Ascension of the Sylvan Cosmos. Chapter 104. Threats Uncovered

Flor's kick was quite effective, making the woman lying on the ground twitch and snap out of her unconsciousness.

Seeing the Earth Sylvan's eyelids flutter open, Flor went straight to the point. "Which group are you from? Why are you attacking us? What are your intentions?"

The Earth Sylvan looked at Flor and quickly moved, trying to attack her. However, as if she had been expecting it, Flor used her terrifyingly high stats to dodge easily and sent a wind crescent that sliced her arm off.

The Earth Sylvan cried in pain, grabbing the stump as blood poured out. "You little monster won't have a good end if we are not released!"

Flor snorted and picked the Earth Sylvan's arm, throwing it toward Liu Shu.

Liu Shu looked at the flying arm with an intense gaze. She had tasted the Level 15s legs, and it was honestly super nutritious and delicious. Sadly, it was not much, as the legs were really small compared to her body. So, it was like just having a bite of a really delicious dish.

The leader and Earth Sylvan followed the trajectory of the arm, and their eyes widened when roots burst from the ground, coiling around the arm in midair and dragging it into the ground in a silent yet terrifyingly swift manner.

Flor chuckled. "It seems that she has taken a palette for high-level Flesh."

The Earth Sylvan's face paled, and she shouted. "Are you crazy!? Feeding a World Tree flesh when they are young is nothing but a foolish action! She will grow and beco a bloodthirsty carnivore that hunts creatures as sustenance instead of just to protect themselves! This will only change the World Tree into a predatory creature instead of a ruling being! Other powers will never accept such a World Tree and will slaughter her!"

Flor raised her eyebrow and looked at her. "Oh? Your description is quite… specific. Are you speaking from experience?"

The face of the Earth Sylvan beca ugly, and even if she didn't answer, Flor knew she guessed correctly. Flor shrugged. "To be honest. I don't care. I actually would prefer if Liu Shu beca aggressive than being on the defensive and eventually being controlled and swallowed by the rest."

The Earth Sylvan asked, bewildered. "Aren't Rose Fairies supposed to protect nature? What kind of way of thinking are you having?"

Flor laughed. "Aren't Sylvans supposed to defend nature? Why have you beco corrupted enough to beco rootless?"

With her face twisting in pure fury, the Sylvan scread. "DON'T YOU DARE CALL ROOTLESS! YOU BRAINLESS MONSTER!"

Flor laughed when she saw the Earth Sylvan struggling to stand up while throwing profanities her way. She was, after all, tied down by Verdantia's summoned roots, so she couldn't move properly.

Liu Shu didn't like how the Sylvan was speaking, so one of her roots burst from the ground and coiled around her neck, squeezing tightly and blocking her airway. 'Why are you being so an to Flor? A corrupted Sylvan like you has no right to say anything bad to her!'

The Earth Sylvan's face changed when she tried to take air in, but the powerful roots were completely cutting off her airflow. She couldn't expel or inhale air, making the situation extrely asphyxiating and stressful.

Her vision flickered as she clawed at the powerful roots. However, the sturdy bark surrounding them only gained a few scratch marks and did not loosen in the slightest. Feeling the blood vessels in her head swelling as the sensation of death approached made her want to call for help. However, the ruthless World Tree only increased her tightening, threatening to break her spine.

Ignatia raised her eyebrow and said. "Liu Shu… Well, first of all, release her before she suffocates to death. You've gotten a bit strong, little one."

Liu Shu's pouting tone reached Ignatia, acting cute as if she wasn't strangling soone to death. 'But she insulted Flor…'

Ignatia smiled softly. "I know, little one. Trust with this, okay?"

Liu Shu looked at the smiling Ant Queen and stopped squeezing her neck. 'Okay…'

As soon as she was released, the Earth Sylvan opened her mouth wide and took in a deep breath between coughs. "COUGH! COUGH! COUGH!"

The feeling of air entering her lungs again was not as satisfying as her brain was still lacking oxygen, and her vision kept flickering. The sensation of slowly approaching death was much more terrifying than she could've ever thought of, leaving her trembling as tears leaked and stread down her cheeks.

Ignatia looked at Liu Shu and asked. "So, you can tell she is corrupted?"

Liu Shu answered as if it was a matter of course. 'It's easy to tell. Look at her aura! Instead of nature-like, it is human-like. A Sylvan with such an aura is the worst kind because they've lost their ancestral protection as a result of heavily harming nature one way or another.'

Liu Shu giggled and teased Ignatia. 'Don't tell … You can't tell at a single glance? Even with those strange eyes, you are so blind, Ignatia~, hehehe.'

The Ant Queen would've rolled her eyes if they hadn't been compound insectoid eyes. Then, she asked. "Anyways, rootless Sylvans, other than being quite hated, what's the deal with them?"

Verdantia explained. "A 'Rootless' Sylvan is one that, as Liu Shu said, has hard nature in a significant way. Not only is all flora antagonistic toward them, their abilities to reproduce also significantly lower when interacting with plant-creatures. Hence, they are called 'Rootless' as a way of judging their inability to take roots in a literal and taphorical way."

Verdantia showed sothing from her system page. "Look, I have had this title since I unlocked the system, and almost all Sylvans have one that's similar."