Chapter 456 - Tamers War - From the Depths

An enormous wooden creature had been digging to reach the surface.

It was the thing Hagen and his group had sensed before reaching the deep gold zone.

And that thing was emerging too fast.

So fast that Ravenspire hadn’t sensed it until very late despite its big mana trail, and even Ren had had difficulties detecting it and dodging in time. Only Mooshito’s expanded perception network had given him the critical moments of warning.

The speedy underground displacement was beyond anything they had witnessed...

The root that had struck Ravenspire curved toward the ground with organic movement, like a massive tentacle seeking support.

"Retreat!" Ren shouted to all allies, and more roots shot out from the ground at high speed.

Fortunately, they didn’t hit anyone else, but created an effective barrier between the groups.

Kassian was completely surprised seeing what had happened to Ravenspire, so he ended up retreating instinctively. His surprise transformed into terror when he felt the massive power of the thing emerging from earth at great speed.

Without hesitating, he ran toward where Ravenspire had been thrown.

Ren observed fascinated and horrified as the enormous thing pulled itself from the ground, displacing earth as if it were water. Its earth manipulation ability was as good as Julius’s in optimal form, or perhaps better.

The creature that emerged left everyone confused.

It was an enormous...

Tuber?

With numerous roots that could have been legs, or hair, or simply appendages whose function was impossible to determine with certainty. The strange living ball had a rough surface that pulsed with mana lines.

The force of its emergence and enormous mana signature had begun driving away many of the present soldiers.

The large number of soldiers who had approached to surround Ren’s group lost the control Ravenspire had over them due to the crow’s brief loss of consciousness when struck. Without the mental illusion keeping them directed, they fled in all directions, prey to panic.

♢♢♢♢

Kassian didn’t understand what was happening, but quickly approached Ravenspire, who was now recovering thanks to regeneration his abyssal corruption provided.

The crow commander emerged from the hole and debris where he had been buried, clearly annoyed and already invoking his power for complete transformation into a corrupt tamer of 2 gold beasts and 4 silver.

But then he froze mid-transformation.

The tuber beast was opening what appeared to be a mouth, and energy emerging from it was greater than what he had been experiencing.

It was the energy of...

Not a fraction, not a weak echo. It was undoubtedly that terrible energy in front of them.

The recognition was immediate...

Ravenspire quickly signaled some of his guards with some type of secret sign. He had already stored Kharzan’s body, or what remained of it, in his dimensional "shadow wings".

"We’re leaving," he told Kassian simply.

"We still don’t have the ring!" Kassian protested, pointing toward where Sirius held unconscious Selphira.

"I’ll leave that mission to most of my Gold soldiers," Ravenspire responded while beginning to retreat, "but it’s too much risk for us to approach. It’s unfortunate, but if risking their lives doesn’t get it, we’ll have to let it go for now."

His gaze directed toward the creature that continued emerging.

"You and I are too important to the crystal and aren’t equipped to deal with what’s coming. We need more support now. Much more support."

Against all odds, Ravenspire and Kassian retreated without further combat.

They left only seven of the eight Gold-rank guards to attempt recovering the ring, but the strange energy emanating from the creature, Julius’s group in final stages but still not knocked out, and the situation of their leaders fleeing had them completely confused.

The Gold soldiers were important and not all were Ravenspire family assets, so they had certain discretion regarding risks that could supersede orders they received. They looked at each other, clearly indecisive about whether to continue with the mission their leader had suspiciously left them before disappearing from the place or follow their commander’s example despite the risk of receiving some reprimand.

The ring was undoubtedly of major importance, but could they obtain it so easily? Why did he flee so suddenly?

The questions multiplied without answers, creating hesitation.

One of them, a direct subordinate of Ravenspire family, apparently deciding the ring reward was worth the risk, launched directly against Selphira.

Julius was about to intercept him when a massive root sprouted from the ground and trapped the attacker like an insect.

The Gold soldier fought against the restraint, but the root buried him in the ground with ease before squeezing.

The tuber creature controlled the area around Ren and the others and seemed to have made a decision about who was threat and who wasn’t.

♢♢♢♢

Bloodwyn arrived at the depth where Hagen and others had been trying to go unnoticed, felt the mana signature of some acquaintances but when he arrived found them completely destroyed.

Several were dead, with wounds suggesting massive impacts. Most survivors were gravely wounded, some barely conscious.

Hagen was sitting against a rock, with a bleeding head and a shocked expression suggesting he had seen something he couldn’t completely accept.

Bloodwyn had felt energy advancing upward at high speed several minutes ago, but didn’t understand what kind of creature could move like that between different mana concentration levels.

When he approached Hagen and began healing those he could with his blood control, the latter explained what had happened.

"When those ’roots’ emerged, they specifically targeted us corrupts," Hagen murmured, instinctively touching his head wound. "I barely saved myself, but our formation suffered massive casualties. Those near the other corrupts also suffered collateral damage."

He paused, processing trauma.

"Very few corrupts like me survived, and only because that thing wanted to ’crush’ us but was in a hurry. Like it didn’t care if it could eliminate us or not as long as it maintained its purpose of rising toward the surface."

♢♢♢♢

Back with Ren and the others, the tuber creature’s "mouth" opened slowly while they remained on guard in case another Gold rank wanted to attack them.

Though remaining enemy soldiers didn’t look very determined to do so after seeing their leaders flee and their companion be trapped.

Finally, the opening expanded more, and from the creature’s luminous interior emerged a strange silhouette that initially seemed like a floating cross.