Chapter 114 ‒ The Echo of Pleas
Chapter 114 ‒ The Echo of Pleas
Tyler dashed forward, the air tearing past him in cold, roaring currents. Sparks of red lightning flared along the edges of his twin swords, crackling like wild beasts straining against a leash. His visor flashed under the moonlight, catching fleeting reflections of the gnarled branches ahead.
The Verdant Blight loomed, an unearthly colossus rooted in corruption and twisted malice. Its massive branches swayed in restless hunger, prehensile tips twitching like starving predators’ tongues. As Tyler closed in, they shot forward, slicing through the air with shrill whistles and heavy, spine-chilling thuds.
Tyler pivoted sharply to the right, his left foot digging into the earth with a muffled crunch. He ducked beneath one branch, his body twisting low enough for the bark edges to graze his helmet. Another branch lunged at his flank, he swivelled on his heel, twin blades whipping up to parry in a dazzling arc of red sparks. The clash rang out, echoing through the square like a hundred metallic bells struck at once.
His breath roared in his ears, each exhale a burning cloud of steam inside his visor. He lunged again, swords poised like fangs. He drove them deep into the trunk, the impact a visceral thunk that vibrated up his arms and rattled his teeth.
Thick, black liquid gushed from the wounds, splattering across his gauntlets and forearms. The stench hit him instantly — a suffocating mix of rotting foliage, acidic bile, and something older, almost primordial. His fingers twitched involuntarily, his throat clenching as if to retch.
He started to pull the swords free, ready to land another decisive slash, when the branches responded. Five thick appendages surged forward from above, each as quick and forceful as a falling avalanche.
Tyler threw himself backward, shoulders crashing into the ground with a dull, jarring thud. Dust and bark fragments shot into the air as he rolled sideways to escape. But as he rose, a sixth branch — thinner, snakelike — coiled around from behind and speared straight through his side.
A choked cry tore from his lips. Pain, white-hot and blinding, flooded his senses. His left hand shot down to grip the gaping wound, blood seeping between his fingers like molten iron.
Move… MOVE!
He gritted his teeth so hard they threatened to crack. The world wavered and darkened at the edges, the sounds around him muffled beneath the rising tide of agony.
Summoning what strength remained, he activated [Rejuvenate]. A harsh, searing warmth rushed into the wound, knitting flesh and bone with excruciating speed. He staggered upright, panting as steam rose off his skin.
Tyler forced his left arm to move, raising it as a pale glow enveloped his hand — [Undying Tenacity]. His lungs heaved, each inhalation scraping his throat like shards of glass. Slowly, his vision sharpened again, returning colour to the world.
Ahead, the Verdant Blight’s branches began to spin, a living maelstrom of jagged limbs and slicing claws. They blurred into a near-impenetrable wall, the sound a deep, resonant hum that vibrated through the stones beneath his feet.
Tyler watched the swirling defence for a moment, his gaze flickering with a cold, analytical glint.
I have no choice… I have to push through!
With a guttural roar, he activated [Firestorm]. Flame ignited across his armour and swords, writhing like serpents set free. Sparks burst around him, some searing holes into the ground, others whisked away into the night.
Tyler lunged forward, swords blazing. As he collided with the spinning branches, flame met wood in a violent union. The sharp limbs splintered and burned, their howls echoing like banshees across the square.
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Step by step, Tyler forced his way inward, branches smashing against his armour but unable to stop his advance. His eyes narrowed to razor slits, teeth bared in a silent snarl beneath his visor.
The Verdant Blight’s health bar flickered wildly as Tyler pressed his assault:
[Verdant Blight’s HP: 4200/5000]
[Verdant Blight’s HP: 3400/5000]
[Verdant Blight’s HP: 2600/5000]
The black sap now gushed from multiple deep wounds, sizzling as it met the heat of his flames. Steam and smoke rose around him in thick, suffocating plumes.
Tyler staggered, Frank’s words slicing into his mind like hidden thorns.
“Please… don’t destroy our World Tree.”
He hesitated, breath hitching painfully. His eyes darted to the gaping wounds, to pieces of charred bark curling at his feet.
“No… I can’t stop now… I can’t hold back… This is the only way to end it. I have to… I have to finish this.”
The Verdant Blight, stripped of most offensive branches, retracted its roots to create a final defence. Thick, knotted tendrils coiled around the trunk, forming a tight, trembling barrier.
Tyler activated [Berserk], energy burning through his veins like liquid lightning. He roared again, deeper and rawer, echoing with something almost animalistic.
He swung, slicing through the roots with brutal elegance. Shards of bark and splintered wood exploded in every direction. His movements grew wilder, each swing a blur of red light and crackling flame.
Finally, the last roots fell away, revealing the core — a massive, blackened trunk, its surface pulsating with thick veins of darkness.
Fresh, smaller branches began to sprout and twitch, desperate to regrow.
“No… if I leave it now, it will come back. All of this will be for nothing. I have to end it — right now!”
He raised his swords once more, but something inside him snagged and faltered. Frank’s voice. Anne’s desperate eyes. Miho’s silent, tearful face long ago.
Tyler hesitated, arms trembling as they hovered above the corrupted trunk. He stood frozen, his breathing ragged, each exhale a sharp shudder that rattled his ribs.
Is there really no other way…?
Slowly, he turned his head toward the square. In the distance, Anne and the townspeople had finished pushing the last of the Blightspawns, their shoulders drooping with exhaustion. The once-vibrant square lay scattered with broken branches, discarded bombs, and drifting pink mist.
Tyler lowered his swords and took a single, shaky step back.
He turned fully and began to move toward Anne, each step as heavy as dragging a millstone. His shoulders sagged, and the red lightning fizzled away, leaving only the echo of its hum.
Anne noticed him first, her head snapping up, sweat-damp hair clinging to her face. She dropped the bandage roll and hurried forward.
“[Player]! What happened?! Why aren’t you finishing it?!” Her voice rang sharp and panicked, cutting through the gathered townspeople’s murmurs.
Tyler kept walking until he stood a breath away. His visor tilted downward, hiding the storm in his eyes.
“Anne,” he rasped, his voice low but laced with urgent fire. “I need you to fetch Doctor Frank. Right now. Tell him to bring every drop of Purification Essence he’s prepared — every single container.”
Anne’s eyes flew wide, confusion and fear flashing across her face. “Why?! What are you planning? You can’t be serious! We need that to protect everyone else in case—”
“Anne…” Tyler interrupted, lifting one trembling hand to her shoulder. His gauntlet pressed lightly, almost like a ghost of a touch. “Please… trust me on this. Please.”
Anne looked at him, mouth hanging open, breath stuttering. Her eyes flicked from his visor to his cracked, bloodied armour and back again.
She clenched her jaw, nostrils flaring. Then, with a sharp exhale that shivered through her body, she spun around.
“Move aside! Out of the way!” she yelled, shoving startled villagers aside as she sprinted toward the wards.
Tyler watched her disappear into the misty alleys, his fingers tightening at his sides until the metal of his gauntlets groaned.
Moments later, Anne returned, hair plastered to her face, Frank stumbling behind her. Her hands clutched a creaking wooden stretcher piled high with containers of bright pink liquid. Each bottle seemed to pulse, their glow flickering like small hearts.
Tyler rushed forward, grabbing the containers one by one, stacking them carefully against his chest. Anne grabbed his arm in sudden desperation.
“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?! That’s all the cure we have left! What if more Blightspawns appear? We’ll be completely helpless—”
Tyler paused, turning his head slightly toward her. The air seemed to tighten around them, the distant crackles of the corrupted tree echoing like fading drums.
“Just trust me,” Tyler said again, softer this time, yet every word weighed like a mountain stone.
Anne’s fingers slipped from his arm, her entire frame frozen in place. Frank stood behind her, shoulders slumping as though bracing for a coming storm.
Tyler turned sharply, containers pressed tight against his chest. Sparks of red lightning crawled along his shoulders as if eager to burst forth once more.
The heavy silence that followed felt like a held breath before a storm. The distant shape of the Verdant Blight loomed like a dark, writhing titan waiting for its executioner.