Eternal Undying Chronicles

Chapter 170 Multi-Casting

The treant, a creature summoned and bound with dark magic, had been called forth from the desolate wastelands of the demiplane. Its purpose was simple: to carry out the ruthless bidding of the witches who had conjured it.

However, as it faced Alicarde, the treant's frustration grew. It had obliterated him, reduced him to less than ash, yet here he stood, seemingly unfazed, his body whole without a single drop of blood left behind.

Roaring in fury, the treant seized him in its enormous, twisting roots and hurled him into the ground with bone-shaking force. Yet, to its shock and disgust, Alicarde only laughed—a dark, mocking laugh. As he lay pinned, his shattered lower limbs began to regenerate, sinews and bone knitting back together until his legs were as good as new. Even his attire, torn and ravaged, reformed seamlessly, as if it, too, was part of his indestructible body.

The treant opened its cavernous maw, its eyes blazing as it charged another beam of raw destruction. Roots thick as trunks pinned Alicarde down, coiling tighter around his body. But in response, his violet eyes narrowed, their depths glinting with cold malice.

"Getting tired, are you?" he mocked, his tone laced with an eerie calm. "Yeah, me too… These fast-paced battles really do get the heart racing, but all good things must come to an end. Such a shame, isn't it?"

With an almost casual gesture, Alicarde moved his hand to grasp one of the treant's colossal roots. He grinned, a sinister expression spreading across his face.

"You're made of plants, aren't you? Just my luck—I happen to know a spell that's perfect for this."

From his fingertips, Alicarde unleashed a torrent of magic, channeling it directly into the treant's root. He began to chant, his voice carrying an ancient power.

"Seed to sprout, vine to tree,

Roots entwine, wild and free.

Nature's wrath, unleashed decree,

Flourish forth—Verdance."

As the final words left his lips, the treant felt a foreign presence within its body. Something green and alive began to spread, starting from the root Alicarde held.

At first, it was barely noticeable—a tiny sprout, harmless in appearance. But that sprout held Alicarde's potent, undying mana, and soon, it bloomed with an unstoppable force, its tendrils and vines spiraling outward with rapid ferocity.

The treant's wooden form trembled as these new vines burrowed into its bark, twisting and snaking through its body, embedding themselves deeper with each second. Green tendrils sprouted from every crevice, wrapping around the treant's massive limbs and stretching toward its crown.

The invasive plants spread relentlessly, spearing through its branches, rooting into its core, and coiling around its limbs in a vice-like grip.

They grew upwards, crawling along its torso and around its neck until they reached its face, finally snaking into its mouth and eyes.

As the treant writhed, struggling in vain to regain control, Alicarde rose to his feet, brushing dust from his now-restored vestments.

"That," he said, smirking as he watched his handiwork, "is Verdance—a nature-based spell. Whoever said you can't fight fire with fire, or in this case, plant with plant?"

He stepped forward, his violet eyes blazing with the thrill of victory.

"Now, it's time to end this."

Alicarde dashed up the treant's enormous form, each step swift and sure as he ascended. His hand shot up toward the sky as he began his incantation, his voice resonating with a fierce, commanding energy:

"Steel to flame, ignite and burn,

From cold iron, let fire churn.

Let embers spurn, flames burn,

Pierce the night, make darkness turn.

In burning light, shadows torn,

Wrath of fire, none shall spurn,

Scorch all—Blazing Edge."

As he spoke the final words, the darkened sky above blazed to life, igniting with a myriad of flaming swords that hovered in place, each one glowing red-hot, casting their fiery light over the battleground. They hung ominously, like an army of celestial weapons awaiting his command.

Undeterred, Alicarde continued sprinting up the treant's massive, bark-covered body, his feet barely touching the surface before he vaulted over jutting roots and broken branches.

The treant roared in anger, struggling against the vines that bound it, its colossal roots thrashing wildly in a desperate attempt to shake him off. Alicarde could feel the pull of his Verdance spell as it seeped deeper into the treant's roots, spreading his mana further inside the creature—a crucial advantage for what he planned next.

He pushed forward, performing agile parkour moves with remarkable ease, weaving through the chaotic flurry of roots that lunged to ensnare him. He dodged to the side, sliding down a slanted trunk, then leaping up with a roll before bounding over the gaps between branches. Every motion was fluid, his focus razor-sharp as he neared the creature's head.

The roots from his Verdance spell continued their relentless spread, coiling deeper within the treant's body, all while Alicarde climbed higher. His breath quickened, his limbs felt the burn, but he pressed on, ignoring the strain as he reached its face.

Above him, the flaming swords still lingered, painting the heavens in a red glow that cast flickering shadows across the battlefield. Each blade shimmered, a searing promise of destruction, waiting to be unleashed.

Alicarde felt his vision blur for a moment, his mind reeling. He was nearing his limits—his mana reserves stretched thin. Even his usual abilities like [Flux Field] were beyond reach now. But he didn't falter.

He finally reached the treant's head, and with a steely resolve, he extended his hand, blood trickling from his nose and ears as he forced himself to cast one last spell.

"Breath of cold, crystal clear,

Bitter chill, draw winter near.

Freeze the ground, let ice come here,

Silent frost, instill their fear.

Still the blood, shatter, sear,

Banish warmth, make all sheer,

Freeze all—Crystal Frost."

The roots, woven throughout the treant's body by his Verdance spell, allowed his mana to flow seamlessly into the creature's core. Ice began to spread, first coating the roots, then quickly enveloping the entire body of the treant.

Thick layers of frost crept along its towering limbs, transforming the treant into a colossal frozen statue. Every branch, every root, and even its gaping maw froze solid, encased in crystal-clear ice.

Without hesitation, Alicarde threw his head back and roared, "Fall, Blazing Edge!"

The sky answered his command as the countless flaming swords plummeted in a brilliant torrent. They crashed into the frozen treant like a fiery storm, the ice shattering into a thousand shards upon impact.

Each sword struck with devastating precision, sending explosions of ice and fire scattering across the battlefield, the heat from the blades melting the shards mid-air, creating a cloud of steam that obscured the treant's form.

Alicarde watched with a satisfied grin as chunks of ice fell from the treant's splintered body.

"If I can't find your core," he breathed, his voice laced with grim determination, "then I'll just have to break all of you."

He staggered, gasping for breath, the adrenaline finally beginning to fade.