Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 293: Ripples

Chapter 293: Ripples

Earth-shattering explosions rocked the landscape as the clash of titans proceeded unimpeded.

Pillars of lava erupted from the ground, striking at Platadoris, eliciting a pained cry from it as its amorphous body melted.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t enough to destroy the monstrosity as it recovered from its wounds within seconds, much to the annoyance of Alejandro who pushed on with several more lava pillars emerging from all angles.

"Damn it, be careful!... If you do too much, it would..." Ana could barely complete her statement when her worries came to pass.

As expected, Platadoris adapted to the lava and at the moment, only saw it as a mere disturbance.

Its adaptation was evolving rapidly, leaving its opponents with fewer options available to contend with it.

Of course that didn’t mean they were helpless.

Waves of heat struck at it, once again resuming the melting process the lava pillars had induced.

Before it could adapt to the heat, temporal orbs rushed down from above, erasing portions of its body and eliciting further screams.

At the moment, this was the cycle; strike, scream, adapt.

It was difficult to tell when it would end but Alex wasn’t willing to wait for it to adapt to everything they had to throw at it.

"Master," Victoria called out softly.

"Hmm?"

"We can’t just stand here, perhaps I could try summoning another Greater Spirit that would prove helpful."

Alex shook his head. "Summoning without purpose would be redundant, we don’t need another powerhouse causing damage to the landscape unnecessarily. What we need is a sure way to put Platadoris down, if that isn’t sorted out, any act would be met with futility."

"I understand." Victoria nodded before delving into her thoughts as she considered the options available to her given her versatile domain.

Alex on the other hand continued to ponder the situation.

It looked bleeker the longer things stretched on with Platadoris adapting to Alejandro’s attacks and even slowly adapting to Ana’s domain as well.

He’d have thought the adaptation had limits but he thought wrong.

At the moment, Platadoris’s adaptation seemed perfect, capable of allowing him to adapt to all scenarios.

Adding on his immense vitality and connection to the Wandering Forest one was left with hardly any options to consider to defeat the monstrosity the King of the Tree Spirits had turned into.

As the battle raged on with nothing changing about the status quo, save for say Platadoris’s adaptation, Alex began to realize a problem.

His train of thought was not leading him anywhere.

The concept of destroying Platadoris kept coming to the forefront and perhaps due to that, he ended up forsaking other concepts that could have potential dealing with the circumstances.

Just then, Victoria spoke up. "Master."

"Yes, Ara."

"I was thinking."

"Hmm?"

"Considering Platadoris and his fellow Tree Spirits are Cryptids, I would like to guess that his peculiar adaptation isn’t just something that he has."

"I don’t understand."

"Think of it this way, all Simonian Vampires are split into three categories; Blood, Spirit, and Psionics. Vampires in each of these categories are capable of manipulating the domain exclusive to them, an attribute that all vampires in that category are capable of utilizing."

"So basically what you are saying is if Platadoris can adapt, other Tree Spirits should be able to do the same if we consider them as Cryptids."

"Exactly."

"But why should we consider them as such?... Is there a criterion?... What if they are mutants?"

"That’s impossible as Mutants lack wills to exert on the aether. However, the same cannot be said for Platadoris and his fellow Tree Spirits."

"Wait, let me get this straight, to be considered a Cryptid, what is or are, the requirement?"

"There are three; the creature must have a will capable of manipulating the aether without a need for gestures, one must be a non-human species with a mythical form and lastly, one must possess an inactive pneuma."

"I see. And Platadoris and his people fulfill all three?"

"Indeed."

Alex was just about to speak when a flailing appendage suddenly loomed overhead.

Pa

Charlotte appeared instantaneously, swinging her sword as she did with a sword beam emerging as a result.

Moments later the appendage ripped apart before falling either way, eliciting a dust cloud with Alex and Victoria largely unaffected.

Coughing a little, Alex remarked. "Continue, Victoria."

"Yes, master." Victoria calmly intoned. "As I was saying, if the adaptation Platadoris has shown isn’t a general feature for all Tree Spirits, then I’d like to boldly take a guess and say that it might be his Innate Talent."

"His what?" Alex raised a brow in response.

"Innate Talent, master."

"What is that?"

"Do you not know, master?"

Letting out a sigh, Alex replied. "If I knew, I wouldn’t be asking you, Ara."

"Ah, I apologize, master. Innate Talent is a special... Ability that certain blessed Cryptids are capable of awakening in their lifetime, depending on encounters they might come across."

"That’s a simple description, yes?"

"More or less, master. It’s quite difficult to explain." Victoria admitted.

Taking a moment to let her words sink in, Alex remarked. "Okay, so let me try to understand what you are saying; an Innate Talent is like how Charlotte can replicate my ability after taking my blood or like how Ana can read people’s fate?"

"Exactly that." Victoria replied. "Innate Talents are mostly based around one particular capability within the general domain that a Cryptid has authority over."

"So Platadoris’s Talent is Adaptation."

Victoria nodded. "Exactly."

"Okay, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"An Innate Talent can’t or at least shouldn’t be constantly active. Under normal circumstances..."

"It can be turned off," Alex muttered ever so slightly as realization dawned on him and with that reality, a plan began to bloom in his mind.

***

It was only a matter of time... or rather, it was almost time.

Ana couldn’t help but admit that Platadoris was rather terrifying to be up against.

How was one to deal with his adaptation that worked on both physical and esoteric forces?

She’d even considered attempting to utilize Fate to draw up a Thread of Fate but that usually took time and she wasn’t sure if she would be able to cut through considering Platadoris gave off a faint aura of divinity though on closer inspection, it didn’t seem like something he controller, merely an after effect of something else.

Regardless, they were quickly running out of options and so had to figure out a solution quickly, else...

Pa

Hardly was she done with the thought when she felt a ripple in the aether.

She immediately turned back just in time to watch as a pool of blackness emerging from Alex covered the ground, swiftly sinking in an engaging in a power struggle with Platadoris for control of the forest.

Victoria now stood a few meters away from Alex, her expression painted with worry as she stared at the origin of the pillar.

Before Ana could understand what was happening, the maddened Platadoris shifted his attention to Alex, perhaps moved that the pesky human was competing with him for control of the forest.

Naturally, Alex’s act of competing with Platadoris was not risk free as in connecting with the forest, he connected with the corruption that threatened to destroy it, exposing him to it’s foul touch.

Alex, however, did not focus on this as he hoped that in sharing Platadoris burden, it would give the Tree Spirit King a chance to regain his sanity, even if for a moment.

Soon, the corruption ceased briefly allowing Platadoris to regain himself, his wooden body emerging from the amorphous abomination, though still attached by vines.

Then Alex intoned. "Platadoris, if you can hear me, turn off your Adaptation. If you wish for us to send you on to the Afterlife, to set you free then you have to turn it off."

"I..."

"Can. Now do it so we can end this once and for all."

Platadoris remained silent for a moment before slowly nodding. "Thank you."

Taking a deep breath, the vines attached to Platadoris broke away allowing him to soar further into the sky with nothing holding on to him.

At this moment, he was no longer the immortal Tree Spirit King that ruled over the Wandering Forest and that was all they needed.

Alejandro wasted no time in devouring him, a single chomp of his gigantic maw sealing the deal instantly.

As his insides digested the Cryptid ruler, he would have no idea of the ripples it would cause elsewhere.

In a strange dimension where a black sun loomed high in the sky, the chains that bound the insane woman slowly fell away with loud clangs causing her already exaggerated smile to widen some more.

In a different place, one that once held the title of the Elven Court, but now abandoned and overtaken by unknown elements, a suit of armor seated on the throne with a mighty spear at its side suddenly moved with the dark space where eyes were meant to be glowing an ominous purple as a regretful sigh escaped from somewhere within.

Meanwhile, back in the Wandering Forest, the amorphous body, now devoid of its host, fell apart, causing craters and dust clouds as it did so.

As Alejandro slowly transformed back into his human form, Ana rushed over to where Alex was as the latter stopped utilizing Night’s Embrace.

"Are you alright?" Ana and Victoria asked almost at the same time.

Alex tried to respond only to pause as his expression distorted after which several horrifying warts oozing with pus appeared on his skin.

It was easy to guess that this was the backlash from courting the corruption destroying the forest, an unfortunate consequence that came with doing a relatively good deed and freeing Platadoris from the shackles that bound him.

As Alex fell back toward the ground, unable to beat the pain coursing through his body, both Victoria and Ana cried out. "Master!"