The more Eryndis’ army fought against the giant World Tree, the more Thalric’s message echoed in her mind. Unlike Vaelin and Thalric’s groups, Eryndis had an iron grip on her army. Even when they’ve been on the worst receiving side compared to all four armies, Eryndis remained standing and leading them with valiant efforts. 

“Redouble the defensive measures! Attack her branches! Make sure that the base receives enough damage to give up under its own weight!” 

Her orders flew everywhere within the army, and even when 20% of them had already died and many others were injured, no one retreated or fled. 

Liu Shu observed everything and had to give credit where it was due. ‘No wonder the Abyssal Void Nexus placed her as the leader. She has the charisma for it. If she had gone to invade the fortresses instead of Prarya city, she might’ve been successful.’

Her Soulseed was quite damaged. Among all of them, perhaps it was the most damaged. The reason was that Prarya didn’t have a large defensive area spell like Fortuna. So, they were currently battling offense with offense. 

Two World Trees and their army against the powerful Nexus army. Both sides are without large-scale shields, leading to heavy casualties on both sides. 

Liu Shu’s Soulseed received another barrage of arrows and projectiles, slicing more of her Phoer away. “Annoying!”

Eryndis shouted. “She is attacking! Resist the barrage!”

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Temporary shields blocked Liu Shu’s branches and thorns. Even then, the strength and number of attacks were just too much, so some of them pierced through and landed around them with explosive sounds. 

Eryndis didn’t flinch as her surroundings exploded, her gaze locked on the World Tree’s injured figure. Still, as they fought, she knew that their situation was hopeless. ‘When Tianlian Liu Shu’s attacks stop, Prarya will start another barrage. Our numbers are getting smaller with each exchange, while the enemy keeps using unlimited summons as their shield. We’ve managed to kill a few thousand, but their strength is barely any different from what it was at first.’

“Are Evangeline and Vaelin not answering? Will they send reinforcements? What about those from the sea? I need answers!”

The messenger at her side shook his head. “We’ve sent a few to check, but none have returned. Lady Eryndis, I think we’ve been surrounded. We fear that the World Trees are not allowing anyone to leave the battlefield.” 

Eryndis looked at that person coldly as she pulled her bow and released another volley of attacks at Liu Shu’s body. Knowing that they were dangerous, Liu Shu moved some of her branches and hardened them with ternary essences to block the shots.

The explosive sounds the arrows created on impact were a testament to the strength that the women wielded. Liu Shu’s face on the Soulseed showed a hint of pain as some of her branches fell down and hit the ground, their heavy weight creating shockwaves on impact. 

Eryndis was not happy, though. The number of branches a World Tree standing at 2,000 meters tall had was hard to even estimate. So, cutting a few of those did nothing to her cause.

“Surrounded…” She sighed and looked at the tall World Tree. Then, she looked back at her terrified but still cohesive army. She muttered to herself. “How long can I keep them straight? The second the first deserters appear, everything will start falling as if someone took off the last brick holding the structure.”  

Her only way of pushing forward and seeing victory was to defeat the giant World Tree in front of them, march forward, and defeat the second World Tree holed up in the city. No matter how proud she was, defeating two high-level World Trees was not something an army her size could accomplish without reinforcements or long-range artillery. 

Being immovable targets was what made the artillery so powerful. The projectiles were not that fast, so any trained army would have more than enough time to develop a countermeasure and defend against them. Their movement can also make them inaccurate, reducing their value to the point that they are just not worth carrying around. However, when fighting World Trees, the constant pressure and attacks were enough to damage the incredibly durable and powerful beings. 

Before the long-range attacks, the only option was corruption and hoping that the enemy World Tree would be impacted enough for the army to take over and finish them off. These super-long-range methods were rather new in their world, which is the reason why the Abyssal Void Nexus decided to take the Wild Continent for themselves.

“But our plans are being thrown out of the window because this World Tree has somehow learned to move and is familiar with war tactics!” Eryndis fired several more arrows in her anger. “Why is Tianlian Liu Shu so different!? Why have you decided to appear during our era instead of later!?” 

Eryndis fired arrow after arrow as if she were venting out her feelings. After a while, one of her advisors spoke. “Lady Eryndis, don’t fire anymore. Your Aether Mana won’t last much longer otherwise.” 

“As if I fucking care!” Eryndis shouted at that advisor. “What else can we do!? A battle of attrition against a World Tree!? We might as well slice our necks and see if we can outbleed the shitty plant!” 

Eryndis saw that advisor looking sideways, and her anger flared up even more. “Either way, why did we decide to do this!? We had no information on Tianlian Liu Shu! Yet we rushed here, pushed by Evangeline’s urging and other overconfident pricks that our victory was nothing but guaranteed!” 

Eryndis had planned a calmer takeover. She wanted to control and use the resources of each land to grow their armies and strength. However, Evangeline and the rest urged her time and time again, so in the end, she folded and accepted their words. Naturally, she was fearful that some World Trees would become too powerful. Still, even if they didn’t get the whole continent, with a slow and calm pace, they would’ve been able to at least control and fortify the other half of the continent. 

Now? Once the armies here were defeated, the other side would become weak to the point of crumbling from within. Most of the high command had gone to this war, so when they died, chaos would ensue. Abyssal Void Nexus people were quite greedy for power, so any empty position would be fiercely fought over. Who wouldn’t want to fight for the “Wild Continent’s Grand Commander” title that she carried? What about the others? 

Eryndis clutched her bow tightly and glared at Liu Shu. “How did she even hide information about herself so well? Weren’t there any information networkers who could at least smuggle some information for a high price? Anything at all!? She is clearly not C Rank! She is clearly not as naive as a young World Tree! Anyone who looks would instantly be able to tell!”

The woman couldn’t know that with Liu Shu’s control over her domain, any and all suspicious activity was quickly tackled and dismantled. Almost all spies who came from the outside were easy to recognize since some of Liu Shu’s titles, or lack thereof, acted as “marks” for those who were not loyal. 

To gather information about Liu Shu, one would need to employ air methods. But did anyone expect Liu Shu to be able to see upwards of 25,000 meters into the air? Any air messenger would be like a star in the sky for Liu Shu, and the Arboreal Winged Serpents would take care of them easily. 

Eryndis' defeat was decided from the very beginning. Only if Liu Shu had never found out about the ocean base could they have had a chance. It was a good tactic that, if successful, would've placed Liu Shu in a difficult situation, forcing her to use more Soulseeds to deal with the problems. 

Eryndis heard the loud impacts of Liu Shu’s roots slamming against the ground and looked around. “Why didn’t they defend?” 

It was only then that, since she had stopped giving orders for a few moments, the fear that her courage was holding back burst like a cracked dam whose last support stopped working. Eryndis observed how people here and there started running away from the battlefield and laughed twice mirthlessly. “You think I’ll let you go? Kill them all.” Her voice boomed with the wrath of a thousand vengeful spirits. “KILL ALL THOSE WHO FLEE!”

She knew that she was done for, but that didn’t mean that her army could go against her! Her bow didn’t aim at the World Tree for the first time as she turned around with killing intent bursting around her like a howling gale. “DIE!”

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! 

Tianlian Liu Shu was startled when she saw Eryndis’ arrows exploding within her own army ranks. ‘Has she lost the last thread of sanity left within her?’

Prarya spoke to Liu Shu, her voice somewhat worried. “Liu Shu… Are you okay? Your bark is a mess, and you are seeping sap everywhere.”

A Soulseed not being her main body didn’t mean that Liu Shu wouldn’t feel anything. In truth, it was like a secondary body, so all the pain it felt, Liu Shu received it as if it were done to her own body. 

“Don’t worry, Big Sister Prarya. Even if this Soulseed falls, I will at most receive a strong backlash mentally. Nothing I can’t deal with. I would rather have dozens of these be destroyed than see Big Sister Prarya being hurt.” 

Prarya felt her core melting as a surge of warmth and care flowed through her roots. Several explosions landed on the Soulseed again, making Prarya’s anger rise exponentially. 

“You filthy invaders… Get out of Liu Shu’s domain and stop hurting her!”

Roots burst out of the ground, dropping behind any reservations she had before, and she started going on a rampage. 

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The landscape changed as Prarya went all out on Eryndis’ army, destroying the last hopes they had. Liu Shu was somewhat surprised. Where did this strength come from? Nevertheless, she got her answer quickly as she saw Prarya’s Aether Mana and Anima Energy depleting at an incredibly high speed. Liu Shu smiled softly as she used some of her roots to gently caress Prarya’s roots. “Don’t be impulsive, Big Sister. Let’s go slowly, like we’ve been doing this whole time.”

“No!” Prarya's answer was firm. “I’ll deal with this filth before your Soulseed gets more damaged! They can all become fertilizer for your recovery!” Her voice boomed on the battlefield. “Thalgryn! You'd better deal with this bunch quickly. Enough of hiding behind Liu Shu’s body as a cover and hurting her that much! Must she fall down before your army starts going all out!? She is hurting!”

Thalgryn’s eyes widened faintly before she smiled to herself. ‘Who was the one who told me not to be reckless?’ She didn’t mind, though. Her voice, enhanced by ternary essences, boomed around the battlefield. “You’ve heard our Lady! Charge and finish them off!”

Eryndis looked over and smiled to herself. “It seems… This is my end. I don’t think the World Trees will let me go as the commander.” As she sighed and looked at the sky, partially covered by Liu Shu’s gargantuan canopy, she muttered. “I wonder if the main continent will be able to deal with Tianlian Liu Shu when she matures… Her threat is something far above what anyone could’ve ever imagined.” 

Eryndis fought valiantly during her last moments, but as the army around her fell, stray attacks hit her and weakened her. Eventually, she was hit by one of Liu Shu’s attacks and caught by Prarya’s roots. At the end, Thalgryn herself fell from the sky with a giant hammer in her hand. “Die, Eryndis.”

Eryndis grinned, her face bloodied and her hair a mess. “See you in the next life, Thalgryn.”