The nearby outposts for both the Nexus and Covenant received the news only a few months later. The person that the Covenant sent to take charge looked at the reports with a solemn expression. "They were captured?"
While the advanced force that Deadly Petal sent was not outrageously strong, it should've been powerful enough to hold on its own for a while against a power like Liu Shu's. "But… they were captured."
This meant that the other side was several times stronger than anticipated. "Did they carelessly enter the Heavenly Willow's territory?"
Leaning back, the man looked at several reports, and ultimately, his hand landed on one of the prioritized reports. "Is it because of these absurd blessings?"
That was most likely the case. If their own armies could receive these blessings, facing the Nexus would become several times easier. Honestly, after learning about them, he had been confused as to why the higher-ups wanted to antagonize her. 'Wouldn't it be better to support her growth and use her to deal with the Nexus?'
He was, naturally, not a reckless nor a short-sighted individual. His position, while it was not entirely gained due to merit, as connections were important, could also not be earned without enough field achievements.
So, he reached an opinion. 'They are fearful of her. They think that if they allow her to grow during the conflict with the Nexus, she will quickly become uncontrollable.'
It was a matter far too common in too large empires. Those at the very top eventually become somewhat unfit for their positions. However, can someone at such heights give up their chair with a smile on their face?
No. Greed would make them cling to it. Even if they are unfit, even if they are harming the very empire that placed them in that position, they won't care. As long as they are sitting there, some individuals would rather see the city burn from a high place than see it prosper while looking up to those governing.
The worst part of this nature was that, as the "good individuals" gave their posts willingly, hoping someone would take their mantle, the chances of corrupted ones sitting under those mantles increased. The number increased. If at first it is a matter of 99 to 1, later the ratio would change to 90 to 10, 80 to 20, etc.
With more and more substitutions, the ones that linger are not the good ones, but those that latch on like parasites.
The only way to prevent this is a just person sitting above all, together with a system that ensures that person is correctly chosen. In Arborarchies, that individual would usually be the direct representation of their World Tree.
So, the man in charge, named Namue, sighed with some annoyance. "If they are so decisive about it, why linger? It would be best to send part of the main army here with the excuse to open a new flank against the Nexus. Once the army, led by one of the few active
In the Covenant, the number of
"Sigh…"
Leaning back, Namue pondered the next moves. Deadly Petal's main army was already advancing. Some of the spare armies freed after the momentary truce with the Nexus were also on the move. Moreover, he had received secret intelligence that the Nexus had also gathered an army to eliminate Liu Shu, as they considered her a risk far too large to ignore.
For a moment, a strange idea flashed in his mind. "Should we coordinate with the Nexus?"
Namue mulled over this. However, secrets were never eternal, as only the dead guarded them to that extent. Even if they decided to stage their next war in the Cepret Solar System and involve Liu Shu forcefully, it would become a three-way battle. Were the Nexus and Covenant armies to join hands to kill a True World Tree, the Covenant would suffer a backlash hard to contain.
While allies closed one eye to killing allied True World Trees, that was on the basis that two True World Trees were involved in the battle. If the True World Trees were not involved, killing them was akin to admitting they were the same kind as the Nexus. The effects that situation would have on their allies would be… disastrous.
"So complicated…" Namue felt his forehead throbbing. "Why did such an anomaly have to appear in our Covenant space? We are so close to dealing with the Nexus thanks to Lady Balaya's growth, only for a random Heavenly Willow to appear…"
After sorting the documents in the computer and on his large table, Namue muttered. "Alright, what we can do is not get in the way of the Nexus and use Deadly Petal as a distraction. Once the Nexus is battered, we can sweep in to clean everything. Anything else is reckless since the army gathered by the Nexus is stronger than ours."
As he muttered that, another doubt point flashed in his mind. "What if the Heavenly Willow falls far too easily? The army gathered by the Nexus is no joke. It is estimated that several thousand
"If the Heavenly Willow falls easily, that army will then tear through their defenses, their own army falling to them. It would give the Nexus far too big an advantage. Even with Deadly Petal nearby, things can become far too harsh."
Namue placed a hand on his pulsing forehead.
As for attacking again, after the catastrophic results Deadly Petal's vanguard showed, Namue was not crazy enough to send more cannon fodder to feed the enemy. So, he settled in, gathered everything, and had the armies on standby after they arrived.
"As long as they can reach the Heavenly Willow's domain within a year, it should be okay… right? Ugh… So complicated."
Fighting a strong World Tree was a headache, even for other World Tree civilizations.
***
In a nearby Solar System occupied by the Nexus, in a high-rise building with a tamely decorated, large office, another man held similar reports. After going through them, he was confused and surprised. "The Covenant is attacking the World Tree?"
Rubbing his beardless chin, a trace of interest appeared in his chestnut-colored eyes. "That's… a good opportunity. It seems that this World Tree has chewed more than it could swallow."
Carter, reading through the documents, chuckled. "Deadly Petal… That annoying murderous thing is involved as well? Well, well… If Balaya is even sending Deadly Petal to fight, we can assume that our opponent is not easy prey."
He was confident, but he was not reckless. "I must learn from Rhazor…" Speaking of that name, Carter couldn't help but sigh. "Friends truly come and go as they please. I will try to avenge you."
Rhazor was someone quite liked in the army: Talented, farsighted, tactic-oriented, and never underestimating the enemy. Those were traits that he showed when he fought someone as "weak" as Liu Shu. While he had the slight flaw of only retreating just before things became too complicated, his achievements were nothing but admirable. Moreover, his growth had yet to end, so many expected Rhazor to reach Level 290 in the next one or two thousand years.
"Let's see… vanguard captured. They didn't annihilate them, so that means that the Golden Sap Empire is somewhat fearful of full-force retaliation from the Covenant. They are either far too cautious or… could this be, by any means, a trap?"
Carter tilted his head and pondered, simulating various scenarios. "Informants already noticed the Covenant moving part of their own army together with Deadly Petal's main army. Still, their numbers are far too lacking. Are they… expecting us to tire out while fighting the Heavenly Willow?"
If that was their plan, Carter needed to further review his image of the Heavenly Willow. He was not underestimating her; at least, he thought so. Thousands of
There was even a high-rank Corrupted Elder that would lead over three million
"With this force, even if we were to fight Deadly Petal frontally, we would not lose out."
Deadly Petal, a True World Tree that spanned several dozen Solar Systems and fought actively on the front lines. She had created Moons made out of corpses and even destroyed a few worlds. The Nexus had even placed Deadly Petal higher on their elimination list than Balaya.
"If Deadly Petal reaches the
Of course, most World Trees avoided touching inhabited or life-related Celestial Bodies. However, Deadly Petal was just that crazy of a World Tree. Many even dubbed her the hunting dog of the Covenant.
"Hahaha…" Carter was somewhat excited about the upcoming conflicts. "It will still take a while, but… should we start harassing them and putting them on edge? An advance force of around five million with five hundred thousand clergy members should be enough to push the Heavenly Willow's domain back."
Carter's aim was to start the work now instead of later to avoid costs. Instead of just waiting for the main army to arrive, making preparations to set off before they gobbled the local resources was an intelligent idea.
So, after sending a few messages, Carter set off part of his army to deal with the edge of the Golden Sap Empire. In the messages, he wrote very clearly to never, ever advance into the World Tree domain. "Pushing her back is one thing… fighting an enemy with this absurd list of buffs is another."
Wars were things that needed to be taken slowly, and Carter had gone through many. As a Level 290 powerhouse and the leader the higher-ups chose to rely on as the commander, Carter was bound to be a competent individual.
***
Meanwhile, a few months later in the Golden Sap Empire, Flor frowned at the reports from the mercenary groups. "There is movement…?"
Flor sighed and glanced toward the empty spot where the giant World Tree had previously stood. 'This city feels a bit empty without my pretty dear… Also, it has been almost 15 years since she went to sleep. When will she wake up?'