The Kingmaker System Chapter 746 - 745. Ten Minutes Until Dawn (3)

Reina or rather Ocean was known quite famously among his people for being a protective and prudent leader. His foresight and plans for future were always so accurate that at times, those who were involved in his plans believed that he had the gift of clairvoyance.

Unbeknownst to them, he did have the gift of clairvoyance, it was just the flashes of visions that he would get from time to time of future that would often help him in his plans. Sometimes, these visions came with warnings, sometimes they were so bizzare that Ocean would have to wait and research to make sense of what they meant.

It was a day before the Princes returned to capital after finishing their Third Trial that Ocean had a vision.

He was in his office finishing up the remaining paperwork, it was already too late and he had already gone through several possibilities and strategies for the battle that was coming up in the future. He stamped his crest on the final document before he stood up, stretching his body and then made his way across his desk only for his body to momentarily lose control as his vision swam. He grabbed the edge of the desk to keep himself upright as the black and white colors flooded his vision.

He saw Edrisyl completely frozen. In the place where Yggdrasil should have stood, a massive tornado swirled violently. In the sky a blizzard was blowing close to the black hole and the dark creatures poured out of it. Ocean could see Issyrha in the middle of the blizzard, swinging her claymore, slaying those creatures.

Below, on the frozen ground, he saw Aelfric, Zale, Erisgrirlum and Xeveris fighting those dark creatures while everyone else enclosed in ice. He saw the four black pillars that were converged into the sky and two of them were rooted from Edrisyl.

Somehow, he couldn’t make sense of it, where was Yggdrasil? Where was he? What was going on? It was completely different from what he had originally planned.

He had thought, he would have his people kill off all the dark forces that would attack Sestia and then go and get the Dominus to lift the curse from Sol without comprising Yggdrasil but what was this?

It was then that he heard Issyrha’s voice, "Hey, brat. I’m going in this portal. You take care of things here after you’re done!"

Ocean didn’t hear anything else as she flapped her wings and the vision glitched as he saw the portal growing too big that it felt as if it was ripping the sky apart.

He caught a glimpse of a huge bluish grey creature with glowing red eyes flying on the other side before he saw something white being thrown out.

His eyes instantly focused on the white object and he noticed that it was Issyrha- in her Dragon form. Her wings were torn and her body was shattered with blood flowing.

Ocean’s heart nearly came to a stop as her Dragon form dropped right on to the frozen land of Edrisyl creating a huge hole and a part of Edrisyl shattered and sank to the ground along with her body.

When Ocean came to his senses back in his office, he felt his knees trembling as he staggered over and slumped in his seat. The events of his vision replaying in his head.

His plan was going to fail at the stage it was, moreover, Issyrha... would die if he didn’t change it.

Back in the present, Reina was still in the middle of the whipping violent mana storm. But all of her focus was into the roots that were burrowing deeper and deeper into the earth regardless of the burning pure mana magma layer that rest over the core of earth. The roots curled past the core before steadily making their way all over the insides of the earth.

Reina’s life force was currently one with the roots so, it was as if her own extended form was spreading all over the globe.

She could feel the crushing sensation along with the immense pressure that was too much for her body but she had to pull this on her own if she wanted to avoid the future she had seen.

This was the new plan she had devised after obtaining the Seed of Life. Compared to her original strategy, it was far safer.

"Child, are you sure you can do it on your own?" Reina heard Issyrha’s voice in her head.

"Yes, so just keep it occupied... and don’t go in there."

Issyrha didn’t argue and kept fighting from outside while Reina activated Mana Eyes which fused with the roots.

[Time Remaining Until the Seed Germination: 43 seconds.]

"Please work." Reina prayed internally as she searched for the specific points.

Drac who sat on the roof of the building closest to the ship that Azar was on suddenly felt the immense energy approaching at rapid speed. The sheer force and speed of this energy was enough to make him rise to his feet in an instant and he looked around trying to spot the source.

The harbor was in a very bad shape with the undead being carried away by the knights, and Carlos was with Duke Esmertia. The aftermath was ugly enough for everyone but somehow Drac felt uneasy as he couldn’t see this approaching power.

Soon enough he realised the location wasn’t the harbor, but the ocean and whatever it was, it was coming from underground.

Drac stared at the ship, specifically the black pillar of light where he knew Azar’s body was before he saw something shooting through the ship.

Drac’s eyes widened and even those who were at the harbor felt the ground beneath their feet shaking violently as a glowing green appendage shot out from the sea ripping through the ship and curled around Azar’s body. The black pillar of light erupting from Azar’s body vanished the instant he was enclosed in the ball. Drac watched in shock as the glowing object curling up and remaining stable in its place.

He couldn’t understand what it was and he quickly turned his head to see if the second black pillar of light was still there or not but when he scanned the twilight skies, he couldn’t see second pillar. Drac’s shoulders slowly relaxed as he realised that it must be his Master’s work.

How? He had no idea of it, but he could feel his Master’s mana emanating from that thing and that was a satisfying answer.

At the other spot where Davian and Rune were, they had also felt the ground shaking violently along with the immense energy approaching them at a great speed.

"Fall back! Now!" Davian had shouted before he and Rune ran away from the pillar of black light.

The ground split from where the pillar originated and a glowing green appendage protruded enveloping the young girl before turning into a ball.

"What the- that mana!" Rune gasped.

Davian’s eyes also were wide as he stared at this strange glowing root-like object, sensing Ocean’s mana which made him almost let out a surprised chuckle as that blocked the pillar and somehow he felt as if whatever Ocean was out to do had probably succeeded.

Back on Edrisyl island, the glowing roots erupted almost simultaneously.

They burst through the frozen earth beneath the Dominus and the Domina before coiling around them with terrifying speed, layers upon layers of the earth hued roots wrapping around their bodies until neither could be seen. At that very same moment, thousands of miles away in Sestia, the remaining two roots tore through the sea and the shattered streets, enveloping Azar and Gargi completely before sealing shut around them.

The four pillars of black light that had been feeding the ritual flickered violently.

The Dominus never even had the chance to understand what had happened. He could feel the ritual still existing within him, yet the power he had been pouring into it no longer reached the portal. The roots had severed every conduit from the summoning and enclosed them within an overwhelming current of pure mana, swallowing the dead mana before it could escape.

High above Edrisyl, the enormous portal began to distort.

The black light connecting it to the four conduits vanished all at once, and the vast sea of dead mana pouring through the opening abruptly lost the force sustaining it. The creatures that had already begun crossing into the mortal world shrieked as the current reversed without warning. Their bodies were dragged backward together with the torrents of dead mana, disappearing into the abyss as though an invisible hand had seized them.

The crimson eye staring through the opening widened ever so slightly and Issyrha quickly flew away to avoid getting caught up in the reverse flow.

For the first time since it had appeared, the Demon Lord felt the summoning reject him.

The enormous portal shuddered violently before its edges folded inward. Space itself seemed to twist as the opening rapidly contracted, the immense pressure released by the collapsing ritual sending violent shockwaves across the heavens. The blood-red sky rippled from horizon to horizon before the portal finally collapsed into a single point and disappeared with a deafening roar that shook the entire island.

The violent winds died almost instantly and the suffocating dead mana that had blanketed Edrisyl dispersed beneath the overwhelming surge of pure mana flowing through the newborn roots, and for the first time since the battle had begun, the sky above the island lay open once more slowly brightening as the dawn broke.

Zale let out a long laugh of relief before slumping onto the frozen ground. Aelfric closed his eyes, his shoulders trembling as the crushing tension finally left him. Erisgrirlum released a deep breath while Xeveris could only stand there staring at the now-empty sky, realising that the destruction as how rapidly it had begun had ended.

Issyrha flew over the skies sensing the remnants of the dark forces and dead mana were all blown away.

From high up though, she could still see the one tornado that persisted on Edrisyl.

With the four pillars blocked, Reina had the newborn roots absorb the dead mana from all four of the conduits. The immense amount of pure mana neutralized the dead mana before the roots started receding.

Azar and Gargi were gently laid onto the solid deck and ground respectively before the roots slinked back underground.

Reina felt the roots all finding their places in the depths of the earth where they would stay and continue spreading the life force for the beings on earth.

[Time Remaining Until Seed Germination: 10 seconds.]

Reina pushed herself up a little but the immense pressure on her made it impossible to move, she felt the ground starting the crack under her palms and knees.

[Time Remaining Until the Seed Germination: 07 seconds.]

Her clothes unable to take the impact of the whipping mana storm started ripping, the coat that bore her insignia went flying and she saw the blue scales starting to form on her arms.

[Time Remaining Until Seed Germination: 05 seconds.]

Her nails turned into sharp black claws and she felt the pain ripping at her back as the bones of her wings poked put from her back. She felt the searing pain all over her body as the pressure seemed to be crushing her insides and her bones. It was as if she was thrown into the deepest part of the ocean where the pressure was so much that it was crushing her from inside out.

[Time Remaining Until Seed Germination: 03 seconds.]

[Warning!

80% of your Mana Reserves have been exhausted.

The Root Network has reached critical expansion.

Further nourishment will place the burden directly upon your body.]

[Shield of Invulnerability has been activated.]

[Conflict detected.

The nourishment of the Root Network cannot proceed while the Shield of Invulnerability is active.]

[Shield of Invulnerability has been temporarily suspended.]

[Warning!

The burden of nourishment will now manifest directly upon your body.]