Big Sister Dryades’s magic was unleashed.
So, she had been holding back a trump card after all.
The surrounding forest began to transform into a deep, sickly purple. The vibrant green of the woodland vanished, leaving no trace of its former beauty.
Big Sister Dryades spoke with a provocative sneer.
"As long as a living creature breathes to stay alive, there is no escape from this: 'Advent of the Deadly Poison Sea of Trees (Todesgiftwald).'"
As if reacting to her proclamation, a blackish-purple miasma billowed from the trees. One after another, insects tumbled from the nearby branches, hitting the ground with soft thuds. Before they even settled, they crumbled into ash and vanished.
The miasma was a virulent toxin unlike anything I had ever seen, tearing through the very cells of its victims.
The poisonous fog drifted toward the Child Alraunes stationed near the edge of the forest. As the miasma touched them, they began to writhe in agony, gasping out their final words.
"Something... strange... is inside me..." "N-No, stop it..." "Mama, I’m... sorry..."
A group of about ten Child Alraunes slumped over as if losing consciousness. They went perfectly still, their eyes closed as if they had merely fallen into a deep sleep.
"Everyone, what’s wrong!?" I cried out.
There was no response. Could they really have been taken out so easily by that miasma?
As the thought crossed my mind, I noticed their red petals turning a bruised purple. It wasn’t just the flowers—the leaves, the bulbs, and even their human forms, which served as the pistils, were being stained by the corruption.
A moment later, a fresh burst of deathly miasma erupted from the Child Alraunes with a soft pouf. The sea of poison trees had expanded.
"My 'Advent of the Deadly Poison Sea of Trees (Todesgiftwald)' turns animals to dust, but it turns plants into masses of toxins—new allies to exhale my miasma. That’s why those Alraunes of yours are already dead."
No... not like this. My children... they were gone.
Not only lung-breathing animals, but even plants breathed through the stomata in their leaves. As a plant monster myself, I wasn't immune. By turning the forest against us, Big Sister Dryades’s Dark Spirit Magic was slowly but surely consuming everything in its path.
In my desperation earlier, I had fired my seeds like a machine gun, creating over fifty Child Alraunes. Thinking about it logically, seeing so many versions of my own face was a bit surreal. But perhaps because I had been a plant for so long, I had accepted the strange sight quite easily. That was exactly why seeing them die hit me with such force.
"My children!" I wailed.
The wave of miasma continued its relentless assault. The remaining Child Alraunes were helpless, falling one by one as they inhaled the toxins and became part of the 'Advent of the Deadly Poison Sea of Trees (Todesgiftwald).' My children, over fifty of them, were completely annihilated.
This was too much. It was simply too cruel.
As I wept tears of nectar, Drink Bar-san’s voice barked from behind me. "We’re surrounded!"
A vortex of miasma had completely cut off our escape. Nina turned to Drink Bar-san, her voice trembling with panic.
"Holger-san, what about the townspeople who were collapsed over there?"
"Don't worry about them. We managed to guide them back toward the city."
It seemed that while Younger Sister Dryades had been holding off the monsters, Drink Bar-san and the other adventurers had focused on rescuing the humans who had been turned into Trolls. Thanks to their efforts, the townspeople had escaped the miasma's reach.
The only ones left on this battlefield were Nina, myself, and the four adventurers. But because they had stayed to help, they had lost their chance to flee. I couldn't move regardless, but I hated that I had dragged them into this.
I looked over at Big Sister Dryades, wondering how she remained unaffected. She was standing safely behind the barrier generated by the Hero's Helmet.
That was cheating! I wanted a helmet too!
However, if a light barrier could block it, we might still have a chance. After all, I had an Apprentice Saint with me.
"Nina! Use your Light Magic! A barrier!"
"Understood! 'Holy Light Barrier (Magdeburg)'!"
A dome of light expanded with Nina at its center, creating an omnidirectional shield. I felt a brief surge of relief, thinking the miasma wouldn't reach us now.
But the relief was short-lived. Nina gasped in horror.
The moment the miasma touched the golden light, the barrier shattered like glass. From within the purple fog, Big Sister Dryades’s mocking laughter echoed.
"Useless. Light Magic of that pathetic level can't hope to stop my 'Advent of the Deadly Poison Sea of Trees (Todesgiftwald).'"
Her Dark Spirit Magic was clearly an incredibly high-tier spell. To counter it, we needed an equally powerful, or perhaps even stronger, Light Magic.
"I’m so sorry..." Nina sobbed, clutching her staff as she began to shake. "I can't... I don't know any magic stronger than that..."
She looked as if she were on the verge of a breakdown. If Nina couldn't stop the miasma, we were all going to die, and she was clearly crushing herself under the weight of that responsibility.
I gently stroked her cheek with a vine.
"Nina, please... don't worry. I'll... handle the rest."
I used a vine to wipe away the tears falling down her face before turning to the adventurer.
"Drink Bar-san, give me... your Water Magic."
"You’re really sticking with that name, huh? Fine, whatever! Just do something!"
He poured his Water Magic into me. The sensation was refreshing—delicious, even. As a plant, I couldn't cast Light Magic directly, but I could expel nectar that was saturated with Light Magic energy.
It was time for Transpiration.
I released a cloud of water vapor mixed with nectar from my leaves. As the mist met the miasma, it began to neutralize the poison, purifying the air around us.
It was working!
"Give up on your little struggle. A single princess is no match for this entire forest."
Big Sister Dryades was right. Gradually, my nectar mist was being pushed back. No matter how much I produced, I couldn't compete with the sheer volume of the Dryades' Forest. I was being overwhelmed by numbers.
Eventually, I ran dry. I couldn't produce any more mist.
It was checkmate. If I inhaled the miasma now, I would be corrupted and turned into a part of her poison forest. I wouldn't be able to reincarnate as a seed, nor could I use Super Recovery Magic to save myself.
Was this really the end?
Drink Bar-san and his companions seemed to think so, their faces darkening with resignation. Nina was still weeping, frozen in place.
Seeing them like that gave me a second wind. I had to do something. I was a Former Saint. In my past life, I was the pillar of my community, the emotional support for everyone. I couldn't afford to break here!
I scanned the area, desperately searching for a solution, when I saw a familiar blue flower on the ground. It was the Forget-me-not that Younger Sister Dryades had used to brainwash people. It had fallen from her hair and, having been nourished by spirit energy, it hadn't withered yet.
I snatched the blue flower with a vine. Looking past the petals, my eyes fell on Nina.
There was a way.
There was only one way to destroy the 'Advent of the Deadly Poison Sea of Trees (Todesgiftwald)': a super-high-tier Light Magic spell. Nina was the only one who could use Light Magic, but as an Apprentice Saint, she lacked the capacity and the mana for a spell of that magnitude.
The mana problem was easy—I could share my Light Magic energy with her. But that didn't change the fact that she didn't know how to cast such a spell.
So, I would just have to force her to do it.
Chomp.
I consumed the blue Forget-me-not, absorbing the ability of the brainwashing flower.
I hadn't wanted to use this power. I didn't want to stoop to Big Sister Dryades's level and manipulate others against their will. But we were out of time. I would rather borrow the hand of a devil than let everyone turn to dust. I had sworn to survive until I could live out my dream of a quiet plant life, photosynthesizing in peace!
"Nina, there is... one way to survive."
She looked up, her eyes wide. "Really!?"
I felt a pang of guilt, knowing how much this would demand of her. I explained the plan. I expected her to recoil in horror, but instead, she gripped my vine tightly.
"Years ago, I was saved by Iri... by the Crimson Flower Princess. I’ll do whatever it takes!"
Her eyes burned with a fierce, radiant determination. She had made her choice.
"Alright. Let’s do this."
The plan was simple: as the greatest Saint of my era, if I took control of Nina’s body, I could channel a super-high-tier spell through her. But to do that, we had to become one.
"Will you... trust me... and let me in?"
"Yes, of course!"
I caused a blue flower to bloom from a Dodder vine and wound it around her arm.
"Please... this is my first time doing something like this," Nina whispered, her face flushing crimson. "So, try to be gentle..."
It was my first time too, so I wasn't sure about the fine-tuning, but I promised myself I’d be as careful as I could.
The Dodder vine bit into her skin, slowly piercing deep into her. As Nina let out a sharp gasp of pain, our nervous systems fused.
In that moment, Nina and I were connected as one.