Chapter 68

The desolate plains were bathed in darkness at dawn.

The sky was a gray-white curtain, hanging very low, as if it might collapse at any moment. The air was filled with the lingering fog from last night, carrying a faint, sweet, fishy smell, like the scent left by a hunter.

When Seed 237 slowly opened its eyes, the first thing it saw was not Sprout 12.

Empty.

He sat up abruptly. The light roots around him still flowed quietly, but Sprout was nowhere to be seen. It wasn't until he turned around that he spotted that familiar figure at the edge of the light domain—Sprout 12 was standing alone in front of the outer, tattered barrier, its branches and leaves trembling in the wind, its back looking particularly lonely.

237 felt a slight tightening in his chest.

He walked over in silence, each step feeling like a heavy stone pressing on his chest. He felt the lingering alienation from last night—fear flashed in Ya Dou's eyes as she looked at him. That scene, like a thorn, still pierced his heart.

"Bean sprouts..."

He spoke tentatively, his voice very soft.

Bean Sprout 12 didn't look back; its branches and leaves continued to droop. Only the wind blew by, carrying a faint whisper:

"You're awake."

Just two short words, devoid of warmth.

237 stopped, his fingers unconsciously tightening. Countless words welled up in his throat, but all of them turned into silence when he uttered them. He wanted to explain his choice last night, to say that it was for survival, to say that he had not completely succumbed to the darkness... but he knew that those words might just be excuses to Ya Dou.

"I will not let the shadows devour me."

He finally said it.

Sprout 12 finally turned her head, her eyes filled with complex emotions. There was worry, doubt, and an almost unbearable pain in them.

"Your 'no' and your 'must accept' are the same thing in my opinion."

Ya Dou's voice was low and deep, as if it had been torn apart.

"237, what I'm afraid of isn't the enemy... it's you."

These words struck 237 like a heavy blow to the heart. He instinctively reached out to grab Ya Dou, but stopped before he could touch her.

After a long silence, he finally spoke in a low voice:

"What would you do if one day... I really became the person you're afraid of?"

Sprout 12 remained silent. The wind howled between them, as if to forever bury any answer.

Finally, he slowly reached out and placed his hand on the branches and leaves of 237, his movements so light they were almost trembling.

"By then—"

His voice was so soft it was almost carried away by the wind.

"I will stay with you until the very last moment."

237's pupils suddenly constricted, and an indescribable tremor surged in his chest.

That wasn't a promise, but a vow bordering on despair.

The swirling mist at the edge of the light domain hinted at an approaching new threat. But at that moment, 237 could only hear the roar of his own heartbeat within his body.

For the first time, he realized with such clarity that Sprout 12 was not merely a guardian, but the fulcrum of his existence.

Losing him is worse than falling into darkness.

The gray fog churned, like a giant beast that had been sleeping for a long time finally opening its eyes.

A low tremor echoed from the edge of the desolate plains. The armored vine beasts of Shattered Shell Ridge were the first to break through the mist, their bodies covered in layers of black armor plates, each step like a hammer pounding the earth. Close behind were the water veins of the Tide Lotus Alliance, gushing forth from cracks in the ground like rotting blood, winding their way towards the foundations of the Light Domain. Further away, the "shadow buds" of the Shadow Vine, like black embers, drifted silently in the wind, attempting to infiltrate the remnants of the barrier.

This time, it's not a test.

This is hunting.

Seed 237 stood in the center of the light field, radiance bursting forth from his body, yet still mixed with a trace of barely perceptible darkness. He stared intently at the approaching figures, the light within his chest pulsating rapidly.

In front of him, Sprout 12 stood ramrod straight.

He did not retreat, but instead went to meet them. The branches and leaves were sharp as spears, and the pods vibrated in the wind, making a crisp sound.

237.

Ya Dou's voice was deep, yet incredibly clear.

"You don't need to say anything. As long as you're still here... I will fight to the very end."

Having said that, his figure suddenly transformed into a swift shadow, rushing straight towards the armored vine beast at the forefront. The pods burst open, and sharp seeds shot out, accurately striking the armored vine beast's joints. The giant beast roared angrily, its massive body staggering backward.

The water vein surged forward, the black swamp liquid splashing towards the light barrier. Sprout Bean unfurled its twelve branches and leaves, forcefully splitting through the swamp liquid. Even as the branches were corroded and sizzled, it did not retreat an inch.

237 His chest tightened suddenly.

He could see that the sprout wasn't sustaining itself with strength, but burning with its life force. Its branches and leaves transformed into sharp pods time and again, while its body gradually dimmed.

"don't want!"

237 growled, and the brilliance suddenly exploded.

Countless rays of light surged from the earth, forming barriers that barely withstood the onslaught of the tide. A violent tearing sensation coursed through his body, and a shadowy whisper seized the opportunity to speak:

"Let go... You want to protect him? Then use my power! If you hesitate, he will die before your eyes!"

237 gritted his teeth, his eyes flashing with a frenzied interplay of light and darkness.

Sprout 12's figure came into his view again. Even with its branches and leaves scorched and roots trembling, it still stood firmly in front of the light field, using its body to block the enemy's attack.

"I will stay with you until the very last moment."

The words that Ya Dou had once said echoed in his mind like thunder.

He couldn't let the sprout's "last moment" arrive.

Seed 237 suddenly opened its arms, and light and darkness collided violently within its body.

Light surged skyward, while shadows simultaneously transformed into sharp blades. For the first time, the contradictory forces ceased to tear each other apart, but instead intertwined and converged under his will.

In an instant, the entire light domain erupted with unprecedented brilliance and shadow.

At that moment, the colossal beasts of Shattered Shell Ridge roared, the waters of the Tide Swamp overflowed, and Shadow Bud screamed as it burned to ashes. The earth rumbled, as if a cycle of destruction and rebirth was about to begin.

At the very front, Sprout 12 turned around and met 237's gaze.

In that instant, he seemed to see a being that was no longer an "embryo".

An heir who can stand shoulder to shoulder with the mother tree.