Capítulo 100: C100
Enormous green vines burst through the ground, pushing up the classrooms, the playground, and all the other structures with such force that the steel bars of the foundations became mixed with debris from the buildings, creating a scene of an apocalypse.
Families held their children close and fled in a state of panic, their faces full of terror.
"Crack, crack, crack--"
With a tremendous upheaval, the gargantuan plant surged forth from the earth, causing the very ground to heave and crack under its colossal weight. Its green branches, extending from the vines, were like beckoning fingers, seeking out living creatures to ensnare in its grasp.
In a desperate bid for safety, a stray dog bolted away from the looming threat, but alas, it was no match for the lightning-fast vines that swiftly snatched it up. The canine's "woof woof" barking was silenced in an instant, as the merciless vines drained it of its very essence, greedily siphoning away all its blood and flesh until nothing remained but a skin-and-bones husk.
The remains of the dog fell to the ground, scattering in the wind.
As the vines continued to grow, red fruits sprouted from them, and blood-red liquid oozed out, streaming down the vines and seeping into the ground.
"What... what is that?"
Rin and Luvia were both startled by the sight before them. Despite coming from magus families, they had not been studying magecraft for very long and had never witnessed something so terrifying. Even Mrs. Fujimaru and Tohsaka Aoi looked pale with fear, and the others were even worse off, visibly shaken by what they were seeing.
"Sakura, throw away the seven black pearls mother gave you!" A voice, transmitted through a spiritual link, conveyed the urgency of the situation.
Sakura hesitated, glancing at the seven black pearls she had prepared as a birthday present for Shirou. But seeing the tragic scene before her, she made up her mind and tossed them out of her pocket.
The pearls shattered on the ground, releasing dark energy that formed seven streams of black sludge. The contrast with the bright sunshine made it all the more ominous.
Unbeknownst to Sakura, her adoptive mother was Tiamat, one of the Primordial Deities who had been abandoned and killed by her own children, the Mesopotamian gods, over 10,000 years ago.
The gods had used Tiamat's corpse to create heaven and earth, and her soul had been sealed away in the Imaginary Space. Slowly succumbing to evil, she had gradually transformed into a monstrous Beast, possessing black mud like Shirou.
Originally, Tiamat was cursed by the gods and banished to the "Imaginary Space," where she was doomed to eternal solitude and despair.
But Sakura possessed the rare attribute of Imaginary Numbers. One night, by chance, she connected to Tiamat, who was weeping in the abyss.
And so, a connection was established between them.
The seven black pearls Tiamat gave Sakura through the link were no ordinary objects. Tiamat had created them using her authority and black mud, and they contained her blessing. Originally intended as a birthday gift for Shirou, Sakura now had to use them to save her friends.
The seven streams of black mud coalesced into a single, massive wave that swept over the school like a tsunami. The vines that had been attacking them were consumed and dissolved almost immediately.
"What is this?" Rin and Luvia exclaimed, bewildered.
"Mom is protecting us," Sakura replied.
"Your mom?" Rin and Luvia turned to Mrs. Fujimaru and Aoi, who was pale and confused.
Luvia looked puzzled, but Rin seemed to be deep in thought. She remembered Sakura telling her that she had a third mother.
...
"Ahh! Oh my God!"
"What... what is that!?" People screamed in shock and fear.
Due to the secret activities of the Holy Church and the Mage's Association, most of the people in Fuyuki City had gathered in Shinto Town. But now, a gigantic vine monster had appeared, lifting Tsukimou Elementary School into the sky.
As the abomination crawled across the ground, it turned all living things in its path into bones. Giant trees sprouted from the dry earth, their roots intertwining and transforming the entire Shinto Town into a soil that nurtured life.
The blood-sucking trees continued to grow, forming a forest.
A monster that appeared once every fifty years, leaving behind a mountain of corpses and rivers of blood, had descended upon Fuyuki City!
But...
"Why is the Forest of Einnashe showing up here in Shinto Town?!" exclaimed the head of the Ryougi family, staring in disbelief at the monstrous plant and the expanding forest.
Equally astonished, the daemon disguised as an old priest, the Great Daemon White Mouse, echoed the sentiment, "Why is it appearing here in Shinto Town?"
The Forest of Einnashe was the seventh of the 27 Dead Apostle Ancestors. It was a forest that could think and hunt on its own, and it fed on the world every 50 years. Any creature that entered its forest became its prey, and if left unchecked, it could even turn an entire city into a blood sacrifice.
The Holy Church had sent people to destroy it every time it appeared, but they always failed. However, the Church had always accurately determined its location, and they had never been wrong. But this time, something had gone wrong.
"Excellency Merem, can you clarify something for us? Did you give us false information because you're also one of the 27 Ancestors?" a Japanese exorcist inquired.
"I may not be fond of humans, but I don't appreciate other Ancestors who betray the Crimson Moon either. My loyalty lies solely with the Crimson Moon," Merem declared. "It seems that someone has been orchestrating something from behind the scenes."
"Who could that be?"
"How should I know?" Merem shot back, rolling his eyes. "Rather than focusing on that, let's make haste and head to Shinto. Once the Reality Marble takes shape, that thing will undoubtedly attempt to escape!"
The party raced towards Shinto Town, but inside, they were feeling extremely despondent.
Following the Holy Church's instructions, they laid an ambush in the depths of Miyama town and created a flawless strategic plan that anticipated nearly every possible attack by the Forest of Einnashe.
However, to their surprise, the Forest of Einnashe failed to appear in Miyama as planned and instead manifested in Shinto Town! This one misstep resulted in complete defeat and made all of their efforts and precautions rendered useless in an instant!
And as Merem had suspected, once the Forest of Einnashe materialized and its Reality Marble formed, it dispersed its seeds and was prepared to withdraw.
"Crack, crack, crack..."
The ground split open, and the 52-acre Tsukimou Elementary School was lifted skyward. It seemed like a floating island, prepared to soar toward distant cities.
"Merem, call forth the King of the Land," said the elderly priest, now in the form of a white mouse.
"I know," Merem nodded.
He established a connection with the Great Daemon, the King of the Land, who dwelled within his right leg. This daemon was also known by the names Black Dog of Destruction and Whale Dog.
"Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom--!!!"
As the ocean began to boil, enormous waves appeared to consume everything, surging and rolling toward the shore.
Suddenly, an immense whale emerged from the ocean depths. It was jet black and had four legs, with a colossal body nearly 200 meters long that appeared like a towering mountain, exuding a sense of overwhelming oppression.
Ordinary people would be terrified and suffer a mental breakdown upon seeing it, but the Executors and Magus families breathed a sigh of relief.
The Great Daemon on Merem Solomon's right leg was the manifestation of Divine Punishment and the Tsunami. Although it possessed no unique abilities, its enormous body of 200 meters was enough to frighten anyone.
Even though this 200-meter-long body was still relatively small compared to the current 52-acre floating island of the Forest of Einnashe, at least it instilled a sense of power and security, right?
However--
"Swish, swish, swish--"
The Forest of Einnashe extended its countless vines, enveloping the King of the Land like a rice dumpling before suddenly exerting force.
"Splurt--!!!!"
Endless blood sprayed out from the gaps between the vines, coloring the sea in red.
"Did it really kill the King of the Land just like that?" Merem exclaimed in disbelief, feeling the King's soul return to his right leg.
Although the King of the Land did not possess any special abilities, its 200-meter body alone was endowed with immense power. Nevertheless, the Forest of Einnashe tore the Whale Dog apart using such a direct and violent approach!
"The Forest of Einnashe's Reality Marble. It engulfed the Whale and rendered it powerless," clarified the white mouse.
Merem quickly grasped the situation. The Forest of Einnashe possessed a high-quality Reality Marble, which was already an extraordinary power bordering on otherworldly. Once trapped inside the Reality Marble, one would be cut off from the real world and feel as though the entire world was against them.
Essentially, anyone caught inside the Forest of Einnashe's Reality Marble would be confined within a concept of being an enemy to the world, albeit one that only encompassed the relatively small area covered by the forest.
Currently, the Forest of Einnashe spanned 52 acres, a territory too vast for the King of the Land to overcome. With a mere 200-meter body and no special abilities, he was no match for the formidable force.
"Merem, deploy the King of the Sky," said the white mouse.
"I know."
Merem summoned his trump card - the Great Daemon residing on his left leg known as the King of the Sky. It was a creature equivalent in power to the King of the Land, and its manifestation represented Merem's greatest weapon.
In an instant, a bizarre flying beast materialized from Merem's body and soared into the sky. The King of the Sky was a manifestation of Freedom and an exceptional abnormality. While the King of the Land was responsible for the annihilation war, the King of the Sky was designed for battles between monarchs.
"Squeak--!!!" cried the King of the Sky, its sharp screech resounding through the sky.
As the morning sun rose, the King of the Sky's delicate butterfly-like wings unfurled, casting magical hues across the sky.
...
"Hmm--?!"
While slurping on his instant noodles inside the Ryuudou Temple, Shirou tilted his head and glanced upward with a frown on his face.
...
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