‹Treant…›
The white light faded. As though time itself had stopped for a moment in the light and now began to move again, massive, charred chunks of wood flew into the air, then disintegrated and scattered in the wind.
While the Origin Matter’s complete fire immunity blocked the fire damage from Big Bang, it did nothing against the impact of the blast. Centered on a specific target, the skill was even more brutal than usual. Several of the nearby trees were knocked over with the force of the impact. The Origin Matter flew backward and slammed into the ground at high speed, gouging a massive crater into the surface.
The Origin Matter trembled, barely moving, not yet able to rise from the ground.
Dorothea
Species: Origin Matter
Status: Mad God, Reaper Seeds
Lv: 140/140 (MAX)
HP: 1387/5524
MP: 8/6535
At long last, the Origin Matter’s formidable MP was almost depleted.
But Treant, on the other hand…was nowhere to be seen.
It wasn’t like it could’ve gotten lost, or the explosion threw it somewhere else. Treant was massive. If it got blown into the air, I would’ve noticed that before I saw the Origin Matter. But Treant was gone.
‹Treant…? Hey, Treant? You there?› I called with Telepathy, panic rising in my voice. But my mind felt strangely calm. Deep down, I was already certain. Treant’s body had been consumed by the raging flames of the Big Bang. It was gone.
First Partner, now Treant. Once again, I’d lost a dear companion. The understanding of what Treant’s absence meant washed over me, along with an overwhelming surge of despair.
‹It…it’s all my fault. I knew we didn’t have a way to deal with the Big Bang. But I made us fight the Origin Matter anyway. And now, Treant’s…›
“…Master Dragon.” Allo’s voice cut through my clouded thoughts. Blearily, I looked at her. “Treant said…the rest was up to us.” Her voice was soft, pained with loss, like every word was an effort.
I nodded. The Origin Matter was still a few paces ahead of us. It had crawled out of its impact crater and quietly floated through the air, trying to escape before we noticed.
Without any MP, the Origin Matter had no way to attack us. I flew after it and tore into it with my Dimension Claws, then again. It made no effort to defend as I unleashed the finishing blow.
Light started to seep from the Origin Matter. Its perfectly spherical form began to warp in different directions. The fluid lines across its surface twisted and distorted into chaos, as if spinning out of control. Then the Origin Matter fell to the ground with a clunk and began to melt into the ground, spread out like a viscous black liquid.
Gained 77,420 Experience Points.
Title Skill “Walking Egg” Lv — activated: gained 77,420 Experience Points.
Oneiros Lv 128 has become Lv 139.
It was the most experience points I’d ever earned from a single opponent. But I couldn’t bring myself to feel happy about that fact right now. We’d managed to defeat the powerful Origin Matter, but the despair I felt at losing Treant far outweighed any sense of accomplishment.
No… Keep it together. I have to be strong.
Defeating the Origin Matter was a means, not an end. We took it on because we wanted to find out if there was anyone stuck inside its Time Vortex. Anyone with a Sacred Skill that hadn’t yet been corrupted by Mad God.
Special Skill “Time Vortex.” Seals enemy in a vortex of black light. Its victim is cut off from the passage of time. Escape is impossible.
But even if there was someone inside the Origin Matter, there was no guarantee they’d be friendly. There was no time to mourn Treant right now. I needed to identify whatever creature came out of the Origin Matter before it was too late.
A faint shadow began to emerge from the edge of the Origin Matter’s melting remains. I watched the figure carefully, holding my breath. This monster was a former Sacred Skill holder who’d been imprisoned in the Time Vortex for hundreds of years. I had no idea what to expect.
‹Ah, Master… Wh-what in the world just happened?›
What emerged from the melting remains of the Origin Matter was none other than a completely charred Treant. It was burnt black, shrunken, and crumbling, but there was no mistaking the distinctive high nose and round, sunken eyes of my friend.
‹T-Treant?!› I rushed over and lifted it up with my front paws to nuzzle it with my cheek. ‹Thank goodness… I can’t believe it! You’re alive! I thought you were done for…!›
‹Um, Master…I know you’re happy to see me, but I’m on the brink of death here! I-If you wouldn’t mind, I’d love a bit of healing magic…!›
It was then that I realized my scales were scraping away pieces of Treant’s charred body with every rub, leaving it even more withered than before.
‹Oh! S-sorry!› I hurriedly cast Hi-Rest and Regen to heal Treant and regrow its missing limbs. Before my eyes, Treant’s robust trunk and branches began to regenerate.
Apparently, when Treant’s body had been blown to pieces from the impact of the Big Bang, the force of its Fairy Curse counter sent it flying into the Origin Matter’s Time Vortex. Residual gravitational force from the Black Hole might’ve factored into it as well…
By all accounts, Treant should’ve been dead. If it had been thrown into the air even once after taking that attack, the fall damage would’ve killed it instantly. The fact that Treant stood in front of me now was nothing short of a miracle.
Part 5
I LET ALLO OUT OF MY MOUTH so the three of us—including tree spirit Treant—could speak face-to-face.
‹Treant, were you the only one stuck inside the Time Vortex?› I asked.
‹A-actually, I do not remember anything past getting sucked in,› Treant responded, uncertain. ‹I don’t know…›
Speaking of which, the description said time didn’t flow inside the vortex, right…?
At that moment, the pool of liquidated Origin Matter began to evaporate into black mist with a soft hiss. The mist formed itself into six monsters standing shoulder to shoulder. They possessed a variety of strange features: a humanoid giant with two bull heads, a lump of rock covered in blinking eyes, and so on. One of them was a large ogre-like figure with its face in its stomach and no head; I wondered if it was from the same evolutionary line as the Adams.
Naturally, I’d considered the possibility of more than one monster being stuck inside the Time Vortex as well. The Origin Matter had been stuck in Ngai Forest for a long, long time.
A chill ran down my spine. All these monsters had to be at least rank B+. I wouldn’t have been shocked if there were some Legendary rank ones mixed in too.
Drool oozed from the mouths of every monster, beneath lifeless eyes. Their faces held no trace of emotion. No! They were all consumed by Mad God!
Treant, Allo, and I were all spent after our last battle. Getting dragged into a fight now would be deadly. ‹L-Let’s get outta here!›
As I called out to my friends, another voice spoke from the trees above us.
“Godspeed Flash.”
Black blades sliced through each of the six monsters. The monsters slumped to the dirt, dead. Their corpses turned black, then began to sink into the ground beneath them. It all happened in an instant.
As we looked on in stunned silence, a woman descended from the darkness above us. Her long hair flowed behind her, dancing through the wind. In her hand, she carried a greatsword longer than she was tall. A black cloak decorated her shoulders.
The woman glanced at us, then turned to survey her surroundings. Her behavior displayed a clear intelligence absent from the other Mad God-afflicted monsters.
This woman had to be what I’d been hoping to find inside the Origin Matter: a former Sacred Skill holder still free from the effects of Mad God.
The woman turned to face me and smiled. “I see. It seems you defeated our captor. I take it you are this generation’s holder of the Sacred Skills,”—she looked at Allo and Treant—“and your retainers, correct?”
Her smile seemed to not reach her eyes. I was suddenly struck with the certainty that I’d seen her face somewhere before.
Wait. She has the same face…as the Clay Hero I fought during Umukahime’s trial.
“What is the matter? You look surprised. But you took the time to defeat the Origin Matter, despite knowing you only have so much time before Mad God overtakes you. I thought you did so because you wished to meet me. Was I incorrect?” The Clay Hero lookalike spoke with an aloof air.
Allo stepped in front of me warily, as if to guard me. I didn’t blame her for being cautious. There was something strange about this woman. She seemed willing to communicate, but even so, I found myself wondering if I could really trust her.
‹Allo…it’s okay. I’ll talk to her.› As Allo backed away, I checked the woman’s status.