The humanoid continued its relentless efforts for over two minutes, pushing against the shield's limits in a desperate bid to exhaust its durability before mana could replenish it. Eventually, it stopped, sitting down in resignation, mirroring Aron’s earlier decision.Rina, having defeated her opponent in just a minute, felt a mix of pride and caution. She had managed to showcase her prowess, a result of her dedicated focus on mastering magic, something she had selected as her official duty as the emperor's spouse.“How many minutes have passed since we left the palace?” Rina asked, her gaze fixed on the defeated humanoid.Despite her apparent victory, Rina remained wary. She knew this was only a fraction of what their enemies might be capable of. The information from the three tree folks on their side had made her acutely aware of the potential threats, so she stayed on high alert, awaiting confirmation from Aron that the situation was fully under control.{Nine minutes} Nova respo
This phase of the plan demanded minimal interference at the outset, as any significant disruption could jeopardize their objectives. The uncertainty surrounding how the remaining tree folks might respond to their actions added another layer of complexity. Anticipating potential obstacles, they had already devised strategies to deal with these powerful beings if necessary.And how do you handle three individuals who, if they interfere, could dismantle your entire plan? You create a dilemma for them, forcing them into a situation where they must choose between confronting you and jeopardizing their own interests or dealing with an immediate threat and allowing your plan to proceed, knowing full well they will pay the price later. It's a classic rock and a hard place scenario.And they had billions of lives to use as distractions to divert attention from their true intentions.…………….{Sir, the giants and dark elves have started attacking everyone else. What are your orders?} Nova reporte
As soon as the shield was completed, the two tree folks began absorbing mana from both the ocean and the atmosphere now that they didin’t have to worry about interference from anyone. Initially, the process was subtle, but it was quickly detected by those with advanced mana sensitivity, and they immediately came up with a hypothesis behind this action.“Looks like your magic system is designed for efficiency,” the humanoid remarked, still engaged in burning through Aron's shield. Despite their efforts, which had been ongoing for over seven minutes—a duration long enough to deplete the approximated amount of mana in the shields—Aron's shield remained intact. The humanoid could only conclude that the system’s efficiency was the reason for this anomaly. They hadn't considered that Aron might have a mana tank within him, enabling him to use magic even in areas devoid of ambient mana. This was thanks to his previous encounters and rapid attacks that had only utilized the surrounding mana
“Did you feel what I felt?” Oak asked, his voice tinged with unease. As the tremors and explosions shook the planet, some of his core roots had disintegrated under the intense heat and pressure, beyond what they could withstand despite their strength. For the first time in his existence, Oak felt a profound sense of danger—a sensation so foreign to him that he struggled to categorize it.“Although I’m not certain it’s exactly the same, I felt something too,” Mangrove responded, sharing in the unsettling sensation. Like Oak, some of his roots had also disintegrated, but the feeling they both experienced wasn’t merely a reaction to the damage. It was something deeper, something far more disconcerting, and it left Mangrove with a growing sense of unease.“But we’ve experienced earthquakes before—what’s different about this one?” Oak asked, trying to make sense of the unfamiliar feeling. “Other than the loss of some of our core roots, which isn’t too significant considering the end goal.”
Hovering above the massive cylindrical shield, Aron glanced at the timer Nova had projected for him. Only seventy-three seconds remained."Let's do it one more time," Aron muttered to himself. With determined precision, he moved the shield to a location near the previous one, preparing to unleash another massive nuke within the shield, intending to shake the entire planet once more.Just as Aron was about to begin feeding mana into the fire rune for another massive attack, thousands of magic cycles materialized around him. Each one was targeting him with a different type of attack, showcasing the full extent of the tree folks' power when focused on a single target.“That too can act as one,” Aron responded calmly, his demeanor unshaken as the myriad of magic cycles closed in on him, unleashing every conceivable type of attack from the magic system taught to the Proximians.“Let’s make it a worthy final act,” Aron said, resolutely choosing not to rely on his overgeared shield. Instead,
Without hesitation, Aron conjured a screen within the timeless meadow, a space that functioned much like VR but was crafted from pure mana and guided by thought, allowing him to materialize anything he envisioned within it effortlessly.On the screen, scenes played out, showing Aron entering the cylinder shield and attempting to sever the roots with his swords, only to be swiftly struck down by one of the roots. The perspective then shifted to the viewpoint of the sword itself, revealing one of the core roots being used to form a humanoid figure. This figure approached, picked up the sword, ascended from the ocean, and deliberately shattered the sword before letting the fragments fall into the water.As the pieces descended to the ocean floor, they gradually disintegrated into microscopic fragments, invisible to the naked eye. These nanomachines spread out across a hundred-kilometer radius, infiltrating various roots. The infiltration process was executed with precision and went compl
Before the discussion could proceed further, Aron swiftly created three runic contracts outlining the rules for using the system within their bodies. After signing them, he handed each tree folk their respective contract to review and sign. They did so quickly, as the fear of him changing his mind and activating the system prompted them to act fast once they confirmed that the contracts posed no threat.The two traitors, who had been silently observing everything within the timeless meadow while being unable to speak or react due to Aron’s interference, expressed their frustration and shock through their eyes.Aron, having dealt with the primary concerns, then turned his attention to them. “Now that we have established the necessary terms for trust,” he said, addressing the traitors directly, “we can move on to your matters.”“What are you going to do with us? Now that you can control our bodies, are you planning to make us your slaves?” Oak asked, his tone and expression attempting t
"See you later," Aron said with a casual wave to Crabapple, Birch, and Cypress, before vanishing from the timeless meadow.They had finally concluded their meeting, which had lasted more than a day, meticulously finalizing every detail of the handover process. Surprisingly, the tree folks didn’t contest the handover at all and instead directed their attention toward the next phase.Since their children would be treated as ordinary imperial citizens, that part of the process was relatively quick. What consumed the most time, however, was determining the fate of the tree folks themselves—what classification they would fall under and what rules they would be governed by moving forward.After lengthy discussions, they agreed that the tree folks would be classified as "special entities." Under this status, they would have the freedom to do as they wished, provided they did not break the imperial constitution and sought prior approval from the emperor for major matters. Additionally, they w