Darkness—endless darkness filled his vision. After adjusting for a while, he noticed faint purple mist drifting in the air.
The Balladeer forcefully pushed himself up. The cramped space pressed in on him, stirring a trace of unease.
"Awake?"
The sound of light, rustling footsteps made the Balladeer lower his gaze. He kept his head down as he picked up the wide-brimmed hat from the ground and placed it back on his head. Hidden in the shadows, his expression was unreadable.
Lumine crouched down, carefully observing the Balladeer's ashen face. It seemed he had been utterly crushed by Rover, leaving him devoid of any confidence.
"Do you want revenge?"
The Balladeer's eyes flickered, but the next second, they returned to lifelessness.
Lumine stood up and turned, as if speaking to someone else.
Outside the window, the purple mist continued to drift, accompanied by a faint glow.
The Balladeer raised his wrist. Unbeknownst to him, a nauseating aura of the Abyss had begun enveloping him.
Seeing him like this, Lumine showed no surprise. After all, if even the power of a god couldn't defeat Rover, what else could?
But soon, Lumine gave the Balladeer her answer.
"Use Irminsul to defeat Rover. I think you'd be interested."
At these words, the Balladeer finally looked directly at her. His hoarse voice finally spoke.
"Irminsul?"
Lumine shifted slightly to the side. The Balladeer's eyes widened as a blinding light flashed before him. When his vision cleared, he realized they had arrived at a corner of Irminsul.
"Due to the influence of Forbidden Knowledge, the Dendro Archon cannot yet fully control Irminsul. This gives us an opportunity. Of course, we can't enter openly..."
Before Lumine could finish, the Balladeer scoffed and stood up, looking at his body now saturated with Abyssal energy.
"If I'm not mistaken, we entered through Forbidden Knowledge. The Abyss's energy can counteract these corrupting forces."
Lumine smiled. It seemed that when it came to utterly defeating Rover, the Balladeer's mind became exceptionally sharp.
"Correct. But all it can do is isolate the corruption. Still... we succeeded, didn't we?"
The Balladeer raised his head, gazing at the colossal Irminsul before him. Its pink roots twisted and coiled, and his eyes then turned to the deepest part, where black knowledge was slowly spreading.
"So, what do I need to do?"
The Balladeer turned around. Lumine saw the flames of fury and hatred burning fiercely in his eyes.
"Absorb the Forbidden Knowledge. As for the cost..."
A crazed smile gradually spread across the Balladeer's face.
"If I can torture him to death with my own hands, what do I have to fear from death?"
Lumine smiled.
At this point, half of her plan had already succeeded.
But in a blind spot unnoticed by Lumine, a familiar shadow followed their trail and also entered Irminsul.
...
"Irminsul is malfunctioning."
This was the message Nahida left for Rover. Rover sighed—his worst fear had come true.
When Nahida hurried over, Rover was slightly surprised to see Verina had come as well.
"Irminsul says it's in pain. I thought I might be able to help."
Seeing Rover still deep in thought, Verina explained her reason for coming.
Nahida gave Rover a slight nod, signaling that he could trust her.
Seeing this, Rover agreed. Perhaps Verina had a way to heal Irminsul?
Nahida took out a Knowledge Capsule. Unlike ordinary ones, this one was red.
"Irminsul originally still had some lingering issues. I planned to address them gradually over time. But now, for some reason, the Forbidden Knowledge has suddenly worsened. This Knowledge Capsule contains the final memories of the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata."
"With the power of two Gnosis, we can now decipher it. I hope we can find a way to completely erase Forbidden Knowledge from these memories."
Rover handed the Electro Archon's Gnosis to Nahida.
The two Gnosis floating in the air emitted a brilliant light. In an instant, the Knowledge Capsule turned yellow, pulling them into Irminsul's consciousness space.
Purple earth, a dim sky streaked with crimson, not a trace of green—everything appeared decayed and unsettling.
Verina crouched down, her expression sorrowful.
"Don't worry. I'll heal you."
As they walked along the path, Nahida grew increasingly tense. She placed a hand lightly over her chest, clenching her fist.
"What's wrong?"
Rover noticed Nahida's unease.
Nahida quietly lowered her head.
"If the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata were still here, perhaps I could do better than I am now."
Verina patted Nahida's shoulder.
"Then let's go meet her."
...
The roots extended to the end, where mist swirled at their base. A soft glow drifted down from the treetop, making the scene far more dreamlike than before.
At the end, a child who looked identical to Nahida had been waiting for them.
"Exactly like me..."
Nahida's lips parted slightly. She had imagined many appearances for the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, but... when she finally saw her, she realized she was using her own form.
"Does this form... surprise you?"
The Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's gentle voice carried as she observed the group.
"Because our essence is the same, we manifest identical appearances."
Nahida's voice trembled slightly as she stepped forward, blurting out her question without thinking.
"Why are our essences the same?"
Seeing Nahida's eagerness, the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata couldn't help but smile. She tidied Nahida's disheveled hair before speaking leisurely.
"Because you are me, and I am you. You are my reincarnation."
"As the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, I am the incarnation of Irminsul, while you are the purest branch plucked from it."
"It's like... even if a tree dies, its branches may one day take root and grow, continuing life in another form. The me before you is merely a remnant of the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's consciousness. The real me must have died long ago, no?"
Nahida fell silent. Deep down, she had always known. From the moment of her birth, the true Greater Lord Rukkhadevata had already perished.
"So fate is the ultimate knowledge, isn't it?"
Nahida pondered. The Greater Lord Rukkhadevata nodded approvingly and continued:
"You will not become me again. Perhaps you will become an even greater god than I was."
Hearing this, Nahida grew even more disheartened. Verina took Nahida's hand and led her before the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata.
"I also believe Nahida will become a truly great god."
The Greater Lord Rukkhadevata turned her gaze to Verina.
"You are pure as well, child."
Verina rubbed the back of her head and smiled.
Finally, the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's eyes settled on Rover.
Rover knew the real discussion was about to begin.