I was Alraune, a plant-monster girl.
Currently, I was in a dire situation, about to be forcibly pollinated by Lady Younger Sister Dryades. I clamped my mouth shut and resisted with everything I had. I was feeling pretty desperate right then.
After all, I was taking on both the Big Sister and Younger Sister Dryades at the same time. On one hand, my own vines were locked in a fierce struggle with Lady Younger Sister Dryades’s, fighting to keep her from prying my mouth open. On the other, my own gajumaru were pushing back with everything they had against Big Sister Dryades’s trees as they closed in for the kill.
As expected, it was an incredibly busy fight!
Lady Younger Sister Dryades’s vines eventually bound my body like heavy chains. First the gajumaru, and now these vines... I really felt like I’d been tied up more than enough for one day. In fact, I felt more restricted than I ever had in my entire life.
As that thought crossed my mind, a sudden wave of dizziness hit me. Even though I’d been holding my own against the sisters until now, I felt the strength seeping out of my limbs. Deprived of my energy, my gajumaru and vines began to buckle under the Dryades sisters’ relentless offensive.
"What... what’s happening? I can’t... put any strength into it..."
In response to my weak question, Lady Younger Sister Dryades spoke in a cold, monotone voice.
"It is the Spirit Magic ‘Energy Drain.’ My vines are drinking up your life energy, Alraune. Soon, your flowers will scatter, and you will wither away into a wretched husk."
This was no joke! I had gone through so much trouble to bloom such beautiful flowers; I absolutely refused to wither away.
I shot dodder vines out from my bulb, latching them onto her vines to parasitize them. If she wanted to steal my energy, I’d just have to steal it right back. It was time to show them why they call me the ‘Yellow Vampire’!
Besides, since there were two of them, it was only fair that we fought back as a team.
"Nina, hit me with Light Magic!"
Nina, who had been keeping her distance to avoid getting caught in the crossfire, responded instantly. "Leave it to me!"
"Light Bullet Explosion (Lichtsprengung)!"
An Orb of Light shot from Nina’s staff. It hit me dead-on, and the orb burst into a blinding explosion of radiance. The chlorophyll throughout my body sang as I soaked up the rays.
I was going to grow!
My bulb swelled until it was massive—large enough to swallow most animals whole. My red petals fanned out, and my leaves grew lush and vibrant. Even my human upper half, which usually looked like a ten-year-old girl, started to mature.
My chest filled out, becoming quite tight. Keep going, grow even more!
Ugh, it was getting a bit too tight. With swift, practiced movements, I adjusted my vine bra.
There, perfect. My body, which had been that of a growing child, had transformed into a mature woman—curvaceous where it should be and toned where it needed to be. I was completely restored to my peak.
Photosynthesis was so delicious!
"To think you could grow your body so rapidly by absorbing Light Magic... I wonder how you’re doing it," Big Sister Dryades muttered, sounding genuinely surprised.
It seemed that even for a spirit like a dryad, absorbing Light Magic directly was a difficult feat. However, it was far too early to be surprised. The real show was just beginning!
Lady Younger Sister Dryades stumbled, her balance faltering. Now that I’d matured, the amount of nutrients I was siphoning through my dodder vines had spiked. A vast amount of energy—even more than what had been taken from me by her ‘Energy Drain’—was now surging into me.
And it wasn’t just my body and the dodder that grew thanks to Nina’s Light Magic and the stolen nutrients. My gajumaru had grown larger as well. Big Sister Dryades’s gajumaru were now being constricted and crushed by my own. Since our power had been equal before I grew, it was only natural that I would become superior once I matured.
My gajumaru began to trample and overwhelm Big Sister Dryades’s trees one by one.
How do you like that, Lady Dryades? Something like this is easy once Nina and I combine our strengths!
Now, while Big Sister Dryades was occupied with my gajumaru, was my chance.
"Kiri, go now!"
Fairy Kiri, who had been waiting on standby in the air, shouted, "Leave it to me, Lady Alraune!" and dashed vigorously toward the Door of the Sanctuary.
Big Sister Dryades, who was being forced onto the defensive, cried out, "I won't let you enter! Spirit Magic ‘Property Change (Veränderung)’... ‘Teufelbaum’!"
The bark of the trees standing before the Door of the Sanctuary turned pitch black under the influence of her magic. Their trunks thickened and their branches began to writhe like tentacles. Massive maws gaped at the tops of the trunks, making them look like giant insectivorous plants. She intended to use these Teufelbaums to guard the door while simultaneously capturing and devouring Kiri.
"Whoa?! A-Alraune, there's no way I can get past that!"
To Kiri, who had already started crying for help, I sent a shout of encouragement. "Trust me! Just charge right in!"
"No way... Jeez, if I get eaten, you'd better take responsibility!"
Kiri charged. Like summer insects flying into a flame, the Teufelbaums’ tentacles lunged at her.
"I-I'm going to get caught!"
The moment the tentacles were about to snatch Kiri, countless briars erupted from the earth. They wound around the Teufelbaums’ tentacles one after another, pinning them down. In the blink of an eye, the predatory trees were suppressed.
Big Sister Dryades’s confused voice echoed through the forest. "Briars from the ground...? What on earth is the meaning of this?"
In truth, the ones controlling those briars were the Child Alraunes. Back when we torched the Clone Dryades, Dora-ko, the Child Alraunes had shed their forms and escaped into the soil as seeds. I’d had them remain hidden underground just in case.
By utilizing the unique traits of the Rhizanthella—a plant that blooms underground—I could make Alraunes sprout from within the dirt itself. That was why they hadn't shown themselves since Dora-ko's defeat. I’d kept them hidden as a trump card for an emergency, and it looked like my gamble had paid off.
"So the Alraunes parasitizing the dragon didn't burn to death, but turned into seeds and hid beneath the soil. Honestly, what a convenient ability," Big Sister Dryades remarked.
Kiri slipped past her and the Teufelbaums, reaching the Door of the Sanctuary. She touched it, and the door creaked open just enough for a fairy to squeeze through. Kiri vanished inside.
I thought I could finally breathe a sigh of relief, but Lady Younger Sister Dryades, who was still beside me, wasn't done. "It seems you aimed for the main body, but I won't allow that," she said, attempting to teleport into the Sanctuary.
However, I wasn't going to let her. I snagged Lady Younger Sister Dryades with my sticky sundew traps. With this, she couldn't teleport away to stop Kiri.
After a short while, several of Lady Younger Sister Dryades’s vines fell away with a thud. As they hit the ground, they transformed back into blue forget-me-nots.
Kiri had done it—she’d used her Nectar Balls to clear the blue flowers that were parasitizing Lady Dryades’s true body inside the Sanctuary. Amazing work, Kiri!
"What on earth is..." Lady Dryades murmured, looking around in a daze.
"Have you... returned to... your senses?" I asked.
"It seems I was being manipulated by my sister. It is truly embarrassing."
I did it! Lady Dryades’s brainwashing was finally broken.
As I began to explain the situation to her, Big Sister Dryades spoke up irritably. "Don't get too full of yourself just because you freed my sister."
Your sore loser act is enough, Big Sister Dryades. On our side, we have Nina and me, plus Lady Younger Sister Dryades and the Child Alraunes. On the other hand, you’re all alone.
The scales had tipped in an instant. A few minutes ago, I was despairing over the gap in our power, but now the situation was reversed. At this rate, if we all work together, we can even win against the Spirit Princess of the Four Heavenly Kings.
Now then, Lady Vergissmeinnicht... it’s our turn!
Rhizanthella: A saprophyte of the orchid family. It can live underground by obtaining nutrients from fungi.
Next time: Alraune vs. Dryades - Part 3.