Chapter 127: Chapter 116: An evolving battlefield

I looked down at the city below from within the upper levels of the towering tree I had planted. As it fed on the mana of the ruby fragments, it continued to grow larger and larger.

Despite the plan having been to merely act as a distraction, I now had three kills to my name. Those two I had striped of their magic enhancing robes had become significantly less of a threat once bare. It seemed a lot of their physical durability stemmed from some kind of constantly maintained spell they’d cast on themselves. What’s more, this spell was directly related to earth mana, which made them easy prey for my plants.

All I’d really had to do was lead them around for a while inside the rapidly expanding forest of trees that was growing on this pile of crystalline rubble. They seemed very confident in themselves despite my growing advantage over them.

As I swung from tree to tree, I planted some commands for the trees in the center to grow slower. Because of this, my pursuers quickly got in too deep as they tried to chase me. By the time they realized the predicament they were in, it was already too late. The outer boundaries of the tree-line had already closed. From there, their bodies were no more than feed for my plants.

The one relatively inconsequential surprise I got during this whole thing was when a third thoroughly dazed gnome, still fully dressed in his red garb, managed to thrash his way right out of one of my trees. However, it was plainly obvious that he was struggling. Adding up the course of events, I feel I could assume he was the one who had smashed into the wall and caused this section of it to collapse in the first place.

While I had no way of knowing this for sure, I couldn’t help the feeling his human cannon-ball act had been somehow assisted by Tia.

If that was the case, then that left another unanswered question in regards to whether his apparent slowness was due to a physical injury from Tia or if it was from having his mana drained by the plant he’d just escaped from.

Either way, he was unable to keep up and shared the same fate as the other two. However, for reference sake, this was actually a rather important question. Just how tough were these guys?! If I could figure out which of the two likely causes were responsible for his slowness, it would in turn answer that immensely important question.

Thinking logically though, it probably was a lot more likely it was mana drain that did the most damage. Assuming it was Tia who hit him, her hit had sent him flying. While that might seem like an impressive feat, I had enough personal experience even on Earth to know that being flung through the air was, in fact, actually a very good way to safely dissipate force.

No doubt, the strike would have had to be very hard. However, these guys were also very tough. As such, she would not have been able to do any real damage unless her target was braced against some firm object. Hitting the wall probably did more damage than getting punched by her initially did, but it would have also been dispersed over a wider area and thus would have still been nowhere near as severe as it could have been, not to mention the fact that the wall broke and thus would have acted almost like a sort of cushion, as hard as that cushion may have been.

All things considered, the hit that sent this guy flying likely did a comparable level of damage to what I did by pushing that guy into the path of a falling crystal shard. Mine was less impressive looking, and definitely involved far fewer newtons of force than what I’m presuming was Tia’s stunt, but the force was downward against the firm brace of the ground and the only force-dissipating factor that occurred there was the fact that the crystal broke.

Well, in the end, this really tells me nothing. I never did get to see what happened to my guy after he was hit on the head. This brings me nowhere closer to figuring out the limits of their insane durability. For now, I should operate under the assumption that mana absorption is the only effective tool we have available to kill them.

That got me to thinking. Mana absorption. That demon had said something about needing the key of earth to make things work out here. Key of earth. Key to the void was apparently the name most of these celestial entities called my meditation method. I had obtained it as an active meditation coupled with my taijutsu-themed martial art, which had a heavy theme on subtlety and very light-touch grappling.

There were no heavy moves. There were strikes which where to be delivered like dibris thrown by the wind. They had power, but they did not have attachment. It was to be a strike as though it came from the void.

Everything was themed about void. An absence. A lightness. A lack of what most other people consider to be a part of something as aggressive as a combat style.

Key of earth. Key to the void. Connecting earth to the void?

Could this key of earth be a far more powerful version of what I’m already doing with these plants?

I found that prospect disturbing.

The more I considered it, the more I felt this key of earth would be a truly terrifying weapon should I figure out what it is and how to use it. Even if that were the case though, it did not seem like a good idea to go about experimenting with a risky prospect like that while in the middle of battle. My plants are doing a good enough job as it is.

The entire tree shook. I looked down to the sea of houses made of whitened river mud, strengthened with wooden beams. The tops of every house were now covered in green grass, just like the streets below. And amid all that green and white, the red-cloaked figures running about stood out very well.

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I counted five, and they were all coming at me now. There were the three I just killed, and the three remaining in the towers. Or rather, two at this point since that zu Tia had introduced to me as Tadalin had attacked one of the crystal towers.

If I were to assume this group is moving in a team of twelve, as is typical for these demons, then there is presently one unaccounted for. Two if I assume one of the guys down there is the same gnome who retreated when Tadalin attacked.

Well. I guess that means I have to make a decision. Launching myself into the air in order to keep up my little cat-and-mouse game is certainly an option. However, this tree that has grown to such a size is now quite likely our best chance to deal the finishing blow to these tough little bastards. I can believe them having the strength to damage it, but if I remain to support it then there’s no way they could destroy this thing completely. In fact, I can even use it as a weapon against them.

The tree shakes again as the little red-robed gnomes attempt to bring it down once again. I flood the tangled trees with my mana, and several root-like wooden extensions lash out, trying to capture the offenders. However, they leap about like flees and beat a hasty retreat.

Great. That is certainly one disadvantage of this situation. I now have the perfect defensive battle station, but it is fairly immobile. While I was capable of making wooden structures get up and walk, I did not feel that was an option this time. After all, most of the reason this tree had gotten as big and powerful as it did was it’s food source. I may be quite vulnerable if I move this thing away from the wall.

What a situation. If I sit idle too long, it might give them time to think of counter-measures. I’ve already seen them moving through the solid red stone of the wall. It’s only a matter of time before they start climbing up here with the assistance of that wall.

I watched to keep track of all the little people dressed, gleaming I the tall grass like berries. It would not do to lose track of even one of them. The moment I turn away, I feel one of them will already be half way up the crystal wall ready to ambush me.

This was when I saw three small figures dressed in a color other than red moving in this direction. I looked up as my body shook in fear, wondering what would ever possess one of the city’s locals to walk right into this battleground. That’s when I noticed, those were not locals at all.

“Tia!” I said my sister’s name almost like it was a curse.

No. It only figures she would make her way in this direction. There’s no way they’d want to just sit out of something like this. But at the same time… the boys are seriously our one real weak point in this scenario, and they were marching straight into danger.

There’s no time to get absorbed in this. I have to find some way to give them a message about how to handle these guys. Tia actually has the strength to bash these guys around. Maybe she can start tossing them toward my trees.

Leaving this vantage was not an option though. That just left one other method. It was a gruesome method to be sure, but it also had the benefit of being easily misinterpreted by the enemy as an intimidation tactic.

I focused my spirit energy through the merged trees, focusing on the three engulfed bodies now deep within the twisted together trunks. At my command, their now mummified forms were pushed through to the outside and suspended on vines.

A short time after the desiccated bodies were moved outside of the tree, all three of them started to move, drawing my attention in horror. Thoughts of zombies and undead flickered through my mind for a moment, but drawing from past experience from this very battle quickly lead me to an even more shocking conclusion.

They’re still alive! Those three are actually still alive! What… the hell… does it take to kill these tough little bastards!! They are almost as bad as fleas in terms of their durability!

Realizing exactly how dangerous this situation is, I immediately tighten the vines, holding them all firmly to the trunk of the tree as I half bury their arms and legs in the wood.

Damn it! Well, at the very least, having their earth mana drained seems to weaken them significantly. If we can’t actually find a way to kill them, sealing them inside a tree is always an option.

The plan is the same. I just hope Tia and the others get my message and start trying to throw a few more this way.

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