{PLEIADES POV}
Looking ahead, I forced myself out of my momentary stupor—the cause of which was yet another damn tree.
Giving it a pensive look, I sighed as calmness began to settle over me after a few moments.
'Seriously? I already have a Tyrant to deal with, and now this? I really hate the weird fetish this place has with trees.'
Shaking off the growing theories about what the tree might signify, I refocused my attention entirely on the rushing Tyrant. Now that I was away from the cohort, I could finally stop holding back.
Before, my battle with the Tyrant behind the dome of ice had been a show, kind of an elaborate demonstration of my capabilities meant to impress the others.
But now, unbound by the need to perform, I could let loose. Well, almost. I still had to hold back just enough to avoid collapsing the entire cavern and trapping everyone or killing everything inside.
I only hoped Nephis had read the note I passed her. The time limit for the Worm of Spirit was nearing its end, which meant that the plan was nearly complete.
Slowly but surely, the pieces were falling into place. All that remained was to quickly dispatch this Awakened Tyrant.
'No big deal, right?'
The Tyrant was closing the distance fast. Counting the seconds, I glanced to the side. A cluster of tentacles began coiling and twisting together until they formed one massive appendage that extended to the cavern's roof.
The Tyrant was just meters away. It opened its grotesque maw to unleash a deafening screech—but before it could, the massive tentacle swatted it aside like an insect.
The Tyrant's enormous body slammed into the cavern wall with a resounding crash, shaking the entire chamber. Chunks of rock rained from above, crashing to the ground and causing a web or Cracks to spread across it's rocky surface.
Momentarily dazed, the Tyrant struggled to rise. Taking the opportunity, I sprinted forward and pulled a porcelain mask from the shroud.
I hurled it like a disc, aiming for the skull embedded in the creature's lower body.
The mask soared through the air, striking the target and ricocheting off before starting its descent. As it fell, I prepared to activate it. But instead of a straightforward move, I remembered a certain very unique ability from one of my favourite franchises.
Pressing my right thumb onto the middle phalanx of my index finger, imitating the action of pressing down on a handheld detonator.
The mask took on a faint red glow, then immediately erupted into a massive ball of flame, engulfing the Tyrant's midsection in a fiery inferno.
Smiling faintly, I augmented the Kord with a chilly mist and began walking toward the Tyrant. I moved in a wide arc, waiting for the smoke to clear.
As the mist dissipated, the Tyrant's grotesque form came into view. Its lower body was charred and mangled, while the upper half clung desperately to the remains by a few slimy, sinewy muscles.
The sight churned my stomach. The scorched flesh hissed, releasing a nauseating stench into the cavern. Thick ichor poured from its wounds, forming glowing puddles on the floor. Even as its body fell apart, the creature refused to die.
Taking a deep breath, I tightened my grip on the Kord. The fight wasn't over, atleast not until this thing was good and dead.
The Tyrant's head tilted, and its glowing eyes locked onto me with renewed fury. Its remaining spider-like legs twitched and clawed at the ground, dragging its mutilated form closer.
The shattered remnants of its abdomen writhed, as if trying to stitch itself back together, but the damage was too great for any meaningful recovery.
"Still crawling, huh?" I muttered, adjusting my stance.
With a flick of my wrist, a surge of icy mist from Frost Calm swept forward. The cold deepened, ice spreading across the cavern floor and creeping up the Tyrant's mangled legs. Its movements slowed as the frost pinned its limbs in place.
The creature let out a defiant screech, but the ice continued to envelop it.
As I watched, its maddened gaze shifted unexpectedly. For a fleeting moment, its glowing eyes reflected an almost human emotion.
A strange, alien yearning, and even a faint sense of mourning.
Its gaze turned toward the tree. One of its massive hands reached out, clawing weakly at the air, but the ice crept further, consuming its form. In moments, the Tyrant was frozen solid—a grotesque statue of ice.
The peculiar emotion in its gaze gave me pause, but I shook it off. Approaching the frozen monstrosity, I raised a pillar of ice beneath me to reach eye level with the Tyrant.
Up close, its hideous features were even more pronounced. Without hesitation, I raised my Kord and slashed forward.
The blade cut through the ice like butter, enhanced by cutting dominion. Cracks spiderwebbed through the frozen corpse, spreading rapidly until the entire structure of the tyrant shattered with a deafening crash.
The cacophony of shattering ice was drowned out by the whispers of the spell.
[You have slain an Awakened Tyrant, Mother of the Burrowed.]
[Your soul shines even brighter.]
Feeling a strange numbness rise from my chest, I pondered the meaning behind its final gesture, but quickly dismissed the thought. Hopping off the ice pillar, I turned my attention to the damn tree.
As I drew closer, its full form became clear. The trunk was a stark, radiant white, stretching all the way to the cavern's roof, its branches spreading outward, digging into the roof like roots.
There were no leaves—only strange, cocoon-like structures, each one made of glowing membranes.
The most chilling detail, however, was the outlines of human figures within each cocoon.
Slimy threads protruded from the cocoons, merging into a larger one nestled at the base of the tree.
"What… what the hell is this?" I murmured, taking a tentative step toward the largest cocoon.
Sunny's voice broke the silence, his tone sharp. (Pleiades, what have we learned about touching strange things?)
Frowning, I muttered, "Yeah, I know, but we still don't have the Moonlight Shard. The Tyrant didn't drop it, and that was an Awakened Tyrant. The shard would only drop from a Fallen beast... or a Master"
Approaching the massive cocoon, I examined it closely. The outline of a petite woman was visible inside.
Essence streamed steadily into her core from above, the core was brimming with raw, potent brilliance—far stronger than that of Awakened.
There was no doubt. The figure within this cocoon wasn't just a sleeper or even an awakened—it was a Master.
Sunny's voice cut through my shock, likely also seeing the core. (Okay, it's officially time to get out of here.)
While I silently agreed, I couldn't bring myself to leave. "Sunny, this is an incredible discovery! A preserved Master, trapped within this cocoon... And you want to just leave her here?"
(Yes!) he snapped. (Because whatever restrained her in the first place is already far to dangerous, we can't just stop to examine it.)
Rolling my eyes, I tightened my grip on the Kord. "Do you seriously think I'd let myself get trapped? I'm more than capable of killing this thing, grabbing the Tyrant's soul shards, and getting out."
After a tense pause, Sunny finally sighed. (Fine. But the moment I see something stir, I'm taking control and running for it.)
Nodding, I turned back to the cocoon. Without hesitation, I plunged the blade of my Kord into its surface, driving it deep.
Piercing through the first layer of the membrane i winced as i plunged the blade into the chest of the master.
The whispers returned as the spell acknowledged my actions.
[You have slain an Ascended Human, Liale.]
[Your soul shines even brighter.]
A pause followed, and then the spell continued:
[You have received a Memory.]
As the light drained from the cocoon, I exhaled shakily. Looking down at the lifeless figure that rushed out of the cocoon along with a glowing and viscous liquid, I frowned and let out a sigh.
"Rest now… Your nightmare is over."
Shorter Chapter Today since i had a Wedding to go to.
Tomorrow will be a slightly longer one.
See you all tomorrow.