The emerald sun in the center of the Elven Forest slowly faded away.
When Raine's vision finally recovered from the scorching brilliance, the sight before him made his breath catch—twelve crystal pillars had crumbled into fine powder, leaving a glassy crater a hundred meters wide at the heart of the altar. The Mother's Avatar lay scattered at the bottom like a melted metal sculpture, its twisted form frozen mid-collapse. The skull-shaped emblem on its chest had split in two, and dark-red energy seeped from the cracks like a dying serpent.
"…We… did it?" γ dragged himself over, his injured right leg barely supporting him, the alchemical prosthetic eye constantly shifting focus as it scanned the battlefield.
Ravenna was kneeling a short distance away, flickers of intertwined violet-gold and emerald light pulsing faintly across her body. Her mechanical right arm was completely destroyed, leaving only the shoulder joint exposed, its loose wires sparking. "Only driven back—temporarily." She pointed to the sky. "Look."
The surface of the Gear Moon was riddled with cracks, yet it had not shattered. Worse still, dark-red liquid was seeping from those fissures, slowly knitting them shut. Above the forest, the air trembled like a wounded beast, occasionally tearing open momentary rifts that revealed the silhouette of some multi-eyed creature beyond.
"It's repairing itself," Raine said, his Emerald Sight piercing through the façade. "The forest's leylines are too deeply polluted—they've become its anchor."
The surviving children hobbled over, supporting one another. Of the original seventeen, only nine remained. The smallest girl suddenly pointed toward the center of the crater. "Something's glowing there!"
Indeed, beneath the remains of the Mother's Avatar, a faint emerald light shimmered. Raine had just stepped forward to investigate when the ground convulsed violently. The soil at the crater's edge rose like a living thing, shaping into countless metal spikes that shot toward them.
"Fourfold Aegis!"
Raine swept his sword across in defense, a shield of platinum and emerald interlaced barely managing to deflect the first wave. But the deadlier threat came from below—dozens of mechanical roots burst from the earth, their surfaces etched with blood-draining runes, identical to the first-generation Watchers they had encountered in the swamp.
"They've turned the entire forest into a trap!" Ravenna shouted, yanking two injured children into her arms before leaping away, violet-gold energy forming a temporary platform beneath her feet. "We have to get out of here!"
γ suddenly dashed toward the crater.
"Go! I'll get that glowing thing!" Her alchemical eye locked onto the source, the mechanical joints in her legs overloading as she surged forward so fast she left afterimages in her wake.
"γ! Come back!" Ravenna's shout was swallowed by the roar of a fresh explosion. The mechanical roots spewed a [Corruption Spore Cloud], and where the emerald mist passed, even the air began to crystallize.
Raine unleashed three consecutive [Spirit Phoenix Slashes], cutting a path clear for γ. The girl vaulted into the crater, weaving deftly through the remains of the Avatar. When she finally reached the source of the glow, she sucked in a sharp breath—
It was half of an emerald heart, still beating.
"The Life Old God's…" γ's hand had barely brushed the heart when the surrounding remains came alive. The metallic head of the Mother's Avatar snapped upward, and from its cracked "mouth" a cluster of needle-like tendrils shot toward her back.
At the last instant, Raine's Frostwhisper Sword flew from his hand, his [Sword Dominion] technique cleaving the tendrils clean through. Simultaneously, Ravenna hurled a violet-gold energy cable that coiled around γ's waist, yanking her out of harm's way.
"Catch!" γ twisted midair, hurling the emerald heart toward Raine with every ounce of her strength.
The instant it touched his hands, the emerald branches in Raine's chest burst into rampant growth, resonating violently with the half-heart. A tidal surge of fragmented memories poured into him—he saw the Life Old God's fall, the betrayal of the first Watchers, and even… his own birth.
"I see now…" Raine murmured. "I was created to be the vessel for this very moment."
Ravenna landed beside him, her mechanical eye scanning the heart. "Energy reading match—99.9%. This is…"
"…the other half I was missing." Raine pressed the heart to his chest. The branches spread apart and closed over it, sealing it within. "But the fusion will take time—and time is exactly what we don't have—"
The ground heaved again, harder than before. The remains of the Avatar in the crater's center began to reassemble, and more mechanical roots surged in from every direction. Worst of all, the Gear Moon above had already repaired more than half its surface, and the dark-red liquid began pouring down into the forest once more.
"Take the children to the Mother Tree's ruins."
Raine's voice was suddenly resolute. "It's the heart of the leyline network—and the only place where the fusion can be completed."
Ravenna seized his arm. "You're planning to stay behind alone? Don't you dare—"
"It's not staying behind." Raine pointed to where the emerald heart connected to him, the energy there growing more and more unstable. "The fusion process will release a shockwave. You have to be far away." He gently took Ravenna's hand. "Trust me."
The moment their hands touched, violet-gold and emerald energy formed a tiny vortex between them. Ravenna's mechanical eye flickered several times before she finally gritted her teeth and nodded. "Don't die, bastard." She turned to rally the survivors. "Everyone with me! Break out to the northeast!"
γ gave Raine one last glance, stuffed Old Nick's alchemy notes into her jacket, and followed the group as they cut their way out.
Raine took a deep breath, planting Frostwhisper Sword in front of him as a barrier. The fusion with the emerald heart had begun, and he could feel the two kin-born energies adjusting to each other—like twins separated for years finally reunited. But the process came with searing pain, as if a red-hot iron spike was stirring his insides.
"Come on, monster," Raine sneered at the reassembling remains of the Avatar. "Let's have one last dance."
Mechanical roots lashed down like a torrential storm. Raine no longer held anything back—four energies surged through newly-formed channels. When he swung his sword, it was no longer a mere [Spirit Phoenix Slash], but the manifestation of four elemental beasts: an emerald phoenix, a silver moon wolf king, a crimson dragon, and a platinum lion leaping forth together.
[Fourfold Aspect · Elemental Manifestation]!
The elemental beasts tore through everything in their path, mechanical roots evaporating in swathes. But there were too many. The defensive line was forced back, and worse—the energy leakage from the fusion process. Every time he unleashed power, the emerald heart in his chest shuddered violently, releasing shockwaves beyond his control.
A particularly massive root broke through his guard, smashing into Raine's back. He grunted, dropping to one knee as blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. The blow interrupted the fusion, and the emerald heart lay exposed—instantly becoming the prime target for every mechanical construct.
"Over my dead body…"
Raine forced himself to his feet, Frostwhisper Sword leveled across his chest. Just as he prepared for his final counterattack, a deep, resonant horn call echoed from deep within the forest—not the shriek of metal, but the rich, ancient cry of a beast-horn.
"This is..."
In the northeast, the trees shook violently as something massive approached. When it broke through the treeline, Raine's emerald vision almost refused to believe it—a colossal bear formed entirely of emerald energy, with an old elf clad in bark armor riding on its back. Behind them, at least two hundred elven warriors charged in formation, every weapon blazing with the light of life energy.
"Ancient Tree Wardens!" The old elf raised a staff set with a life gem high above his head. "For the Emerald Dream!"
The giant bear reared up on its hind legs, slamming its forepaws into the earth to unleash an emerald shockwave that instantly cleared swathes of mechanical roots. The elven warriors broke into small squads, slicing through enemy lines with practiced ease. Their fighting style was unlike any Raine had seen—more akin to the natural rhythm of trees growing, each motion carrying the grace of flowing water.
The old elf leapt down from the bear's back, tapping Raine's chest lightly with his staff. "It seems the prophecy was true—the last Gardener has finally returned." His voice was like wind whispering through the branches of a thousand-year-old tree. "I am Elondir, Guardian of the Dream."
Raine was about to reply when a tearing pain ripped through his chest—the emerald heart's fusion had reached its critical stage, but earlier attacks had disrupted the energy flow. Elondir's staff flared with gentle light. "Your energy channels are in disarray—you'll need guidance."
"No time…" Raine pointed to the Avatar's remains, now seventy percent reassembled. "We have to deal with—"
Elondir's lips curved into a mysterious smile. "Who said you must choose between the two?" He turned toward the battlefield. "Warriors! Unfold the Emerald Dream!"
The elves instantly shifted formation, forming concentric circles around the giant bear. They planted their weapons into the ground, channeling life energy into the leyline network. When the final node locked into place, the entire battlefield became shrouded in a veil of emerald mist—time itself slowed to a crawl.
"This is…"
"The blessing of the Ancient Tree." Elondir helped Raine sit. "Now, you have enough time to complete the fusion."
Within the slow-flowing time, Raine focused entirely on guiding the energy. The emerald heart merged into his chest, fitting seamlessly with what was already there. When the final fracture closed, a wave of unparalleled clarity swept through him—he finally understood the life god's entire plan.
"I'm not a vessel…" Raine opened his eyes, his pupils now fully emerald. "I am the seed of rebirth."
Elondir lowered himself to one knee in solemnity. "As the prophecy foretold—when the Gardener returns the heart, the First Flame shall burn anew."
From the outside came the sound of shattering glass—the Emerald Dream was breaking apart. Raine rose to his feet, his body now coursing with a new energy—not elf, dragon, saint, or seed of life, but an integrated, unified emerald power. Even Frostwhisper had changed—its blade etched with fine emerald veins, pulsing faintly like living wood.
The battlefield returned to normal speed, but the situation had already reversed.
The Mother's reassembling avatar let out a furious shriek—it could sense that something within its prey had undergone a fundamental change.
More mechanical roots drilled out from underground; some elven warriors were even ambushed suddenly.
"It's time to end this."
Raine gently stroked the blade, the emerald patterns upon it glowing with a soft light.
He did not charge forward; instead, he lightly touched the sword tip to the ground—
The entire Elven Forest suddenly fell silent for a single second.
Immediately after, all the metalized trees began to tremble, their root systems automatically detaching from the leyline network; the mechanical roots went limp, as if their souls had been drawn away; even the gear moon in the sky temporarily halted its repair process.
"Emerald Edict," Elondir whispered in awe. "The manifestation of the Authority of Life…"
The Mother's avatar thrashed violently, but the metallic liquid that composed it was now "betraying" it.
Every drop separated, every gear resisted.
Raine walked forward at an unhurried pace, and wherever he passed, tender green shoots sprouted from the ground on their own.
"You do not belong to this world."
Frostwhisper lightly traced across the avatar's chest—there was no violent clash, no dazzling explosion.
The skull sigil melted away like ice and snow under sunlight, and the dark red liquid degraded into ordinary metallic slurry.
When the final trace of corrupt energy dissipated, the entire leyline network of the Elven Forest suddenly lit up with emerald light—the process of self-purification had begun.
But the price of victory was heavy.
More than half of the elven warriors who had fought had fallen; Elondir's great bear guardian was shattered to protect its master.
Through his emerald sight, Raine saw farther—although the gear moon had stopped moving, it still hung in the sky like an unhealed wound.
"The war isn't over yet." He turned toward the northeast. "Ravenna and the others should have reached the Mother Tree site by now."
Elondir wiped the grime from his staff. "Follow me, there's a shortcut."
The old elf led the survivors to an especially massive metalized ancient tree.
When his staff touched the trunk lightly, the bark split open on its own, revealing glowing teleportation runes within.
"A passage left by the ancient elves, leading straight to the Mother Tree's roots."
The crossing felt like being enveloped in a stream of warm water.
When Raine once again set his feet firmly on the ground, he was already standing in a vast underground cavern.
From the ceiling hung clusters of glowing crystals, casting the entire space in a dreamlike emerald hue.
At the center of the cavern was a scaled-down version of the Elven Mother Tree—or rather, the core of the Mother Tree's root system.
Although its surface also bore traces of metalization, it still stubbornly radiated waves of life.
What was even more surprising was the crowd beneath the tree—Ravenna and the other survivors were surrounded by dozens of elves, the two sides on the verge of drawing blood.
The moment Raine appeared, every weapon immediately turned toward him.
"Drop your weapons!" Elondir barked sharply. "This is the Gardener foretold in the prophecy!"
The elves hesitated and stepped back, but one female elf in silver armor still held her spear high.
"Lord Elondir, there are mechanical augmenteds among them!" She pointed at Ravenna's mechanical parts. "They could be from the Council—"
"Fool!" The old elf struck her weapon aside with his staff. "Use the eyes of your heart!"
Raine had already walked to Ravenna's side, emerald energy automatically forming a protective circle around her.
Gamma and the children huddled close, each of them bearing injuries.
"How bad is it?" Raine asked softly.
Ravenna's mechanical eye flickered with exhaustion. "Not good. The Mother Tree's roots are too deeply corrupted—self-purification would take decades." She pointed at the dark red veins running along the trunk. "And those are…"
"The Abyss's brand," Elondir said grimly. "As long as the brand remains, the seed of corruption can reconnect to this world."
Raine placed his hand against the Mother Tree's roots, his emerald sight piercing through the xylem.
At the deepest point, within the heart of the oldest growth rings, he saw something horrific—twelve dark red chains coiling around the Mother Tree's soul, each chain ending in the face of an elf. They were the First Watchers themselves!
"So the traitors sacrificed even their souls…" Raine understood at last. "No wonder the Council could so easily control the leylines."
Ravenna examined the metallicized parts of the trunk. "There's no way to remove it by conventional means. Unless…" Her mechanical eye met Raine's emerald sight, and the same insane idea struck them both at once.
"You can't possibly mean…" Gamma stared at them in shock.
Elondir realized it as well. "It's too dangerous! The Mother Tree's roots are connected to the entire continent's leyline network!"
"Exactly," Raine said, already drawing on the energy within him. "If we're going to purify it, then we'll purify it completely."
Ravenna's mechanical parts fully unfolded, revealing a core of violet-gold crystal. "The most basic principle of alchemy—if you want to change the nature of matter, you must first merge with it."
Gamma suddenly stepped forward. "Take me with you." She pulled open her collar, revealing the alchemical sigil on her chest. "My sigil is the closest match to Sister Ravenna's—it can act as a stabilizer."
The argument lasted a full hour before Elondir finally had to relent.
The elves began arranging an ancient amplification array, while the children were led to a safe area.
By the time preparations were complete, the Mother Tree's cavern had been transformed into a massive ritual ground.
"Remember—you have only one chance." The old elf planted his life-gem staff at the heart of the array. "The Emerald Dream can last no more than three hours."
Raine, Ravenna, and Gamma stood in a triangular formation at the Mother Tree's roots. As the array activated, the energies of the three began to resonate—emerald, violet-gold, and silver-blue streams spiraled upward, converging at the top of the trunk.
"Ready?" Raine extended his hand.
Ravenna grinned and clasped it. "Already died once, remember?"
Gamma, tense, added, "For Old Nick."
The three pressed their other hands against the Mother Tree. In an instant, their consciousnesses were pulled into the vast leyline network—Raine became a rushing emerald river, Ravenna transformed into an intricate weave of violet-gold veins, and Gamma stood as a steady silver-blue node.
At the deepest point of the leylines, twelve dark-red chains thrashed wildly, the souls of the First Watchers spewing venomous curses. But wherever the fused energy passed, the chains dissolved like spring snow. The purification was far more painful than they had imagined—each time a chain snapped, it released centuries of pent-up negative emotion, cutting into their minds like a dull blade.
When the final chain broke, the Mother Tree's soul was at last freed. Emerald light erupted from the planet's heart, flowing through the leyline network to every corner of the continent. Raine dimly perceived countless visions—withered plants sprouting anew, polluted rivers running clear again, even green shoots breaking through the ruins of the Glass City...
When they returned to their bodies, all three collapsed to the ground. The metallic sheen on the Mother Tree's surface was completely gone, replaced by crystal-clear emerald bark. The crystal clusters on the cavern ceiling shone all at once, flooding the chamber with daylight.
"Did… did it work?" Gamma asked weakly.
Ravenna tried to reply but coughed up a mouthful of violet-gold blood. Her mechanical parts had shattered entirely, revealing fresh, living flesh beneath. Raine fared slightly better, though much of the emerald foliage at his chest had withered away.
Elondir rushed in with healers. "Quick! Inject them with life essence!"
As the elves scrambled to save them, no one noticed a certain branch of the Mother Tree bearing two strange fruits—one emerald, one violet-gold.
Far higher among the leaves, the projection of the Gear Moon was slowly fading, like a stain being erased…