'Cursed ga, huh…' Shane didn't flinch as he heard the vampire's words.
"You talk of ascension while dragging entire realms into ruin… Today, you'll die like the rest of your kind," Shane said as he charged with his various mystical skills activated.
The duel was truly intense. Shane used his Mana to cast various skills and spells, but because the Vampires could absorb the blood of other people and were also being supported by the World Tree's corrupted energy, they could easily recover and were almost unkillable to so degree.
Thankfully, his Sylvan Bladesong was still higher level, and it countered Dregan's powerful strikes, while bursts of Solar Flare Strike forced the Vampire back. There had to be a limit to their recovery abilities, after all.
After a few minutes of battle, Shane summoned a circle of Binding Roots to immobilize Dregan, then unleashed a concentrated blast of solar energy that obliterated the Vampire Count.
Needless to say, the Solar Flare Strike was sothing he had deliberately learned to fight against the Vampires. After all, even if they were quite unique and possessed resistance against sunlight or fire, it was only a resistance—they weren't immune to it. As long as his Solar Flare Strikes were strong enough, the natural weakness of the Vampires would still show up.
The battle continued, and with the Vampire Counts and Barons defeated, the allied forces pushed toward the corrupted heart of the World Tree.
There, they encountered the leader of the Vampires—a mysterious, enigmatic figure cloaked in darkness. Of course, Shane knew that this person was indeed Statham.
Nonetheless, Shane and Queen Sylvalis confronted the Vampire Leader together.
As they had a brief conversation, Shane realized that Statham seed to have changed a lot compared to when he had t him during the Zombie Apocalypse world. He was now acting like an incredibly old Vampire instead of a Survivor who had cleared the Vampire's Rise Apocalypse. It felt as if he had truly beco an ancient one.
"You fools don't understand. This Apocalypse is but a trial, a ga for those above. The higher realms laugh at your struggles while I seek to break their chains."
Sylvalis aid her staff at the figure. She didn't really understand what Statham was saying. However, she felt it wasn't important since no words could justify his slaughter of her people.
"You've destroyed countless lives for your twisted ambition. Your corruption ends here!"
The battle that followed was fierce but brief. Although he was strong, he had limited Blood Energy because of how he had converted many powerful Survivors into Vampires. That action certainly helped him create a powerful army, but because the World Tree's corruption wasn't strong enough, he couldn't recover as much as he needed.
After Statham sensed his defeat, he unleashed a fog of darkness that forced the allies back. They felt so form of corruption within this fog after all. They were afraid that they would turn into Vampires if they were exposed for too long… Dealing with the unknown was truly quite scary…
However, by the ti the druids were able to remove the fog, Statham had already vanished, leaving behind only a faint, sinister laughter as if he was threatening to return once again.
"Hmph… You can't take the World Tree again," Sylvalis said, and the other leaders of the races agreed. After all, they had finally found a way to ensure that the World Tree was cleansed from corruption and protected from any Vampire attempt to take it over.
Nonetheless, before the leader escaped, Shane and Sylvalis looked at the Druidess, who had only one task during this whole event: to look through the mories of the Vampire Leader.
Thankfully, they uncovered fragnts of his plans from the corrupted roots of the World Tree. Just as Statham had said to them before, he had sought to manipulate the Apocalypse itself, aiming to ascend to the higher realms as rulers rather than pawns.
Only after learning how true it was did everyone take his words seriously and consider what kind of world they were truly living in.
The Shane of this past took a huge blow after learning the truth… The Apocalypses were actually planned disasters—they were engineered trials and entertainnt for beings in the higher realms.
"I've tried to clear the Apocalypse, hoping I could return to the previous world. But…" Shane murmured, his hands clenched into fists. "But now I see… this is a ga to them. A ga where we're nothing but pieces on a board."
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The Shane of this tiline seed to have made a decision.
Sylvalis placed a hand on his shoulder. "Then we must rise above it. If the higher realms see us as re pawns, we'll prove them wrong. Together."
Shane wasn't sure what she was planning to do, but it wouldn't be a problem if he listened to it first. Anyway, Sylvalis also seed angry about the fact that her fellow elves and other people from the Fairy Realm died for such a reason.
Anyway, they had still defeated the Vampire, and Shane had to receive his reward.
The elves bestowed upon him the Cloak of Verdant Light… It was a symbol of unity and protection from any mber of the Fairy Realm's races. Then, the centaurs crafted a Sunstone Amulet for him that enhanced his solar-based abilities.
'They at least kept their words...' Shane thought
Unfortunately, for so reason, even after living with the elves and others for five more years, the Apocalypse didn't end as Shane lived an interesting life with the people of the Fairy Realm and he even almost had a child here...
Anyway, there weren't any system notifications telling him that the Apocalypse had ended and he'd get the rewards, just like what had happened in the A.I. Rebellion.
'Well, that makes sense since I still have one more mory Sphere to complete my mory,' Shane thought to himself.
Then, as the mory faded, Shane returned to the present… There was one more mory Sphere left.
In the anti, within the folds of Shane's pocket dinsion—or perhaps his own Fairy Realm—a few things occurred without his knowledge.
Of course, it was still a land of incredible beauty, filled with mana that helped Shane's plants grow richer. Previously, it was just a modest parcel of fertile land with so trees and a small lake surrounded by hills.
This ti, however, this hidden realm had evolved into a breathtaking paradise, thanks to the gradual return of Shane's lost mories. Now, with only one remaining mory Sphere left, the situation within the realm had completely changed.
Axis, the guardian fairy entrusted with the care of this mystical haven, moved through the air as she observed all the changes with a smile on her face.
So ti ago, Axis began her day as she always did. She would always visit the tree at the very center of this land, which she called the World Tree… It was just a small tree when Shane first entered this place. However, the tree was now huge, and its canopy could cover a large area. Of course, if Shane or any other people saw the tree, they wouldn't feel anything strange about it. Only Axis was able to tell how strange this tree was because of her unique connection to it.
"Good morning, Grand Elder," Axis spoke softly while affectionately patting one of the tree's massive roots. The World Tree didn't speak, but Axis often felt it respond with gentle waves of energy…
Axis then flitted to the Lake of Eternity, a crystal-clear body of water that mirrored the blue sky above. Nonetheless, because of Shane's previous actions, there were now fish with glistening scales moving beneath its surface…
Axis watched their movents, creating ripples in the lake… She enjoyed just watching those fish grow. Then, Axis sprinkled a pinch of magical dust over the water, ensuring its balance of nutrients.
From there, she flew to the Mystical Garden, a vast expanse filled with plants Shane had once planted. There were herbs like Moonshade Blossoms and Fireleaf Ferns that thrived alongside enchanted vegetables such as Everbloom Carrots and Glowing Pumpkins. What she really liked, however, were the Radiant Sunflowers. They had their faces turned toward the sky, and if one stood closer to them, they actually radiated gentle warmth as well.
Axis loved sleeping on top of these flowers too…
Anyway, she continued checking the plants.
"These pumpkins are ready to harvest," Axis mused as she touched the orange gourd. With a flick of her wrist, she summoned a small levitating basket and began carefully collecting the ripe produce.
Actually, Axis still marveled at how the land had transford. She could only think that the Fairy Queen had truly chosen the right person. The small land now had vast fields stretching in every direction, bordered by a majestic mountain range from afar.
Furthermore, the mana density had grown exponentially, making every blade of grass and every grain of soil brim with life.
'I'm sure Shane will be happy if he cos back again… Right, when is he coming back? He said he would visit once a week, but he's visiting once every three weeks instead. Tsk…'
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