Treants were very rare. Ever since the region's Elven Empire had collapsed, this species had vanished, making their presence in the Chaos Forest previously unlikely, or else the neighboring imperial powers would have noticed.
Jason hadn't expected such misfortune. Not only did he encounter treants, but they were also high-level treants, generally around the sixth tier in strength. Such treants had a broad sensory range, making it certain that they would detect the plague rats he had released.
No matter, he thought. He needed to deal with them first.
"Foolish to think you could stop me!" Jason's gaze darkened as he coldly shouted, "Decaying Aura!"
Instantly, an invisible energy burst forth from him. The flora at his feet and the trees nearby were immediately engulfed by this force, decaying and turning to dust at a speed barely perceptible to the naked eye. As the treants' roots attacked, nearing Jason, they too withered and shattered. Soon after, the bodies of several treants began to decay; their once vibrant leaves turned yellow in the blink of an eye, and they perished right there.
The disparity in strength was indeed significant. Although these treants were all Level 6 beings, the difference between a Level 6 lord, a Level 6 monarch, and a Level 6 mythic being like Jason was almost like comparing different weight classes entirely.
Jason had cast several spells in quick succession and had easily dealt with the nearby treants. Realizing it was unwise to stay longer, he planned to leave immediately after dispatching these treants. However, just at that moment, Jason sensed a ripple in the space around him.
In the next instant, a flash of light appeared, and several figures materialized before him. Leading them was an exceedingly beautiful silver-haired elf, who appeared young yet exuded a powerful aura of authority. Accompanying the silver-haired elf girl, who wielded a long staff, was a golden-haired elf woman holding a longbow. They were Nancilia and Marilyn, the two Elven Kings from Giantree City.
Having received a warning from the Ent King, Grootroot, Nancilia had immediately used a teleportation spell to arrive here with Marilyn.
"Cursed Fallen Druid!" Nancilia recognized Jason's presence immediately: a defiler against the Goddess of Nature!
Although Fallen Druids also utilized life-based magic, their spells were often perverted, aimed at spreading plagues and disasters---making them the most despised traitors among the elves.
What infuriated Nancilia even more was that this despicable Fallen Druid had dared to unleash a plague in the Chaos Forest. She glanced at the withered land and vegetation around her and raised her Elf Queen's scepter towards him, declaring, "We will not let you corrupt this forest any further!"
Marilyn had already raised her longbow and said, "This guy is probably sent by the empire to wreak havoc. No need to waste your words! Just take him down and bring him before His Majesty!"
The two Elven Kings of Giantree City, Nancilia and Marilyn, had significantly boosted their powers. Nancilia had recently become a Level 6 mythic unit after an adventure, and Marilyn had just undergone a powerful Demon King Super Baptism, elevating her to Level 6 as well. This meant that Jason, the Fallen Druid, now faced not only another Level 6 mythic unit but also a formidable Level 6 monarch unit. Given this situation, his chances of victory were slim.
Recognizing the formidable challenge posed by the two elves and understanding they were not the actual Demon King, Jason made a rational decision to retreat. He knew he could handle the two elves in front of him but not additional powerful beings that might arrive upon hearing of the conflict.
"Think you can keep me here? Let's see if you're capable of it!" Jason declared.
As he spoke, his body suddenly split apart, transforming into thousands of crows that scattered in all directions with astonishing speed. The expressions of the two elves hardened. Marilyn watched the sky fill with crows, momentarily unsure which target to lock onto. The crows were not only numerous but also capable of splitting and multiplying, rapidly filling the sky like a dark cloud.
They couldn't let him escape. This Fallen Druid had already unleashed a plague in the Chaos Forest. Any of those plague-ridden rats could cause a catastrophe, and if they failed to neutralize this instigator and the source of the outbreak, the Chaos Forest would undoubtedly fall into disorder.
"Divine Tree Sanctuary!" Nancilia acted swiftly.
"Pestilence Sanctuary!" Jason released his mythic domain ability at the same time.
The two powerful sanctuaries quickly neutralized each other. Jason was surprised to find that just as his sanctuary had expanded, it began to shrink rapidly, indicating that the opponent's sanctuary was far stronger than his!
In terms of power alone, Nancilia was not much stronger than Jason. However, Nancilia could easily suppress Jason's sanctuary because her powers were enhanced within the Chaos Forest, a special effect brought by the World Tree to all elves residing nearby. Despite this, there wasn't an overwhelming difference in the strength of their sanctuaries. Jason was capable of escaping Nancilia's sanctuary before his power was completely suppressed. But at that moment, Marilyn intervened. With the might of a dual domain, Jason immediately felt increased pressure.
"This is bad!" Jason sensed his domain being compressed even more, which slowed his attempts to break free. At that moment, several more presences were transported by the World Tree's spatial passage.
Giant King Jin Kui, Orc King Gru, Dwarf King Zhang Dachui, and Human King Bai Jie appeared right in Jason's path of escape.
"Four monarchs?" Jason's expression changed drastically.
Just how many monarchs were there in the Chaos Forest? Giants, orcs, dwarves, humans---none of these races had previously had kings in the Chaos Forest, with only the Elven and Dragon Kings known. This meant the true strength of the Chaos Forest was far greater than he had imagined. Jason had no time for further thought as the four monarchs released their domains. Although these domains were not particularly strong against him, they were enough to completely overwhelm him and eliminate any chance of escape.
Two hours later, Nancilia and her group arrived at the Demon King's castle in the Darkness City. Giant King Jin Kui was holding a bloody figure in his hand; it was none other than the Fallen Druid Jason.
At this moment, there wasn't a single intact spot on Jason's body. He was barely alive, and if not for the druid's strong vitality, he would have died many times over. Although Jason was still alive, his body was wrapped in thorns. These were the Sealing Thorns summoned by Nancilia, and given Jason's weakened state, he was unable to break free, at least not for the foreseeable future.
It was unbelievable that a Level 6 mythic unit like Jason had been captured alive. Jason's strength was not much weaker than Nancilia's; theoretically, he should have been able to escape even if he couldn't win the fight, and certainly not be captured alive. However, with the assistance of Marilyn and several other monarch units, Nancilia successfully captured him.
At this moment, the great Demon King, Zhang Nu, sat on his high throne, with the Darkness Three Dragons lined up below. To the left and right stood the four Dragon Kings from Dark City and two Demonic Monarchs from Gloom City. Additionally, the hall was filled with Abyssal Dragons transformed into draconian forms. Recently, with plentiful resources at hand, Zhang Nu had replenished and significantly expanded his dragon legion. Currently, under Zhang Nu's command, there were over five hundred abyssal dragons, with about fifty of them being Level 6 Dragon Elders. This represented an immensely formidable force.
Jason had not lost consciousness. When he sensed the situation inside the hall, he was completely astounded. He could hardly believe what he was seeing---over five hundred Abyssal Dragons! Even the most ordinary Abyssal Dragon possessed the strength of a top-tier Level 5 overlord and had the innate talents and abilities to hold their own against a Level 6 overlord for a period of time.
Each of these units represented pinnacle combat power. Yet, in Darkness City, just in the Demon King's hall alone, there were as many as five hundred of these dragons, with ten percent at the Level 6 overlord strength, plus the dozen or so monarchs present at the scene. And this was only what he could see, not the full extent of Darkness City's forces! Jason felt complete despair. He had known that Darkness City was strong, but he had never imagined it to be overwhelmingly powerful.
The Great Demon King stood up from his throne. Without needing a detailed explanation from Nancilia, the commotion in the Chaos Forest was too significant to escape the notice of its ruler. In an instant, the Demon King traversed several kilometers and appeared before the group, his gaze falling on Jason. He quickly discerned Jason's relevant information and a slight smile appeared on his lips.
"Who sent you? Where are your accomplices now? I advise you to confess honestly."
Jason scoffed, "Demon King, don't even dream about me confessing. Unless you release me, I will not make any deal with you."
"You misunderstand," Zhang Nu chuckled lightly. "I never intended to make a deal with you. Since you refuse to talk, I guess I'll have to do it myself."
As he spoke, the Eye of Domination opened, and a terrifying psychic force enveloped Jason. Jason was horrified to find his consciousness being invaded. This force was so formidable that even under normal circumstances, he would struggle to fully resist the Demon King's psychic power and the amplification of the Eye of Domination. Especially now, in his weakened state, there was virtually no resistance. The Demon King directly took control of the Hero and extracted all the information he wanted, including details about the Prophet of Doom, Primo.
"So, top-ranked Heroes are already involved?" Zhang Nu stroked his chin. "This imperial conquest is becoming more and more interesting."
As for Jason, Zhang Nu had obtained the information he wanted. The Fallen Druid was no longer necessary to be kept alive.
As a Hero ranked similarly to Satoru Sato, killing him could garner quite a few additional rewards.
[You've slain a Level 6 Hero. Hero's soul +1, Skill stone +8, Mythic crystal +1, Hero leaderboard chest +1!]
Zhang Nu glanced at his information panel. The notification of the Hero's death indicated that the Hero was truly dead, thus removed from the rankings.
At that moment, Zhang Nu noticed other notifications, one of which particularly caught his attention.
[You have conquered the Pale Moon Royal City! 7.94 million citizens pledge allegiance to you. Do you accept?]
Zhang Nu was very pleased. Indeed, it was a case of receiving double happiness---slaying a ranked Hero and conquering a royal city!"