Chapter 46
It is said that the ancestor of the elves was born from the Tree of Life.
The Elven Forest, stretching across millions of kilometers, draws its lifeblood from this sacred tree. Every plant, every creature within the forest owes its existence to the Tree of Life. To the elves, the tree is not just a symbol of nature—it is their faith, their sanctuary, and the foundation of their civilization.
But what baffled Rhodes was the presence of a sapling of the Tree of Life here, deep within the Forest of Tranquility.
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Rhodes rubbed his chin, scrutinizing the small tree before him. Although it was still in its infancy, the overwhelming vitality radiating from it confirmed its identity beyond doubt.
"It's said that the Tree of Life produces a few seeds every thousand years," Rhodes mused. "But aren't these seeds kept under strict guard by the elven royal family?"
The seeds of the Tree of Life contain unimaginable power. It's said that even a dying god could heal instantly from consuming one. A seed could revive the recently dead, or extend life for millennia.
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Yet, Rhodes had never heard of anyone successfully planting one. The cost of nurturing the Tree of Life was said to be astronomical—even beyond what the elves, masters of nature, could afford.
Instead, the seeds were treated as precious consumables—used sparingly, even by the elves.
Rhodes narrowed his eyes at the sapling. "For the elves to let one of these grow... and for it to end up here of all places... Strange."
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In legends, the Tree of Life grows to be tens of thousands of meters tall, housing entire ecosystems on its branches. Some say the spirits born from the tree possess powers rivaling the gods.
But this sapling, barely ten meters tall and visibly malnourished, looked more like a fragile weed compared to those grand stories.
Still, Rhodes knew one thing for certain: this sapling was the source of the entire Forest of Tranquility. Every living thing in the forest, from the plants to the beasts, was connected to it.
Unfortunately, the sapling had been corrupted. A vile abyssal worm clung to it, gnawing away at its essence.
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No wonder the entire forest feels twisted, Rhodes thought grimly. Even the banshee had fallen under the worm's influence.
"If I kill this thing, the forest should return to normal."
As the future ruler of the Francis Kingdom, Rhodes reasoned it would be better to preserve such a rich forest. Destroying it would be a waste—this land could sustain hundreds of thousands of people.
Having made up his mind, Rhodes gripped his divine axe tightly and approached the sapling.
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SPLAT!
The axe cleaved into the writhing worm attached to the tree.
The abyss worm let out a piercing screech, writhing violently. From its segmented body, a second head sprouted grotesquely from its lower half.
The new head latched onto the sapling, digging deep into the bark. Tentacles slithered along the tree's veins, spreading corruption through the roots.
The worm drank greedily from the sapling, siphoning its life essence with terrifying speed.
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Rhodes swung his axe again, severing the worm's body in two. But within moments, the worm regenerated, as if nothing had happened.
"No wonder the banshee couldn't kill it," Rhodes muttered.
This wasn't just an ordinary abyss worm—it had parasitized the Tree of Life. Killing the worm would likely doom the sapling. But leaving it alive would mean the tree would be consumed, slowly but surely.
Both options end the same way: death, Rhodes thought grimly.
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Sensing the threat, the worm's feeding frenzy intensified. Its body swelled grotesquely, growing from one meter to five meters in an instant.
As the sapling's leaves shriveled and dropped, the worm ceased its feeding and began to transform. A thick cocoon of abyssal silk enveloped its massive form.
Inside the cocoon, the air grew heavy with the power of the abyss, and the sound of a heartbeat thumped like a war drum.
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"Evolving right in front of me, huh?" Rhodes sneered.
He swung his axe again, summoning the sun's flames.
BOOM!
The cocoon erupted in fire, the scorching heat tearing through its dark shell. The worm inside screeched in agony, struggling to complete its metamorphosis.
But the worm accelerated its evolution, drawing more life essence from the dying sapling. The heartbeat grew louder, echoing ominously through the forest.
Just as Rhodes prepared to strike again, the cocoon burst open.
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A monstrous creature leapt from the shattered cocoon, lunging toward Rhodes.
Its body, now covered in armored scales, radiated a deadly aura. Sharp claws glinted under the dim light, and its grotesque form exuded pure malice.
"You think evolving makes you a threat?" Rhodes scoffed, his aura flaring.
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Critical Breakthrough!
Magic surged through Rhodes's body, expanding his size to match the worm's monstrous form. The divine axe in his hand grew with him, gleaming like a weapon of the gods.
BOOM!
The two clashed, the impact shaking the forest. The ground cracked beneath their feet, forming deep fissures, and the surrounding earth sank under the immense pressure.
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Veins bulged on Rhodes's arms as he strained against the worm's monstrous strength. With a sudden burst of power, he sent the beast flying, its body skidding across the ground for kilometers.
The impact left a massive crater in the earth, as if a meteor had struck.
"Evolve all you want—trash is still trash."
Rhodes grinned coldly, his massive frame casting an imposing shadow as he advanced. The sun behind him blazed brighter, reaching its zenith.
At this moment, with the sun at its peak, Rhodes's power was absolute.
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The worm, now in its final form, crawled out of the crater. Its humanoid body was grotesquely twisted, with thick, cloven hooves and muscular legs covered in jagged scales.
Its upper body, armored in blue-gray skin, pulsed with fiery energy. The creature's chest glowed with the heat of molten magma, each heartbeat radiating dangerous power.
On its head, two green horns curved menacingly. As it stomped the ground, the earth cracked beneath its weight.
This Hell Bull Demon was only a hair's breadth away from reaching demigod-level strength.
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But the transformation came at a steep cost.
The sapling of the Tree of Life was almost completely drained, its once-vibrant leaves now reduced to shriveled husks. Only a faint flicker of life remained within the dying tree, barely clinging to existence.
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