Ventmin’s calm eyes fixed upon Ludger’s group.
Her tightly sealed lips alone showed that her attitude toward this fight had completely changed.
“Be careful.”
Vierno spoke in a tone far more tense than usual.
“If Ventmin Lifret comes at us seriously, the situation could get much worse.”
“Why?”
The one who answered Lutus’s question was Ambella.
“Because she is the head of House Lifret.”
Elves born of noble bloodlines are innately stronger than others.
Which means their very position is itself a measure of their strength.
Though irregular exceptions exist, that is the common view in elven society.
The head of House Lifret.
And Ventmin Lifret, who had held that place for five hundred years.
There was no way she could be considered weak.
“Ventmin Lifret is the most exceptional druid of all. That’s why her compatibility with the World Tree was the highest—second only to Ella Plante.”
And yet even Ventmin had once been intoxicated by the World Tree’s power and wielded it recklessly.
But now that the World Tree’s output had lessened, it had become an opportunity for her.
No longer overpowered by it, she could control it fully.
In terms of raw output, it was roughly halved.
But in precision, refinement, and speed of application, it had grown more than fivefold.
“That makes her even more troublesome.”
Ludger realized the source of the unease gnawing at him.
His instincts were warning him—
The Ventmin Lifret standing before them now was far more dangerous.
“Have you all said your last words?”
Ventmin asked in a detached tone, her gaze sweeping over them.
“It will be meaningless anyway. None of you will leave this place alive.”
“We’ll see about that.”
Sedina answered without yielding.
Ventmin looked at Sedina, then slowly began to stir her power.
Gurgle... gurgle...
Through the roots sunk deep into the earth by her lower body, something was rising.
The power of nature.
The energy of life.
And even a portion of the World Tree’s strength.
Greedily devouring it all as if it were nourishment, Ventmin did not recklessly spill it out as before.
Instead, she refined and arranged it, releasing it in the way she knew best.
Like golden threads unraveling and scattering on the wind, shimmering energy flowed from her hands and spread outward, permeating the surroundings.
At the same time, all could smell it.
A sweet fragrance entering their noses.
So sweet, so fragrant, it felt as though it would melt even the brain.
The one to react was Vierno.
“Don’t breathe it in! It’ll cause delirium!”
Vierno called upon a wind spirit to push the scent away and erected a delicate barrier to keep it from penetrating within.
Even though her first attack had been thwarted, Ventmin showed no disappointment.
For this was merely a prelude to what she was about to display.
“Bloom, my children.”
Ventmin spoke with a soft voice.
Not with the venom she usually showed, but with the gentle affection of a mother tending to her children.
One flower.
Then another.
Sprouts rose around her, stems grew tall, and at their tips, buds swelled.
The flowers bloomed.
Radiating all the colors of nature’s beauty.
A garden blossomed into full bloom.
As a breeze passed, pollen spilled between the petals and filled the air in a hazy cloud.
The golden mist spread softly like dawn’s fog.
And Ventmin herself transformed.
From her wooden statue-like body, massive flowers sprouted, and upon her head rested a helm woven of pink petals.
Some of the petals spread across her body like armor.
A sight of beauty like a painting.
So enchanting that even the most barren heart would be captivated at first glance.
But those present knew well—
only death lurked within that beauty.
Wooden zombies stood tall within the floral garden.
Unlike before, their numbers were few.
But their movements—smoother than ever.
With fewer of them, each one had become sharper, more precise.
“Take up your weapons, my warriors.”
At Ventmin’s command, the wood zombies stretched their hands forward.
Then the flowers of the garden grew long, entangled, and transformed into weapons that filled their hands.
Spears tipped with sharp blossoms.
Whips covered in rose thorns.
Shields tightly woven from sturdy clover.
Each zombie gripped its new weapon and formed ranks around Ventmin.
Ventmin raised her hand and pointed a finger toward Sedina.
“By command of your queen, strike down those who defy me.”
The wood zombies obeyed and moved.
“...Fast!”
In an instant, one zombie vanished like a mirage and appeared at their side, swinging its weapon.
Even Vierno was taken aback at missing its movement, if only for a moment.
But there was no time to dwell on surprise—he met the whip wrapped in spirit power with his own fist.
Whish!
The rose-thorn whip coiled around his forearm.
Vierno tensed his muscles to keep the thorns from sinking into his skin.
Zombie and elf locked in a struggle, whip taut between them.
Alex rushed forward to help Vierno.
He swung his sword to sever the whip binding them—
But before the blade could land, a zombie blocked him.
“...You...”
Alex’s eyes widened at the sight.
It was Bereborn, reborn as a wooden zombie.
“...Killing the same opponent twice leaves a bitter taste.”
Bereborn gave no answer, only swung his sword.
Alex had no choice but to retreat.
“Fighting with a blade even in death, all for love? A corpse exploited by another, and one who accepts that without hesitation... What a terrifying world.”
Alex’s eyes calmed.
Facing the same opponent again, his chances of victory should be higher.
But that was only true if Bereborn’s arms were the same as before.
Clack.
Bereborn leveled his sword at Alex.
Its crossguard was made of petals, which rippled as if alive.
In the next instant, the blade erupted with golden flame.
“...Ha.”
Alex let out a laugh, more sigh than mirth.
His artifact was gone, and yet his foe had been equipped with something even greater.
“Couldn’t we fight fair, with ordinary weapons?”
His answer was the sunlit blaze of a sword.
“Yeah. Thought so.”
The golden energy trailing along its path radiated heat, searing Alex’s skin.
“Hot! You’ll pay if you ruin my skin like this!”
Half-joking, Alex drew out his ashen aura and spun it along the tip of his sword.
Meanwhile, Ambella and Lutus were each forced to clash with their own wooden zombie attackers.
“Bellaruna.”
Watching the chaos, Ludger called out to Bellaruna.
She pressed her hand to the ground, sweat dripping from her.
“N-no! The control is too strong—I can’t even interfere!”
“Tch. As expected, she’s become more troublesome.”
Spatial movement was effectively impossible.
Perhaps because Ventmin had already seen it once and grasped its weakness, she had flooded the field with pollen, sealing off any space ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) Ludger could use.
If he tried to teleport recklessly, his coordinates would overlap and he would materialize surrounded by choking pollen.
[Leave the path to me.]
Hans coughed harshly as mana wrapped around his whole body and he charged forward.
Attacking with mana from a distance would be no different than watering plants.
The only thing Hans could do now was pure physical assault, using the massive beast-body of the Mutant.
It wasn’t something he would normally attempt, but circumstances left no choice.
Coward though he was, he still knew when he had to step forward.
[I’ve grown a lot too!]
Hans charged across the flower field.
Each massive hoof crushed blossoms underfoot, pollen bursting in thick clouds as stems tried to snare his legs.
But such feeble restraints could not halt his charge.
With golden horns lowered, Hans aimed his sharp tip at Ventmin.
“A mere human mimicking a spirit beast dares?”
Ventmin caught Hans’s horns in her monstrous hands.
When the two colossal bodies collided, a storm blast surged outward.
The flower garden rippled and swelled like waves on a stormy sea.
It was a desperate charge, but Ventmin, whose roots were sunk deep into the ground, did not budge an inch.
Clutching Hans’s golden horns in her grip, she tried to twist his body sideways and topple him.
Seizing that opening, the shadow-wreathed steel bird, Steel Raven, came diving in.
Kyaaaak!
With a piercing shriek, its talons slashed toward Ventmin’s face.
Ventmin was forced to release Hans’s horns in order to block the Steel Raven.
Hans kicked off the air and leapt upward, aiming to accelerate for another charge.
But Ventmin did not allow it.
“Annoying pests.”
At her command, enormous flowers bloomed behind her back.
Those blossoms turned toward the hovering Steel Raven and Hans, then spewed seeds like a machine gun.
[Blossom Shooter]
Tutututututut!
Hans flinched and pulled back at the storm of seeds.
Steel Raven, unable to dodge in time, was struck by several.
Kyaaaak!
The bird let out a scream.
From the wings pierced by seeds, vines sprouted and bound one wing completely.
It was sheer fortune that Steel Raven was not a living creature.
Otherwise, the seeds would have drained its bodily fluids and grown even larger.
In response, Steel Raven scattered several built-in artifacts from its body.
BOOM!
Explosions of multicolored flames incinerated the vines clinging to its skin in an instant.
But the storm of seeds continued, forcing Hans and Steel Raven to devote themselves entirely to evasion.
“The skies are dealt with.”
Ventmin’s eyes now fell upon Ludger.
She fixed her gaze on him, face stern, and solemnly declared:
“Die and become nourishment.”
Two massive stalks erupted from the ground at her sides.
Thick green vines twisted together like ropes, sprouting golden blossoms at their tips.
Those blossoms swiveled toward Ludger, brimming with radiant energy.
[Gran Reina Sol]
Twin beams of solar energy fired toward Ludger and Sedina.
Wherever they grazed, the flower field burst into flames.
Burned flowers collapsed into black ash, only for new ones to sprout in their place.
Ludger spread a magic formation, deploying a defensive magic circle.
The colliding forces erupted in a violent explosion.
He managed to block it, but his brow furrowed.
The blossoms were already gathering solar energy once more.
Such immense firepower, and the recharge time was almost nonexistent.
Ventmin readied to unleash another blast when suddenly her eyes darted upward—
And from the sky, fire bombardments came raining down.
“This is...”
Ludger tilted his head back at the unexpected strike.
Beyond the canopy of the World Tree’s branches—
A massive hole opened in the sky, and through it descended an airship, its cannons trained upon them.
[Ah... This is the Captain. Do you hear me? We came to help.]
“It’s still far earlier than the appointed time...”
But there was no reason they couldn’t come.
From high above, even they could see the chaos raging below.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
The airship’s cannons thundered.
A Zeppelin-class warship, built for military combat, was naturally equipped with an array of heavy armaments.
Its firepower, enough to annihilate an army, was unleashed upon the colossal Ventmin.
“You wretches dare to hinder me without end.”
Even Ventmin, unshaken until now, frowned with irritation.
Explosive shells detonated around her, bursting into crimson flames, but she bore not a single serious wound.
Her body fused with the World Tree, armored in layered petals, was too resilient.
“Damn it, what the hell is that?!”
From the airship, Robert swore aloud at the sight.
That monster was clearly composed of plants—yet even within the flames it glared back at them.
“Captain! What do we do?!”
“Keep attacking for now—wait, evasive maneuvers!”
At Robert’s order, the first officer jerked the helm without hesitation.
The ship lurched to the side just as a golden stalk pierced clean through its flank.
“W-what was that just now?! Ground counterfire?!”
“An arrow!”
“An arrow?! Are you kidding me—can elves even do that?!”
“Forget it! Status report?!”
“Left engine’s hit! We’ve lost thirty percent mobility! We can barely keep her aloft—but the armory’s intact!”
“Then dump every last incendiary round we’ve got!”
As the cannons reloaded, Robert spotted a flickering signal from the ground.
“Morse code?”
It was Ludger, flashing with light magic.
The message was clear:
—Drop the bombardment on me.
“On him? Did he just tell us to fire on himself?”
Was he insane?
In a battle where every second counted, to waste precious shells not on the monster but on himself?
“Captain! Your command!”
“To hell with it! Do as he says!”
The cannons swiveled, aiming away from Ventmin and toward Ludger.
Sedina and Bellaruna panicked at the sight.
“Teacher?! Wh-what are you doing?!”
“You’ll see soon enough.”
BOOM BOOM!
The cannons roared, dropping firepower upon Ludger’s position.
He waited, then summoned mana to cast his spell.
A derivative of wind magic—soundwave magic.
The shockwaves of intense sound struck the falling bombs, detonating them in midair.
A rain of fire poured down upon him.
Blazing liquid mixed with incendiaries cascaded from the sky.
Ludger lifted his head, eyes unflinching.
He had never planned to block it.
Because this was what he wanted.
Almost simultaneously, he drew a crimson gem from his pocket.
The jewel lit up, pulling the descending firestorm into its vortex.
Flames that blanketed the sky were sucked into a single gem.
Even seeing it, none could believe it.
Sedina and Bellaruna stared in speechless shock.
Fwoooosh!
The heat could not be denied—the flames ignited Ludger’s own hand.
Skin burned under searing agony, but Ludger did not lower it.
“How much longer will you cower like a coward? Haven’t you had enough to wake up by now?!”
Wooooooom!
The gem, filled with fire, vibrated violently.
Ludger hurled it toward Ventmin, shouting:
“If you’ve eaten your fill, then rise and fight!”
The gem shattered in midair.
All the fire it had consumed burst forth.
The breath of a phantom dragon.
The scorching heat of the sun piercing the forest.
The explosive flame of modern science.
All became a crimson cloud boiling into existence.
From within, two massive arms thrust out, followed by the body of a giant.
Uwoooooooooh!
The Fire Giant roared once more, reborn, its cry shaking the heavens.