Darian walked out of that house calmly. Outside, he was met by a sea of people gathered, waiting for him.

"All the Heavenly Elemental Spirits that were spread out purifying the miasma slowly have returned. They're all here now," Lucy said softly to him.

Darian looked at all those figures staring at him with a peculiar expression. Since the White-Blooded depended on that race, they had prioritized finding and bringing them here as soon as possible.

They had also acted smartly over time, creating distractions to fool those hunting them — pretending they still lived in random rifts scattered across the Trunk World.

Of course, after a while, some people started getting suspicious, but whether by luck or fate, they never found the entrance to that refuge.

The White-Blooded were only a hundred thousand; the Heavenly Elemental Spirits numbered six hundred thousand, all born from one of the five natural elements.

"I understand the situation now. Well, I've got a lot of goals, and I'll need everyone's help. My main objective is to stop the Celestial Shadow from recovering, buying myself more time to grow stronger. To do that, I'll have to destroy Enfield's entire Sacred Tree," Darian said seriously to everyone.

"I won't forgive those who sided with the Celestial Shadow. Every one of them will be wiped out — along with the whole Array. If you choose to follow me, I can't promise everyone will survive, but I'll lead you to the end and free you from this place when it's all over."

Darian finished and stared at them.

At that moment, all the Heavenly Elemental Spirits trembled and bowed, excited. The White-Blooded saw their reaction and finally felt certain.

They didn't know exactly what Darian had done so far, nor could they be absolutely sure of who he was. But the fact that Enfield himself had asked them to gather that race meant he trusted they would recognize the right person when the time came. If they all claimed he was the Missionary, even without proof, they had to believe.

"We swear loyalty to you, Sir," said a tall, serious man, speaking on behalf of all the White-Blooded.

Darian nodded, but his eyes slowly scanned each person around him, assessing their karma. Thankfully, no one stood out negatively. After putting them under some pressure later, he could confirm their loyalty for sure.

After a few seconds, Darian asked, "What's the Array's rule for you to ascend to the Leaf World?"

The man replied, "To ascend, we need at least seven circles. Then, when we reach the center of the Trunk World, the Array evaluates us. We have to reach a minimum bloodline density level to be approved."

"To ascend the circles just takes resources. But how do you get a denser bloodline?" Darian asked, thoughtful.

The man took a deep breath. "You either inherit it from your parents... or live a life of pure self-training — fighting and pushing your body to the limit. A thousand years ago, when our race wasn't completely corrupted, everyone lived for that, giving their all. But even back then, maybe ten people per generation managed to pass."

Darian nodded. Basically, it was about personal improvement — just like the Draconic Beasts training their bodies in Vadise.

The Golden-Blooded were born from the union of exceptional individuals, and their descendants inherited that condition, filling the Leaf World with the elite of their race.

"Do you know of anyone from your race with more than nine circles?" Darian asked seriously.

The man heard the question and looked confused. "Above nine circles... I've never heard of that, not even in the old records."

Lucy let out a deep sigh. Now she was sure — she'd been incredibly unlucky to choose the worst possible time to attack, right when these people were around.

But that didn't change the fact that it was her failure as a leader. She had underestimated the enemy — she should've investigated and studied everything to the fullest, valuing every little detail. If she had, maybe she would've discovered something about that, and their losses wouldn't have been so great.

"Let's get out of here; we need to prepare to attack the next ring of death," Darian ordered calmly.

No one there felt attached to that barren, lifeless land; it was just the only safe place they had.

Outside, the White-Blooded stayed peacefully in the ring of life, even during the free day when there should've been no enemies. That made it clear the Array already recognized the corrupted as true enemies, deserving of separation, not them.

Everyone moved toward the starting area, which was the army's gathering point.

When the first twelve free hours of that world passed, Tir and the rest of the army returned.

Tir brought back two massive crystals, along with five smaller ones, each about the size of a human head. Those smaller ones had less than ten percent of the power of the big ones, but Tir thought they'd still be useful to dig up.

Darian nodded, satisfied. He knew the Seed of Life was at the center of that world, so the closer they got, the more of those things would be buried.

"Everyone, get ready. We're advancing through the rings of death and purging everyone who lives there without hesitation. The front line will be the hundred thousand White-Blooded. The rest will serve as support and trainers."

Darian spoke calmly, and all those hundred thousand felt a chill down their spines. They all had at most five circles, since they couldn't get enough resources living in that place.

Now they were going to be the frontline against people of the same race who reached up to nine circles? It looked like suicide.

Darian saw that and said coldly to everyone:

"If you want to give up, you can go back to that little place you lived before. Like I said, I'll need your help, but weak people aren't useful. I can't guarantee everyone will come out alive. So either you take this chance and grow fast, or you stay behind."

Everyone swallowed hard, but… none of them chose to go back.

***

Days passed slowly, with the huge army attacking the rings of death and wreaking havoc among the White-Blooded.

Darian wasn't in a rush, because the resources and items from those places would be essential for his future growth. Not to mention, he had to wait four years to launch a direct attack on the Celestial Shadow. For now, he only stirred chaos among that race, which were the weakest and disposable.

So he made the hundred thousand allied White-Blooded develop by fighting on the frontline. Of course, he ordered everyone else to provide support to avoid unnecessary deaths.

Also, Darian took his time — together with Awel, Tir, and Eleri — to train the Heavenly Elemental Spirits. With organized groups and now directed exactly toward what Darian wanted, everything would be simpler later.

***

The four years inside Enfield's Sacred Tree passed slowly.

During that time, Darian made sure to purge all corrupted White-Blooded and collect absolutely every resource from those lands.

So everyone moved to the center of the Trunk World, where the shadow of an enormous tree dominated the landscape.

The center was less than a kilometer across and was the point where people could evolve their rings, then decide whether to leave or face a new challenge.

When they arrived, Darian went with Niara to a specific corner. Thanks to the knowledge he'd gained, he knew exactly where the Seed of Life was. Of course, it wasn't exposed: the Array protected it, preventing any chance of theft.

In a small lake surrounded by trees, he sat at the edge and began to flow chaos power down into the depths.

His power seeped slowly into the earth, reaching a sealed region underground, locked by terrifying primordial runes. Still, he started to infiltrate chaos power subtly, without alerting the Array or interfering with the seal.

His concentration was total, and Niara didn't leave his side, alert to everything around.

After three days, Darian finally finished, satisfied with the result.

The pair returned to where everyone was. When they arrived, the hundred thousand White-Blooded were radiant. It had been nearly four years of battles and training; even in free moments, the army trained with them day and night.

Now the Array recognized them all, and they could advance to the Leaf World.

"Let's go, it's time." Darian gave the order, and everyone nodded.

Unfortunately, no one gained new rings at that moment. They all had at least six rings, and the amount needed to evolve was insanely high. Still, they managed about 30% of what was required.

They all crossed under the shadow of that tree, which acted like a portal that took them to the third world.

This time, Darian couldn't waste much time. He already understood well how to strike another decisive and devastating blow to the Celestial Shadow's plans. Besides, he could now cause maximum disturbance without fearing reprisals against his Academy.