Tree of Aeons (an Isekai Story)

260. Unsettled boundaries

Year 259 Part 2 - (Chapter 260)

Khefri’s Threeworld battle

“How many saboteurs are we dealing with?” Khefri barked. More humans attempted to disturb our preparations, but by now I had the entire area filled with trees that it’s fairly difficult for low level spies or assassins to sneak through. But the old crystal dude was relentless. 

I caught many of them, and made public executions. Public executions, along with magical broadcasts.

“Death.” I declared to the horror of those watching. I knew the mages of the human-lands, and the Crystal King watched. Their scrying magics were easy to spot. “To those who disturb our preparations.”

At some point, I would have to start making enemies. No. I’ve already made enemies. Could I crush them? I am struggling on whether I should just march an army into the depth of the Crystal King’s fortress and blow it up. 

“At some point, we should.” Chung said. “At some point, we must.”

My domainholders didn’t think that was necessary. The crystal king was an annoyance we could deal with. It’s just like flies. Edna thinks that if we scare them enough, they’d go away. 

The centaurs’ opinions of their human neighbors soured greatly. Centaurs and the crystal king’s humans went to war a long time ago, but recent events seem to have undid a fair bit of the goodwill since then. 

The field where the battle would happen was properly rigged, and my Valthorns observed the demons on the other side. 

Roon and Johann returned from the demon world with a party of void mages. They’ve done the usual set of procedures, where we planted our tracking devices, stole a few riftgates, and observed it’s own astral pathways.  “We’re dealing with bugs.”

The first few rifts released only the stereotypical hellhounds, but the later rifts from the demon world confirmed something else

Khefri cursed. There were just a few small rifts. “We don't have a good track record with bugs and insects.” 

“I know.” Prabu, Colette were ready in my clone. My city in the northern lands of Threeworlds was a proper magical fortress. For Colette, this was her first real test. 

Well, after this we'd wage a full scale attack on the Comet. 

There wasn't much time left, and though I had wanted the odds to be stacked in my favor, with the Comet, we didn't have much of a choice. Preparations for the attack on the demon's comet were in full swing. 

***

"Bugs." The rift of the demon king opened to the flood of locusts pouring out of them. 

The mages, Prabu and Colette, rained a burning inferno and the bugs burned into ashes. Side by side, it was easy to notice the subtle differences. She was clearer, and less affected by the compulsions of her class. Even if her powers were not stronger, the clarity of mind made her stronger. In a way that was less dependent on skills, but from a kind of elevated situational awareness. 

The demon king was a giant bug that spawned more bugs, in an ironic repeat of the Spider Demon King. But, without invisibility, and the bombs, the demon king would not have been worth a mention. 

We detonated the bombs the moment we sensed the demon king walked through the path across the stars. 

At the same time, the crystal king’s attempted sabotage took a leap. An escalation that would begin more conflict. The crystal king created a portal, a rift appeared in the skies above, one that was different from the demons. A hole in the sky appeared as if the sky was a piece of rock, and a shattered chunk emerged. A golem of crystal slammed down, and strangely, aimed for Khefri. 

“What the hell!” Khefri cursed as the golem attempted to sabotage the battle. My vines quickly emerged and attempted to wrap itself around the golem, only to suddenly feel the golem releasing some kind of poisonous mana into my roots. 

My roots shriveled. At first. But I quickly adapted as I could purify the poisonous mana away. 

“-that’s new.” I cursed, while bug champions emerged from the demon’s rift. 

Chung shot an explosive arrow that destroyed the golem instantly. Some of those shrapnels explode and accidentally smashes into Khefri’s scorpion armor. “Fucking distraction! I’m gonna get that chunk of rock-”

“Dodge.” Colette said as she pushed Chung out of the way of an exploding bug with magical force. “Do you forget to dodge when you fight demon kings?” 

“Argh.” Chung cursed, as he unleashed a volley of magical arrows in fury. They slammed into the giant bug demon king Sectar. 

Khefri frowned. “Chung, can you stop being an idiot?”

“I’m not! I’m attacking this damned bug.”

Prabu and Colette’s combined inferno continued to burn, turning the vast grasslands of the Centaurs into a swirling firestorm that destroyed the bugs. Thankfully, despite their own fiery origins, the demonic bugs were not fire resistant. Their base natures as bugs meant fire still hurt them pretty badly. 

The demon king itself, Sectar, a gigantic insectoid with wings. It was more like a ladybug, and released waves of attacks from colorful spots on its back. Regardless of its gimmicks, the heroes overpowered the demon king without major issues. 

The demon king was no match for the power of the heroes, and was swiftly defeated. My Valthorns supported the battle, and some levels were gained. 

None for me. Not that I devoted much resources to it. Everything I had will go towards the coming invasion. When the Demon’s Comet intersected with Lavaworld. 

***

“What’s happening to him?” Chung demanded as Ken looked even more frail than before. Age, decay, seemed to set in. 

“Age.” Ken responded weakly. “Heh. Aeon’s keeping me alive just to make you happy. But hey, it seems if a soul wants to die, it will die.”

Chung looked mad. “You bastard. Don’t do this to yourself. What’s happening?”

Lumoof sighed. “What Aeon has been doing so far is fix the body. But the scope for reversing aging directly on the body is fairly restricted. If we want to really extend his life, we need to meddle with his soul. The soul is the heart, the engine of the body, the controller of how the body operates. If the soul is toxic or in decay, a perfectly healthy body will decay quickly.”

“Fuck.” Chung sat next to his friend. At this point. I wonder whether they are still friends. “Aeon-”

“There’s only so much we can do if he refuses to let us work on his soul.” 

Prabu and Colette looked at each other. 

"And he won't let me." I could force my way through, but I left that part unsaid. It is better for most people to know that I prefer to use my powers with mutual agreement.

***

“Rare of you to return to your old home, Khefri.” Zhaanpu said as Khefri waltzed back into her old palace. There was nothing here now, the entire city abandoned. “Looking for something, child?”

Zhaanpu projected himself like a ghost, a power I knew he had. He could project himself anywhere in his territory. 

“Yes. Peace. And you still call me child after so long."

"Did you find it?"

"No." Khefri said. "The pact that rules over me. What is it? Why does that chunk of shiny rock hate me so much?"

Zhaanpu laughed. "He doesn't hate you as a person. He hates that he doesn't have a hero he can control, while our new tree friends have heroes at his disposal. If it's one thing that shiny rock dislikes, it's a lack of control. The tree is a wildcard he can't predict."

"So, the pact. What is it?"

"The gods, in an era long ago, were all nearer. Closer. There was a time when the worlds were linked, by bridges of light made by the gods. At least, that is what my predecessor shared with me."

"You have a predecessor?" Khefri could not believe it. 

"Hah. As funny as it sounds, even mummies like myself eventually tire. A suitable successor is found among the Sandpeople, and we undergo what the people refer to as a merger."

"Merger?!" Khefri stewed. 

"I undergo a refresh. We swap bodies and souls, such that I start anew." Zhaanpu said. "Naturally, sacrifices must be made for such an act."

"That's horrible." 

"There is a price for power. Each time we go through the merge, our older memories fade a bit more. We are the same but different, thus I refer to them as my predecessors. Semantics, really." Zhaanpu explained. 

The world wasn’t a nice place.

"It always horrifies heroes when I tell them this. My predecessor told a hero and the hero almost attacked them. It is because of the pact that the hero could not. But back to the pact. There was a time when we were closer. When gods walked the worlds, and the bridges of light allowed those who want to go everywhere to do so. Somewhere, somehow, the first demons emerged, and the bridges of light were captured as their tools. Some worlds were closer, like ours and that of the Tree, that should a rare alignment of events occur, the bridges of light can emerge once more."

Khefri frowned. “You seem talkative today.”

“Well, you should know, because the pact comes from that era, when gods used to walk on our world. Before many of them left. They promised they would help defend our world, lending their power to their chosen ones, while they fled from the demons.”

“I don’t get it. Why flee? Are they not gods? Can’t they crush the demons?”

“You are a human, and you can crush insects when you see them. But what if they live in the buildings, live in the walls? Would you tear everything down to crush them all? Even then, some would escape. Gods are affected by distance, more so over time as the worlds drift apart. They cannot crush the bugs in another person’s home. Instead, they send someone over to do it.”

“But why not just- find the source?” Khefri said. “The bugs have a source!”

“Do they?” Zhaanpu said. “That black blob, the prison, may not be the source. It’s been millennia since the demons existed. How many worlds do you think they already control?”

Khefri had seen Stella’s maps, and they’ve spoken to each other enough to know that the map in itself is incomplete. It is perspective-led, and so, it’s the equivalent of you can’t crush the bug that you can’t see. 

They could be hidden worlds where the demons continue to live in, where they breed and then launch attacks on others. 

“Then what’s the point of this entire struggle?” Khefri sighed. “If there is no end, and no victory!”

“Life. What else is there?” Zhaanpu chuckled. “You create your own purpose, though I suppose that is an opportunity denied to heroes.” 

“One of them freed herself. [Liberated hero].” Khefri said, and Zhaanpu had a look of absolute horror. 

“Impossible. She would be a threat to the entire world. The powers of a god without the god’s control is far too dangerous in a child’s hand.”

Khefri stopped talking. I reckon what went through her mind then, was whether Zhaanpu just distrusted heroes, or whether he was genuinely fearful for the world. 

“-She must be slain. She is an agent out of control” 

“No!” Khefri’s response was immediate. “She- she’s fine.”

“For now. Eventually, without the inhibitions of the gods, they will turn against everything.” 

Khefri countered. “How do you know for sure?”

That made Zhaanpu pause. His golden eyes flickered. “-true. I am merely remembering the faint vignettes of the past. But be wary, child. Those unshackled from the controls are dangerous. The hero class is a dangerous weapon, it can hurt as much as help, and it is for that reason the gods keep it tightly leashed.”

The scorpionoid heroine frowned. “Fucking scam of a class.”

***

Lavaworld was busy as hell, and my demonic trees were visible to all those who were there. I’ve sent demonic beetles over to the demon’s comet repeatedly, trying to explore and take control of more things.

The demon king Multipus seemed to react particularly strongly to the presence of star mana, and I could use that as a distraction. Cause certain parts of my roots to inject star mana into it’s surrounding, marking it as a target. 

The will of the Comet was complex, as if multiple voices talking to each other.

“-intruder. Destroy.”

“Help!”

“Destroy!” 

Every time the will commanded destroy, the Demon King Multipus would rouse from it’s slumber, but the Comet was unable to provide targeting information. So Multipus could only search for a target. Everything around them to be demons. 

I had somehow fooled it. 

I wanted to create more cracks on the demon’s core, but with the barrier of demonic mana blocking my advance, I moved around, and continued to spread my demonic roots to more parts of the demon’s comet.

The use of so much demonic mana was beginning to strain, and I had to quickly compartmentalize the mana, and set up specific artificial minds to monitor the flow of this demonic mana.

Even then, each time it moved from the clone to another clone, it had to pass through the clone’s body. 

And I began to experience hallucinations. Visions. My artificial minds tried their best to block their influence, but even then they still creeped in. 

It was a familiar vision.

That old sandy, deserted world filled with demonic spires. Home. Origin.

Now though, I wonder whether they are looking for a place, rather than just a memory of their homeworld. Are the demons looking for their homeworld? If I could shake my head, I would. Why was I thinking in sympathetic terms with a group of demons that clearly slaughtered almost everything in its path?

Still, I needed to prepare the Demon’s Comet for the invasion. The Valthorns, and the heroes were prepping for battle. 

By injecting star mana in random locations throughout the Comet, I lured demon king Multipus to lash out at the surroundings, and it left huge cracks in the demon’s comets structure. Some of it would mend itself over time, as the demonic mana from the core reached it. 

But with most of the demonic mana curled up to shield the Core from my intrusion, the speed of this recovery was significantly weakened.

Alka didn’t look optimistic. All of his computations suggested our weapons were not enough to destroy the comet. But with ten years left on the clock, we had no choice. We needed to act, and we couldn’t wait too long. 

The invasion team was ready. As much as we can be.

The heroes were ready too.  Even with their conflicts, they accepted the task of battling the demon king Multipus while the rest of us tried to wreck the place. 

It’s time to roll the dice, and attack. 

May fortune be with us. 

***