Chapter 338

Chapter 338: Planting the Third Little Tree

"How could…"

"This happen?"

Once more taking the form of a "middle-aged gentleman" within his domain, Barbatos rubbed his temples with his fingers.

His head ached!

And not just any ordinary headache.

The chessboard before him lay shattered beyond recognition.

It couldn’t even be called a losing position anymore—the board itself had been overturned.

When he learned of the failed Valaharl campaign… when he heard Walifer and six council members had perished… when he watched helplessly as the vacant sixth seat went to another… when the Border Dragons he’d hired at great cost were swept away one by one by the Ether Dragons…

Barbatos knew his so-called "plan" had been utterly crushed beneath the Giant God’s interlocking schemes.

"How did He accomplish this?!"

"Why does every plan of mine lag one step behind Him?!"

"Why do I always stumble into traps laid in advance?!"

"Coincidence?"

"Impossible…"

"A security breach?!"

"Not every operation could go wrong. And if it were merely leaked intelligence, the Giant God’s reactions would be impossibly swift."

"Unless…"

Barbatos covered his face.

He felt the Giant God transforming into an invisible great net, tightening around him—tighter and tighter!

Until complete, suffocating constriction.

No matter how he fought back, his resistance became a pitiful struggle, ending only in defeat.

"Unacceptable…"

"Continuing like this is absolutely unacceptable!"

"Therefore, the only path…"

Barbatos narrowed his eyes, resolve hardening.

"…is to make the Chaos Council take this seriously. Mobilize the entire Chaotic Forces!"

Previous conflicts could still be framed as a "private war" between Barbatos and the Giant God. Hindered by delays and obstruction, the Chaos Council had never declared the Giant God "Chaos’ Eternal Foe."

Meaning they’d fought limited wars—mere battles over a few Bubble Worlds.

But now, after seeing plan after plan shattered before the Giant God, Barbatos’ mindset shifted. No longer the "elegant chess player," he became an "obsessed anti-Giant God fanatic."

Any means necessary. Any cost justified. Destroy that bastard!

"This can no longer be my personal struggle against the Giant God. It must become the Chaos Council’s formal war against the Giant God forces!"

"I must use all resources, whether political, military, or even external support; everything must be mobilized!"

"In declaring the Giant God as our chaos’s ‘eternal enemy,’ we must be resolute!"

Thinking this, Barbatos no longer hesitated.

"Clap, clap!"

The First Demon God clapped his hands twice.

Several servants walked in.

Following his lead, his subordinate officials did the same.

Barbatos enjoyed dressing as a middle-aged gentleman noble, so they adopted the appearance of servants.

"Your Majesty, please give your orders."

Barbatos nodded at them.

"Act according to the plan."

"Our primary task is to push for the proposal designating the ‘Giant God’ as chaos’s ‘eternal enemy.’"

"The secondary task, easier to achieve, is allowing deities from the ‘Endless Ether’ to enter the Chaos Swamp Realm."

"I believe those tyrants are well aware of the Ether Dragons’ threat."

"Meanwhile, letting those monsters into the ‘Chaos Swamp Realm’ weakens Morax’s forces, killing two birds with one stone."

"Any questions?"

The subordinate officials dressed as servants glanced at each other.

Finally, one standing at the center bowed and said, "Great First Demon God."

"Recently, many anomalies occurred with the Fantasy Tree of Subspace."

"Multiple branches and trunks suffered severe corruption, even breakage."

"Should we allocate more resources at this time—"

"Boom—!"

The subordinate’s words were cut off by a deafening blast.

Barbatos raised his hand and smashed the chessboard before him to pieces.

"Do you not understand me?"

"Our absolute priority is dealing with the Giant God!"

"Other matters wait!"

"I’m not asking opinions—I’m giving orders!"

"Now, move!"

—-

"Ah—!"

"So sleepy…"

Trilobite trudged through the shallow "muddy water," yawning as he walked.

He nearly dropped the "branch" from his mouth.

This "branch" was something he’d snapped off around Themis while leaving Valaharl to patrol his "territory."

The large tree he’d planted in Themis and nourished with considerable Chaos Energy was now thriving, its roots continually expanding outward. Although the Ether Dragon still haunted the moat-like ditch surrounding Themis, it hadn’t halted the spread of life.

By the "ditch," Trilobite spotted a sapling that had spread there.

On a whim, he broke off a piece.

Later realizing this might not have been right, he ended up carrying it in his mouth.

After all, he had time to kill.

A predator’s life was actually quite dull and monotonous.

Each day mostly involved patrolling territory, marking it, hunting, eating, cleaning up, and sleeping. If it was breeding season, he added another task—fighting rivals for females.

Superficially, Trilobite’s routine wasn’t much different.

Just even more tedious—patrolling his "territory," hunting, eating.

As for females…

He had them!

Paper young ladies!

And they were interactive!

Anime girls weren’t way more fun than real people!?

Of course, he believed he had more important work—finding "conservation areas" and using the System to build a new ecosystem for them.

If possible, helping these needy creatures embark on the "unimagined path."

For this goal, Trilobite walked great distances every day, searching for new "conservation lake areas."

But often, he only found disappointment.

"Here…"

"What a waste…"

"Splash… splash…"

Trilobite passed a ruined "lake area"—specifically, an abandoned one.

He slowly churned the "silt" by the lakebank, uncovering structures of varying heights from the mud.

This place seemed to have once held numerous "anthill"-like structures; likely, some "small lives" had nested and thrived here.

The scale suggested a world full of vitality back then.

But now, no trace of those past inhabitants remained. Instead, darting "multi-finned fish" and "ancient lungfish" scurried everywhere.

The once relatively clear lake water had grown as murky as the outside; the previously deep water had silted up considerably and gave off a rotting smell.

Various messy "insects" buzzed over the lake, scattering instantly when they saw Trilobite approach.

On the islands along the lake shore and in the lake itself, one primordial scalebark tree and seed fern after another thrived and grew.

Perhaps soon, traces of this place once being a "conservation area" with "special creatures" would be completely erased by these trees, merging seamlessly with the surrounding swamp.

"Ah…"

"What a pity."

Trilobite sighed.

"How about…

We give the tree a ‘tombstone’ to remember it?"

"The trendiest thing now—tree burial!"

Thinking this, Trilobite dug a small hole, planted the "branch" he was holding on top of the abandoned "Nest," and then filled the soil back, making the branch stand.

"Hmm…"

"Just propping up a branch won’t work; if it doesn’t live, it’s not a ‘tree burial’."

【Ding——!】

【Do you wish to pour energy into the thing before you to make it live?】

【This will cost you 3000 points of Chaos Energy.】

"Oh, 3000 points."

"That’s nothing."

Trilobite, with over 800,000 points of Chaos Energy, felt very generous.

Then…

"Swish…"

The plain "branch" shook as life stirred.

But, its first move wasn’t to "sprout," but to…

"Hiss…"

Countless roots spread under the ground.

They quickly pierced those "Nests," touching the ancient tombs below.

"Buzz——!"

The Holy Light from the Sun glowed in the dark underground.

It kept sending energy down.

"Whoosh…"

A long-sealed coffin showed a small crack.

Eyes closed for a thousand years flickered with a dazed light.

Meanwhile, far off, near the "Endless Ether Realm," another being heard of this news.