I was Alraune, a young girl-shaped plant monster.
I was currently soaring over the forest, carried by Little Witch in her white bird form.
A massive army of trolls marching through the woods below caught my eye.
There had to be at least a hundred of them.
Seeing the sight, Fairy Kiri cried out in a panicked voice.
"Those trolls must be heading for the Sanctuary! We have to get to Lady Dryades quickly!"
Little Witch followed Kiri’s directions, banking across the forest sky.
After a short while, we arrived directly above the Sanctuary.
There, I saw a massive monster stationed right at the Sanctuary's entrance.
It was a blue dragon, roughly the size of a two-story house.
It was quite large.
But to my surprise, a Clone Dryades was growing right out of the dragon's head.
It looked as though the upper half of a Clone Dryades had been fused directly into the dragon’s body.
She was likely one of the Three Spirit Beasts under Big Sister Dryades’s command.
However, while the subordinate was present, Big Sister Dryades herself was nowhere to be seen.
I wondered where on earth she had gone.
"Hey, Kiri... do you think... Big Sister Dryades... is already inside... the Sanctuary?"
"That’s impossible. I'm the only one who can pass through the Sanctuary Barrier. It’s so secure that no other fairy can enter unless Lady Dryades opens the way from the inside."
"Is there... no other way... to get in?"
"It could be forced open if someone took enough time, but I don't see any signs of that here."
If that was the case, then perhaps Big Sister Dryades had headed for the city instead.
The city had seemed like a scene of pure agony, so it was a distinct possibility.
Regardless, I couldn't have the Sanctuary entrance occupied like this. I decided it was time to ask this Spirit Beast to take her leave.
Compared to Toro-ko, the Troll Dryades, this Dragon Dryades felt like she was on a completely different level of strength.
This would be my first time fighting a dragon since I became an Alraune and faced the Flame Dragon Lord.
She probably wasn't as powerful as the Flame Dragon Lord, but dragons were still overwhelmingly superior to almost any other monster.
In this young girl form, things were going to be difficult.
I needed a power-up!
"Kiri... can you... go and get... 'that thing'... I gave you?"
"Leave it to me!"
I couldn't just leave the Dragon Dryades standing in front of the Sanctuary, so I had to do something.
To make that happen, I needed to buy enough time for Kiri to return.
"Little Witch... please look after... Kiri."
"Alraune... be careful."
I jumped down from the white bird.
Little Witch carried Kiri and flew off toward our destination.
They were going to fetch a certain item meant specifically for me.
Please, come back as fast as you can.
As I plummeted toward the ground, I extended my roots into the soil.
Now, I was ready to fight at a moment's notice!
"Well now... if it isn't the Alraune. I wonder what you're doing here?"
The Dragon Dryades seemed to have noticed me.
Her name was a bit of a mouthful.
Since she was a Dragon Dryades, I decided to just call her Dora-ko.
"I am... the Guardian of the Forest. I won't... let you... have your way!"
"From the looks of things, I suppose that one at the Demon King's Castle was defeated. Imagine losing to a mere Alraune... she was a total failure as one of the Three Spirit Beasts."
Three trolls emerged from around Dora-ko.
It seemed she had lackeys with her as well.
But then, those trolls did something unforgivable.
They began using their clubs to smash a familiar withered tree.
There was no mistaking that withered tree—it was my little sister-figure, Amazoness Treant!
Amazoness Treant had been struck down and was on the verge of being pulverized.
"How dare you... do that to... my little sister...!"
"Oh? So this withered tree really was an ally of yours. It tried to defend the Sanctuary, so I had my boys take it down."
She had been protecting the Sanctuary in my stead.
She had done a fine job as my little sister.
In that case, I had to save her after she worked so hard!
I used eucalyptus to ignite my vines, creating a Flame Vine.
Trolls were weak to fire; one hit should have been enough.
But as I prepared to lash out at the trolls with my Flame Vine, Dora-ko muttered with a smirk.
"Useless. Rain Cloud Creation (Regenwolke)."
A mass of blue magical energy shot from Dora-ko's body into the sky.
Instantly, the rain that had been falling grew significantly heavier.
The torrential downpour extinguished the flames on my Flame Vine in a heartbeat.
"Don't tell me... that was... a rain-calling... spell?"
"Correct. It's a composite spell combining Spirit Magic to manipulate nature with the power of this Aqua Dragon. I made sure to neutralize the trolls' weakness in advance."
It had been raining in this area since yesterday.
It turned out Dora-ko had been the one behind it all.
Praying for rain was quite an impressive feat.
But I didn't want her acting superior because of it.
I had prayed for rain before, too.
After all, I was the forest's very own Rain-making Shrine Maiden!
If it had come to this, I had no choice but to take Dora-ko down first.
I launched a preemptive strike.
Go, Poison Briar Whip!
"Also useless. Ultra-high-pressure Water Cannon (Wasserschneidemesser)."
A laser-like blade of water erupted from the dragon's maw.
My briars were instantly minced into tiny pieces.
I see—the ultra-high-pressure water had sliced right through them.
I had assumed that as a plant, all water would be beneficial or neutralized, but this method was a shock.
"A plant's attack really is a pathetic thing, isn't it? There's no way a flower could ever rival a dragon."
"Then... how about... this?"
I released a cloud of toxic pollen.
However, the heavy rain washed it away before it could even reach Dora-ko.
The rain was getting in my way!
I loved the water, but I really wished it would restrain itself for a moment.
Regardless, this was all within my expectations.
That last attack had been a diversion.
I extended my poison briars toward Dora-ko from beneath the earth.
I had secretly tunneled through the soil, positioning the poison briars right under her feet.
The briars coiled around Dora-ko's legs.
No matter how much of a dragon she was, my poison wouldn't leave her unscathed!
"Poison is also useless. Vergissmeinnicht-sama has granted me a body that is completely immune to toxins."
—N-no way.
"An Alraune can't leave the ground, can she? In that case, wouldn't it be fun to see the world for a bit?"
Dora-ko yanked on the poison briars with all her might.
Tugged by the briars, my roots were snapped right out of the soil.
"Ah...!"
My body was flung into the air.
Back when I was an Adult Alraune, I had enough strength to grapple with Kuma-papa, but with these young girl roots, I was a lightweight—plucked as easily as a common weed.
"Ultra-high-pressure Water Cannon (Wasserschneidemesser)."
"Ugyaa!"
Dora-ko's water laser punched a hole straight through my bulb.
My digestive fluid began leaking out of my body.
As I crashed to the ground, Dora-ko fired another water laser.
This time, my corolla was sliced in half.
Ugh, how dare she do that to my beautiful, proud red petals!
While I was struggling to dig my roots back into the earth, another water laser flew my way.
I quickly formed a Vine Shield, but it was futile.
The beam pierced the vines and carved a circular hole right through my human chest.
My severed vine bra fell to the ground.
I stared at the gaping hole in my own chest.
Thanks to the water pressure, yellow nectar was leaking from the puncture wound.
—It wasn't... blood.
That’s right. I wasn't human anymore.
I was a plant monster; even if a hole was punched through me, blood would never flow.
"At the end of the day, you're just a plant. You could never win against a dragon."
She was right; her raw destructive power was on a completely different level.
Of all the enemies I had faced, she felt like the strongest after the Flame Dragon Lord.
"Let's end this. Double Ultra-high-pressure Water Cannon (Zweifachwasserschneidemesser)."
I threw up another Vine Shield, but it was obliterated in an instant.
I felt something cold cross through my human abdomen and the lower section of my bulb.
"You're... joking... right...?"
My body had been sliced horizontally by the two water lasers.
My frame collapsed to the ground in separate pieces.
With everything below my bulb left behind, I had effectively been filleted into three slabs.
I had been killed.
The last thing I heard was Dora-ko's grating, high-pitched laughter.
My vision went dark.
My hearing failed.
Yet, strangely, my consciousness remained.
I had thought I was dead, but I was still alive.
It wasn't over yet...!
I cast Super Recovery Magic on what remained of my body.
Using Light Magic and the massive amount of moisture provided by the heavy rain, I forced my body to rapidly grow and regenerate.
The chlorophyll in my body began to pulse with life.
My halved bulb was restored, and from it, the pistil—my human half—grew back.
My crimson corolla and fresh green leaves returned to exactly how they were.
I successfully restored myself to my original Young Girl Alraune form!
"Impossible... I know I sliced your body apart! What is that regeneration...?"
Dora-ko stared at me, her mouth agape.
For the first time, I saw her composure break, replaced by a flickering sense of awe and fear.
Listen well, Miss Dora-ko.
As long as the roots remain, a plant can always regrow.
That’s true for even the smallest piece of greenery.
The plants you look down upon can do things that defy the common sense of animals.
You're a spirit, yet you fused with a dragon and forgot such a simple thing.
In that case, let me remind you.
I'll show you exactly what it means to be a plant monster.