I am Alraune, the giant plant monster girl.
Big Sister Dryades had finally realized that I was the Former Saint. Now that the secret was out, there was no longer any point in trying to hide it.
However, even with the truth laid bare, it seemed Big Sister Dryades had never imagined that Saint Iris could have been reborn as an Alraune.
"I never would have thought I’d end up fighting the ghost of the late Saint Iris..."
Calling me a ghost was a bit rude. I was very much alive—just as a plant.
"But now I understand. Even though you are just a monster, you possess power bordering on the spiritual. If your original form was a Saint, then you are no ordinary plant. I suppose such things are possible."
Muttering about how she wanted to perform all sorts of experiments, Big Sister Dryades stared at me with an intense, lingering gaze. It was as if her blood as a Mad Scientist was beginning to boil.
However, this was my chance. Now that the Divine Tree had stopped moving, I had a window of opportunity.
Besides, a bright idea had just occurred to me.
I had already destroyed the city’s Goddess Tower with my vines, but I was still clutching the wreckage in my grip. The fact that I had broken it couldn't be undone. But since the tower was already ablaze, I might as well make use of it.
Using the burning tower like a makeshift spear, I thrust it toward the withered bud.
However, for some reason, I couldn't leave even a single scratch on it.
Big Sister Dryades let out a low, mocking chuckle.
"That little bit of fire won't burn the bud. I’ve already taken measures against attacks from the outside."
It seemed she had prepared a defense against her natural weakness, fire.
If the bud was out of reach, I would try something else. I drove the burning tower deep into the trunk of the Divine Tree instead. The tower shattered on impact, but it left a small wound on the bark.
In her focus on protecting the vital bud, the defensive power of the tree’s surface had been slightly compromised.
"A small scratch won't matter. Now that I’ve become the Divine Tree, I won't be ignited so easily."
She was right; the flames of the tower weren't enough to set her main body on fire. Attacks from the outside were almost entirely neutralized.
In that case, I wondered what would happen if I attacked from within.
I inserted the vines of a Dodder into the small crack I had made with the tower.
"Are you trying to parasitize me again?"
No, not this time.
Ms. Vergissmeinnicht, do you know what grafting is?
Through grafting, you can artificially merge two plants into one. Normally, you would cut the tree that serves as the rootstock and join a branch from another plant to it.
Instead, I sent my Dodder vines deep into the Divine Tree, used Plant Generation, and transformed them into tree branches. In doing so, I forcibly merged my body with the interior of the Divine Tree.
Despite the name, a Divine Tree was still fundamentally a plant. It wasn't impossible for me to alter my body to match its properties. Now, I was completely connected to Big Sister Dryades’s main body. It felt as if the two of us were sharing a single form.
"This sensation of a foreign object inside me... Don't tell me you've actually linked your body with mine?"
"It’s a bit reluctant on my part, but that’s exactly what happened."
Dryades was originally a spirit born from an Ancient Tree. The power didn't reside in the tree itself; rather, the various abilities were bestowed upon the spirit who manifested from it.
Because of that, I realized I could either parasitize the tree or use the principle of grafting to fuse our bodies. Just as I had planned, I managed to succeed.
"It seems you’re trying to take over my body, but how disappointing. As a spirit, it would be much faster for me to dominate yours instead."
Oh, you shouldn't misunderstand. I didn't perform the grafting because I wanted to hijack the Divine Tree. There was a different reason for making our bodies one.
If attacks from the outside wouldn't work, then the best strategy was simply to attack from the inside.
"Spirit Princess... do you know... the name of the flower... I ate earlier?"
"You mean that massive flower? If so—"
"No... not that one."
Earlier, my sister-figure Treant had brought me two plants. Before I consumed the giant Rafflesia, I had eaten a certain small flower. I was about to use the ability of that flower now.
The name of that first flower was the Rockrose.
Because of its peculiar nature, it was feared and referred to as the "Suicidal Flower" or the "Psychopath of the Plant Kingdom."
The Rockrose had a unique characteristic: when the temperature exceeded thirty-five degrees, it would produce a highly flammable secretion and spontaneously combust. After turning its surroundings into a scorched wasteland, it would sprout again in the same spot, expanding its territory.
Its flower language was: "I shall likely die tomorrow."
But you see, Big Sister Dryades...
It seemed the day you were going to die wasn't tomorrow. It was today.
To activate the Rockrose’s ability, I had to raise my body temperature. Fortunately, I could do that myself using the self-heating ability of the selectively bred Skunk Cabbage. Combined with the properties of the Eucalyptus, the flammability would increase even further.
Using the Rockrose's power, I transformed my body into a mass of highly volatile secretions. Because I had grafted myself to Big Sister Dryades, the Divine Tree had effectively become a massive, oil-soaked hazard.
Big Sister Dryades finally realized what I was doing as the Divine Tree's physical makeup began to shift.
"The Divine Tree’s body is being rewritten...! Princess, what on earth have you done to me!?"
I replied to her question with a silent, beaming smile. Since the opportunity had presented itself, I decided to play the part of a "plant kingdom psychopath" for a moment.
Good day to you, Big Sister Dryades.
At last, you and I have become one.
I am so very happy. After all, we are finally connected, body and soul.
And so... from now on, won't you burn along with me?
"I’ll burn you, and I’ll burn with you."
She might have been immune to external flames, but internal combustion was a different story.
Under the combined influence of the Skunk Cabbage and the Rockrose, the Divine Tree began to ignite. Flames erupted from the roots and raced toward the sky.
"Flames from the inside... What have you done to my bodyyyyyyyyy!!"
Big Sister Dryades swung a massive, branch-like arm at me. I caught it with the giant Rafflesia flower and entangled myself around her, hugging the Divine Tree close. Then, the Rafflesia self-destructed.
With a massive whoosh, the Rafflesia erupted into fire. The Divine Tree, already primed for combustion, flared up with terrifying intensity.
Of course, if I stayed like this, I would obviously die as well. I had prepared a way out from the start.
The Rafflesia was a flower I had bloomed by transforming the tips of my roots. If I detached those roots, the part of my body above the bulb could escape the inferno.
To avoid being caught in the blaze, I used the molting ability of a Lithops to separate my bulb from the root system.
An emergency escape!
I had kept the part above the bulb at its original size specifically so I could get away. I went tumbling down, rolling over the surface of the giant Rafflesia flower.
During my fall, my sister-figure, the Amazoness Treant, dashed toward me at full speed. She caught me just before I hit the ground.
She was carrying me in her arms—a princess carry.
Oh, what should I do? Even though she was my junior, she was actually quite dashing! I felt like I might actually fall in love with a withered tree.
Come to think of it, when I was all alone in the former forest, I think I used to direct those kinds of feelings toward this Withered Tree Treant. Looking closely at her now, her withered face was quite stylish and sophisticatedly cool.
As I stared at her, Big Sister Dryades’s screams echoed from above.
The Divine Tree was completely engulfed. It roared as it burned, scattering sparks into the air. For something called a "Divine Tree," its end was surprisingly abrupt.
But with this, the buds were also reduced to ash. Nina and the others were safe.
I did it! I saved everyone!
All that was left was to wait for Big Sister Dryades to finish burning. It was a pity, but after what she had done to the city and the forest, it couldn't be helped. If she stayed alive, she would only try to exterminate humanity again.
I watched as the spirit’s body turned to ash in the fire.
Ms. Vergissmeinnicht, Spirit Princess of the Four Heavenly Kings...
Ever since I arrived in this forest, you’ve attacked me time and again, both directly and indirectly. Today, that finally ends.
Please, find peace in the afterlife.
Returning to my mindset as a Saint, I offered a prayer to the burning tree.
In that moment, I thought I heard a voice from somewhere. I looked up at the sky and saw a single, small branch falling toward the ground.
"Wait, is that...?"
I immediately signaled my sister-figure to move directly under it. The Amazoness Treant ran nimbly while still holding me, reaching the spot just in time.
I extended a vine toward the falling object.
And just like that, I caught the tiny branch that had once grown from Dryades’s main body.
Rockrose (Gojiaoi): Cistaceae family. Distributed across the Mediterranean coast of Europe, North Africa, and West Asia. Because the seeds of the Rockrose are fire-resistant, they can survive even the most intense wildfires.
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Next time: Spirit Branch.