Chapter 142
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Chapter 142: City of Infection
The entire Belmar trembled.
Under the traction of the newborn Tree of Life, the dragon vein’s path shifted instantly. This abrupt change in magic flow reversed course through major branches, altering every magic vein across Belmar.
Some regions suddenly blossomed with birdsong and flowers.
Others transformed into frozen wastelands battered by fierce winds.
Areas surged with magic became ideal training grounds, while neighboring zones turned magic-barren overnight – places where even basic skills couldn’t be cast.
All consequences stemmed from the Tree of Life’s influence.
The capital Hertonmar, mere hundred kilometers away, bore the brunt. The ancient Tree of Life that had protected this land for centuries shook with fury. Countless roots erupted from earth, encircling the newborn Tree of Life in full encirclement.
Thus began the clash between two titans beyond mortal comprehension.
Underground, their roots tangled in endless combat – twisting, striking, consuming.
Using overwhelming vitality, they wrestled for control of dragon veins and magic dominance nationwide.
Their conflicting magic arrays lit the sky with serpentine lightning. Emerald leaves burned to ash under electric fury, only to regrow repeatedly in endless cycles.
Midi’s Tree of Life, young and unstable, quickly fell into defensive posture. Meanwhile, Hertonmar’s ancient tree pressed its advantage, determined to eradicate the upstart.
Yet this stalemate suited Midi perfectly.
Such battles between Trees spanned months. Even his sapling could hold out half a year. He only needed one opening – a moment when the Nibelungen Dragon Sealing Array faltered.
With Belmar’s Tree entirely focused on suppressing its rival, the Pretenders couldn’t wield its power. The mortal war became irrelevant, clearing Hertonmar’s path.
Now Midi simply needed to unmask the true mastermind.
And end this civil war.
Midi locked eyes with Fina and Alice. A shared nod passed between them.
"By authority of Hawk Brigade’s commander," the red-haired girl declared, voice cutting through tension, "I decree our new mission – liberate Hertonmar!"
Across lifetimes, Midi remembered Hertonmar as peaceful haven.
Its streets once teemed with commoner scholars, rowdy nobles, busy merchants, dutiful knights, and adventurers of every stripe. Four times daily, the central square’s clock tower chimed – nine, noon, three, nine – orchestrating the city’s heartbeat.
This was Hertonmar: sanctuary, home, bastion of safety.
Now transformed.
The Nibelungen Array’s shift from shield to sword, combined with Pretenders seizing Dawn Garden’s Tree of Life, had warped everything.
Clammy fog draped the city like Alice’s Fog Demon incarnate – vision-blurring, skin-crawling with acidic dampness.
Deserted streets defied the city’s population. Yet Hawk Brigade members felt hidden eyes tracking them from alleys, side lanes, and cracked windows.
Geography itself twisted.
The central square’s fountain now gaped as festering swamp, bubbling green sludge reeking of rot – impassable nightmare.
Buildings morphed into alien structures resembling monster dens more than human dwellings.
This was Hertonmar’s new face.
"All forces," Midi commanded, gaze fixed on the fog-veiled Tree of Life, "attack Dawn Garden."
The adventurers of the Hawk Brigade silently coordinated into numerous small teams, spreading out from the central thoroughfare to both sides. This marked an entirely new form of urban warfare.
Traditional armies relying on numbers and formation would struggle when divided into ten-member units, as low-level soldiers gained little advantage through fragmentation. But the Hawk Brigade differed fundamentally – these adventurers were veterans of small-team operations. Far surpassing ordinary soldiers in level, they possessed natural instincts for class synergy and skill coordination, making them oddly suited for navigating this monster-infested death trap of a city.
The only deviation now was that each team didn’t operate independently. Though scattered like pearls, they remained connected through an invisible network all pointing toward one objective: the Dawn Garden at the base of the Tree of Life’s "Branch of Yggdrasil."
Detecting this coordinated advance, shadowy creatures under the Pretenders’ command stirred within the mist. One adventurer team charged down a wide street – an elite vanguard led by Dickson, the bald level 40 Paladin and former commander of the Iron Blood Mercenary Corps. His intimidating appearance and tower shield that could cover his entire frame made enemies reconsider direct confrontation. Behind him marched Demon Swordmen flanked by martial artists and clerics – a deliberately assembled tough unit Midi had chosen as spearhead.
They soon met towering shadows materializing from fog – werewolves standing over two meters tall. The leader’s night-black fur rippled over corded muscles, dagger-like fangs glinting as he growled "Kill!"
Both forces collided instantly. The Hawk Brigade’s ten fighters formed defensive positions with flawless teamwork while the werewolves darted like living afterimages, concentrating attacks on single targets. Blades flashed like lightning – within moments, the werewolf leader lost an arm to Dickson’s strike. Instead of raging, the creature calmly retrieved its severed limb with a tail-swipe and reattached it before withdrawing with a sneer.
"Ridiculous…" a Demon Swordman began, then gasped as minor scratches erupted with pain. All bleeding adventurers doubled over despite healed wounds, even iron-willed Dickson dripping cold sweat. Though repelling enemies without casualties, this elite team now stood immobilized.
Similar scenes unfolded across Hertonmar. Ranged units battling vampire-led bat swarms found themselves drenched in corpse-blood bringing agony. Others faced rat tides or zombies occupying abandoned buildings. Every wound from these twisted creatures brought debilitating pain.
From his treetop citadel, the black-robed elder gazed down contemptuously. "Fools! To challenge us favored by Destruction and Chaos! Watch your forces, comrades and lovers become my servants through Blood Curse and Kazan’s Plague!" His saw-like laughter shook the tree mansion’s branches.
