The battle had been grueling at the start, but now, only Big Sister Dryades remained.
Aligned against her were Nina, the Apprentice Saint, and Lady Younger Sister Dryades, supported by the fairies and the Child Alraunes. By all appearances, the advantage was ours. We were going to finish this once and for all!
However, despite her worsening situation, Big Sister Dryades let out a low, confident chuckle.
"You might think you've won, but it seems your timing was poor. Have a good look over there."
She pointed toward the west. When I followed her gaze, I saw a massive horde of monsters emerging from the West Forest. There were at least a hundred of them. What’s more, many were formidable beasts on par with the Four Heavenly Kings of the Forest. The overlapping roars of bloodthirsty predators carried a terrifying weight.
Even with Drink Bar and the other adventurers, there was no way they could hold back a tide of that magnitude. I wasn't the only one worried, either.
"Alraune, I shall handle those monsters," Lady Younger Sister Dryades called out to me. "To be honest, even though we are both Dryades, my strength is not enough to overcome my sister. To defeat her, Alraune, we need your power."
I felt certain we could manage Big Sister Dryades if things continued as they were, but we didn't have the leeway to deal with a monster swarm at the same time. A division of labor was the best path forward.
"Understood. I’ll... take down... the Spirit Princess!"
"I am counting on you as our Forest Bodyguard."
Come to think of it, I never expected to fight members of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King's Army twice. This "Forest Bodyguard" gig was turning out to be quite a lot of work.
"I leave it to you, Alraune. Please, release my sister from her hateful resentment."
With those final words, Lady Younger Sister Dryades teleported to the front of the monster horde. "Spirit Magic: Dominion of the Great Forest (Herrschaft Pflanze)!" She invoked her magic, raising a massive wall of timber. "I am sufficient to handle this side alone. You humans, go support Alraune!"
"Understood!" Drink Bar and his crew shouted, turning back to rejoin us.
Seeing her reinforcements blocked, Big Sister Dryades let out a weary sigh. "A wise decision. If it's just a swarm of monsters, my sister should be able to buy some time. Still, it won't change the outcome."
"Even so... our advantage... remains. Will you... surrender?"
"Me, surrender? Don't be absurd. I can grow more subordinates as easily as blades of grass." Big Sister Dryades raised both arms as if in prayer. "Spirit Magic: Property Change (Veränderung)—Tyrannical Plant Beast (Begleiterin)!"
The grass around her erupted into rapid growth.
"The weeds are turning into Plant Monsters!?" Nina cried out.
Big Sister Dryades glared sharply at her. "Apprentice Saint, your choice of words is offensive. There is no such thing as a 'weed.' Every one of these is my precious plant."
A swarm of monsters appeared, looking like even more grotesque versions of the Man-eater. Our opponent was a mad scientist of a Forest Spirit. It seemed her capacity to create minions was truly inexhaustible.
But you see, an opponent like that was no match for me. Because I had plenty of companions too!
Greetings, Big Sister Dryades. I am most grateful for your attendance at this Alraune Joint Concert. It is now time for a grand ensemble by the Alraune Teppou-uri Symphony Orchestra, featuring Alraune and the Child Alraunes—a total of eighteen performers.
Each Child Alraune has been equipped with twenty guns, and I have prepared forty Teppou-uri Machine Guns for myself. Combined, we form a mammoth ensemble of 380 Teppou-uri Machine Guns. Furthermore, we have prepared a special service for our guest of honor. Once we have defeated you here, we shall perform a Requiem to mark your passing. Please, feel at ease as you depart for the Land of the Dead.
Now, Lady Vergissmeinnicht of the Four Heavenly Kings, please enjoy the performance of the Alraune Teppou-uri Symphony Orchestra.
Zupopopopopopopopopon!!
The grand ensemble began. Countless Thorn Seeds hammered into the Plant Monsters serving as Big Sister Dryades's shields. They seemed to enjoy our music, as the seeds germinated instantly upon impact, giving birth to new Child Alraunes. These newborns parasitized the monsters via Dodder, tearing them apart from within.
Before long, only the Child Alraunes remained. In an instant, the audience had joined the orchestra. Alongside the twenty Newborn Child Alraunes, we directed a magnificent crescendo toward Big Sister Dryades.
Let us deliver our feelings to her!
Stripped of her shields, Big Sister Dryades tried to raise a wall of wood from the earth, but the seeds pierced that as well, spawning even more Child Alraunes. They tore through the barrier, adding more weight to our performance.
"This is... more than even I can defend against..." I heard her mutter.
The roaring Seed Bullets finally reached the Land Tortoise that carried her.
"Is this the end? I surrender... As if! An attack like that won't work on me!"
Suddenly, a Barrier of Light shimmered around her. It seemed she had used the Hero's Helmet to manifest a small, localized barrier.
"What a pity, little princess. One should always keep their trump card hidden until the end!"
She had mentioned she could handle the helmet to some extent, but I hadn't expected her to do something like that. I was genuinely surprised!
But you see, Light Magic has no effect on me. Whether as a Saint who mastered the art or a plant that thrives on Photosynthesis, I knew it would fail. The moment the Seed Bullets struck the barrier, they began absorbing its light. The seeds were a part of my body, and just as I could absorb Light Magic as energy, they could nullify it.
"Impossible! The barrier isn't holding!?"
The Seed Bullets passed through the Hero's Helmet's protection as if it weren't there. Countless seeds pierced the Land Tortoise, germinating into Dodder that encroached upon its vitals. The vines stretched toward the Ancient Tree on the tortoise's back—Big Sister Dryades’s true form.
Her expression soured, as if she had swallowed a bitter bug. "It seems this body is finished. A shame; I quite liked it." She reached out and grabbed a tiny object attached to the tree—a small egg. "Spirit Magic: Forced Life Manipulation (Diktator)!"
As she chanted, a spiderling hatched from the egg. It grew at a terrifying rate, swelling into a Huntsman Spider the size of the Land Tortoise. She had used spirit magic to force its growth while magically remodeling it on the fly.
"Time for a long-overdue move."
Branches from her Ancient Tree form stretched into the Huntsman Spider's back, thickening into log-like appendages. The tree was sucked from the tortoise’s back into the spider, switching hosts in the blink of an eye.
"The tortoise had high defense, but it was dreadfully slow. This spider, by contrast, is as fast as it is capable."
The Huntsman Spider leaped high into the air. However, even with its speed, there was no way that massive frame could dodge a volley from over five hundred Teppou-uri Machine Guns. My seeds hammered toward it, but this time, they failed to connect.
The spider produced a shield of silk—a web so dense it acted as a physical barrier. This magically remodeled creature could create threads that were both incredibly hard and adhesive. By weaving a shield in front of itself, it blocked our entire barrage.
This was even more troublesome than the tortoise. What was I supposed to do now?
"A pity, little princess. If I wrap your seeds in my remodeled silk, they can neither penetrate nor germinate."
"But... you have... no time... to counterattack... right?"
"Quite right... It can't be helped. I didn't want to resort to this, but under the circumstances, I have no choice."
Big Sister Dryades landed on the ground. The branches of the Ancient Tree on the spider's back plunged deep into the earth.
"It’s your fault for making me use this. Don't go hating me for it."
Black streaks pulsed from the branches, spider-webbing across the ground like cracks in glass. The leaves of the surrounding forest began to wither into a bruised, deep purple.
"From this moment on, this forest is reborn. It will emit a deadly miasma that indiscriminately slaughters all life—animal and plant alike."
Big Sister Dryades looked down at us with a mocking sneer.
"Dark Spirit Magic: Advent of the Deadly Poison Sea of Trees (Todesgiftwald)."
She unleashed a spell I had never seen or heard of. In a heartbeat, the Dryades' Forest was transformed into a realm of certain death.
Next time: Alraune vs. Dryades - Part 4.