Ashvattha Rana did not want to let him into the fight, that much was clear from her actions alone. The enormous bodhi tree did not release the grip her roots had on Jon's ankles, although through the connection the two shared, Jon could feel that Ashvattha Rana was torn between two differing opinions.

Ashvattha Rana knew that Jon would not abandon Avahni, Ru Luan Di, or the others just to save his own skin. From the moment that Jon told her of his first encounter with Avahni and Wilheim, she knew what type of person the human was at his core.

For all his immaturity and youthful arrogance, Jonathan Randall Guilliman was an honourable individual, one that she was proud to call her summoner.

Three months Jon had spent in the System Introduction. The Earthen Treasury Womb had watched as he had gradually shifted from an inexperienced, if somewhat talented warrior, to someone who had achieved the most nascent form of enlightenment, capable of combating numerous enemies all at once.

He was someone who possessed an intricate connection to his Source and an intuitive perspective on the manipulation and refinement of spiritual energy. Although he did hesitate in the beginning, Jon had grown to trust his instincts, and his [Monstrous Intuition] a little too well, if Ashvattha Rana was being completely honest.

'I don't want this arrogant confidence to be the cause of Jon's downfall,' Ashvattha Rana thought to herself.

It was not just Jon's life that he was risking every time he stepped onto the battlefield. It was the lives of Schwarz Eis and Ashvattha Rana herself that were at risk each time as well.

"Jon… that single attack could have killed you. I thought you were the type to think rationally about each situation?! Why do you insist on rushing headfirst back into the fray when you are still injured?!" asked the bodhi tree, watching as Jon stared back at her, his expression a strange combination of warm but adamant.

The sounds of fighting still echoing from beyond the cocoon of wooden roots and tendrils Ashvattha Rana had encased Jon within. The eighteen-year-old could not help but glance towards the bloodied crashes of the Malum Hobgoblin against Xochitl, tightening his grip on both Luin and Assail as a result.

Jon furrowed his brows, remembering several different conversations he had with the Earthen Treasury Womb and White Lady Of The Winter Castle.

"I told you that I wanted to become the first Baron of the 37th universe correct? I will not get there from retreating each time I face a difficult opponent," Jon declared.

"Then allow Xochitl and me to distract the Knight until the five of you have escaped a sufficient distance! Titus Claudius and Ru Luan Di would not hesitate to lay down their lives for Avahni, you know that I would do the same if you would just-."

Jon narrowed his eyes, interrupting the bodhi tree halfway through her sentence. The familiar words of the White Lady Of The Winter Castle repeated back towards the bodhi tree.

"Cease your mindless lingering on what could have been and focus on what might be. The integrated universes have no time for regrets. You act. You fight. And you win."

"Otherwise, you die."

The image of a certain winter demon spirit flashed through the mind of the bodhi tree, remembering how Schwarz Eis wanted to temper Jon's capacity for indecision. Although Ashvattha Rana believed that Jon possessed the qualities necessary to become someone great one day, the White Lady Of The Winter Castle knew that no single individual was born with the capacity for greatness.

Such a thing was forged in the heat of battle.

Tempered upon opponents stronger than oneself.

It was more than just using conflict and violence to stoke the potential that laid within him. It was the unbreakable tenacity that was born from overcoming countless obstacles and struggles and still having the desire to reach towards greater heights.

When Jon said that he wanted to become the first Baron in the 37th universe, he did so knowing full well that hundreds of millions, if not trillions of different lifeforms would all be vying for that same glory and recognition.

"I shall reach my hands towards the stars, and grasp them," Jon muttered beneath his breath. Despite how quiet his words were, Ashvattha Rana heard them perfectly, unconsciously loosening her grip on the human.

Ashvattha Rana was but a fragment of her former self but still retained the vast majority of her memories and experiences. She had seen the foolhardy and reckless natures of those who thought themselves prodigies and geniuses, brought down low through their own hubris and arrogance.

She did not want Jon to meet the same fate as they once did.

The bodhi tree started unravelling the wooden cocoon of roots and tendrils around Jon. The miniature figure of Ru Luan Di standing outside the Earthen Treasury Womb, somewhat shocked that Jon was already back on two feet.

'Jon is capable of resisting the effects of Knight Ranked debuffs and afflictions? Is that from his Fragment Of Incarnation, or something else entirely?' Ru Luan Di immediately noticed.

Ru Luan Di could see that Jon was staring at Ashvattha Rana, noticing there was a strange tension between the human and the bodhi tree. Whatever the two were discussing about just before Ashvattha Rana unravelled her makeshift cocoon construct, must have been something serious.

The little ginseng king ignored whatever tension existed between the human and the bodhi tree, tearing off one of his limbs and extending it towards Jon.

Avahni had told him to help Jon recover from the wounds that the Malum Hobgoblin had inflicted, alongside whatever debuffs or afflictions wracked his body. Ru Luan Di did know that Jon possessed a Fragment Of Incarnation but did not think that it would prove that effective against the effects of a Knight Ranked ability.

How was the Liver Of The Ginseng King was to know that Jon also possessed a Fragment Of Prana that increased the quality and quantity of Jon's inherent lifeforce? Fragments that affected lifeforce were quite rare all things considered but those that manifested metaphysical mutations, such as Jon's Hades-Sagacity Shadow and Yaochi-Jade Prana were even rarer still.

"Jonathan! Stop using your Fragment Of Regeneration and let me focus on regenerating your wounds!" said Ru Luan Di in Avant, allowing both Jon and Ashvattha Rana to understand him.

Knowing the effects of Ru Luan Di; Liver Of The Ginseng King, Jon did not hesitate for a single moment before devouring the small ginseng root, feeling traces of Avahni's fire natured spiritual energy flow throughout his body, working to regenerate the damage inflicted by the Malum Hobgoblin.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

Jon did as Ru Luan Di said and stopped flowing wood natured spiritual energy into his Fragment Of Regeneration. He did this so as to better reserve the spiritual energy within his Wood Mana Core and prevent his own spiritual energy from interacting with Avahni's fire natured spiritual energy.

Although Jon had already used Archetype Green to transfer the debuffs and afflictions away from himself, the damage inflicted from these Knight Ranked debuffs were significantly more potent and damaging that ordinary Mortal Ranked debuffs.

The quantity and potency of spiritual energy was greater than anything Jon had ever seen before. Even with multiple abilities activated to counter the progression of [Putridus Maledictum] and [Tainted Pustules], Jon could not halt their effects, without spending an inordinate amount of spiritual energy.

Jon could feel that Archetype Green had almost been completely devoured, mere minutes after transferring those four afflictions away from himself. Jon himself would not last much longer under the effects of extraordinarily damaging debuffs.

"Remain still Jonathan. This will be over in just a moment," Ru Luan Di said, the round figure of the ginseng king gaining a slight red tint to it as he channelled the spiritual energy Avahni shared with him.

Jon ignored the urge to wince as he felt the cleansing fire natured spiritual energy incinerate the vestiges of fungi natured spiritual energy and corruption natured spiritual energy within him.

Several of his organs had been half engulfed in horrifyingly spores of fungi, stretching their roots towards his circulatory and respiratory systems. His Seir-Glacial Heart and Murmur-Glacial Marrow had been partially engulfed in a dark-yellow layer of corruption natured spiritual energy, devouring the lifeforce and spiritual energy contained within his two Mutation Trait abilities.

All of it was burned away through the effects of the Liver Of The Ginseng King.

In the corner of his vision, Jon was greeted with the familiar presence of two more buffs, his form saturated in a dull golden-green glow.

[Naraka Of Protection]: Increases mana regeneration.

[Niraya Of Protection]: Increases the amount of healing received from abilities.

Half turning to glance back at Ashvattha Rana, Jon saw that the Earthen Treasury Womb had retracted the entirety of her extended roots, burying them back deep underground. The twelve-metre tall, twenty-four metre wide bodhi tree bathed the riverbank in the gentle light of [Naraka Of Protection] and [Niraya Of Protection], earning several glances from Avahni and the others.

The enormous form of Xochitl had blanketed the area in shadows, obscuring what flickering lights could be seen from across this inversed world. The soft radiance of the Earthen Treasury Womb being the only source of light within the vicinity of the riverbank.

This did not go unnoticed by the Malum Hobgoblin, the Knight Ranked creature backing away several dozen metres out of the reach of Xochitl's hooked roots and barbed tendrils, muttering something guttural and incomprehensible under its breath.

More corruption natured spiritual energy started to gather within the palm of the Malum Hobgoblins hand. An orb of putrid-yellow light manifested itself, growing stronger and larger with each passing moment.

"Jon!" shouted Ashvattha Rana, the bodhi tree not needing to say anything else through their mental connection.

Jon took a step forward, adjusting his Sea Of Knowledge to overwhelm the sensations of pain coursing through him. The surging waves and turbulent undercurrent might have appeared chaotic and uncontrollable to the untrained eye, but Ashvattha Rana could see that Jon was circulating the flow of memories and experiences within his mental construct.

Jon had integrated so many new fragments so quickly that he had yet to become familiar with all of them. There was still his Fragment Of Eradication and Fragment Of Annihilation that he had not yet used in an actual fight, the former of which Jon had not used once since integrating the fragment several hours ago.

Jon knew that he favoured specific abilities over others. [Thou Is But A Shadow Of Oneself], [Rhapsody Of The White Star] and [Requiem Of The Cold Star] did not see much use in comparison to [Cometh Thy Red Horse Awaits] or even [Thou Art The Monarch Of Spears And Truth].

Although Jon did find his Fragment Of Barrier quite interesting, he had never found the need to use the Spell defensively, instead preferring to deflect or outright dodge an attack before it landed.

The eighteen-year-old placed his hand on the ground, patches of sand in front of Ashvattha Rana turning green as he started to chant his own Spell in return.

"Theirs is the embrace that rejects the winds and rain. Theirs is the blessing that whispers truths of warmth and kindness. Theirs is the temperance, that rises against the surging destruction!".

Jon could not help but smile, knowing that his control over [Temperance Of Green, Imperial Wood Barrier] was even stronger after his chance enlightenment, allowing him to focus the majority of his spiritual energy into the shaping of the barrier of twisted trees and malformed wood.

Five trees, each with the thickness of an automobile sprouted front of the Earthen Treasury Womb. The sheer amount of spiritual energy that Jon flowed into his Wood Mana Core might have seemed ridiculous in comparison to how much he had left, but Jon did not care, using his wood natured spiritual energy without regard for how much he had remaining.

Each of the trees twisted and churned on the other, coiling around into a much larger tree, one using five trunks to support its immense weight. Patches of green-coloured leaves sprouted all across the length of the imperial wood barrier, twigs and branches knitting themselves together, forming another strange-looking shield between Ashvattha Rana and the Malum Hobgoblin.

The Knight Ranked creature snarled, seeing that the human it thought it killed complete its Spell before it. Gnashing its teeth, the beast raised its arm backwards and hurled the spherical construct of corruption natured spiritual energy towards the source of light within the area.

Towards Ashvattha Rana, who was bathing Jon, Avahni, Wilheim, Sariel and Shamael in the gentle glow of both [Naraka Of Protection] and [Niraya Of Protection].

The roiling dark-yellow orb of corruption arced across the battlefield, ignoring the enormous form of Xochitl, and the scattering figures of Avahni and the others. Its presence shifted the ambient spiritual energy around, leaving a dark-brown streak of corruption whatever space the construct passed through.

Just looking at the projectile, Jon knew that his overloaded [Temperance Of Green, Imperial Wood Barrier] would not be enough. The spiritual energy of a Mortal could not ever hope to match the spiritual energy of a Knight.

'But what about three Mortals?' Jon thought to himself.

Jon felt the corners of his mouth turn upwards, as he heard a series of familiar chants echo from across the riverbank.

"I beseech you, oh heavenly bulwark! To stand against the darkness! To stand against the daemonic! To stand against evil wherever it may hide! The foundations shall be built upon hopes and dreams, and the horrors of the night shall break against thou banner!".

The illusory image of a golden castle wall appeared in the space before Ashvattha Rana. The bodhi tree shifting her leaves and branches, as the effects of her two buffs grew stronger, blessed with the effects of [Light Of Thou Consecrated Shield].

[Bronze Protection]: Increases the effectiveness of all abilities with the Spell Trait. This effect will be removed after exiting the [Light Of Thou Consecrated Shields].

"I shall become the infinite, the hungry black star which devours sins and virtues. I shall become the horror that accompanies the birth of creation. I shall become the inevitable disaster that pulls all into thou boundless maw!".

Sariel stood behind [Light Of Thou Consecrated Shield], also gaining an instance of [Bronze Protection]. The green-skinned satanas still appeared pale, although regained a flush of dark green in her cheeks, extending her hand forward while overloading the effects of her Fragment Of Devour.

What Jon thought was a set of teeth appeared in the space before Sariel. As if a cruel smile of demon or evil spirit, the set of teeth expanded, opening wide with faint, black-coloured lettering written around the edges of the Spell.

[Thou Shalt Stand Before The Boundless Maw] was Sariel's favourite ability. The Spell was even capable of being activated while Sariel walked forward, although required a significant amount of concentration in order to do so.

Three different shield effects enveloped Ashvattha Rana, the bodhi tree shocked that Wilheim and Sariel were willing to assist Jon in protecting her. The Earthen Treasury Womb glanced towards her summoner, noticing that Jon was smiling at her.

He mouthed something towards her, before the sound of an explosion echoed throughout the riverbank.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.