Still releasing emerald mist , more and more vines grew around him , making him seem like an avatar of nature . The additional vines drastically lessened the pressure from the onslaught of attacks , but Zac saw how the falling daggers were already moving toward his new location . A huge rumble erupted behind , and Zac realized he had lost another two pillars of Empyrean Aegis] from Valsa’s earlier attack . He didn’t have a lot of time .
Zac had felt just how powerful Valsa was . Truth be told , he had no confidence in dealing with her while she was powered with the array . He could gain another boost if he activated Arcadian Crusade] , but how could an imperial princess not have similar methods? He didn’t want to put her under too much pressure and would instead deal with her companions while barely hanging on . That way , he could burst out with full power and all his cards just as Valsa was at her lowest .
But killing all seven with their leader breathing down his neck was tough . Breaking the cage and moving the battle seemed a good first step . There were no guarantees the seal on his Specialty Core would work within this specific domain , and he’d have more options if he could use the haze to hide and ambush .
Unfortunately , his enemies had already cut him off from his targets . Furthermore , he could tell space was manipulated within the wings . He wasn’t confident Earthstrider] would take him where he wanted to go . And when would he have time to move toward them , with Valsa swinging her sword right at him?
Verun yowled with pain and anger when the weapons clashed , and Zac once more found himself at the losing end of the collision . A deathsworn took the opportunity to skewer him through his ribs , barely missing and puncturing his lung . He was forced back by an angry swarm of vines , but others replaced him as they nibbed at his heels without giving Zac a chance to finish them off .
The pressure from Valsa herself was also mounting . Zac barely managed to keep up enough pressure to prevent her from activating more skills , and she had more cards up her sleeve . It turned out he wasn’t the only one who used armaments to fight . Furthermore , hers was a much more complicated style than what Zac used . Forty-nine flying swords emerged from the back of Valsa’s Armor , forming a deadly sword array that bore down on him from every direction .
The celestial daggers raining from the sky joined them , but Zac was relieved to find out Valsa wasn’t controlling them any longer . Vivi furiously fought them back , aided by the new roots constantly sprouting around them . One by one , the swords were slapped away , which were unsurprisingly made of top-tier materials . Zac suspected they weren’t Spirit Tools but rather Supreme-quality Pseudo D-grade weapons controlled by an Armament Tool Spirit .
Zac felt himself suffocating under the pressure , but making himself a target had finally borne fruit . A small tree had grown right behind his enemies while they were busy attacking him , meaning it was time . Zac dipped into his Void Energy stores and unleashed a storm of fractal blades , swallowing Valsa and her weapons in a hurricane of violence . At such close proximity , even she had to focus on defense for a second .
Simultaneously , more than fifty vines burst out of the small tree , like deadly parasites emerging from their hosts . Their blade-like tips pierced toward the same target , and there was a palpable hunger for destruction in the air . The magical trunks of Ancestral Woods] were no longer limited to transporting just Zac . During his epiphany , he’d figured out a way to harmonize his two skills , allowing the vines to do the same .
The synergy benefited both skills greatly . Ancestral Woods] was no longer just a domain and teleportation devise . Each tree had become a deathtrap that could spring on anyone that got too close . He could just keep growing vines and trees on the other side of the battlefield . Any time a new tree sprouted on the frontlines , his enemies would find themselves overwhelmed by another wave of destruction .
Zac was still beleaguered from every side , but it was time he started turning things around on these imperials .
53
SACRIFICE
Just as the vine swarm was about to reach its target , a shimmer emerged from Zac’s axe . It pounced at the beleaguered warrior with perfect timing , roaring with excitement . The pressure became too much , and the deathsworn wouldn’t survive without using a skill . A twenty-meter scythe formed a band of death around the warrior , destroying vines and Verun alike .
Of course , Verun was an intangible Tool Spirit , and the vines wouldn’t give up now that they were closing in on their target . But they didn’t just keep growing . Instead , dozens of regions in the dome grew dull as moss died and vines withered . They’d been robbed of all their energy and longevity . In return , broken tips exploded with renewed vigor as new vines emerged from within , gleaming with a golden luster . It almost looked like a snake shedding its old skin , except what came out was not the same .
Rebirth through Creation .
Some vines looked illusory , as though they were made of light . Others seemed more metal than vine . A few had odd growths humming with unstable power , while some had grown axe-like protuberances .
Zac vividly remembered his first weeks in the Orom World , where he traveled through a forest filled with the Dao of Nature before passing into one governed by Life . They were nothing alike ; one was balanced and harmonious , while the other was a mad scramble for space and power . Seeing that place had really helped him better understand the Dao of Pure Life .
His attack ultimately wasn’t a punishment from nature , neither was his Evolutionary Stance . That wasn’t his path . His was a path of Death and rebirth , constantly remolding yourself into something better , something deadlier . How could his vines be any different? There was even a bit of Creation Energy required to run the skill , which allowed the vines to accept anything and make it their own .
As the Heart of Creation said , Creation was never over . So long as he had Cosmic Energy to spare , the vines would keep coming and only get deadlier . Zac could even sacrifice some of his vines to speed up the process . His control over these empowered vines was pretty bad , but that was fine . If Zac didn’t know how they would attack his enemies , how would they? And if they failed , something better would grow out of the ashes .
The man tried to destroy everything with another large-scale attack , but these weren’t so easily dealt with . He was drowning in waves of unpredictable violence , with a dragon hyena waiting to seal the deal . The other warriors moved to help , but that meant a second tree got a chance to sprout . Another swarm of vines joined the madness .
Zac didn’t bother with them . He used the chaos to get to the two mages , hoping to deal with them first . They still hadn’t moved a step , which on its own was incredibly suspicious . The vines that got too close were destroyed by flashes of light , though , proving they had some sort of protective domain .
An eruption of light almost threw Zac off his feet , and he inwardly swore as he felt a scream of danger . Valsa had shredded his outburst of fractal leaves , and she was coming at him fast . Then , the swarm of swords was upon him , and Zac found his progress halted as new wounds were carved into his body . In fact , he was even pushed back as the sword array forced him to surrender ground to avoid grievous wounds .
Meanwhile , Zac finally sensed a skill activation from the two mages . Were they preparing to flee? If things continued this way , there was no way he’d catch them . He needed to do something about the monster nipping at his heels . Zac had hoped to save this for a bit later , but it looked like he was out of options .
The familiar coffin appeared on his back , the rattling sound of chains joining the creaking of growing vines . A pitch-black swirl appeared above Zac’s head , and a viper-quick pitch-black chain shot out . Simultaneously , a second Dao Mold emerged from his Inexorable Core , and a stream of empowered Dao entered Love’s Bond] .