Beyond crossed his arms, glancing at the Shaymin on Akira's shoulder before focusing on what should have been a barren land.
Just from this demonstration, Beyond could imagine numerous applications for such power.
This life-restoring ability held tremendous practical value, especially for the various plants on the Dark Continent's.
It's important to know that many plants from the Dark Continent possess unique effects, making them very rare even across the Six Continents.
Not to mention plants that reach the level of 'hope', such as the legendary herb said to cure all illness.
These plants are incredibly potent, and obtaining them is no easy feat—but the difficulty doesn't end there.
If one is truly willing to pay a steep price, acquiring a small quantity might still be possible.
The real challenge lies in maximizing their utility.
Such hard-won harvests would feel wasted if used directly.
When faced with rare plants, the most common approach is cultivation.
Even if the initial quantity is small, with enough effort, their numbers can gradually increase.
Yet this method simply doesn't work with plants from the Dark Continent.
Because the six continents could hardly meet the growth requirements of these plants, it seemed they could only thrive in the Dark Continent.
This conclusion was drawn after numerous studies on the plants brought back.
Countless attempts had been made, yet all ended in failure.
Back then, he had also brought back a single alchemical plant from the Dark Continent, naming it 'Metalion'.
With only one specimen, his plan was to cultivate it, but unfortunately, even that ultimately failed.
Thinking of this, Beyond couldn't help but sigh.
"Can it restore vitality to the land?"
"Just by faintly sensing its aura, you can feel a flourishing vitality, brimming with life force."
Ging gazed at the drastically transformed land in the distance while attuning himself to the changes in the surrounding environment.
No deep observation was needed—even with the naked eye, one could see the plants surging with growth.
Even though they were wearing Safety Suits, they still felt an illusion akin to withered trees reviving in spring, their bodies lighter and brimming with energy.
Among them, Shaymin's perception was the most profound.
Due to the unique nature of its ability, it was highly sensitive to changes in its surroundings, able to detect even the slightest movement.
This grassland had always been vibrant—otherwise, it wouldn't have been covered in so many flowers and lush greenery.
But now, the life force in the surroundings had suddenly surged, becoming several times more intense.
Compared to the current environment, the past one seemed like a barren, shattered wasteland.
Its ability to listen to nature's voice clearly conveyed the gratitude of the plants and the earth—all directed at the Nen beast perched on Akira's shoulder!
To these plants and the land, Shaymin held a status akin to a deity in their hearts.
It was a being to be revered and protected.
But this was only the perspective of ordinary plants.
Some unusual plants—or rather, calamities—did not share this sentiment.
On the contrary, the abilities Shaymin displayed had stirred their greed, making them want to capture her.
*****
Not far from the grassy area where the group rested lay a flower field blooming with blossoms of various colors.
The flowers were all of the same species, differing only in size and hue.
Aside from the vast expanse of flowers, there were also three towering, leafy trees nearby.
At first glance, these trees weren't particularly large—only slightly bigger than ordinary ones, and dwarfed in comparison to the trees of the Purple Forest.
But upon closer inspection, one would notice something odd about the soil beneath these trees—and even beneath the flowers.
It was different from the common soil of the grassland.
The earth beneath them bore clear signs of frequent disturbance, as if someone had been digging there from time to time.
However, from a distance, though the group noticed the flowers and trees, they didn't pay them much attention.
Their plan was to proceed without passing near that area, as approaching it carried certain risks.
This reasoning wasn't wrong—had Shaymin not appeared, nothing would likely have happened.
But Its presence had altered things, most notably by attracting hidden dangers lurking in the shadows!
In the unseen depths, countless roots were rapidly growing!
A few moments later, Shaymin's ears twitched slightly, and its expression, which had just calmed, abruptly changed again.
'Something else is coming! Underground!'
Everyone found themselves nearly conditioned to react at the sound of Shaymin's voice.
Whenever Shaymin spoke, it never seemed to bode well.
Though this thought crossed their minds, their movements didn't stop.
They all immediately expanded their En, probing particularly deep underground.
Bubble-thin layers of En extended beneath the surface, quickly detecting the danger Shaymin had warned about.
Without time to speak, their expressions changed as they forcefully kicked off the ground, propelling themselves into the air.
In an instant, the group scattered in all directions while keeping their eyes fixed on the ground they'd just vacated.
Almost simultaneously with their leap, thick black branches burst through the soil like bamboo shoots, shooting towards the sky!
The inky branches writhed through the air like dark serpents, their surfaces faintly coated with wisps of black mist.
"Pop... pop..."
A series of sounds like uprooting radishes echoed, though far louder.
In moments, the once peaceful ground became riddled with holes as if pierced by countless thick needles.
"Thud! Thud!"
Seeing their initial attacks miss, countless more branches shot up from beneath the retreating figures, relentless in their pursuit.
'Thwack!'
Muheer swung his longsword, casually severing an attacking branch while steadily retreating.
"Damn it! How many of these branches are there? No matter how far we retreat, new ones keep sprouting from the ground!"
As he spoke, Muheer noticed the severed branch beginning to emit tendrils of black mist that coiled around its length.
In the next moment, the branch suddenly expanded at an impossible rate, as if supercharged with growth hormones.
"This can't be real?!" Muheer choked on his words, unable to form a complete sentence.
A shadow fell across his panicked face - the severed branch had now grown into an enormous tree.
No one would believe this towering structure, now four or five stories tall, had been merely a broken branch seconds earlier.
Its growth rate defied all logic.
"Whoa, that grows faster than compressed towels" Akira remarked, watching the clearly unnatural tree with an unreadable expression.
Not only was its growth rate absurd, but its appearance was equally bizarre.
Both trunk and leaves were pitch black, while the surrounding temperature dropped noticeably, creating an oppressive, sinister atmosphere.
The dense canopy blocked out sunlight while emitting eerie black mist.
This was something Akira recognized.
"Well? Is that Death aura?" Ging materialized beside Akira to ask.
It looked suspiciously like Death aura to him, hence he was consulting to the Nen Exorcist.
"Similar, but I can't be certain. This is the Dark Continent after all - strange, unexplainable phenomena are practically normal here," Akira shook his head.
While he couldn't confirm it was Death aura, it was certainly something closely related.
Akira suspected the "branch-to-tree" transformation stemmed from those sinister black mists.
After witnessing Muheer's severed branch transform, no one dared attack the incoming branches anymore.
They feared their strikes might inadvertently empower their enemy instead.
"Don't worry, this ability of its has a time limit. It'll die on its own soon enough."
Akira shouted loudly upon seeing the situation, boosting the confidence of those who had lost heart to resist.
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