I was Alraune, a plant monster girl.
The battle had finally begun against Big Sister Dryades—one of the Four Heavenly Kings, Vergissmeinnicht.
Using her Spirit Magic, "Dominion of the Great Forest (Herrschaft Pflanze)," she began to manipulate the trees of the forest as freely as her own limbs.
My goal was to defeat her, but I had the sinking feeling it would be impossible unless I broke the brainwashing on the younger Lady Dryades first. To do that, I had to find a way to get the fairy Kiri into the Sanctuary.
Taking on two Dryades at once was back-breaking work—metaphorically, of course. Being a plant, I didn't actually have any bones to break.
Perched atop her Land Tortoise, Big Sister Dryades lowered a hand toward me.
"To start with, I think I'll let the forest play with our little Princess."
The branches and roots of the surrounding trees surged with life, thrusting toward me like a barrage of spears. I used "Plant Generation" to harden my vines into sturdy trunks, thrusting back with wooden spears of my own.
Timber clashed violently against timber.
They say the best defense is a good offense, but at this rate, it didn't look like either of us would reach the other.
"I see. So the Alraune Princess has the ability to mutate her own body into other flora. That alone puts you far beyond the level of a typical plant monster."
Big Sister Dryades offered an impressed smile. Her composed attitude was honestly a bit creepy.
"Now then, I wonder if you can defend against this," she said, pressing her palms against the thrashing trees.
"Spirit Magic: 'Property Change (Veränderung)'—'Strangler Tree'."
The trees under her control began to warp, splitting into countless thin, wiry roots. They encroached upon my own wooden trunks, encroaching on my space and crushing my defenses with unbelievable force.
"Gah—what is this?!"
The power was incredible.
"There are certain Demon Trees that latch onto their neighbors and usurp their territory. I simply used Spirit Magic to apply that characteristic to these trees."
While I could modify my own body through "Plant Generation," Big Sister Dryades could alter the properties of any plant in the vicinity through her Spirit Magic. We had similar abilities, but it felt terribly unfair—I was the one getting hurt, while she remained perfectly safe and untouched regardless of what she did.
The thin roots surged toward me like a tsunami. I raised a Briar Wall to protect myself, but the roots of the Great Tree coiled around my thorns like the tentacles of an octopus and began to squeeze.
As if wringing out a wet rag, my briars were shredded by the tightening roots.
"Hieee! It hurts!"
To latch onto another plant and literally strangle it to death... just how ferocious was this tree?
However, I recognized the nature of this Demon Tree. I knew of a plant with very similar properties. Its name was the "Gajumaru."
The Gajumaru often germinates on the branches of other trees, its seeds dropped there by birds. From there, it sends down thin, hanging roots that eventually envelop the host tree entirely. Once those roots reach the soil, they thicken and harden, eventually depriving the inner tree of light until it withers away. Because it appears to be choking its host, it is known as the "Strangler Tree."
Big Sister Dryades had used her magic to create roots with that exact nature, then demonically modified them for combat.
"I... can't move..."
The Gajumaru roots had me in their grip. My bulb, my petals, and the human torso that served as my pistil were all being wound tight by those thin, powerful fibers. Every time I tried to lash out with my briars, the rapidly growing Gajumaru roots would pin me down.
My entire body was falling under the total domination of Big Sister Dryades.
"How does it feel to be embraced by the Queen of Plants? I'm sure you find it a great honor."
The roots tightened with a sickening creak. It felt as though I were being compressed by a massive piece of hydraulic machinery.
"I... I can't..."
If I had still been human, I wouldn't have just been unable to breathe—my internal organs would have likely been forced out through my mouth. As it was, Nectar sprayed from my lips with the pressure.
"You've done well for a monster, I suppose. But this is the end."
In the next instant, I was released from that "Tightening Hell" which was more agonizing than death itself. However, the price was the total destruction of my body.
Unable to withstand the pressure, my bulb burst. My internal digestive fluids sprayed outward with the force of an explosion. At the same time, I felt my midsection shift and tear with a wet squelch. I watched as the Nectar I had stored inside began to pour out in torrents.
"Ah... this might be bad..."
The Gajumaru roots covered my eyes, and my vision cut to black like a broken television. I lost all sense of balance, and my consciousness detached from my physical form. My entire body had been crushed into pulp by the Strangler Tree.
Sight and sound vanished. All that remained was touch.
Deep underground, the roots I had left behind began to draw moisture from the soil.
Technically, Big Sister Dryades had killed me—or at least, she had killed the part of me above the ground. But one of the best things about being a plant is that you don't die from something as simple as that!
I activated my Super Recovery Magic.
Just as I had during the battle against Dora-ko, my chlorophyll became hyper-active, forcing my body into a state of rapid growth. My bulb regenerated, a red flower bloomed, and my human torso extended upward once more.
One perfectly restored Alraune girl, ready for action!
"I didn't think the Princess would be finished by just that, but you certainly are quick to bounce back," Big Sister Dryades remarked.
"That... didn't even... hurt... you know?"
"A bold claim for someone who couldn't even manage a death rattle while being crushed."
She had a point. To be honest, I never wanted to experience being strangled to death ever again.
"Still, even for a plant, that regenerative speed is unbelievable. You truly do exceed the limits of your species, little Princess. That growth rate is practically on par with a spirit's."
On par with a spirit? That meant I had the same level of regeneration as a Dryades. The thought brought both a sense of pride and a wave of dread. If I was that fast, then Vergissmeinnicht likely possessed the same terrifying resilience.
"Perhaps next time I should make sure to strangle your roots as well."
Big Sister Dryades lashed out with the Gajumaru again. Just as the tips of the roots were about to reach me, a familiar voice rang out.
"I won't let you!"
Nina’s Light Magic, "Rainbow Arrow (Regenbogen)," pierced through the Gajumaru roots.
"Nice shot, Nina!"
"It's futile," Big Sister Dryades scoffed. "An attack of that level won't stop the Gajumaru."
She was right; the spell did very little to the main mass of the tree. However, it was a massive help to me. After all, the tip of the root that Nina had severed was now lying right there on the ground.
I snatched up the fragment with a vine and stuffed it into my lower mouth.
Chomp.
With that, I obtained the properties of the Gajumaru.
I immediately began generating my own Strangler Tree fibers from my vines. If she wanted to play with Gajumaru, I would provide her with a playmate. Our roots intertwined, each trying to crush the other.
It looked like the "Gajumaru Showdown" was a draw. But at the very least, I was no longer being unilaterally crushed like I had been when I was using simple trunks and briars.
"So, you've stolen my power and turned it against me? I'm starting to like you more and more, Princess."
"Well... I... absolutely... hate you!"
"Being hated by a plant is a refreshing change of pace. It only makes me look forward to the moment I'll force you to love me later."
Was she going to try and mind-control me if I was captured? It sounded like something she could actually do, which was terrifying.
"You seem relieved that we've reached a stalemate, but have you forgotten that you're facing two Dryades?"
Something brushed against my chest.
Startled, a small "Hya!" escaped my lips. Before I could react, my body was restrained by ivy that felt disturbingly like tentacles. I felt the sensation of countless "hands" caressing and inspecting every inch of my body.
"What is this?!" I cried, spinning around.
Lady Dryades was standing right behind me. Her face was an expressionless mask as she stared into my eyes.
"We sisters shall be your opponents," she declared coldly.
I had forgotten—Dryades could move their spirit bodies anywhere their root systems reached underground. She had teleported right behind me!
"I heard about your weakness from Kiri. You find the idea of pollination quite... distasteful, don't you?"
I saw it then—the yellow pollen clinging to Lady Dryades's ivy.
This was bad. Very, very bad. Was she trying to pollinate me?!
The ruthless ivy crept closer and closer to my mouth. If I were pollinated by another's pollen rather than through self-pollination, there was a high probability I would turn into a seed and be unable to reincarnate my consciousness.
If I were pollinated, it would be the end of me. My life as a Saint would be over.
That was why I had avoided it at all costs. It was my only true "one-hit-kill" weakness.
Gajumaru: A member of the Moraceae family. It germinates on other trees and grows its roots like a parasite. Once the host tree withers and rots away, only the hollow, lattice-like structure of the Gajumaru remains.
Next time: Alraune vs. Dryades - Part 2