The path to the Treant's heart was only a few dozen meters long, but to Yanaki, it felt endless. The ground trembled beneath her feet. The roars of the enraged Tree God and the sound of giant roots tearing through the air echoed in her ears.
On the far side, Luna, in a brief moment, saw Yanaki's actions. She was stunned. "What is that fool doing?" the thought flashed through her mind. Charging straight into the center of a level 20 boss's attacks? That was suicide. But she had no time to think further; another root shot towards her, forcing her to continue her dance of life and death.
Yanaki paid Luna no mind. All of her focus was on her goal. A black root suddenly erupted from the ground right in front of her. Before she could react, Elara's song grew more heartfelt, slowing its speed for a fraction of a second. Just that sliver of time was enough for Yanaki to slip past.
Another root whipped at her from the side. This time, she couldn't dodge.
But she didn't have to. Sylva, its body already covered in cracks, still charged forward, using its entire body as a shield.
CRASH!
Her Protector was sent flying, crashing into a tree trunk. Yanaki felt its pain through their covenant. But it immediately stood up and continued to charge, becoming a living, moving wall between her and death.
She was almost there. The Treant's corrupted heart was just a few meters away. But the Tree God had also sensed the threat from the seed of life in her hand. It let out one final roar. The three largest roots, from three different directions, lunged at Yanaki simultaneously, forming an inescapable pincer.
In that instant, Sylva stopped. It was no longer trying to shield her. Through the covenant, a simple but powerful emotion was transmitted to Yanaki: "Trust me. Go."
The Reborn Treant planted its roots deep into the ground. Its entire body erupted in a dazzling green light, more intense than ever before. It was burning its own life force.
[Bulwark of Life]!
From Sylva's body, countless branches and roots grew at a terrifying rate, weaving together to form a solid dome, enveloping itself and blocking all three devastating attacks.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
The sound of the impacts was earth-shattering. The dome of life shattered. And Sylva's body, like a puppet with its strings cut, was flung far away, crashing hard against the ground. The green light in its eyes nearly flickered out.
[Familiar 'Sylva' has taken fatal damage! Status: [Near Death].]
Tears welled up, streaming down Yanaki's cheeks as she felt her companion's life fading. But she did not stop. Sylva's sacrifice could not be in vain.
She poured all her strength into her legs, leaping over the final root which had lost its power. She had reached the base of the tree.
Without a shred of hesitation, Yanaki reached out and pressed the [Seed of Growth] firmly into the Treant's pulsing, corrupted heart.
A single, eerie second of silence.
And then, an explosion of light.
Not a destructive light, but a wave of pure, warm white light that radiated out from the point of contact. The light cleansed everything. The enraged red in the Treant's eyes vanished. The black roots froze, then crumbled into ash. The tar-like mire evaporated, revealing a layer of fertile soil.
The entire giant tree was enveloped in white light. The cracked, black bark peeled away, falling off like old armor. Underneath was a new layer of smooth, healthy, silver-white bark. From the bare branches, green buds began to sprout at a speed visible to the naked eye, quickly blanketing a corner of the sky in green.
The mournful whispers in the forest fell completely silent, leaving only the sound of leaves rustling in the wind.
[You have successfully purified the [Sorrowful Treant]!]
[Ultimate Quest: [Echoes of Memory] has been updated!]
[You have obtained the [Shard of Growth]!]
[You have received a large amount of EXP. You have reached Level 5!]
[For your actions have saved a great spirit, you have received a massive amount of "Reputation": +150]
From the reborn Great Tree God, a single, brilliantly glowing green leaf gently fell and landed in Yanaki's hand. This was the [Shard of Growth].
But Yanaki didn't care about it. Nor did she pay attention to the level-up notifications. She turned and ran for her life towards Sylva.
Her protector lay there, motionless. Its wooden body was riddled with cracks, and the light in its eyes was just a flickering ember about to die. The red text [Near Death] flashed incessantly.
On the other side, Luna stood frozen, her silver sword lowered at some point without her realizing. She had witnessed the entire scene in stunned silence. Her philosophy of "strength is everything" seemed to have been shaken to its core when she saw the girl she had deemed "foolish" accomplish what her own power could not. And now, that same girl was ignoring a precious reward to save a "pet" that was on the brink of death.
Yanaki knelt beside Sylva, desperately trying to channel her MP into it, but it was like a drop in the ocean. She had to do something. She couldn't let the friend who had sacrificed himself for her just disappear.