Klein suppressed his stirring blood, initially planning to maintain his current state and wait for the authorities to arrive. He could then take advantage of the chaos to rescue Darkwill's teacher and escape this underground prison.
However, at that very moment, unrestrained moans of pleasure suddenly came from outside his cell door. Soon after, an intoxicating scent that quickened heartbeats and inflamed desires seeped through the barriers and crystal walls, invading Klein's nostrils.
This involuntary flood of sensations brought back vivid images of those wanton scenes from his earlier hallucinations...
Is this... the "Mother Tree of Desire" shifting from covert manipulation to an outright assault?
But doing this will inevitably trigger the prison's alarms. Not only might it draw military demigods, but escaping will become exponentially harder!
Before Klein could finish this thought, the cell door was violently breached. Several humanoid monsters covered in brown woody tumors, with branches sprouting from their bodies, charged inside.
Like symbiotic plants, they entwined their branching limbs in intimate embrace while fixing their greedy gazes on Klein. In unison, they moaned:
"We want you to bear our children!"
The sheer lust and possessiveness in their voices sent a wave of visceral disgust through Klein. His entire body broke out in goosebumps, every hair standing on end.
This grotesque spectacle surpassed even the most twisted human imagination—something he'd never encountered even in nightmares.
Had this happened back in Tingen during the Megose incident, such sights would have paralyzed him with terror...
But after all his experiences, he was now a battle-hardened veteran. The instant those words reached his ears, he swiftly manipulated his bracelet to retract the crystal barrier. Simultaneously, the glove on his left hand darkened into a mesmerizing yet sinister black—activating "Creeping Hunger" and channeling the soul of the "Demoness of Pleasure" he'd previously subjugated.
Using "Tracy's" alluring appearance and charm, he immediately "Instigated":
"There are so many of you... Who should I choose? Why don't you fight it out first?"
The moment these words left his mouth, Klein burned with shame, feeling like an actual siren sowing discord—so much so that his potion digestion seemed to progress noticeably.
If I actually helped the winner bear a child, maybe my "Faceless" potion would fully digest instantly... But I'm not actually Tracy, and I certainly lack the... necessary equipment!
As Klein internally facepalmed, the arboreal monstrosities predictably turned on each other with vicious fervor, tearing apart their previously amorous partners...
Their obsession with making me "bear children" is terrifyingly absolute!
Just as Klein prepared to eliminate these intruders, his spiritual intuition screamed in warning. He barely dodged sideways as—
THOOM!
A massive brown branch smashed through the ceiling, impaling the spot where he'd stood. At its tip bloomed a grotesque flower oozing viscous fluid, its maw wide enough to swallow a grown man whole.
Though Klein had never seen the man-eating flowers of the southern rainforests, he was certain nothing could be more terrifying or exaggerated than this!
Snap! Snap! Snap!
Branches of the same kind pierced through the walls, floor, and doors, their moist flower-tipped appendages chasing Klein from all directions.
Klein tried his old trick again, using "Instigation" on those branches and flowers, but was shocked to see their movements remain completely unaffected!
The "Instigation" clearly succeeded... Could it be because those flowers no longer have human forms and can directly resist such influence?
Without hesitation, Klein activated the "Burial Blade" hidden in his sleeve. Swinging the scythe, he swiftly severed the encroaching branches before leaping up onto the ceiling.
Only then did he realize the entire space had descended into chaos. Nearly all members of the "Celestial Sect" were sprouting woody tumors and branches, while the more devout leaders had mostly transformed into those man-eating flower branches, hunting down the few remaining normal people and escaped prisoners.
At the very center of the space, a grotesque brown tree was rapidly growing by absorbing desires and emotions!
Seeing this, Klein abandoned all hope of handling this himself. Knowing this was beyond his capabilities, he immediately took out a golden leaf and blew on it.
—Of course, he had already reverted to his Gehrman Sparrow appearance beforehand. Since the clothes he wore while impersonating Tracy were rather gender-neutral, the transition wasn't too jarring.
Within seconds, the space rippled like water as a silver-haired, red-eyed lady appeared before Klein, her face obscured as if veiled from perception.
This was another contingency Klein had prepared.
Before the operation, he had summoned Lady Yalolan using the golden leaf and requested her to remain nearby, allowing her to descend into this underground space along with the messenger now.
As for why he didn't call upon the "Messenger Lady"... Firstly, summoning Her without anchoring the ritual to an object would be troublesome; secondly, this infiltration involved the "Mother Tree of Desire," making his own "Messenger Lady" potentially more dangerous than himself.
"The Mother Tree of Desire..." Yalolan frowned at the grotesque brown tree in the distance, remarking to Klein, "I'm starting to regret promising you one free intervention..."
Klein gave an awkward chuckle, worried she might leave upon sensing the danger, and quickly explained, "You just need to stall it until the official demigods arrive."
"If it fully matures, even ordinary demigods would be in danger..." Yalolan shook her head initially, but after scrutinizing the tree for a few seconds with her "Eyes of Mystery," she smiled. "Fortunately, it's still gathering strength, so dealing with it won't be too troublesome."
Before finishing her sentence, she raised her wooden staff-like scepter and pointed at the distant tree, murmuring softly:
"Mystery Reenactment — Wu Gang Chopping the Laurel Tree."
As her spell took effect, a mysterious force enveloped the grotesque tree, abruptly slowing its growth. While it continued absorbing desires and emotions, those "nutrients" now seemed to inexplicably leak away...
Wu Gang Chopping the Laurel Tree? Is this an cultural idiom Liu Bo taught Yalolan?
Can "Secrets Supplicant" pathway Beyonders actually turn stories into abilities?!
No wonder Lady Yalolan previously said she could exchange knowledge for secret stories...
Perhaps "secrecy" is one of the prerequisites for this ability...
As Klein's mind raced with wild speculations, Yalolan casually destroyed all remaining sealed prison cells, freeing the inmates.
Soon, a neatly combed, bespectacled young man emerged from Cell Block A.
Appearing scholarly and refined, he deftly avoided several branch attacks before approaching Klein and Yalolan, bowing respectfully:
"Thank you for your rescue... Ah!"
Before he could finish, his eyes inadvertently landed on Klein. He suddenly screamed, clutched his eyes in agony, and collapsed unconscious...
(End of Chapter)