similar creations of the infestor king and had no memories.

As our reach expanded in the south, I finally managed to catch something I was looking for.

A rift.

- What are you doing? - Stella asked as my trees approached a rift. She sensed some unusual magic fluctuations, a little more drain than usual. - Another demon champion? -

- Not exactly. While waiting for the demon king, I�ve decided to go on the offense. -

Stella�s eyes squinted and then widened as she realized what I meant. - Wait. You need the entire team here -

My roots and vines approached the rift and slowly tested out its magical resonance. Like the previous demons, I needed to know the exact mana frequency to confuse the rift, such that it would let me through to the other side.

- Why? - Stella asked as she felt the energies passing through the void portals.

- I have nothing to lose, and I realized with my seeds that I should use them offensively. Playing defense is tiring. - I had two seeds left. From what I gathered, it did take a while for any destroyed tree to respawn as a new seed, but with both Threeworlds and the other world remaining close by, I was willing to do it.

It was my first attempt at launching an offensive attack. From what I learned from Snek, I suspected that the demons most likely did not have means of communication with other demon types, and each demonic world was largely independent, though there were some means of coordinating invasions.

I needed a solid presence in one such world if I wanted to know what exactly happened. I couldn�t learn about the demons without seeing them in one of their controlled worlds.

The last time, I needed the forest rod. I wouldn�t use the forest rod now. With the seed of A/ , I could use my clones as disposable scouts. My only risk was if they possessed my clone bodies, but I suspected that was impossible.

I spawned more artificial minds, just in case. I needed the backup.

- We don�t know what our home world is like. We were created, and before we could see or sense, we were flung to this world through the rifts, sent to infest anyone who feels strong. -

I also learned that my infestors used to have some kind of ability to see strength that was inactive as they were currently unpowered. Could they infest something like me? I suspected probably not, since a soul tree like myself should be invincible in its native domain. When asked, they seemed to answer, - We don�t know, but we are programmed to try. -

Huh. That was rather strange.

I soon found the resonance needed to get myself through the rift gates. My roots and vines went through!

Stella immediately winced as my roots went through.

The first thing I attempted to do was see.

A gate. I saw a gate. The gate was on a platform, and around the gates were those same void crystals. There were some other demonic structures around those void crystals, and this time, I was able to sense some magic flowing through it.

But immediately beyond the dry platform was water!

This demon world was not dry! If anything, it was more of a corrupted world. There were demonic trees and gigantic monsters that would not be out of place in the Rottedlands. I saw large blobs filled with hundreds or thousands of those demonic parasites being hauled by large demonic creatures. They were pushed through the rift - gate, and they appeared on the other side.

The blob didn�t survive the transfer, but the parasites did.

I immediately extended my roots and vines into the water, and I felt the pollution and dirt. No, this was some kind of muck. I�d have to analyze the details later.

The last time I sent my roots through the rift, some demons saw them and immediately cut us off. I wasn�t going to let that happen to me now.

I deployed my seed of A/ , right here, right next to the rift gates.

I felt my seed sink into the water, and then little roots extended out of the water. I sensed my seed�s root searching for dirt and earth.

Barren.

Even though there was water, the ground or dirt felt lifeless and weak. It was a little like the moon but different. The moon was just naturally empty, its surface covered with moon dust that needed to be rehabilitated gradually.

This world was drained, as if every bit of life that once was had been sucked out by the demons. I knew through my clone that the demons did this to their captured worlds and that meant Snek�s world was on a timer.

Eventually the demons would drain the world until it had no ability to support life.

Was that how it always went?

I had to check with Lilies.

Lilies. You said the demons won before. Do you remember how long those demon-ruled periods were? When was that?

We do not recall the exact time as we were dormant, but from what we know, it was not very long. Almost one hundred years. We hid within the depths of the lake, and time was lost to us. It was then we heard the will of the world, once.

What happened? Do you remember how it stopped?

The gods summoned their chosen.

Hmm. That didn�t quite answer the question. We didn�t know how long Snek�s world had. It could be hundreds more years or thousands. Or maybe it was already lost.

Either way, my seed spread roots into the lifeless soil, and rather than gathering nutrients from them, I attempted to sense magic.

These demons were not as alert as the previous ones. I suspected this was because the parasites themselves seemed to have rather strange senses when they were not in a host. In a way, they were quite blind. But eventually one of the demons that carried those blobs noticed the little roots and vines coming through, and they immediately closed the rift.

I felt a jarring sensation, similar to how a livestream would get stuck when switching from a wired connection to a wireless connection.

It came back a short while later, as my seed now supplied me with my senses. I was already on the other side, and my vines, now connected through my seed, continued to observe the demons. I decided to take advantage of my past hybrid demon-tree knowledge and changed my roots to appear somewhat demon-tree like.

I had to support my seed from the system, and I could feel the seed grow when I fed it mana. It was not getting enough mana from its ambient surroundings, just like my tree in the destroyed cometworld.

Luckily, the moon - tree had grown sufficiently that it was no longer a drain on my overall mana, even if it still depended on my mana to grow outward.

In short, even though I had clones, each clone still needed to generate its own power. If it didn�t due to the poor environment, it would then draw down on the primary reserve, which was my own mana pool.

I would have to develop plants able to collect mana in this polluted demon world. My roots moved through the dirty waters, and we sensed the presence of metals I�d not seen back on our home world.

As my roots spread out from the gate, I noticed that the demons were actually quite concentrated in certain areas, and there were still vast swaths where there was absolutely nothing. Just plain dirt. Lifeless dirt and polluted waters.

The waters were shallow, and that was good. It�d be a pain if I encountered oceans in a demon world, since that was a problem in itself that I had yet to solve.

I spawned a few discrete smaller trees in these sparse places. In doing so, I limited the number of beetles each of them could support, but no matter. I wanted to see the demon world for myself beyond what I could see from the gates.

I didn�t encounter any resistance, and my roots found the dirt. The parasite world had a single, bright blue sun that was really small. It was probably further away than our normal sun, which meant the weather would have been cooler, if not for the thick smog that seemed to coat the air. Even with these small trees I sensed the presence of strange minerals in the air.

I wasn�t sure whether this was native to this world or whether this was an output of the demons. I didn�t manage to collect such data from my previous incursions to the other demon worlds.

With more and more discreetly placed trees, I was able to spawn some labs to begin analyzing the magic in this world, and the first thing that immediately stood out to me was how little magic was in the air, and there were no. ley lines.

That was weird, and it reminded me of the moon. No. Even the moon wasn�t so empty.

Were ley lines essentially magical - blood vessels - of the core, and ley lines essentially supplied - life - to the world?

I thought of the strategy demons and their demonic rods. They were essentially using the world�s ability to create life to create demons. I was doing the same thing with dungeons. The world did it normally, too, through the spawning of natural dungeons.

I knew, from my own experience in Treeworld, that ley lines were rare. The moon, too, didn�t have any noticeable ley lines, but I initially suspected this was because I had not expanded much on the moon. That was because I still detected some faint magic that moved in the depths of the moon.

But here, in this demonworld, there should be ley lines or very faint inklings of them, especially once my roots started spreading really far and wide.

What was happening?

Back home, I immediately summoned Snek for an audience.

- Tell me about the lines from your home. Are you aware of them? -

- Yes. These are the magical energies of the world? -

- Have you observed any change in the magical energies of the ley lines since the demons took over? -

Snek frowned. - I�m afraid I don�t have information on this. We are aware of some changes in these magical strands, but I did not look into it. -

- Didn�t you say you were an expert on your world? -

- . I lied, oh great A/ . - The little snake spirit prostrated on the floor. - I merely have a high - level knowledge of it. To have knowledge of everything in my world is not something one snake can achieve. -

I spread my roots and trees more and more and eventually stumbled on something I�d seen in the dreams of the heroes: pillars and spires, filled with dark red blobs. Looking at it for myself, I saw the spires were linked to large pillars and spikes, which embedded into the ground, like stakes. There were also large vats and pools right next to the pillars filled with some kind of colored muck. The blobs on the spires themselves all seemed to contain smaller, almost baby demons.

I felt a draining effect in the land itself, and thankfully, I was resistant to it. It felt like a vacuum cleaner sucking on my toes, and it didn�t really hurt. It was just slightly irritating.

It wasn�t the only such structure I saw.

As I spread my trees as far and wide as I could in this new demonic world, I saw many more such structures. I was looking for the thing that created the demonic champions.

I soon found other rift - gates, and as my trees spread, I realized there were at least ten of them; each of them had a whole bevy of void crystals around them. I watched the rift gates open, and the demonic parasites were sent through.

This part was not new to me. What was new was what happened after the rift gates were closed. I saw demons that replaced the crystals, and they replaced them by the hundreds and thousands.

Each rift gate was supplied, continuously, by a supply chain of these demons who did nothing but carry these void crystals.

So I followed this supply chain. It took some time, at least a month, since the supply chain was very, very long, and eventually I came upon what was the largest spawning pool I�d ever seen. The waters were different. They were black with streaks in them, like a very thick soup.

Around the holes were massive spires that joined up at the top in the shape of a ring. From my viewpoint, it looked like a supermassive rift gate that was exactly above the hole.

My roots sensed something lurking within these lakes, and here, that sucking effect was extremely strong. But, more importantly, I felt its focus that went deep underground. I felt it draw energy from the depths.

I spread my trees around this lake and noticed some parts where demons emerged from the lake, hauling smaller void crystals.

This lake produced void crystals or were they mining them from deep underground?

I tried to dig underground, like how I dug back home, and I soon found that this hole stretched downward, and I sensed pain.

A pain that came from the world itself.

I followed the pain and kept digging. The demon�s hole was still there! How did they manage to dig so deep? As I went deeper, as deep as I could manage, I sensed a powerful presence wrapped in a shell. I knew it was powerful, because its energy was like a constant hum, and it pressed on my roots.

The hum became a constant grinding noise as I went deeper, and I realized it was the nascent demon king. It was further down. Much, much further down.

The core of the world was the womb of the demon king.

YEAR 201 (PART 2)

We saw the path through the void sea lit up, and this time, I tried to see what was happening from this side of the world. I saw a massive tower emerge from the ground, right next to the huge hole that led to the world�s core.

The tower was pitch black, mixed with little bits of other colors, and I felt huge amounts of strange magic being pulled through that pillar. It was absorbing something. from somewhere.

The smaller spires around the massive hole glowed, as if it stored the energy that was being pulled.

I switched to my astral sight, and I saw a dark blob appear right above the demon�s world. There was a black pillar of energy that linked to that physical tower. I felt a huge, splitting headache, and Patreeck immediately stepped in.

As I concentrated on the sky above the demonic world, I saw it.

A huge black sun of void magic. It had many other little pillars that I couldn�t quite see, like. easily hundreds or maybe thousands. What was this? The demon�s power source for void magic?

Or was it an actual demonic god?

That pitch - black tower seemed to pull void mana from the black sun, and I felt the air tense with void energies. It was void mana, the very same void mana that Stella used.

At the same time, my magical senses were attacked by a huge surge of power that came from the core itself. This part wasn�t void magic, but a different kind of energy. It was also familiar, like the one I saw from within that shard of Cometworld.

It surged out and then alternatingly split to the smaller pillars around the hole. One pillar was void; another one was this core energy.

Void mana from the black tower was then transferred to the pillars, again in alternating patterns. The ring above the hole started to float into the sky and expanded.

Then I watched as the spires formed pairs. One spire that contained the core energy and another spire that contained the void mana from the black tower mixed together to form this weird mana.

The pairs glowed, and then the floating ring in the sky spaced out.

The pair of spires each shot a beam of energy to the ring in the sky, and I felt the world bend. From the center of the circle, a huge rift opened. The ground rumbled as the demon king moved out of its cradle deep in the core of the world.

It rumbled for a long time; the demon king didn�t move very quickly. At that very moment, I saw that tower of darkness glow again, and there were three astral paths in the skies above.

One that led to Treehome, where my main body was. Another one that led to that black sun - this path was filled with a constant flow of void mana - and this third one was another black object. It resembled -

I wasn�t sure what I was looking at. It looked like a constant moving blob. Maybe it looked like a lava lamp? I wasn�t sure what it was.

At first, I didn�t know they opened a path to this blob. But there had to be a purpose, so I watched. No one opened a pathway to this faraway place, bending space and dimensions for no reason. There had to be a purpose.

The ground rumbled and rumbled some more.

Then this formless blob that constantly moved separated a small, tiny droplet of pitch - black darkness, and that darkness went through the pathway. It came out of a rift right above the ring, and I saw a black and dark red crystal descend and fall into the deep pool that led to the core.

But this crystal had a familiar energy. It was a part of the demon king; I was sure of it.

The crystal descended into the pool, and the rumbling intensified. I felt the demon king�s body stop somewhere, and then I tracked the two energies approaching each other. The crystal and the body, fusing somewhere along that massive hole.

The pathway that led to that blob closed first, and now there were two left. One that led home and one from that black sun. The black sun continued to pump void mana through the path, and I noticed that even though I could very visibly see this astral path, it had a far more robust structure.

I needed Stella to see this. Maybe she could learn how to reverse - engineer this portal!

Just then, I felt the two separated energies of the demon king; the crystal and the demon king�s body from the core completed its fusion. It was noticeable and familiar as I felt the fabric of the world bend to the presence of this emerged being.

The gestation period within the cradle of the world was over, and so a demon king was born.

The ground vibrated strongly, and I felt it rupture. Massive chasms emerged as the demon king suddenly shot upward.

The ring in the sky burned, and through my astral sight, I saw the path to Treehome lit up. The demon king shot out of the boiling sludge and straight through the massive rift. The rift immediately started to shut down, but the chasms around the hole to the core continued to widen.

The pillars around the hole to the core started to collapse and break; a few even exploded from magic overload. The draining sensation I felt a while back vanished entirely.

Instead, all I sensed was pure emptiness and nothingness. Even in my deeper roots and trees in the little subterranean tunnels, there was a real sense of emptiness. Like all life had been sucked out, all value drained. This absence of magic and life seemed to cause the dirt and the demonic spires to start collapsing, the earth itself breaking apart.

That didn�t make any sense. The pillar of void energy was still there.

Maybe what was holding this world together was. Wait. It was like Cometworld again. The core energy held the place together and.

Did that mean the core generated some kind of stability mana that allowed the rifts to travel such great distances?

Was I looking at this wrong the entire time? That void mana may be the liquid or the juice of interplanar travel, but the core�s energy was what allowed for stable travel?

It was something I had to test out, but we had a demon king to fight.

Back home, the path lit up, and Stella watched with great interest as the path opened, and the demon king descended on the Southern Continent.

Demon King Exikant has arrived.

This demon king wasn�t hiding at all. The rift opened, and the sky rained with demonic larva. On the parasite world, the rifts opened and larva was dumped through them by the hundreds and thousands.

Even if coffee afforded some protection, the larvae were now able to resist the coffee�s influence, since these larvae were empowered by the demon king�s presence. But the demonic parasites also exhibited a strange behavioral weakness. They all wore their demonic presence publicly, no longer hiding it.

I wondered whether this was a conscious decision by the demon king or just something out of instinct or just driven by their new state of power. Even the simple larva now could take a punch, and their bites now had power. In their transformed stages, they were at least three times stronger than before.

Which was pretty weak, since I had all my anti - demon buffs, but it still caused them to attack.

The rain of larva happened mostly in the Southern Continent, but it also happened in the lower parts of the Central Continent.

Thankfully, together with my artificial minds, we were able to spot where the rifts opened and target those areas specifically, blocking off entire areas with large domes of wood. This meant the raining larva slammed into my wooden barriers and then was quickly picked off by my spiders and beetles. The overwhelming presence of my giant attendant trees meant my anti - demon auras also significantly weakened the larva, such that their threat levels remained low.

The Southern Continent had it rough. The star - mana emitters still worked well, but for those less - protected areas, it was honestly really bad. Families would wake up to someone in their family transformed into a demon.

It was like a zombie apocalypse, with demons!

A few of the allied nations where I had discreetly placed giant attendant trees, protected by camouflage , fared slightly better. The effects of my aura continued to suppress these parasites, which slowed their ability to spread throughout the population and protection to be raised against them.

The priests and the healers were not entirely stagnant, either, and they were able to invent an ability. The sheer existential threat of a demonic parasite seemed to strike fear in the priesthood, unlike the other demons before them, and the priests, somehow, managed to invent an internal holy fire . Strange that my own priests attempted to create something similar but didn�t manage to achieve it.

I suspected it was the lack of fear of these demons and a lack of conviction.

Apparently, it was invented a year ago, but it just took a while for the skill to spread due to how sensitive and important it was. Essentially, it allowed priests to protect themselves and those not yet converted to a demon with a flame that protected their souls.

My spies managed to bribe a priest who possessed the skill to demonstrate the ability to us. It was not hard for me to understand, since it was essentially a derivative of a soul - ish ability. Matriarch Hoyia immediately learned it just by watching it.

For priests, they were generally able to tap into this pool of power that sat in the system. There were two types, a generic priest pool and a more specific god pool. Each priest, depending on their levels, rank, and relationship with their god or patron, withdrew from this heavenly pool into their own local pool, within their body.

What the priest did was essentially draw on the generic pool and just ignited it around the soul as a barrier. So, instead of using the heavenly powers as god mana, they pretty much burned it.

It was a waste of power and, in a way, the equivalent of burning money. But it protected their souls from the consumption of the demons. The parasites were forced to attack them and were unable to consume them. The problem was this meant the lower - level priests couldn�t use their other abilities and did not offer any protection to the normal folk.

With this knowledge, I experimented on my familiars and was then able to create soul - protection familiars . These were able to go beyond my earlier familiars, which only gave resistance and slowed down the demon�s infection, and using the familiars connection to the system battle it out against the demons.

A few tests indicated it was successful, and I rolled it out to the Valthorns operating in the south. It meant they would have to lose their normal familiars and the generally more useful generic abilities.

The demon king immediately raised armies to war, along with champions, but my trees had spread really far into the demon lands, and I spotted the demon king.

In any case, I called up Edna.

She knew that the demon king had arrived. She could feel it in the air; anyone with a domain could. - Yes, A/ ? -

- I found the demon kings. -

- Kings? - There were three of them, each slightly different from one another, but I saw a thick web of magic that tied the three demon kings together. They were one and the same and yet separated into three bodies. How was that possible? He saw only one that left the parasite world; did they separate once they landed?

Still, the three demon kings each resembled humanoids, but each of them had large wings. It seemed to me like poor design; I expected a parasitic demon king called the infestor king to have far stronger powers instead of typical demon knights. Or was that their trick? Take the form of humans and lull the heroes into thinking that these were just normal demon kings?

In any case, I observed their powers and was prepared to share my findings with the heroes. I liked Prabu and Colette enough that I felt they were worth saving, and the fact that Prabu could, at least, have a reasonable conversation with me was something.

These demons did not destroy the trees I planted in the area, nor did these parasites, and that was another strange thing I observed.

The earlier demons were far more destructive of their general surroundings, and I wondered, just wondered, could we co - exist with these demon kings if, say, I was able to construct a pool where these demon kings could remain sleeping?

But I didn�t know whether keeping a demon king would stop the other demonic worlds from noticing us.

Did the demons identify our worlds by some form of scanning mechanism? Did each demon king emitted a signal to the other worlds that said to the other demon worlds that this world was occupied?

Actually, on that train of thought, could it be possible to mislead the demon worlds on this? Find a way to fake the demon�s signals, such that they believed this was a demon-controlled world? If I could do that, I could buy time, both for recovery post - invasion and to build strength.

I didn�t learn anything from watching the three demon kings. They didn�t move much and seemed to be waiting. I wondered whether this was normal for demon kings.

That said, I wondered whether it was time for me to disrupt the rain of larva from the side of the demon world. If I could cut off reinforcements, I could make it a battle on two fronts against the demons.

There were still many other demon spire�spawning pools throughout their world that continued to pump out demonic larva.

I hadn�t tried anything drastic yet, as I was also trying to find where the champions were made. My hope was to capture one such spawning pool and see whether it was possible to make my own champion from scratch. My gut feeling was that it was possible to create the body of the champion, but I�d still need Titan Souls to fuel them. No harm trying.

Anyway, the Southern Continent�s war against the parasites had some good developments, again, by sheer necessity. The world�s citizens were more resilient and inventive than I gave them credit for, and at the same time, it also reminded me that even with the best facilities and all the money a continent could throw at a problem, sometimes it was those who truly needed such things that found ways to invent something that worked.

The heroes made more star - mana emitters, and that helped keep certain spaces safe. Add to that the soul - protection developments made by the priests, and even stronger variants of anti - demon coffee - based cooking, condiments, and sweets helped the Southern Continent nations endure the demonic wave and slowly begin their counter - attack.

The Valthorns also felt more confident to operate in the south now that they were no longer afraid of the demonic parasites. New skills and spells, such as Inner Fire , Soul Sanctuary , and Soul Guard , all invented by and stolen from the southerners in the past year, helped protect many from the demonic parasites.

So Edna finally moved to the front and joined the heroes in their push toward the demon kings. Roon and Johann joined her, too, as they were both on the verge of their domains, both with my Court of the Deitree familiar, in case of any emergency teleportation. I also deployed more Valthorns to support that final push, though most of them would sit out the battle.

I pulled Lumoof back from the Threeworlds and readied for another battle with the demon kings. Together, we made a push into the demon-occupied kingdoms.

Where the demon kings awaited.

YEAR 201 (PART 3)

Ididn�t look forward to battling these demon kings again. It felt like just yesterday I sent both Lumoof and Edna to the battlefield.

- Don�t say anything, - I said to both Roon and Johann. - No death flags. - They nodded. I was superstitious. These demon kings did not leave the general area where they arrived, which was a large capital city that had been entirely infested with transformed demons. They didn�t speak, either, and the demon champions that served them also did not speak. It seemed they gained some kind of telepathic ability, which I vaguely sensed but could not interrupt or crack.

- All right. - I lost three senior Valthorns four decades ago, and I was not prepared to lose more. Even now that wound felt fresh in my heart.

Each demon king had a gimmick. What was this demon king�s gimmick? The split bodies? Or an ability to regenerate? Ken, at least, understood our intention to rehearse our game plan. It made sense to him that if there were gimmicks, then those fighting the demon kings should be familiar with the tropes.

- If it�s split body, it�s likely to have some kind of kill all three or the rest will regenerate type of ability, - Ken said. - This is common in games. -

Prabu nodded. - So we have a small window to deliver enough damage to all three. -

- Yes, essentially a DPS check. That means damage per second, and we�re trying to deliver sufficient damage within a short timeframe to overwhelm the regenerative ability. - As a former game designer, I was familiar with the phrase, though both Kei and Stella never heard of it.

- All right. So what�s our game plan if that�s the case? Should we test it out? -

Ken thought to himself. - You could hold back, destroy one body first, and see what happens. If it really has that sort of function or skill, then only unleash hell on all the bodies. -

It was also likely that each body had a unique ability. Or maybe not. I wasn�t sure how deep their scope of powers could be.

- There�s four of us, - Colette said. - There�s three of them, and they should be weaker with their separated bodies. We have gained levels since the last time. We should be able to bring this demon king down faster. -

- Ah yes, that�s a common trope, too. They might fuse and have some final form. - Ken paused and then continued. - Usually parasite - type demons can, uh. copy or replicate their enemies abilities to some extent. -

- So we should field as few combatants as possible? - Prabu asked. - Wait. Are we safe from possession? -

Ken frowned. - I think the answer is likely to be a no. Think about it, these guys were designed to kill us, and they�ve taken up a parasite form. We are their number - one enemy. They must be tailored to possess heroes. These guys must be able to do so. -

That was a good point, and it was Snek who gave a good suggestion. - Then you heroes should find ways to store a soul - bomb. -

- What the hell is that? -

Ken looked at Lumoof. - I hear the priests are doing it already, but their skills and spells are at a far lower level. Can A/ deploy something far more powerful? -

I wasn�t sure, but it was certainly worth trying. Snek pointed it to their type of reinforcing blood magic. - There are some aspects of blood magic that reinforces the soul. -

The heroes were chosen because of their strong souls, or more correctly, they were enhanced such that they had strong souls. I remembered looking at Meela�s soul a long time ago and noting how much stronger it was than the others. But would this help against the demon king?

In the case of Edna and Lumoof, their souls had changed since they gained their domain. Both of their soul springs had a building that now surrounded the spring, like a water fountain located within a temple complex. If I looked at my own, it was possible that the building that now surrounded the spring was essentially my domain. It protected my soul from outside forces. Snek�s type of blood magic essentially collected the rocks and bricks from the dead souls and used those materials to reinforce a person�s soul spring.

There had to be a way it could be done.

I tried to remember all the past times when I defended myself and then remembered about Alexis�s attempted possession of my own body.

What had I done then?

Nothing, actually. My soul just protected itself.

But there had to be something that could be done such that some similar strength could be embedded into the heroes.

- I will be safe, - Lumoof said. - If the demon king ever tries to possess me, all you gotta do is take control. -

That was true. Lumoof was likely to be safe, and I knew it, because there was a very strong link in his soul realm to mine. He was my avatar, and a demon attempting to possess Lumoof competed with that.

Edna, Lumoof, and the Valthorns caught up as I mulled more ideas. Lumoof spoke of the Threeworlds, exploring the Centaurs and the land of the sandpeople. But that was a story I would catch up on at a later date. I decided to experiment on Prabu when he managed to teleport back for a short while. One of his snack - collection trips. He agreed to a dip into one of my soul forge - linked biolabs.

- I�m going to try and give you some anti - demon king resistance. It will hurt. A lot. -

- Okay, - Prabu agreed.

- You sure? -

- Yes. -

- All right. -

I remembered that time when I tried to fix Yura �s soul and attempted to stir the waters around Prabu�s soul spring.

- What�s happening? - he asked through our magical link.

- I�m attempting to reinforce your soul. - Unlike the domain holders, the heroes had these large jugs that floated in their sky, pouring star mana. These added to their own mana from their soul spring, and again the size of the springs was massive. Lumoof and Edna may have the domains, but in terms of star mana, these heroes had us beat. No contest.

Maybe because Prabu was a mage, so his mana was also higher than normal.

It was possible for me to manipulate the space outside of his soul spring, and I attempted to do so.

With the experience of the priests with their soul protection, I called on my domain powers and injected it into Prabu�s body.

It really drained me, and it was painful for him, but soon I saw a small plant emerge right outside of his soul spring. It sucked quite a bit of his mana and then stopped.

A Grafted Soul Tree�s Presence . I immediately sensed it forming a link with the familiar I�d previously given to Prabu.

- Huh. -

I knew that this was only possible because I was much stronger than before, and because of that strength, this chunk of myself could survive the turbulent, star - mana flooded world of a hero.

Planting something in someone else�s garden took far more energy than my own, at least an order of magnitude more than taking out a foreign object. This much was obvious. This was why it took a lot less energy to heal or remove something foreign.

This tree was a foreign object and was still tiny, because it was weakened by the eroding forces within the body itself instead of nourishing it.

Unless I could mislead the body into thinking it was not foreign?

Wait.

I should be able to do that, from my experience meddling with Yura �s hand. The soul clearly could forget what belonged to it and what didn�t. If I messed with that.

I drew more power from everywhere, and just like trying to convert Ally and the demonic infestor parasites, I tried to alter Prabu�s soul realm to accept my presence. He was a hero, and previously, they had resistance to all sorts of powers. But with my second, focused domain, the barrier and protection of the hero was tough but not invulnerable.

I just needed more power.

His body shook. And on another continent, I could hear the other heroes wondering what took Prabu so long.

The fabric of the world bent around us as I conducted this little soul surgery, both from the power deployed and the actual warping of the hero�s soul.

But it was successful. I�d planted something in his soul, and now, the tree that was once tiny transformed into a thick bramble of thorns surrounding his soul spring. The energies of the star mana and his vast soul flooded that tiny tree and made it grow.

It transformed into Living Wall of the Soul Tree . It should suffice, I supposed. Prabu rested for a day and went back.

I also wanted to experiment on Ally, but at the same time, even if I gave Ally a Titan Soul, who did I test her on? I made a note to come back to Ally some other day.

The demon kings launched their attack once we got close enough. That was our plan, actually. Like with the earlier demon kings, we wanted to bait it somewhere rigged with our crystal bombs and soften up the demon kings.

The first hit using these stationary traps would also help to give us insights into how these demon kings operated and test out some of Ken�s suspicions. Perhaps he was right, as the demons did tend to conform to story norms.

We rigged an entire area with our crystal bombs and waited for the moment when the demon kings got near.

We expected it, at least. We knew that the demon king could not resist attacking the heroes. It was just how they went about it.

The demon kings entered into the blast zone, and an entire area the size of a city rigged with crystal bombs flashed. These were more powerful bombs, the result of incremental improvements in Alka�s methods over the years and studies from Lumoof�s purchased magical items.

From afar, the heroes and my senior Valthorns watched the sky light up, a pillar of blue light. It was powerful enough that our magical sensors all the way on the Central Continent detected them.

The heroes watched keenly. - I still feel them. -

- No notification, that should be obvious enough, - Chung responded as he charged his hero items. They were all stronger now, closer to level one hundred thirty instead of the earlier level one hundred twenties when they faced their second demon king. This would be their third demon king.

Colette�s hero items floated out around her; they were all magical staffs, wands, and rods of different shapes and sizes. They were all stronger than before, but even they felt the gaze of the demon king. Prabu�s hero items were two massive staffs packed with more gems than a jewelry store, and Hafiz was one large silver shield.

The three demon kings took the hit directly, and even despite the amount of power packed in them, it did not deal lethal damage. The three demon kings were merely surrounded by a charred sphere of flesh.

Two beams burned through the skies and smashed into the spheres, and the spheres exploded.

- Good shot. - Chung nodded as his bows glowed, and arrows flew toward the demon king. The arrows stopped midway as Chung made a gesture with his fingers. He activated some kind of magical vision.

At that very second, I felt something just blast out from those spheres, and it touched everything. It was very familiar.

The Rottedlands bomb, just a smaller but more focused one.

Lumoof immediately had to step in here, or this parasitic demon king would infest the terrain and use it against the heroes. Lumoof immediately went into avatar mode, and I soon found I had my own battle to fight.

One of the demon kings had fused with the ground itself and transformed into a parasite and corruption emitter! We spawned trees as fast as we could, and I already had artificial minds readied for the task. Multiple giant trees spawned, and my roots fought the corruption in the ground itself.

Lumoof winced when I pulled mana from the Central Continent and emitted it through his body into the roots and trees.

Some parts, already infested by the demon king, emitted noxious gasses and waves that melted whatever came in contact with it.

Ken, Stella, Kei, and the Valthorns that sat out the direct conflict watched the spectacle at home through dream academy . - Oh. So the demon king infests the land. -

- Doesn�t that mean it can infest A/ ? - Stella asked.

- I don�t think it�s stupid enough to try that, though, - Ken said.

A part of me felt it was funny. This was just a repeat of the Rottedlands corruption, with the exact same methods. I called on my first domain power, Roots of Life , and also my Tree of Life , and pumped my mana through the roots. This time, I pushed back.

A tactic that put me into a coma for two decades wasn�t going to work twice. Not when I fought it for twenty years.

My trees gained ground quickly, and I stopped the demon king�s noxious gasses from saturating the place. That demon king in the ground started to attack directly, once it noticed its corrupt energies were dispersed easily.

It formed black tentacles that shot toward my roots, and one of them stabbed it directly. I felt it push its corrupt energies into the tree, and I pushed back. Likewise, I spawned more trees and my roots rushed toward that body.

Underground, my roots and the demon�s tentacles fought an intense battle as both of us attempted to overwhelm each other with our respective energies.

Above ground, the heroes engaged in combat with the other two bodies, and they defeated one. Ken was right, somewhat. There really was a gimmick as the remaining body would split and regenerate the second body after a short while.

Edna found herself mostly fighting demon champions as the two demon kings seemed to be mostly airborne, zigzagging in the skies and dodging the two mages and Chung�s arrows. Hafiz played defense and protected the three heroes as they launched their volleys.

Roon and Johann tried to assist, too, but like Edna, they focused on the demon champions and only took a few pot shots at the demon king. It was hard to keep up with the two airborne demon kings that seemed to shapeshift at will and move like they were not subject to gravity or the rules of motion.

For a brief moment, each of us fought our own battles. I fought the infestation in the ground with Lumoof, the heroes against the two airborne demon kings, and everyone else dealt with the mobs and demon champions.

I internally felt it was a little. easy and predictable, but I knew this wasn�t it. There had to be a trick. They always did.

So I was always on the lookout.

I was expecting a trick.

The demon king that infested the ground then did something that I immediately thought was stupid. It manifested itself out of the ground and then threw itself at Lumoof. I launched multiple barrages against the demon king as it barreled toward Lumoof, who was bound to the ground in avatar form.

No. It essentially charged at us.

Really?

I couldn�t stop it. I didn�t have enough power or damage to really, really make the demon king stop, even if I hurt it quite a bit. I placed barriers between us and even activated all my offensive abilities.

The demon king took the damage and continued to charge at Lumoof. It smashed through the walls and shields, slowing it down only by a little bit. My vines appeared and wrapped around it, but it still pushed through.

The heroes were too occupied with the two airborne demon kings who had summoned even more airborne demons to counterattack.

I felt that demon king slam into Lumoof, its spiritual presence colliding with my overlaid presence over Lumoof. Strangely, rather than possess Lumoof, I felt like something immediately reached out into my soul.

Domain Detected Soul Intrusion. Activating Soul Defenses.

At that second, I felt my mind go hazy, like a massive migraine. In a flash, all my potato storage and tubers were emptied, and even Dream Academy temporarily went offline. The entire Central Continent suddenly felt the equivalent of an electrical short circuit.

With mana.

Beetles stopped. Magic seemed to briefly just go out of commission over the entire Central Continent as my trees sucked up mana from everywhere. Dungeons temporarily flickered, their ley lines wobbling from the sudden spike in mana - demand.

Lumoof�s body then suddenly flashed like a supernova, and the demon king that wrapped around Lumoof was blasted with this strange multicolored light. The power that was released at that moment was far higher than anything I�d ever felt and comparable to the strongest of the heroes attacks.

That demon king body was incinerated instantly.

I was stunned.

How was this possible?

Demon kings were not meant to be insta - killed. In my mind, I wondered then. How the fuck did I do that intentionally? How did I repeat this? This was an ability that could break the balance of the game.

I realized maybe I was a little too excited. After all, this wasn�t really a full strength demon king, since this was a demon king that had split itself to three. But if I could one shot one - third of a demon king, I somehow felt that was actually an encouraging sign, too!

Even if I didn�t know what exactly happened.

Lumoof immediately fainted, and though he was alive, that single attack flushed his body with too much mana, and the pain was too much. My sensors immediately detected extreme pain throughout his body and realized he had signs of extreme mana sickness.

I instantly teleported him back to Freshka for healing. This was too much for him.

That meant I lost track of the battlefield for a good fifteen minutes.

- Stella! - I shouted to her mind. With Lumoof back in Freshka, my connection to the south was lost. - Portals! -

- On it! - Void portals immediately opened, and my roots reconnected to all the trees I planted in the south.

- Roon, Johann. Retreat! - If only domain tier could resist corruption, that meant they were vulnerable to the demon king�s possession. There was always another demon king for them to fight if they survived this one. There was no need to go all in. I could send them to the Threeworlds or that other world to fight other demon kings.

I thought of pulling back through the Court of the Deitree �s teleportation ability, but that was a one - way trip. What if I needed them for something else? Thankfully, they retreated quickly without much issue, and I focused on fighting the other demon champions. But as that happened, I vaguely sensed a gathering pool of energy where the demon king was incinerated, and I saw a small, almost ethereal presence.

It wasn�t physically visible, but I definitely could see it, because it was like a spiritual template. I saw the heroes destroy one of the demon kings then, and I noticed something similar gathering in the air, where the other demon king�s body died.

The heroes wouldn�t be able to destroy this thing, not unless they had some soul - linked powers. This was a spiritual template. I knew then this was the foundation for the demon king to rebuild its own body, and I saw energies leaking from the last remaining body that channeled to the other two destroyed bodies.

I immediately understood how the demon king would have regenerated itself if all three bodies were not destroyed.

Too bad the demon king was clearly not prepared for my presence, and my roots touched the spiritual template, the foundation of all healing, and summoned my soul forge. It would be a pain to use my powers through the portal, but if I could destroy the template, it would eliminate the demon king�s ability to regenerate its split bodies.

- We need time to gather our mana. A lot of mana was drained to blow up the demon king. -

Shit. I could see the demon king regenerating, but I couldn�t stop it because I lacked mana? - How long do I need? -

- A few hours, at least. -

I thought, if I couldn�t destroy it, then I could at least interrupt it. That wouldn�t need that much mana. - It would increase the time needed to gather mana. -

- But better than facing three demon kings. - I noticed the heroes were gradually getting tired, and essentially the parasite demon king with three bodies was playing a game of attrition. If the demon kings could survive until the heroes were exhausted, they would be able to kill the heroes.

I injected my soul - forge energies into the demon king�s soul template, and though the miniscule amount was not able to destroy the template, I was able to easily interfere with the energies that attempted to gather there and quickly dispersed the energies.

I thought I�d just bought extra time for the heroes.

This, of course, drew the attention of the last remaining demon king, and rather than continuing its constant airborne dogfight with the heroes, it turned and bombed the roots and trees that interfered with the regeneration.

I blocked with my shields and my barriers, and they withstood the first attack. Barely. The second attack destroyed them, but it was all right. I was prepared to regenerate my trees as long as necessary.

- Your opponent is here, - Colette said as her array of magical weapons zapped the demon king. It turned and lunged toward the heroes.

The demon king turned and then pulled the remnants of the demon king�s energy back to itself instead of regenerating. The spiritual templates themselves folded into the main body, and then the demonic parasites all around us immediately went wild. This was a pattern repeated throughout the world as all the parasites all over the world simultaneously attempted to transform, or take over their host, and then they would attack those around them, attempting to repeat the act.

It was a stupid thing. Why show your hand? Though I clearly noticed that the demons were learning, their learning and improvements were disorganized and random. It was almost as if they were some kind of self - learning network that just tried things and attempted to figure out how it performed. Were they just trying other strategies randomly?

In any case, this stupid move merely allowed the rest of the world to kill the demons and end the parasites once and for all.

I would have ensured that the parasites remained hidden, but I supposed I should count my lucky stars.

Back with the demon king, it immediately went airborne and transformed into this massive floating blob. Demon champion - parasites attempted to latch onto the heroes, and a few bit them, but they were not infested. They had sufficient levels and protection for it.

Edna decided to retreat as she had limited airborne powers. I, too, had limited airborne powers. At this point, I merely decided to stay back and provide any defensive support, but with Lumoof out of commission, I wouldn�t be able to deploy my full strength.

It was all up to the four heroes now.

The demon king used more conventional abilities then, but I noticed it was weaker than the earlier demon kings, and the heroes successfully whittled it down.

Chung�s magical bolt slammed into the demon king, and it shattered, revealing a tiny blob.

- It�s either going to blow -

The tiny blob charged forward at incredible speed, and I barely blocked it with my wooden shield. It smashed through my shields like it was nothing and then slammed into Prabu and Colette�s protective magical shields.

It then expanded in an explosion and transformed into a big purple blob around the heroes. The heroes attacked it repeatedly, but it somehow pushed through the magical shields and stabbed the heroes.

It did what a parasite was always trained to do.

Possess a hero.

It had inserted itself into the four heroes, and now it was up to them to resist it. All four heroes were in pain as I attempted to help them.

I knew, somehow, all four heroes were in a mental battle with the demon king. As Ken put it, this was the cliche of heroes - fighting from the inside. -

My roots and vines emerged and wrapped around the blob and drained its power. It was a lot of toxic, dirty power, just like that previous time I tried it with the heroes. I knew the demon core from this demon king was likely to be corrupted as well, but now that I�d seen how the demon king was created, I may not need to fight it directly.

The void mages were trying their best to support the portals. I was pushing as much power as I could, but I didn�t have much anyway. Most of it was used.

But then, a ray of light shot through the purple blob, followed by an explosion of light. The blob was vaporized.

Demon King Exikant has been defeated.

All over the world, a kill switch went off in the demon parasites, and they all died instantly.

The four heroes fell, and my roots immediately reached out to grab them. They were alive but weak. My roots and vines cradled them and immediately injected them with healing abilities.

At the same time, the rest of us felt a surge of relief. The era of demonic parasites was finally over.

YEAR (PART 4)

The parasite war finally ended, and almost everyone was glad. Our contribution to the final battle meant we had levels. Naturally, it was the best part.

You�ve gained 6 levels. You are now level 214.

Multiple Skills upgraded. Root - or vine - based attacks now gain the ability to attack, touch, and damage souls directly.

You�ve obtained the Level 210 Domain skill: Tree of Life�s Evolutionary Push.

You are now able to inject a skill of your choice into a person, and this skill will be inherited by their offspring for two successive generations. Subsequent inheritance depends on luck and individual performance. The skills are collected through skill seeds and/or harvested from the dead. You gain the ability to create a pecial Tree: Tree of Evolution. The Tree of Evolution is the site of your evolutionary experiments.

That first ability to attack the soul directly seemed immediately less useful against the demons, maybe except the demon king itself. No. Actually that made it super useful since, if the demons used the spiritual templates as their basis for multi - body forms and regeneration, I�d now gained the ability to disrupt directly, so it could work together with the soul forge to deal more damage to the soul.

I�d probably have to figure out how to abuse that touch - the - soul part later on.

As for the second ability, it didn�t take long for me to realize that it was probably meant to stack over multiple generations. That meant if I could insert one skill into person A, another skill into person B, and another skill into the offspring of A and B, I could have three skills in the same person. The offspring of A and B�s offspring, meaning the third generation, could inherit a total of six skills, plus one of its own. If the amount of skills I could inject was more than one, this could get out of hand really, really quickly.

This was pretty much genetically enhanced soldiers that we had already been indirectly meddling with, taken to the extreme. I would have to start injecting skills and matchmake -

I mentally slapped myself.

I shouldn�t meddle in the love choices of my followers. I would let them choose it themselves and must spread the skill to everyone in the Valthorns. I also wondered whether I could use this on domain holders, and I would try this out once I checked in with the rest.

- Master, I don�t think it�s that much of a problem, - Patreeck intervened. - I believe the treefolks would be more than happy to procreate with anyone of your choice since they don�t have rigid customs on marriage. Same with the lizardfolks. -

- Ah. -

Genetically engineered supersoldier treefolks and lizardfolks.

- Let�s start this with them then, on a smaller scale. - There were also the Canari, which also didn�t really marry and seemed to rotate mates over decades. It was weird, but I supposed that was just their biology.

- Got it. - Patreeck acknowledged.

Both Roon and Johann got their domains, too, and I felt their presence in the background. Theirs, due to their nature, were naturally more subdued and hidden, unlike Edna and Lumoof�s more easily detected powers.

They leveled to exactly level one hundred fifty.

Roon got the Domain of Sniper , and the first ability, Shot from the Stars , was a rather nifty ability that allowed Roon to effectively shoot a bullet or projectile of their choice into the sky that could land anywhere in a continent - size area as he so desired. Effectively, it was like a portal with an arrow or a bullet.

It did mean that Roon could effectively shoot anyone anywhere on the continent. It seemed like a rather pointless ability, but surely there was a way to abuse it. Maybe with a nuclear bomb, or together with Alka�s bombs. It seemed like there were no real limits, other than some distance - scaled mana cost per shot, so maybe the trick was to repeatedly fire bombs over a distance, essentially a continent - wide fire support and a superweapon delivery method.

Johann got the Domain of Ranger . The first domain skill he got was really quite weird, I supposed: Immortal Sentient Companions . Essentially, Johann�s ranger buddies like his hunting dog and his bird would not die even if their bodies were destroyed, and they gained the ability to level on their own, like a beastmaster with its tamed beasts.

They both were immediately offered and accepted their membership to my pantheon.

- How do you feel? - I asked both as they came to terms with their new power.

- Strange, but powerful. - I didn�t feel that different when I received my first domain, but then again, I wasn�t human. Or maybe it was the cloud of demonic mana that made it hard to feel like I was different.

Lumoof did describe it as a sense like they were now connected to something else, and Edna said there was something in them, like a power source within them. For me, I wasn�t exactly sure what it felt like.

I supposed each one had a different relationship with their domain. I also thought it was very possible to have the same domains, which made me wonder what happened when two folks with the same domain met.

Perhaps the domain would just nullify each other�s power, and they would have to rely on non - domain powers?

Lumoof and Edna were more than happy to have more join our ranks. - Well, now that A/ �s pantheon protects you from permanent death, you two can join more of the otherworldly activities! Lumoof seemed particularly happy to have someone who could accompany him. -

Johann stared. - Really. -

- Yes! Come with me and let�s visit some sandpeople! - Lumoof laughed.

- Scorpionpeople. - Johann rolled his eyes.

- It won�t be that bad. -

- I highly doubt it, - Johann said. - If the human faction hated us. -

Edna patted the two on the shoulders. - Eh, eh, today�s a time for celebration. Here, a drink! - Edna gave both a mug of what was supposedly the best beer on the continent. Its title was heavily disputed, of course. - Welcome. You�ve, finally, finally made it. -

Both Johann and Roon let out a long sigh of relief, like they�d been holding this tension in for a long time. - I�m just relieved I�ve finally made it. - It was Roon who first answered. - We�ve been working at this for decades, and I am just so, so fucking glad I�ve earned the right to stand at this level. I almost thought we were not good enough. -

Indeed, both Johann and Roon had been in my service for more than half a century; their names were known to me personally about fifty years ago when they participated in the Alvin - kidnapping project. It�d been a long time for them.

Lumoof tapped Roon on the shoulder. - Your efforts have not been in vain. The system rewards effort, constant, persistent effort. -

- I almost felt like we were never going to make it, - Johann said. - We were at the edge of it, level one hundred forty - nine, for so long. It�s like edging for so long and never actually getting there. -

Edna chuckled at the sexual innuendo. - Well, you can go beat yourself out after this. But really, levels are sparse once we cross that line. The things we must achieve to gain a level increases. -

That was because they didn�t have hero fragments. These stupid hero fragments were clearly overpowered as hell. - So. We truly begin our duty to end this conflict of heroes and demons, - Roon said.

Lumoof smiled warmly. - This is just the beginning. -

Johann stared at his hands; they trembled. - We were so near to the demon kings, and even with my power now, I feel like. it�s still not enough. -

Edna answered, - Oh, trust me. It�s not enough at all. The domain merely gives us the right to join the battle as participants, but we are still lacking the heroes and their god - given powers. But it�s all right, that�s not how we really want to end this war. -

- Then? -

Lumoof tapped them on the shoulder. - This war rages on multiple worlds. A/ doesn�t intend for this to be a direct conflict. Not if he can avoid it. A/ �s intermediate goal is for us to gather more like us, across the many worlds. -

- Oh? -

- Come, let us retreat to A/ �s main body in the valley, - Lumoof said. - Now that the two of you have the protection of your domains, there is a lot to share about the world, the gods outside, and the full extent of our plans. -

Roon and Johann looked at each other. They knew the powers of the domain at a general level, and Lumoof merely repeated it. They then walked to my main body in the valley, and Lumoof repeated my earlier discussions with them.

I informed them of divine - related matters, such as the divine wooden stump that we retrieved and the shard I took from the core of the Cometworld. About what I�d seen on the Cometworld, and the Threeworlds.

I also gave them an audience to ask me anything, anything at all, and I repeated my emphasis on ending this cycle. About why the world and the gods were just stuck with this makeshift solution of playing whack - a - mole with demon king. I�d once theorized that the gods were just like me, still limited by space and time, but just significantly high up on the power level. Perhaps due to age, because they had been doing this for multiple millennia. Of course, as I shared this, it truly dawned on them that they were now on the path to divinity.

I wondered how many humanoid gods there were out there, and I concluded probably a lot, since the gods so far seemed to prefer humans more than others.

Johann was just quiet the whole time, as we shared almost all that we knew of the demons and the gods. Details that we may have mostly glossed over.

Roon stared, nodded, and just said at the end of it, - I need some time to soak all that in. -

They both needed time. They�d known they were on the path to be gods, but they just didn�t expect how pervasive the influence of the gods were. That gods could be reading their minds and they didn�t know about it.

As a result of hitting level one hundred fifty, both Roon and Johann�s A/ ic - variant classes vanished and were subsumed into the domain. The domain was both class and a rank, and it overrode the classes. All their classes vanished.

A few days later, once they felt better and more in control, they took a dip in the biolabs for further investigation. I did the same for Lumoof and Edna, too, as they gained some levels from the incident. Edna only gained one level from the battle, partly because her contribution was really not much.

Lumoof on the other hand gained a bit more. He gained five levels and an additional domain ability. The additional domain ability was Empowered Faithful , which - enchanted - five non - hero, non - domain individuals to gain exceptional temporary powers. He also gained the ability to see through his empowered faithful.

Both Roon and Johann�s souls were now similar to Lumoof and Edna. Their souls possessed a temple - like platform that supported their soul spring. There was also a large boulder - sized stone around their soul spring.

The four heroes took a few days to recover from the battle, and then the mop up of the demon parasite started immediately. The temples took the chance to quickly proclaim their victory over the demons and started a big propaganda campaign on their exceptional contributions to the war effort.

The temples sacrificed a lot for this war. The parasites cost them a lot of manpower and eroded a lot of trust in the institutions. Naturally they needed this - propaganda - win to reinforce their own positions.

Within the Central Continent, naturally we spoke of our achievements and contributions in the south at length. After all, it was our home base, and the people who lived there should feel that we�d done our part.

As for the Southern Continent itself, I decided to let the temples have their win. They were already politically unstable, and I felt that adding my propaganda to the south wouldn�t really help us anyway. I didn�t need their resources, and I didn�t want to trigger a continental war so soon after this one ended by fueling the already brewing discontent.

Colette and Prabu, naturally, returned as soon as they were able. Snack withdrawal was quite a thing. The two heroes requested an audience within days.

- What can we do for you? - Edna asked.

- We wanted to discuss Lumoof and A/ �s abilities during the battle with the demon king. -

- Oh? -

- We saw that A/ used some kind of vaporization ability on the third demon king�s body. What was that? -

Edna shrugged. - Simple. Have you seen how a demon champion attempted to possess me? -

- No. -

- Oh. Then you wouldn�t know. A domain protects the soul from possession, and it also protected Lumoof from the demon king�s attempted possession. - Of course, that simplified it significantly, but these mages did not possess the ability to see soul - type magic, so that was sufficient.

- Is such a thing possible? - Colette looked at her partner. Prabu shrugged.

- I suppose? -

The mages left it at that, but I could tell they were still thinking about it. It wasn�t something they accepted so easily, since the power to vaporize a demon king body in a single blast was really something else.

At the same time, I told Patreeck and my artificial minds to figure out how to replicate that power. If I could do it again, it would be a trump card against the demon kings.

The destruction of the demon king caused the energies that maintained the path between the two worlds to collapse. As it collapsed, it seemed to generate a shockwave of energy through the dark forest.

I didn�t see this from our world, but it was visible here, from the demon world. This shockwave traveled slowly, and it took months for the energy carried by the collapsing void path to hit the demon world like a really bad solar flare.

I watched as the skies itself turned dark abruptly and blue bolts of lightning descended from the skies. These lightning blasts vaporized most things that it touched, like spires or some of the rift gates.

I immediately attempted to protect the rift gates from the lightning and spawned my trees around them to deflect the blue lightning. The lightning zapped my trees instead and was powerful enough to cut one of my subsidiary trees in half. It even sent a bit of pain through the root network, and I realized these lightning storms were made from the same energies as that void - core - mana mixture.

These lightning destroyed vast quantities of the demon�s structures and also killed the demons easily. Each blast of lightning came with a shockwave. We then noticed that the lightning was concentrated around that deep hole that nurtured the demon king body, and that black tower filled with void mana received the brunt of it. The lightning smashed into the void tower and the other smaller towers.

I also immediately attempted to capture some of these towers by spreading my trees around them.

Some demons noticed and started attacking my trees, so I spawned my beetles on the demon world and commanded them to defend my trees and also some of them to attack. But I noticed the beetles performed badly on that world, even with the research I�d done over the decades.

No, more accurately, the demons were just stronger there. This was their world, after all. So I decided to send my artificial mind commanders to the battlefield.

I teleported Horns and a few other beetle - commanders to the swampy demonworld and began an intense war of attrition to conquer some of the spires. The spires spawned demons to fight back, and here, the spires themselves contained demonic energies.

Even with the vast destruction from the blowback lightning, the demon world still had defenders!

Horns, along with the other beetle - commanders, empowered the beetles and led them to war. I felt secondhand embarrassment watching him sometimes.

- Trees for the Tree God! New Soil for the New Worlds! Come, my brothers, let us liberate this world for our lord protector A/ ! -

- For the Deitree! -

The worst thing was the beetle - commanders all seemed to be carbon - copies of Horns and mimicked his behavior in strange ways. Horns even stylized himself First of A/ �s Beetle Lords. I just prayed I didn�t get a nascent rebel on my hands.

Their additional auras helped the beetles fight at a stronger footing, but I had to deploy Giant Attendant Trees when faced with the defensive demon champions. Here, they did not deploy parasites; instead, the demon champions were large, four - legged walkers that resembled the demon walkers, but their bodies were made entirely out of the hardened crystalline spires.

This was when I realized I made a mistake. I deployed my tree of clones too near to the rift where we first opened the gates, but not near what I wanted to capture. That meant, in the future, I needed to keep at least two or three seeds so that I could deploy one closer to where the key demonic structures were, so that my tree of clones could directly exert my power.

Instead, even though I was in the demon world, after a certain distance, my power weakened and now I couldn�t fully exert my power. I needed my full strength to attempt a capture of these structures.

I thought of using the seed I planned for the Threeworlds or withdrawing that tree that still floated on the remnant Cometworld.

Would it be worth it?

The recent levels did not give me more seeds.

As I needed more firepower on the demonworld, I also called Hytreerion and teleported him to the demon world to help suppress the defending demonic champions.

All because of my initial poor main - tree placement, and now we had to wage a long battle as the void - thunderstorm continued to batter the surface of the demonworld. I�d even lost hundreds of beetles to the storm.

I was able to capture multiple rift gates closer to my main body, but most of them suffered some damage from the void lightning blasts and would need some repairs. The one nearest to me was the one I was able to wholly protect.

Still, I also managed to capture some of the nearer spires by flooding them with my mana. Each spire took a lot of mana, since they were really dense with demonic mana and flushing all that demonic mana out took a long, long time.

- Is it worth it to use my other seed here? - I asked Patreeck and my other artificial minds. I wanted the black tower and that structure that opened the rift, because they felt powerful. These things were used to store void mana and also create those large rifts.

- What do we aim to achieve by capturing those structures? -

But did I have a use for them, even if I did capture them?

I suspected that a large, ring - shaped structure may contain star - maps that would expand my knowledge of the astral realm or the void tower would allow me to learn how to create such void mana.

But was it worth it? I�d used one seed on the demon world, one seed on the moon, one seed on the cometworld. I had one left, and I felt I should keep one as an option should something like the cometworld appear once more. I could withdraw one of them, but that was also a recharge - timer before I would get a usable seed.

Or deploy Lumoof to the demon world.

I didn�t like that very much. I preferred Lumoof to be out mingling with these foreign civilizations rather than toiling on the demonworlds.

I had to weigh the opportunity cost of not having a seed of A/ should a rare opportunity appear versus the capture of these structures.

- But these structures may not be unique, - Patreeck said. - If these structures or similar structures are on all demon-possessed worlds, we do not really need to capture them now. We merely need to collect sufficient seeds and claim it later. As it is, we can learn from the structures that we have already captured. -

- That�s true. -

For now, I focused on the assets and structures that I did control. We captured about six riftgates on the demon world. My mages came over, ready to study them.

As my forces expanded on the parasite world, I felt, momentarily, that this was the beginning of our retaliation. After all those years of playing defense, we now had the means to begin a counterattack. This was the start of taking the fight to the demon�s worlds, and I hoped to retake them, one world at a time.

TREE OF A/ Five

2024 SPAIzzER

YEAR 202

- I�m going to a demon world, - Alka said, his face absolutely horrified. He wasn�t the only one, of course. A battalion of his research - mages would go with him. Stella, too.

- Yes. -

Thanks to my trees sprouting around the rifts, I noticed that some level of life had returned to the demon world. Very minor, but much better than none. My Giant Attendant Trees also made the place around the rift gates far more hospitable.

- Am I going to die there? - Alka asked.

- No. Certainly not, - I assured him. - If anything happens, I�ll send you back. Some of my forces are there. -

In truth, there was an ongoing, prolonged war on the parasite - demon world, all thanks to my poor main - tree placement. Horns, my beetle commanders, and a small platoon of artificial minds were still helping me run the multiple battles happening at the edges of my territory on the demon�s world. It was also Hytreerion�s longest ongoing combat experience, and it proved that a large mobile forward base actually had offensive value, since it didn�t get much of a chance on our home world, where we were the defenders.

- How did A/ get to the demon world? - Kei and Ken asked.

- I snuck him through the rift, - Stella said. Kei rolled her eyes at that.

- Seriously! -

- I thought those portals don�t last that long? - Ken asked, but he was not aware of my seeds, and that was fine. Snek seemed particularly interested and wanted to know whether this meant there was a way to help retake his world.

Personally, I thought that sounded plausible. It would help me greatly if there was a native force I could rescue, but the thought of facing airborne demon-dragons on their home world didn�t sound like a good idea. I was horribly outmatched on the aerial front.

Ken and Snek nodded. - It�s smart to take the battle to the demons, but. - It wasn�t the only demon world. We all knew that. So my presence on this demon world was unlikely to affect whether another demon king would invade my world.

Alka mumbled, and they all wore suits of armor meant to protect them from most eventualities. Some druidic and magical equipment, too, just to ensure that they could still breathe, if anything happened.

The void - storms had mostly subsided.

Alka immediately went to Lumoof. - Why not you? -

- You have things to study and the skills needed. A/ has a presence there. Naturally, it�s you. - Lumoof laughed heartily. - Time to take to the field, Field Scientist. -

Alka seemed somewhat panicked. - I did not imagine I�d be going to a demon world in my job description. This is hazardous! -

- Not any more hazardous than working with bombs, - Lumoof assured him. - It�s fine. A/ has already said this is in a safe zone. -

- How are there safe zones on a demon world?! - Alka seemed surprised. Stella shrugged as she awaited the use of my inter - tree teleportation ability.

- All right. Move it. - The squad was ready. This would take some mana, but not more than when I sent Hytreerion over. I felt mana drain from my network of trees? -

- and they were all sent to my clone on the other side. It wasn�t far from the rift gates.

Alka, Stella, and the group of mages stared at the greenery around my main tree. My clone had already begun terraforming this segment of land into something habitable. This was far easier than the moon, actually, because there was something here a long time ago, and the world�s energy seemed to be recovering once the spires and all that collapsed.

The moon base was growing, but the speed of the terraform was significantly slower than the demon world.

The beetles soon led them to the nearest rift gate. I�d left all of them untouched, as I wanted some of the mages to look at them before I started flooding them with my mana.

- This doesn�t look particularly alien, - Stella said. - There are trees. -

- I�ve been transforming the land for a few months. - They stopped and stared at the structures before them. - This is a rift gate. The demons use this to open gates to our world. There are many others like it throughout the world and a super large one that�s partly destroyed. -

Stella immediately looked at the gate with far more interest.

- I�d like to know how it works, whether we can rebuild it for our own purposes, whether we can use them to amplify the portals of the void mages, and whether there is a star map contained within. -

Alka walked up and used some kind of skill on the rift gate. - Hmm. it�s not some unique material for sure, but there is some really complicated formation and rune work within the structure itself. Which does raise the question: how did the demons build it? -

- Or they didn�t, - Stella proposed. - This was stolen from somewhere. -

- Or they did, and the demons possess intellectual and crafting abilities higher than what we�ve ever seen, - Alka said. - Are all the others like it? -

- Huh? -

- I�m asking because I want to know whether they are all exactly identical or just similar but not exactly identical. Because the second implies the work of a craftsman, while the first implies the presence of a replicator. -

I suspected it was likely to be a replicator. - So do you want to see the second rift gate? - I asked. There was one nearby, but that site was occasionally attacked by demons, so it was heavily defended by beetles and spiders.

Since I�d started my invasion of this demon world, I�d set up dedicated research labs on creating better beetles, demon-world compatible beetles, in order to better fight battles against the demons.

The second rift gate was not identical. There were subtle variations, but Alka could tell that the inner inscriptions were almost the same. We didn�t stay long, since this location was a little riskier. Of course, the revelation that they were not identically copied suggested that the demons possessed mastery of this level of craftwork.

I thought back to the two demon cores I possessed and tried to check them. I wondered how this knowledge was transmitted across worlds? Were they embedded inside each demon king, such that each demon king was a walking colonization module on top of an invasion force? If so, they must come from that black blob in space and then be inside this core.

- It could be written in flesh, too? - Patreeck naturally challenged my view.

We previously did extensive comparative analysis using the two demon cores to map what was damaged and try to see if we could somehow build a complete one from the incomplete two halves, but we still did not understand what exactly was happening. Now, with the patterns collected from the rift gates, we attempted to see whether there was any relevance, mainly to see whether there were similar patterns we could then extrapolate from the rift gate�s set of patterns.

There were some relevant parts, but as a whole, it didn�t really give any significant breakthroughs.

- Is this part of the Tree of Life�s set of powers? - Alka asked Stella while she did her own analysis of the rift gates and the surrounding daemolite crystal structures. She came accompanied with a small group of her students, other void mages who were amazed, perplexed, and afraid all at the same time.

- Yes, - I answered on her behalf.

- Dayum, - Alka said.

- You all are one of the first few non - demons to ever step on this demon world. You�re all pioneer space tourists. -

There was a loud bang, and they instinctively ducked. Demonic champions at the front lines and some of the stray magical projectiles blasted across the skies.

Stella smirked. - Very funny. -

Alka complained for a while, but he continued to conduct more tests on the structures.

- How frequently can we go back? - Alka asked.

- Once a month. - I could probably send them back every week or two, but that would leave my mana drained.

Alka looked at Stella, and Stella shrugged. - Don�t look at me. My void portals don�t reach this kind of distance. -

- That�s really comforting. So A/ �s our only ticket out. - Alka complained a little more and then continued to test. My field scientist seemed to be a perpetual grumbler, but I supposed that dissatisfaction with everything came with intellectual prowess.

Of course, Prabu and Colette were very interested to go, but I wasn�t very comfortable with it. I even hesitated on telling them about it, because I knew the gods were listening, one way or another.

But I still told them, because I wasn�t the weak tree I was a few decades ago.

With Tree of Life, I felt a lot more comfortable with being more transparent and open, at least with those whose powers I used and relied on. Even if things went south, I now had my clones in three other places, even if two of those clones were in rather vulnerable locations. With the benefit of hindsight, it was clear that I needed to invest in my team and build trust. Even if that trust could go south.

Since Roon and Johann both gained their domains, I gathered my four domain holders and then brainstormed our revised combat strategies. We needed to figure out how to best exploit our domain powers, especially with future demon kings. Roon and Johann also received the full briefing on what happened with Aiva and my own history as a former outworlder.

In their entire career, they�d lived to serve me, and the domain was their ultimate promotion, the point where they - grew up - and now could stand for themselves. The path was still long, of course. But the forest was strong because there were many trees, and this was a journey for all of us, together.

Their domains gave them additional power and stats so they could continue to play the role of providing cover fire. In terms of pure damage, both of them were just slightly ahead of Edna, who had a higher level and additional domain skills. They could move quickly, detect enemies from afar, and shoot high - powered projectiles.

- Ever wonder who would win if we had a test fight? - Roon looked at Johann.

Edna just shrugged. Edna would be on the receiving end of their attacks in any spar, but her defensive abilities meant she could endure their attacks almost perpetually.

Johann frowned. - Actually, even with our new abilities, we can�t even get past A/ or Edna�s shields. I think that�s our first goal. -

- Oh, come on, a casual fight will be fun! -

- It would. but. -

- Actually, if you two would like a test fight, why not compare kill counts on the demon world? - Lumoof smiled and proposed. - Make yourselves useful for a change. -

Johann and Roon looked at each other, and Edna laughed. - Oh darn, that�s a good idea. -

The fabrics increase, Lilies noticed, naturally. They were very attuned to the powers that threaded through the world. One of yours?

Sort of, I responded. It�s been a while.

Time has hardly passed.

Ah. We�ve reached the demon worlds.

Lilies was silent as I shared what I�d seen on the demon worlds through our root connection. I shared scenes of the demon king, the portals, the spires.

After a long while, Lilies said, We have seen, but we do not recognize anything there.

- All right, we�re ready. Turn it on, - Alka said after two months of studies. Roon and Johann had a swell time hunting demons and keeping them away from our magical researchers and the captured structures. There were also some demon champions that appeared, and they also helped to push some forces closer to the intact spawning pools.

- I have not actually tried. I don�t know how to, - I admitted. I may have - captured - the rift gate, but I certainly did not know how to operate it at all. - Did you manage to figure it out? -

Alka rolled his eyes. - I mean, we�ve been studying its structure for two months without actually turning it on. Stella, if you would do the honors? -

Stella laughed. - Certainly. - She started on a monologue. The rift gate buzzed with activity as it drained void mana from the void crystals, and we watched it open, charge up, and then just as abruptly close.

It was like starting a car engine that just cranked, roared, and went dead. Alka and Stella�s eyes were glued to the gate, and Stella frowned.

- Hmm. These rift gates piggyback off that central path built by the main gate. They are just links to that same void - space tunnel. There�s only one main highway between this demon world and ours, and these rift gates are like little feeder roads linked to this main highway. -

The main highway collapsed. That explained why the demons stopped coming after the demon king got killed.

But this did mean that if the path didn�t collapse, the demons could perpetually invade. Not just that, if I could recreate these paths, it would mean permanent paths to other worlds. It would essentially enable the worlds to travel to each other, and if I could control them, it effectively functioned as an escape route for the inhabitants of the invaded worlds.

- But these rifts are the first to appear. How does the demon find which world to invade? - Alka wondered and then immediately said, - No. There should be signs. How long does it take? What�s the gestation period for the demon king? -

- I don�t know whether it�s consistent. According to Snek, his world seemed to take about twenty to twenty - five years per demon king. But I would suspect the time spent also depends on the type and design of the demon king, the amount of magical energies available in each world, and perhaps many other unknown factors. -

Alka frowned. - A sample of one or two tells us nothing. But let us assume that on average it takes twenty - five years per demon king, which would mean that there are twice to thrice as many worlds that are linked to us. -

Stella retorted. - If we use the number of worlds linked to us by those faint astral paths and presume that all of them are currently carrying a demon king that would be sent to us once it is ready, which is at least eight to ten of them in the sky, it actually suggests that it takes about seventy to eighty years. -

- That�s a wide range. -

There were no astral paths in this world, not after they collapsed, but there were many paths still from Treehome. Those faint paths grew brighter with each year. If these rift gates were like feeders into existing astral paths, could these rift gates be used to open a rift to their world by exploiting those linked to our home world?

I predicted that the paths would return to this world, but I would really like to know how that was done. How did the demon worlds find their targets? Could we mess with that interplanar worldfinder and add Treehome as some kind of - do - not - disturb - world?

- What if we move these rifts back to our world and try to use these rift gates to tap into those astral paths? -

Stella and Alka thought about it. Alka�s eyes widened, and I could almost see the gears turning in his head. - It�s worth trying. Can we move this rift gate back home? -

- Of course. - I could move objects, too. Naturally, I could move these structures back to Treehome.

Stella then considered. - It does mean that A/ may invade them, even before the demons open a rift to our world. And it would force the demons into a defensive battle on their world by taking over all their rift gates. We would need to figure out how to activate the astral paths or reinforce them to some degree with the core mana. -

- But it�s possible! This. the possibilities are so interesting. - Alka laughed.

Stella smacked the madly grinning Alka on the shoulder. - You just transformed from being afraid of coming to this world to proposing a pre - emptive invasion on a demon world. -

- Eh, A/ �s already invading one demon world. What�s a few more? -

- A/ would have to use a seed , though, and A/ doesn�t don�t have many of those. It�s still a good idea in the long run, but I think there�s a lot more to study. -

Alka laughed. - Details, details! Let�s focus on the final outcome first. An offensive battle would be greatly beneficial for us since, well, we have bombs. A lot of them. -

- Are you. -

- I�m proposing we bomb the hell out of the demon worlds before they even invade us. We don�t need some sophisticated targeting. We need an air force, and then we open a portal and just keep sending bombs through it. -

Stella stared at the mad scientist who once lectured me on the morality of bombs. - And I thought you said you wouldn�t go that far. -

- A/ noticed that there�s a big tower of void mana when the demon king was about to appear. -

- And. ? -

- And A/ �s teleportation ability does not require the use of void mana, so large quantities of star mana can be transported through it without destabilization. -

- Okay. -

- It�s also right next to the demon king. -

- Star mana and void mana goes boom? -

YEAR 203

We moved one of the rift gates back to Freeka and located it right in the valley. Alka and the rest of them returned, except Roon and Johann, who continued the fight and expansion.

It was frustrating to expand, because of how magically sparse the environment was, even with the recent gradual improvements. Since the demon king ended, I felt mana slow, very, very slowly, trickle back to the world.

As it was, my expansions essentially relied and drained mana from the Central Continent, in order to support my trees and my forces on the demon world. This was because there was a shortfall in the natural mana and - life - in the soil, so I had to top up that shortfall with my own mana. This was similar to the moon, but as my moon base�s trees grew, they were able to generate more mana passively and a few years ago were mana - neutral on my overall mana - production.

The fact that I had to constantly support and regenerate my beetles and trees at the battlefronts also amplified the mana drain on the Central Continent.

In the long run, though, things were positive. At the rate of natural mana recovery in the world, in a few decades, my trees would turn mana - positive, and I would be able to mount a more coherent and decisive push toward all the major structures of the demons.

There was no reason to expand when doing so only increased the mana use without the capture of any particularly unique structures.

All these were lessons for our next planned invasion for the demon world.

Alka also had other ideas, one of which was to develop a supermassive star mana bomb, something with so much mana that we could throw at the tower of void mana and hopefully disrupt the demon king while it was still gestating.

I was somewhat skeptical of the star mana bomb�s chances of actually destroying the demon king, because I�d seen the demon king�s body gestating really deep in the ground, and I doubted a supermassive explosion would be able to reach deep into the world�s core. Still, destroying the void tower would mean they couldn�t come to our world that fast, since it would take out the fuel that supported the pathway to our world.

It may buy us some time for little to no cost. It may possibly also weaken the demon king, such that we would be able to survive it with better odds.

Of course, Alka also proposed to sink the tower in that deep tunnel and then detonate the bomb. The idea of detonating such a powerful bomb underground probably would be very damaging to the world, but it did mean an explosion closer to the gestating demon king.

Possible, but more moving parts. It was more difficult to send a bomb in the tunnel where my roots or trees couldn�t reach. I could, theoretically, have a tree next to the tower, teleport it right there.

Anyway, Alka was thus focused on developing the bomb. He already had some ideas, gathered from his past research, on how to make a large star - mana bomb.

Ideas that he quickly pitched to Prabu and Colette, and he shared our findings, as well.

- This is A/ �s idea? - Prabu immediately asked.

- Not really. More like mine, but he consented to the budget for a super star - mana bomb, meant specifically to activate on contact with the void tower. -

The problem was star mana, just like void mana, had corrosive effects on its containers. The objects that held these things could not hold them for very long, unless they were made by the heroes through their special hero forge , and in those cases, the mana stored evaporated very slowly over time. Even my specialized potatoes eventually decayed, and the stored mana leaked out, though they did last quite long.

Only my own three hundred star mana did not cause any decay, and I suspected that the soul may be the most common object that could hold star mana without these storage problems. That, of course, implied it could be possible to make living star mana batteries.

Could I create artificial souls specifically to store star mana or void mana? I saw Stella was able to accept and handle large quantities of void mana without much issues, even if it did make her soul transform into this pitch - black mass of. thing.

Despite how her soul looked, her body clearly didn�t suffer for it. She was healthy by all measures, and her body, even though drenched with void mana, didn�t seem different. Perhaps the soul had a passive effect of - controlling, - manipulating, - and - processing - mana, such that it didn�t harm itself.

It was a worthwhile idea, even if one I previously never considered because of how many artificial minds I could support. Nowadays, with a continent�s worth of trees and more, it was really not much of a problem to use artificial minds more freely, even if they were just made to be sentient batteries.

- Worth exploring? - I asked Patreeck.

- It really depends how much mana an artificial mind can store. However, based on what we�ve seen, it�s likely that they won�t be as effective as a fully formed soul. -

I paused as those words sank in. Patreeck clearly had more data than me, even if he was functionally a part of me. If Patreeck�s speculation were true, mana responded more strongly to the inner part of the soul. No matter, I had to try.

I created one of my tuberous storage in an uninhabited part of the Central Continent and created an artificial mind for it. This part went normally.

Then I injected it with star mana. At least, the three hundred star mana I had. I borrowed a little bit more from the heroes and injected a little bit more. Then like a balloon that suddenly had a hole, it just shrank and died.

- One thousand, - Patreeck said.

- That�s too little. -

I did the same, this time with void mana. We had void mana from Stella and those I previously stole from the demon king. They were already in various states of decay; some of them only had less than ten percent of the void mana originally.

I wondered whether this could be some kind of evaporation loss and the vessel only controlled the degree of evaporation loss.

Or was the soul actually producing mana, thus it offset the evaporation loss? But artificial souls could produce mana, too! Patreeck seemed to think it was likely that fully formed souls could produce star mana or void mana, thus their production of these mana types kept their vessel full. Sadly, I had no way of testing whether mana evaporation or mana loss was better when there was a soul, because my artificial minds didn�t produce these mana types.

With normal mana, it didn�t seem to have this issue. Or was it likely that on Treehome, the environment had sufficient mana that there was no mana loss due to differences in mana density?

I knew that I had to support my trees on the demon world or my new expansions on the moon.

I checked my floating tree, floating in the pitch - black darkness of the void, clinging to a massive shard of what was once Cometworld. It didn�t need mana from me because it produced a little bit of mana.

My artificial minds quickly helped me build up some data sets, and then I realized that each of my clones produced a small amount of their own mana, and then, on top of that small passive production, it also absorbed and amplified mana from the environment. In places where there was very little mana, like the demon world or the moon, this part of my natural mana - producing abilities were weak.

In short, my clones were best strategically placed where there was a lot of natural mana, and that would significantly improve my mana amount. It was like finding the correct spot to put a wind turbine.

Once my clones were placed, I couldn�t move them unless I killed my clones. There was also a gestation period for the seeds to reappear, and I would have to contend with losing my connection to that place.

- So A/ managed to invade the demon world, - Chung repeated on the magical communication device. It was a meeting joined by my senior Valthorns and the otherworlders as well. Well, except Meela and Alexis, who were in the north. But anyway, now that we had something resembling a plan, we needed help.

- Yes, and Alka proposed that we attack the demon world before the demon king invades. I can see merit in the argument, since we can save lives by preventing the invasion in the first place. - There were no official tallies of how many people died during the parasite wars, but my Valthorns observed that even in well - defended towns, the population was down by about twenty percent. So the parasite war was probably one of the higher ones in terms of fatalities because refugees couldn�t escape, and even if they did, they were suspected of harboring the parasites.

It was a grim episode that I was glad ended well. Had they been more intelligent, we would be dealing with a persistent, ongoing issue.

Prabu did most of the explanation, where he went over Stella�s void portal abilities, my ability to resonate with the rift gates and sneak my vines through the gates, and then, lastly, my tree clones.

Deep in my valley, the rift gate, now surrounded by hundreds of mages and researchers, was undergoing reconfiguration.

- So that�s something from a demon world? - Chung and Hafiz were on the magical communicator. - A rift gate? -

- Yes. The demons build these paths across worlds, and these paths gather in the skies above over decades. Alka and Stella think it might be possible to open these paths earlier and invade them before the demons are even ready for us. -

Alka then explained about the void tower, and the giant circular gate, which I suspected, was the primary gate.

- Don�t we need that primary gate, then? - Chung asked.

- Alka and Stella suspect that it may not be necessary since the astral path is already there, just not fully activated. They want to use the world�s core mana to open a small gate and send one of A/ �s clones there, and well, bomb the shit out of them. -

- It�s interesting. - Chung nodded. Strangely, the god�s inhibitions didn�t attack the heroes, because, after all, this was a conversation about destroying demons. Just not demons in this world. Alka and Stella were both well - educated on the hero class mental overrides, so we made no mention of gods. But we reminded Alka and Stella to not speak of the - ending the cycle - part, since that triggered the hero�s mental blocks the last time I touched this subject with Prabu. For now, we were laser focused on defeating the next demon king, and that seemed to avoid triggering the overrides. - What�s our role? -

- The plan is frankly quite simple, - Alka repeated. - We�ll bomb the void tower and try our best to cause massive damage, and if it doesn�t kill the demon king, A/ will teleport all of you to the demon world, and you can fight all out there. We�ll provide cover fire and clear the grounds. -

Prabu nodded. - I think it makes a lot of sense. We can fight the demon king offensively, likely in a weaker state thanks to the bombs. No need to hold back, no collateral damage because the demon world is uninhabited. -

- Are the demons stronger there? In their world? - Chung asked.

Alka paused. - We. I don�t have enough data to say for sure. From the one or two worlds A/ has visited, it�s possible that the mobs are stronger. We don�t know whether there is any change in the strength of the demon king. -

Chung was surprisingly cooperative. - It�s a decent idea in principle. Once the gate is active, then let�s meet again and go through our plans. -

With their agreement obtained, Alka and Stella now worked on actually getting the rift gates to work in reverse. From our world, to theirs.

Back on the demon world, Roon and Johann fought the horde of demons from the demonic spawning pools. We observed that some of these pools had - regenerated - and were somehow repaired, and the speed of this recovery seemed aligned to the recovery in the natural ambient mana of this world.

This swampy demon world used to be a world with life. And now, in the areas where my trees dominated, I began observing the effects, as some normal creatures spawned for the first time. Only small ones, because they were insects, but the fact that creatures were created by the system meant we were undoing the demon�s hold.

Horns and a small army of beetle commanders complemented Roon and Johann in the battle for the demon world.

This was a long war, and Horns loved it. Horns lived for war, it seemed, and even though he got squashed a few times, he never stopped returning to the front lines. Hytreerion, my massive walker, was also pleased that it was useful for a change, rather than being mostly useless back on Treehome, since it was able to storm through enemy lines with its massive size.

This was a war that would only gain in intensity, since the recovering ambient mana of the world meant both sides would gain strength. I could deploy more trees and more beetles, and for the demons, they could regenerate their spawning pools, spawn more demons, and spawn stronger demons.

Still, the recovering mana also meant the demon forces noticed my trees near the massive hole of the demon king. A location I wanted but was not able to hold due to the sheer distance from my main clone body, as my trees and beetles were overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of demons.

Thankfully, now Roon and Johann both were up for some scouting.

The deep hole of the demon king was now flooded with normal demons, and they saw the collapsed towers and the rubble had somehow vanished. The entire hole had transformed into a massive spawning pool.

But because there were too many demons, they did not attempt to engage. Not with just two of them. It was likely that the demon spawning pool, given its size, was some kind of pre - demon king pool.

Still, after that spying, and all the fighting on the demon world, they were both really emotionally drained, and Roon requested to return to Treehome. There was something about fighting in the lifeless world that was just more emotionally taxing than normal.

Edna called it the - Long - Term Dungeon Syndrome. - Similar to fighters who�d spent too long in the dungeons, they would crave some normalcy.

Oh well, I supposed I would need to start considering some kind of otherworld combat roster. Maybe that was what happened with Prabu and Colette and their snack withdrawals. They needed an emotional base, and fighting long periods away from home drained that - battery. -

There was something else I had to work on, which was core mana. The activation of the astral path seemed to rely on the core mana, though it was possible to wait for the rifts to open, and only then invade. But we wanted the option to invade at our own time.

So I had to figure out core mana.

I intensified my analysis of the Cometworld Shard and concluded that I needed to dig deeper. Much, much deeper. What kind of creature would have core mana?

I already reached my limit on Treehome in terms of depth. I couldn�t get deeper, even with all the intermediate trees in the way. This was the secret at the center of the world.

Lilies, do you know how to contact the will of the world?

No.

Ah. I got similar replies from Aria, who didn�t even know about the will of the world.

I only had one seed left. Unless I could gain more levels, I�d have to use it strategically.

- Lumoof, when you were on the Threeworlds, were there any really, really deep places? Like chasms or cracks that led all the way into the core? -

Lumoof naturally got what I was trying to get at and shook his head. - Not that I know of, unless the Sandpeople and the Centaurs are hiding it. Do you want me to ask? -

- Then we should aim elsewhere. Let�s go to another world. - I supposed Lumoof�s job scope now expanded to also look for sources of core mana, usually in really, really deep places.

There had to be a world where there was already a natural crack in the world. Such things were common in fantasy, after all, places where the world ended and it led to the great beyond.

Threeworlds, Cometworld, and Treehome had been typical planets, but not all worlds were like that. If I wanted core mana, I needed to find a world where the core. wasn�t in the center of a spherical world.

Lumoof nodded. - Yes, boss. -

Maybe the next world won�t have my answer, but we had to try. Our next best choice was a stray world similar to Cometworld, where its core was exposed in some way.

I then thought about my little trigger - happy Reef friend.

Reefy.

Yes?

Do you know any deep, deep place?

Ocean not deep?

Deeper. Much deeper. Like, far deeper than the Marianas. Even my own underground trees had gone a lot deeper.

No. Why? Someone there?

I contemplated that question for a moment. Was the Will someone? Well. Yes. Maybe.

Want me to find it?

If you could, please.

Okay. I�ll send my fish.

I actually had no idea what Reefy had been up to underwater, but it seemed to be pretty stable, so I presumed it to be all right.

YEAR 204

Snek proposed that we dig underground, in the demon world, for the same reason as Snek�s home world. In Snek�s world, the snakes migrated underground to avoid the demons. If there were survivors, they�d be hidden underground or in places where the demons could not reach.

That was a decent idea, and from what I knew, digging underground seemed to be the archeological equivalent of traveling back in time. So we started to dig underground.

The first month we found absolutely nothing, at least around where I started to dig. This process of digging drained more mana, too, since underground my trees didn�t produce mana.

My subsidiary trees and normal trees produced more mana when there were ambient sources of mana in the ground, water, or some kind of light source, either sunlight or starlight. Once again, in the mana - starved worlds, like the moon or the demon world, their production was curtailed.

The first few layers we dug through felt no different from the surface. In fact, due to the poor quality of the soil itself, my root tunnels were a higher drain on my mana than normal. Alka wasn�t here to help, since he was really laser - focused on developing star - mana superbombs, so he sent some of his assistants instead.

Well, these assistants were still high - leveled mages and magical researchers , and they explained that they couldn�t tell the difference in the soil, so we had to go deeper.

It may be due to our lack of the right set of skills to properly analyze soil. Which was kinda silly, because I was really good with studying the soil�s nutrition, magical qualities, and mineral content. But looking at it from an archaeological point of view seemed to be a related but different skill set.

I wondered what would happen if a geologist reincarnated to this world. Could they find magic - oil? Would we start an era of magic - oil freedom?

- Maybe we�re digging in the wrong place, - the mages suggested. In truth, I just decided to dig right underneath my tree of clones, since that seemed to be the easiest place, and after that, we expanded sideways with horizontal tunnels.

So the researchers requested for historians and cartographers from our world and attempted to use our own history to make a map of the demon world, at least the part of the demon world that was under my rule. With their aid, we made an estimate of the places where cities were likely to exist.

This was sensible, of course. Earth�s cities liked to be next to rivers, and this world, while swampy, didn�t have oceans. It was just a vast world of shallow lakes, small rivers, marshes, and swamps.

With our new set of estimates, we decided to dig underground, in a few of these places, where the rivers met the lakes. Our initial findings were bad. We found nothing.

There had to be something, and I went to my other advisors for advice. My four domain holder Valthorns didn�t have any ideas; magic research really wasn�t their forte. Stella suggested the use of some shamanic or land - communion power, which seemed to make sense, but I�d have to locate a person with the right skill set that could be trusted with knowledge of the demon world.

So I went and spoke to Lilies. Lilies, having survived the longest of us all, must have seen the changes in the soil over the generations. Perhaps they could give us a clue?

How to identify dirt or soil?

Yes. Calculate their age, uh. I wanted to say carbon dating, but I hadn�t the slightest clue how that actually worked in practice. It was one of those things that I knew scientists did but I wouldn�t be able to do myself.

No. Not possible. Unless the core itself leaves imprints on the soil.

Wait. It should. If the world of the demon king went through periods of growth and death, the soil itself would feel the effects of the rising and fading of the mana density in the land. But this affected the entire world, not just a certain layer of soil.

But if new soil was created by acts of magic and were subject to fewer such wave - like mana patterns, would we be able to tell? Maybe most types of soil were essentially indistinguishable. We would have to locate the right type of soil or stone that could retain the effects of such waves.

You seem to have an inkling?

I do, but I�m not sure if there�s the right type of soil or stone in the world that behaves in that manner.

In the other world?

Yes. I�d like to see how long it has been and if we could tell whether a planet supports the birth of demon kings indefinitely or at diminishing rates.

Lilies didn�t answer that, likely because they never experienced that part of the end of the world. From Lilies explanation, even if the demon king won, there was still a period of time before it actually - took over - the world, and during that time, the gods could try to challenge the hold.

This suggested that so long as heroes were continuously summoned, demons would never hold the planet. Eventually one hero would break the demon king�s kill streak.

Taking this thought further, it also meant that worlds only truly became demon worlds if the gods lost access to the world and they could no longer defend it.

Essentially, it was the equivalent of taking life support off and the world either finding a way to defend itself or the world died, consumed by the demon king.

In any case, I also asked the Valthorns to speak to miners and stone collectors whether they were aware of such stones. It would be easier to find something if we knew what they looked like in our world.

- We�re just grasping at straws, - the mages new to the process of research said.

- That�s what it�s like to be at the forefront of magic research. We�re trying to imagine or figure out how things work with whatever clues handed to us. - The researchers laughed. - Many of these clues are misleading! But it is very, very intellectually stimulating. Occasionally. Most of the time is really a lot of boring cataloging and data collection work. -

One of the good points of Stella, Ken�s influence on the magic researchers was the introduction of more robust data collection methodology, mainly using our own world�s logic of statistics and data. I just hoped we didn�t draw the wrong conclusions. I wasn�t very good at statistics, so my own guidance was very high level and could even be wrong.

A layman�s comprehension of statistics and the conclusions they drew from the data may not be correct, even if they seemed logical from a layman�s view. Still, more data was always welcome.

Patreeck and my artificial minds could easily shift through the data. In fact, one of the things Patreeck suggested was a physical - avatar - for Patreeck and the artificial minds, such that they could interact with the reports and data directly.

As it was, my artificial minds could mentally communicate with each other through my roots, thus forming a network. My subordinates, like Horns, were also connected to the network. However, their connection was not through the roots, but through telepathic speech, and telepathic communication was inherently slower and more prone to misunderstandings.

In short, our current data collection method required either someone to read the data and that data get mentally copied by Patreeck or the artificial minds borrowed one of my regular eyes, which were capable of regular vision, to read the data directly. Useful, but could be expanded.

They were able to collect sound data directly, but because my artificial minds viewed the world mostly through my senses - such as my spiritual vision, sound, and also a vibrative sense - reading documents was out of the picture. They were already able to manipulate vines in my biolab - focused artificial minds and get readings from them directly.

Again, the demon world itself was more prone to magical disruptions. Demons had been consistently attacking my trees throughout the demon world, sometimes with those demon-spire - walker champions, and these champions had some type of magical interference.

At this point, I estimated the ambient mana in the demon world to be about five percent of Treehome. From Patreeck�s initial estimates, the break - even point where the mana cost of supporting the subsidiary trees was equal to the mana generated by the trees themselves on the demon world was somewhere around twenty - five percent.

- Could the blowback be detected? - Patreeck asked. - The collapse of the astral tunnel through the void. That collapse carpeted the entire world with a single but very noticeable wave of magic energy. -

Ah, so rather than rely on the wave - like pattern of the declining ambient mana in the world, use the collapsed astral tunnel�s energy as a - time marker - ? That seemed possible, but I would need to find materials on the demon world that would show the effects of such things.

Again, I would get the guys to pay attention to their surroundings, but if there was nothing, there was nothing.

For my artificial minds, I needed a new kind of mobile - artificial mind that also functioned as a laboratory, for their research functions, with a direct link to the root network through their legs. At least, they would need to stop and connect with the network directly to upload the bulky datasets.

With my evolutionary powers from Tree of Life , I started looking at creating smaller versions of Hytreerion, crossed with the qualities of the Treefolk.

The Treefolk could connect to the Rootnet. In fact, that was one of their unique selling points, though we blocked them from the network.

This part of the process, modifying existing things in order to fit my need and growing them in my biolabs , wasn�t exactly hard.

In fact, they were quite cute. Like little Tachikomas made of wood and trees. It would take about a few months to properly form them.

- Threeworld this time? - Stella asked. She�d been working on the rift gate, but it involved huge amounts of reconfiguring the runic patterns. She said she�d get better with time, but for now, she�d need another year or two.

In my experience, there was bound to be hiccups, so if she completed it within three years, it was considered a success.

Lumoof shook his head. - Nope. The other world. Unless there�s something else? -

- Nope. Skies remain unchanged. For now. -

I scanned the skies from my lone tree that floated nowhere, in the remnants of Cometworld. So far, nothing.

Stella paused and looked at her notes. - All right. Just you? -

- No. - I decided not to send Lumoof alone this time, so I got one of the higher - ranked Valthorns to accompany him, one of Edna�s juniors and disciples, a Level 110 A/ ic Battle Knight named Ebon. I figured that I would gradually rotate my level 100+ Valthorns on these adventures to other worlds to let them learn from the other worlds.

I suspected the system seemed to recognize and give value to a wider perspective and thus rewarded those who had seen other worlds. It may also be partly why I gained levels faster, too, on top of my heroic fragments. Or maybe just a different perspective just gave a more holistic comprehension of powers, thus recognition by the system?

In any case, I would send Lumoof to the other worlds as part of my many other projects to get Core Mana. I also had miners dig into the depth of the world from the already deep depths.

I had mages and others attempting to create a portal into the core itself.

I would have core mana. Then we would take this battle to the demons.

The portal opened, and both Lumoof and Ebon walked out to what appeared to be a massive battlefield with the stench of rotting corpses and blood in the air. Back home, Stella and her team strained a little more than usual. - Weird, felt like I was trying to push through mud. -

The battlefield was littered with corpses, some still looked relatively fresh. This battle wasn�t very long ago. Maybe a week or a month.

- Ooh. - Yet the first thing I wanted to see was the sky. Lumoof then looked up, and we both saw the glowing, bright astral path through our shared astral vision. Lumoof�s expression paled instantly. - The demon king is here. -

- Here? - Ebon asked. Immediately, he started to look around anxiously.

- No, I mean, he�s in this world, - Lumoof clarified.

- Oh. - Ebon relaxed. He started to survey the surroundings.

- If the astral path is open, then the invasion is still ongoing. We should spot some heroes, then. -

The corpses were humanoid. At least, some looked like elves and dwarves. Lizard people and drakes, too.

- Where should we go? - Ebon asked, returning from his short walk around. - I see their equipment�s rust is quite early - stage. This battle must�ve been just about two to three weeks old. Strange no one raided their equipment. -

- Demons don�t need equipment. -

- Ah yes. I forgot since we had the parasites. - Ebon answered.

Lumoof paused, and I briefly entered the avatar - mode. I felt my senses extend through the ground, and the world around us? -

There was a loud explosion in a particular direction, carried by the winds, and there was very visible magic flying through the sky. Lumoof and Ebon exchanged glances.

- If there�s fighting, there�s people, - Lumoof answered. Ebon nodded. Lumoof activated his domain skill on Ebon, and Ebon�s body glowed, supercharged. He ran, his speed almost as fast as the heroes through the battlefield.

It was quite far away.

Both Lumoof and I could see through Ebon with Lumoof�s ability, and we saw an army of lizardmen, at least two thousand of them, battling an army of at least ten thousand humanoid demons. These demons were armed with reddish demonic weapons. They were awfully familiar, like the ones that gave me the Forest Rod .

Was this a rehash of the demon-walker champions? The ones that triggered the huge calamity of the Central Continent?

I felt a little tingle of fear through my senses.

The lizardmen were outnumbered, and we saw the very familiar demonic knights and demonic generals.

- Lumoof, it�s Demon King Sabnoc again. - Lumoof was a baby when the Sabnoc incident happened, but it was mandatory education for the Valthorns on the origins of the Rottedlands.

- Sabnoc, here? -

- Maybe not Sabnoc, but those demons are from that generation of demon kings. There will be Hytreerion - type champions! -

- Ah! - This world was faced with a large - scale invasion of demons.

Lumoof ran as fast as he could, which was really fast, but it still took him longer to arrive in the battlefield. The lizardmen were already fighting the demons, and they were the ones unleashing their magical spells and projectiles.

Ebon smashed into the center of the demon army like a descended god, and his large gladius glowed green from power. Ebon, for the purposes of this battle, received one of the Court of the Deitree slots, which complemented his close - combat battle skills with my own wide - area abilities, like Rooting Fields .

The lizardmen clearly didn�t expect the assistance, and the sight of Ebon as a single, supercharged individual able to easily defeat tens of these normal demons per swing seemed to raise their morale.

- Aura! - Lumoof mentally spoke to Ebon. - Activate the demon-suppression aura! -

He had a weaker version, but it helped slow down the demons a little bit, such to give the lizardmen army some breathing room.

The demon knights and general - types clearly noticed Ebon, and they charged at him. But if Lozanna at level thirty could fight a demon knight, Ebon at level one hundred ten could kill a few of them in a single swipe. They really were not much now.

Only champions could give Ebon a challenge, so Ebon slaughtered the demons like the worthless things they were. When Lumoof arrived a little bit later, the victory was certain. Once he was in avatar mode, the demons were killed quickly, the full strength of my demonic suppression aura flooded the battlefield, and they were as good as motionless statues.

The lizardpeople then easily cut down the army of demons, and the battle was over.

A group of heavily armored lizardpeople immediately approached Ebon. - We, the army of the Alderri City, thank you for your assistance in the battle with the demons! -

Ebon, who was in heavy armor, nodded in his helmet. Lumoof moved to join Ebon. - This is Lumoof, my superior. I am Ebon, a knight. -

- Greetings! - Lumoof said. - I hope we did not interrupt much? -

One of the lizardpeople laughed awkwardly. Their leader stared at the laughing lizardperson, and he immediately quieted down. - Ah. In fact. we were prepared to fight to the death to hold the demons back. Our reinforcements were delayed by a few days. -

Lumoof nodded. - All right. Would you mind filling us in? I must admit I�m new to the region. -

That made the lizardperson leader�s eyes twitch. - I�m afraid I don�t understand what you mean by that. -

Lumoof smiled. - We teleported here. From a really, really far place. So I need a briefing. Everything, really. -

One of the lizardperson immediately asked, - Are you the heroes? -

That lizardperson was promptly slapped by the one next to him. - Are you stupid?! Heroes are always young teenagers! These two guys look like war veterans. -

The leader stared, and the two bickering lizardpeople immediately quieted down. - I�m afraid I will have to invite you back to our city and uh. let the proper person answer you. -

- Please. - Their city was really a fortress, a huge structure with thick, multi - layered walls meant for siege battles. Magical enchantments covered the walls, and there were magical formations and traps scattered around them. They were clearly geared for war.

In fact, the guards were hugely surprised to see the army returning at all. The doors flew open, and a group of elves and lizardpeople came out to greet them.

- General! How?! You�ve pushed them back? -

One of the elves hugged the lizard - leader. He patted the heavily armed young teenage elf on the head. - Shush. We have honored guests who came to our rescue. I must take them to meet the council now. -

- But. - The elf looked tearful.

The lizard general said firmly, - I live, son, when I was meant to die today. It is already a miracle, so wait. Let me take the guests to the council. - The elf nodded, and the general turned to Lumoof. - Please, Lord Lumoof and Ebon. -

The council was a group of humans, lizardpeople, and elves. About the same as the corpses we saw from the previous battlefield. Everyone was heavily armed.

The general gave the introductions, and the council was blunt with its questions. - Where are you from, exactly? There are no known individuals with your type of combat abilities left. -

Lumoof thought for a moment and decided to go for the truth. - Another world. But we are not heroes. Just a neighboring world. -

There was an audible gasp from the entire council. - How? -

Lumoof smiled. - Classified information. At this point, I can see that all of you need help. But, first, fill us in. What exactly is going on in this world? -

One human leaned forward. - We really do. Are there more individuals like yourself? -

- Maybe, - Lumoof answered.

The human councilor looked at the rest, as if waiting for something. The lizardman councilor nodded and spoke. - At this point, we need everything we can get. If there are no objections, I�ll do the walkthrough. -

We listened as the council - lizardperson explained that the demons arrived sixteen years ago, and the heroes went to defeat the demon king. At first, to the people of this world, it was business as usual. But the heroes that went to defeat the demon king did not do so, and it seemed like all news of the heroes had since vanished.

The demons then resumed their expansion, and the entire world turned into a battlefield.

Their priests attempted to divine the nature of what occurred, and they discovered that the heroes were defeated and almost all of them killed. Except two, who were somehow captured by the demon king. Captured, and not killed, so no new heroes were summoned to the world.

At that point, I suddenly wondered what would happen if Alexis was never killed.

This world was one with many high mountains and mountain passes, so most kingdoms and nations had easily defended chokepoints. Thankfully, the demons did not have many flight - capable creatures, and even their demon generals were only able to fly a short distance.

Thus, for the whole of the last decade and more, it was a continuous and never - ending battle against the demonic armies. The world�s nations stopped fighting, as every combat - talented person was drafted to join and defend the world against the demonic armies.

- What of the demon king? - Lumoof asked.

- The demon king appears to be a large, stationary castle. -

Lumoof cursed. - It�s Sabnoc again. -

- Sabnoc? -

- We had a demon king that created these demonic armies. It was called Sabnoc. -

- Hmm, this demon king is called Akkila. -

- How do you respond to champion - class demons? - Lumoof then asked.

- Our relics. The hero items. The joint command of elite forces handle these items and move them to where the champions are sighted. -

- Ah. - There�s a regional joint command that moved these things around to help push the demon champions back. - The hero - items need time to recharge. -

The councilors nodded. - Yes. So over time, we still lose ground. The demons can outnumber us and field champions repeatedly. Our warriors can gain levels, and we do have strong elites from those who survived multiple battles, but it�s a balance that�s not in our favor. -

Lumoof nodded. - So everyone who can fight fights. -

- Yes. Our old luxuries had to cease. There really was no other way. Our people must fight, make items to support the war effort, or produce food and supplies. -

One councilor interjected, - Are you able to bring us to your world? -

- Are you thinking of leaving already? - Another councilor immediately stood up.

Lumoof smirked. - There are demon kings in our world, too. -

That same councilor paled. - Surely with powerful individuals like yourself? -

- All it takes is one demon king with the right skill sets and we�re still doomed. - Lumoof didn�t let him finish.

The entire war council nodded in agreement. The human continued. - We must report your presence to the joint command. -

Lumoof thought about it for a moment. - What if I just decide to go back? -

The human immediately paused, and he prostrated on the ground. - Please. Please help us. Our people have been fighting this war for a decade, and there�s no end to it. We need hope. Something to buy us time. -

- Buying time for what? - Lumoof asked. A miracle, probably.

The councilman did not answer immediately. - Buy time for us to live a bit longer. -

The general, too, immediately knelt. - Please, Lord Lumoof. Your presence and abilities on the battlefield would help us greatly. -

Lumoof sighed, and I could sense the dilemma in his heart. - It is not what I am here for. -

- We�ll give you anything you want. -

- Tell me, is there a place where the planet�s core is exposed? -

The councilors shook their heads at first and then immediately nodded. Lumoof could tell they were lying. Desperation. Exhaustion.

Lumoof looked at Ebon. - Well, let�s leave this for later. I�m tired from that battle, and we need a place to rest. -

One of the councilors immediately ran out to make arrangements, and they were given the finest rooms they could manage. It was clear it had not been used or cleaned for months before this. Walking through the streets, everyone was focused on war, but the exhaustion and sense of despair was clear.

Lumoof sat and asked Ebon, - What do you think? -

- We should help. These people look like they need it. Way more than we do. -

I thought back to the Canari people. I helped them, too, and now that I had the power, maybe I shouldn�t be so selfish. I didn�t have to take the demon king, either.

All we needed to do was find the captured heroes and free them.

Or kill them, if we couldn�t.

YEAR 204 (PART 2)

Ebon, as a knight, felt strongly about helping these people. As for me, I didn�t want to take ownership of this conflict and expand my already growing plate. I didn�t want to play the role of another world�s peacekeeper, too.

Still, I did agree that we could have a limited scope of assistance, something more focused. We could either free the heroes or, failing that, kill them, such that the cycle of reincarnating heroes may continue.

As it was, I had at least thirty to fifty individuals like Ebon in the level one hundred category, and this really was another battlefield. Letting them fight another war on another world could help them experience things and prepare them for the coming invasion of the demon world.

Despite my reluctance to assist, Lumoof and some of my Valthorns felt we had the capacity to do more. After the badly handled disaster that was the crystal king, this was our other world left, and Lumoof felt we should try to make allies on this world.

If we help now, we come as saviors. Allies.

These opinions can shift quickly, and I wasn�t sure what was the political, social and religious sentiment on the ground. A wider scope of assistance may also face pushback, and as the crystal king said, we would be occupiers.

Maybe he wasn�t that wrong, after all. If the purpose of allies was as a backup if our world fell, we would retreat here as refugees. Eventually, though, we would also transform into occupiers, demanding some of these lands as our own.

Politics was hard. I�d rather just fight demons.

After a day�s rest, Lumoof and Ebon returned to face the council, and Lumoof immediately asked for information on the heroes and where they were captured.

Lumoof could see their eyes light up, excited at the prospect of our assistance.

In truth, they couldn�t help. This was a border city, a fortress that faced the demon hordes. The information on the heroes and on such grander strategic matters were all deeper in their - protected - hinterlands.

So they proposed to send two messengers, carrying scrolls written by the council, to guide and accompany us to one of their greater cities that still stood. It would be a two - week journey by horse, but Lumoof shook his head at the council.

- Then let�s use teleportation scrolls. Let not waste time. -

The councilors were horrified at the suggestion. - We mean no offense, Lord Lumoof, but we cannot afford to use scrolls. Teleportation scrolls are only for our elite forces to move to places under heavy attack. -

That was a sensible use of teleportation.

Lumoof coughed. - Sorry, I mean, I have greater teleportation scrolls. I just need some of you to come with me and link me with the right person. My scroll can carry five. I just need one of you who has been to that city to update the location. -

Teleportation scrolls from our world relied on the mana - pathways in the sky, the same way message spells worked. These teleportation scrolls were a step further and could use direct coordinate input, but it needed some tweaking.

- Oh. - One lizardperson and one human stood. - Then we will go with you. -

One of the councilors was a mage, and he stared at the scroll for a moment. - These are really interesting teleportation runes. -

Lumoof coughed again. - Shall we? -

- Ah yes. -

Lumoof and Ebon landed in a large teleportation platform in their magical capital, and when we arrived, we were greeted by an army, ready for war.

There were three relatively high - level soldiers. One was a naga, and the other two were lizardpeople with quite good equipment, their spears and axes up and ready to strike. - Councilman! Explain this unauthorized use of teleportation! -

- Stand down! We sent a message earlier! We are sending VIPs over! - the councilman said.

The high - leveled naga seemed to be a magic - swordsman, judging from the three magic swords he wielded. The naga immediately shouted through its helmet. - The capital has not agreed to your request! The protocol states any use of teleportation must be centrally approved! -

- These two here possessed their own teleportation scroll! Surely that protocol does not apply! -

Lumoof sighed, and then a wave of his power flooded the entire area. - My name is Lumoof, and this is my guard, Ebon. We are otherworldly visitors, ambassadors of our divine protector, A/ . We�ve come to speak to your mages and your priests and discover what has interfered with the usual cycle of hero - summons. I do not wish to fight, but I can, if I have to. -

The magic swordsman and the rest of the soldiers buckled, just a little, but the difference of power was clear, and when the naga sheathed his swords, the rest did, too. - . very well. -

Lumoof looked at him briefly, estimated he was probably around level eighty - five, and would give Lozanna a run for her money. These were folks that fought many battles over the decades and had gained levels as a result. Lumoof nodded. - Thank you. Now let us see how we may aid this long conflict. -

The level - eighty - five barrier could be surpassed, by sheer force of will, but most mortals would never get there, even if they reached level eighty - five.

The barrier was a cruel one. I didn�t see why the world had such a silly level limiter. It denied the world of their opportunity to save itself, even when these folks clearly, if they leveled enough, had the chance to do so or at least force the demons to a state of weakness.

Lumoof offered a counterpoint. - In any system that rewards killing to gain levels, those who gain the levels will be those who killed the most. I would think if such powers were not limited in some way, the world would naturally die from its inhabitants killing each other in the pursuit of more power. -

That didn�t explain dragons, of course. Or why dragons were counterbalanced by their need for huge amounts of rest and sleep that they never actually managed to kill that many people.

Lumoof and Ebon were escorted from the teleportation gates and out to the world. Their magical capital was filled with towers, but they were all shaped for war. There were clearly multiple magical defensive artifacts active, and we could feel their magical energies bouncing off Lumoof�s domain.

We looked up and saw at least three layers of magical shields. Each of these shields were quite weak on their own, but with three, they were a reasonably good defense, even if inferior to my wooden shields.

Everyone was armed, except the children, and there were weapons hung and placed all over many parts of the streets. There were also many children. Actually, come to think of it, there were really a lot of children back in the border city, too.

- What�s with all the children? - Lumoof asked, and the councilman that accompanied us immediately answered. - Someone�s got to fight the wars, so we have many children. -

I couldn�t help but feel how insane that was.

- The Council of Kings combined their powers to create a continental edict, which means all our children grow up faster than normal, and everyone also gained more experience. About three to four times faster. It�s one of the few abilities that�s allowed us to hold on in this long battle. -

Ah. That made sense. Lumoof nodded in agreement and commented, - I�m impressed that the nations actually got their act together and responded to this threat coherently. -

Actually, that was really true. I remembered the nations back in Treehome treating the demon king as the heroes problem. But then again, these guys got lucky, too, that they got a stationary demon king that pumped out demons instead of the usual wandering, trigger - happy nuclear machine gun.

I liked this aspect of these people already. A sense of ownership for their lives, development of the necessary organizations and focus to defend themselves. It really further solidified my conclusion that I should not assist them excessively and focus on a narrow scope. Like a child learning to walk, I�d be doing them a disservice if I gave them the easy way out. Their bones would not be strong.

If anything, the right thing to do was to help them without them feeling indebted to me, even if I and Lumoof did want allies here.

The two forces of encouraging their independence and self - reliance versus helping them and earning their gratitude battled in my mind. I didn�t want to contribute a data point toward the argument that their problems would be solved by outside help. I�d seen enough of that in my world, and it was irritating.

I knew the knights and priests would generally prefer to provide aid where able. It was how they were trained and raised in the Central Continent.

The lizard councilperson frowned. - Well, it took two continents to fall under complete demonic rule and tens of millions of dead citizens across thousands of fallen kingdoms for us to get our act together. If anything, this war - alliance was written in the blood and bones of the dead. -

Lumoof nodded. - I see. -

The group arrived at a massive temple that was clean, and as we looked around, there seemed to be a lot of students, all in robes. - Junior priests. We need healers on the front lines, and we are mass - training. -

Lumoof was visibly disturbed at how familiar it was. - I must say, I can�t imagine sending such freshly trained junior priests to the front lines. - As I saw through him, I saw him imagine the young students of the School of Treeology on the front lines, dying to the demons.

- They will level and grow. -

- Many won�t survive. -

- But those that do will carry the torch. Such is war. -

- It is horrific, indeed, - Lumoof said. We�d seen our own horrible wars. The recent parasite war had been horrifying.

Three heavily armed priests appeared. They had large shields on their backs and magically enchanted war - maces. - Councilperson. Is this the guest? -

The lizard gave them a nod. - Yes. This is Lord Lumoof, Ambassador of A/ . -

The war - priests motioned Lumoof to follow them into the temples. - Come. The high priest will see you. -

The temple�s inner grounds were clean and spartan. There were gems and gold once, but most of them had been stripped out. The sound of chants and prayer songs filled the halls, and despite it being to another god, Lumoof found it calming and could not help but ask. - Which god do you pray to? -

- Tharaz. The God of Perseverance. -

Lumoof just nodded and walked behind them and soon arrived at a room on the highest floor. Once more, it was probably once a heavily decorated room, but now it was empty. The shelves were all bare. What was left were a few paintings and some writings.

They got to the point immediately. - High Priest, these two claims to be from another world and ask for information on the heroes. -

The high priest glared at Lumoof but then quickly smiled. - That�s a bold claim. -

Lumoof laughed. - It is, isn�t it? -

- Can you prove it? -

- Yes, of course. - Lumoof�s aura gently filled the room, and the high priest paled.

- . I see. - The high priest and Lumoof sat down. Ebon sat at another chair to the side. - Before that. are there really other worlds? -

- Yes. -

- How�d you get here? Scripture and the gods said only they could do it. -

Lumoof frowned at the words but realized he could twist it. - It�s not exactly wrong. I would say A/ , my god and my benefactor, is the one who sent me here. -

- Huh, but doesn�t that make you a hero? -

- No. We�re. different. A/ is a relatively new god. The old gods are those that summon heroes to your world and to mine. We don�t get the hero - type powers. -

- But you feel strong. -

- It�s complicated and not something I can share, - Lumoof said. - Now, tell me about the heroes. -

The high priest sighed. - Very well. Truth is what we have was quite vague. We have this hero - item that can locate the hero, and all we have is a location. We know they are alive because the hero - item still works, but the fact that they didn�t move suggests that they were either captured or unconscious or some degree of both. -

- A location? Was anything done to rescue them? -

- Well, no, - the high priest said with embarrassment.

- Then? -

- Our data is already out of date. The last time we used it was eight years ago. The item ran out of the hero�s mana a while ago, so we don�t even know whether it�s in the right place or whether the hero had moved. We didn�t dare to send anyone to that location with our poor information, and the demon king�s magical structures interfered with all our magical scrying and teleportation abilities. -

Lumoof nodded and realized this part could be relatively easy to solve. - Can we get access to it? -

- It�s considered one of our most prized possessions, even if it�s unpowered. It would need the approval of the Council of Kings and Grand Marshals. But why? -

- Can you get it? -

The high priest stared. - What are you really saying? -

- We may be able to recharge it. -

- How? -

- We have access to the hero�s mana. A small bit, at least. -

The high priest�s eyes widened in shock. - You are not lying? -

- No. -

The high priest paused. - But. wait. -

- You need to gather your strongest men. All those level eighties and above. We will provide assistance and cover, but the rescue will be done by your forces, - Lumoof said. He understood that I preferred that these guys help themselves.

- But that would leave some of our cities unprotected. -

Lumoof looked at Ebon.

The high priest sighed. - I will have to raise this to the council. Once we recharge the item, we can decide on the next course of action. -

- Good. -

We were still working on our star mana bombs, and the fact that the demon king of this was stationary raised some interesting questions.

- If it�s stationary, why don�t we throw a wide range of bombs at it? - Alka had been working on bombs so much that he pretty much joked that his first course of action was to bomb them. It was only half a joke.

That said, the demon king could just - pretend - that it was stationary. All the previous demon kings that resembled actual castles could float, fly, and move like giant walkers. The current stationary appearance may well be a ruse, or maybe it was just waiting for the heroes.

- If we don�t try, we don�t know. -

- Do we really want to trigger an escalation of conflict? Like, this seems to be a rather uncomfortable but stable state for the world, - I said frankly, again. - Attacking the demon king may jolt it out of its current stationary state and cause it to attack the kingdoms directly. Then it becomes our conflict, because we caused it. Worse if we can�t rescue the heroes. -

It was very easy to stray from our goals. As persons in power, we were frequently petitioned to assist with many things, with very convincing arguments.

I looked at my objectives. I wanted core mana, and my adventure to this mountainous world was to find core mana. As a secondary goal, we would try to make some friends and allies, so that we had somewhere to fall back to, like a backup.

Yet, at the same time, I also realized they had a good thing going for them, and that was their scrappy temperament, perseverance, self - reliance, and sense of ownership. I didn�t want to snuff that out by playing the role of the outworld helper, even if I knew this path would probably mean more deaths for their world. Once lost, it was hard to get it back without even more deaths.

At the same time, I recognized that I had some self - interest in protecting this world, because since they were so close to me, that meant if they fell to the demons, we could be invaded by the demons more often. This was just my speculation, because Stella�s view was that it didn�t work like that. The demons seemed to ignore distance when choosing their targets, because their choice of targets seemed random.

Each world led to other worlds, and Stella was keen to visit the Threeworlds and Mountainworld for herself again and see whether there were other worlds within the range of these worlds.

Anyway, another secondary goal was to look for creatures and powers like myself and make allies.

There was a lot we could do with power. Using them correctly was a far more difficult question. Against these goals, I also posed the questions to my allies.

- As a knight, I would help where I am able. But I do see your point, so perhaps we can come in as a defender of last resort, - Edna said. - We should be invisible, such that they do not count on our help. -

- Are you willing to take over this conflict for them? - Roon disagreed. - I think we may be overstretching ourselves. We haven�t even really secured our world, and here we are trying to send forces to the other world. We�re also waging a war on the parasite world and plan to invade a demon world. We should save our forces. -

- With Stella and A/ �s ability to teleport us back and forth, we�re not really overstretching, - Edna argued. - And stretching isn�t really fair because, well, we gain levels from all of this. -

- The question is simple to me. If there�s a demon on our world and a demon on theirs at the same time, where do we fight? The answer is clearly here, because this is our home. That�s not our home, and it�s not our battle, - Roon countered. - If we accept responsibility for one, are we eventually accepting it for all? -

- I agree that home is where we should protect. - Edna nodded. - But that does make our world�s lives more valuable than theirs, doesn�t it? We have capacity. Many of our level one hundreds are just clearing dungeons. -

- It is a fact that our world is more valuable. They are unfortunate that they do not have an A/ . So it is even more important that their own people rise to the occasion, - Roon countered. - We�ve seen that a child born in the Central Continent grows up stronger than most in the other continents, and this sort of luck is true across worlds, too. -

- They are level - limited. They can�t, even if they want to, - Edna responded. - But A/ could. -

- It is a limited resource, but not that limited. I would be willing to give a few if they are worthy, - I responded. I still had a few in stockpile. It wasn�t even an instant win, because I�d seen my guys who�d gotten the soul seed but never actually did much. I also liked that this was in line with helping them help themselves and did not involve putting my people on the line. - But I�ll need Lumoof to get to know them better before giving them such an item. The last thing I�d want is to empower someone who�d go against me. -

Edna smiled. - Even if you give ten of them seeds, they�re a long way from being able to stand against you, A/ . It took us decades of constant grinding to get both Roon and Johann to the domain - tier. I think that�s not something to be worried about. Not in the next half - century. -

That was true.

Even if they did turn against me, so what? They couldn�t travel worlds. Our home base was safe.

So I could help, with very little losses, all the upside with very few downsides. If it went well, we�d get some friendly parties. If it didn�t, no major harm done.

YEAR 205

It took a while, and a lot of discussions over at the so - called Council of Kings, and a few actual meetings with Lumoof, before they even allowed Lumoof to see the item for himself. Stella couldn�t teleport the heroes, because their star - mana opposed the void mana too strongly. Not like me, where the star mana I possessed was relatively tiny, but it didn�t matter.

The object itself was a large, circular, metal disk with many rings. It looked like an ancient feng shui compass, only with a clear glass center. It was created six centuries ago by an archmage hero, and over time, its mana had been exhausted. It was clearly made only to accept star mana, not like the hero - items that were made to accept normal mana.

Lumoof was flanked by ten of their strongest fighters: some mages, some archers, and some knights. It was just security theater, really.

There was nothing they could do if we tried anything.

Lumoof touched the disk, and my avatar descended. All that were present felt my oppressive presence fill the room and the entire building.

I channeled my meager three hundred star mana into the disk, and the disk clearly started to glow. It was thirsty. It was a really greedy disk.

- Hmm. - Lumoof mused. - It still needs more. -

So I had to borrow. Prabu gladly volunteered. I wrapped my vines around his body, and he sent his star mana into my body. I weaved it through myself and through the avatar into the disk.

The disk glowed, and this time, it was enough. Lumoof felt uncomfortable, though.

The clear glass turned murky and swirled like a witch�s cauldron, and then it revealed a location and a vision to all that was present.

The heroes were possessed, one resembled a giant demon knight, and another was inside a demonic cage. Their location was not far from the demon king, too.

- Well. There you have it. The heroes, - Lumoof answered as my presence faded away. - Are you ready to free them? -

Lumoof sat in their magical archives; there were just a few mages here. These archives used to have hundreds of mages, all pouring over where to push their magic. These days, every single mage was working in the workshops, making weapons, or fighting in the battlefields.

- Not here. - Lumoof sighed. Our quest for core mana in this new world was fruitless. Not here, not Threeworlds. It seemed that we would need Stella here if we wanted to find somewhere else with core mana.

- Is this core so important? - one of the local dwarven mages asked. She had been tasked to attend to Lumoof�s queries.

Lumoof nodded. They had relatively good maps, at least from a decade or two ago, before the demons invaded. I felt like I was missing something.

Why was there a stationary demon king? It wasn�t the first time the demon king had been stationary, but. why?

Sometime later, Lumoof and Ebon met the group gathered for the mission of rescuing the heroes.

They were all level eighties, the highest among them level eighty - seven, a dwarven magical maceman of some kind. He was the stereotypical dwarf, with a grumpy attitude. Because of how extensive and long the war was, there were about fifty of them around level eighty, but only about twenty would join the mission.

The initial concept was a small, dedicated strike team.

- Are you the upstart who called us here? - the dwarf said.

Ebon hid his aura well and shook his head. - That would be my superior, Lord Lumoof. This idea of rescuing the heroes was our benefactor�s suggestion. -

Lumoof smiled at the dwarf, and the dwarf walked closer to Ebon and sniffed. He returned the smile afterward. - Well, at least we�re dealing with guys who can put their lives on the line. - Ebon shrugged as they activated the fully - recharged hero - item. A group of mages explained the location of the possessed heroes.

- We�ll do the rescue? - the group asked. - Against possessed heroes? -

- Yes, - the local archmages said. - Our current situation has been a stalemate for too long. -

- But then our defenses? Who will handle it, then? -

- The rest of us will have to just hold out. -

One of the lizardpeople looked at Ebon and Lumoof. - What if this is just a trap to weaken us? If all of us die, we just lost twenty of our strongest fighters. These guys are from another world, and maybe they are here to invade us. -

The dwarf nodded. - Exactly. Since they are suggesting it, shouldn�t they help us out? Not just that, how are we expected to deal with the possessed heroes? We can�t just kill them, right? We need the heroes alive. Somehow. -

- We certainly have no intention of anyone dying on this mission. We will go with you, though our role will be minimal or only where your team does not have the capability. Are there any strong priests who are good with high - level exorcisms? - Lumoof answered.

There was a collective head - shake. - Our strongest priests are heavy healers and buffers. Exorcism isn�t something we have to deal with. -

- In that case, if there are no further objections, I would like to handle the exorcism of the heroes. I would need the help of everyone present to keep the rest of the demons at bay and weaken the possessed heroes. -

- So we�re bodyguards, - one of them answered.

- Perhaps. - Lumoof smiled. - Ebon will stay back and support the defense, if there are any particularly strong attacks during this period. -

- One person is not sufficient. -

- Across all the theaters of battle, certainly. But if there are any huge threats, he is more than sufficient. -

The plan was relatively simple. A small group would teleport as close as possible, then rush for the possessed heroes. The hero - item confirmed that the heroes were still in the same location, and twenty - two level eighties and an assortment of level fifties from their various armies joined the force, mainly as support.

Level eighties put them in the same category as Lozanna , so twenty - two of them were a very decent fighting force. This group could take down demon champions easily, even without the hero - items.

Some of them had anti - demon abilities, too, thanks to the decade - long endless conflict. The system favored conflict and awarded those who struggled really long against it.

Lumoof had to just tag along and follow the group as they pushed through the demon territory. Not all of it was occupied; after all, these type of army - demons favored ley lines as their bases. Where there were no ley lines, these places were sparsely guarded, even if there were regular demonic patrols.

The only reason the locals hadn�t taken these territories back was because of how vulnerable their location was to the demons from the nearby demon bases.

- You said you were from another world, - the group asked as they made their way to their first rest spot. - How? -

- My patron has a way of opening portals to another world. This world is just in the same neighborhood. -

- How is it there? -

- From what I can see, we�re very similar. We also have regular demonic attacks, but we�ve not had a situation like this, - Lumoof answered.

- I always thought heroes could never be possessed by demons, - one of the mages on the trip said as they discussed the idea of a possessed demon. - Guess what the temples tell us isn�t always true. -

Lumoof laughed. - Honestly, they don�t know any better. The gods don�t exactly communicate much. -

- But yours does. -

- Well. that�s because my patron is a rising native god. A/ lives on our world, and A/ gets stronger over time. Have you spoken to your gods? -

All of them shook their heads, and I was secretly impressed by Lumoof�s clever sowing of doubt. - How powerful is A/ ? -

Lumoof grinned at the question. - I�m sure anyone here knows that power isn�t so simple to explain, especially with the way classes work at high levels. In A/ �s field of mastery, I would say A/ is unparalleled, just like how I�m very good at what I do in my field. My companions are similarly powerful in their chosen field. Power isn�t a linear scale. -

They nodded in agreement. One of the knights present couldn�t help but ask, - Sir Lumoof, may I ask. what level are you? -

Lumoof smiled as they took the bait. - More than level one hundred. -

There was a collective gasp. - How? We all stagnant in our level eighties. -

The dwarf rolled his eyes. - You don�t really need us to protect you. -

Lumoof didn�t respond to the dwarf and instead looked at the rest. - The system limits most of us to the level eighties, and only a rare few can break through with incredible force of will. But my patron, A/ , is a Spirit Tree, a master of souls and spirit. -

We had their attention.

- And he has a special fruit that can break through the limitations of our souls so that we can ascend even higher. -

There was a collective silence as they digested the statement. The dwarf asked, - Ebon. That knight of yours. He�s level one hundred, too? -

Lumoof nodded. We would rest in this quiet mountain for an hour.

- Do you still need the heroes? -

- Yes, - Lumoof answered without a doubt. - Even with our levels, the gap between us and the heroes is incredible. Even my patron, A/ , cannot stand against the demon king alone. We still need the heroes. -

For now.

The group present digested Lumoof�s words, but eventually one of them approached Lumoof during the break. - How do we get that fruit? -

Lumoof shrugged. - It is A/ �s to give, not my decision. -

- Can we have an audience somehow? - Greed. Lumoof sensed it. A lust for power. Lumoof smiled and shrugged again.

- Perhaps. -

That started a torrent of inquiries as the others all asked for it. They all believed they could go further. Lumoof just nodded, shrugged, and repeated that it was not his to give.

But Lumoof�s abilities as a priest allowed him to measure the weight of each of their personalities, and he concluded that only three persons may be worthy: the dwarf, one of the knights, and one of the rangers.

Rest time was over, and the group continued. We met more demons, but the group was strong enough that they crushed them easily. Only champions would really delay them, especially a small group like this.

In a large - scale war, it was very easy to attack, especially with a small, highly powerful mobile force, but very hard to defend when the attacks could come from anywhere. It was this observation that led to the plan to attack the demon worlds preemptively.

Offense was focused. Defense was spread out. The sheer speed with which the group cut through the demon�s territory and toward the possessed heroes was evidence.

The group arrived at the possessed heroes supposed location within two days. There were just one demon champion there, and a horde of the regular mobs. Easy pickings for the group.

Of the two heroes, only one was able to fight, and even so, they couldn�t use the hero�s powers, only a limited range of abilities, derived from demonic mana from the possessing demon. The giant demon knight fought the group, but the group of twenty - two level eighties outnumbered them.

Lumoof stayed back and watched. He did use a blessing or two to help those in trouble, but this was their fight.

The champion was slain, and the demon knight - hero was quickly defeated.

One of the mages blasted the ground, and we soon found the cage. It was a massive demon, and the hero was wrapped in tentacles and demonic organs.

- All right. This is where we step in. - Lumoof nodded, and he moved toward the cage. The living demonic cage wriggled as it attempted to defend itself. Lumoof merely placed both of his palms on the demonic cage itself, and then my Avatar descended.

My presence instantly caused the demons around us to freeze, and their movements slowed to almost a halt. The wriggling cage whimpered, and my mana pumped through the Lumoof�s body.

The demon knight also wriggled and struggled, but with my demonic suppression aura, the mages quickly disabled it in a cage of magic.

It wasn�t hard to flood the demonic cage with my mana; this was easier than the demon king by a mile. My mana pumped through cage, and within ten minutes, I felt the demonic cage itself transform.

The cage wriggled and shrank into a small wooden chest.

Natural Mana Overwhelming has assimilated the demonic hero - cage mimic. Demonic Hero - Cage Mimic transformed into a Tree - Cage - Mimic.

The hero trapped within collapsed, pale, unconscious but alive. A shot of healing later, color returned to his face, but he still needed to rest. - Take care of him. Let me deal with the other one. -

The wooden chest jumped onto Lumoof�s back. The group of fighters present stared. - That? -

- Oh, ignore it. It�s part of my patron�s powers. -

Lumoof walked to the weakened demon knight. The effects of my aura essentially meant it was quite weak. I wondered whether I could�ve saved Alexis back then if I had the strength I had now. I probably could.

Funny how things repeated themselves. I supposed when one lived for so long, one couldn�t help but notice the way things repeated, just in different iterations and forms.

Lumoof touched the demon knight at the head. It struggled but was disabled by the power of my aura and the spells of the mages.

Again, we flooded it with my mana, and the giant demon knight shook violently. This one refused to be assimilated, and rather than let my mana overwhelm it, it attempted to kill the hero within. But my mana had already flooded every bit of its body, and I quickly protected the hero.

The demon knight exploded to reveal an unconscious young human girl within. We also healed her, and it was time to get out.

Getting out was easy. A small group was incredibly mobile.

The demons did not launch any large - scale attack during the time, which was rather strange. Ebon didn�t even have to fight during the three days.

The heroes regained consciousness on the second day but remained groggy and were rather zoned out. They were already fully healed physically, but their star mana took some time to restore itself, and their souls were weakened from the prolonged possession.

Everyone gave them space to recover. They were teenagers, thrust into the role of a hero by gods that treated them like disposable tools.

Once we reached the city, the two heroes were in better shape and began to talk about their fight. They were essentially underleveled. Their entire party was only in their level eighties because they didn�t farm enough demon champions. This demon king didn�t produce that many champions in the first place, preferring massive armies. But these individually weak massive armies didn�t help them level.

So when they got to the demon king, the demon king easily overwhelmed them and consumed them. It killed the rest and captured the two of them.

From what the heroes shared, I realized that the demon king may have a certain range of demon-creation abilities, as they could create these demonic cages and the possession demon. That meant the demon king was essentially the tactical mind behind the entire demonic invasion, even if some of it was delegated to the stronger demons.

With the heroes returned, there was a sense of excitement in the councils. The heroes were still compelled by their hero class to defeat the demons, and they seemed eager to return to the field within two weeks of their freedom.

- They really are children, - Lumoof said. - I felt it only a bit with Prabu and the rest, but these two really felt like children to me. -

- Teenagers. -

- Still children. - Lumoof sighed. - Such great responsibilities in the hands of the young, and there�s not a trace of guilt among the kings for letting them do it. -

Defeating the demons didn�t gain levels, sadly.

Thanks to the success of the rescue mission, the Council of Kings had increased trust in Lumoof and Ebon, and we were given access to many parts of the civilized worlds. The heroes, of course, realized their mistake and went about farming demon champions. With the heroes returning to the battle with their heroic powers, they made noticeable gains against the demons within months.

We were given a small escort, and we visited many of their cities and temples and, more importantly, places where we suspected may have things of value.

We found one soon enough, practically hiding in plain sight. In the center of one of the largest cities, there was a massive park with an ancient tree. Thanks to the war, there wasn�t much maintaining it.

The rest of the park was an overgrown mess, but we sensed it the moment we were in the city. We headed there immediately. Lumoof looked at the overgrown park, and we gradually made our way in. We didn�t cut any of the trees or vines, but we felt the pulsing presence of something smaller.

A tree spirit, like myself.

Smaller, and not yet a domain holder, because Lumoof instantly detected it wasn�t very high level. Only about level eighty, despite its extremely old age.

- Greetings, - Lumoof said.

There was no response, and Lumoof got closer and placed his hand on the tree�s trunk. In an instant, I felt a mental connection.

Greetings, I said through Lumoof.

I was instantly flooded with images.

Greetings. It sounded old, like a very tired grandmother.

I am A/ , a tree spirit from another world, and Lumoof is my avatar.

Well met, A/ and Lumoof. I am Tgtherian, a tree spirit.

Yes. It is always pleasant to meet another of my kind, I said. Generally tree spirits had been. nice.

Ah. Our kind are few. Many trees are cut down before our consciousness can fully form. I reckoned it took centuries for that to happen. A soul only took root in a tree after a certain size and age.

Tgtherian didn�t know much. She was about eighteen hundred years old, but it spent most of that time in this park, from a small sapling, and she gained consciousness and awareness about fifteen hundred years ago. She leveled slowly, even though she offered familiars to druids, shamans, and rangers. She didn�t have the hero fragments supercharging her experience.

Because she was relatively - young, - she didn�t remember about the Will of the World or any other such things.

A shame, but I supposed I couldn�t expect every spirit I met to be as powerful as me. Many would be below level one hundred.

Now that I met another tree spirit, I wasn�t sure what I was about to do with it. I decided to just leave her alone for now.

Stella continued to experiment with the rift gates with Alka. Alka already made his first prototype star - mana bomb, and he came with a rather interesting idea.

- A/ , do you think you can fuse a soul with the bomb? -

- You want to make a sentient bomb? -

- Yes. Our theory is that souls can reduce the decay from storing star mana or void mana. But I�m also interested in whether it can function as a regulator of the star mana, if the storage function is handled by the hero - item. -

Prabu made it with the hero forge , but Alka wanted to see whether there was potential for hero - made items and souls to coexist together. Hero - made items didn�t leak star mana that much, due to some unknown mechanism, so Alka wanted to inject a soul within it to examine how that worked.

It didn�t work. The hero - item rejected my attempts of inserting an artificial mind into it. - Nope. -

- Darn. -

It would be quite overpowered if it could.

On the parasite demon world, we started deployment of my newly developed treechikomas, version one. That was the name I gave for the walking tree - labs that were a hybrid between a demon walker, a beetle, and a lab, invented, or really modified, from a demon walker - base - courtesy of my Tree of Life�s evolutionary powers.

Treechis, for short.

The Treechis, each of them with their own artificial minds, were assigned to scan and examine the demonworld in more detail, with more - active - and - live - testing with their ability to directly perform tests.

The Treechis each had a different type of lab on their back, were each about the size of a small car, and worked in teams of five. They would test the soil, test the mana, and perform examinations in contested territories.

For now, they didn�t produce any spectacularly groundbreaking findings, but all the little bits of new data helped push my knowledge of the demon world and supported our researchers out in the fields.

Along with the Treechis, we also began experimenting with specialization of the Treefolks and Lizardpeople of the Central Continent, through thematic use of my new evolutionary - inherited skill powers.

Our goal was to create natural - born, - skill - engineered - specialists, even if it did feel like I was robbing these guys of - choice. - Like, what if a Treefolk who was born with a natural skillset for healing and defense wanted to be a fighter? Or a lizardperson who inherited a bunch of spear skills wanted to be an archer?

Then again, that was how it was in our world, too. Not everyone had the physique to excel at certain kinds of activity.

Oh well. For now, the treefolks seemed all right with the inserted skill - experimentation. I started with simple skills harvested from some fallen paladins and knights, such as Demonic Resistance , and skills from some of the rangers, such as Strength . I wanted to see the implications of having inherited skills in young babies and how they manifested.

I didn�t want super - powered little babies killing their caretakers.

YEAR 206

Lumoof announced their plan to return to the others, and strangely, they asked to watch his return. We consented, since, well, there was no real risk. It wasn�t as if they could replicate it anyway.

Or maybe they could if they had some kind of hero artifact with spell - copying abilities, but I highly doubted it.

In any case, trying to get Stella to open a portal where we wanted her to was actually quite hard. One of the methods we found to help Stella find where to place the portal was to connect her to me and, via dream academy , share Lumoof�s location to her. It enabled highly accurate portals across worlds, but only around individuals I could sense, like Lumoof and the Valthorns. It was also slow, because the process of sharing the location took a while.

She described that each world was centered around the planet�s core. Not the star or the sun, but the planetary core. So a portal�s position was calculated relative to the core, and the core itself had a bubble that protected it from portals or any spells.

Anyway, the portal of void opened in the chambers. Everyone gasped as they saw a portal materialize out of nowhere. The heroes were busy hunting demons, and they didn�t come.

From what we understood, they were about level one hundred now; it took a while for them to regain their pace. They�d been asleep and weak for so long that even though they wanted to fight the demons as a result of their compulsion, their bodies struggled.

- Will you be back? - one of the dwarven strategists asked.

- With the heroes back in action. maybe not. Unless the heroes need our help to take on the demon king. -

- They did say they would appreciate the help. -

- Then I�ll see what I can do. But for now, duties back home require my urgent attention. - Lumoof gave everyone watching a wave, and they stepped through it.

- Lady Lozanna , free to talk? - Prabu and Ken approached her one day after her class at the Valtorn Academy. Lozanna �s role in the Valthorns had declined significantly, and she had quite fully transitioned to the role of an administrator and trainer, a bit like what Yura did for her.

- Ah. Yes. - They met at one of the many cafes along the streets of Freshka. - Is this confidential? -

- Quite. -

Lozanna nodded and took out one of the standard privacy artifacts given to all Valthorns. It created a small bubble of magic around them that blocked sound. But it didn�t block me. Because a little bit of my roots were inside the bubble.

- We�re thinking of pitching an idea to A/ and Stella, and we want your thoughts on what you think A/ will think. -

Lozanna laughed. Lozanna , Laufen, and Yvon were all sought after, even as their roles had changed. They were the go - to persons for the pre - pitch assessment. Essentially, the equivalent of having someone who had a lot of experience looking through their resume. - Yes. That�s what I do in my spare time these days. So. Hit me with it. -

Ken coughed. - We�re thinking that A/ should start the equivalent of the multiverse League of Heroes. -

Lozanna stared and then coughed. - Sorry, I don�t understand. -

Ken paused as he realized Lozanna may not comprehend references. - So. Each habited, civilized world has their own heroes, and frequently, we are all stuck trying to fight each demon king by ourselves. -

Lozanna caught on immediately. - But A/ can consolidate all the power, so that you can hit the demons with the power of heroes from multiple worlds. -

Ken smacked the table. - Exactly! That�s what we want to pitch. This combined force can also function as a reclamation force to retake worlds lost to the demons. -

Prabu added, - Each demon king�s powerset is tailored differently, and the heroes�. Each of us have a different power meant to counter our generation�s demon king. So our responses to different types of demon kings are essentially less effective because our matchup sucks. But, if we get other heroes who are meant for different types of demon king, we could cover up for our shortfall. -

- Yes. Stella currently needs void mana for her portals, which means us heroes can�t use her methods. But A/ �s clone - body teleportation doesn�t need void mana, which means heroes could move through it. A/ can essentially be the tree that links all the heroes together. -

Lozanna nodded. - I think A/ would be keen to listen, but it does require friendly heroes. Heroes that can play by A/ �s rules. There are risks to it. I�m sure you are aware that A/ �s naturally cautious with you guys due to the powers you all have. -

Prabu nodded.

- A/ �s actions are also often misunderstood, as his perspective is very broadly zoomed out. A/ is probably not keen to play coordinator for heroes, so one of you must be willing to step up for that. -

Prabu nodded and looked at Ken. - Actually, I have just the candidate. The guy whose superpower is his knowledge of tropes. -

- Fuck that. - Ken looked back at Prabu.

- Lozanna has a point. It�s your idea. You have to manage it. You can�t just propose ideas and expect others to run it for you, - Prabu responded.

- What if these other heroes try to kill me? - Ken said. - I�m powerless! -

- That could be your advantage, really. It�s because you�re now outside this whole setup that you could be the manager! - Lozanna answered, and Prabu nodded along. - I do think it is a worthwhile setup and could serve to bring all these worlds closer. -

- . I�ll need to think about it. - Ken wasn�t keen on it.

But I quite liked the idea of a combined hero - force, but that essentially meant I had to invest my tree of clones in both Threeworlds and this mountainous world.

I liked that I had one tree on the moon, another on the demon world, and another one on the remnant cometworld drifting through the vast void sea. They felt strange and unique enough to deserve one of my clones.

Back home, the pathway to the next demon world was getting quite clear in our sky, and Stella was a little. excited. I wasn�t sure whether Alka�s research craze was spreading or if she was really thrilled by the prospects of visiting another world with the rift gate instead of her own powers.

The rift gates were tweaked to enable almost anyone to use them. At least, in theory, I should be able to dump an entire army of Valthorns on the demon worlds without the need to deploy my clone.

The army was tense, and we gathered what was nothing less than an invasion force, really. What the demons did to us, we would go full reverse uno and invade them first.

Our first victory condition was simple: capture or destroy the rift gates so that we could stop their ability to send mobs across the stars. It was the military equivalent of destroying their landing ships and aircrafts.

Our second victory condition, which was not so critical, was attempt to defeat the demon king on their home world. This would require deployment of my clone, since only through the clone could I send the heroes. But we had a debate whether to deploy my clone or not. My clone would significantly add combat strength to the demon world, but I wasn�t sure whether I could sustain battle on two demon worlds simultaneously.

Not yet, not until the mana from Parasiteworld recovered.

My team commented that if I was not there, then it made this battle far riskier. They did not have an exit plan. It was only this portal, and what if the demons interrupted it?

For those with my Court of the Deitree familiars, I could even summon them directly. But that was a very small contingent.

A point which I agreed with. I wasn�t sure whether I wanted to invest my clone on this other world. I was torn between deploying it on the two worlds or invading this world directly. Honestly, we also didn�t know for sure whether that - deep hole to the core - and the - tower of void mana - was something common across all the demon worlds.

As it was, Alka planned on the assumption that these towers were universal, that the mechanism of creating demon kings and the process of sending them across the stars were largely identical. Even if it didn�t work out, there were ways to abuse a star - mana bomb, and the technological knowledge from developing such weapons was useful.

Anyway, in the end, we decided that my clone would be deployed at the last minute, once we confirmed that it was possible to assault the demon king. We would choose a better location this time. Ideally next to the tower of void and the deep hole.

If all went well, then the heroes would join us for the battle against the demon king. If not, they would stay back on our world and watch the chaos unfurl.

All this knowledge was gradually uploaded to my tree of knowledge, the Registree. It had been growing since I�d gotten it almost sixty years ago.

The hope was that through knowledge accumulation, even if we lose Alka, we didn�t have to start from scratch.

That was the hope.

The good thing was the Registree wasn�t a limited tree, just a special type that I could make more of, so I made some extra copies on the moon. I couldn�t place it in the Cometworld Shard because there was no space.

In any case, deployment of my clone was optional. The team, naturally, had so many questions about an assault, and they raised good questions.

- How do we find the rift gates? - We couldn�t just blindly attack. They could be located all over the world of the demons, and there was no way we could hit all of them without proper intelligence. Especially since we were holding off my clone deployment until much later. That meant my own vision was out of the picture.

- What if it�s not hospitable on the other side and we die immediately when we reach it? - That was also a possibility but should not be difficult to solve. My familiars could create a small bubble of atmosphere with some mana - drain, essentially living astronaut suits.

On the rift gates, Stella thus started work on some kind of item that detected other rift gates by tapping into their void mana signature. Essentially, she made a compass that led to the nearest strongest source of void mana.

That was the best we could do at the moment. I would like to have a global view of the demon world, but that would be impossible without some kind of satellite constellation to map the demon world.

It wasn�t like the habited worlds where there were existing maps to use.

The skepticism and worry among the general forces were quite high, especially since I wasn�t taking the field myself with my trees.

But with all four of my domain holders taking the field, it shouldn�t be a problem. At least Roon and Johann should be able to provide significant intelligence data before a full - fledged assault.

Horns and Hytreerion fought many battles on the demon world. The boundaries of places controlled by my trees and those controlled by the demons fluctuated a lot as beetles and demons met on the battlefield. I controlled an area on the demon world that was slightly larger than the size of the Central Continent, and it was at the edges, where my influence was weak, that we saw all these changing borders.

Horns actually got destroyed a few times, but he was able to eject his artificial soul before destruction, and then I redeployed him in new bodies. It was a modification we made to his physical form, as he was really quite fragile when faced with demon champions that popped out with sufficient regularity.

My new treechikomas were busy, too, gathering more samples throughout the land.

It was a large place, even if most of it was empty, and it would take years to completely build a database of the magical energies and data of the land.

I could, in theory, deploy my lab - trees everywhere, but because such lab trees actually consumed mana, I would just make the mana - problem on Parasiteworld worse, and that would increase how long it took to regenerate my beetles.

I could wait decades for the mana of this world to recover, but I also didn�t want to wait that long.

In theory, if I could gain the mana of the Threeworlds and the Mountainworld, it was possible for it to spend more of that mana here.

Looking at it that way, it sure seemed like my moon base and my Cometworld deployment had a - mana - opportunity cost. - I lost the mana that could be generated by having a clone on these normal worlds in exchange for the novelty and exploratory aspects of the Cometworld, where I could travel to other worlds and see those other places, and for the security of the moon base.

Our treechikomas did find some good hints, though. There were certain rocks with metallic ores that seemed to retain a kind of mana layer, but that didn�t help us much in terms of identification of dates.

Our digs into the underground also didn�t reveal much.

I also started to wonder about the system again. There was a missing piece in the game. Something obvious that I wasn�t seeing or realizing.

So I took some time to do a bit more thinking and tried to understand what was the demon�s win condition. Let�s say the demon king won, the demon king defeated the heroes, and the heroes no longer came to the world.

Was that it and they won? The world would automagically turn into a demon world? Essentially, that question could be explained as what made a demon world. a demon world? Why did a normal world, perfectly able to spawn regular stuff before this, stop creating the normal monsters and stuff and start spawning demons?

The only one who saw a world lose was Snek. Lilies didn�t actually go through the full - loss. -

- I don�t really know? - Snek answered. - We lost our world to the demons, but we were so afraid that we spent our times running and hiding. -

- Wait, wait, wait. Do you know what happened to the demon king? -

- Not really. It was. there? - Snek answered. - But honestly we were just trying to survive in the underground tunnels that no one checked. -

- But do you have any idea whether the demon king left? -

- . maybe? We�re not sure, but I think it probably didn�t, because the world started to produce demons and probably other demon kings, too. But we were too far from such places to actually know. -

- Wait. - I had an epiphany, then.

If the demon king sent to invade other worlds were products of existing demon kings, then didn�t that mean there should, in theory, be at least one demon king still on Parasiteworld somewhere, playing the role of the - queen - or a - hatchery? -

Maybe the demon king was just a massive forest rod that captured the core?

This absolutely clicked. No. It explained how such a massive tunnel to the core was created. The demon king that won dug toward the core and captured the core. Through that process, the world�s natural spawning mechanism was - converted - to produce demons.

Each demon king was a massive colonization mothership, too. But. how?

That also meant that somewhere in the core of Parasiteworld was a demon king. Perhaps no longer a demon king because it had been deployed to control the core of the world.

If this was the case, I needed to send the heroes to Parasiteworld and attack the core.

Free the core from the control of the demons and that would greatly change the balance of power of our world. Maybe this would also significantly improve the natural mana recovery and get access to the core�s mana.

Of course, I then submitted this theory to my domain holders and the other senior leaders.

- Doesn�t that just mean the demons that won essentially started digging downward? - Lumoof speculated. - But that doesn�t happen, does it? -

Edna, who was also present, asked, - Are you suggesting an attack on Parasiteworld? A/ , with all due respect, we have no ability to attack two worlds at the same time. -

- I am aware. -

Actually, this cycled back to the mountain world again.

The demon king was not moving.

Was it digging all this time?

- So we have three ways of checking. One, we send the heroes to the parasite demon world and attack the hole to the core. Two, we go back to the mountain world and figure out what the demon king is doing underground. If your theory is right, it should be attempting to reach the core, - Edna repeated. - Three, we also have the rift gate to this new world. If we do fight the demon king on this new world, and our initial conjectures are proven correct, the heroes and us could mount an assault on the core of this new demon world and see whether there�s one there. -

Three priorities and I had to decide which one to pursue.

I was keen on the rift gates, so that was a clear yes.

But this would mean all my domain holders would be deployed there in order to achieve my intended objective of denying the next attack. My seed would also be there for a while, at least until the battle was over and everyone was safe back home.

Ken�s League of Heroes would have to wait until this was over.

YEAR 206 (PART 2)

Lumoof and Edna were the first to go through. With their abilities, they had little to fear whatever may be on the other side.

The rift gate hummed in a strange sound. Stella and her team of void mages were excited to fire up the rift gate. Our hope was that we would eventually be able to manufacture these rift gates, but for now, I was content with salvaging and pillaging the demons for their rift gates.

I found it silly that the civilized world was the backward one, that we had to resort to pillaging the demons for their interplanar technology.

The Valthorns wargamed this entire operation about fifteen times, tapping into Patreeck�s mind - reading ability and my Dream Academy as preparations for this special military operation into the demonic lands.

According to the void mages, the rift gate should theoretically be able to send through about one thousand guys before it ran out of void mana, at which point Stella and all would have to recharge them.

Stella could not reach the demon world using her normal void portals, so the rift gate was crucial to ensure that a portal could be opened. Based on what we�d seen, these demonic portals traveled both ways.

It was time to see whether our plans could survive first contact.

I felt a buzz as we traveled through the rift gates. It was similar to that time when I snuck through using my own roots, but this time, it was Lumoof who went first.

The sky was bright, like an extremely sunny day, and the first thing we felt was the incredibly strong sunlight that burned. Literally.

It wasn�t fire, or at least fire immunity didn�t seem to protect against these harsh rays.

Lumoof instantly activated a wooden shield to serve as an umbrella, and even then, the naturally fire - resistant shield still got warm. Items that were not protected quickly caught fire.

It wasn�t just sunlight, too. It was some kind of magical UV that seemed to heat everything up. For Lumoof, it was still tolerable thanks to his wide range of resistances, and Edna, she was protected by a magical shield.

This was not a good development, since it meant the lower leveled, those in the level eighties and nineties, would have to sit out from the invasion. The mana cost of sustaining a perpetual sunshield would mean their ability to fight would be severely impaired. Even my beetles, unmodified, would find themselves weakened by the incredibly strong sunlight.

There was a bright, glowing white sun that burned overhead, and the place, at first, was just a vast desert canyon, sand, dirt, and rocks of all shapes and sizes.

- Hold, - I told the guys back home and shared our first findings. Our plans designed around a habitable environment had to be immediately scrapped. We had some plans designed around inhospitable environments, but that meant the strike force was now a much, much smaller one, composed of my level one hundred twenty�plus elites.

Alka was keen to go through, but instead, I sent one of my Treechikomas over. I hoped to use it to conduct some experiments? -

It burned to death.

So back to the drawing board. I had to design something with natural shielding, so I sent my minds out to scour our archives and Registree for such items and technologies. We should have some kind of natural shields or design large walkers for it.

Alternatively, we could immediately start tunneling in the sand to avoid the rays and try to bring the fight below ground. But Lumoof�s initial assessment wasn�t great. The ground was naturally sandy, and our tunnels would cost a lot more mana to maintain.

- Well, spot any demons? - Lumoof looked around, squinting. The large wooden shield acted like a massive umbrella.

Edna looked around, and then we saw them, camouflaged by the sand and the dirt. Giant sand lizards.

- There. - Sand - lizard demons. Their backs looked like rocks, and they blended really well against the canyon. The sand - lizards didn�t move; they were frozen, unmoving. The only thing that truly made them demonic was very faint reddish lines that glowed with demonic energy.

Edna didn�t move, not yet, anyway.

All of a sudden, the sand started to shake, and then wind started to blow. We saw a wall of sand in the distance.

- Sandstorm. - Lumoof walked next to Edna, and a shield went up around them. The sand blasted through the surroundings, and the sand actually dealt damage. This was corrosive sand.

- Well, we�re truly in hostile territory. - Edna smirked.

- Funny, - Lumoof joked as the wooden shields all had sand embedded in them. The sand smashed into the shields repeatedly, and they didn�t do much damage against those powerful shields. - The lizard should be attacking any time now. -

They didn�t.

The sandstorm stopped almost as quickly as it came. The sands, once whipped up by the sudden gusts, now fell back to the ground.

The sand - lizards did not move.

Edna and Lumoof shared a glance, and Lumoof asked, - Should we engage? -

- No. Let�s go find the demon king. -

Lumoof and Edna activated their magical artifacts and started to fly across the terrain. Indeed, moving on foot in this sandy terrain seemed like a huge pain in the ass. Everywhere was sand and rock.

There was no sign of water anywhere but plenty of sand - lizards. As they flew, they spotted other kinds of demonic creatures, too. There were a few sand - serpents and worms - these were more like gigantic wurms with a rocky skin - and then there were these rock - like scorpions and insects, too.

- This entire place is a demonic desert wasteland, - Edna commented and had to stop as the flying artifact ran out of mana. Somehow flying in this place took a lot out of the place, and Edna noticed the magical artifact seemed to drain out quicker than others.

Which, after a little bit of investigation, was due to the sunlight. The sunlight directly damaged magical items and also drained mana out of them. The sun, as strange as it sounded, had a strong magical - ignition quality to it, such that it weakened everything with mana.

- How does a world like this even hold demons? -

We noticed that the demons frequently hid underground, too. Even the massive rockwurms and the serpents all tunneled underground after a while, and they only surfaced momentarily.

I knew that demons were generated by their spawning pools or the spires. But in such a world, where were they?

Edna took out Stella�s void - mana detector, and it went �round and �round like a compass faced with magnetic interference.

- This is strange. -

Was there void mana in the air itself? Or was the sun emitting some kind of void energy? I wasn�t sure.

The demons were strangely quiet and mostly didn�t move.

- Are they. only active at night? - Edna speculated. If the sun was so oppressive during the day, it was entirely possible that these demons would only move at night.

Demons were not exactly the type that adapted to their environment. Lumoof similarly agreed with that premise, but then he added, - Then again, this world does seem exceptionally inhospitable that some level of adaptation is necessary. -

It was an interesting idea, of course, to kill demons using a solar death ray. If only it didn�t kill everything else in the process. In a way, this was like killing cancer with chemotherapy. It also killed the host and was used when there was nothing else that could be done. Even then, demons adapted!

- What kind of demons are these? -

The wind whipped up again, and Edna activated another layer of shields. The sandstorm was not as strong as the first one. No, more importantly, how did they even have rift gates in a world that seemed so hostile? Maybe there were places where there were no sandstorms.

- We wait? - Edna looked at Lumoof. - Or do we keep going? -

Lumoof used a few Inspection on the demons, but it didn�t reveal anything useful. - If the fact that these demons are nocturnals is true, then it may be a good idea to keep going. -

They kept moving. Edna and Lumoof both had to constantly reinforce their shields. The air was hostile, and I began to suspect that the sun was both anti - magic and some kind of radiation.

Lumoof, while moving, also picked up some of the sand and dirt, which was immediately sent back to our world for testing.

Somehow, it was quite hard to test them, and with stronger prodding, we soon discovered that the sand and dirt of this world had mild anti - magic qualities, and they generally drained and destroyed mana from their environment.

This entire world was an anti - mage world.

I had Lumoof enter Avatar mode and then, though Lumoof, created some trees in the surroundings.

I felt noticeably higher levels of mana loss from each tree, like each of them sucked my mana. This was also a demon world, so the ambient mana generated was low anyway. That meant each tree took more out of me than I put in. The sun�s strong anti - mana rays also meant my trees were not producing much mana, either, unless we adapted our trees to absorb those rays.

That would need a lot of research.

I was really intrigued.

- The invasion�s gotta be scrapped. - Lumoof realized that the sheer amount of anti - magical things in the environment meant even maintaining or sustaining a beetle army that also consumed a bit of mana was going to be difficult. - I think our scope of attack should strictly be to destroy the rift gates. if we can find them. -

Not just that, the idea of sending both Prabu and Colette, two archmages to this world probably had to be scrapped. This was essentially sending them to the place where they were least suited to fight. I didn�t like those kinds of odds, so I wouldn�t risk them.

If my gut feelings were right, we needed some kind of skill - empowered physical strength to defeat these demons. Taking it further, if the demon king was essentially an anti - magic or super - resistant type of demon king, it meant magic as a whole would be largely useless.

If so, did we need barbarian/gladiator - type heroes?

Anyway, we tested the anti - magic properties against void and star mana and noticed it also dispersed them but at slower rates. That was good news, since, all right, the heroes probably wouldn�t be entirely useless, just fighting with a handicap. They were slightly more effective on star mana than void mana, but only by a little bit.

The sun was getting dark. There were no moons in this anti - magic demon world, just stars. The skies were incredibly clear, cloudless as far as we could see.

Then we felt the rumbling of the sands. The demons emerged from the sands as darkness fell on the desert. The first thing we saw was their faintly glowing red eyes.

Edna sighed. - Let�s see how strong they are. -

Lumoof shrugged. - A/ , why not convert some of them? -

It was a good idea. We had to use some skills in order to see them in the darkness, but these sand - demons didn�t move very fast. Lumoof, in avatar mode, extended our roots everywhere, and with each extension I felt a bit more mana drain on me. Still, I had the mana production of an entire continent, so it wasn�t that bad.

Then the lizards spat out acid, and I felt that acid pull mana from the air.

The acid smashed into our wooden shields, and though the acidic qualities didn�t get past the shields, the acid itself seemed to absorb magic from whatever it contacted. It was bizarre to see a shield crumble because its magical energies were siphoned out of it.

Luckily, we had multiple layers of shields, and this time, we channeled a bit more mana into them. The acids didn�t get through them now, but fighting in this world was going to be very taxing magically.

My roots immediately caught one of the lizard - demons, and I noticed that it was exceptionally tough on the top half but quite soft at the bottom. It would be difficult for a conventional fighter to get to the soft part.

I pumped mana into the lizard continuously. The lizard�s hard scales started to glow, then it exploded. It ate up a lot more mana than I expected.

My first attempt to capture failed.

Edna noticed something strange as she rotated through her different kinds of shields. - Magical shields suck, but skill - reinforced shields work just fine. The more mana goes into the shield, their acids seem to react against it. A simple steel shield enhanced with non - mana skill would be able to block it just fine. -

That was weird. In truth, the lines between what a - skill - was and what a - spell - was was really. well, non - existent. There were spells that were also skills and vice versa. There were skills that created spell - like effects, like there were Fireballs generated purely out of skill and Fireballs out of mana.

There were skills that used mana and spells that didn�t use mana and instead used ambient mana. It was a contentious topic.

- As long as we didn�t use mana, then its natural qualities didn�t react to it, - Edna said as she deftly cut through the lizard - demon. She had to fight like a close - combat brawler and used spears to lift the lizards upward in order to expose their soft, vulnerable bottoms.

It wasn�t the worst matchup for us, since Edna was more skill - based, and we had the ability to make more non - mana items. The heroes hero - items, though, were essentially made with mana and would experience weaker performance.

I wrapped my vines around another of the sand - lizards and once more pumped mana through it, this time not as much, and I pierced my roots into its soft belly and attempted to look for its core or heart, if it had one.

The sand and earth trembled. The skies seemed to shift abruptly.

My vines snuck into the body. There was something like a demon�s core, a stone, really, and it was made of the same rocks of the world. My roots snuck and caught it. Then I pumped mana through my roots and attempted to take over the lizard. The lizard struggled, and it was physically very strong. The stone�s demonic mana resisted my mana, and I felt like half of my mana was wasted by the mana - absorbing substances that made up most of its body.

For all its strength, it was no champion. It put up a fight, but my mana still overwhelmed it.

This time, I knew when to stop and stopped when I felt like it was going to blow. I slowed down the rate at which my mana entered the demon and instead circulated my mana within the demon and began to - take control - of the body.

It tingled, honestly. It was as if there was a demonic pianist playing a tune, and I was trying to kick the demonic pianist off while not destroying the piano in the process. It took a bit of holding back, but not everything needed to be hammered by my overwhelming mana.

Natural Mana Overwhelming has assimilated the demonic sand - lizard. Mana - absorbing demonic sand - lizard has transformed into Mana - absorbing sand - lizard.

The lizard whimpered as its reddish glow was replaced by a greenish one. The other sand lizards struggled, and Edna killed them easily once she got used to their movement patterns. These were demons, and they all had a style.

The earth shook, and we looked around. - Well? - Edna asked as she stood in the midst of thirty demonic corpses. - Hmm. they don�t decay as quickly as the other demons. -

Lumoof nodded, and the whimpering sand lizard crouched. - Strange. Demonic bodies should begin to fade within minutes. -

There was a reason why it was difficult to harvest or recover demonic parts. From what we�d seen, some demon champions left their bodies behind, but all began decaying and reverting to demonic mana within minutes, even if that process took a while.

- Do you think it�s the anti - mana qualities? - Edna speculated. - That it�s interfering with their natural process of returning to demonic mana? -

Lumoof shrugged. - No idea. Maybe these demons are made of real materials, and the decaying parts are only - Lumoof flipped one of the bodies over and noticed some of the softer underbelly decaying as normal. - Yeah. Only parts sustained by demonic mana? -

Edna was quiet as she stared. - Mountain - eater demons? I recall something similar in the really old archives. - She immediately began to close her eyes and expanded her senses. In the darkness of the night, we felt the ground and the sand tremble and shake. I stretched out my senses and realized something had just gone underneath us during the fight, and it was moving. It was as if the entire desert moved.

The anti - magical qualities interfered with our senses, and we didn�t sense its movement beneath us. It was deep, but the ground moved. At its size, it was probably a demon champion, but it lumbered slowly. I wasn�t sure because of all the natural dirt and rock really messed with my senses, and I wasn�t sure whether it was pure rock or part - demon.

Still, I believed it was like a supermassive lizard that took a step every half an hour. It was almost a stationary target.

- Oh great. Mountain - size anti - magical rock demons. - Edna cursed. - We�ll need miners and magical pickaxes. -

Lumoof squinted his eyes to look in the distance. - I say it�s a good opportunity for Alka to test out his bombs. He always lamented that the demons are too small or move too quickly. I say one of his bigger ones would take this one out. A bomb�s a good way to level a mountain, especially one that probably seems to be a moving mountain range. -

- It�ll take a lot of mana to get it to work - Wait. There�s more? - Edna turned and focused her senses even further. This world didn�t have moons, so it was really, really dark. But she could still feel it, the seemingly synchronized movements.

Lumoof laughed. - Eh, he�s just gotta wrap up the bomb in one of A/ �s massive anti - demon spears. Or just get our two new domain holders to pop the bomb right under its belly. -

I wondered inwardly whether this was a good time for strategic banter between my two domain holders.

Edna clapped her hands together. - That�s a good idea! I suppose it�s time for Roon and Johann to display their new domain skills anyway! -

I had to interrupt. - Guys, where�s the rift gate? -

More importantly, how were these things going to get through the rift gates? They were way larger than the largest demon champions I�d seen so far, unless the rift gate had some kind of temporary shrinkage ability?

Lumoof took out the device again, and it was similarly jammed. - Nope. Not working. Maybe we need Stella here, but that�s a risk. -

A small one since Stella also had my Court of the Deitree ability, so I could pull her back if needed.

- Stella? -

Stella paused. - Are these creatures. captured and converted zaratans? -

Huh?

- There�s an uncanny similarity in their nature as moving mountains and zaratans as moving islands. -

- Are you saying these monsters don�t need rift gates because they can tap into the astral pathways directly? -

- That�s a good point, but no. I�m saying these guys may be former zaratans. Maybe this world was a zaratan world. -

- I don�t see the similarity, honestly. Other than their size. - I honestly didn�t see it. Maybe that they may be reptile - inspired creatures?

- Anti - magical demons. Is that a first? - Chung asked through the magical device. He was somewhere else; we were not sure where. Probably somewhere in the Southern Continent.

- Apparently no, - Colette said as she read the dossier my Valthorns had compiled. - There was something similar many, many years ago. About. twelve hundred years ago. But those were regular - size creatures. Apparently these ones are massive stuff. -

- The demons are out to get us. How�d they know we have two archmages on the team? -

Colette and Prabu collectively shrugged. - Random chance, I suppose, or perhaps through the arrangement of demon-king types? I mean, if you know what kind of demon kings you will introduce in a series and what kind powers work against earlier demon kings, you could, without knowing what exactly is deployed, arrange subsequent demon kings to be counters of what countered the earlier demon kings. -

- So you�re saying this is purely from the demon�s end and that this arrangement, or sequence of demon kings, is pre - set. They predicted that the previous king would be countered and thus set subsequent demon kings to be counters of the hero counters. -

- Yeah. Like Pokemon. If you�re going to play a Grass type, and you predict the enemy will make a counter, perhaps Fire type, then you could, without knowing whether it�s actually a Fire type, set that the Pokemon that follows is a Water type. -

- . that makes sense. -

At which point, Prabu added, - This makes Ken�s idea of a League of Heroes even more compelling, honestly. We could essentially theorize what�s a counter for the counter of the current generation. -

Chung paused and thought about it for a moment. - But how are parasites our counters? -

- Maybe there�s a sequential pattern, or paired patterns, that only three successive sets of demon kings follow this counter - of - counter pattern. The ones in between are all randomized. -

Chung sighed. - Are we attributing actual intelligence and predictive ability to the demons now? -

- They are intelligent. They can talk. And they can think. They have strategic ability, - Prabu responded. - Even if it�s just concentrated on each demon king. From what we�ve seen, they are not purely stupid. -

Colette smiled and just stretched. - Maybe the demons are just some kind of ancient, self - replicating war program. -

Chung actually laughed. - That�s my theory, too! -

- Did I tell you Ken thought the demons sounded like some kind of multiverse - wide life - harvesting system? -

Chung�s face straightened. - Don�t tell me you believe that. -

- It�s possible, I think. Even though we don�t see any evidence of harvesting. -

- Maybe we lack the tools to see what exactly they are harvesting? -

- What, they�re harvesting war energy like Ares? -

- Possible! -

YEAR 206 (PART 3)

Iwondered whether the demons essentially acquired their unique skills as a result of adaptations to their current worlds. If so, what kind of world created demons like Sabnoc and their army and encampment style? One of those - quirky - worlds where everything was linked to some capture - the - flag system?

Meanwhile, Lumoof went down and around, and these giant demons created canyons out of their footsteps. Well, not in a single step, but the texture of the sands and rocks seemed to suggest that the entire canyon was formerly just a flat desert, but the weight of these massive demons had essentially carved a path where there was none.

- These demons moved the same path all the time, - Lumoof observed. The night was long. Really, really long. The day - night cycle in this demon world was essentially two full days long.

It strangely repulsed me. A primal part of me rejected such an unusual day - night cycle, and it was uncomfortable, quite like the feeling I got from my clone on the Cometworld Shard.

- But why? -

Magic was really, really faint here. The sands and everything absorbed mana, but yet the demon�s heart clearly had some demonic mana. Did the rocks release the mana eventually?

The labs back home studied it intensely, and then they tested a small spot by overloading it with mana. The sand exploded, and that explosion released mana. My researchers and Treechikomas quickly suggested that the demons rocks absorbed mana, and through a series of - controlled - overloading of mana released the absorbed mana through these explosions.

But it was a net loss. The very nature of the sand drained mana from its surroundings and accelerated the decay of magical things.

Then we had the very obvious answer. Crushing the sand released small amounts of mana. Essentially, the demons ate the anti - mana rocks for the little bits of mana within them. So they became the anti - mana demons.

There was no vegetation whatsoever, and I wondered if it would�ve been really easy for the demons to conquer this world, since there was no resistance.

The demons continued to walk and walk, and when the sun began to peek out of the horizon, they all stopped. They shook their bodies and then sat down. They hid their legs, their heads underneath their massive body of the anti - mana rock and sand.

At that moment, they were very animal - like, and I felt a sense of wonder. These massive creatures were wonders in their own way, even if they were demons. Massive lumbering, moving mountains. It was a sight to behold when it wasn�t attacking us.

The demons, as they were now, were just ravenous locusts with extra steps, meant to consume and extract each of their captured worlds to produce more of themselves. Could their nature be altered?

I remembered that Aiva said they had attempted to destroy the demons, but they still came back. So maybe destroying them was really rather futile. It was like attempting to exterminate cockroaches. Perhaps, was there a way to change their behavior at their source, if it wasn�t something that could be destroyed?

Was there a way to, like, with mosquitos, introduce less hostile variants into their genetic code?

We looked at these hidden giants, and the vast deserts around us, only mildly accentuated by some rocky outcrops.

- Lumoof, let�s capture one of these massive demons. -

He gulped. He didn�t really enjoy mana sickness, and he guessed this one would be almost as bad as the demon king.

- Later. Let�s find one of the rift gates. - I could sate my curiosity later.

During the long day, we noticed that most of the demons just hid in the sand or the dirt. There were some rumblings and shakes here and there, implying that there was some subterranean movement, but for the most part, the hostile, mana - draining sun seemed to be so overwhelming that the demons entered this low - energy mode.

With the sun above us, the demons frankly didn�t bother us, and it was entirely possible for us to walk everywhere uninterrupted. If this was a demon world, it sure wasn�t what any of us would have expected.

Roon and Johann both joined Edna and Lumoof on the sand - demon world, and they moved quickly, too. They had more scouting and exploration skills due to their heritage as rangers and archers.

Johann�s bird companion literally caught fire as it flew in the sky and then exploded. Lumoof also transformed into the full avatar mode, and I attempted to perform more tests on the solar light that seemed to cover the entire world.

It took a while, but after a bit more detection and sensing, we noticed that the anti - mana rays of light carried a special kind of particle. It wasn�t mana, and it was highly unstable. But it was these particles that gave the rays their anti - mana qualities.

It was the magical equivalent of super - strong UV rays that significantly increased magical decay.

Our converted sand - lizard lost mana when it walked, and I felt it dry out as it moved. For my domain holders, their souls generated far higher quantities of mana than they lost, so it wasn�t that bad. But weaker creatures would find themselves drained from exposure, so they hid in the soil and sand instead.

I couldn�t quite capture this strange particle; it refused to be confined by my attempts to lock it and slipped through me easily.

It was like cosmic rays passing through my body, igniting mana in the process. It got weakened by obstacles or objects in its path.

This was extremely fascinating, because I immediately realized there was tremendous weaponization potential for this sort of particle.

Could we essentially - disable - heroes and demon kings with very high quantities of such particles? Or at least weaken them to a state where we could then capture them and bind them?

I would love to conduct long studies on the qualities of this particle, especially how it reacted to various types of materials. But experiments were a long process, and I would need to have a semi - permanent placement here.

- Lumoof. - Roon spoke through our familiars, routing it through the system. In this world, message spells were unusable. It was like trying to send mail through the ocean, without protecting it in glass. The water disintegrated the paper over time. - Spotted something. A strange valley. -

There was a valley that was more like a rift in the earth itself. The opening was small, but it went really, really deep.

The top part of the opening had been battered by the anti - mana rays and transformed into the same kind of material and sand we see everywhere else. But the lower half actually looked normal. Like. rock?

No. Water? Like, really deep down?

Lumoof�s body was surrounded by vines, and the vines acted as anchors. The vines and roots emerging from Lumoof�s body pierced the cliff walls, and like a massive, multi - legged spider, we gradually went downward.

- The sand layer�s really quite deep, - Roon observed as my four domain holders regrouped. They stood on wooden platforms created from the wooden roots. We were about fifteen stories deep when we began to see soil and rock that resembled our own. - There�s. nothing here. -

- It�s likely they just appear at night, - Edna said.

- But I don�t detect anything, - Roon commented. I couldn�t sense them, either, so it was probably nothing.

We found the floor or the bottom of the chasm about eighty stories down. There was water, just a bit, gradually trickling out of the rock. The rock felt wet. Lumoof touched it, and I attempted to extend my senses into the ground.

Nothing.

Parasiteworld felt dry before the demon king left. This was similar.

Even in the depths, there was a sense of emptiness, a world parched of what once was.

- Not here. -

We spread out again and continued our search. There had to be a rift gate somewhere. What was a demon world without rift gates, and how would they invade us then?

There had to be a rift gate, because something was creating this pathway through the stars, and why was this pathway not destroyed by their hostile sun? I mean, void mana seemed somewhat resistant to the mana - destroying effects of the sun, but it still decayed faster. Unless the core mana had somehow offset the effects of the particle.

- What if the rift gates are hidden underground and they only appear at night? - Edna asked the clearly obvious idea.

Everyone, of course, clearly looked at Edna with that - of course it does - look. It made sense, and naturally we all felt a little like idiots. Especially Johann, who looked like he�d been absolutely disappointed that he didn�t think of nocturnal behaviors.

- But the one with the demon king may not be? Surely it has to be visible. - Then again, Stella could open her portals even when she was indoors. Not as if a roof actually made a difference.

Edna, of course, furrowed her brows. - Maybe what we are looking for. is a huge mountain that blocks out the sun, and the demon king�s rift gate is hidden under that mountain. -

- It�s also possible that the demon king just hollowed out the ground and it�s beneath us. -

- If so, it�s only visible to us at night. If at all. -

The long night came once more, and the demons emerged from the sands and the dirt. It wasn�t hard to defeat them, especially once we realized they were vulnerable to skills , just resistant to mana . It was the equivalent of magic - resistant blobs that took damage from physical attacks.

We didn�t capture any of the demons and instead tried to look for the rifts.

At night, message was usable once more. Magical interruptions were essentially driven by the sun. We were looking for the demon king or the rifts, and at night, Johann�s bird could unleash its full strength.

In fact, it was a lot easier to find than anticipated. All we had to do was follow the line that the gigantic mountain demons took and follow it to its end.

It was a long journey that took one full day, amplified by their movement skills, and we found a large hole in the ground, so massive that it was easily four times bigger than the one on the Poisonworld.

There were no towers here. Instead, it was just this massive hole that looked like someone mined all the way into the core. There was also no water, unlike Parasiteworld. It was just a pit that seemed to lead down.

- Where�s the rift gate? Oh, there. - Roon pointed at the edges of the hole, and we noticed that the rift gate was also supersized and built into the hole, like the rims of a bottle.

- A giant demon king, - Lumoof commented. - There was literature like this. -

- A very physical demon king with high levels of magic resistance. - Roon stared at the surroundings. There were demons on the other sides that threw more rock and sand into the pit. These massive demons were like dump trucks, dumping their load of sand, soil, and rock into the massive pit.

- Is it feeding the demon king? -

A part of me felt like animal observers, trying to discern demonic behavior from what we saw.

- I have no idea, - Lumoof said. Roon�s bird continued to search the lands for smaller rift gates, and there were none. Or at least, none that we could see.

- Do you think we should go down there? - It was a massive pit, but the edges were still rock, and we could move down there slowly.

- Yes, - I said. If we wanted to see what the hell was happening, this had to be our best chance.

The rest of them gulped, and we slowly made our way down into the biggest pit ever. It was dark, and here, there were no demons. We just had to avoid the sand and rocks that the demons dumped overhead.

If we fell, magic wouldn�t save us. We felt a strong anti - magic drain in the entire pit, and as we went further and further down, the team noticed their magical items starte to fizzle and make strange sounds.

Thankfully, my four Valthorns were domain holders, and their domains protected most of their mana from the mana - draining effects of the surroundings.

As we went down, we noticed a ray of light starting to emerge overhead. It had been almost three days.

- The sun is rising. -

The earth rumbled, and we saw something cover the entrance of the pit. It looked like a massive demon, or perhaps a few massive demons.

- Oh fuck, - Roon said, and here, strangely, our voices did not echo. Roon made an actual fire to brighten up the darkness.

We kept going down. My roots and vines were like the feet of an insect, crawling along the walls of this pit. There was nothing for another one day, and then we saw a horizontal tunnel along the vertical pit.

It was filled with demons.

- There. Let�s go in there. - Johann pointed, and my roots pierced through the demons in that horizontal tunnel. It was like we�d taken a lift down, and then we went sideways.

There were similar demons; these were smaller lizards, just like the ones on the surface. But how did they get so deep?

It didn�t matter. They died easily to my roots. Thank goodness my roots were technically skill and physical effect. Once we were in that tunnel, we found that it led to more tunnels, and it was a labyrinth. Tunnels and tunnels, and we followed them. Here, in the depths, the rocks did not drain mana. The only thing that did were the demons, and here, they were active all day long.

In these tunnels, far away from that vertical pit, my guys rested. Here, their mana could regenerate normally, and it seemed mana attracted demons.

The demons were drawn to mana, like ants drawn to sugar. They were ravenous.

Hungry.

And we killed them.

We explored these horizontal tunnels some more and soon found a large cavern with something we�d always been wondering about. Rift gate. A normal - size rift gate, exactly the same model.

- Subterranean rift gates. Interesting. - Should�ve seen it coming when my own rift gates were in the Valley of the Unrotten, hidden from view.

We moved to capture it and cleared the place of demons. Those guarding the rift gates didn�t pose much of a challenge, and my aura meant they were mostly frozen in place. Lumoof briefly entered avatar state and created a few subsidiary trees around the rift gates. Then I activated the star mana variant of my Vine Ropeway Network and shoved the rift gates back home.

- All right, that�s one. Bet there�s more, - Roon commented.

The group explored the tunnels for days and found one more. We also captured the rift gates and the nearby daemolite and then sent them back home. This part of the tunnel now fully explored, the team went back down the pits.

We went deeper, and the journey down took even more days. It was also getting really hot as we approached the core, and the magical forces in our surroundings got even wilder. It wasn�t difficult to deal with the heat, since I had the ability to adapt to all kinds of environments, so I protected the domain holders in a sphere of wood as these woods were linked to me via Lumoof, like a small, enclosed space.

Essentially, they rode a wooden pumpkin wagon going down a deep hole. Sadly, it wasn�t Alice in Wonderland or Cinderella, because down there was probably a monster. There was magic here, but it struggled and fought an extremely strong, draining force.

About fifteen days in, the core was not molten lava and instead was a dried lattice of what appeared to be volcanic rock, and the heat had mostly stabilized. In fact, that strong draining force seemed to be keeping things cool.

The walls had now transformed into what was probably a really intricate latticework of rocks, and as my vines touched these rocks, I could tell there was once a really strong magic in these rocks.

They were a little like the core shard I got from Cometworld.

We kept going. This deep, there were no demons. Nothing.

And we began to feel a really strong pulse.

The anti - mana energies pulsed periodically, and it flared outward in a rhythm.

- We didn�t see the sand or rock that was poured overhead, - Roon commented.

- Maybe the anti - mana draining effects transformed them into something else. -

Indeed. So deep down, everything was just these - dried, - lattice - like black rocks. There was once a flowing thing here, maybe centuries ago.

It took a total of almost a month, and it actually became really cold. All heat was sucked out of the air, and it would be impossible to breathe outside. There was no ice and no water as we reached the massive core cavity.

The entire core of the planet had been largely hollowed out. There were still some massive rock pillars similar to the dried, lattice - like rocks. Filling up the gaps was this structure resembling a really complicated web of flesh and demonic, spire - like structures.

They all radiated a small, faint pulse.

The structure was demonic for sure, filled with streaks of demonic energy that was familiar. Yet, at this point, we both sensed it. There were two forces here, both similar to a demon king and yet different.

One of the structures itself, here, up close, it radiated a really strong, corrupting energy, quite like the effects of the Rottedlands and a Forest Rod . The structure was like a network and web that spread out.

- The structure around that cocoon is something. - We began to look around, and then we saw an area where there was a very large mass of demonic flesh. It was a large, lizard - like creature, but many parts had been hollowed out. That part of its body was wrapped around a large, rocky structure that had an extremely faint energy.

It was a demon king. The first source of the demon energy and this demonic energy was throughout the structure that covered this hollowed - out core. It wasn�t hard to put our observations together and conclude that our earlier theory was mostly correct.

- Damn to think there really is a demon king in the core, - Edna vented. - It�s possessing the world? -

- It is. - Lumoof nodded. - The structure that was now intertwined with the demonic cocoon should be the core of this world. Or what�s left of it. -

The demon king itself was just a massive Forest Rod , meant to capture worlds and control it, such that it transformed into a demon world. The win condition for the demon kings wasn�t just defeating the heroes. It was also to reach the core and then possess it.

With the core, I suspected they would gain system rights to the world, and that allowed them to spawn demons instead of the usual monsters. There should be something similar that lived within the core of Parasiteworld, and we should reach it.

It was the equivalent of a hacker getting access to the mainframe and then reconfiguring it for its own purpose. Or capturing a mine and using its resources to support its own war effort.

That second source of demonic energy was a large cocoon. A nascent demon king. It was coiled up, and it was a gigantic lizard or wurm of some kind.

It was massive, the single largest object I�d ever seen. It was the size of an entire mountain and would blot out entire cities with any single one of its legs.

My first suspicion was mostly confirmed. Demon kings were made out of the energies gathered from the core of the world. If so, that explained the - drained - feeling and why that recovered slightly post�demon king. But if there was a demon king still in the core, continuing to possess it, it also meant Parasiteworld would never fully recover. Once it reached a certain threshold, it would start producing another demon king.

- How the fuck were the heroes supposed to fight this? - Roon said. - Without magic! -

- Hack it repeatedly, - Edna answered. - There should be a core somewhere. -

Lumoof looked at the rest. - A/ ? -

A demon king, still in its earthly womb, without its will. If it was a machine, was this a mecha without its pilot? A body without a soul? Could I hijack it? I felt all sorts of torment, but would I ever have an opportunity like this ever again? What could I lose, and what could I learn from this?

Frankly, a lot.

But what did I do with the demon king around the core? Should I attempt to destroy that and free the core?

Or should I attempt to control the growing demon king and use it to destroy the structure?

- Lumoof, take my seed out, and throw it into the cocoon. -

In any case, all I was sacrificing was just a seed.

YEAR 206 (PART 4)

Ihad questions. If the demon king possessed the core, then why did Parasiteworld spawn normal monsters and animals once we reclaimed some of the land and populated them with trees? How did this system mechanic work? Did the demon king�s hold on the world fluctuate?

- A/ , what�s our plan? - Lumoof asked. - I mean. what if that thing attacks us? Wait. Let me clarify that. I�m actually quite sure it will attack us. -

- Teleport out if it gets really bad. I�ll get you guys out if anything goes south. -

At the same time, I got Patreeck to make the necessary preparations, and the entire Central Continent hummed with activity. We added additional artificial minds and made sure that all the mana batteries were fully charged. I remembered that time when the demon king attempted to possess me, and I somehow used that kind of soul blast, and I wanted to see if I could repeat it.

I wanted to see if I could weaponize that sort of defensive mechanism with my clone seed by using it against the demon king�s body and then forcing the gestating demon king to a battle of wills. The odds were low, generally speaking, and I had very little to lose. Not with this kind of encounter.

If I lose the close seed, I lost time. If I succeeded, I would definitely level. If it was somewhere in the middle, that was still a success.

Looking at the clock, we didn�t have much time left, as in a few years this demon king would be headed to our world. If I intercepted it before that happened, I also wanted to know if I could mess up the entire sequence of events by triggering an event before it was meant to happen. In a way, I essentially wanted to cause the process behind the demonic invasions to either - fail - or encounter some kind of - jam. -

Best - case scenario, we successfully stopped the demon king from invading our world forever. Worst, well, the demon king somehow took over my clone, and also somehow, through that system, it could take over my body.

I thought that was unlikely. I could also cut off my connection with my clones if needed. It was also possible that handling a demon king could somehow send me into a coma. But I felt it wouldn�t actually happen. With my domain now, it was very unlikely I would get sent into a coma.

- A/ , I think we�re more concerned with what happens if you go through a long sleep, - Lumoof answered frankly. - We believe you would survive, but if you were to be weakened for long periods, the Central Continent would suffer from it. -

- There are the four of you and the entirety of the Valtorn Order. If the Valtorn Order cannot survive without me sleeping for certain periods of time, then I�ve clearly not done enough to nurture the strength of the order. -

There was never a - good - time to cut the umbilical cord, and I supposed I would have to watch the institutions weather their test. In history, that first transition of power from a founder to its successor institutions was critical. Would it be good enough?

I looked at the demon king - it grew slowly - and the unstable energies of the world.

There were some interrupted voices in the energies in the air. Whispers, broken and shredded by the harsh powers of the demons.

- Let�s just freaking do it, - I declared, and everyone braced. Lumoof entered full avatar mode, and I felt the violent magic of the depths batter our body. It was a sensation quite similar to opening the windows when moving at high speed.

I wrapped my seed in a multilayered massive wooden spear and attached it to a vine just as thick for control. Then I thrust the spear toward the demon king, through the demon�s tendrils, and the gaps in the shell.

Through the vines and the spear, I could feel the biting cold outside and the environment draining mana from the spear.

The layers of wood crumbled and withered away, like the peel of an onion, swept away by the strong magical current of the core and the demons.

We pushed on. The strength of that magical wave was manageable; this was inferior to a demon king, a sign that it was not fully formed. Perhaps the true - will - of the demon king lay within that black mass we saw earlier.

No matter, I would investigate this layer. If I could capture the shell of a demon king, that was sufficient.

The unfocused wave of energy from the demons suddenly tried to concentrate on my wooden spear. It gathered clumsily and attempted to resist and push back against my spear. Yet it was clearly not designed to do so. My focused strike pierced through the layers of demonic energy, even if each step forward seemed to just eat away at the layers of my spear.

Eventually, the spear smashed into the cocoon of the incomplete demon king. It was a relatively - slow - smash, like trying to punch underwater, but the spear still rattled the cocoon momentarily, and then I was hit with a wave of demonic energy again, rousing from within the cocoon. We persisted, and the entire cocoon rumbled.

Awoken by the sudden rumbling, the mass of demonic flesh, spires, and tentacles that surrounded the cocoon started to move.

- A/ ? - Lumoof asked, shaken by the kind of power flowing through his flesh.

The core continued to shake violently, and some of the magical energies in the core became even more pronounced. Some of the dried lattice of rocks started to glow. The demonic flesh, or the host/mother demon, moved toward us.

- We have been spotted, - Edna commented as everyone quickly equipped themselves for combat.

This felt like one of those battles in games, in a glowing cavern in the depths of the planet, facing off against the demon king to decide the fate of the world.

The lattice of dried, crystalized rocks around us glowed and pulsed in a rhythm that seemed somehow linked to the energies released by my spear of wood. The spear pushed further into the cocoon of the incomplete demon king, and each movement seemed to release magical energies into our surroundings.

The flesh that formed the tentacles and spires around the cocoon moved, crawled, and agglomerated, like a mass of nanomachines reforming into a greater, larger whole. This mass of demonic flesh now began to look more like a giant lizard, and once it largely took shape, it immediately spat acid.

The acid smashed into one of Edna�s hastily conjured magical shields. The acid vaporized the shield almost instantly.

- No magic! - Roon reminded as he switched to a loadout of anti - demonic spears. Hundreds of spears appeared from his pocket. Those spears all flew and stabbed the mother demon lizard through its body. But this creature was large, and it was like trying to kill a land whale with harpoons. It moved toward us as Roon activated some kind of charged spear ability. One of the spears glowed, not with magic, but with his skill. The small spear smashed into the sides of the giant mother lizard.

It visibly caused the giant mother - lizard demon king to stagger.

At that moment, the entire world around us shook.

Yet it didn�t do much damage.

- A/ , can we teleport the star - mana bomb here? - Johann suggested.

- Wait. - That was a good idea, too, but I wanted to try using my seed and reaching the demon king. Star mana was a bad thing to expose the demons to. If the core was in this incomplete demon king, then this could be the best time to get it.

I felt more of the incomplete energies of the demon king through the spear that now was halfway into the cocoon. It was an odd mix of core mana and demonic mana. It was on top of the strange powers that twisted this entire area, almost like a skill. It even felt like it was a clash of wills, as I felt something like a soul attempting to exert its way on the world and my seed pushing my own will into this space.

The mother - lizard roared, and the core shook violently. The rocks started to fall toward us, and we weren�t sure why. The gravity here was unusual, almost entirely driven by some kind of unknown magic. The chamber shook violently, and some parts around us started to collapse.

We were pulled toward the cocoon, essentially, and yet these rocks flew toward us. Lumoof attempted to support the cavern from collapsing as we extended my vines and roots against the collapsing walls of the cavern.

- Is it trying to crush us? - Lumoof mentally said. - But wouldn�t that destroy the demon king, too? -

- It probably has a way not to get crushed. - I injected the incomplete demon king with my mana, and it felt like I was throwing mana into the void.

Yet that very action triggered the giant mother - lizard. The mother demon king charged at us, somehow walking quickly on the surface of the giant cocoon of the incomplete demon king. It looked like it wanted to smash us into the walls of the chamber. My vines and roots expanded outward from Lumoof, and I attempted to use my vines to hold it back by forming a large web and wall of roots and vines. It wasn�t of much use, since it was so large.

It was the equivalent of trying to hold back a raging bull with cloth. It merely slowed it down and made it even angrier. It smashed through the wall of roots and vines.

It bought enough time for us to reposition ourselves as the massive lizard smashed into the walls of the chamber, creating a new open area.

My clone seed was already inside the cocoon, but it had not reached the body of the incomplete demon king. A bit further.

Large columns of rock fell down. Again, they felt like they were pulled and manipulated by the mother - demon�s abilities. Did that mother - demon have gravity power of some sort, as it once again bulldozed through Edna�s shields? Roon and Johann attempted to dodge where they could, but they were clearly not suited to fighting in this environment, even if it was possible to manipulate the giant lizard demon to destroy and widen the area for us.

This was the kind of battlefield that demanded the tank and barbarian types - big, raw, Hercules - type physical force - and invulnerability.

In any case, Edna and Lumoof tried to hold back the mother lizard, while a part of me pushed toward the incomplete demon king. I kept pumping mana into the cocoon and at the same time attempted to push my will into it.

In short, I was trying to first change and - convert - the area where my mana first touched, maybe capture the cocoon itself if I couldn�t get to the body.

As this happened, I felt things smash into my mind.

Or, more accurately, smash into the helmet around my mind. It still shook me a little, but it didn�t get through.

Raw anger and hunger.

A craving. To consume and to create more, for further consumption. It came from the cocoon; it came from the incomplete demon king.

Feed.

Through my spear of wood, I had attempted to overwhelm the demon king with my mana.

Now, after I�d pumped so much mana into the demon king, I realized that? -

I was a fool.

I had overestimated myself, and now I realized how hungry the demon king was. I was pouring salt into an Olympic - size swimming pool. Not the ocean, because it wasn�t that vast, but it was bigger than me. It desired mana, a whole lot more than I had to give.

A demon king was formed from the mana of a world, formed from anti - mana and mana - draining materials, and I was deluded enough to try overwhelming it myself.

It was a bad matchup, and I was outmatched. This thing could eat all of my mana and then some. I knew that even my clone seed would not do much, and now I suddenly didn�t have much confidence against the residual. So I pulled my clone seed back to Treehome.

The rocks around us glowed, and it began to get warmer. I sent Edna back next through the teleport ability of the Court of the Deitree .

It was just Lumoof left, and we looked around. I detonated my spear within the cocoon, and as expected, it didn�t do much damage.

- The bomb, - Lumoof reminded me, and I had it ready. But then I saw the core of the world; it had shrunk much smaller than it was once. It was probably a lot larger a long, long time ago.

- No. The core. - I couldn�t capture the demon king, but the core was there. It was still a very large thing, but maybe I could just take a chunk. Or maybe this was just a portion. I wasn�t sure, so rather than attempt to fight the demon king and failing, getting a core or a sufficiently large chunk was still helpful for my purposes.

Lumoof moved toward the core as the mother demon chased after us. That was fine, because once Lumoof crash - landed next to what looked to be the core, my vines exploded outward and wrapped the core. What I could, at least.

Lumoof entered Avatar once more, and I sent a fragment of the core home. I couldn�t send all of it. It was too large, and I didn�t have that much mana left.

The mother demon charged toward us, and a wall of vines merely delayed it briefly. I knew this was a pointless fight and so pulled Lumoof home through my Court of the Deitree , just as I did with Edna, Roon, and Johann.

Lumoof landed back in the valley, surrounded by a battalion of aids and helpers. - That didn�t go well. -

But we had a core. Or a fragment of it. We took a chunk the size of a small house out of that entire thing, and I learned how high the mountain was. In many ways, I gained from that exchange.

Lumoof collapsed as his body finally gave in to the exhaustion. Edna, Roon, and Johann were already back in a biolab pod for immediate treatment. They were just mildly injured, but the magical exhaustion really kicked them. The constant state of alertness since we went into that pit was exhausting mentally, even if we rotated rest times.

First, I sent the core into a lab. It was so large that I needed to get one of the bigger labs to look at it, and I immediately felt two presences within. There was also a strong demonic presence within the fragment, one that I felt fighting with the small, tiny presence within.

I decided to quickly drain the demonic energies out, and this was relatively easier, because it was no longer connected to the demon king. Once the chunk was cleaned of demonic energies, I could feel the other presence within stabilize.

It was rousing, and I felt a bit of something gathering within, something that felt like fragments of a will. It was scattered, and then, I began sensing a small buildup of core mana within the house - size fragment.

Perhaps I only got a chunk of it, so that presence was only a fragment?

Still, the core mana was clearly, clearly there. It wasn�t much, but better something than nothing.

What had we learned? The visit to the depths hadn�t been entirely fruitless. We now knew that there was a demon king in every core, and that was their win condition. They must capture the core in some way or form, perfectly or imperfectly.

That explained the gap of time where they defeated the - defenders, - but yet the world didn�t immediately collapse. Heroes were, as the gods put it, medicine to stop the viruses. But in the absence of the medicine, the virus didn�t immediately win. They had to control the body in order to win.

With this knowledge, could we prevent a world from ever losing?

Not by defeating the demon king, but by making a world uncapturable. For example, what if the core of the planet was suddenly moved elsewhere or perhaps located behind some kind of magical portal such that the demon king could not reach it?

Thinking back to my Will of the World, essentially if I was one with the planet, did that mean the world could not be captured as long as I lived?

On a larger scale, if we could somehow protect each core from falling to the demon kings, could we, by building a wall of uncapturable worlds, eventually block off the demons?

A kind of - moat - strategy on a larger scale.

Because if they could not capture worlds, they would not be able to continue producing demon kings, and the demon kings on that planet would be stuck there. We could eventually drive them to extinction by cutting off the demon king�s ability to reproduce.

- That�s a very lofty strategy when we didn�t even know how to do it. - Roon commented when he recovered.

I knew from Will of the World�s narration that I could fuse with a world meant it must be possible to protect a world from the demon kings. At least it wasn�t a question whether it was a possibility, more of a question of technical capability.

- A/ �s plans really seem to get more and more wild with each visit to the demon worlds, - my ranger commented.

- I suppose when you travel worlds, it is quite an eye - opening and mind - broadening experience. -

I thought back to the nature of the demon king, being made of demonic mana, void mana, and core mana.

What if there was a way to fuse star mana and core mana or inject the core with vast quantities of star mana? Essentially exploit the reaction of void mana to star mana during the capturing process. This would essentially create a stored defensive mechanism within the core? At least, sufficient to prevent one capture?

How did core mana and star mana interact?

- I don�t think we should experiment on our world with that. What if we blow up the planet? -

- Also! It�s like saying the core has a mind that could store star mana and use it as a defensive item. -

- The core does have a will. - The shard of Cometworld told me that. Of course, I would ask the core of the world before actually conducting such experiments. It was only logical.

Alka was amused by the idea, naturally. Storing a star mana bomb in the core was his immediate suggestion. Nuke the demon king from within. No, more appropriately, make the core of the world a minefield of star - mana bombs that would trigger once the demon king came. Stella was fairly horrified at the thought of experimenting on planetary cores, commenting that such things rarely went well.

I was actually fascinated by the idea. It made sense. Making the core a minefield of star mana bombs was a pragmatic solution, because only the demon king would come here. There was no risk of accidental triggers since no one went there but the demon, and if the demon king reached the core, it meant the surface was mostly lost anyway, so letting the core have bombs as a failsafe was a good one.

YEAR 207

The heroes were strangely relieved that they didn�t need to go to another world. I supposed the idea of fighting the demon king in the core of the planet really felt like a scene right from a Japanese RPG game.

It was ironic that this world really took so much from the games that we loved so much. It really made me wonder whether I was just in a coma somewhere and this was me lucid dreaming.

Or maybe it was the reverse, that all our creativity was residual memories, creations from what we�d seen in some reincarnated past life. That was also a rather strange turn of events.

Anyway, we briefed the heroes on the expected nature of the upcoming demon king, and everyone quickly started making preparations. If it was an anti - magic demon king, both Colette and Prabu had to prepare for it.

Everyone expected a counter of some kind. They just didn�t think it was going to be a massive, anti - magic lizard, essentially a strong counter to both Colette and Prabu, and the whole host of star - mana weapons.

They decided to forge new weapons, of course, imbued with heroic abilities and skills, instead of magic or spells. Items with some level of protection from the effects of mana drain, again, tested against the sand that we collected.

It was hard to make it work, and it took them months of testing. The hero forges were literally creations of star mana, though they could use actual materials to give more substance and permanence to the output. Yet real materials meant the products were not as strong as those made of star mana. After all, how could mundane items hope to rival the power of the stars?

But as they tinkered more and more, they soon gained a deeper understanding of the hero forges and soon came with a request.

- We need more of those anti - mana sands, - Colette said as she showed us a small glassy weapon made of the sand. - We managed to use the hero forge to make a weapon out of their anti - mana sand, and it�s significantly more resistant to the effects of mana drain since, well, the sand itself is so good at draining mana. It is also good at stopping mana from leaking out. We could make weapons out of these anti - mana sands, and this would hold up. -

The pathway through the stars was still there, though we noticed the pathway itself seemed. wobbly and uncertain.

We didn�t bring that much sand back, but it certainly was possible to make glass out of that sand if there were sufficient quantities of it. We didn�t know how much sand we needed, but the idea of mining this sandy planet for the anti - mana sands was really appealing. There could be a lot of uses for such a weapon, and if sufficiently widespread, it could equalize the inherent advantages of magic.

Actually, with sufficient quantities of this sand, it may even be possible to somewhat mimic earth - like, magicless situations.

In fact, once this demon king was over, I would probably lose access to all this anti - mana sand, unless I placed my clone on this world.

Lumoof, of course, had to be sent back to Sandworld. For sand. I wondered whether this was the first actual instance of dimensional mining operations.

- Well, at least it still looks the same. - Lumoof went alone as Stella attempted to keep the rift gates open. It didn�t work that well with the battering of Sandworld�s harsh anti - magic rays.

Lumoof activated a few storage bags, and then. they exploded. They couldn�t store the anti - magic sand that interfered with the storage bags itself.

- Oops. - Lumoof laughed. - Looks like we�ll have to send it back the teleportation way. -

Which meant Lumoof actually took large bags made of hemp and cloth and filled them with sand. In avatar mode, Lumoof functioned as the conduit for teleportation to my main tree, through my tree of life . Essentially, he was another - clone - in avatar mode.

Sand. It drained more mana than usual to send the anti - mana sand back, but we needed more. We took advantage of the day to eventually send back a small hill of anti - mana sand, piled up in one corner of the valley.

As I noticed the presence of this anti - mana sand, I also wondered whether it had potential anti - demon uses, since it was also effective against demonic mana.

Could we use the anti - mana sand to clear corrupted places and remove the demonic energies from Rottedlands - type terrain?

If so, these anti - mana sand could be immensely valuable to restore terrain and clean the land from demonic corruption.

Ken, my resident armchair critic, was quick to point out that I�d had the Space - Grand - Strategy equivalent of a unique resource that gave the faction access to unique units or research. That, of course, tickled my funny - branch. That made sense.

Who would�ve thought anti - mana sand was a strategic resource, anyway?

- Lumoof, you�ll be doing mining. A whole lot of it. -

- I�m a priest, A/ . Not a sand collector, - Lumoof protested, mostly as a joke. - I have sand in every part of my body! -

- Then you�re doing it right! You�ll have to be my sand - collecting priest for this month. -

The anti - mana sand, strangely enough, did not cause any unusual reactions with my secret hideout . My spatial skill, which didn�t use mana - or, at least, didn�t use it directly - could store this anti - mana sand without much risk, and after all my levels, my secret hideout could be expanded quite a bit.

The heroes took their share, a small truckload, to begin experimenting with larger weapons. At the same time, I also gave a small batch to my blacksmiths, jewelers, and crafters to attempt their own experiments.

Alka, too, used the anti - mana sand for his own experiments, mainly to figure out how to make the bombs react exactly the way he wanted. Within weeks, he made some very good discoveries. With the anti - magic qualities, the sand essentially functioned as - negative - gates, and in small quantities, it could be used to create more compact runic patterns and prevent unnecessary magical interference between unrelated but nearby formations. In short, the sand could be molded into magical walls between spells.

- Given the value of these sands, I�m thinking A/ should totally deploy a clone tree on this world, - Alka stated. - This sand could herald a new era of super - compact magical weaponry! We may even attempt the computers that the heroes speak of! -

Valid, but I had my reservations.

- Parasiteworld�s useless. We should abandon it for this, - Alka stated.

Again, I also had reservations. Surely there were resources there, just like the sand, that we had only not discovered.

If I had to, I would probably abandon either Cometworld or the moon base. Most probably the moon because of how easy it was to get to it again.

Still, this was something I had to think about, so for now, we mined sand. A lot of it.

The heroes made anti - magic staff and weapons, and Chung made arrows out of them. Chung and Hafiz both had a balance of spells and skills, as archer and knight - type heroes respectively, so transitioning from glass weaponry wasn�t too much of a challenge. The weapons were strong; after all, they were made through hero forge , and so were just naturally overpowered weapons.

They made a set for me and a few extra sets for the future heroes. Just in case.

On this front, I thought of Ken�s League of Heroes idea. Perhaps we could start with trade, trade of hero - items between heroes of different worlds.

I gave some to Lilies, just mainly to share the anti - magic sand. They were fascinated with it and immediately wondered whether it could be used with that anti - divine material we had.

Blackstar Gems. The coal - like material that exploded when exposed to star mana, in a way, quite like void mana. When we placed the two types of materials together, nothing happened. From what I recalled, the Blackstar Gems itself didn�t do much other than resist the effects of the gods, which remained untested even till today.

Our attempts to work with the two together didn�t get anywhere, but perhaps it was just a matter of discovering the right process.

They were not so amused when I shared what we saw on Sandworld. In fact, Lilies responded with a revulsion. Something about a world filled with so much sand that was so lifeless throughout that seemed to really disgust them.

Or maybe these lake plants just didn�t like waterless deserts.

Reefy�s search for the deepest trenches were filled with fights, and Reefy didn�t say much. All he said was he needed more time, since the trenches were filled with monsters. He seemed fairly amused by the anti - magic sand but didn�t think much into it.

The images Reefy shared were quite brutal, mostly of heavy fighting and slaughter. The depths were home to violent eels and weird fish - creatures, and they fought Reefy�s attempts to explore them. He didn�t seem disturbed by it; instead, Reefy merely remarked that he just needed more time.

Reefy also showed me some special coral weapons that he made, inspired by what I�d made on the surface.

He had control and ability to directly breed fish and fish - creatures, quite similar to how I created my beetles, and these fish could travel long distances.

I was really curious how he maintained control and vision of them even at such distances, but Reefy didn�t have an explanation. It was just what it was, and Reefy didn�t think much of it.

- We should probably warn the Mountainworld heroes about the Sabnoc - type demon king. It might blow up and flood the world with demonic corruption again, - Lumoof pointed out one day during one of the monthly council meetings. It didn�t feel very good that I was pointing out the problems and also giving the solutions. I felt like one of those business consultants that pointed out a future issue and told their prospective customers to pay up.

- You do know we look like swindlers when we tell them stuff like that and we offer the solution, too? - I mean, we did have a pile of anti - mana sand, and conveniently, there was a future demonic corruption crisis to solve. It really looked like I was hacking or even masterminding this shit. - It would be even worse if the explosion didn�t happen. -

Stella, of course, sat and then mused, - Maybe they�ve already fought the demon king and the explosion already happened. -

- Oh shit. Then they�ll need our help, - Lumoof said. - I mean, A/ �s help. -

- It�s a good chance to test out the anti - magic sand, whether it worked as hypothesized, - Alka responded.

- But what can they do if a Sabnoc - style explosion created another Rottedlands? There�s practically no defense against such a weapon. Not on a continental scale anyway, unless they somehow managed to lock the bomb or confine the bomb in a limited area. -

I thought back to the earlier fight against the demon king and recalled that it was possible to defuse or weaken the demonic corruption bomb by draining its mana. But that was something I�d have to do.

- We have an invasion on our hands? - Roon diverted the topic. - I think we�re all still busy making weapons. -

Lumoof looked at Stella. - I think we can manage a short visit? -

Also, we began to have some data from the first generation of the - augmented - supersoldiers. The first generational children of the Treefolks and Lizardfolks were reaching the age that they began to have some shape to their souls, and the results were mixed.

Different types of inherited skills caused the first generation�s children to display some odd qualities. Like enhanced strength meant they spent less time in their spawning pods because their strengths caused them to tear through the pods.

I supposed even with generational skills, the host or breeding facility must be able to endure the super - kids. The kids generally inherited the skills, but they were in a weakened form, which I suspected was due to their age. Once they matured, the skill would become its full form.

There were a bunch of treefolks and lizards that inherited one of the harvested void mage skills to naturally have void mana , and those didn�t work well. It caused the baby lizards and treefolks to look weak and fragile, and they had to be on life support.

So it wasn�t as if every skill could be injected. Skills needed to be compatible with the child or it would cause problems.

The researchers and caretakers also squabbled frequently over the conditions they faced. The caretakers were selected from those who used to support the Valthorns and their children. The unusual abilities these children had all needed special care and attention, but the researchers also wanted data, so the two frequently bickered. Right now, there were already third - and even fourth - generation Valthorns, since it�d been almost one hundred years since I�d re - emerged from the Rottedlands.

The mountain world was still the same, and when Lumoof returned, we were not greeted with fighting. That was a good sign. The first village we met looked relatively normal, still quite militarized, but everyone looked relaxed.

A bit of casual, alcohol - fueled conversation later, the heroes had been busy fighting demon champions. After they were captured by the demon king, the rumors seemed to say they were afraid of the demon king, so they didn�t dare to make the final assault. Not something they said out loud, but it wasn�t difficult to coax it out of drunkards.

It was quite obvious in hindsight that being possessed and captured for so long would be a traumatic thing for the heroes, but I would�ve thought the gods mind control would circumvent those fears and drive them toward the demon king.

Or maybe as long as the heroes were still fighting demons and not actively avoiding demons altogether.

- I remember Kei saying that they hear voices in their head, - Lumoof said. Then again, I wasn�t sure whether these gods applied the same kind of mind control or mental suggestions as those of our world. It wasn�t exactly the same set of gods, even if there could be some overlap.

Still, the presence of the heroes significantly tipped the scales, as the heroes could take on demon champions easily as they leveled.

It didn�t take particularly long for us to eventually return to the seat of the Council of Kings and find them in a significantly better mood. There was a return of the arts and entertainment, and the shops looked like they�d had a renaissance of sorts.

- Welcome back, Your Excellency. - Lumoof�s presence was initially undetected, but eventually someone saw him and ratted him out. One of the lizardpeople councilors came to greet him. - On behalf of the Council of Kings, we once again welcome the savior of our heroes. -

It was almost public knowledge that there was some otherworldly help by now. Our presence in this world was not a secret, and since the kings knew about it, almost everyone else soon learned of the other worlds.

Some formalities later, a meeting was arranged with the kings, the heroes, and a large group of advisors, where Lumoof then shared our experience with Sabnoc and the post - Sabnoc destruction.

There were only a few differences so far, so it was likely that this demon king was a similar variant as Sabnoc.

The two heroes, now in better shape, even if they were still affected by their trauma, quickly asked whether we would be able to send heroes here. We rejected it using the void mana as an excuse.

Still, there were some things that could be done with the knowledge.

One: there may be heroes where their souls had been captured by the demons.

Two: they started evacuation of the area near to the demon king, based on an estimate of how much area was lost to the demonic corruption. They, of course, didn�t say the knowledge came from another world but from the gods themselves. The temples didn�t like it, but thanks to the decade - long war, the kings were more powerful than the temples and so used their powers to make those who lived too near move away. There wasn�t much to evacuate, either, since thanks to the long war, vast areas were already a mini - Rottedlands.

Three: the heroes also made preparations, equipped with the knowledge of the tricks Sabnoc used. It was like playing with a walkthrough and after discussing how someone else had already cleared the game.

As it was, they�d reached a somewhat comfortable status quo where they were just hunting the champions for levels.

We didn�t say it out loud. I didn�t want to trigger the gods mental controls.

There was something we wanted to know. What triggered the demon kings win condition? When did they go for the core? Why was the demon king still stationary when the heroes were already free?

- We can hear it. It�s calling us to it, - the two heroes said. - We�re pretty sure it even sees us. -

We knew.

- But I�m afraid. - The two heroes were visibly shaking as the boy started to share his fears. - After that first time, I�m not sure if I could face it again. I know I have to. But. -

I thought I felt divine energies in the air as the heroes let out their worries in a meeting room.

- We have to. - Darn. Triggered it anyway. - Can you help us? -

We had a demon king of our own to fight. We had four years left, and the next demon king, now that I�d seen it, worried me immensely.

After the meeting, Lumoof suggested that perhaps we could help. The levels would help us against the demon king, since we could get new skills.

It was something worth thinking about.

YEAR 208

After watching the heroes show off their new weapons, we tried to make our own glass weapons, and we found the best way was to actually make them the non - magical way. Magical fires interfered with the anti - magical qualities, and conventional fires didn�t. Or at least mana - powered fires were weakened by the anti - magic sand and just made it harder to actually work with them. That didn�t stop my craftsmen from trying, and the end result from our first few - successful - attempts were quite similar to obsidian; these glass weapons felt very much like glass cannons and shattered after a few uses.

Our own tests suggested that they were extremely effective against creatures with high amounts of mana, thanks to the mana drain effects, and they also seemed to trigger some kind of nausea if one wasn�t able to handle the effects of the drain on the body and senses when we tested them lightly on our own folks.

The spears also caused the mana with a person or creature to become more unstable. Anyone with levels should be able to suppress and control their mana, but if not controlled, it could cause the mana to combust.

I suspected this - mana - ignition - quality to these anti - magic sand and the anti - magic solar rays was the cause of my treechikomas combusting into flames. They had little mana regulation or suppression ability, and as such, once the mana in them went crazy, they couldn�t stop it.

These weapons also didn�t like magical storage, so they worked against things like bags of holding. Still, Roon�s super range meant he could still exploit it, and I could still move these things with my portals. They even interfered with certain kinds of teleportation, though not portals. Magic could be applied around them but not through them without significant force.

It really was fascinating to work with these kinds of unique resources, and I wondered what was unique to each of these worlds. Surely, even a world like Treehome must have something unique that wasn�t found on the other worlds?

So far, I didn�t have much idea of what truly was unique between my world versus the mountain world or the Threeworld. Not without significant trade and knowledge exchange.

I also commanded my assistants and artificial minds to search Parasiteworld, though we didn�t find anything so far, and we even tested the waters, too.

I wondered whether it was something like tier or epoch unlocks. Like how in Civilizations, we�d have to acquire the necessary research and technology knowledge before we were able to locate natural resources like oil or uranium.

If so, maybe I was just too low on the tech - tree. I couldn�t see what was really unique to our worlds until I got the right skills.

We had about three years left before the demon king would come to our world, and our preparations to face the anti - magic demon king were in full swing.

Lumoof brought up the topic of the otherworldly heroes and shared their trauma and also their appeal for help.

- We should help them. - The heroes themselves volunteered for it. Prabu and Colette were keen to assist once we shared the circumstances of the other world. Ken, of course, realized this tied into his idea for a League of Heroes.

- That involves a deployment of A/ �s seed on that world. Something we�re still considering as it�s A/ �s last one. - Unless I gained more seeds in the future, but with levels so scarce, it was something to be considered a bit more strategically.

But honestly, there really were really just two types of choices: one against the demon king and the second here on Mountainworld or Threeworlds. After my failed attempt on the demon king on the anti - magic world, I was quite open to the idea of a clone here.

- From what we know so far, each world gets invaded by one demon world at a time, correct? So each world in itself represents an opportunity to explore one more demon world, more demon kings to fight, which is the only good source of high - level experience as it is, - Ken spoke up for the idea.

- But we have three years left before this world gets invaded? -

- Which shouldn�t matter. Reality is we need to be stronger if the demon king from this anti - magic world is as strong as A/ described. We need to participate in the fight against this demon king, which we can fight on our own terms because it�s there, stagnant and waiting. Its abilities are also largely known, due to A/ �s own past experience with a similar demon king. On top of that, it is stationary, which means there�s a whole list of abilities that A/ and the rest of us can abuse. -

I thought back to Harris and gang, and even before that, of Meela and Alexis. I remembered they had long - range weaponry and spells.

Edna thought over it and concurred with Ken. - In truth, we�re only risking the heroes. The domain holders will survive this, and we will gain levels. If we can minimize the risk to our four heroes, that would make this exercise a net gain. - This was simply because they could not be added to my pantheon, and they also could not receive my Court of the Deitree. They could only get normal familiars.

- If we make sufficient emergency teleportation devices, we could avoid most of the risk from a sudden detonation. -

The main cause of death for past heroes was actually the post - death detonation, and that was something they needed to prepare for, so with a few redundant countermeasures, Roon and Johann eventually relented. They were not keen on assisting at first, but Ken�s focus on gaining levels did outweigh the risks, especially with the right countermeasures.

After I heard both sides, I too eventually accepted that supporting the heroes was a good idea. The levels we could gain would help, and there was no reason to stop it.

We also had to consider the risks of defeating the demon king, because Sabnoc did nuke almost a quarter to a third of a continent to death. - A/ , you are much stronger now compared to the time when you faced Sabnoc. Do you think a wall of your trees could block off the demonic corruption if it happens? -

I wasn�t sure. Maybe? I remembered the energy from such a detonation was exponentially stronger at the core than at the edges. I remembered the wave of demonic energies crushing the trees further away from me. I was pretty sure my clone could survive the wave; it was just whether my wall of subsidiary trees and normal trees could withstand the demonic corruption.

We could use the anti - magic glass weapons to weaken the demonic energies, too, so I started experimenting on anti - magic trees. Trees that were made from the sands of the demon world.

It resisted assimilation into a tree, but the anti - magic weapon could help. For now, they made large, anti - magic glass barriers. These glass barriers would serve as an additional protection for the heroes and my domain holders.

Roon was enthusiastic as we worked out the offensive plan. A stationary target was the perfect target for him to exploit his - shot from the stars, - especially with the anti - magic ammunition and Alka�s wide repertoire of star - mana bombs.

As everyone worked out their part of the plan, I felt nervous and even felt privately quite suspicious. Was this anti - magic glass weapon really that much of a super - material? Was everything really going to work so well?

I wondered whether this was going to overstretch us before our own demon king. I had doubts, even if I knew it didn�t make sense. Logically fighting every battle and gaining levels was the best path forward.

We just had to stack the deck and make sure we attacked every demon king with sufficient overwhelming force.

- A/ , our patron, agreed to assist with the battle against the demon king, but there are conditions, and it will be our plan. - Lumoof spoke to the Council of Kings, the heroes and the gallery of their high - level individuals. - And in return, the two heroes would help us with our demon king. -

The two heroes agreed. Then Lumoof outlined our battle plan for the benefit of those present.

Six heroes in total, four from our world, would face the demon king, and they would be supported by my domain holders. Edna would be present to tank, Roon for ranged weaponry and bombardment, and Lumoof for field healing and to suppress the demonic bomb.

I would have to deploy my clone somewhere close to the demon king and when the time was right teleport the heroes over. The plan also involved walling off the demon king�s post - death corruption, just in case it detonated.

We outlined a possibility that the demon king would wake up and attack us once the four heroes from our world arrived or when my main tree was deployed. If that was the case, it�d be a simple mad scramble to fight the demon king.

If there was some time before we fought the demon king, I would start to gather more of those forest rods. At the same time, we�d use the time to stockpile star - mana ammunition and bombs. Of course, this would be our ideal outcome.

At the same time, this strategy involved deployment of my clone, and I would like to have a permanent place once I deployed my clone. So Lumoof also negotiated for one of the demonic lands as the spoils for my assistance.

This was contentious, and some of them said it was like we were annexing a plot of land. Which we were, I guessed. Still, it was no one�s territory as it was because of the decade - long war. Once my tree was deployed, that location would be the staging point for the assault. The kings haggled a bit but eventually agreed in principle.

I could sense that they grew weary of the long wars, and I even sensed some underlying frustration with their heroes. There were some murmurs in the crowd that this was some sort of land grab and invasion, and the priests looked uncomfortable with letting another force claim their world.

But they couldn�t deny it in the end. Even in their world, heroes who survived frequently went on to start their own kingdoms, sometimes by force. This was similar.

Lumoof and the councils went over the maps of the world and eventually settled on a spot that was once a forest. Once.

A group of elites escorted Lumoof to the target site, mainly just to ensure that we didn�t put the seed anywhere else. It wasn�t hard to blaze a path through demon territory, though we encountered a few demonic champions along the way.

It was located about two to three days away from the immobile demon king, and already we could feel its pulsing presence in the air. It was like an ambient pressure that could be felt in the mana, and even the ground itself was filled with demonic mana.

There was a very clear possibility that the demon king may immediately attack us once I deployed my clone, so everyone was ready for a jump.

Once we arrived, Lumoof immediately entered avatar mode, and my mana cleared the land around us. The clone deployed.

I felt something in the ground once my roots started spreading in the ground. There was once a ley line that flowed underneath that was now streaked with demonic energy, and that line of demonic energy headed to the core. It was subtle, mixed with the energies of the ley line, but I could sense it because I was very familiar with demonic energy now.

It was there, slowly pushing into the ground, and I could feel some kind of resistance.

- The demon king has already started tunneling to the core, but it does so through a magical ley line. -

The demon king tapped into the ley line. I wondered whether this was another piece of the puzzle.

As my own clone grew, I wondered whether the demon king would immediately move, but the demon king did not react.

I was relieved, and my clone took just two days to fully form. The benefits of a world that still had reasonable quantities of ambient mana.

Once I was ready, I began to flood the area with beetles, spawning trees constantly and pushing back against the demonic corruption in the area. Roon, Johann, and Edna arrived soon after.

All the while, the elites stayed put, and the elites of the mountain world were frankly horrified when they faced my gigantic clone tree and my three domain holders. Their reports to their masters back home were filled with similarly colorful words.

At the same time, once my presence stabilized, I felt something different in the air, and I knew something was up. I wasn�t sure why it didn�t happen instantly? -

You�ve connected to the energies of another world.

Soul Forge: Green Unlocked

Artificial Souls Level Cap increased to Level 80.

All artificial souls now have Green option unlocked.

Soul Spiritualization unlocked: Souls empowered with Soul Spiritualization no longer need a physical body to appear outside of the Soul Realm. They will take the form of ghosts and spirits. Ghosts and spirits can gain levels like normal. You may create artificial souls as ghosts or wraiths.

Mountainworld Soul synchronized. You may now collect souls from the mountain world.

Tree - Bounded Souls unlocked: You may now stop any chosen soul from reincarnating. You may stop no more than ten souls simultaneously with this ability.

- Something happened? - Lumoof asked.

- I just got a new Soul Forge Color. - I had forgotten that the soul forge needed a - permanent - connection, not just a temporary one through my Avatar mode. But I didn�t get this back in Cometworld? Was it because it was a dying world?

And why was there such a long time lag? Because the demon king was fighting or in the process of capturing the core?

- Huh. - It�d been a really long time since that happened, and I didn�t even know what to do. And now was not a good time.

No matter, I focused on the plan. Since the demon king didn�t react to us, did not seem bothered by my presence, my beetles fanned out in all directors. We hunted for the demonic rods. I only had one left, and I wanted more. My subsidiary trees pushed outward, and we attempted to encircle the demon king. These trees would form a containment ring and at the same time spawn beetles that helped me capture the rods.

It was actually really difficult to find the rods before they were deployed, but this was a matter of time.

We eventually collected about seven more rods, and I sent these rods back to the valley. Meanwhile, Lumoof returned to the cities to coordinate the heroes movement.

He was greeted differently this time around. The reports of the elite had already gone to the council, and I could tell they all felt like they bit off more than they could chew.

Previously, he was treated respectfully, and the kings conducted themselves cordially. This time, Lumoof picked up a sense of fear that was not there before. My priest had a calming presence, and his aura, on its own, was gentle, like the lapping waves of the sea, the gentle but present breeze of the beach.

Mine was different. It was the thick, overwhelming presence of the jungle, and even for just a moment, the elites remembered it. It was imprinted in their minds, just as how my own Valthorns remembered me.

- The heroes are not here yet? - The two heroes of Mountainworld were very eager to meet their otherworld counterparts. I learned their names this time, Adrian and Kelly, and they were in a bus with their friends when a truck came for them. It was always a damned truck.

- They will. - Lumoof smiled. - But not yet. We will try to arrange a session for all of you to meet before the battle. They are also eager to meet some people from their home world. -

I soon learned that Kelly was also a dark knight of some kind, but unlike Edna, she was more of the offensive type and had a mixed skillset between a barbarian and a knight. Adrian, on the other hand, was actually a food - monk - hero and excelled in physical abilities. He had to consume food before battle to release them as power.

Why did the gods think this was a good combination against a Sabnoc - type? Did the gods make a mistake with this demon king?

My trees spread quickly, and some soon covered the cities. With that came information. The kings and elites were visibly disturbed by the beetles that flooded the entire theater of war, and that fear manifested through their conduct. Already there were private discussions of what to do after the war.

How to - deal - with me.

Fear and suspicion. This was the nature of people. Lumoof had to quickly intervene before this got out of hand, and he met the kings and priests.

- Our patron has no intention of invading your world. Once the war is over, we would return the lands back to you, except for the agreed plot, since that is a part of my god. - The agreed plot was still pretty large, comparable to a medium - size kingdom. Sufficient for a presence. - This wall of trees is merely to contain the demon kings. -

What could they do but accept Lumoof�s explanation at face value? The armies of beetles were each in the tens of thousands, and the sight of beetles duking it out against demons was truly gruesome.

We were still not yet ready to hit out at Sabnoc, and about three to four months after my clone was deployed, the demon king seemed to detect my presence and began to attack. We endured multiple attacks from the demon king�s subordinates. Champions came for us, and the battlefields were covered in craters from all the demonic champions bombardments.

Still, it refused to move, and I felt the energies of the core fluctuate. As I also began to notice the ley lines were also - taking - from me during the ebbs.

I felt time was slowly, slowly running out and called the four heroes to prepare for teleportation.

YEAR 208 (PART 2)

The heroes exchanged greetings, and their arrival was greeted with bombardments from demon champions. Six heroes. Those were relatively good odds, and both Adrian and Kelly were in the low level one hundreds after their long periods of hunting demons.

It actually cost me quite a bit of mana to send heroes through my clones, and it drained about one - third of my mana - storage potatoes.

The heroes were ready, and the demon king continued to pump out demon champions and sent them our way. Magical projectiles from their champions were now a regular occurrence.

There was an air of tension in the air. Expectations.

- We�ve killed a few demon kings. We�ve seen something like this in the hero journals, so we�ll do it again. I know you are afraid, but this is our job, and we�re good at it. You two will be, too. - Chung was the one that spoke and tried to calm both Adrian and Kelly. - All we need you guys to do is hang in there and don�t get killed. -

After a bit of pep talk, the heroes briefed Adrian and Kelly, again, on what we�d seen in our own exchange with a similar demon king. A castle demon, perhaps?

- When you come to our world, you should have a look at the journals, - Prabu added. - And snacks. Trust me. You�ll feel better with snacks. - Colette promptly gave Prabu an elbow.

- Don�t diminish their trauma like that. -

- I mean, I know. The snacks are just the equivalent of putting flowers on poop. It�s still poop, - Prabu responded. - But between the two, I know I prefer flowers on poop. -

Adrian and Kelly just sniggered. - It�s all right. -

- It�s not. - Colette stared at Prabu. - We�ve all lost our friends in our own fights against the demons, and all of us will learn to cope in a different way. It�s not helpful to make it sound so simple. -

Prabu probably realized this was a dangerous conversation and decided to back off. - Yeah. You�re right. I�m sorry. -

Colette took a deep breath and, after an awkward silence, sighed. - I know you don�t mean any harm. -

Adrian and Kelly, the two heroes of Mountainworld, just stared. Colette, of course, realized how awkward the conversation had become and decided to switch topics.

- We�ll be fighting together for some time. So let�s get to know each other, - the female archmage answered. She looked not much older than when she first came, courtesy of the immense magic she held.

They shared a pot of tea, and the two looked visibly calmer after a cup. They once again went through why their first assault failed and how that led to their capture. The four heroes of Treehome also shared their own battles with their demon king, and they too shared the failures they faced.

How their friends died the first time. There was something about sharing their own losses that seemed to really relieve both Adrian and Kelly�s hearts. Even if it didn�t fix it. Even if it didn�t even heal all that much.

- We should get Kei and Stella here, - Prabu added. - They are former heroes. Well, Kei was, but both of them saw as much shit as we all did. But I guess we can meet them. -

- If we live through this, we will, - Adrian said.

Based on what the two heroes shared, there were some differences compared to Sabnoc. For one, this hero didn�t jam our communication system, so they were not forced to build communication towers. In many ways, what they suggested even seemed to say that this demon king was a weaker variant of Sabnoc.

That wasn�t confirmed, of course. It was likely that the demon king didn�t even bring out its best skills, since the heroes were so weak. It still didn�t make sense why it did this, of course. Why did the demon king - capture - some heroes?

Why keep them alive?

The heroes went through something similar to Alexis. They saw the fields of demonic spires, the vast lands. The demons read their minds, for sure. What was the purpose? Did they use the heroes mana to help their capture of the world?

Or use their minds to help improve or feed their own? Or were they looking for something in the heroes minds? Or was it just a kind of parasitic or herding behavior, that the captured heroes were - farmed - for something?

I felt like I wasn�t truly understanding all the pieces that were now available to me. My trees also searched the mountain world for daemolite, and we found it everywhere. I was fairly sure I would find it in the Threeworlds, too.

The demons had rift gates, and these rift gates were the way to open paths across worlds. We also knew, at least from a simple guess, that these daemolite were meant to mark their presence to the demons.

Back home we had accumulated daemolite over the years, since our discovery of their purpose, but we had yet to destroy them. Not until we figured out how to manipulate it or at least mislead it.

I had one of the wild ideas to plant the daemolite on the moon and lure the demon king there instead. The fight against the demon king would happen somewhere away from population centers, and we could, if we needed to, blow up the moon. Or use the daemolite to subtly control the rift gates.

Or they could be two entirely independent things. Daemolites were just nothing more than location markers, and once sufficient worlds - locked - onto a world, the daemolites served no other function. If rift gates didn�t rely on daemolites for any sort of specific targeting beyond locating it as a world, then destroying daemolites may be futile.

It was all speculation at this point.

We took full advantage of the demon king not attacking us to fully prepare ourselves for the fight. Roon was especially keen on unleashing hell on the demon king for a distance. The heroes themselves made plans for failures, and Ken walked through quite a few gimmicks that he thought would be commonly seen in such immobile bosses.

It was surprisingly insightful, and in hindsight, it was actually quite common to see immobile bosses in earlier games, especially side scrollers.

- Ready? - I asked everyone present, spread throughout the theater of war. They would all launch attacks from their respective positions and then all head toward the demon king.

Everyone gave their signal. We were all going to hit it together with long - range weapons. An all - out attack, from everyone, and then we�d see what happened. Edna and the close - range heroes would move in then. Lumoof would move to support them with healing.

Everyone unleashed their skills as the entire world was momentarily flooded with side effects of using so much magic in a short period of time. The mages launched a massive volley of long - range fireballs, magical missiles, and other kinds of energy blasts. Chung shipped fifty large hero - items through my abilities and used them to shoot a barrage of hero - powered ballista bolts.

Momentarily, there was enough magic flying through the skies that everyone, even those without magic, could feel a pulse in the air. Men and women from villages an entire continent away could feel the vibrations caused by so much magic.

The close - range heroes Hafiz and Kelly both had to stay back.

Roon also used his domain ability to fire star - mana bombs at the demon king. The attacks landed within a span of an hour, and for a moment, the world was greeted with an earthquake that could be felt throughout the entire world. This explosion was bigger than the minefield we had for the previous demon king. There were more heroes attacking, coupled with Alka�s star - mana bombs.

The explosion was so intense that it would scar that plot of land with magical residue for decades and cause tremendous magical instability for at least months, but in time, it would heal.

As it always did.

I could sense that the attacks landed, because there was a momentary weakness in the demonic energies, and I felt it ebb in the ground beneath and around us.

Then a pulse and another strong shake. The dust had not settled, but the heroes continued to attack.

They were not going to wait for it to transform. A rookie mistake, and Ken strictly reminded them to double - tap, even if it seemed dead. Roon waited, however, since we didn�t have that many star - mana bombs.

As the magical attacks provided cover fire, Edna was the first to approach, confident that she could survive anything the demon king threw at it.

The attacks kept on going, and for a moment, we felt the world suddenly tear. A rift opened right around where the demon king once was, and then we sensed demon champions from throughout the world vanish before they reappeared around the demon king.

From those rifts, the demons counterattacked with magical explosions.

- It�s still transforming! - Chung said, his eyes glowed with some kind of sight - ability. - Don�t let it finish. - He recharged his array of magic ballistas, and another volley was unleashed.

The second volley mostly smashed into the demon champions. They took the hit on behalf of their king and were vaporized by the star - mana - charged bolts.

The land around the demon king had transformed into a huge crater, a result of all the weapons we deployed, and there was a thick layer of fire, plasma, dust, and dirt whipped up by all the explosions.

Through my spiritual sight, my view of the demon king was not obscured by dust, only interrupted by the sparks of magic in the air. I saw it transforming and splitting apart and then, for a brief second, a surge in magical energy from within the demon king. Immediately, energy beams fired outward, aimed at the heroes and also our array of weapons.

The heroes dodged, and some of the weapons were destroyed. Our shields couldn�t fully block the beam. It was still strong enough to destroy my shields and some. Only Edna�s ability allowed it to take the hit head - on.

At the same time, the demon champions that survived Chung�s volley of ballista bolts started to fuse, and a few turned into the supercannon - type demons. This transformation happened incredibly quickly, far faster than what I�d seen or heard, and once completed, they added cover fire and fired a constant ray of demonic energy.

The rift sent more demon champions through. The heroes weaved through the magical beams and moved closer. Ranged attacks needed longer charge times and just were not as powerful as their mid - or close - range attacks or skills.

Meanwhile, I kept my focus locked on the demon king. My artificial minds supported the wider battle, and we spawned trees as fast as we could. Beetles from these trees supported the larger battlefield as the attack on the demon king seemed to rouse the regular demons out of their routine and caused them to attack their nearby kingdoms.

My trees also tried to close in on the demon king.

- Let�s shift to close combat. - Hafiz dodged a massive beam of energy overhead, his magical shield battered from all the attacks. The supercannon - type demon champion also blanketed the battlefield with its rays and projectiles.

The earth rumbled again, and this time, I felt a presence inject itself into the ground. It moved toward us.

My roots spread to intercept it, and then something blew up from beneath my subsidiary trees. Or tried to. My roots managed to hold the rocks in place. Another demon champion type surged out of the ground, and it looked like a spiky hedgehog.

I didn�t hesitate, and in those moments, my roots pierced it quite easily. For a moment, I seemed to have gotten it. It should�ve disintegrated.

But the demon king wouldn�t let its army of demons die.

Then a pulse of demonic energy spread outward as I thought I saw the demon king�s energy splinter into a thousand pieces.

The spiky demonic hedgehog, skewered by my roots, glowed and, empowered by demonic energy from the king itself, revived. Multiple champions throughout the battlefield, some killed earlier, were instantly revived by that demonic energy.

- It revives destroyed champions. That�s a new trick, - Chung commented, partly in bewilderment. I was amazed that it had an Edna - like skill. Essentially an army of undying.

The champions themselves were still quite weak, even with the slightly enhanced power, so it didn�t take much effort to crush them, not with my current levels, but they kept reviving. I skewered the demonic hedgehog again and then wrapped my roots around it. I crushed it, but I didn�t move fast enough.

And yes, even as I thought it was dead, it wriggled and revived once there was another pulse from the demon king.

- Focus on the demon king! - Edna had already closed in on the main body, a large blob of demonic energy that started to swirl. And then suddenly, it released something strange.

Souls. Spirits.

Three dead heroes and then demonic flesh gathered around those souls.

Kelly and Adrian recognized them and screamed. Kelly immediately charged in her star - mana armor.

The flesh shaped into surprisingly lifelike versions of the dead heroes.

- Kelly! It�s us! Don�t you recognize us? - one of the demonic - fleshed heroes said in an alien but incredibly lifelike voice, but I saw an intense gathering of demonic energy. - What are you doing? -

- Edna! Intercept! It�s a trap! - I commanded as my roots immediately surged out and attempted to attack the - dead heroes. - Kelly, retreat! -

But Kelly didn�t listen, my roots didn�t do enough damage, and once she got close enough, an intense beam of demonic energy blasted outward from the - demonic hero. - Edna couldn�t get there in time. My wooden shields and Colette�s magic barrier appeared, and we blocked a large bit of the blast, but that attack was no weaker than the demon king�s deathrays, so the heroine still took a bad hit.

The demon hero disintegrated, its energy spent, and there were two of the demonic flesh heroes left.

Lumoof quickly moved aside to assist, and we saw her soul fluctuate and weaken. Her skin was charred, like she had just walked through an intense fire. Had we not blocked it, I was sure that would�ve instantly killed her. - She�s out. - Lumoof lifted her and immediately retreated as fast as he could. She would need intense healing, and the demon�s energies were so strong it even injected itself into her body.

I vaguely sensed the presence of a demonic curse.

- That�s fucking low, - Chung cursed, and they kept up their volleys at the main blob. It was irritating, though, because the demon champions kept reviving, and even when defeated, they would only remain dead for fifteen minutes or so. The pulses would revive them, and once revived, they would force all the heroes to be on the defense.

It was so irritating that both Johann and Roon directed their attention on the demon champions and concentrated their attacks on the champions to redirect some of the - aggro - and open up some attack windows. The heroes could not attack and defend at the same time, and I could instantly see why this demon king won the first round.

This was one pain in the ass.

Prabu and Colette naturally focused on the other two demonic heroes, and the other two demonic hero - lookalikes just looked at the remaining Mountainworld hero and smiled creepily. - Adrian! -

Adrian cursed. - Don�t speak to me! You�re not them. Don�t fucking pretend to be them. - He retaliated with magical attacks, and the demon heroes blocked it with magic of their own.

- But we are! Come. Join us! Join our rebellion against the Puppeteers! - they said with a smile. - Why do we serve the Puppeteers, anyway? -

They moved incredibly quickly, with speeds that did not seem weaker than the heroes.

How? How did the demon king animate these lookalikes that even had some almost - hero - tier abilities? I was very curious what kind of world this demon king came from. What kind of environment created this demon king?

Colette, Prabu, and Chung, the three heroes in - middle - range, - all shared a glance. - He needs help. -

I surveyed the battlefield then. Roon and Johann kept destroying the demon champions, but this took all their time. Edna and Hafiz were both in close range, and they hacked away at the massive demon king blob. They seemed to be doing damage, but they didn�t have much window to assist others, since the blob itself had close - range offensive magics and also detonated small explosions around its main body.

They were occupied, and in fact, Edna and Hafiz needed support, too.

Lumoof withdrew all the way to the rear, a good distance away from the battlefield. He was still focused on stabilizing Kelly. An army of healers was on standby, mostly from the kingdom but some from the Valthorns. They quickly got to work and suppressed the demonic curse within Kelly�s body while keeping her alive.

Lumoof�s magical energies were exceptional at healing, and she got better, but it�d be at least half a day before she could return to combat.

I needed to free up Roon and Johann to support the others. I helped to kill the demon champions with my roots, but they weren�t dying permanently. I believed there must be a way to kill them permanently. I remembered how it was possible to interrupt the demon king�s reincarnation mechanic, so it must be possible with these lesser creatures. Even if they wouldn�t die, I�d just take over these champions or at least drain that piece of demon king away, since that seemed to be the key to their revival mechanic.

Prabu decided to help, so he teleported next to Adrian and created a magical shield. It blocked one of the demon�s magical blasts. - Don�t fall for it. They�re goading you. -

- I know, - Adrian said, angry. - But I can�t help it. -

The heroes traded attacks with the demons, but I concentrated on the demon champions nearby and attacked them with my roots.

But this time, my roots pierced the body and hunted for the demon king�s energy. I found it nestled within a slightly harder part of its body.

My root snaked through the innards of the demon champion and touched it. And I absorbed it.

Strangely easy.

The demon champion crumbled, as if all the damage it took from the past suddenly took hold once more.

I immediately set out to repeat it with every demon champion. It was fairly slow as the demons traded attacks.

Edna and Hafiz both cut away at the demon king, but they couldn�t land that many hits. Not with the demon king detonating explosions. They would retreat, close in to land a cut or three, and then retreat again. Colette and Chung would then attack during the times Edna and Hafiz couldn�t land a hit.

The gaps between their attacks were also fairly long, since the demon king seemed to constantly shapeshift and would regularly release beams of intense demonic energy that they had to evade.

It was kind of a shit realization, but I realized - defensive - heroes did not perform that well. Not against this demon king where our shields just vaporized so easily, and sometimes even taking a hit behind shields still dealt too much damage. The demon king was in its own class, and the meta at that level of combat was offense and evasive abilities. Defense was useless unless they had something like Edna.

- Roon, Johann, are you able to see the demon king�s energies within the demon champion? If you can take it out, it would immediately make it crumble. - They nodded, and both switched their weapons to the mana - draining weapons and went for close - range attacks instead.

They both had some kind of mana - sight ability, and it was quite hard to spot the demon king�s energy, but the anti - mana glass worked incredibly well, and the champions revival was interrupted once they managed to hack through the demon champions and get to where that demon energy was stored. They crumbled when that energy was drained.

We cleared the champions quickly, and the battlefield�s bullet - hell of magical projectiles gradually became less dense. It would lessen the strain on the heroes to deal damage. With all three of us taking out the champions, it still took about two hours to eliminate all of them from the battlefield.

We were left with the shadow of heroes, and we shifted our focus to help with Adrian and Prabu. I was very curious what these two creatures were.

They weaved and dodged quickly. These demonic flesh heroes were very high quality and had the speed and power to back it up. Still, I noticed that they were still susceptible to my aura, even if just a little bit, and that slowed them a bit.

Eventually, working together with Roon and Johann, I finally stabbed my roots into one of them, and I began draining its mana.

The demonic hero screamed and shouted and then detonated itself. Or tried to. I detected its mana gathering, and my roots immediately intercepted it and interfered with its mana gathering.

Instead, it just disintegrated.

The last remaining demonic hero sensed its doom and before anything decided to detonate itself.

That very act, however, meant its magical defenses were down. Prabu immediately wrapped his magic around the demon, then flung the demonic hero high up into the sky where it detonated midair harmlessly.

Adrian was exhausted. He wasn�t as high level as the rest, and this battle weakened him. The trauma of facing his deceased friends drained him out.

- Retreat. We�ll handle it. - We were left with the main body. Kelly had stabilized, but she remained at the rear to recover under the care of the other healers.

- The demon king is hurt for sure. -

The heroes moved to attack; this time it was a clean fight. Four heroes, Edna, and the demon king. The rifts occasionally spawned demon champions, but I took care of that.

I mostly spectated this phase of the battle, occasionally helping with a shield or a root strike. My attacks still didn�t do much damage. Roon and Johann also retreated, but they also helped with cover fire. The repeated attacks from the heroes eventually weakened it, and we sensed the reduced intensity of its demonic energy, dropping over time. - Let�s end this. -

With all of its gimmicks removed, the concentrated attacks eventually destroyed the blob, and then a spire - like thing was revealed within.

I saw an immaterial energy - beam that reached for the core of the world.

The spire - like thing started to glow as it floated midair, and I detected a huge surge in corruption - type energies. Very, very familiar stuff.

This was the Rottedlands bomb all over again, and this time, I wouldn�t let it happen. Lumoof charged forward at my command, as the spire created a magical barrier around itself. The magical barrier blocked the attacks from the heroes but did not stop Lumoof, Edna, or Hafiz from going through it.

I felt my domain push through the barrier, and Lumoof touched the spire itself. At that moment, it attempted to attack us mentally.

Natives. Submit to us.�

Domain has blocked attempted mental attack.

Lumoof recoiled at the attack, but he too had a domain, and my energies flooded the spire. The spire smashed into the ground beneath us, and its energies attempted to infect the land.

But by now, my trees were everywhere in the battlefield, and my mana was ready to resist. - Destroy the spire! - I shouted, and the heroes came and unleashed hell on the spire. The spire cracked and then disintegrated into nothingness.

Not even the demon core remained. At that moment, the flesh of the demon king, much of it separated and cut off, started to transform into daemolite.

You�ve defeated an otherworld demon king!

Title obtained: Multiverse Demonhunter

You�ve gained seven levels! You are now level 221.

The heroes slew the demon king of the mountain world. Many others gained levels, too. More importantly, Alka leveled from his constant supply of the weapons of war and ascended to be my fifth domain - holder.

YEAR 208 (PART 3)

Vine - and root - related abilities are all significantly upgraded. Your root distance has been significantly increased and the depth and range expanded.

Demonic Mana Resistance significantly enhanced.

New Domain Skill - Guardian Treants

You are able to spawn guardian treants near your clones or your main body. Guardian treants can act independently and fight but may not move too far from your main body or clones.

- Eh. - I found that ability quite weak. It just added more of the same type of ability to my skill set. I already had strong support skills, and guardians. well, that didn�t add much.

I needed more offensive ability or, failing that, more movement - and mana - related abilities. Adding more flesh to the battlefield generally, well, didn�t do much.

Yet I also wondered whether that was a wise choice. I was a tree. Even with clones and more trees, I was still a tree. Was I trying to fit a round peg into a square hole?

It was tempting to believe, as one gained levels, that I would become more - all - rounded, - more - able - to do what I was not able to do before. But I was increasingly noticing that the system also forced a type on me, and doing something outside what the system considered - normal - for me generally required extensive preparation. Even then, I would still be outcompeted by those who had the right classes and optimal builds for those things.

The domain choices were really one of the rare times when the system actually allowed us to actively - steer - the direction of our powers.

This was not so for humanoids who, through their actions, could choose what class they acquired.

Monsters, on the other hand, were what they were designed to be, and evolutionary choices still had to remain linked to their core form. Therefore, now that I could somewhat modify living beings to some degree, could I therefore guide this path elsewhere? Just as I attempted to steer the development of my treefolks and my lizardpeople, I was starting to realize perhaps I missed monsters.

The creation of true anti - demon monsters would be a great start. Just as nature was often an arms race between different species, why couldn�t nature have their own counter for demons? The demons evolved indirectly, adapting the qualities of their captured world into their own, each time expanding the variety of demons, one world at a time.

I would also speculate that each demon king was also slightly different, thus adding another form of evolution to their force. My evidence was that Sabnoc was slightly different compared to the demon king of the mountain world; perhaps the ratio of - demon-and - core - was mixed slightly differently with each new spawn.

So nature had to evolve. The natural world most likely had two main ways of evolution. The first one, unique to this magical world, was the subtle evolution through the spawning process, in which the system created life out of thin air, perhaps using a blend of the existing creations. This was most apparent in the Rottedlands edges, where we had hybrid creatures and plants. Second was of course the supposed earth - way of accumulated surviving adaptations.

I was inclined to believe the first was the - main - evolutionary tool in this world, simply because magic and demon kings just killed everyone so quickly that the system repopulated the world with slightly better - adapted individuals.

But why let the system be the only one doing it? If I could make Treechis, why not make demon-eating hounds and beetles? Giant, demon-eating worms?

Training and equipping Valthorns with the right skills was fine and all, but evolution must consider all choices, a point I had clearly neglected, even when it was what I started with. I had trained beetles, and my artificial minds continued to make incremental improvements to better adapt them to our ongoing war on Parasiteworld. Things that artificial minds were good at.

Faster. Stronger. Bigger.

But I could do more. Especially more - radical - recreations. Different. Reconstruction from the ground up to make them more focused demon-killing machines.

Artificial minds could take one or two steps back, but they were not designed for ground - up remakes.

I could redesign them from bottom up, create stronger versions of their original form. Not just that, I could attempt to fuse the anti - mana glass or any other kinds of material into their structure to create something alien.

Weaker but different, and then incrementally improve that - weaker - type to make it more powerful.

Not just that, looking at it, could I also recreate artificial minds and improve them? I had responded to the growing need for oversight and for routine automation by adding more and more artificial minds to the problem. Patreeck assigned and allocated tasks to them.

Could we make better artificial minds and improve their hardware such that each level they gained did more?

The heroes celebrated the death of the demon king. Kelly recovered after two days of intense care.

- So. now we need to help you with your demon king, - Adrian said. - But how do you already know what�s coming? -

- Complicated story, one I�ll let you have more details of once you visit our world. But the gist of it is that A/ can see the demon king coming. Sort of. -

- Whoa. - The two heroes were impressed. - You guys have counters for most demon kings, then? -

Prabu shook his head. - Not for the one that�s coming. A/ said the next demon king will be a massive, heavily physical, super - magic resistance, anti - magic type. Something we have no counter for. Not directly. We don�t have a physical hero in our lineup, and sadly, the two of you are not pure physical types, either. So we�ll have to make do with larger numbers and, hopefully, better equipment. -

The heroes gained some levels, but strangely, it wasn�t very high. The four heroes and many of those who joined the battle also gained the same title as I did. A useless trinket. Even those who assisted indirectly obtained the title. The four heroes from our world gained four to five levels each, though Adrian and Kelly, being lower leveled, gained about ten.

A big party was held throughout the kingdoms, though the atmosphere was somewhat tense among the elites. My presence partly dampened the euphoria. The kings were fearful, and the worries had many aspects.

Would we leave? What did the heroes want now? Who would do the cleanup of the demonic corruption that covered so much of the world? How did they maintain their power above the temples, or would the kings power and influence be usurped by the temples again?

The heroes were mostly oblivious. They were just happy to have the weight off their shoulders. The commoners partied like it truly was the end of the world.

- Have you guys attended parties like this? - Adrian asked. - Like, back home. -

- Yes. Smaller ones, nothing like this. This truly is something else. - Decades of constant warfare finally brought to an end, and the kings spared no expense to commemorate this momentous victory. Every kingdom contributed a small sum to the party, but combined, it was a truly lavish thing.

A moment of bliss for the common folk. A moment for the heroes to forget the sacrifices and losses along the way.

A moment to drown in the seemingly endless barrels of alcohol. A revenge party for a decade - long war. Because these moments may be all they had until the next demon king came along.

The nobles made the effort to approach the heroes, and their questions were meant to get a sense of how we were back home. An attempt to understand where the kingdoms stood in my world. Of course, I didn�t expect Prabu to know what to answer.

- The Central Continent�s ruled by A/ . Directly, - Prabu said to a noble of Mountainworld

- What about the temples? -

- They rule the other continents, well, indirectly via their influence on the actual rulers, but the Central Continent is pretty much de facto controlled by A/ and his organization. -

The nobles all naturally poked and attempted to drive a wedge between myself and the heroes. - Why do heroes accept such an arrangement? -

Prabu stared at the noble curiously. - Why not? Not all heroes seek to rule, and A/ established a competent military dictatorship to support his realm. His realm is not perfect but largely decently managed. -

- Don�t heroes want to create their own vision of the world? -

Prabu laughed at that. - I think that only applies if the locals don�t even know what we want. Then we have no choice but to create it. -

- How is life in the Central Continent? What do kings and nobles do? -

Prabu frowned. - Honestly, I don�t know. I don�t see them much. All of my dealings with the world are handled by the Valthorns. -

- Why do you let them treat you like that? - a noble said. - Surely a hero can handle his own affairs. -

It amused me that they goaded the wrong person. They would�ve had better success with the other heroes, who mostly remained with Adrian and Kelly. Maybe they would try it with them later. Prabu just laughed at that. - Eh, I�m quite happy to have a small army of assistants. -

- Do you not feel like you�re some menagerie animal? -

- Why would I? My needs are met, and A/ may be my best chance to find a way home. -

- Maybe A/ already has a way and has been withholding it from you in order to use you to fight his wars. -

- The only wars I�m fighting are against demons and my hunger. But maybe you guys should pay A/ �s clone body a visit and book a tour to our world. - It wasn�t exactly a secret by now that I sent heroes to their world. - After all, now that A/ �s clone body is here, he won�t be going anywhere. -

The nobles winced.

- Eh. It�s quite a pleasant trip! - Prabu went on a promotional spree. - It�s safe, and as long as any of the Valtorn Order�s guys accompany you, you can be assured of your safety. Food�s good, and the accommodations are great! There is some really interesting scenery to see, too. I was told the valleys and the Freshkan colleges are super popular with the younger nobility. -

I somewhat cringed, so I focused on the other group of heroes. Some of the nobles approached them, but they were adept at dodging, and eventually, they left the actual party.

- I�ve got a word of advice, - Chung immediately said to Adrian. - If you�re gonna start your own kingdom, don�t stick your thing in too many places, and don�t have too many kids. -

- You have kids? - Adrian looked at Chung like he said something funny.

- No. But I�ve seen what my predecessors went through, and dealing with the mess isn�t fun. They�ll fight, and it broke my predecessor�s heart when his wives and children fought with each other. -

Adrian shrugged and nodded.

Chung held his hand. - I�m serious. One of the things we heroes lack, surprisingly, is self - control. With all this power in our hands, we can get our way easily. But there are consequences, especially with people and with organizations. If you build a kingdom, remember that the kingdom exists because you exist. Once you die, your kingdom collapses with you. -

- Is that why you guys have not made your own kingdoms? - Kelly asked. - When we came to this world, that�s what they promised us. We�d be kings and queens, heroes, we�d have the man of our dreams. -

Chung nodded. - It�s a lie. The beautiful cake they sold us is filled with worms. Mostly. You gotta realize which parts are not filled with worms. -

- Then. - Kelly looked sad. - Why are we here? What should we do? -

- Survive. Until we all meet our eventual doom at the hand of some future demon king. -

- That�s sad. It makes me feel like what we�ve struggled through so far is pointless. -

- It�s not. Even in our world, we eventually die. We are doomed, either disease or old age, or many other reasons. Yet our lives back home didn�t feel meaningless. -

- I thought going to class all the time was pretty meaningless, - Adrian quipped.

- Meaning is something you can create. Our predecessors tried different things. One went on a hunt for good wines; another dabbled in fashion and arts. They took what they liked and dived deeper into it. For me, I quite like killing demons, so I�m trying to be even better at it, - Chung answered frankly. - Or you can be a snack addict like Prabu. -

The two other heroes heard him but did not respond.

Around the same time, I also sent my trees to explore the area underneath the demon king. My trees spawned in where that demon king once camped, and I detected strands of daemolite that went really deep into the ground. The ley lines were tainted by demonic energy, though they would fade in time.

I sensed the taint weakening each day, and eventually the ley lines would flush out all the demonic energy.

The demon king had somehow pulled the ley lines of the entire region to this single spot, and now that the demon king was gone, these ley lines were slowly drifting apart. This would be a good time to pin the ley line together to form a dungeon, but then I wanted to see how a world recovered.

Defeating the demon king did not answer the question I had.

What was the demon�s win condition? How did they win, and what determined how long the world held up?

From what Lilies said, I knew that a demon king could remain undefeated for decades, almost centuries, but still the world did not fall. Yet, from Snek�s world, their world clearly collapsed quickly.

This was comparable to a doctor trying to diagnose a novel disease, and now we were trying to figure out the mechanics of the disease. A mutating virus.

Concurrently, I started to clean up the corruption in the areas designated to be under my rule.

It didn�t take more than a week to clear my marked lands of the demonic corruption, my energies easily overwhelming the demon�s presence.

- What�s the plan with this location? - My domain holders didn�t stay long; Edna, Roon, and Johann returned home. There was also the topic of names for this new nation, and I decided to call it Branchhold.

I would like to first increase the tree population and increase my total mana output. Later on, I would relocate some of the void archmages to this world and begin surveying the skies for other worlds.

My astral sight was enhanced now that my clone body was here, and already I could see that this world could access Threeworlds and Treehome and also some other further worlds. It was the interstellar equivalent of expansion.

I decided to open my land to refugees and got some of my experienced Valtorn Order administrators and mid - level Valthorns to come over to Mountainworld to set up the new nation of Branchhold.

In time, I would like to introduce the Canari to this world and also implement offshoots of existing institutions.

As for the lands outside, I also cleared a few - safe - paths to the rest of the inhabited worlds in order to kickstart the migration and resettlement, but for now, the rest of the demonic corruption remained.

The locals of Mountainworld called it the demon-touched lands, and they spawned hybrids and demons quite similar to the Rottedlands but still different in their own way. This was useful research, and I wanted to take another opportunity to examine them. It would be good to study them and compare them to the specimens we had back home.

Alka actually gained his domain while bunkered somewhere far from the battlefield, though he was actively supporting the battle by giving the bombs some extra - power - ups. - As a field scientist, he could amplify the strength of certain equipment, and that included the bombs, and I figured through those contributions, he gained the experience needed to get through to the domain.

He naturally joined my pantheon for - life insurance. -

He got the domain of Explosions , and the first extremely unusual ability of his domain, Always a Bomb , was his ability to be a Living Bomb. Essentially, he could detonate a bomb around himself without actually needing a bomb of varying strength and up to the strongest bomb he had ever made. The number of bombs he could release was pretty much scaled to the strength of the bomb.

At the same time, the Field Scientist class returned to me, since, once he had his domain, his class no longer existed. It was merged into the Explosions domain, along with all the skills.

In a way, that sort of made Alka very dangerous. He could theoretically nuke himself next to me if he wanted to, and I was really thankful that I had other bodies as my own personal insurance.

Then again, that was the same class any offensive - geared domain holder would reach. A hero, or a mage - with - a - domain, would probably be similarly dangerous, so there really was no need for excessive paranoia.

I would need Stella to get her domain, and we should largely have the pieces needed to really jam up the demons process.

- Too bad we missed a chance to send some roots through that rift, - Stella said to me privately. - I would love to see what kind of world that demon king came from. -

In the heat of battle, that was not an easy thing to do. The rifts were not common, either. Since this set of demons spawned their own demons by manipulating existing ley lines, they did not require much reinforcements from their home world, except during that final battle with the demon king.

With the festivities mostly over, we had a demon king to prepare for, and this time, I wanted to attempt to jam the demon king�s teleportation process.

YEAR 209

Lumoof returned to Sandworld alone. The place had not changed, but this time, we were not here for the sand or to study the solar radiation.

We wanted to mess with the mechanisms used to send the demon king through the worlds and see whether we could essentially shoot down an intercontinental ballistic missile while it was ascending from its silo or mess with the delivery vehicle such that the ICBM could not even hit its intended target.

My plan was simple. We�d seen the mechanisms used to create the portal, and the goal was to simply smash them before the demon king could use it. After all, the demon king itself may not be able to stop me, since it had to teleport to another world. If it did interrupt and attacked me, that was a success.

If it lured the demon in the core out of the core, that was also a success.

If that failed, I�d attempt to mess with the mana balance of the portal and see whether I could stop the demon king from teleporting.

Any delay was a success, even if they still eventually made the trip.

- I don�t think it�s ready yet, - Lumoof said as we stood above where the hole once was. I could sense the massive pit to the core beneath us. There was no structure here, no tower of void energy. Not yet.

Just the rift gates built into the walls of the pit. We could destroy it, of course. So we did, but I reckoned the demons would be able to regenerate these gates fairly easily. These rift gates, built into the walls of the pits, looked flimsier than the normal gates.

During the day, the pit was covered. We took advantage of the daytime to enter avatar mode, and my roots pierced through the ground beneath us. It was a demon champion that functioned as a mobile cover, and it wasn�t hard to kill it once I found where its core was.

The path between the two worlds was solid, and now, from this side, I sensed tremendous amounts of core - void blend that had been injected into it.

But I couldn�t interact with the path. Only Stella could, which made me wonder. I knew it was possible for a normal person to gain void mana, and I myself already had small quantities of star mana. But could we train a regular person to possess star mana or to possess any other kinds of mana?

Anyway, I digressed. I focused back on the pit and its immediate surroundings. How did the demon king - create - those structures, and could we destroy them, copy them, or change them?

There was currently nothing around us. Except for the structure at the edges of the pit, which we had destroyed. Yet I had a feeling it wouldn�t be so easy.

The next likely candidate was the demon within the world. Maybe it coordinated the transportation and the opening of the rift. It must have had a mechanism to - create - the structures needed to open the gates to the worlds beyond.

If so, I�d try to intercept it.

- We have two years left, - Lumoof repeated. - It�s not here yet. -

- But the rifts will open soon. Let�s head further underground and try to reach those rift gates and observe from this end. -

Lumoof gulped. - Some days, I think this avatar ability is cursed. -

Back home, war preparations continued, and I used the expanded range of my roots to continue my expansions into the sea and also underground.

There was nothing much to find in the sea, not with my now - increased range. Even underground, it was more of the same thing.

Still, with the expanded range, I could reach even further out of the sea and even deeper, and for once, I began to connect to a string of smaller islands further out to sea from the Central Continent mainland.

They were places I could never reach before, and with it, there was more mana. I realized the folly of my earlier attempt at the womb of the demon king. I was still underpowered, and if I sought to unmake the demons with mana, I would need a lot more than the mana of just one continent.

I needed the mana of at least an entire world. Maybe two or three.

So I shifted my attention to Parasiteworld, now in a state of flux. Did I still need this world?

I needed a world where mana was plentiful, a world that could fuel the war that was to come, and this wasn�t it.

Actually, as I reviewed all my clones, I concluded both the moon and Parasiteworld should be on the chopping block. Cometworld, too, but since it had the value of traveling through the void - space, I decided it was worth keeping despite the mana shortfall.

My moon seed was now a waste, even if it was the first experiment we did. It had no mana production, and Stella�s attempt to mess with the void paths into our world did not work. Not even when she tried to block the astral paths on the moon.

It was the equivalent of trying to stop an out - of - control truck with a piece of paper. A really thick black piece of paper. Naturally, it didn�t work, so I decided I would recall my moon - clone. It was the - easiest - to recall, since it was so close to me that Stella could open a portal to the moon. Thus, the opportunity cost to redeploy was the lowest, if someday I were to find some other use case for a moon base.

I felt my close tree shrivel, shrink, and then. vanish.

Clone Seed recalled. Ten years of cooldown before it can be redeployed.

Ah fuck.

At least I knew it took ten years. A blink of an eye, actually.

My immediate thought was to deploy it on Threeworlds. If I could use it to unlock the new soul forge color, I would be willing to make enemies for it.

With the enhanced mana from Mountainworld, we renewed our offensive against the demons on the demonic parasite world. Parasiteworld was also linked or near its own set of worlds, though I couldn�t see them clearly.

The sky was littered with the effects of the collapsed void path that acted like clouds.

With more mana at my disposal, I could maintain and support more trees and more beetles, and so we expanded the controlled areas to cover slightly more places.

Over the years, I realized that it was better to claim territory that led to a demon structure I wanted or a place I wanted my Treechikomas to investigate than to just claim the land for the sake of it.

Like a blob, we gave up our land where we found nothing and used the saved mana to push elsewhere. We captured a few demonic spawning pools, and these ones just generated more of these parasites.

It improved my understanding of these parasites but not much else.

At the same time, as my tree looked up to the cloudy astral skies, I made a note to send Lumoof into the demon�s pit once the skies began to clear. Maybe there was something we could learn about how the demon found new worlds to target.

That said, I thought I may have to wait decades for it to target another world.

Still, I could discover another world this way, by hitchhiking on the demon�s targeting system. I could front - run its invasion by sending Lumoof to the other side.

A future plan.

The demons did not take any precautionary measures even after our invasion into the core. That was, of course, strange. If they were intelligent, they should�ve done something.

But they didn�t. Or maybe this wasn�t something they normally reacted to, so they didn�t know how to react.

In any case, it took about the same time to reach the horizontal tunnels again, and we found the lesser demons massing.

There were more spawning pools, and as we explored the tunnels, we realized that these tunnels were everywhere. In a world so large, there was no way I could find all the tunnels without a thorough magical scan of the world.

The demons resembled the creatures we fought on the surface. Hardy, physical, and tremendous magical resistance, and had a soft underbelly, and some known weak points.

My domain holders had already made sketches and gave briefings on how to fight these monsters, training for the Valthorns and mock - demons made from stone elementals.

I also used my dream academy to simulate battle against these demons. Because of the physical nature of these demons, it took quite a bit of effort for my Valthorns to learn mana - less combat methods. We also distributed skill seeds to help my Valthorns augment their arsenal of skills, so that they could have some mana - less skills.

Honestly, the skill - spell issue was still confusing to me. They both felt like they should be one and the same, and yet they were not. It remained one of the puzzles of the system that I didn�t really understand.

Now that there was only two years left, the energies of the rift began to gather, and it was now possible to get a general sense of where the rifts would appear.

It was going to be in the Eastern Continent again. Naturally, the Aivan Triumvirs were not pleased to learn they would once again face a demon king on their land. It felt like they just had one a few decades ago.

The energies from the rift were still unstable, and because of that, I couldn�t properly pin down the location of the demon king.

Not yet, anyway. Maybe next year I would get a location, and then we could start planning an ambush.

For now, it was time for the smaller rifts to appear, for the lesser demons and champions to grace our world.

The first rifts opened almost at the end of the year, and the lizards walked out. We didn�t intervene immediately; my deployed forces mostly just monitored their movements. We knew from Parasiteworld that there were some differences in the demons abilities and behaviors between the demon world and our world, but we were not sure how significant this gap was and whether that was a common thing across all types of demons.

We watched as the Aivan forces tried to fight these physical demons to relatively decent success and eventually concluded that they were actually weaker here.

Their bodies were so used to the dry, mana - less environment that when they came to our world, their bodies hungrily soaked up the ambient mana, and it changed their tough bodies.

We did notice that when sufficient numbers of these demons were around, the ambient mana decreased significantly and made spelling more laborious.

As a whole, though, the regular mobs were weaker, but the demon king wouldn�t be subject to the same restrictions. It was likely, from extrapolating our initial findings, that the demon king would have some kind of anti - magic ability.

- Maybe we�ll get some global anti - magic? - Edna speculated. - We haven�t seen global - effect demon kings for some time. -

- You sound like you�re looking forward to it, - Roon said. - Those were unpleasant times, from what I heard from the survivors. -

- No. I mean, that�s just what it is. Trends repeat themselves, and the demons eventually rehash the same ability types. A global magic interruption is likely. -

But how did we circumvent a global anti - magic ability anyway? We would once again see the collapse of the global message system, but if it was anti - magic, it could do more than that. I recalled that they could even interrupt my communication with beetles.

The previous heroes made - transmission towers, - something I was only able to replicate to a much lesser degree. Again, we would need to work around the magic with skill and system.

I made a note to train a physical - only Valthorn and relayed the message to elites.

- This is a bit too late, isn�t it? - I heard one of the Valthorns naturally grumble about my request. - If the coming demon king is a physical - type, how are we going to get anyone ready? -

I knew, of course. But if the demon kings eventually repeated themselves, a physical - type domain holder would eventually have value. Maybe fifty years, maybe two hundred years, but eventually, we would encounter this type of demon king again.

I acknowledged my failure to consider this anti - magic, physical - only type of demon king, so the right thing to do was to prepare for it.

Essentially, as we reevaluated why we failed to prepare for this type of demon king, we began to realize that we were guessing what kind of demon king was coming, but that was actually unacceptable. For us, as an institution, I had to predict at least fifty to one hundred years ahead in order to prepare someone for that eventual outcome. Fifty years was the estimated amount of time it took to train a domain holder.

I wasn�t thinking far enough. We needed to brainstorm and start to prepare for the demon kings after this one. Not just the coming one.

I needed to look at where we failed and what kinds of powers we could have. I needed to be Batman and prepare for every eventuality.

In fact, this was where the heroes pop culture and media knowledge became useful. Ken and the rest of the heroes were more than happy to brainstorm, during the lulls and rest periods, the kinds of creatures that may exist on other worlds.

The ideas were wild. Vampires, werewolves, slimes, spiders, eldritch horrors, human - like creatures, machines, supervillains, goblins and ogres, golems, oversize snakes. They essentially recited all kinds of monsters they could remember and tried to imagine demon-king versions of those creatures.

It was a fun exercise, and I found it strangely calming. It was great to be reminded of stories from our world, and it also reawakened my memories of the games I played, the books I used to read, and the stories I�d heard.

My domain holders, except Lumoof, who was still in the sand world spying on the demons, were naturally horrified by the kind of creatures they imagined.

There were also some really good ones that made me think, such as the possibilities for one of the captured heroes to be somehow turned into a demon king, perhaps through the demonic parasites, or something that was non - physical like a ghost, or a water - based demon king. Or a weapon - demon king. Ken, as a joke, suggested a beaver - demon king.

I personally suspected a water - based demon king was the least likely of them all.

That said, even though they were speculations, it made sense to make some preparations and start training individuals to be able to counter or mitigate some of the threats. I wouldn�t see the payoff now, but fifty years down the road, who knew what could make a difference?

In this entire world, I was probably one of the best placed to make this kind of moonshot investment. So I must.

We didn�t face much difficulty with the demonic mobs, so the heroes could breathe easy. Prabu suggested that Adrian and Kelly take a visit to our world. A point I agreed with, since they would fight here, so I had my agents in Mountainworld make the necessary arrangements.

The nobles were not very pleased, but what could they do?

Adrian and Kelly made the trip to my clone, and I sent them here, right to Freshka.

The transportation went well, and there were no system prompts.

Personally, I was pleasantly surprised that there were no punishments or system problems from sending gods summoned to another world. My personal gut feeling was that they didn�t think it was sufficiently likely, so they didn�t create any security measures.

Maybe they might, for a future batch, if they realized that heroes were fighting in places they were not - supposed - to. Oh well.

The two heroes were most fascinated by the assortment of snacks and the relative modernity of Freshka.

Their first stop?

The hero logs. I supposed it was like a guestbook that the heroes had to sign every time they came here.

YEAR 209 (PART 2)

The heroes arrived in our world for their first trip. They looked quite afraid to approach my clone, but when they arrived, they didn�t look back or turn around. Instead, they were quickly whisked through the tunnels and out to Freshka where the rest of the Valthorns attended to them.

Snacks and food followed, and a health check, just to make sure they didn�t suffer any weird symptoms from moving worlds.

Even here, under the biolab�s inspection, these otherworld heroes largely used the same underlying template. No significant variation in their soul spring or natures, unless. it wasn�t something I was able to see. Maybe there was another layer to the soul or an ability to look further into the soul that I�d not seen so far.

The heroes, on the other hand, quickly asked to visit the Hero Logs.

- This is it? - They stared at the strange book, and then Kelly touched it first. I sensed a surge in star mana, and she went into in a trance. Her body glowed, faintly, and I sensed her own star mana enter the book.

The book remained a black box to me, even now, and as more and more heroes used it, I felt the magical energies within the book seem to change slightly. It was a blend of all their mana and yet different.

Kelly eventually snapped out of the trance, and she immediately sat down. Prabu offered her snacks and some tea, said a few words, and then walked away. - Take your time. I thought about what I saw and learned for weeks. It�s all right if you want to cry or want to just go somewhere quiet and shout for a while. -

She looked a bit teary eyed and then nodded. - . I�ll be fine. Yeah. I�ll be okay. -

Prabu nodded and walked to rejoin Adrian. - Let�s give her some space. - Adrian looked at Kelly, and Kelly just nodded.

It was his turn. He went into an hour - long trance, then he immediately fell to the floor. Adrian froze and then sat on a sofa right next to Kelly. He rubbed his head and then asked, - Can I sleep here? I think I need to sleep on it. -

- Yeah. It�s fine. No one comes here except us. Maybe except Stella, Kei, and Ken, but they can�t use the book. Food and water is in that cabinet over there, A/ �s powers preserve them so they�ll last. I�m going to go get something to eat, and we�ll come back after that. Do not run anywhere. This valley is normally off - limits. If you need anything, the Valtorn guys are outside. -

Adrian nodded and settled himself on the sofa. - Yeah. I�ll be all right, I think. -

Prabu and Colette left, and it was just Adrian and Kelly in the chamber of the heroes journals.

- You�re gonna sleep? - Kelly asked.

- Yeah. -

- Okay. - Kelly sat and leaned back onto the sofa. - Maybe I should, too. -

- I�m not sleeping with you, - Adrian responded.

- Of course not. - Kelly laughed. - I�ll be here. -

They both took a nap. Prabu and Colette returned about three hours later and found both of them still sleeping.

- Huh. That really knocked them out. A/ , can you let me know when they are awake? -

- Sure. -

- Is the entire continent like this? -

- No, not really. This level of development was only present here, - Prabu said. - But some of the other cities are becoming more modern, and more. Earthlike. It�ll take a few decades, though, before they get anywhere near this. - They walked the streets of Freshka. Freshka�s city core had become denser, and some of the buildings began to tower into the skies, built into or integrated with the Giant Attendant Trees that covered it.

My massive Giant Attendant Trees served as the skyscraper - equivalent of their central support structures, and craftsmen built rooms and floors anchored to my trees. For now, beetles remained the primary source of fast transport between places, especially for voluminous and bulky goods, but due to demand, there was also a basic teleportation network in place. - It feels like home, in a different way. -

- Yeah. It�s crowded. At the street level, it feels like any of the big cities. - Prabu nodded. They walked on elevated paths, separated from the common folk. A network of paths and ropeways crisscrossed Freshka, linking buildings to each other. The Valtorn s built a network of dedicated paths for their own use so that it was easier for them to mobilize and transport goods around Freshka, away from general public traffic. We also had tunnels for that purpose, but the Valtorn s advised that visibility had a value of its own. It was also good practice for my spies.

- Smells like it, too. - Adrian nodded. - I wasn�t expecting to smell coffee. It�s not present in Mountainworld. -

Prabu smiled. - I�ll stop you there. Coffee was not invented by heroes. They already have it natively as a supplement, and it�s popular with mages and priests as a study aid. -

- Huh. - Adrian nodded. - Does coffee do anything? -

- Yeah. There are magically enhanced and skill - enhanced versions. Some of them can essentially function like drugs back home. I�ve seen some Southerner soldiers have them to help them keep watch through the night. -

- Shit, that�s really wild. We could�ve used something like that on Mountainworld to help with the demons, - Adrian said. - So many alarms missed because someone dozed off. -

Kelly popped in. - Sounds like something to trade. Maybe we can be coffee importers and connoisseurs back in Mountainworld. I�ve always liked cafe culture. -

- Tea culture is stronger here, and honestly, I don�t even know what good coffee tastes like. - Prabu laughed. - Did your parents ever let you try coffee? They always told me it�s an adult drink and I had to turn eighteen before I could try it. -

- You have strict parents, - Adrian said. - I always get coffee when I have to cram for an exam. But it�s homemade stuff, and my mom�s not very good with the coffee machine, so it isn�t that great. -

Kelly coughed. - Privileged. All I get is premixed stuff. -

Adrian rolled his eyes at the lady. Prabu just grinned. - It�s all right. There are some good ones, though their tastes would probably not match what we have back home. Honestly, the only one who could judge is Stella. -

- Oh, speaking of which, when are we meeting her? -

- Now. - They entered the building through the elevated path and into a large, airy chamber. This was normally the top floor of one of the city�s many eateries and tea houses. Stella was already there. A Valtorn nodded and then left through the stairs. - Stella, meet Adrian and Kelly, the heroes of Mountainworld. -

Stella smiled. - Well met. It�s nice to meet someone from home without having to get a notification that someone died. -

Adrian didn�t get it. - Sorry, what does that mean? -

- It means the earlier batch must die before I meet someone new. -

- Oh. -

- Anyway, that was my bad. It was a morbid thing to say. Come, have some tea. Have they given these to you before? -

- I�ve had tea, - Kelly said. - But these are different? -

- Ah yes. Then you must try it. - Stella smiled. - Come. Sit. -

Separately, Alka, now with a domain, got the full briefing - a briefing that made his eyes widen and made him shake in excitement.

It wasn�t as if he didn�t know or guess, but it was a strong hunch. He had suspected I had intended to stop the demons somehow, but now it was clear that I intended to somehow hack the system, and he naturally understood why I sent Lumoof to do all those otherworldly missions.

- I�m sorry we couldn�t tell you all this before, - Edna said.

- No. It makes perfect sense now. - The part on the Aiva�s warning of the eventual end of the heroes summon and the full extent of the discussion was also revealed. He naturally had far more questions than I did.

Things he would take some time to figure out on his own.

- More importantly, now that you have a domain and the protection of my pantheon, I can now send you to the other worlds, too. If you can figure out something, that�ll be great. -

The next one for the domain would be Stella.

YEAR 210

The Aivan forces didn�t have much problem with the weakened anti - mana demons, but they struggled really badly against the demon champions.

The demon champions that came through were the supersize demons, larger than walkers, and it was their sheer size that made them difficult to kill. They were vulnerable, but it was really hard to reach that vulnerable spot without using magic.

Ballista and bows worked, but they needed to pack sufficient punch to actually deal damage without getting crushed or killed by the anti - mana sludge they released.

Grandmaster Engka, naturally, appealed for help, and we continued to supply them with both weapons and manpower to deal with the anti - mana champions.

The heroes came, too. Chung and Hafiz were eager to try out and see where they stood. They struggled just a little bit; their natural combat instinct was to use their strongest abilities, and these star mana�powered abilities were weakened by the champions magical resistance.

Once they switched to their mana - less abilities, though, that made a huge difference.

They noticed that using star mana to boost their own - stats - did not suffer drawbacks, though the length of that boost seemed to be shorter, especially if they took a hit from the demons due to mana burn.

In short, these anti - manas demons could - dispel - magical buffs.

It was possible to stack stat - boosting buffs to hit harder, but not buffs that had a magical element.

Ken�s personal preference was to just somehow invent some kind of - bunker - buster - bomb or - TNT, - since this was a mountain - turned - demon, so he wanted to just blow up the mountain, the old - school way. Alka�s alchemists and researchers were able to find some substances that created small explosions but were orders of magnitude weaker than TNT.

It�d be a long time before our technology caught up to Earth, especially on such non - magical matters. It was quite ironic to think it may be easier to kill this demon king conventionally by a nuclear bomb or tsar - bomba than with magic bombs. Even if I understood the broad principles of such bombs, the actual fact was making such a bomb still required technology I did not have. Technology was often built upon many little incremental steps, and even if I knew what I wanted, it�d still take a long crawl to get there.

On the other side, we looked at stat - boosting drugs and potions. Alchemists, witches, and shamans could make potions and draughts that temporarily granted boosts. The heroes themselves had magical boosts, but because these magical stat - boosts could be dispelled whenever they took a hit from the demons, it made sense to now consider non - magical boosts.

We had these kinds of stat - boosting potions and equipment for a while, owing to my long research into ginseng roots . My ginseng roots provided permanent boosts, but their relative strength was nothing like these temporary powerups.

One alternative was something like Lumoof�s domain ability, but Empowered Faithful did not boost heroes or my other domain holders. In fact, from my own prior research, only about half of all types of boosting abilities worked on domain holders, but their effectiveness was average.

But better average than none.

Anyway, we gathered all these potions and elixirs and tested them out on the heroes and also my domain holders. We prioritized non - magical ones and then tested them against the demon champions on the Eastern Continent.

Those that were dispelled were sent back for further studies, and those that didn�t would be chosen for use.

- Looks like we need a domain - level alchemist and shaman, too. - On top of the barbarian/physical combatant, this was also an area we needed support. We already had the knight, the archer, and the priest.

- You are supposed to be our alchemist. -

- I specialize in magical explosive bombs, not potions. I can make lesser ones, but they are not that great. - Alka was right, and generally, I could make a lot of kinds of saps, and these were the extended versions of stuff you could find in nature. Healing saps, hallucinogens, relaxants, stimulants, poisons, and in these types of stuff, I outclassed him significantly.

His stuff was also more magical in nature, because his research was extensive in the areas of magical bombs, runes, and formations.

Oh well, at least we knew there was another gap to fill in our domain party.

- Huh. This continent feels like how it is back in our world, - Kelly and Adrian commented as they visited the Eastern Continent for the first time, the magical - medieval nations and cities, the temples and priests. It was almost as if this was a template copied and pasted over the multiverse.

They were nobodies in this world, nobody knew they were heroes, so it wasn�t hard to smuggle them to that part of the world.

They were quickly guided to the location of the anti - magic demons, where they fought them for the first time. It wasn�t a hard fight, since the demons were ironically weakened by the ambient mana, but the mana - dispelling abilities were annoying, and they had to adapt. The demon champions were harder, but less so for Adrian, who had a monk - build.

His heroic, chi - based abilities were only minimally weakened.

Monks. I needed my own version of A/ ic monks. I totally needed monks and physical combat masters. I�d need to start with a monastery on the mountains somewhere, or an island with peach blossoms.

Maybe they should be called the Seedlin Temple.

I needed physical barbarian types, monks, and alchemists. Only then I would have a balanced team able to weather the demonic storm and perhaps brave the storm and search for the eye. I�d probably also need vampire hunters, exorcists, witches, doctors. In short, I needed every major RPG archetype out there.

My forest on Mountainworld expanded quickly, and within months we saturated the area under my rule with trees, turning what was once a demonic wasteland into a verdant, monster - filled land. There were some familiar accidents, of course. Exploding demonic trees were also present in this world, but thankfully there was no major damage.

With the land - reclaimed, - creatures spawned, and the native fauna reemerged. They were slightly different, as with all worlds. The dogs were slightly different; the lizardpeople of this world were different from the lizardpeople of Treehome.

Miniscule problems appeared everywhere. There were linguistic problems, and the small group of Valthorns sent to administer this land on my behalf was quick to discover that the language had a lot of minor differences, each carrying different emotional weight. Even if we understood what each other said because of system shenanigans, there were meanings and context that were missing.

That led to diplomats and young graduates of FTC taking their first trip to Mountainworld in an attempt to truly understand this strange new world. I wondered whether I had facilitated the first true alien civilization encounter, even if they were more similar than not.

This land was a blank slate, and knowing what I knew now, there were a few things that I had my new settlers work on. Mistakes to avoid back with Freshka.

One: a clear constitution for this new land, with clearly set - out delegations of authority. The central continent of Treehome was a troublesome, cobbled - together hodgepodge of nations, many subservient to different degrees, each with their own set of rights and laws. It worked on Treehome essentially through the brute force of my artificial minds, providing the much - needed oversight. I could crush those who opposed it, but I didn�t think it was necessary to force such a change when it worked so far. Again, since this was entirely new, I hoped to avoid that by having a simpler constitution, a leaner organization, and clearer laws.

Two: clear boundaries and standardized currency. Back home, the currency system was frankly a mess, and I wanted to avoid that. Even boundaries between internal disputing nations gave rise to unnecessary wars.

Three: better - planned cities and nations. When Freshka was built, it was planned, but there were flaws. Mistakes due to lack of foresight. Every time I had a new addition, like the Treeology colleges or FTC, I had to earmark additional land outside of existing city boundaries. It made for a city that sprawled outward, that worked only because of a constant network of beetles that transported people from one part of the city to another. Defensive structures were added sometimes proactively, sometimes reactively, as and when we needed them. I had indirectly built a version of suburbia.

So, before any major construction was done, my settlers would first do up a structural plan for the entire land, together with a defensive plan for both demon kings and other enemies. Mountainworld would face its own demon kings, and naturally, any new nation or city must be designed with that in mind. We�d also try to consider how we could accommodate future needs.

One of which was my domain transportation ability. Right now, anyone who wanted to visit Mountainworld would have to make a visit to the Valley of the Unrotten, because the teleportation ability only worked between my main body and clones. So they had to at least touch my roots in order to work. With this place acting as a center for trade between the two worlds, I needed to design the cities to enable that to be a seamless process.

A city around my clone body, instead of Freshka�s design where I was located far away from the valley. Freshka was essentially traveling two hours to an airport far from the city center. If possible, I wanted this new nation to have what was the equivalent of a city airport.

It made sense back then because I wanted to protect the valley; the valley had things I wanted kept away from others. Again, historical baggage that I could change with this new piece of land.

Four: it was likely that the diplomatic relationship with the other nations would deteriorate over time. Our contribution to their security and victory would be forgotten in decades, and what was a friendly relationship would eventually turn to war. I hoped to avoid that, so to do that, I wanted to significantly reach out to all the temples and find ways to stop it.

I had nothing to fear, since I was confident I would win, but another crusade was a waste of resources and an unnecessary sacrifice of the high - leveled individuals of Mountainworld, who would be inescapably summoned to fight against me.

So my expansion in this world must be accompanied by a significant spy - arm to intercept negative intelligence and take out unfriendly parties and a significant propaganda arm in order to build a positive public impression, such that the nobles were dissuaded from war.

Five: if Treehome fell to some demon king, this world would serve as our backup plan. The land must be designed such that it could accommodate Treehome refugees for a reasonably long period of time.

YEAR 211

These days, I felt like I�d been moving from one demon king battle to another demon king battle. After the parasite demon king, we moved on to the demon king of Mountainworld, Akkila, or Sabnoc - lite. Now, we were waiting for the demon king to come to our world.

All the preparations had been made, and there was not much I could do beyond what we�d done. Not in that short a time.

Now, we had to hope that what we did was enough. I hoped it was, but reality had a tendency of surprising us, just as how I was surprised by their anti - mana nature. This was essentially the grind. We kept fighting demons and hoping that it gave us an edge for the next one.

It even felt. boring to me.

Strangely, the heroes and my domain holders didn�t feel that way. Their normal sense of time meant there really was a long gap between the demon kings, and those ten years were filled with normal life stuff.

Ah, well.

We already had our conventional weapons prepared, and Stella got better at sensing the rift gates. As a result, she was roughly able to estimate the location of the demon king�s movement.

With that, we quickly worked with the Aivan temples to evacuate the location and prepare for war.

It wasn�t easy, because Aiva�s hold on the continent was weak. The warnings were quickly dismissed, and the political ruling parties that had valuable establishments in that area were quick to suspect a greater ploy at play. They suspected that the Aiva wanted the place evacuated in order to claim it for themselves.

Honestly, from my own assessment of the Aivan temples, I was not surprised. Corruption and power - grabbing behavior permeated their structure to a far greater degree than ours. Two - thirds of all priests of the Aivan temples were in someone�s pockets, and the Triumvirs themselves were compromised to some degree.

They had their biases, each favoring their home nation or their own original backers. So when the Aivan temples made decrees, which they did often, resistance was naturally much higher.

A riot broke out, clearly instigated by the nobles. The heroes were away fighting, trying to level against the demon champions and also trying out their anti - mana glass weapons against the demon champions.

So, for now, we watched as the Aivan temple�s guys tried to quell the riot.

- This is stupid. - Stella smacked her head. - A/ should just march the Valthorns here and they�ll just shut up. -

They were safe, away from the riots in the cities around them. Edna shrugged. - To some extent, this is an internal matter for the Aivan temples. -

- What good is A/ �s forces if they are not projected at this time? The Aivans clearly need our help, and they can�t get them to agree. We need to put our foot down and force them to. This is one of the times where a forced evacuation makes all the sense in the world. -

- The heroes should be here to evacuate them. That�s what the Aivan temples prefer. Declaring our presence so overtly would make it difficult for the Aivan temple to maintain cordial relations with the other three temples. -

Our relationship with the other temples had mostly calmed down, with them tolerating our presence and my Valthorns trying their best not to mount an invasion. It was a common line of thought among the nobles and Valthorns, who believed the Central Continent was significantly better than the unruly nations of the other four continents.

The worst kinds were those who truly believed how good we had it, and they took the quality - of - life differences as the reason for us to invade them. As if it was our - duty - to uplift these other folks.

My believers would definitely prefer to impose Central Continent�style federal rule on the others, and while I understood why, it was something I didn�t really want to do.

I disliked that sort of thought, as hypocritical as it sounded. Yes, I�d secured the security of Freshka through a massive military and economic expansion, defeating and killing my way to power. But I thought at some point one must acknowledge that further expansion of the Valthorns was just pure greed.

The Central Continent produced enough, and why did I want to impose my way on the others? There was space for coexistence. For diversity. Dominance did not have to equal annihilation for the other side.

It was tempting, when in positions of power, to always apply force to get our way. That worked, but ultimately, if the general masses perceived the ruling party as one that only got things done by force, it also restricted the ruling party to a path of only using force.

In short, if the other parties thought you had a hammer and would only use a hammer to hammer down everything, they would act and prepare themselves in response. A ruling party must be able to do all things in order to maximize its policy choices, because the hammer was not always the best choice.

An olive branch or a stern warning may sometimes be all that was needed.

Anyway, I had the privilege of being distanced from these issues, because I had other lands where I didn�t have to deal with such things.

- A mob listens to no one. Even the nobles that started it. - The Aivan temples tried their best to suppress the riots.

One of my undercover priests nodded. - They seem to be exceptionally angry. -

The spies sent to support my small Valthorn delegations agreed. - There must be some spies or instigators working for the nobles. With some leadership and rebel type abilities, it�s not hard to convince regular villages to take up arms. -

- Come on. We can�t be waiting for the heroes to get things done. -

The heroes were busy. They fought a few demon champions for practice throughout the continents.

In the sand world, Lumoof waited in the tunnels. We had already destroyed the rift gate structures back at the entrance to the pits, and we were pretty sure those things regenerated after a while, because it was the fourth time we destroyed them.

We made regular trips down into the pits to check on the status of the dormant demon king, and each time, we took in the magical changes down below.

We noticed the strength of the mana drain from the depths below increased over time, but it wasn�t getting bigger. Perhaps this was already the maximum size of the demon king.

For now, we only made a few probing attacks and mostly remained outside its senses; the demon mother formed a strong demonic bubble that acted as its means to sense intruders.

The demon seemed to be particularly sensitive to my roots, and every one of my roots triggered the demon mother to respond with a huge blast of acid. The acid wasn�t explosive, but it was heavily corrosive and seemed to suck mana out of everything.

I had wanted to gather some of that acid for my own research, but it was really hard to collect samples since it was heavily corrosive and seemed to eat through my vines and roots rather easily.

As we monitored, we began noticing the rate of mana drain began to plateau. Was the demon king finally mature? - Is it happening? -

- I think so. - The ground shook, and Lumoof sprang into action. My roots surged out from our tiny cave and smashed into the demon king�s bubble, but this time, I pushed harder.

The demon mother roared in defiance and attacked with its corrosive acid blast. A wall of wood temporarily redirected the acid blast, buying time for Lumoof to move out of the way. More roots, and this time, we attacked both the demon mother and the dormant demon king.

The earth shook some more, and the weird bubble around the dormant demon started to show wavy lines that seemed a bit like symbols. They were similar to the ones we saw on the rift gates but different.

- Remember what we see. - My artificial minds tried their best to record the signages and lines, but we were moving quickly, and my wooden shields blocked our sights. In any case, we were not getting a good view of the whole thing.

The lines began to glow, and then that bubble of magic around the demon king started to wobble and swirl, like a blob of water floating in space. It wobbled, swirled, and then started to move upward.

At that moment, I felt a strong void mana presence above us.

The dormant demon king twisted and turned. It began to unfurl its body, and now I saw it for what it seemed to be.

A gigantic stony lizard with two heads, one on each side. It looked deformed. There were streaks of glowing green in parts of its sand - colored body, and those glowing green parts emitted a strangely familiar energy.

But we had no time to dwell on it. We moved upward, and my roots blasted out like a machine gun. I caused the walls of the pit to collapse and hoped that the rocks would slow down the demon king.

The rocks that collapsed just melted into that blob. It was some kind of liquid - mana mixture, and some of my vines drained some of its energy. It was demonic mana and core mana, plus something I wasn�t sure about. Like the remnants of the physical components of the demon king that it didn�t need.

Thankfully, it was relatively slow, and Lumoof was able to shoot up the pits faster than the demon king. We needed to get to the void tower before the demon king did and hopefully hack it.

- Now�s the time to send more people over? -

- I can�t, - Stella said. - There�s something that�s over the demon�s world, and it�s interfering with it. -

- What? -

I couldn�t see it, but Stella could, and she said that the demon world at this moment was covered in a cloud of void mana.

Was it the doorway to that black sun I saw on Parasiteworld?

In any case, as we approached the exit of the pits, I saw the previously destroyed rift gates had been somehow magically reconstructed. No matter, my roots smashed into them, and this time, they were charged with so much void mana that they blocked my roots.

Initially.

I tried again with more force, more power, and borrowed some star mana. I took out a few of the towers, and they exploded, releasing the void mana with it.

- A/ , the astral path is wobbling. -

We looked up. The sky was dark, and Lumoof shot out of the pit like a fighter jet, and at that moment, there were a ring around the pit, filled with void mana. It kept pulling void mana from that black sun, and I felt its void mana grow.

Patreeck had to step in once again, as I felt a strong mental attack coming from the black sun. But I was stronger now, and we stared at the black void. It wasn�t a voice, just a really irritating background hum. It would turn anyone else insane, and Lumoof looked very uncomfortable even with my mind�s shielding.

The black sun filled the world with void mana.

So I pulled star mana from the heroes and charged my anti - demon magical spears.

And I threw them at the oversize ring around the pit. It exploded violently, and some of the void mana leaked out.

- A/ , what�s happening? The astral path is wobbling a lot. -

Mana surged out of the pit, and then the destroyed rift gate towers magically reappeared. I pulled out more of my spears and threw them at the rift gates. They regenerated even after my attacks, but I sensed their energy levels dipped slightly. - What causes it to wobble more? -

- Uh. it�s not wobbling as much now. -

I charged another spear with star mana and flung it at the ring again. There was another huge explosion as the void mana reacted violently to the star mana.

At that point, the black sun pulsed, and the sky was suddenly flooded with void mana. I attempted to charge one more spear, and the spear exploded immediately, even before I threw the spear.

- Smart. - I cursed as Lumoof emerged from a shell of charred wood. I used normal mana to charge up the spears, but they didn�t do as much damage.

The rift gates were charged, in a similar alternating pattern of void mana and core mana. The two - headed lizard emerged from the depths.

- If I can�t hit the gates, why not the demon king? - Lumoof smashed into the demon king and landed on top of it. Immediately, my roots pierced the demon king�s sandy top.

I wasn�t sure whether this demon king awakened or not, but there was no harm trying. Lumoof mentally agreed. - Well, to hell with it. Let�s hit it. - My mana surged through Lumoof, and I knew it wouldn�t work.

But I wanted to weaken it and see whether I could mess with it. If star mana reacted badly with void mana, injecting star mana into a demon king should cause it to fail to travel through the astral path, or at least disrupt it.

I injected the demon king with star mana again. This time, I wanted the void mana in the ambient surroundings to trigger an explosion.

- A/ , what the flying fuck is happening? - Stella cursed as she watched the astral path wobble like someone was shaking a string from the other end.

- Lumoof�s trying to attack the demon king. -

- What?! -

- We planned for this. We�ll see how it goes. -

Stella couldn�t send someone over, but I could constantly pull things through the vine ropeway. More spears smashed into the demon king as a large rift cracked open in the skies above us, revealing a massive, multicolored blob.

Another black droplet emerged from the blob, and it flew toward the demon king at incredibly high speed. - Stop that thing! -

My roots surged outward and smashed into the black droplet. It was incredibly tough, and I barely chipped a bit off.

But I did.

So I tried again. I managed to land two hits and then placed multiple wooden shields along its path. It smashed through them easily.

I wrapped vines around it, but it burned through my vines like I was a level - one tree.

I smashed it repeatedly, each time a little chip off. I attempted to trigger it with star mana, and the explosions didn�t hurt it at all.

The black droplet touched the demon king, and it merged seamlessly. The demon king, previously without a will, now opened all of its eyes. It shook its body midair, then both the black sun and the formless blob vanished abruptly.

I felt magic around us shift and concentrate itself around the demon king. At that very moment, Lumoof could even taste it in the air and feel it on his skin. Even in my avatar form, the void and core mana were thick in the air.

How? The whole place was meant to be an anti - mana world, and the demon king itself was meant to be an anti - magic demon king. The mana was drawn into the demon king at that moment, and then the same runic swirls appeared around us.

- A/ , it�s wobbling, - Stella said back on Treehome. - And the rift�s moving! It�s going somewhere else. -

The gate to our world opened, and the demon king was immediately wrapped in a huge bubble of magic. It was going to warp to our world, with Lumoof still on the demon king�s back.

My roots pierced the demon king�s outer shells and strapped in for the ride.

YEAR 211 (PART 2)

- How do they get more insane with every generation of demon king? - Ken said as he mused about the implication of interrupting the demon king. He was safe in Freshka, far from the sight of the conflict, and he had tea.

Prabu, who was on one of his snack runs and one teleport away from the Eastern Continent, shrugged. - Actually, I think the gods are the insane ones. They are just doing the same thing repeatedly and somehow hoping that it won�t get a bad result. That�s insanity, too. - He seemed to momentarily experience a mental attack then and quickly downed a cup of tea made from my leaves.

Ken laughed and turned to see Kei. Kei sometimes joined them for their tea outings. - Actually, us heroes are pretty boring. It says a lot that a magical tree has better ideas than us. We really should have our own ideas. -

- The League of Heroes is a good one. - Prabu sipped his tea. - Combining forces is still a great idea. -

- It is. - Ken nodded and then sighed. - Ideally, we should reach more worlds and recruit more heroes. If we could hit ten to twenty heroes at max levels, we could essentially attempt to engage demon kings the moment they spawn. -

Kei chipped in, then she shrugged. - Yes, but honestly, I�m not too convinced. Local history suggests that heroes were summoned in high quantities many, many decades ago. Twenty isn�t much. -

- Then a hundred. A super squad of heroes. -

- We�d have to somehow reach at least ten civilized worlds if each world summons ten. On average, we�re looking at smaller and smaller numbers, which does align with Snek�s own experience. -

Ken shrugged. - Ten worlds is doable, just a matter of time. If you think about it, the demon king is no longer an existential threat to this world. With A/ �s ability to access multiple worlds, he could effectively evacuate people from one world to another, thus preventing a total extinction. All we need is A/ or Stella to somehow reach more worlds. -

- I don�t see how it�s not an existential threat. Annihilation of ninety to ninety - five percent of the population is still pretty much an existential threat. -

- Let me clarify. As it stands, it means A/ has achieved a kind of stalemate. Stalemate in the sense that A/ has effectively prevented total loss since, with A/ �s ability to reach worlds, he could easily mount a counterattack on any demon king. The demon�s world is never truly safe as long as A/ can reach it, - Ken answered as the little Snek coiled around his shoulder. - That�s something very few worlds can claim to do. -

- I don�t get that leap of logic. If a demon king wrecks this world, how is that a stalemate? -

- Think about it. In normal cases, like Snek�s world, there�s no return or chance to retake the world. Not without some otherworldly aid. A/ �s link to this world means there is a chance, just as how he already partially reclaimed the surface of Parasiteworld. This world will never truly fall to the demon world. Not with A/ around. It�s like having a retry after every game. -

- That�s nothing. - Prabu shrugged. - I�m sure the gods own home worlds or home - systems have achieved the same result, and even better, since the demons most likely can�t beat these gods in their home turf. The kind of stalemate is just more of the status quo, really. Another one or two very safe worlds. -

Ken nodded. - Fair, but think about it. With levels, A/ could have more clones. More safe worlds. There�s no real limit as long as A/ keeps gaining levels. -

- What makes you think there�s no upper limit to the levels? What if the gods are all maxed - out characters that can�t do more because the system no longer gives them more power? What if they cap out at level five hundred? -

Ken paused. - Wait. That would suck. What level is A/ ? -

Prabu laughed. - I don�t know. I can�t scan his level. I can�t scan any of the domain holders, really. -

- If there is a level cap, then the focus should shift toward getting more individuals to that level rather than just one. -

- Which is already happening. -

- You mean A/ knows there is a level cap? - Ken paused. I had no idea about the existence of a higher level cap, but I enjoyed eavesdropping. Their predictions could be really wild.

- I don�t. I�m just speculating. This behavior of training up others to gain levels seems consistent with preparing for a level cap up ahead. A/ �s trying to hit it with a strong party. -

- Which brings us back to your idea. More heroes. Numbers game. - Prabu nodded. - League of Heroes. Totally a good idea. -

Ken choked on his tea. - Fuck. I didn�t say all that to get you to give me praise. I didn�t need your validation that my idea was a good one. -

Prabu grinned. - Well, it looked to me like a long - winded way of getting compliments. -

- No! - Ken rolled his eyes.

- If there is a level cap, then it totally becomes a game of numbers. We would discount the benefits of snowballing the heroes individual strength by gaining levels. The League of Heroes must continuously get more heroes. -

- Which is a flaw, since we don�t know whether we can reach more worlds, and the hero - summoning clearly has a timer, - Kei answered. - If the league loses more heroes than it can recruit, it�ll die eventually. -

- Now you�re saying my League of Heroes is a dead end, aren�t you? - Ken laughed. - I�ll still continue it, though. -

- No. Not at all. - Prabu laughed.

- I wasn�t expecting this, - Lumoof mentally spoke to me as we dug in. I sensed his thoughts were mixed with pain, and I could feel his suffering, so I tried my best to take it off him.

It wasn�t hard to dig into such a massive creature; my roots spread out of Lumoof and easily found loose pieces of flesh and rock that I could wrap around as an anchor. The rift gates in the ground had regenerated and the skies above twisted, as if a piece of cloth was cut up.

I felt an energy pulse from within the demon king, and it flowed outward. That energy created a bubble around us. It didn�t seem disturbed by our presence, not that much anyway.

The skies turned bright and sunny as the two massive structures vanished. Instead, in the vast bright skies, there was a surreal patch of darkness, as if someone just copy - pasted a part of the starry sky here. That magical energy from within the demon king swirled everywhere in this bubble, and my sensors rapidly attempted to make sense of what was happening.

Lumoof coughed in pain, as the magical energies were quite overwhelming. The magical distortion smashed and cut his body. It felt like he was stuck in extremely fast - moving water.

I tried my best to shield him, but even those decayed quickly when faced with this onslaught of weird blend of demonic magic.

Then, in a sudden burst of movement, the entire bubble of the demon king was pulled through that patch of darkness.

I saw a flash and then darkness. There was a surge of mental attacks, and Lumoof yelped in pain.

Then the pain receded a little, the mental assaults on our presence weakening. Only momentarily.

We were now in this. starry sky, and around us we saw so many other astral lines. Paths to other worlds. There were thousands of them, each their own line, glowing in their own way. They were not connected; these glowing astral paths seemed to float and move in a big sea of darkness, covered in little specks of dust.

There seemed to be an epicenter to the lines, a blot of darkness in the middle of everything.

They were far away, and at that moment, another incredible headache. The attacks were back, and they were stronger.

Domain has blocked attempted intrusion.

The warning repeated, and Lumoof had it, too. He had it worse, even in avatar mode; he had to endure both the violent magic of this land between worlds and the mental attacks.

But unlike before, I could feel a direction to this attack, and it came from somewhere, a spot of darkness in the void sea.

It kept attacking, and like waves at the beach, it was possible to see the direction of the waves.

My domain blocked more intrusion.

The violent magic of this space seemed to tear us apart fundamentally, and I had to constantly try to pull it together, like trying to piece together pictures that had been cut up. Reality itself seemed to be breaking apart, even if I knew it wasn�t.

It just felt that way. Strange and unnerving. My vines and my abilities seemed helpless, and I tried my best to use my mana.

But then, in this space between worlds, I looked around, and in this huge sea of darkness, I zoomed in on the specks of dust that seemed everywhere.

Then I saw little flickers of something I knew very well, deep within all those motes of dust.

Souls.

From a distance, they were wrapped in this dust, drifting.

Drifting, moving between the space taken by the path between worlds.

They were like tiny plankton and algae, on a sea of darkness, bobbing along the waves and ripples from the demon�s magic. They came out of one world, and then, pushed by these - void - waves - in the - void - sea, - went to other worlds. Some vanished when they got too close, but on closer look, they seemed to have just - warped - out of existence altogether.

Where were we, exactly?

Yet the fact that there were souls here made me call upon my soul forge and attempt to channel its powers through Lumoof. He was in poor shape, so I�d try everything.

My soul forge was most effective around my main body, so my soul forge �s abilities could only affect a small area around Lumoof.

Yet it was what we needed. It worked incredibly well; the tearing energies around us suddenly didn�t hurt us anymore. The tearing forces that we experienced was a bit like the reconstructive energies in the soul forge when I tried to piece souls back together. Here, it was used offensively to tear us apart.

Was the void sea also some kind of interplanar soul soup? Was this where the souls went after they were ready to be reincarnated? The space where they would eventually find their new worlds?

It was frustrating to find myself asking more questions than getting answers. Why couldn�t I access it through the rift gate? Why didn�t Stella�s void portal bring us to this space between worlds?

I focused my sensors on the magical bubble around us and the demon king�s pulsing energy. I was certain it created this bubble, and this bubble accessed this space.

Domain has blocked attempted magical intrusion.

The warnings did not stop, but as I kept studying this space around us, I began to suspect that the souls were always there, but I lacked the means to see it.

Souls were everywhere. I�d been absorbing souls without seeing them most of the time, only when they were close to me. But I absorbed souls and their remnants from the entire continent, and after my automatic soul processing, these inner souls left my body somehow.

This was most probably where they went.

It was fascinating, and the demon king�s core must have something that allowed this to happen, so I would revisit the core after this incident.

Souls, like clouds of little tiny dusts swept around by the waves of this violent sea, wobbled.

I didn�t know why, but I liked this place. I stretched my roots outward, even though Lumoof was in immense pain, and then felt the bubble push back.

I couldn�t get out of the demon king�s bubble. My roots extended outward, attempting to reach into the outside. I felt like a kid letting my hand hang out of a moving car�s open windows and felt it push back harder.

If I could just put my seed here. In this vast sea? -

I felt the demon king�s bubble of energy swirl intensely as more of that energy tried to keep my vines from touching the walls of the bubble.

Lumoof looked barely conscious. Although we no longer faced the tearing effects, we still experienced the demon king�s energy intensely, and now it felt like all of it was focused on us.

I tried to support him and send more of my mana through him. I pushed back against the demon�s energies.

- A/ ! The rift�s moving violently! - Stella screamed at me, back on Treehome.

- We�ll be there soon. -

- What�s happening?! - The location where the demon king was projected to land kept changing. It was like a gunman whose aim was getting interrupted by someone nearby. - It almost felt like it�s not going to be in the Eastern Continent anymore. I�m trying to track it, but it�s moving very violently! -

- I seem to be interrupting the demon king by my presence. -

- You need to stop or it�s going somewhere we are not prepared to defend! -

The Aivan temples were immediately appalled to find out that the demon king wouldn�t land in the scheduled location. They protested and complained how we�d just made them use up their reputation and political capital for something that would not happen, but I ignored them. I had bigger shit to fry.

The heroes, likewise, were just slightly surprised that the demon king would no longer be at the initial scheduled location. The two heroes of Mountainworld weren�t even fazed. They didn�t know it was possible to predict the demon king�s location in the first place, so this wasn�t unusual to them.

- We�re still trying to track it, - Stella said as her group of void mages, scattered throughout the Eastern Continent, reported on their observations. The higher - level void mages were improving, and quite a few were able to detect the energies of the rift.

Lumoof struggled, and we felt the world twist around us again, as if everything was suddenly stretched.

I pushed back strongly and did not hesitate to try to interfere with the demon king�s energies. My avatar screamed as my energies swirled and fought, and it visibly caused reality around us to bend and twist in unnatural ways.

The demon king roared, and I briefly thought it was in pain or uncomfortable, because the bubble around us twisted. I kept doing it, and it bent a bit more.

Then that oppressive energy vanished.

It was unmistakable as the environment became one we were very familiar with.

The rift had somehow opened somewhere high up in the sky.

Demon King Busihir has arrived.

The world around us suddenly turned to flames as we started to fall. Really quickly.

Lumoof had barely any consciousness now, holding onto the demon king by sheer willpower. I briefly saw a vast sea, and I immediately pulled Lumoof back to my main body. He would need some extensive healing from what he�d been through.

- The demon king�s right over the Northern Peninsulas! - Stella screamed as everyone quickly made preparations to move there. I wasn�t sure how long we were trapped in that collapsing fireball.

Lumoof was quickly back in Freshka, and my healing pods started their work.

I felt the demon king burn through the starry sky, and then the demon king landed like a massive meteorite, and it crashed into the area that was once a shallow sea.

The impact momentarily pushed away all the sea and turned it into land. The impact was so strong that it became the epicenter of a tsunami that propagated outward, and my roots picked up both the vibrations and shockwave of the impact.

It was time to fight once more. Stella and the void mages were quick to pinpoint the location, then the heroes and my domain holders activated teleportation abilities.

My domain holders and other folks arrived on the site and were greeted by a strange sight.

The demon king�s other head had been partially severed, half of its head damaged by the twisted rifts. Throughout the demon king�s body were strange cuts, like parts of its body had been torn apart.

- A/ , the demon king looks like it�s been through something, - Edna said as the image we provided earlier didn�t match what landed.

At this point, I felt a bit drunk and dizzy, like I�d gotten a migraine and also had too much to drink. The magical energies of the demon king�s astral path were so unnerving that I momentarily couldn�t quite think clearly. So those words didn�t quite get through to me.

The demon king was sluggish, and with Lumoof disabled, all I could see was what Stella and my mages could show me through magical scrying. It roared, and then, momentarily, I felt a force attempting to pull magic toward it.

I couldn�t focus; my mind seemed hazy from all I�d seen in that trip through the worlds.

I could briefly feel the demon king activate something, but it wasn�t that strong. Throughout the world, magic seemed to momentarily fade.

- Magic�s being suppressed but still manageable, - they reported as the heroes and my domain holders quickly moved to engage. - We are engaging. -

- Okay. - My mind gradually cleared up, but I lacked the means to view the battle or participate. I felt the ripples of their battle from afar.

YEAR 211 - EDNA�S POV

Lumoof was in bad shape. Edna knew when A/ said it would take him a few days to recover. The patriarch of the Treeologies was almost never out for a few days, so what transpired didn�t seem good.

Yet she had a feeling it wasn�t all that bad.

- Edna, get ready. Stella�s giving us the location now. - The sky told them the general direction. The rift gate opened so high up in the sky, and what followed was a streak of light that burned through the sky.

The demon king had somehow opened its rift way up in the sky and was on track to? -

A sudden shockwave of magic rippled through the air.

Everyone felt the explosion, especially those on the northern parts of the Eastern Continent. It landed so strongly that a huge burst of wind temporarily destabilized the regular weather patterns.

Edna�s skin felt a little tickled at the sensation of the unstable magic within the swirling winds, and she waited briefly for it to settle. She tapped the teleportation scroll and chanted the coordinates. - All right. Let�s go. -

She wondered whether it world work, but then she smiled when the stored magic from within the scroll activated. She felt it tug, and they were teleported about half a day�s distance away from the impact site, on what was once a beautiful natural beach.

Instead, her eyes saw a vast, charred crater and at the center a demon king that looked burned and glowed. Its magical energies felt unsure, and that was when Edna knew something was wrong.

- A/ , the demon king looks like it�s been through something. - Magical communications still worked, and Edna quickly went through her preparations.

The massive demon king was visibly injured from the impact, its outer shell charred and twisted, and Edna felt unusual magical energies radiating from many parts, as if some of its magic from traveling through the land between worlds had not been completely removed.

There were smaller explosions, and the demon king seemed to reel from the impact.

- What the hell is happening? - Roon asked, but he was getting ready.

- I don�t know, but we should attack. Hit it while it�s weak. -

The heroes clearly thought the same. They arrived no later than Edna and began their attack after a short minute. This was an advantage, and they were not going to waste it.

Edna took out javelins made of anti - mana glass, loaded with as many non - magical enchantments the Central Continent�s blacksmiths and weavers could fit. Then she popped a few elixirs and felt her strength surge through her blood and muscles.

There were better magical equivalents, but this was what they had to work with.

The heroes first wave of attacks landed with a loud explosion and a smaller shockwave. Every explosion was physical; they felt it in the air as the shockwave passed through their body.

She sometimes had dreams of these shockwaves. Or maybe nightmares. Moments when she thought about fighting demon kings. She took a breath, and those thoughts faded.

She focused on the giant before them.

The demon king was huge, and the heroes attacks only took out chunks of its massive outer shell. From afar, the heroes were explosive fire ants, trying to kill an injured giant tortoise.

The heroes tried magic, and magic seemed to work.

Then the demon king opened one of its undamaged eyes. For a brief moment, Edna felt magic around them attempt to drain away, but then just as suddenly, it was interrupted. The demon king jerked and seemed to cough, if such a thing was possible for the demon king.

Instead, they saw green streaks appearing throughout the demon king�s body, and it felt strange, familiar. It pulsed in resistance, and for a moment, Edna felt like it was fighting the demon king.

What was Lumoof and A/ doing back on the sand world? Had A/ �s attempts to inject it with his seed actually succeeded?

- A/ , is that you? - Edna asked. There was no reply.

- What are we seeing, exactly? - Roon asked through their shared magical network, which thankfully wasn�t drained away. - It wasn�t like this when we saw it down there. -

- I have no idea, - Edna said as she approached the massive body and hacked at it. It didn�t do anything, but their attacks hardly hurt.

The magical suppression aura from the demon king seemed weak and unstable. There were sudden periods when magic was suppressed and then periods when it wasn�t.

The heroes clearly figured it out as Edna watched them time their magical attacks during the gaps.

Those magical attacks exploded on its massive shell, and more of it was blown off. Edna, realizing that her attacks were still not that useful, decided to retreat and provide defense for her peers.

Most of the attacks from the demon king seemed to be physical, as it launched rocks and massive boulders at extremely high speeds. With magic not fully suppressed, it wasn�t a problem for her magical shields to block, and when magic was suppressed, she could easily manifest skill - based shields to divert the attacks.

For a moment, it all seemed to be going well.

Roon and Johann clearly looked uncomfortable, but they didn�t say a word. Edna knew something was wrong, and her peers knew it, too.

She noticed it when they fired their attacks a little slower and kept their eyes looking. Johann�s companion beasts also stopped attacking and focused on watching.

Edna sighed and decided to ask. - A/ , do you feel anything? - She inwardly cursed and felt Lumoof�s absence from the battle.

- My magical sensors are detecting ripples from the battle. Is everything all right? -

- I don�t know. It looks like it�s going according to plan. - Edna got in position and felt one of the large rocks smash into her shield.

Roon was the first to notice it when they saw the crumbled chunks turn to sand. Dark, dirt - like, but very clearly sand. Black sand.

The demon king�s residual energies were still uncertain, and one magical explosion ripped the shell in half. It cracked open, and then smaller demons emerged. In the hundreds and thousands, they were the lizards they�d fought.

- Ah darn. Mobs. - Roon cursed, but somehow it relieved their tension. Fighting the demon king was always stressful, and they could really use Lumoof�s calming presence. The mobs died easily, their anti - magic energies weakened.

Alka wasn�t in the plan for the battle, since his focus had been magical bombs. So the initial plan mostly assumed magical bombs would be useless, but from the heroes attack, that wasn�t true. They still packed a punch.

Then the air around the demon king started to swirl, and the black sands started to form a barrier around the demon king.

Giant wurms made of rock and sand surged out of the ground.

- Is it me, or is this a little easy? - Roon cursed as his anti - magic glass arrow punched through the giant wurm�s body.

At the same time, the demon king roared.

Johann rolled his eyes. - You had to fucking say it. -

- I couldn�t keep it in forever, - Roon quipped as he took cover behind Edna�s shield. - The tension was getting to me. -

Acid began to pour out of the demon king�s body, and this time, the anti - magical energies in the land really surged. They felt like they were back on the sand world once more. The thick acid flooded the crater.

The heroes lost their ability to fly as the anti - magical energies jammed their magical movement. - Oh dear. - Prabu and Colette cursed as they felt some of their magical attacks drain away.

Their fireballs got smaller as it traveled above the acid - filled crater, their lightning bolts seeming to shrink and weaken.

The demon king essentially made a moat, a crater - lake of anti - magic acid around its main body.

- This is all your fault, - Johann said, but his attacks increased in frequency. He fired more of the glass arrows, but they seemed to do nothing.

Roon just rolled his eyes. - It�s a fucking coincidence. We all knew this was going to happen one way or another. -

Edna just smirked as they retreated up the crater to the rim. - Well, boys, there�s a lake between us and the demon king. Ideas? -

- We need to drain this acid away. We can just knock a hole in the crater�s rim, and acid should be able to flow out, - Roon said.

Edna nodded. - Agreed. -

The heroes stood on the rim and launched their ranged skills, but with their arsenal of skills restricted by the anti - magic lake and the large distance to its large body, the rate of damage was easily halved.

- All right. - Roon nodded and pinged Alka. - Alka, we need earth - busting bombs here. -

- Got it. -

The skies suddenly flashed as multiple projectiles flew their way. The bombs detonated on the rim of the crater, and even though some of its effectiveness was drained away, it achieved its goal. The crater - lake started to leak, and the acid started to flow out into the city.

- Stella! We need a portal! We need some platforms. -

A black void portal emerged a distance away. Stella couldn�t activate it close to the crater, but A/ �s roots began to shift the earth around them. A few platforms of rocks emerged throughout the crater, but before any larger space could be created, the demon king�s mouth opened.

The very presence of A/ �s roots seemed to cause the demon king to roar, and then it blasted acid in the direction of Stella�s portal.

- How�d it know? - Stella asked. The portal forcefully closed when acid smashed into it.

Roon shook his head. - I think A/ �s been bugging it so much on its home world that it remembered A/ �s presence. -

Edna smirked. - You�re saying A/ irritated the demon king. -

- Is that not what A/ did? - The acid flowed slowly out of the crater, and the heroes moved closer to attack on the platform.

The heroes closed in and attacked with all their might. Then the demon king�s body cracked apart, and then. it split.

- Uh. - They pointed as they saw the demon king crack apart and transform into five smaller demon kings. - I hate split - body demon kings. -

It roared and attempted to open a rift. But then one of the split - bodies was covered with green streaks, and it glowed. The rift collapsed before it could open. Edna once again felt that familiar presence and wondered.

Had A/ somehow corrupted the demon king?

The heroes engaged the split bodies, and honestly, they were not exceptional. They were tough, but relative to Sabnoc or Akkila, this was probably a whole grade weaker.

It almost seemed like it was under the effect of some kind of weakening effect, so when they successfully destroyed two of the split bodies, they eventually focused on the third one.

The crater - lake was half - drained, and that meant their spells effectiveness had recovered somewhat. It was odd that the anti - magical properties were contained within the liquid instead of its main body.

The third and fourth split body was destroyed a while later, again without any particularly unique gimmicks. It seemed to rely on its high strength and toughness, but beyond that, the heroes took them down.

Down to its fifth body, it roared, and then the acid started to float. The heroes attacked it relentlessly, and they hoped to interrupt the transformation.

And they did.

It cracked, and then, just as its outer shell vanished, it revealed a round, black - green crystal.

The heroes knew what it was and immediately teleported away. Everyone else warped away, except for Edna.

Edna felt a pulse from the crystal filled with dense, anti - magical qualities. It was good that the heroes warped out at first sight. If they got caught in the pulse, they wouldn�t be able to leave or defend themselves from the explosion.

Edna activated her Duty Beyond Life and Death . She sped ahead and went as close as possible to the black - green crystal. She had a javelin made of anti - mana glass and stabbed it. It cracked the crystal, and then she felt the crystal pulse.

The glass crystal glowed as it absorbed mana, then it cracked.

She took out a few more and stabbed it in again. Each of the anti - magic glass javelins sucked mana out of the crystal and interfered with whatever reaction that happened within it. It was amazing how these glass weapons seemed to work better than A/ �s vines in some way.

The green - black crystal pulsed weakly.

And then, with a whimper, stopped.

Demon King Busihir was defeated.

Edna smiled and gave the all - clear once there was no explosion for ten minutes.

- Stella. Portal, please. -

A void portal swirled open right next to the black - green crystal, and A/ �s roots surged out. It wrapped itself around the crystal like a hungry octopus consuming its prey and, once it had a good grip, pulled it through the portal.

The air was still filled with the anti - magic qualities. Edna began to check the other destroyed bodies and noticed it had begun its transformation into daemolite.

Yet her eyes were drawn to the remains of the body with black - and - green streaks. It wasn�t transforming into daemolite. As she got close and investigated, it really felt like A/ �s energies, and her mind began to speculate whether A/ �s constant magical harassment during its gestation period interfered with its development.

- A/ , we should look at this, too. -

A void portal appeared next to her, and again, roots and vines pulled the remains through.

A demon king was slain once more. Honestly, it felt like a chore, and Edna wondered whether this was how A/ felt. It had seen so many generations of demon kings and participated in so many of its conflicts.

This was a tiring, tiring chore.

YEAR 211 (MONTHS AFTER THE VICTORY)

- How are you feeling? - Edna came and checked on Lumoof. There were lingering side effects from the exposure to that twisted space.

- Better. It�ll take some time before I�m fully in shape, though. The strange energies of the demon king and that void space are far more persistent than A/ expected. -

The tearing forces of the void forests were mild, but they lingered and manifested quite a bit like demonic curses. I could remove curses quite easily, but these were not exactly curses, either. They felt a bit more like reality being in conflict with itself, which was really hard to explain. I also noticed they seemed to mark Lumoof like a sign, though eventually it went away.

Lumoof gained about ten levels from the trip through space, and he unlocked a new skill, Forest Sanctuary . It wasn�t a combat skill, but it created some kind of pocket dimension, as long as there were a few trees in the area. The Forest Sanctuary essentially functioned as a super - safe campsite, since, well, it was in its own pocket dimension.

Around the same time, I got the briefing on the battle with the demon king from the team, though I saw most of it through magical scrying and the moments when my trees were through to the other side. The anti - magical energies of the acid interfered with the scrying, and Edna�s mention of the weird greenish glow made me suspicious.

The flesh we harvested that didn�t rot or disappear or the demon king�s core both had greenish glows.

They had never glowed in that manner.

The core of the demon king was safe in the valley, and they looked strange and out of place. Like someone tainted the demon king�s core.

I vaguely recalled the pulse to be quite weak, at least initially, but now they pulsed with a far stronger glow and with much more fixed intervals. It felt a bit like two incompatible songs mashed together.

On top of that, the battle with the heroes meant their star mana already damaged the core, so it wasn�t fully usable.

Still, we now had multiple specimens of the core, sufficient for my researchers and scientists to perform comparative analysis. They also began to construct a smaller model based off the various undamaged components across all the cores.

It was the equivalent of stripping multiple crashed airplanes to get sufficient parts for a usable whole, and it was Alka�s little pet project.

While they worked on that, I focused on the tainted energies of the demon king�s core, the green streaks.

They were mine. We made them.

It wasn�t hard to figure out that these were created from my mana; the cumulative effects of our attacks on the demon king during its gestation clearly left a long - lasting impact on their formation. Coupled with what the heroes reported, I suspected that my mana had somehow lingered or was absorbed by the demon king.

The fact that this could happen validated parts of our offensive strategy.

What if I could taint all the demon kings? Could the taint stop the demon kings from behaving the way it currently did? Did the taint carry over to the next demon king? Could I render the planet�s cores - infertile - such that demon kings could not spawn from them, even if they won? Extrapolating my earlier - conversion - of the demon walkers, would it be possible to - convert - the demon king?

The next step was naturally to scale this up by an entire order of magnitude. What we needed to do was effectively deliver such a high quantity of mana to the demon king that I corrupted it when it was still in its infancy.

The quantity of mana I needed was more than what I had now, but it was not impossible.

I�d also need to improve Lumoof�s ability to deliver mana and cope with my power. Though he could project my power and my abilities, he also suffered from the side effects of that projection.

Therefore, he began mana practice. He was a priest, but he had to train and get used to large quantities of mana. We did this training before, but our goal post had shifted. The goal was to prepare Lumoof for mana at least ten times more than what I had now.

With that amount of mana, we�d then attempt to - poison - the demon king once more and see whether we could essentially stop the demon king before it even happened.

It was painful to subject Lumoof to the large amounts of mana, but like Stella, only through exposure to excessive amounts of mana could he hope to gain the immunity to it. With higher mana tolerance, Lumoof would last longer in the demon worlds.

He cursed, of course. He understood, but he cursed. The path to end the cycle required sacrifice. Pain.

My avatar understood the purpose.

But the pain was real, and it hurt like hell.

The astral pathways collapsed instantly after the demon king�s death, and though I was a little sad that I would lose access to the anti - magic sand, I was also curious of what came after. What would the next demon world be like?

Stella was quiet as she watched the astral paths collapse, the revelations of the starways being this space that was not really empty. There were souls, and maybe even other things we may not even think of.

Maybe the gods truly resided in this void space?

The dust had settled, and it seemed I gained a few levels. I wasn�t there for the bulk of the battle, so I was still pleasantly surprised by the additional levels.

You gained 5 levels. You are now Level 226.

Astral Sight improved. You may now see further between the realms.

Natural Mana overwhelming upgraded.

Mana storage upgraded.

It was nice that the system rewarded my mana poisoning with more mana - related skills. These upgrades were incremental improvements, little bits of extra efficiency and effectiveness from every point of mana.

We had a post - battle review with the heroes, too, and strangely, they actually said the battle was comparatively easy. There were very few truly threatening moments, and their problem was just dealing damage to the demon king.

They had a small panic moment when the bomb appeared at the end, of course, but that was something we all saw coming.

Based on the data from the domain holders, the heroes were generally right. It wasn�t that bad for a demon king. Unlike Sabnoc or Akkila, the number of strange gimmicks were few, just that acid lake defense.

I wondered whether that was because our mild mana poisoning had somehow interfered with the full breadth of the demon king�s powers. They had easy mode because we locked some skills.

- A/ and Lumoof should invade the demon world more often. -

Lumoof choked. Edna just grinned. - Now, now, let�s not get ahead of ourselves. It just so happens that the demon world was an anti - magic world. For the next demon king, we should consider a more thorough invasion. One led by the heroes. -

The heroes squirmed at Edna�s response. The initial plan a few years ago was a hero - invasion, one that had to be modified because of the unique qualities of the anti - magic sand world. Now, it was time to revert back to our original plan.

- There�s nothing to worry about. We would do the initial scouting and reconnaissance, but the plan should not change. -

Both Alvin and Kelly of Mountainworld were just too stunned to respond. They couldn�t wrap their heads around a pre - emptive invasion, or at least struggled to. Even after they�ve seen Lumoof do it, it still baffled their minds.

I wondered whether their mental controls were slightly different from that of Chung, Prabu, and gang, but when they dipped into my biolabs, I didn�t see anything different.

At least, not from the outer appearances.

Chung just sighed. - Can�t delay it forever. -

- It�s likely we will get something more normal for the next demon king, - Edna speculated. - If the next world is anything like Parasiteworld, the plan will proceed. We�ll see which world comes first, either this or Mountainworld�s demon king. -

- The frequency of our demon kings isn�t that high, I think, - Kelly said. - I think. I can�t remember. -

- Fifteen, if I�m not mistaken, - Lumoof answered. - Their records are just as choppy as ours. -

- Darn it. Why is ours so frequent? -

- Daemolite, - Edna answered. - We have more daemolite than them. -

- That doesn�t make sense, - Chung answered. - The demon kings create daemolite. Why would more daemolite result in more frequent demon kings? -

Edna shrugged. - I don�t know, but the daemolite�s linked to the frequency. -

- Wait. Have you guys known this for a long time? - Prabu asked.

Edna paused, and she momentarily wondered whether this was revealed before. - Yes. To some extent, it�s something we�ve been speculating, but we were not sure. We saw it in ancient dreams. Or more like A/ saw it. -

The heroes murmured as the statement stewed in the air.

- The locals won�t like that, - Chung said. - All the native rulers use daemolite to varying degrees for stuff. -

Edna nodded. - Indeed. Even Stella�s void portals and the rift gate relies on daemolite to store the void mana. It is currently the best available source of void - mana storage. Other alternatives just don�t work as well. -

- So if we destroy it, we may or may not reduce the frequency, but we lose our best known way to store void mana. -

- Yes. That�s right, - Edna answered. - It�s why we did not say much, until we have more certainty. -

Branchhold�s growth was good, and I was quite fascinated by the idea of starting a city from scratch.

My spymaster seemed excited to have a new assignment, and I thought he grew bored of the challenges back home. He denied it, of course.

Branchhold itself was designed to be significantly more compact, with my clone tree at its core. One of the things we took advantage of was creating vertical structures using my Giant Attendant Trees as the anchor and support.

This allowed greater density and more efficient use of space. Normally, with increased densities, there needed to have sufficient food and water to support it, but a city composed of trees had its advantages. Food and water was not a problem, since we could produce fruits and pull water from beneath the ground.

In other cities, they had to go an extra step of having magical food equivalents.

Thus, Branchhold was designed to be significantly more vertical than Freshka that sprawled outward.

This resulted in some redesigns for my beetles. Beetles naturally had the ability to climb up trees and slopes, but their packages and cargo had to be properly supported since gravity still applied.

I liked the idea of a city that was dense, and strangely, it appealed to the beetles, too. It seemed that humans, Canari, and elves didn�t quite like it, but dwarves found it quite similar to the mines, so density wasn�t a problem.

The treefolk also didn�t like dense places; they got comfort from their link to the earth, so dense cities didn�t appeal to them.

The local folks were neutral to the idea of density. They seemed more interested in the safety aspect of any institution, most likely the residual impact from the long period of war. Those who faced long periods of uncertainty due to war valued security far more than those who didn�t. Generally, of course. There were those that embraced the nihilism and meaninglessness of life in the face of war.

What I learned from the locals through Branchhold�s extensive surveillance was rather telling.

The drive to survive created a hardened society and nobles who were far more warlike. A decade of constant war created nobles who were now eager to expand their power, and that power turned on each other.

I had expected that my presence would deter them from actually fighting each other. After all, in our world, the presence of a strong superpower pretty much resulted in an era of peace.

That did not happen.

The system, which indirectly encouraged conflict, since everyone gained levels from fighting, essentially was stuck in this hostile loop. War was inevitable, not just because of demons, but because war rewarded those who survived them. The system granted levels, which then equated to strength.

Strength to impose one�s will on others and, thus, war.

Therefore, how could a world that granted power through warfare have a state of peace?

It could, if somehow everyone turned away from the system. But that left a world defenseless against the demons. With no outside interference, either divine or demonic, those who possessed power would fight for more power.

Of course, this was a very pessimistic assessment of the nature of people. Not all people sought out power, but those who became nobility and the rulers tended to be those who were more likely to seek out power and cause conflict.

It was just the necessity of their role. Even if one originally did not covet power, those who coveted their power would rise up and attempt to overthrow those who could not defend their position.

Thus, by sheer elimination of more peaceful rulers, as they failed to defend their throne, the world should naturally veer toward violence.

On the Central Continent, we mitigated this through our extensive education program, the FTC, and also the presence of our priests.

But I knew that wars could not be entirely avoided. In fact, small wars were like controlled fires, a thought that sometimes horrified a part of me. It kept the military on their toes instead of decaying into a state of complacency, especially since the threat of demons had dwindled significantly over the past few decades.

I�d tried to mitigate that with more dungeons and more dream - wars, but a lifestyle of war? An entire society engineered toward winning a war? That was something else, and that was what Mountainworld had.

That kind of focus was admirable, and I admired how well they handled it. I wondered whether that was how Lilies felt as they grappled with the constant shifting forces of the world.

Competition and conflict created true strength. This was true back home, because it forced everyone to be on their toes. On a macro level, if I wanted a strong army, it must be allowed to experience war and battle.

Back on Branchhold, they had yet to have all these cumulative systemic changes, and thus a state of warfare was the default. The peace created by the two heroes did not last very long.

A rather pessimistic state of affairs, but so be it.

Their weakness meant I had gaps to exploit, and I freely expanded my trees on Mountainworld to increase my total mana capacity.

It didn�t matter if I didn�t formally own the land; in a way, that was just a feint.

As I thought about it, the crystal dude was right. I was an invader, and right now I was spreading my trees to invade this world and steal its mana.

My actions were justified, because I couldn�t defeat the demons and end this stupid cycle without some invasions to gain more mana. At this juncture, it was a good and timely reminder for that age - old phrase: - He who fights with demons should take care that he does not become a demon. -

I supposed with all the demon hybrid experimentations, I wasn�t far off from being one.

On the topic of experiments, Alka approached me to explore - bomb - beetles, - essentially massive suicide beetles or a swarm of tiny ones, using my biological evolutionary engineering to craft or grow a bomb - compatible beetle with flight or movement for the explicit purpose of blowing itself up at the target.

Smaller experiments were successful, and now we wanted to take it to the extreme with supersize bombs and superfast swarms of them. Speed, stealth, and power were the primary issues.

The idea was to create a literal flying swarm of explosive beetles and then, with a large enough portal, send enough through to the demon world.

Why not just normal bombs?

Simple. Alka wanted to exploit system shenanigans to overcome - manufacturing - constraints.

My subsidiary trees could spawn beetles by pure system effect and mana. If I could create suicide beetles and the subsidiary trees, of which I had an absurdly large number of, I essentially had the ability to bypast resource restrictions and just bomb the demon world with just an army of banelings or exploding zerglings.

We could then bomb Parasiteworld to hell and break the status quo. The war on Parasiteworld had reached another status quo.

We were beginning to question the value of this world. I wasn�t learning much on Parasiteworld. The fringes of my expanded territory had to endure more demonic attacks, and I noticed some changes in the demon types used to attack my lands, but it really felt like it was going nowhere.

If anything, I should ask the six heroes to mount our first - liberation - mission on Parasiteworld.

- Liberate a world from the control of the demons? - Prabu wrapped his head around the idea of a counter invasion. - I thought we wanted to invade the demon world to attack the demon king before it attacked us. -

- Yes, but A/ proposed something more radical as a test bed. - Edna was the one to deliver the message. Lumoof�s recovery meant he wasn�t in his best shape, but it was time. - A/ �s incursions into the demon world highly suggested the existence of a demon king that metamorphosed into a mother in the core of the world. We believe that if we defeat it, it may free the core from the demon�s control, and the planet then reverts back to a normal world. -

Ken and Snek were excited at the idea. If this worked, it meant Snek had a chance to save his home world. It was proof that it could be done.

- A/ has been expanding on Parasiteworld, right? -

- Yes. A/ has a large force present currently fighting a long - drawn out war of attrition. It reached a stalemate recently, due to mana limitations. - The heroes glanced at each other uncomfortably.

- We know what we are hitting? -

- No. A/ �s unable to see what�s in the core as the pit that leads to the core is flooded. -

- I�m not doing it without Lumoof doing recon, - Prabu said. - Or at least, can the flooded pit be drained? If we know what we are hitting, then maybe. -

- Possible. With enough trees, A/ could drain some of the water out. But if it goes all the way to the magical core of the world, it would take some time. The roots would need to reach that deep in the first place. The demon mother�s also likely to be weaker than a full demon king. At least, that�s the sense I got from the demon I saw in the core of the anti - magic world. -

- Another free world, - Prabu answered. - Could we get heroes there? -

Edna shook her head. - I don�t know. That�s entirely up to the gods. -

- They only summon heroes in response to a demon king. -

- Is. Parasiteworld linked to any other worlds? -

- Yes, but they are too far with our current abilities. Anyway, let�s have that conversation later and get back on topic. The battle, if any, will happen in the core of the world, because it�s highly unlikely we�ll be able to get the demon mother away from the core. -

The heroes looked at each other. Strangely, it was Chung that asked, - Ken, what do you think? -

- Fighting a demon in the core of the planet feels very endgame boss to me. -

Chung rolled his eyes. - Eh, now�s not the time for a gaming reference! -

- It�s a risk, - Ken said. - Snek would definitely like to see it happen, but if A/ could stack the battlefield in our favor, and with the full recovery of their team, it may work. -

- Can�t we just drop a bomb into the core? -

- You mean like Star Wars? -

- Yeah. Death Star and all that. -

- We could, but that may blow up the planet. And that�s not what we want. -

- A/ would prefer to keep the planet in shape in order to have another hospitable world to our stable of safe worlds. - Well, if I could free Parasiteworld from the demons, theoretically the mana recovery should improve significantly. Not being in a mana - deficit would support my goal of increasing my mana output.

Adrian and Kelly were both too flabbergasted to digest the idea. Aiding the defense of another world was one thing, but an invasive liberation of a demon world never quite crossed their mind.

- You have time to decide, - Edna said. - We�re waiting for the full recovery of the entire team before we attempt this. -

- What do you think of the idea? - The heroes had their own session.

- Yes, - Prabu said. - I say go for it. We have the necessary skills, and as heroes, this is what we do: defeat demons. -

- You sure that�s not your mental overrides hitting you? - Chung asked.

- I know, but it�s the right thing to do. If it resets that world, it may mean more hero summons in the future. More candidates for the League of Heroes. -

- It�s insane, - Kelly just said frankly. - So yes. -

- You�re insane, - Chung said. - Why are we taking this risk? We�re risking our lives here, going down to the demon world�s pit to fight this thing in there. I�m against this. We don�t need this fight. -

Colette shrugged. - I don�t know. I want more information before I decide. -

Hafiz and Adrian both nodded. - Yeah, I�m with Colette. I need to know more. If it�s an easy fight we should go for it. Ken�s right. If A/ could stack the odds in our favor, then we have nothing to lose. -

Chung sighed. - All right, then I�ll let Edna know that we want more info. We�re not going in there blind. -

Prabu laughed. - That�s a privilege, Chung. Our predecessors all had to face their demon kings with no data. -

- But this isn�t a necessary fight. -

- Maybe not, but it is our duty. -

- That�s the gods speaking. -

- Maybe. -

YEAR 212

Lumoof had finally recovered from the effects of the trip, and he noticed his sensitivity to the soul realm had increased. There were moments when he saw specks of things flying in the air and briefly wondered whether his vision was bugged.

Then it was clear it was actually the souls movement in the world. He could seem, faintly, and if he was in a zone.

- Is it because of all the mana practice we are doing? - Lumoof asked.

- I�m not sure. -

- I didn�t get a skill, though. -

I thought it was a matter of time.

- I thought we get the skill first, then we see the results, not the other way round. - Lumoof chuckled. We both knew the system could be irregular and inconsistent, even if it broadly tried to stick to a set pattern. Broadly.

Level - specific things had been followed quite strictly, but when did people actually learn or acquire a skill had been one of the weirder aspects of the system. Perhaps a system had to have hard and soft aspects, both RNG and checkpoints in order for it to work?

Mana practice and soul - sight practice took up most of Lumoof�s time. His mana control wasn�t poor, but now, his mana tolerance had improved.

It made him sick, and he actually got skills to cope with more mana. Just that the quantities we needed to poison the demon king were too high.

He would have to reach even higher levels.

For me, Alka�s team of scientists finally gave me one demon king core model. It was a replica constructed from the data gathered from all the demon cores we had so far.

It did not contain all the elements of the demon, just the parts of the runic carvings that we somewhat understood. They said it seemed to open up some kind of network, but it fizzled out before they could get further. The amount of power needed by the model was quite high, and Alka said he saw what appeared to be a very, very large three - dimensional map in his mind.

But it hurt his head so much he had to stop. His speculation was that it was not designed for mortal minds, or at least designed such that it suited how the demon�s mind worked. Therefore they brought it to me.

My vines wrapped around the object made of some of the toughest crystals we had, and my mana flooded it. The runes within it flared, and then I briefly saw the entire core glow.

I felt it and saw the magic of the replica core seemed to tap into something. Something that existed in an entirely different place.

It was a mini - portal within it. No, metaphorically, it was the equivalent of an interdimensional wireless modem that was now making a call to this. space in another part of the world.

I felt a connection, and instantly my mind was assaulted. My artificial minds stepped in to protect me. It wasn�t a domain - type attack, but more like a - DDOS - or a - Ping - bombardment.

Mental firewall activating. filtering.

This felt like a nostalgic return to the days of Rootnet.

Then I felt a strange, uncomfortable sensation, like something attempting to pull me from the other side of that connection.

It pulled, and then? -

- snapped.

At that moment, I saw the stars that Alka claimed to see. It was vast, and then they disappeared. And reappeared again.

The map seemed to twist in unusual ways, and I realized it wasn�t actually three dimensional. I wasn�t even sure it was a map.

That uncomfortable sensation returned, and then I felt something push back against my presence very, very strongly. It was so strong that the energy somehow spilled through the replica, and the replica cracked.

The connection was lost, then.

Alka just looked at the cracked replica with a look of bewilderment. - What just happened? -

- I saw the stars, and then something kicked me out. I�m not sure what. - Alka strapped in as I shared what I saw with him through our dream academy.

- There�s a guardian on the other side of that. It might be possible to kick it out or at least stop it from kicking you out. - My bomb - domain holder touched the cracked demon-core replica. - We�ll have to make a few more of these out of different materials to see what�ll work well. -

- What do you think we saw? -

- A star map. An invasion plan. A path. Or just a history of worlds invaded. -

If there was a centralized controller that told demons where to go, it had to be on the other side of the demon core.

I wondered whether every demon king essentially called home and asked, - Where do I go? - and somebody or something on the other side told it where to go.

The key point was, if I figure this out, I could fuck with it. If I stopped all the demons from being able to essentially dial home, could I take out the momentum behind the demon king�s constant invasions? Essentially, cause them to turn on themselves, or invade worlds that were already invaded, and so slow their expansion across the multiverse?

This strategy was an expansion of my earlier demonic IFF - interference strategy.

Of course, I eventually shared our findings with the other domain holders, the heroes, and my other senior members.

- It sounds like the demon king�s actually a remote - controlled drone, and the mind behind the demon king is safe somewhere else. - Ken quickly made the connection and gave a wild speculation. - We have been fighting clones all this while. The core of each planet�s just a clone factory to manufacture more drones. -

Lumoof, naturally, understood what that meant. - Are you saying each demon king is an avatar of some controlling entity? -

- Well, close. Actually, yes. It�s like how A/ speaks through you. Absolutely. -

- Then we just have to take out the demon king�s controller and all of this should end? -

Actually, if the demon king was really some kind of entity like myself, that was actually a lot harder. It meant the entity behind the demon kings, if there was such a thing, could have many, many clone bodies and were manufacturing these self - replicating motherships.

I pondered the thought for a while and realized that countering the demon kings as a whole fell into two large long - term angles.

One: destruction and extinction. If it was possible to destroy its power source or if there was some kind of central will at the heart of all the demons, then destroying it should end this demonic plague once and for all. Part of this strategy required heavily levelling my domain holders so that they could fight battles on the demon world. There were lesser outcomes under this angle, such as just destruction of its ability to travel worlds or destruction of whatever was assisting its wayfinding.

Two: confusion and redirection, messing with the demon�s - world - finding - abilities and, under this umbrella, messing with its friend - foe identification. Under this set of strategies, if it was not possible to destroy the demons as a whole, maybe because there wasn�t actually a center or a node, then we would essentially confuse the shit out of it and mess with its ability to find habited worlds. We could create curtains, such that they couldn�t find us, or jam the teleportation portals such that the demons couldn�t invade us.

There were lesser angles or ones I considered unlikely, such as assimilation. From an evolutionary standpoint, if the demons at the center were some kind of code or virus, could I alter them such that they became benign?

If the demons were some kind of rogue program or magical gray goo that ran out of control, could someone reassert control over them?

The evolution of beetles with more specialized materials continued, even beyond Alka�s suicide beetles. Since the creation of specialized Treechikomas, we�d expanded the evolutionary development to a wider range of creatures.

My domain powers over evolutionary meddling extended beyond beetles, so it�d be a waste to restrict myself to them. Horns would be upset, but he�d understand. And he was too busy fighting demons in Parasiteworld to nag me about it.

We experimented on anti - magic - infused beetles, but creating them consumed the anti - magic glass, which was now a finite resource. The first few designs were crap, and the regular beetle - mind struggled, so I made artificial - mind variants.

These performed better with the custom - designed bodies, but they also struggled. Actual performance in the battlefield didn�t seem to match up with how they were designed, so we had to make multiple revisions.

It wasn�t as if they were not working, but when compared to a regular beetle at the same level, their performance was lacking at first.

The later versions finally managed to perform just as good, but it did take about sixty different variations. The artificial minds too had to adapt to their new bodies, and that was also another lagging aspect.

These minds were able to seamlessly work with regular monsters because it seemed their movement and attitudes were already in them somehow. It was like there was a blueprint of how to move a spider or how to move a beetle already available, while this modified anti - mana beetle was different, so even basic things had to be learned from the ground up.

Honestly, some of the earlier designs were embarrassing. It reminded me of my younger days when I played with Spore, and I just placed all the horns and spikes I could and made what looked like a nerubian or a porcupine - beetle.

Yeah. More spikes was better. not really.

Over time, the refinements made by my artificial minds made them more functional, and they began to look more like something more functional.

In terms of experiments, I also relooked at my artificial minds and tried to create more powerful, fully formed souls.

With my higher number of soul forge colors, it was theoretically possible. It took some time, but eventually I managed to increase the artificial mind�s overall performance and mana production.

It still wasn�t much, not when compared to the Titans. But twice as fast or twice as much mana was still a significant improvement and helped the artificial minds cope with the huge amount of background administrative work to keep everything running.

Branchhold had its own set of artificial minds to run the wooden lifts and coordinate the carrier - beetles.

I also sent Ally over to Mountainworld, and she - or it, really - took the form of a lizardperson, salvaged and repaired from the corpse of a dead lizardperson. Ally, as the parasite, received an artificial mind at the core, essentially giving it sufficient power to function, but not enough to truly exhibit the full range of its abilities.

A converted demon-champion parasite was something even my own Valthorns viewed with an uncomfortable suspicion. There was just something uncanny about a shapeshifter that could possess another that made normal people uncomfortable.

Something that I didn�t get. Maybe it was the assurance that it was almost impossible to possess me that made it discount that threat.

In any case, Ally would assist my spymasters in my plan to bend the opinions of Mountainworld in my favor.

Within the immigrants to Branchhold, we swiftly detected agents of the various kingdoms eager to find out more about us. At this point, I merely informed my spymasters of their presence but did not do more than that.

I didn�t want the natives to realize I could monitor them, so I decided to let the agents work as they please and only allowed capture in places where it was probable that someone could have noticed them.

In short, my spymasters had to hunt for spies without relying on my tree�s surveillance. This was good practice for him, of course, and it also hid the full extent of my abilities from the natives.

Working in other worlds would be a common occurrence as this went on, as I foresaw my gradual expansion over time.

Eventually, as I got in touch and had a presence in more inhabited worlds, I�d see myself become some kind of centralized transportation network, the warp network between the worlds.

I�d probably make a lot of money just by charging for transport, and with very few alternatives, well, except the void mages, I�d essentially be a monopoly.

Of course, as it was, I�d already have tremendous economic advantage because I could easily arbitrage any pricing differences between Treehome and Mountainworld, and the Central Continent, by extension, had access to two economic markets.

The merchant lords easily saw the economic opportunity to exploit the pricing difference, but all these depended on me agreeing to teleport the goods.

I decided against it, as it would not be good for me to crash the prices by flooding the market with essentially imported goods from another world.

There were some ideas that came out before our supposed invasion of Parasiteworld.

What if we shifted daemolite from our world to Mountainworld?

- No. What if it triggers a permanent increase in demonic invasions to our world? That would not be good. - Kelly and Adrian refused, and frankly, I could see their point. I wasn�t sure how the demonic surveillance and targeting mechanism worked, and if I shifted it there, could I essentially trigger more demons without reducing ours?

So I considered some more alternatives. One was to shift the daemolite to Parasiteworld or to Cometworld.

I didn�t want to shift it to Cometworld, because, if the demons could somehow see the daemolite, essentially the daemolite were surveillance bugs. I didn�t want the demons to target a hyper - mobile void explorer.

Thus we settled on sending more of these daemolites to Parasiteworld and see whether it affected the frequency of the demon king�s invasion to Treehome.

We shifted almost all of our daemolite to my clone on Parasiteworld.

- No change to the existing astral paths, - Stella said. - But the further ones are wobbling and fading. It seems removing daemolite only reduces the frequency of demon kings multiple decades down the road. -

Stella later theorized those that had already locked onto our world were coming as scheduled, but those further away had not properly locked on, thus removing the daemolite made targeting more difficult. Essentially, that meant daemolite was some kind of aiming aid. Without it, the demon could still find us, but it was just a bit harder.

We kept the daemolite in Parasiteworld.

Lumoof kept practicing with mana and trained hard. He needed to be ready for the shit I was gonna throw his way, and after the shit I put him through, he clearly understood he would be seeing things way out of his league.

Even the invasion to liberate Parasiteworld essentially depended on Lumoof to provide support, since the heroes demanded his presence as a condition to the invasion.

My trees were busy draining the waters from Parasiteworld to create patches of drier land. Strangely, now that my trees covered a large part of Parasiteworld, some normal weather had returned.

There was a return of seasonal rainstorms and small snows during the colder period. Parasiteworld had always felt a little hot and humid, a bit like being in a tropical swampland, but my large patches of trees had gradually repaired some of the weather. I found it weird, because this wasn�t a conscious thing.

I didn�t actually attempt to change the weather, but the changes on Parasiteworld over time had been rather dramatic, and some parts absolutely no longer resembled what was still a demon-controlled world.

With more mana coming from Mountainworld, I gradually inched closer and closer to the pit of Parasiteworld.

Each piece of territory was won through a constant war of attrition against the hordes of the demons. They spawned more creatures, newer variants, but we had improved beetles to counter them.

The demons clearly had some ability to learn and adapt, especially on the demon-controlled worlds, since they were able to spawn new variants. The fact that demons in the invaded worlds did not adapt that strongly when compared to the demons on their controlled worlds made me wonder whether demon kings and demon mothers had some control over the development of demons.

Or perhaps, because the system considered demons to be native in this world, the system spawned adapted demons? Or was there some kind of automated learning or just through recombining known traits in different ratios, in the same way nature adapted to changes in the environment through reproductive processes?

The only way I�d know was if I controlled a core.

My trees encroached on the areas around the pit to the core, and we began the process of draining the pit of water. Moving water wasn�t difficult, and I eventually released the water throughout my controlled areas, essentially creating rivers out of these once - shallow lands.

There was a lot of landscaping to do.

The water from the pit had to be cleaned and filtered, too, as I noticed it contained far higher quantities of demonic presence within it.

I didn�t know how long it took for the core to spawn another demon king, but from what I could detect on the surface, there was hardly any progress, and it seemed like an exceptionally long spawn time.

New lakes appeared, too, as more water was shifted out of the flooded pits. The fact that it was an exposed pit made it significantly easier for me to remove the water because I could spawn trees all the way to the edge, and those roots at the edge functioned like pumps. Water was then gradually sucked out of the pit and then channeled through the root network.

At the rate we were draining the pit, I estimated it would take about two years to drain the water and reach the core.

Good enough. By then, Lumoof and the heroes should be ready for another fight in the depth.

YEAR 213

- Isee the transportation went smoothly. Glad to see you, Master Johann. - I rotated domain holders between the two worlds. One of my newer treefolk lords, Baron Threid, and a delegation of administrators were present to greet him when I sent him over.

I could send him over unannounced, but the Valthorns had a huge operating procedure built up for fixed deployments, so I went along with the bureaucracy. Baron Threid�s kind was a rarity on Mountainworld, but he was one of those willing to take a relocation package over the Branchhold. At level fifty, he was relatively lower level, but that was normal for those with noble classes. Noble classes and ruler classes leveled slower, just like those with the higher tier or upgraded classes, but they made up for it by their aura and other state - level abilities.

This act of greeting domain holders and receiving visitors was one I felt a bit iffy about. There was an element of brown nosing that I didn�t quite like, but Lumoof and my senior leaders claimed that it was nothing more than a good practice of hospitality. Eventually, I settled and agreed to let the practice continue but forbade lavish and large receiving parties.

- Well, I�m here for my assignment. How�s everything? - It was his first visit to Branchhold this year.

Baron Threid shook his head. - We caught another four spies. I�m fairly sure Branchhold is infested with spies at this point. Our spies are trying to weed out the rest, but with so many immigrants, it�s quite hard. Some of them essentially do nothing but feed info back to their minders back in the kingdoms. -

Johann laughed. - Well, I�m sure A/ saw it coming, so good luck there. -

Baron Threid paused at the statement. - Would you be assisting the counter - espionage efforts? -

Johann looked at the treefolk lord�s misaligned eyes for a moment and shook his head. Treefolks were not what people would consider pretty. They were more tree than people, so their body structure was unusual. - No. That�s not what I�m here for. Counter - espionage remains the task of Branchhold�s designated council. I believe A/ �s intention is for the council to level, so it wouldn�t be right for me to interfere. -

- Ah. I see. - I would step in if things really got out of hand, but it was important to let the people make mistakes and learn from them, as long as it wasn�t a lethal one.

That said, I did find my tolerance of lethality increasing over time.

- Instead, I want a briefing on the latest wars of the foreign nations. -

Baron Threid nodded. - Right this way. -

There were days when I thought war was inevitable. The system facilitated and encouraged the act of combat.

Not just that. There were days when I thought war was good. The system was part of this world�s nature. It was how this world worked, and war was how the system and people of this world ensured the survival of the fittest.

The survival of those who could gain the levels and skills needed to survive. War accelerated that process, as conflict ensured and required each and every one to strive harder to protect what they had and to survive.

War was coming, because the system encouraged it.

War was coming, because those who survived were better equipped to face the future.

It was a morbid, cruel assessment of the world. Or was it me becoming numb to this constant state of war?

Despite the benefits of war, it came at the expense of generational learning, because war encouraged destruction of infrastructure and knowledge. War was the equivalent of stepping on others to go higher and destroying others ladders.

There had to be a balance somewhere between the two, and I wasn�t sure whether the Central Continent�s model was the best one, even if it worked very well so far.

I also didn�t think it was right to transplant a governance model that worked for the Central Continent to Branchhold and the wider Mountainworld as a whole, because both worlds and people had different histories.

Johann sat and contemplated the briefing. My spymasters had built a basic information - gathering network throughout the other kingdoms of Mountainworld. This complemented the information I gained through my trees, which also expanded outward.

The mountain world people fought a lot. In fact, the wars of this era seemed more violent than ever.

The level eighties of Mountainworld fought each other, and their levels meant the destruction they wrought was more extensive. Conflicts seemed to arise from the smallest things, the rulers eager to shake the status quo with the military power accumulated over the decade of war.

This was partly why there was a surge in immigration to Branchhold, once it became clear to the population of the world that no one actually attempted to invade us. Branchhold�s military power remained a huge unknown to the people of this world.

- We should arrange a visit to the Central Continent of Treehome and establish the sheer gap in power between our two worlds. Once they realize the kind of military power we have, it would greatly ease our efforts on Branchhold. -

What was the point in that, really? Show that we had a bigger stick? Was there a point to scaring the people? Was it not the same as what the heroes did? Their presence frightened the other nations into compliance and gave them the - right - to have their own kingdoms.

- It�s useful to get some of the nobles to work with us. There are those who feel that they can oppose us if they combine their might. -

Fear. I�d prefer if we were liked, but then again, being liked never stopped them from fighting against us. If anything, I�d like my spymasters to bribe, blackmail, preach, and twist these other nations to get out of my way.

After all, why kill when you could convert them or bribe them? It was unnecessary bloodshed. Money was not an object for me anymore.

Over the decades and centuries, I watched the value of money fluctuate, and now I was at the point where money was kind of a secondary result of my will. After all, money was useful to convince others to mobilize and do what you want. Now, though, with the resources of a continent and my power, should I choose to wield it, absolute, money was just an intermediary.

After all, money was just a means of exchange and also a way for the state to exercise its power to govern. A nation could pay its employees with food, lodging, or any other kind of benefit in order to compel them to do what the nation required them to do.

At the core of it, what was a nation? A nation was a means to create an overarching structure to enable the provision of services not possible at a smaller scale. Back home, democratic systems generally tried to ensure that the government had a mandate, so to speak, from the people that it governed.

This, partly, was to ensure stability, to align the will of the people and that of the rulers.

In a world with magic and skills, how did this mandate play out?

Frankly, in a world where skills, levels, and magic existed with monsters of varying strength, the value of the common man was not much.

It was more of an oligarchy of the powerful.

Too frequently, it became a - mandate of the system. - Not unlike the mandate of heaven. The system bestowed a select few with the power to rule, and thus they created their kingdoms. Levels created power, and that power was exercised to rule over others. Those who had power and gained power used it to oppress and to demand those beneath them to obey.

I was aware that was essentially what I did. My overwhelming levels ensured I could execute my will and bend Treehome to the direction I wanted it to go.

It was a form of tyranny, even if I�d generally tried to have a light touch. Lumoof once said the presence of level caps was to ensure that no one got too powerful, but clearly, the system wasn�t expecting a creature like myself.

Occasionally, I wondered whether this was all planned. Did the system know this was what I would do? Did the system have a desire? Did it have a goal?

Why? It was a question many people around the world asked. During prayers, many asked why level systems were created and lamented how unfair it was how some nobles had inherited skills and some had none.

What was the purpose of it all, anyway? I noticed a rise in these types of existential questions from the inhabitants of the Central Continent, which I suspected was a result of rising affluence and education levels. Was there even a purpose to it, to create a system where the system granted so much power to those who jumped through its hoops? The system encouraged slaughter and achievements.

This, of course, tied back to development. Rightly or not, I�d significantly uplifted the development of the Central Continent and invested significant resources on magical research and weapons. Tools of war to wage more dangerous wars.

This was known to all on Treehome and had functioned as a deterrent from the other nations. Alka�s crystalline bombs were well known for its incredible destruction. Their magical ripples could be detected an entire continent away.

Yet my goal was to end the cycle, and there was a worry, just like back home, that further research and overuse of bombs may eventually lead to some kind of magical nuclear winter. We didn�t know how much magic was too much magic, even if I was currently quite certain it was nothing to worry about.

On Branchhold, the issue of a constitution was a bit harder than I initially expected. Mainly the refugees and immigrants to Branchhold had very different expectations, norms, and requirements compared to the administrators from Treehome.

Those from Treehome had lived a generation or two under my rule, and their social, cultural, and administrative norms had deviated quite a bit.

Form filling was a struggle with the immigrants who didn�t even know what a form was. Things like waste disposal, sanitation, and food processing all had gaps. Even on Treehome there was some gaps, especially between continents, but the other continents had learned from us by exposure. Many nobles, influenced by my spymasters, adopted some of our norms and policies. Even the Triumvirs of Aiva adopted more regimented training processes, supported by my Valthorns indirectly.

All that happened over a long period of time, so the gap never felt so big.

But here, these people never had that exposure. The worse thing was it further solidified my delegation�s impression that the people of Branchhold were uncultured barbarians.

This was something I wanted to avoid, because it was a formula for resentment and worked against my intention to build a good, positive impression among the nobles, warrior classes, and general peasantry of the world.

- The gap�s too big, - Johann admitted in a personal conversation with me. - I�m not sure it�s possible to educate them and get them to change their practices so quickly. -

I wasn�t sure why, but that statement made me churn a little. I sensed disdain and a little bit of patronizing in those words. I got that he had a point, but I wasn�t too comfortable with that feeling, so I decided to clear it up. - Perhaps there is no need to. -

- Oh? - Johann was one of my soldiers, and he respected the warrior ethos of the people. But that was about his only positive impression. There was an immediacy to their life; the focus was on winning the next battle, not stepping back and thinking about how to win the war.

This difference in time horizon was probably something that would need a generation or two to change. The immigrants didn�t understand or comprehend the security we could provide.

Why think about what was going to happen a year down the road when the demons could invade and kill everyone next month? In a way, the decade - long war was a big setback to their overall society, and frankly, he understood that we could have easily been the same.

Yet it made day - to - day interactions frustrating. It was an experience quite like the Canari, who also seemed to live their lives day by day.

- These people lived life day to day, and rather than try to change them, is there a way to make a better or more productive version of this mindset? -

- That sounds rather strange. - Johann laughed. - Isn�t foresight one of the better qualities of civilization? To create a structure from nothing. -

- It is, but I am beginning to wonder whether I�ve been looking at civilization with a far too narrow perspective. -

- To me, that just sounds like chaos. -

- Maybe. -

The strength of planning and foresight allowed the accumulation of our efforts toward a larger goal, something that could not be achieved through instant reaction and living day by day. There had to be a guiding path or a focus.

It was the equivalent of a corporate ethos and culture toward some kind of goal.

An organization this large, by sheer number of actors and players, would generate many contradictory forces. A noble in one part of Treehome would and could take the exact opposite direction as another noble. It was impossible to force everyone to be perfectly aligned. It was too much effort and meant turning everyone into robots.

Ultimately, it boiled down to the question of what kind of world I wanted Mountainworld to be.

Did it even matter if its main function was to serve as a massive mana generator to complement my future mana requirement?

Why was I doing this?

- How do the immigrants take the rule of the council? - Johann asked one of the relocated administrators.

- Not well. Language differences are getting better, but they are still unused to the way many things are done. There�s also no respect for the Valtorn Order, which makes it harder for the Order personnel to carry out their work. The priests are having a slightly easier time, but it�s not smooth sailing, either. -

Johann spotted many small aggressions and conflicts as the relocated administrators and guards tried to impose their version of order onto the refugees.

Most accepted it, even if they didn�t understand. After all, they came as refugees to avoid the threat of war, but there clearly was some expectation gap. They expected life to be similar back to where they came from, not this accelerated uplift society where they had to adjust to how I wanted this city to be.

This was a result of my will being in conflict with those of the refugees, and frankly, many made the journey with incomplete information.

I could solve this problem by allowing mass migration from the Central Continent to Branchhold, but I wanted to see how receptive the local folk were before I did that.

I also had some concerns about facilitating such a large movement of people between worlds, and I wanted rules and proper processes before such things were permitted. The artificial minds could be granted authority to operate the inter - world transportation, and the necessary mana budget, so that freed up one part of my mental load.

There was a strange problem that emerged for those who came from the Central Continent. I didn�t notice it immediately because of the presence of my healing aura in Branchhold, but my spymaster noticed it in their field operators.

Diseases of another world.

Those with my familiars or those close to my clone trees were spared thanks to the influence of my healing aura , but the spies that strayed further, some without the protection of my familiars, got sick. A lot.

Most diseases were mild, but it was another aspect that I did not foresee. Stella swiftly reminded me of the diseases brought by colonizers during the Age of Exploration.

The inverse did not occur, simply because my people were generally healthy thanks to the effect of my healing aura , so they didn�t carry that many diseases. My Biolabs quickly collected some of these disease samples.

Then we realized these diseases of the mountain world were made of magic.

I eventually agreed to a learning visit for the refugees and the nobles. I thought about it and realized maybe intimidation wasn�t a bad thing.

It was the whole idea of a nuclear deterrence. I had the impression that my domain holders already qualified to be my nuclear deterrence. I also wanted the refugee representative to see for themselves what kind of culture and society we had back on Treehome.

Many refugees had their own de facto community leaders, which we selected for the trip. In total, about one hundred refugees would take their first trip to Treehome.

Their arrival on Treehome was a quiet one. I had not fully declared their presence here, so they were shuffled like tourists on tour buses, always escorted by security personnel.

They were frankly awed, the equivalent of jungle bumpkins entering the city for the first time.

YEAR 214

Lumoof�s mana practice continued, while my other domain holders made regular trips to Parasiteworld to set up the stage for an invasion.

He had managed, over a period of two to three years, to increase his mana tolerance by about twice of what it was, but lately his progress had plateaued. It still wasn�t good enough, but Lumoof said he would just gain more levels, and hopefully those higher levels gave him extra stats and new skills that helped with his mana tolerance.

I agreed; I did not want to subject him to pain if there was not much progress.

Since we had a roadblock in this particular direction, Lumoof went to Parasiteworld to see what he could do there.

My attempts to drain the pit of the demon king went quite successfully, and the amount of water was then redirected to make actual lakes and ponds in the areas we controlled.

I�d reached about three - quarters of the way to the core of Parasiteworld, and now the walls of the pit were filled with vines and crawler - type plants. Down here, there were few demons but nothing much of a threat.

The demons continued to attack us throughout the world, but so far, we managed to hold on. They mounted multiple assaults to flush us out and fully retake the area around the pit, with champions and all that, but with Edna, Roon, or Johann around to provide additional support and offset my - distance penalty, - it wasn�t hard.

A champion was no king, and if they could not field kings, my domain holders had nothing to fear. Hytreerion, my converted walker, served as my champion and fortified the area around the pit.

Despite all this, there was no sign or signal that suggested this world was attempting to grow another demon king. Not yet, anyway.

The magical energy of this world was still low, despite all the recovery in the past few years. The path in the stars appeared to be faint.

I wondered what kind of world it would invade, but for now we kept digging. It would be another year or two before we reached the core.

- Fancy seeing you here, - Kei said as she walked up one of Branchhold�s highest trees, where there was an observation tower that looked out. Stella nodded at the crystal - golem when she walked in.

I was told it was a gorgeous view of the vast demon lands, still not reclaimed by the heroes. The two heroes, Adrian and Kelly, did use their powers to retake some of the demon lands, but they didn�t seem particularly enthused.

- I�d say the same for you, - Stella responded as she worked with her tools. Over the decades, she had made some tools and equipment to help her with her task of observing the skies, and the mountain world�s skies were filled with entirely new stars and worlds. - Did A/ send you here to give me a hand? -

- Nothing like that. I just asked for permission to visit another world and got it. I just have to be escorted outside Branchhold. -

- Ah, that does sound like something you would do. See anything you like so far? -

- Not yet. The rangers told me the food choices are quite interesting, but my taste buds aren�t exactly the best. -

Stella smirked at the golem. - Taste buds. -

- Yeah. Eat. As if I needed that. - Kei shrugged and then perched herself at the balcony. She took a moment to take in the view. - But this place does have a really good view. This city doesn�t sprawl, not like Freshka. -

- Not yet. -

- Eh, blasphemy! - Kei teased. - A/ already has an anti - sprawl plan! -

Stella didn�t reply and continued to work. She collected readings of various magical energy signatures, and she continued her work on her theory. She thought that each different world had a magical key that identified that world, so if she could figure out what the alphabets were, she could then figure out how to match the alphabets to the rift gates and then use it to call places that we currently had no access to.

Magic was a lot of hard work.

- How many void mages did you bring with you? - Kei asked.

Stella paused. - Two of them are helping me with the research. -

- Do you find portals different here? -

- Not really. About the same. The only worlds where I felt my portals were nigh - unusable were that comet world and the anti - magic world. -

- That was a waste. A/ should�ve kept that world, - Kei said. - Now our supply of anti - magic sand is cut off. -

Stella just smiled.

- Wait. What�s that look? -

- We have the magical coordinates for that world. With a sufficiently high - powered amount of void mana, and if we can replicate a smaller version of that core - mana - void mana tunnel. -

- How far are we? -

- Honestly, the biggest roadblock we have right now is A/ �s lack of core mana. Between what I�ve seen and what we�ve gathered from the demon king�s core replica, we�re halfway there with the tunnel. -

- Shit. We are just one mana source away from being able to go wherever we want? -

- Let�s not jinx it and make it sound so easy. Core mana isn�t the easiest thing to find, but if the parasite - world invasion goes well. - Stella smiled. - There are still mountains to climb after this one. And this is still a really, really tall mountain. -

- How long have you known? - Kei asked once Stella took a break.

- Known what? -

- That we�re going to be able to essentially connect all the worlds we�ve been to. -

- Oh. It was always there. Each world has a signature, a phone number. Each rift gate A/ steals comes with its own coordinates, mostly intact. I�ve known how to lock a rift gate to a past world, especially if we�ve stolen the gate from that world. It�s just we lack the power to make that connection. Void mana doesn�t survive very well in the void forest. It gets swept away and disrupted by the smallest eddies. -

- Is A/ planning to do that with this world, too? - Kei looked up at the sky. The mountain world would have its own demon king, too, but its cycle was a little longer, ranging from fifteen to twenty years.

- Yes. I�ve discussed it before. We have to grab as many rift gates from as many worlds as far as possible. It�s one of the easier ways to collect all the astral alphabets or numbers. Next was to map that number to our observations of their location in space and see whether we could make some sense of the numbers. I believe there is a logic or pattern inbuilt in the language of the rift gates, which brings me to my next task. -

- Which is? -

- I need to get my domain. Within the demon king�s core - replica, A/ spoke of star - paths and a massive map, but he said there is a guardian within that map. He�d only let me use it once I have a domain. I�ve seen images, though, through the dream academy , but I�d really like to see it for myself and feel what that thing is. -

- Do you think that�s a creature of the void? Do you think there are things living in the void forest? - Kei asked randomly. - Like. you know, hunters within the void forest that look for certain things? -

- I wouldn�t say it�s impossible. But I�ve not seen any. - My void archmage relaxed and took a sip of water.

A Valthorn dropped in to just check in and then left once they noticed both Kei and Stella were in there. Branchhold�s security condition wasn�t as robust as Freshka, but with my artificial minds constantly monitoring everything, I had the ability to react almost instantly.

Still, I had the Valthorns patrol all the key installations. I didn�t trust my detection abilities to get everything.

Stella�s levels were mostly through research, but in her earlier days, she did some power - leveling with the domain holders. As she reached her level one hundred forties, her levels had slowed, so she would also need to get some combat experience in, even if it was indirect.

It was really quite irritating that the path to a domain seemed to require combat experience. Was this world so battle crazy?

Stella�s time had to be split between her astral - alphabet and rift gate research, crafting and combat, and also her teaching duties at her void academy. Thankfully, these days she wasn�t the only void archmage.

We had a few promoted to void archmage over the years, and for risk mitigation, we rotated them to other roles. One moved on to crafting and creation of void - mana sensitive artifacts that Stella used and also taught the next generation of crafter - void mages.

Sadly, the process of getting acclimated to void mana was still horrible, and it was something I worked on.

One of which was my breeding program. I had the ability to inject an inheritable skill, and I intended to stack the inheritable skills to create a naturally attuned void mage . The very first young treefolks just enrolled at the void academy last year since the breeding program started.

Patreeck went a bit further and suggested that I acclimate young lizardpeople eggs and treefolk seedlings to void mana, but the potential of killing these babies made me squirm.

I wasn�t willing to go that far. Maybe. not yet.

How is the search underwater? I spoke to Reefy after a while. I spoke to him, or it, every few months, but our conversation was usually brief. Usually nothing of particular interest, though Reefy often brought trinkets and showed all the strange fish that were found in the depths.

Then, this time, he brought something else to my attention. Dead giant found. Know?

Reefy shared, through our root - link, an image of a giant creature submerged in the depths. It looked like it had died many, many years ago. From the depths, all I could see was a shadow - like image, but it was something similar.

The shell was filled with scars, but I could tell what it was. A dead zaratan.

Yes. A zaratan. Can you bring it up to the shore?

Too big. Need help. Minions too small. Can send help? Reefy�s mental image shared a location of the dead giant, and I immediately had the Valthorns deploy ships and mages to the location.

I also pinged Lilies, my old friend, to get in touch with Vallasira, the zaratan, once more. If there was a dead zaratan, I thought I should let them know.

Stella and Lumoof both returned from the other worlds, and they were joined by Edna, Alka, and a large contingent of mages. They boarded the largest vessels we had.

The location was right in the middle of the ocean between the Central Continent and the Western Isles between two oceanic valleys. Over the years, some layers of ocean sand had covered most of it.

- It�s down there, right at the bottom, - Alka said. His magical abilities and past experience as an occasional archeologist meant he had some skills for this kind of event. - We could use a portal and teleport it up, but we�ll need to encase it in a bubble of magic to preserve it from further harm. -

Bones. I could learn of its last memories from its bones, but I would do so after I got the zaratan�s views, if they allowed me to do so.

- But let�s wait and let me see what else I can learn through magic. -

I recalled these zaratans loved water, and I wasn�t sure if digging up zaratan bones from the ocean was potentially an offensive thing. If they loved water so much, an oceanic burial could be what they�d always wanted.

Stella shrugged. - I�m sadly unaware of their funeral rites or customs, despite being their apprentice. As far as I know, they don�t have such customs, even though they do feel the loss of their fellow zaratans very, very strongly. -

- In that case, let us just do magical research for now and wait for the zaratans to emerge. -

As it turned out, we didn�t need to wait long, as a thick mist soon emerged in the area, and two massive zaratans emerged, one younger one that I�d met before. Their presence was thick and rippled outward, comparable to any domain holder.

The tree�s compatriots have gained much strength. The largest of the zaratans spoke.

Everyone just looked at Lumoof, and he entered avatar mode. I spoke through him then. Greetings. We meet again, Vallasira.

The younger zaratan�s still - massive turtle head nodded. Indeed, A/ . Your actions have rippled through the worlds. We thank you for the safety you�ve provided us.

It is what I must do. Let us get to the point. Reefy, my reef - friend, has found the bones of a large zaratan in the depths.

Indeed. The largest one spoke. Vallasira, as you have met them, you can host them in your shell.

At that moment, one of Vallasira�s shell - hexagons opened up to reveal a small box. Hop on. We will dive to the depths together and see our departed brother.

Stella was the first to go. A portal opened between her and the box in Vallasira�s shell. The rest of us followed, and all in, about twenty of us dived into the depths of the ocean.

I had to admit, as a tree, I felt really, really uncomfortable being so deep underwater, and it took a lot of my willpower not to scream or shake. It was so bad that Lumoof had to use his calming powers on me.

Yet the depths of the ocean was wonderful, as Vallasira�s shell was incredibly magical. It was like a flexible screen that could turn transparent and allowed us to see the ocean outside. It was like we were in a glass box in the depths of the ocean.

The dive into the depths took just a moment, as all three zaratan landed around the giant bones.

Our fallen brother. The giant zaratan opened its mouth, and a jet of pressure blew all the sand away, revealing the rest of the shell and the bones. Massive scars ran along the side of the creature. Another one for the demons.

The other giant zaratan touched the scars in the shell with its nose and seemed to sniff. It�s been five centuries.

Long it has been, but no longer. The giant zaratan blew all the sand again, and this time, it swirled around the shell. The giant zaratan then bit at the skull of the dead zaratan, and at that moment, the giant zaratan seemed to glow.

The other giant zaratan and Vallasira also bit the bones of the zaratan, and I felt a sudden surge in magic around us. And then just as quickly, it was gone.

Do as you please with the bones. We have done what must be done. For providing this information, Vallasira shall provide the reward, the giant said, and then, just as quickly, the two giant zaratans swam away, and then. vanished.

You may take the bones, Vallasira said.

The small box we were in was then separated into two compartments, one with only Lumoof and another with everyone else. Stella then opened a portal in front of Lumoof, and water immediately rushed in through the portal.

But he was encased in an armor of wood, and he breathed through a vine. My roots surged outward and through the portal, and then my roots wrapped around the bones of the ancient zaratan.

Then I moved everything to another part of my secret hideout , where my preservation abilities would keep it safe for our later studies.

It is safer for our bones to be in your hands than anyone else�s.

Thanks for the vote of confidence.

All of us could see and feel your energies rippling through the multiverse. We hope our bones can push you a bit closer to your goal. But beware, they can sense it, too. They�ve begun to suspect something�s gone wrong in this part of the world, and they would not react well to a nascent god. A new - puppeteer - will only earn their ire.

Do I seem like a puppeteer?

They can�t tell the difference, Vallasira said.

YEAR 215

Iwas now in possession of two sets of bones from legendary creatures - the dragon bones, which I recovered from the moon before I withdrew the clone, and now the bones of the zaratan - both of which were now safely stored in my secret hideout in their own little section. Thanks to the effect of my preservation abilities, they were untouched, almost the same as if they were on the moon and in the depth of the sea.

Since I wanted to now see what happened to the zaratan, I figured I might as well check the dragon�s bones as well.

I moved a large piece of the zaratan�s skull from one part of my secret hideout, right to the biolab located within my body. The skull itself was large enough to be a truck, but this broken piece was about the size of a large door.

It pulsed momentarily as my biolab began its work. Ethereal vines from my soul forge biolab entered the bones, and I began to see images and little bursts of thoughts. Emotions.

A lake and then a sensation of moving. A black sun, then abruptly snapping. Forced off the path! Another lake but then it was dried out. How? Then demons, large demons. Champions.

Running. Flee and conjured water around itself. The champions latched on, and then the sensation of moving again. It was unstable, demons on its back.

Ocean. A struggle. Pain. Sinking? -

The memories ended there, and I realized this zaratan had probably been yanked out of its path across the stars. The demons could do that, or at least that black sun could.

I felt that black sun was the key to everything, and I proposed the idea of destroying or capturing the black sun to the domain holders. They generally concurred that it may work, if it was the only one.

I wanted to speak to Aiva again, ask them whether they�d ever tried assaulting the black sun. If that would work?

I tried a few more zaratan bones, but the memories of its last moments were similar. So I used the bones of the dragon from the moon that I�d kept for so long.

It was a bad habit. I would keep things and only check on them when I remembered them. Patreeck gave me regular reminders, but I found it hard to focus until it really drew me. Anyway, I focused on the dragon�s bones now.

Its memories were far hazier than the zaratan. The images I saw were faded, but I saw? -

Flight. Run! Fear!

The sky, the stars, and then a really intense sensation of emptiness. Then the moon. The dragon looked back and saw a world aflame. A roar, and then a long period of waiting. Hope. Hoping for others to join it.

No one came. No one was strong enough.

I needed some time to process my thoughts. These were the last moments of these great creatures.

Both bones had power, and as I studied them, I felt I gained a better understanding of their nature. The study of their bones led to additional titan options.

Titan option unlocked: Dragon Replicant. A creature with the flight, combat, and magical prowess of a lesser dragon.

Titan option unlocked: Zaratan Replicant. A creature created based on the zaratans of the void sea. Possesses ability to move between worlds, if there is an existing path. Comes with void mana as default and can use some void magic.

I had one titan soul left, but I looked at the six heroes allied to me and realized I wasn�t in a rush. Not if this arrangement worked.

I would get more fragments. Sure, I was so close to one hundred fragments, but that was really a consolation prize if I could direct the hero�s actions.

These dragons and zaratans were so powerful, surely they would have achieved a domain. What stopped them from stopping the demons? Or that was the wrong question. The dragons stopped the demons many times, as seen from the memories in some of the ancient tree, but they were eventually overwhelmed. If so, what could we do to avoid their mistakes?

If two or three demon kings invaded us at the same time, we would fall, just like the dragons. Even today, we didn�t really know whether that was a rule or just a convenience of the demons. It was entirely possible that they assigned one - to - one worlds just to maximize the number of invaded worlds but could easily focus on a single world.

We needed to test this. Was there a physical or magical barrier that prevented simultaneous invasions? It was possible that a demon king�s presence emitted something that interfered with the astral paths, thus preventing multiple invasions.

Since we now had a demon king�s core replica, we also needed to figure out how to confuse their targeting system.

We had seen the astral paths wobble when daemolite was removed from Treehome, and so we�d seen that the creation of stable astral paths required core mana.

Thus I directed my attention to one of my potential sources of core mana. The core fragment of the anti - mana world.

Unlike the shard of the comet world, the rousing presence from a few years ago was still dormant. It was as if it slept. When I touched it again, this time, the presence was quite similar to the sensation from the comet world.

The presence was still collecting itself, and its core mana, however few it was, seemed to resist me. Without actually convincing that presence within the core to give me its mana, the core mana was far more bound to its presence.

Stella was back on Mountainworld after the zaratan incident and back to her magical research. She seemed to quite enjoy Branchhold, and with our enhanced abilities, we noticed that Mountainworld was linked to two other worlds. One of those two worlds was a little further away, and we would likely need to redeploy some daemolite to reach it.

It was strange how each world�s astral path was different and how each world saw the void forest differently.

This made me think that even the demon�s star maps may not be all that reliable, since they probably had their own frame of reference or these maps were collected from their jumps.

Even the souls, on their path to reincarnation, traveled to this void forest, where they would move and wobble their way to other worlds.

I attempted to access that view again, even with my soul forge, but I�d yet to succeed. Maybe I needed the right levels, but I also consulted my fellow domain holders on whether they�d seen such things.

Lilies, for one, had no clue. This was way beyond their experience.

Over time, I realized the process of learning was very often just repeatedly throwing something at a problem and seeing what stuck.

I wondered whether the gods got to their current solution through the same process.

- Counting down to the invasion? - Ken asked the heroes when they met. They didn�t meet that often, but they still made it a point to meet every other month. Everyone had their own things to do; some of the heroes had their own projects, like Chung and Hafiz, and the Mountainworld heroes, Adrian and Kelly, also found their own passions and hobbies.

They did say they felt lost after the defeat of the demon king, but eventually they found something to do and occupied their time.

Prabu nodded. - Kinda, but not really. We�re just working on our own thing for now while waiting for the cue. -

Snek, the little snake spirit, was the most eager of them all, which meant Ken had a little more stake in this project than the heroes. Snek wanted this invasion to succeed, for all the obvious reasons.

After the zaratan�s warning, I wondered whether this invasion may be the wrong move. What if I drew their attention and became marked by the demons?

What if we invited greater scrutiny? These were my worries, and so, for now, the best I could do was over - prepare. If necessary, I�d cover them and pull the rest of them back to Treehome.

We�d finally drained the waters of the pit, and I got a glimpse of what was within those pits. It was similar to what we saw in the anti - mana world, the demon mother, around a core. Parasiteworld�s core was smaller and filled with holes, quite a bit like a ball - shaped Swiss cheese.

The area around the core itself had been hollowed out, and instead, there was this giant octopus creature with multiple tentacles. Those tentacles weaved through the holes of the core and tied itself to it.

Inspection didn�t work, but I reckoned it was the same type of creature.

From what I could tell, it even had approximately the same level of strength as the demon mother, and I quickly shared my observations with the planned assault force.

We did have a clear path that led all the way to the core. We could guide a lot of bombs to the core and flush out the demon mother, but that came at the risk of destroying the core, which was so tied up with the demon mother. So we needed a surgical approach.

- Send Lumoof. Capture the demon mother, - Edna said, and Lumoof gave Edna the stink - eye.

- Oh, come on, don�t kick me into the pits. -

- I�m not kicking you in. I�m asking you to go in with the heroes. Heroes weaken that creature, and then A/ captures it. -

- Pause for a moment, - Chung said. - Can you clarify what that was? -

- A/ captures demons by flooding them with mana. Don�t you know that already? - Prabu said. - They�ve attempted to capture the demon king, too. -

- I know, but can it work on the demon mother? -

Edna shrugged. - It should. We�ve been prepping Lumoof for that possibility. -

- Can we supply you with star mana to do so? - Chung wondered. - Could star mana do the same thing? -

Actually, I never thought of it. That star mana was so toxic to demons that they died from exposure, but that was when we tested it against regular - type demons. We�d never attempted to infect a demon king with star mana, though I didn�t think it�d be a good idea, since they did have void mana within them and that was normally an explosive reaction.

But it was worth trying. If one of the heroes functioned as a battery, I could channel the star mana through Lumoof and inject it into the demon.

- So do we want to try it out with this demon within the core? -

- No. - I wasn�t sure why, but I felt that using star mana to capture the demon mother in the core would not go well, especially if it interacted with the void mana within the demon mother. - Just a normal attack will do. Our goal is to free the core and gain access to the core mana. Not crack the planet in the process. -

I wasn�t sure - scorched planet - even worked as a defense policy. Destroyed worlds did not form a wall that prevented travel. If it did, it may be worthwhile to look into destroying uninhabited planets to form interstellar barriers.

As part of the preparations for the invasion, we significantly increased the number of trees on Branchhold and soon made connections to more magical ley lines. I spread my trees, discreetly where I could, and ramped up my total mana output.

Back on Treehome, we did the same. I added more trees and extended my trees further out to the various islands closer to the Central Continent.

Thanks to the skills earned before this, I was able to tunnel to some of the islands, and this meant I now had some influence over the seas around the Central Continent. My minds suggested creating artificial islands, a point which I eventually came to agree to. The Valthorns quietly arranged for druids, earth mages, and builders to commence the construction of these artificial islands.

This was an incredibly lengthy process, as lifting sand and rock into a stable structure was actually quite difficult, and we honestly had to look for locations where the deep - sea monsters didn�t appear too much.

Publicly, these artificial islands were to serve as my military ports, of course, with all that excuse of reducing piracy and facilitating trade. It was just a cover for my real intention to spread my roots across the ocean and expand my total mana output.

My expansion on Mountainworld went relatively easier. Mountainworld as a whole only had one single ocean that was rather deep, fed by hundreds and thousands of rivers. That meant there were very little physical barriers to my expanding trees, and it was possible to go around any large habited areas.

The cold peaks of Mountainworld didn�t do much to stop roots that could tunnel through mountains, though in the process, I discovered that Mountainworld had very interesting subterranean life and culture. There were entire parts of the world that resembled parts of the Eastern Continent, where cities and entire nations lived within mountains, and within many mountains, there were massive caverns that contained things from an older era.

Many of these were in territories far from Branchhold, so I�d probably need to cook up a plausible excuse to send my Valthorns to investigate or probably just have them fake it as adventurers.

Yeah. That�d be something to do. I could have an initiative to set up Branchhold - sponsored adventurers and send them in that direction. But I could indirectly stir up a gold rush if that leak came from me, since these guys would suspect I knew something.

Anyway, as a result of my expansion on both my home world and Mountainworld, my total mana output increased by approximately half and my total mana storage by that same amount. This was a massive increase, though most of that increase came from - greenfield - expansion on the mountain world.

This wasn�t enough, obviously, but then again, the demon mother might be weaker.

Time to set it in motion, whatever the consequences may be.

- We�ve been working on this plan for years, - Stella said at the edge of my clone tree on Parasiteworld. She set up multiple observation posts, and a few more of her students, other void mages, joined her. They would monitor the stars for any signs that something was wrong or reinforcements were on their way.

Lumoof, my domain holders, and the heroes stood at the edge of the pit. Lumoof made a repeat of the mission statement. - Down there is the demon mother. Our goal is to capture it or defeat it, and free the core of Parasiteworld. The reason to capture this is simple. We want to test whether it is possible to recapture a world from the demons and gain access to core mana.

- If it�s possible to free the world, it may mean we can have a new population base and more future heroes to rely on. With core mana, Stella and the void mages can start to establish stable astral paths through the void forest and mount a counter - invasion. -

The heroes gulped at the term - counter - invasion. - Getting core mana was the equivalent of having the fuel needed to make the journey. The counter - invasion was a deep - strike meant to target the real command center of the demons.

- Any questions? - Lumoof asked out of habit. It was just a procedure; they had discussed the issue at length over the years.

Everyone shook their heads. The pit had been heavily reinforced over the past year. I had four seeds: one on Branchhold, one on Cometworld, one here in Parasiteworld, and one more in store, still serving its cooldown.

There was four more years to go. They thought of waiting, but then, I didn�t feel like we needed to.

We had made extensive preparations, and they all had a variety of weapons: the ice blades of Aria, the death - staff of Lilies, Stella�s void - weapons, and their own hero - items.

- Check equipment? - Everyone took a minute to recheck their list and nodded.

Lumoof nodded and entered avatar mode. Vines branched out, and around him, the vines turned into a massive walking vine - creature. He looked at the pit and thought of the many times he made a journey into the core.

The pit itself was already filled with vines, and my beetles already patrolled the entire pit. The only area we�d yet to claim was the large cavern around the core.

Lumoof made a prayer, and the heroes nodded.

Time to claim the parasite�s core and free this planet.

YEAR 215 (PART 2)

- The entire pit was captured? - Chung asked as my vines had captured the trees. We�d figured out how to make some bioluminescent plants, which lit up the path and made it easier for us to defend the pits from the demonic assaults.

- Only the core chamber is unclaimed. - Beetles, with adapted legs meant for walking up and down vertical trees, also served as my defenders here.

- Damn. If only Ken could see this. This is hella beautiful if it wasn�t a journey to the death. - Then Chung slapped himself. - Choi! Shouldn�t have said that. -

Prabu smirked. - It shouldn�t be that hard. -

- Initial data suggests it�s slightly weaker than a demon king but still significantly stronger than a champion. Seems to be the leftover husk of a demon king, or at least a part of it was the demon king. -

I could technically teleport them down to the edge of my vines, but I didn�t want to reveal that part of my abilities, so they made the journey riding on Lumoof�s carriage of vines.

As the heroes approached the core, Stella and my sensors began to detect some movement.

- Something�s happening to the astral paths, and I�m detecting some magical pulse from the demon. -

It was a momentary magical surge that quickly subsided. Then the demon repeated it again. And then it got stronger and stronger.

- What�s that? - Stella asked, her eyes glued to the stars above.

- I�ve got no idea. - It felt like a warning beacon. Or an alert beacon, meant to alert the demons that it was under attack. - But it sounds like we may have company. -

There was still nothing in the astral paths. No movement.

Lumoof and the heroes approached the core and found the demon mother coiled up with the core.

- Well, that is our opponent, - Lumoof introduced, and the heroes quickly got ready. The demon mother, at that moment, abruptly shrank its size and hid within the core.

- Uh, where is it going? -

- I think it can see your star mana and is hiding from you, - Edna responded. - It knows that you won�t destroy the core, so it�s using the core as a shield. -

- Oh, I think you can leave this hide - and - seek to me. - Lumoof jumped to the core, and then my roots surged out. My roots and vines spread out, and the demon mother, no larger than a small cow, attacked my vines. It was strong, for sure, but destroying my vines revealed its location.

The demon was indiscriminate and happily attacked the core, but this close, I felt a rough, hazy presence touching on my avatar�s will, calling to us. It was groggy, as if it�d been long asleep or unconscious.

Something pulled it back.

- Follow the colored vines, and it�ll lead to the demon. -

The heroes approached the core. Meanwhile, through Lumoof, my vines flooded the holes of the core and attempted to slow down the demon mother�s movement. It could easily cut through my vines.

After a few minutes of hiding, it soon realized its initial plan to escape or hide within the core wasn�t going to work because the heroes eventually caught up and attacked it.

The demon fought the heroes within the core for a short few minutes and found itself outmatched. The heroes landed a few hits, but frankly, they held back because they didn�t want to damage the core. Yet it was clear that the heroes would win if it remained within the core.

So rather than remain in the core, the demon flared its magic, burned through my vines, then rushed out of the core. I tried my best to delay it, but it still managed to blast through them after a few hits.

- Chase after it! -

That flaring of energy seemed to mark something else as well, as Stella immediately noticed something unusual was happening.

- A/ , something�s coming! I�ll do my best to delay it. I need you to send more void mages over to me right now. - She immediately barked orders as a group of void mages on standby immediately jumped to action, and I sent them through my clone.

The demon rushed up the pits, and I tried my best to block it and covered the pits with thick walls of wood and trees. It heated up like a shining, burning missile and blasted through my attempts to delay it.

The heroes and everyone else gave chase and fired attacks. - Just attack it. Don�t worry if you land a hit on the walls or anything. I can always fix the trees later! -

Each attack weakened the demon mother, but it moved with speed equal to the demon king and dodged most of the heroes and my domain holders attacks.

At that moment, Lumoof immediately asked, - Should I stay in to secure the core or go after it? -

- Go after it. My vines and roots can reach here. Let me deal with it for now. I don�t think I�ll need my full strength here. -

- Got it. - Lumoof immediately darted after the heroes and my three domain holders. My domain holders were slower than the heroes, but Prabu had used a magical acceleration ability to pull them up so that they could keep up.

Chung launched volley after volley of homing magical arrows at the demon mother, and this was when I saw it phase out and vanish momentarily before appearing a short distance ahead.

- Great. Just great. - Chung charged another shot while he flew up the pit after the demon mother.

- There was an invisible demon before this, - Prabu quipped while he charged a star mana�powered homing fireball. At the hero�s level, the fireball resembled an actual neutron star rather than a ball of fire.

The demon mother took a few hits, and then it flared a magical energy.

Up on the surface, Stella immediately deployed a wide array of void - mana equipment and started to channel it. I felt her void mana spread through the skies above; it seemed to be pushing against something.

There was something coming that only she and her void mages could see. - A/ , void mana batteries, I need more! - she yelled, and my vines wrapped around her and her void mages. This linked her to the void batteries back home.

My clones and my roots essentially functioned as cables, linking them to the stored mana batteries back home. I felt huge quantities of void mana travel through our linked bodies.

The skies darkened, and I saw strange explosions in the skies above. Then I saw a flickering astral path. It flickered momentarily, and a burst of light traveled through the path. It vanished just as quickly.

- Ugh. - Stella winced, and I felt her magical energy destabilize. - We�ll have company. I couldn�t stop some of them. -

Stella had been working on interfering with rifts for the longest time, and even then, it wasn�t perfect. Rifts opened in the skies, and then strange black demons emerged from them. I could tell these were mini - demon kings, stronger than champions. They charged at Stella and my void mages.

Guardian Treants and an army of beetles emerged around my clone tree. My artificial minds quickly got to work. - Protect the void mages. It�s trying to undo their interference. -

Horns and my other artificial mind�powered beetles led the defense while I created a wall around my void mages. I couldn�t block them from the sky, as that would prevent them from doing their part of battling the rift.

A few of my higher - leveled Valthorns also joined the fight on the surface. These were my level one hundred twenties to one hundred forties, those who aimed for the domain.

A battle raged on the surface as the defenders destroyed the black - demons.

- Oh dear. Something big is coming, - Stella said as I felt her and all her void mages expend all of their energy. Their battle was one I couldn�t see, but it was something called a - void shield - that attempted to use void mana to shield a world from rifts.

Still, she did her best and pushed. I was very surprised by how much void mana she had within her, even without the void batteries.

Then the skies cracked, like a glass shattered, and I saw that same black blob from before. The glass attempted to return and fix the shattered sky? -

And the demon mother surged out of the pits and bathed in the strange glow of the black blob.

A black droplet fell from the blob.

Stella winced. - Not gonna let that happen. - To me, it looked like a piece of glass sheared through the drop, and a bit of it disintegrated. Yet that very same strike sent a huge jolt of pain through Stella. She bit her lips and then pushed again. - More. -

She pulled more void mana through the roots, and I saw that droplet shear in half in an invisible strike.

Yet that strike knocked her out. The rest of the void mages did their best to hold out without her. - A/ , we need another void archmage here! -

More rifts began to open in the skies above, and this time I could see it.

The demon mother merged with what was left of the black droplet and then transformed. It regained power, and at that moment, the temperature in the world began to increase.

Thankfully, its reign would be short lived. The heroes shot out of the pits, and they didn�t hesitate. They�d fought many demons before, and their heroic battle sense was impeccable.

They unleashed a torrent of attacks at the transformed demon. Roon and Johann also unleashed their own version of hell, mostly with bolts of anti - mana glass and anti - demonic wood.

In a single combined strike, the transformed demon mother cracked, and its outer shell shattered, leaving a large, egg - shaped black droplet that crashed into the ground below.

At this moment, I noticed the rifts all immediately closed, and the crack to that black blob had vanished. The void mages had sealed the rift once it retreated.

The egg - shaped black droplet released a similar, familiar pulse. It attempted to detonate itself.

- Fucking hell, it�s got a bomb, too. - The heroes cursed, but we also predicted this eventuality. It was, after all, a former demon king. It must have had that crystal core.

My vines approached it, and Edna, once again, withdrew our valuable anti - mana glass weapons and stabbed the egg. It wobbled from the strike, and the anti - mana glass did its work.

Unlike the demon king, this egg didn�t pose that much of a challenge. It wasn�t as strong as a full demon king, and that made a world of difference. Lumoof immediately closed in, and in avatar mode, my vines wrapped around the egg.

Lumoof winced slightly as my vines drained it of mana. I then inserted my own mana into it. Through Lumoof, my mana flooded it, but instead of converting it, it began to disintegrate.

The egg somehow stopped its attempts to detonate itself and instead struggled in its dying breath. It pulsed, attempting to fight off whatever nearby, but its weakened attacks barely hurt Lumoof.

We had defeated it, and the egg melted away to reveal a ball - shaped metal shell within. My vines quickly wrapped it and sent it back home for further investigation.

The rifts had closed, and my defenders crushed the remaining demons.

We freed Parasiteworld from the demon mother, and elsewhere, we noticed the tide of demons attacking us began to dwindle.

Down in the core, my vines had wrapped around the core and started to drain it of its demonic energy. It was like an engine covered in old grease and gunk, and it took a while to clear it.

Then the much - needed announcement came. If anything, a title seemed like a worthy prize.

Title Obtained: Liberator of a Fallen World

- Huh. - The heroes were rather amused. - A title. -

As I began to drain more demonic energy out of the core, the core began to glow. It was as if it was restarting after a long time.

- Uh. -

My vines from the entrance of the pits entered the core chamber and grew on the walls of the core. Here, in the depths, gravity was a little wonky.

The will of Parasiteworld began to rouse from a long, long coma. It would take some time before it could communicate; I sensed that its will was fragmented, and there was still a lot of demonic mana residue to clear.

- Is everything all right up there? - Edna asked as she looked up at the still - dark skies. The energies still felt unstable, even if none of the rifts were active.

- Seems normal for now, - the void mages answered. - It�s now quiet in the path. We�re just dealing with waves from the sudden closure of rifts. -

The heroes loosened up after hearing that all clear, and some of them stretched. - So, what now? We�re done? -

- Yes. Let�s get all of you back to safety and let this planet recover slowly. It�ll be some time, I think, - Lumoof answered. - The fact that we got the title is a sign we achieved what we came to do. A/ will need some time to figure out how to access the core mana. -

Chung looked at Lumoof. - Can we be here when that happens? I�d like to see what A/ does to the core. I�m not paranoid or anything, but y�know, letting A/ have the core is a big. uh. responsibility, and I just want to see what�s happening. -

Lumoof nodded. - We�ll keep you informed. -

Prabu ribbed Chung in the elbow, and Chung just said, - Ever heard the phrase trust, but verify�? Letting anyone control a planet�s a big deal, even if it�s an empty one. -

The heroes returned to Treehome and Mountainworld, and my domain holders also withdrew. I watched Parasiteworld�s core carefully, but there were positive signs. The recovery rate of natural mana of the world seemed to start to tick up.