Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1915 1887. The Golden Tree Incident

In nature, most plants have a survival instinct: when faced with a life-threatening crisis, they will unleash all their reproductive capabilities at that moment.

Let the seeds, pollen, and other things that are the continuation of one's life be released and spread as much as possible.

People say this behavior represents the plant's will to survive.

Lan En didn't know if this statement held true for a transcendent plant like the Golden Tree.

However, considering that all life in this world originated from the [Primordial Golden Tree] life furnace, it seems entirely reasonable to extrapolate this characteristic from the natural world of the borderlands to the Golden Tree itself.

If we follow this line of thought, then the golden tree that just sprayed golden seeds across the entire border area, and even beyond... is it about to die?
Can the golden tree... also die?
For some reason, a sense of loss and melancholy arose in Lan En's heart, as if he had witnessed the sudden decline of a prosperous era of gods right before his eyes.

The golden tree has cracked open, but what force or damage could cause such a severe reaction in it?
This is a great tree rooted in the Elden Ring, the very principle governing the world... Ah.

As his thoughts shifted to this point, Lan En's eyes, which were already wide open due to the dramatic changes in the Golden Tree, suddenly flashed with a look of mixed realization and horror!
—Elden Ring!

The Witcher turned sharply and looked at the only one among the four people in the square who was not a Faded One: Ditika.

"what!!!"

This chief interrogator from the Volcano Mansion must have witnessed, or even personally created, countless horrific scenes in her daily life.

After all, according to rumors and public opinion, Mount Gmir, under the management of the demigod Lakad, has always been a terrifying place.

The unique equipment transported from the volcano, such as various models of iron virgin dolls, along with the cruel instruments of torture and their methods of attack, all reflect the style of Mount Gemir.

But this same person is now clutching her head tightly with both hands, her legs suddenly going weak so that she kneels on the ground.

The screams and cries of pain that came out of her mouth were almost as if someone had pried open her skull and dug out a piece of her brain tissue!
Of the three people present who remained relatively calm, two were familiar with this situation.

Both the Forge Knight and Alperish experienced that moment when they lost their blessing on the spot after the battle between the First King and the last powerful enemy on the border!

When the benefits of the Golden Law are taken from them, it feels like a huge piece of their body has been torn away and can never be filled.

At that time, even a group of veteran warriors who had fought alongside Gevrey in the Titan Wars were almost all plunged into unspeakable pain, their bodies stiff and paralyzed.

King Gefle alone seemed to silently accept the reality of being deprived of his blessings and banished, and turned away.

And these people of the Golden Tree, or at least the people of Ditika at present.

She was not deprived of her blessing.

At least through the gaps in her fingers, which seemed to be trying to rip her brain out and were tightly gripping her head, one could still see the golden light in her pupils.

However, the brightness of that light was now incredibly dim compared to the previous second.

This doesn't seem like someone who has been stripped of their blessing by Queen Marika.

If her blessing was deliberately and actively stripped away, then her eyes should now be like those of the faded ones, completely restored to their original color before the Golden Law covered the world.

The way her eyes now appear, with the golden light fading yet still retaining a basic golden hue... makes it seem as if there's something wrong with the blessing itself, and it can no longer be as vibrant as before!
On an individual level, while the people of the Golden Tree suffer, their pain is far less severe than that experienced by the Faded Ones, since they have not yet completely severed ties with the Golden Law.

However, on a larger scale, the current situation is far worse than when Queen Marika stripped a group of people of their blessings!

At this time, the western gate of the royal city of Rodel remained open.

On the magnificent steps outside the city gate, the people of the Golden Tree who had been queuing up began to wail in despair.

Even the Rodel soldiers who stood at intervals on the steps, and the two tree guards standing close to the gate, were now too preoccupied to care about anything else.

The Golden Law blesses those who suffer from weakness and emptiness, causing them to either scream in agony or collapse to the ground while trying to endure the pain.

Rodel had a high population density for a border region, so screams and wails still linger over the royal city.

There should only be three Faded Ones left on the outskirts of the royal city, who have retained their ability to move and think amidst the dramatic changes.

Amidst deafening wails, Lann, Alperish, and the Forge Knight.

The atmosphere among the three faded individuals became heavy and strange.

The Forge Knight has something to hide.

Because he understood Lacad's plan, and also knew the true purpose of his and Ditika's visit to Rodel. Logically, they shouldn't be considered enemies by the Faded Ones and the Dynasty.

But since he had something to hide, his actions and outward demeanor became increasingly unnatural during this period of sudden and major change.

He was indeed wearing full-body copper-gold armor, obscuring his complexion. But even the hesitation beneath the armor was visible to Lan En.

And what about Lann and Alperish?

The Faded Ones and the Golden Dynasty in the Round Table Hall had already figured out who the mastermind was on the very night of the Black Knife Plot.

This is merely in accordance with Wang Fuladagan's wishes to avoid alerting the demigod relatives and making the situation more turbulent.

The Faded Ones understood all too well the attitude and intentions of the people from the Volcano Mansion when they came to Rodel.

Thus, the three people on both sides were caught in a tense silence due to their own complex inner thoughts.

Although the whole world is currently in turmoil due to the anomaly of the Golden Tree, the actual situation of that turmoil is still unknown.

And those who have faded are right beside each other!
But precisely because they were so close, the Forge Knights, already on guard under their armor, immediately realized something was wrong!

He was a liaison officer sent by the Volcano Official Residence; he shouldn't be showing this kind of wariness!
But the sudden and dramatic turn of events just now exposed the true thoughts of this incredibly experienced and powerful warrior.

Originally, with even the Golden Tree and the Golden Law in trouble, Lann and Alperish naturally knew that the strategy originally set by King Fladagan was probably meaningless under such a huge change.

However, they were still unsure how to deal with the two liaisons who came from the Volcano Official Residence.

However, the Forge Knight's actions had already revealed his vigilance, which abruptly broke the stagnation and brought to the forefront what might have been hidden beneath the surface.

That leaves only one option.

Just a dozen seconds ago, the two were politely saying goodbye; five seconds ago, a sudden change occurred; and five seconds later...

"Detain them!"

Lan En spoke in a low voice, his tone crisp, clear, and resolute.

And just as the Witcher stepped in and set the course of action.

"Whoosh!"

The long-handled scythe that was originally hanging on Alperish's back suddenly drew a supernatural white trail in his hand, slashing towards the Furnace Knight in the distance with a sharp sound of tearing through the air!
Alperish was spinning his body dramatically, his long-handled scythe swirling in the air in several circles.

The long, narrow, and sharp scythe blade left several white streaks in mid-air, appearing both fierce and decisive.

【Battle Ashes: Sword Dance】!
Alperish's clothing was decorated with red gemstones formed from congealed blood, and his scythe form was also very suitable for bloodletting.

Unfortunately, this type of blade is not very effective against the armor of the Forge Knight.

Having followed King Gofulei in his conquests, witnessed a portion of the power of the Primordial Golden Tree, and even imbued himself with that power, the Forge Knights are an absolute elite among the Faded Ones!
"Clang clang clang!"

The three consecutive slashes of [Sword Dance], with blades bearing supernatural white lines, were all blocked by the heavy shield without missing a single one!
The great shield adorned with soaring horns was snatched from the back of the Forge Knight in the blink of an eye as Alperish charged forward!

It stood firmly and solidly in front of me.

[Battle Ash - Sword Dance] Aside from leaving a few streaks of sparks on the shield's surface, it did absolutely no effect.

The red gold, imbued with the life force of ancient times, is the very reason why the Forge Knights, a small group of only seventeen, were able to serve as the guards of the First King in the War of Giants!
"Sizzle!"

At the same time, just as Alperish finished casting his Battle Ash spell, a violent sound—the scraping of metal and the shattering of rocks—came from beside the Forge Knight!
The Forge Knights are quiet and taciturn, but once they start fighting, they are undoubtedly top-tier warriors!
The copper-colored gold hand-and-sword fit the Furnace Knight's physique perfectly, and was about the same size as Lann's Lake Maiden Sword. In the hands of an ordinary person, it would be a genuine two-handed greatsword.

And this sword is now being pulled from behind the Furnace Knight's side, slashing upwards!
The sword tip sparked as it scraped against the rocks on the ground, but this did not affect the immense power exerted on the sword in the slightest!
The rocks, like fragile blocks of tofu, were cut, crushed, and piled up by the not-so-sharp golden blade.

A gruesome, ravaged mark was cleanly ploughed into the ground of the entrance square to Rodel!

Alperish, who had just finished unleashing a set of Battle Ash, had a fierce look in his eyes and his eye twitched.

...He is currently recovering his energy after finishing his move!
The Furnace Knight seized this tiny opening!

(End of this chapter)