Supreme Magus

Chapter 3178 Expendable Pawn (Part 2)

3178 Expendable Pawn (Part 2)

The Tree had done their homework and the Chroniclers this time coordinated their attacks against Solus instead of fighting as individuals. They covered each otherʼs back, exploiting the openings that Solusʼ attacks created and forcing her to turtle up.

Until that moment, she had failed to kill anyone after Uldreyin.

ʼItʼs done!ʼ Vamir alerted Solus the moment the Engine was fully formed and the link with the mana geyser established beyond what the World Tree could cut off once they stepped off the exposed ground.

ʼFire in the hole!ʼ She replied while pointing at the still-open blast mark left by Thundercrash.

The Librarian nodded and fired the electromagnetic cannon. The shockwave alone sent the Chroniclers slamming against the wall while the noise burst their eardrums. It wasnʼt enough to kill them, but that was Solusʼ job.

As the bullet opened a gaping wound in the Treeʼs massive body, the agony they suffered spread to the Chroniclers on top of their own wounds, paralyzing them. Solus unleashed her spells, threw her hammers, and cut down those closest to her with the Handsʼ blades at the same time.

To add salt to the open injury in the Tree, she collected the Yggdrasill weapons of the dead Chroniclers with Spirit Magic and sent them to the Bleed for life force extraction.

ʼIʼm sorry.ʼ Vamir lowered his eyes in shame as he had the Engine pick Solus up and charged forward.

ʼAbout what?ʼ She asked, triggering another mind fusion to reinforce her hold over the elf.

ʼI slightly adjusted the targeting system of the Mechatron. It was aimed at one of our villages and Ellila might have been there. I couldnʼt risk harming her.ʼ

ʼDonʼt apologize. You have my thanks for that.ʼ Solus replied.

ʼReally?ʼ 𝘧𝘳𝓮𝓮𝓌𝘦𝓫𝓷𝘰𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝓬ℴ𝘮

ʼYeah, Iʼm not Lith. I wonʼt kill innocent elves unless itʼs absolutely necessary.ʼ Solus activated the towerʼs flight enchantment and escaped the Yggdrasillʼs clutches before the opening could heal.

ʼBy my Mom!ʼ Even though she was on the run, the sight of the Treeʼs Fringe was still breathtaking.

The Heir of the First Awakened was so big that the Engine was as tall as a toddler standing in front of a centuries-old oak tree.

A single branch was big enough to host an entire village of elves and most of them actually did. Before she got too far from the Tree, Solus had the time to notice that there also were villages built in between the roots and several tunnels led under the Tree.

ʼSun elves emit a golden radiance while Moon elves a silvery one.ʼ Vamir explained.

ʼWhat about you?ʼ Solus pointed at his soothing blue aura and light brown skin.

ʼIʼm a Wood elf while Ellila with her red glow is a Shadow elf, silly. Mighty Tree if you are an airhead.ʼ The Librarian chuckled.

Elves were forbidden to invoke the godsʼ names, afraid that the Guardians might listen to them and discover the secrets of their master.

ʼIʼm sorry. I must have taken one blow to the head too many.ʼ Solus had no idea what he was talking about or what Ellila looked like.

The telepathic defenses she had learned from Dawn required her to keep as much information as she could about her host out while she performed a mind fusion. Vamir knew the most intimate detail of Solusʼ life whereas she didnʼt know even what color his eyes were.

ʼHow far does the Fringe extend?ʼ She asked, eager to change the topic.

ʼKilometers. We should-ʼ A solid punch to the face cut the Librarian short and sent the Engine tumbling on the ground.

ʼSurrender now.ʼ The World Tree completed the phrase for him. ʼIʼm sick and tired of this game. I wonʼt tolerate any further disrespect.ʼ

Colossal wooden golems surrounded the tower, each one of them over 40 meters (130ʼ) tall and made of solid Yggdrasill wood. Elemental and white crystals the size of an adult man were studded at the joints, on the chest, and face.

To make matters worse, their power core contained solely offensive and defensive spells, without wasting a single rune with attack protocols or artificial intelligence. Each golem was controlled by a Chronicler, giving them a mind of their own.

A mind focused by the power of the Yggdrasill wood and empowered by a titan almost as sturdy as Davross.

The golemʼs fist had caved the Engineʼs face. Menadionʼs masterpiece was far from recovering the gold-veined marble of which it had originally been comprised. At the moment, it was just a bunch of grey rocks with a few white streaks.

Alas, even if it did, Menadion had chosen the gold-veined white marble because it was the best available compromise between physical and magical resistance. Davross was too rare to build a tower out of it and so was Yggdrasill wood.

But not for the World Tree itself. By dedicating small parts of themself to the golems, the Heir of the First Awakened had crafted invincible war machines that the elves used to deal with Divine Beasts.

Thanks to the bond with the Tree, the wooden golems had access to the infinite energy of the Fringe and since their wood was still alive, it also shared the regenerative properties of a Fae.

Guided by the minds of the Chroniclers and supported by the knowledge collected by the past World Trees, the golems made the Yggdrasill as powerful as a Guardian.

ʼSurrender now. I wonʼt repeat myself a third time.ʼ The Tree said.

ʼGods if you are a whiny bitch!ʼ Solusʼ reply came in the form of the Engine dealing a palm strike to the nearest golem and activating Silverwingʼs Annihilation from that same hand.

Albeit powerful, the golems were still limited by the Treeʼs and the Chroniclersʼ bright violet cores, requiring at least three constructs to cast Silverwingʼs spells. The tower, instead, was a white core on its own and also had Solusʼ bright blue and Vamirʼs deep violet cores.

The anti-Guardian spell pierced a hole through the construct, allowing Solus to see past it. The problem was that with so much mana and so many enchantments, she had no way to spot the Chroniclers controlling the Golem with mana sense.

Roots and vines sprouted from the wound and closed the hole as fast as the Annihilation opened it. Solus was cutting the golem in random directions when a second wooden construct charged at her in a blaze of emerald light.

Vidun raised his left hand and the Engine did the same, stopping the golem on its tracks and dispelling its magic.

ʼWhat? How?ʼ The Yggdrasill was more surprised than scared.

The Tree had deployed more than two golems and even though it was the least of Solusʼ problems, with each of her escape attempts, she was showing the Tree how powerful Menadionʼs tower was.

”Surprise, motherfucker!” Solus said as a white barrier flickered in and out of existence, taking the golemsʼ spells with it.

While the Engineʼs right hand released a stream of Annihilation, the left conjured a Bastion right upon impact to save as much power as possible.

ʼRemarkable. Truly remarkable. Yet defense alone wins no battle. You are still trapped in my grasp.ʼ? The Tree said.

”For now.” Solus raised her hands in surrender, breathing heavily.