Chapter 88: Attack On Emerald Grove City – Slaying The Traitor [1]

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The Gardener had felt growing unease the moment “that thing” entered his Domain. He cared little for the “smaller pests,” but “that thing” in particular was too much. Worse, it was another Grievance just like him, constantly attempting to contact him by invading his Fantasy Heart and urging The Adjudicator to cooperate and divide the territory. Yet the only response The Adjudicator ever gave was “JUDGEMENT!!!” over and over, rendering any negotiation utterly pointless.

Still, he was managing to hold it back by sacrificing the endless small fry he could spawn within the Fantasy Field. As long as he could contain it, he planned to shove the intruder into the Dimensional Rift and hurl it deep into the Dimensional Labyrinth, where the other Grievances—especially the Five Hollowed Kings—would tear it apart.

The Gardener had completely forgotten about the “smaller pests,” however. Now they were revealing just how formidable they truly were.

FLASH!

Seven pillars of green and golden light erupted skyward, encircling Emerald Grove City and linking into a vast Spiritual Domain. The power of Nature itself fell under another authority, forcing The Gardener into a direct contest over dominion of the Fantasy Field.

The Emerald Moon above trembled violently. Chunks of its surface broke away like enormous meteors, crashing down around the city in a desperate bid to halt whoever dared steal control.

“It’s working! The Gardener is panicking—look how hard he’s struggling!” Eduard shouted, triumphant. “Now we must climb that creature!”

Everyone surged forward. Louis shielded the group, unleashing dozens of Ice, Void, and Light Spells from his hands. Beams of holy light, massive icicles, huge void bullets, and more advanced versions of his original spells pierced the Entities, riddling them with holes. His spear, channeling his mother’s inherited martial arts through his newly upgraded Gungnir, struck their cores one after another and shattered them.

Unlike the others, Louis lacked a wide-range hybrid physical and magical attack that didn’t drain his energy in a single burst. This exposed his clear disadvantage compared to these seasoned Agents, each capable of wiping out multiple Entities with one or two blows without even dipping deeply into their reserves.

Meanwhile, Louis had to meticulously manage his energy to avoid running dry too quickly, all while preserving enough for a decisive strike when the moment arrived.

Mirai, by contrast, was far more gifted. Her energy reserves always seemed nearly inexhaustible, and she was incredibly resilient and tireless.

A true protagonist—someone strong enough to carry the entire battle on her shoulders—and one of the main reasons the power gap felt so vast.

With her Incarnation, the Devil, she had grown even deadlier, effortlessly slaying swarms at once. It frustrated Louis deeply how overwhelmingly powerful she was.

He had grown stronger too, yet next to Mirai he always felt he needed more. If he could, he would train for a thousand years without hesitation.

As they pressed on, Louis noticed the Emerald Moon hurling more and more meteors downward. Worry spiked for Althea, but his enhanced senses quickly located her in the distance.

She floated high in the sky. Anastasia stood beneath her alongside Catrise and Juliette; the three of them were cutting down Level 2 Entities that had emerged to eliminate Althea.

At the same time, Althea revealed her full power. The formation was complete—50% of the Grievance’s Authority had been seized, and every second it continued to slip away by another 1%.

The Gardener fought desperately, reclaiming 10% of his authority in a surge, only for Althea to wrest back 11% immediately after.

It appeared to be a stalemate, but slowly, inevitably, Althea was refining the Fantasy Field into her own Domain, steadily eroding the Grievance’s influence and leaving him exposed.

But did they have time to wait? Not at all.

“Look!” Stone shouted. “The giant Treant has stopped moving!”

The colossal Treant froze abruptly and remained motionless for a full minute. Part of its body glowed with healthy brown hues as the dark, corrupted wood began purifying under Althea’s authority. The purified section swiftly extended a long branch toward the group, forming a bridge straight to the castle atop the Treant—where The Gardener’s Vessel, Lord Verdant Bellflower, awaited.

“Hurry!” Althea’s voice resounded from the purified wood itself. “The Gardener is strong! He’s not surrendering easily—we must end this as quickly as possible!”

“Understood!” Stella nodded. “Team, onward!”

She charged ahead while flying, swinging her hands to unleash beams of blinding red light that pierced corrupted branches, vines, and Entities attempting to climb the newly formed bridge.

At the same time, flying Entities poured from the skies—wyvern-like creatures fashioned entirely from dark red vines studded with golden spikes. They flew awkwardly on strange wings but arrived in massive swarms: hundreds of Level 1s, dozens of Level 2s, and several Level 3s commanding them.

The swarm rushed head-on, determined to block their advance along the bridge. The thunderous flapping of their wings created a deafening roar.

Louis and Mirai met the swarm and began cutting them down rapidly with powerful long-range attacks. Louis downed Tonics continuously to stabilize his energy reserves. His evolved blinding spear now required less Fantasium to unleash greater power, helping him conserve what little he had left. Mirai, meanwhile, had gone completely berserk. She roared as her demonic form grew more monstrous by the second, steadily stripping away her limiters.

“We’re almost there!” Stone bellowed from the front lines. He had transformed into a four-meter-tall muscular giant with stone skin, smashing swarms of Entities with armored gloves and hammer while firing dozens of missiles from launchers embedded in his armor. “Keep moving!”

With Stella and Stone ensuring no one was overwhelmed, Louis and Mirai at the center eliminating anything that slipped through, and Zorba and Eduard summoning more Undead and Golems to guard the rear, they raced toward the top of the Spirit Tree. The castle where Verdant Bellflower hid was now only steps away.

Suddenly the skies darkened. The crumbling Emerald Moon pulsed violently. Its red rose expanded, glaring down as it unleashed a powerful mind-eroding assault. Everyone’s minds were attacked instantly, paralyzing them and halting their advance.

“D-Damn it, get out of my head!” Stone groaned.

“Ugh!” Stella cried. “This is… this is nothing!”

“Ouch, ouch! Hey that hurts!” Radiohead screamed, buzzing as sparks flew from his head. He slammed to the ground and spread circuits everywhere. “You forced my hand!”

His Fantasium Aura intensified as he extended his Entity Curse into the surroundings. The Spirit Tree faltered; the local Fantasium weakened. The Gardener’s authority dimmed for a few precious seconds while Eduard’s circuits—an extension of his own body—disrupted it in the affected area.

“Come on, hurry!” he shouted.

Louis nodded, seizing Mirai—who was still writhing in pain—and dragging her forward. Zorba summoned Hecatoncheires, who smashed through the final swarm, shattered the castle gate, and blasted part of its ceiling away with a single devastating blow.

“Well done, Zorba! Now—Huh?!” Louis’s eyes widened.

As he and the others drew closer, they saw all of Zorba’s zombies entangled in vines, flowers sprouting grotesquely from their orifices.

Zorba himself trembled, coughing blood. Two black roses bloomed from his eyes and a large red one from his chest.

“Lord…! Louis…!”

“Zorba?!”

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