BXBX NOVEL Chapter 94: Chapter 94:Inside the Tree [1]
...
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing changed or happened.
Turning back around, I attempted to back away, but even when I mustered half my strength, I couldn't move.
Looking down at the cat, I found the reason: its claws were embedded in the trunk, and it held on for some reason, like there was no tomorrow.
...That trunk's wood was supposed to be harder than metal; just what the hell is this cat...?
Letting go of the cat, I stepped back and watched the cat swinging its feet around with its claws attached to the tree like it was nothing.
Ignoring the odd scenery of my cat, I recalled that Albert had hit the palace door with power combined with the spirit.
Well, in this case, I assume I'll have to attack the tree simultaneously with my cat, as it's pretty much the same thing as both of us will still be attacking the World Tree.
Wasn't my cat technically already attacking the tree by clawing at it?
Standing beside my floating cat, I manifested my two corrupted daggers before reaching back like I was throwing a spear and hurling my dagger at the tree's trunk.
In the case I angered the World Tree's spirit by attacking it, I did NOT want to be right next to it.
While dispersing my two daggers and ensuring my mask was on correctly, a sudden bright light enveloped me, forcing me to close my eyes.
After a few seconds, I attempted to open them again, only to close them out of the pain immediately as the bright light was still there.
This battle was a gamble on Lily's part; she had essentially gone all in.
If she won, there would be no civilian deaths or damage to the village outside, but if she lost, the entire village would collapse, and the World Tree would be gone.
Finally opening my eyes again, I immediately scanned my surroundings, realizing I was surrounded by bark.
In front of me stood the only way out. A path that seemed to lead me closer and closer to the center of the tree, where the spirit was held.
Looking down, I saw my cat lying on the floor with its tummy upwards, so I swiftly scooped it up and placed it into my hood.
Fastening to a jogging pace, I followed the path, occasionally feeling the tree rumble due to an attack.
The closer and closer I got to these rumblings, the more I regretted my decision.
This tree was my counter.
The entire thing was surrounded by impenetrable walls, so even with my eyes, I could only see the area around me... like I was a normal person...
The only good thing about this tree's inside was the lack of light, so it would be relatively easy to sneak around unnoticed even if I wanted to.
Of course, the problem was that this space was so narrow that just one person blocked the entire path, so how was I supposed to sneak past people...
As the split continued to diverge and split, I would quickly find the one leading the center of the tree by using my eyes to peer as far as I could into both paths and finding which one was directed towards the center.
This strategy wasn't foolproof as it was possible that a path could loop around before heading to the center, but it was either testing or checking for three hours.
As I silently walked through the path, a sudden rumble enveloped the tree, but this time, a sound came with it...
*BRR~BRR*
The spirit of the World Tree... the demons were already there.
Immediately sprinting down the path, still silent but now leaving footsteps as my feet touched the ground, I manifested my two daggers.
Had Lily and the main cast lost the fight already...?
Peering down the path once again, I found myself proven wrong.
Ahead of me on the path, I saw Lily, Albert, and the main cast, similar to me, sprinting towards the tree's center.
The demons had somehow gotten to the center before they did, and the Elven queen is occupied with a fight, so she can't help now.
Combining my corruption with the blood-red substance, I rapidly created a wing and flapped it several times, immediately closing the distance between Lily and I.
Then, I stopped for a second and repositioned myself before using the wing to appear right below the roof and then dashing forward over the heads of the main cast members.
Dismissing my wing to save energy, I continued my mad sprint to the center of the tree, and after a few more moments, I finally arrived.
The path opened into a small cave, where a clearing was the size of a hut. More importantly, two demons were sitting down criss-cross on the floor.
Behind the two demons were the roots of the World Tree, which were shining a malevolent red.
I had two goals to accomplish.
Ensure Lily and the main cast win the fight and corrupt the tree to the point Albert is forced to replace it.
Of course, one goal was more important than the other, but that didn't mean I wouldn't try to complete both.
Thankfully, the clearing had no walls or barriers, so my eyes were of some use.
Walking to the entrance, I was about to sneak in and find a place to hide when a sudden force propelled me backward, almost causing me to fall.
Picking myself off the floor, I realized a mana cage was blocking the entrance; however, this mana cage was somehow invisible...?
Unfortunately for the demons inside, they had used regular mana to create it instead of demonic infused, so I simply placed my daggers to the invisible barriers.
Though I couldn't see the progress, I felt myself gaining more and more power over the barrier until I finally had complete control without the demons inside even knowing.
Changing the barrier settings, I didn't completely dismiss as it could be useful but instead altered the properties so that anyone could just walk in.