Concealed within dark and heavy mist wafting in the air, red orbs glowed with high intensity, eyes which could carve deep fear with a single glance. It gleamed and it shone, getting redder and redder by the moment. Redness like blood spilled in a fierce battlefield.

The ground rumbled and the leaves rustled, the feeling of ominousness growing bigger and stronger like waves in the ocean during a raging storm, merciless, cruel, domineering, and terrorizing. Those who gazed at it would feel like they are dragged deep into the abyss.

GROOAARRRRRR KHIIEEEKKKK

A loud roar and sharp shriek resounded soon after as two familiar figures rose from the dead, its fangs, claws, and talons sharper than ever and their bodies clad in corruption, exuding the feeling of doom to those nearby.

Kris who was stronger than them before was now completely overwhelmed. He couldn't fathom how powerful the enemies had become and his body started to tremble before he even noticed it. His instincts were screaming danger at him.

Kris wasn't wrong and he wasn't the only one surprised either. Everyone present was in a state of shock as they witnessed such a scene before them. Especially Grey, he was the one who knew the most what was happening.

'Impossible...' ［Grey］

The beings before them were no longer what they used to be. They are now demonic beasts who have been tainted by corruption. It was the first time Grey was witnessing a beast turning into a demonic one. A marvelous yet terrifying sight.

Grey could only think of one reason why such a transformation occurred. It was because of their consumption of the corruption the tree was absorbing and processing. His theory was on point.

Thanks to the corruption cladding and enhancing their bodies, the beasts which were just at the lower ranks of A-rank were now at S-rank! Other than Grey, Yuna, and Sirius, all it would take is a single hit for the others to get their lives in danger.

"Mister Kris, Miss Aria, please head away right now. Things could get dangerous at any moment!" ［Grey］

"Ughh... Dammit..." ［Kris］

"Grey, Yuna, please take care of yourselves." ［Aria］

"Un! We'll make sure to do so!" ［Yuna］

Hesitation deep in their hearts, Kris and Aria fell back outside the barrier where the guards and the others were. Instinctively, their familiars also fell back and guarded the entrance with their bodies, leaving the Tree of Life to the others.

While all of them wanted to help out, with the way they are, they would only be a liability for those who are going to fight. Whilst the beasts were still transforming, the roles of Dianthus and the others were left to Grey and Yuna's familiars.

One might think that it would be more efficient to take care of the beasts while they are still transforming, and that is correct. The problem is the corruption surrounding the beasts, if one gets caught up in it, they might get swallowed. It was best to defeat them after they finished transforming.

"Polaris! Come forth!" ［Grey］

"As you command!" ［Polaris］

A resonant voice dominated the area loud and clear. Soon after, a massive figure came out of nowhere accompanied with a booming roar, its eyes gleaming brightly like amethyst under the moonlight. A deep and beautiful color.

Despite being hundreds of kilometers away, at Eliza's side, all it took was a single call and he was there. A magnificent figure whose strength was on par with its master. Grey and Yuna's strongest familiar has arrived. Polaris is here!

"Polaris, where is Liz currently at?" ［Grey］

"He's currently at the mansion, Master." ［Polaris］

"I see. That's great because we really need your help right now..." ［Grey］

At Grey's words, Polaris' eyes wandered in the surrounding, stopping only at the sight of the jet black mass gathering nearby. His sharp and intense glare pierced the said mass as he determined who the enemies were.

GROOAARRRRRR KHIIEEEKKKK

Another pair of roar and shriek echoed in the air as the black mist dissipated aggressively, revealing the newly transformed beasts whose eyes were starving for death and destruction. A pair of terrifying monsters are born.

Much bigger, much stronger, and much much fiercer than before. What made it worse was that even when they had transformed into demonic beasts, the wounds and injuries they received weren't patched up. They were like beast zombies with some of their organs showing.

Crack Crack Rumble

The ground shook and cracks appeared at the terrain as the Citraka disappeared from sight. What came out of the cracks were thorny, withered vines void of vitality, moving as if they have their own lives. The battle has started.

Following the Citraka, the Molterow flapped its wings and took to the skies, lifting tons upon tons of soil and rocks with it. It was like a wave of earthen materials were rising to the air forming a large tsunami, one much more dangerous and powerful than those made with mere water.

But the tsunami didn't come. The ground continued to rise in the air with time, and soon enough, countless masses of earth could be seen floating in the air, bigger than boulders like small floating islands in the sky.

Shatter

The sound of breaking glass rang in everyone's ears as the barrier Arcturus erected was broken. No matter how powerful he was, it stood no match to a demonic beasts standing in the S-ranks,

Khiieeeekkkkk

The Molterow shrieked and the masses of earth started turning, going faster and faster with the passing of time, taking the forms of large spears, their tips as sharp as blades. A fraction of a second later, a disastrous onslaught came raining down like a violent downpour.

"Haap!" ［Grey］

Grey didn't just let the Molterow do whatever it wanted. With a stomp of his feet, a massive wall grew out of the ground shaking the earth and making the air tremble. Before anybody could realize what was happening, there was already a hundred-meter high wall out of nowhere.

Loud crashes came one after another as the earthen spears struck the wall. Each strike packing enough power to demolish large establishments, yet with such power, the wall didn't budge a single inch nor did it even shake.

The relentless storm of heavy rocks continued but the wall stood its ground. The larger attacks left a few cracks and dents, but in just a blink of an eye, those damages were quickly repaired with the use of magic.

"Begone, you insolent fool!" ［Polaris］

Accompanying a loud roar, Polaris' signature breath attack filled the sky with colors. Unfortunately, the masses of earth made a wall just in time. The wall was quickly destroyed, but it served enough time for the Molterow to escape.

Clang Clang Clang

As Polaris engaged in an aerial battle, another battle took place at absurd speeds. It was one between Yuna and the Citraka. It was a battle so fierce and fast, only afterimages could be seen as they clashed with one another again and again.

Every single time they approached one another, dozens of clashes took place before they separated with one another, only to exchange blows once again once they were at each other's range, sending forth bursts of violent winds every single time.

If it weren't for the thorny vines whipping and lashing at every chance they had, the fight would have been much easier for her. It was a bother since she had to cut them down every time she clashed with the demonic beast.

⟨⟨Winter Gospel!⟩⟩ ［Yuna］

Hundreds of vines lunged towards Yuna, but before they had the chance to touch her, they were instantly frozen, trapped in deep blue ice. They soon shattered like glass, leaving only fragments of what they were behind.

Crack Whip

Whilst Yuna dealt with the wave of vines rushing at her, the ground below her split all of a sudden. After which, hundreds of vines came out of the said cracks and surrounded Yuna like a sophisticated trap, creating a cage of vines around her.

But Yuna's reflexes were just as fast as the vines. After she casted her spell, she quickly brandished her daggers in a relentless fury. With every slash she made, dozens of vines were felled and sharp blades of mana flew out here and there.

"Agh!" ［Yuna］

Unfortunately for her, a single vine managed to bypass her heavy defenses. It was silent unlike the others, sprouting directly below her. The moment it revealed itself, it quickly got a tight grasp on her right leg, wrapping around her boots like a snake and grazing her skin with its sharp thorns.

For a quick second, Yuna was rooted to the ground. It was only a short second, but it was enough time for the Citraka to land a strike at her. Without wasting time, it fiercely pounced at her like a starving predator.

BOOOMMM

Not even a second after it pounced, a powerful fist connected on the Citraka's face, blasting it hundreds of meters away from its previous position and making it roll and rumble over and over again before crashing on a large boulder.

"Yuna, you alright?" ［Grey］

"Un... It just stings a little..." ［Yuna］

Replied Yuna with a slightly pained expression on her face. The wound was not too deep, but it left a long red streak on her leg. It was the type of wound which would really sting if rubbing alcohol were to be poured to it.

"Haah... You really ought to be more careful. There seems to be some poison, too. Stay still for a little bit." ［Grey］

"Un... Sorry..." ［Yuna］

"Just be careful next time, alright? ⟨⟨Cure!⟩⟩ ⟨⟨High Heal!⟩⟩" ［Grey］

Well, even in the middle of such an intense battle, Grey and Yuna still managed to be calm as if they were just playing a game. Even when vines relentlessly attacked them, they simply deflected and cut them with simple movements.

In the first place, Grey and Yuna could easily eradicate the opponents if they wanted to. The only problem was the Tree of Life. Because of it, they cannot go all out since it might get caught up in their attacks. If it wasn't for it, the battle would have already finished long ago.

After the light from Grey's spells dissipated, the red lash was nowhere to be seen and the little traces of poison present were instantly removed from Yuna's body. In just a matter of seconds, Yuna was back to her peak condition.

While the poison was powerful enough to kill those below C-rank in a matter of seconds, thanks to Yuna's high resistance as an S-ranker and the ability of the "Divine Amulet" to double said resistance, it wasn't much of a threat. The poison didn't even penetrate too much in the first place.

"Does it still hurt?" ［Grey］

"No, not anymore. Thank you." ［Yuna］

Grrooaaarrrr

The Citraka tried to pounce at Yuna again, but it didn't even have the chance to jump, it was suddenly frozen in thin air, chains and binds attached on its body as if it was a leashed animal without any freedom to move.

Some of the chains were pitch black, some were shining golden, while the others were transparent like glass. They were binds made by the usage of curse, holy, and barrier magic, obviously done by their familiars.

While it was true that the Citraka was stronger, with the curses attached on Canopus' pitch black chains, both its defenses and strength became weaker. Combined with Sirius' high-level illusion magic to confuse and restrain it, it was easily pinned down without much effort.

"Thanks for the help, everyone." ［Grey］

"No problem, Master, Mistress!" ［Canopus］

Now that the Citraka was trapped with the familiars' magic combination, its fate was now in the hands of the ones before it. Its crimson eyes were trembling with rage and hunger as it roared aggressively without any rest, struggling to break free from the binds that restrained it.

Of course, its punishment was already determined. For beasts who dared to attack and harm the innocent, especially those whom Grey and Yuna treasures, there was only one fate which awaited them.

"This is the end... ⟨⟨Phantom Caliber⟩⟩!" ［Grey］

Fast as lightning, Grey's punch connected to the Citraka's bleeding body. Unlike the first strike, the punch didn't blast the beast away. Instead, intense magnitudes of shock reverberated inside its already damaged body, destroying it from the inside.

With its whole body binded, the beasts couldn't even let out its final cry. Blood gushed out of its mouth as its white turned white. The dark flames of life which it was given the second time started to flicker until such that it was finally extinguished.

As the familiars released the binds, the Citraka helplessly fell to the ground without much resistance, producing a loud thud which echoed silently. With it, one of the two beasts was down, there was only one left to crush.

"This is the end!" ［Polaris］

Bold colors of red, orange, and yellow filled the sky as Polaris opened his mouth. A flashing beam came blasting those which flew in the sky, scorching what was to be scorched and destroying those which could be destroyed.

The Molterow received the full brunt of Polaris' attack, its feathers burnt fiercely and skin charred black. A few moments later, it came crashing down from the sky towards the cold, thorn-filled ground. Only Polaris remained flying, dominating over the skies as if he was its king.

"Good job, Polaris!" ［Yuna］

"It was my pleasure, Mistress." ［Polaris］

With it, that makes two out of two. The Molterow crashed perfectly on top of the fallen Citraka. The beast was not yet dead, but wounds and injuries it received from Polairs, it won't take long before it eventually does.

"Then, to finish it offー" ［Grey］

Grey raised his hands to deliver yet another punch, but froze quickly after. It wasn't just him, Yuna, the familiars, and the others also felt a dangerous surge of mana coming from the two beasts. A mana spike unlike any other.

Its eyes piercing at the ones before it, the Molterow's body started to glow a dim and ominous light. After it, the Citraka's body started glowing the same ominous light, too. Everyone who saw such a scene only felt a bad premonition, one in which the sense of doom and death was stronger than anything else.

A violent and unprecedented storm of mana brewed within the surrounding, drawing in both pure mana and corruption like a voracious vortex with insatiable hunger. The storm grew bigger and bigger at rates none had ever seen before.

The storm continued and the black mist from before returned, feeding the storm with more power and more destructive force. Everything happened in just the span of a couple seconds and no one could do anything about it.

"Sh*t!" ［Kris］

"Polaris!" ［Grey］

"Everyone, take cover!!" ［Yuna］

As fast as their reflexes allowed them to, everyone worked in tandem. By Grey's command, Polaris used law-attribute magic to slow down time for the demonic beasts' self destruction. He couldn't stop time, but his efforts were enough.

Whilst the storm slowed down, Grey, Yuna, and Kris altogether utilized earth magic, erecting massive walls one after another. The ground rumbled loudly and three high and domineering walls appeared before everyone's eyes.

⟨⟨ ⟨⟨ ⟨⟨Barrier!⟩⟩ ⟩⟩ ⟩⟩

It didn't just stop there. After the walls, Grey and Yuna, along with Arturus, created the best barriers they could conjure, leaving an opening on top to redirect the resulting explosion upwards, reducing the burden on the surroundings.

BOOOOMMMMMM

A few seconds later, the storm of mana and corruption collapsed on itself. Soon after, a massive explosion akin to that of nuclear warheads came into life, rupturing the sound barrier many times over.

Just a split second before explosion burst forth, Grey quickly unsummoned the familiars. Even with how powerful they are, there was now way they could survive such a blast. Even Grey and Yuna wouldn't come out unscathed.

The surroundings roared loudly as if it was shrieking in pain, the sky painted with red and black as everything nearby was razed to ashes. It didn't matter what they were made of. In front of absolute power, everything is doomed for destruction.

The scene continued and the explosion roared louder and louder. As the crimson and jet black flames clouded the sky, one could see the end of the world before them. It was only then that Grey realized something which had completely slipped his mind.

Unlike the people and the familiars, the Tree of Life was completely defenseless. It has only been a couple seconds since the explosion took place, but with the power it packed, it would undoubtedly be in danger.

⟨⟨Barrier!⟩⟩ ⟨⟨Barrier!⟩⟩ ⟨⟨Barrier!⟩⟩ ⟨⟨Barrier!⟩⟩ ［Grey］

One after another, Grey casted the best barriers he could, draining his mana over and over again, only to be refilled with his "Mana Bank". An astronomical amount of mana flowed inside his body in such a short amount of time that he felt like he was going to burst. It was as if he was being seared on molten metal.

If it wasn't for the "Divine Amulet" which resisted such pain, Grey would have found it harder to endure such pain. It was only for a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity. Such excruciating pain burdened not only his body but also his mind.

Soon, the explosion died down, only leaving behind sparks and ashes as traces of its existence. While the village was fine, the same couldn't be said for the vicinity around the Tree of Life. It was completely ruined.

The ground molten completely into lava, no plants nor insects to be seen, and the tree itself was almost burnt to ashes. All leaves have been scorched, the smaller trunks were no more, and the trunk was charred black. A desolate wasteland.

⟨⟨Rain⟩⟩ ［Grey］

The wind blew silently and dark clouds formed in the sky. Soon after, a drop of water fell to the ground, more and more following it. White steam rose from the ground as the downpour continued.

Soon, the rain ended and the ground cooled down. But no matter what Grey did, the wasteland still remained a wasteland. The only difference was that the ground was now muddy instead of molten.

"Dear God..." ［Falroe］

As soon as the barriers and the walls were dispersed, Falroe walked inside the premises, his face full of despair and disbelief as he helplessly knelt on the muddy ground, his eyes fixed at what was left of the Tree of Life.

"What are we going to do now?"

"Will we still be alright?"

"No... Impossible..."

After their Chief, the villagers entered the vicinity one after another, all of them looking at the object. The Tree of Life which was the very heart of the village was now in tatters. Be it anxiety, despair, terror, worry, or disbelief. A lot of negative emotions swirled madly in their hearts.

In Grey's eyes, the status of the tree was no longer "Healthy" nor "Heavily Damaged", there was only "Critical". The tree could die at any moment. A loss which would be devastating for the village and the villagers.

Inside Grey's mind, there was a certain thought which revolved ever since he saw the tree. If his suspicions are right, the tree could still be saved, but he doesn't want to give the people false hope. There was only one way to find out.

"Mister Falroe, I have a solution in mind, but... I'm not sure it'll work. Still, if you trust me... I want to give it a try." ［Grey］

Falroe didn't utter any words. Seeing Grey's determined eyes, he could only nod in silence, prompting the latter to proceed with his plan. It was a reckless one, but it was the only thing he could think of.

Ever since he saw the words "Essence of Creation", a strange feeling was invoked in his heart. He wasn't sure if it was related to his "Divine Blood of Creation", but it doesn't hurt to try. It was their last hope.

"Grey?!" ［Yuna］

"Don't worry, I'm alright." ［Grey］

Grabbing a knife from his "Inventory", Grey quickly wounded his own palm. Blood gushed out of the wound and soon, scarlet drops like rubies illuminated by the sun dropped on tree's roots. Although it stung a little, Grey bore with the pain.

Time passed and more blood dropped to the ground, yet there was only deafening silence to be heard. The anxiety only grew as the people witnessed no change. They sunk further and further into despair.

'Is it impossible, after allー!!!" ［Grey］

RUMBLLEEE

A violent quake shook the ground all of the sudden, greatly shocking everyone present. But what was more shocking was that the Tree of Life started glowing out of the blue as if hundreds of fireflies brooded over it.

The light grew brighter, yet at the same time, it became gentler and warmer. As the light grew, the charred trunk and branches slowly regained its vitality. The leaves grew sporadically and the roots lashed out as they dug deep into the ground. As time passed, the Tree of Life only grew bigger and prettier.

It wasn't only the tree. The barren and desolate wasteland around it soon started to shine as grass took over. After the verdant grasses, flowers of all kinds and colors soon followed, turning the dead wasteland into a mystical paradise.

As the scene unfolded before them, everyone present couldn't help but open their mouths in awe and agape. The scene was so mesmerizing that they were all left frozen and speechless.

    『Greetings... Oh, Holy One...』

Grey flinched at the sudden voice echoing inside his mind. It was loud yet strangely calming. A voice very unfamiliar yet doesn't spark any caution. Grey could only open his eyes in surprise as he looked at the one before him.

CHAPTER 148 END