Chapter 57
Sprout 12 clung tightly to Seed 237, pouring its meager yet pure light energy into the latter's chaotic body without regard for the cost. The light was like a spark thrown into a raging sea of ink, instantly swallowed up by the surging shadows, but a very faint wisp stubbornly pierced through the barrier and touched the flickering, almost extinguished source deep within 237's core.
“Come back…please…” Sprout12’s voice broke, filled with desperate sobs, but even more so with an undeniable firmness, “I’m here! I never left!”
Seed 237's body convulsed and twitched violently. The expression on his face changed at an alarming speed, sometimes ferocious and violent, emitting a dark roar that did not belong to him; sometimes painful and confused, those familiar pupils briefly reappearing, reflecting the resolute face of Sprout 12.
“...Pain…” A faint sound, his own, squeezed out through his teeth.
"I know! Hang in there!" Sprout12 could feel the terrible tug-of-war within 237's body, the source of light being torn apart by darkness. His injection was like providing the last bit of oxygen to that dying ember.
The Shadow Parasite sensed a threat, especially from Sprout 12's persistent, powerful light energy, which it found extremely repulsive. It harnessed 237's power and retaliated with even greater ferocity.
Dark, corrosive energy tentacles pierced out from 237's body and plunged fiercely into Sprout 12!
Pfft!
Sprout 12 let out a muffled groan as his leaves were pierced and luminous liquid seeped out. But he gritted his teeth and not only did not loosen his grip, but he also tightened his grip even more! He would not back down even as those shadowy tentacles pierced his body and drained his light energy!
This is an embrace that is almost suicidal.
He was betting everything on the indelible bond deep within 237's heart.
“Look… he’s even… hurting you…” Shadow used 237’s mouth to utter a hoarse taunt, trying to break down Sprout 12’s will.
Sprout 12 spat out a mouthful of contaminated light liquid, but then laughed. The laugh was both incredibly shrill and incredibly bright at that moment: "So what?! As long as it's you... 237... even if I'm devoured by you... I'll accept it!"
These words, like a final, heavy hammer blow, shattered the hard, dark shell that 237 had built up inside him.
The shadow tentacles that had pierced into Sprout 12's body trembled violently, and then contracted sharply as if they had been scalded!
The darkness in Seed 237's eyes receded like a tide, revealing a brief, clear clarity filled with helplessness and shock.
“Sprout…bean…” He saw his companion, wounded by his own power, and saw the branches that stubbornly embraced him even as darkness corrupted them. The immense pain, originating from his very core, instantly overwhelmed the false pleasure brought by the shadows.
"No—!" This time, it was his own roar, filled with regret and fear.
In that instant of clarity, he made an instinctive choice—not to attack, not to defend, but to... cut off!
He forcibly severed most of the connection between his own energy and the outside world (including Sprout 12 and the light root under his feet), especially the shadow part that was frantically absorbing and polluting everything!
puff--!
As if severing his own meridians, Seed 237 suddenly spat out a mouthful of dark purple, foul-smelling energy blood. The surging, dark energy around him abruptly diminished and became chaotic, as if it had lost its source. The clarity in his eyes was once again covered by intense pain and weakness, and his body slumped down.
But it was precisely because of this sudden energy interruption that the shadow tentacles that had pierced into Sprout 12's body instantly disintegrated and disappeared.
As Sprout 12 felt the pressure ease, disregarding his own injuries, he immediately poured even more light energy into 237's body, guiding his faint primal light to fight against the remaining shadows that had begun to instinctively backfire after losing their dominance.
The two collapsed onto the charred and broken ground, enveloped in chaotic energy dust, their breaths extremely weak.
However, the hunters from the outside world will not give them a chance to breathe.
The very next second after the energy fluctuations within the light domain suddenly plummeted due to 237's self-destruction—
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several powerful auras, like ghosts, rushed in through the gap in the Shadow Vine Net that had been accidentally blown open by 237!
The elite Armor Vine warriors of Shattered Shell Ridge landed with a thud, like heavy warhammers, causing the ground to crack again; the Water Vein Messenger of the Tide Swamp Lotus Alliance silently appeared, surrounded by viscous swamp sap spheres that emitted a corrosive acidic smell; the assassins of the Shadow Vine Alliance, like true shadows, flowed along the ground, instantly dispersing and beginning to reweave a smaller but more intense isolation network, clearly intending to take this opportunity to completely trap the core of the Light Domain.
They have been waiting, waiting for chaos to break out in the Light Domain, waiting for the strongest guardian (237) to lose its threat.
And now, the time has come.
"Looks like the curtain has fallen." A leader of the Shattered Shell Ridge Vine Warriors let out a muffled laugh, his massive vine-armored arms pointing at 237 and Sprout lying on the ground. "Grab them. Especially that seed... the power within him is quite interesting."
Several soldiers immediately moved forward.
Sprout12 felt a chill in his heart. He tried to stand up and shield 237 behind him, but the exertion and injuries he had just sustained were too severe, and his light had dimmed to the point of almost being extinguished.
Is this... the end?
Just as the enemy's hand was about to touch them—
Mutation and regeneration!
The ground of the light domain, which had become dim due to the scorched and cracked wounds caused by 237 severing the connection, suddenly began to emanate faint but incredibly pure golden light!
These lights did not come from 237 or Sprout, but from deeper underground, from the depths of land that was corrupted by shadows and seemed dead!
As if the soil had been "plowed" by the violent shadow energy before 237, and then stirred by the brilliance of Sprout 12 sacrificing itself to purify its companions, the deeper, buried, true, remaining power of the mother tree was unexpectedly unleashed!
Buzz...
A deep, ancient, yet undeniably majestic hum resounded from the depths of the earth.
The golden light spots that seeped out quickly converged, transforming into gentle yet resilient ripples of light that spread outwards from 237 and Sprout Bean as the center!
"What?!"
"The power of the Mother Tree?! Wasn't it already exhausted?!"
The approaching warriors from the three alliances were struck by the sudden ripple of light and were instantly hit as if by a heavy blow! The heavy vine armor of the Armored Vine Warriors sizzled as it was burned, the swamp liquid of the Water Vein Messenger was instantly purified and evaporated, and the shadow of the Shadow Vine Assassin melted away as if it had encountered the blazing sun!
They retreated in horror, staring incredulously at the ever-growing golden light on the ground.
These rays of light gently enveloped the dying 237 and Sprout 12, like a mother's hand, slowly healing their wounds and replenishing their depleted strength, faint yet continuous.
More importantly, this pure residual power of the mother tree had a strong suppressive and purifying effect on the chaotic residual shadows within 237's body!
Seed 237 let out a comfortable groan while unconscious, and the dark aura around it was further forced back and purified.
Sprout 12 was both surprised and delighted. Feeling the long-lost warmth emanating from the ground beneath his feet, he almost burst into tears.
A miraculous escape!
However, this miraculous recovery thoroughly enraged the tripartite alliance.
"A desperate struggle!" the envoy of the Tide Lotus Alliance shrieked. "Attack together! Crush them completely! We cannot allow the power of the Mother Tree to have any chance of revival!"
More enemies poured in through the breach. They no longer underestimated it, but were prepared to launch a full-scale attack to completely wipe out the core of the light domain along with this unexpected hope!
The golden halo contrasted sharply with the malevolent black tide surging from the outside.
Sprout 12 held the unconscious 237 tightly, standing on the revitalized core of the light domain. Although he was still covered in wounds, his eyes had become incredibly determined.
Though hope is faint, it has already begun to shine.
He raised his head, looked at the surging enemy, and made his final decision.
He wanted to completely connect himself with the power of this revitalized mother tree, and even if he burned out, he would protect this last spark and the 237 in his arms until the very last moment.
The final, desperate battle has begun.
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