The moment Li Kai and his team crossed the boundary into the corrupted forest surrounding the Rebirth Tree, the very air shifted against them.
It wasn't just the unnatural flora or the pulsating magic—it was the intent that hung in the atmosphere, as if the Tree itself was aware of them and rejected their presence.
Jax, armored in slabs of enchanted stone, took the lead. His hammer shimmered with defensive magic, and each step he took left a minor seismic ripple that unsettled creeping vines and sluggish mutated insects. Behind him, Serin stayed close, her blade half-drawn, while Ilya melted into the distorted underbrush, already positioning herself for long-range cover.
Li Kai gripped the Stabilizer artifact tightly against his chest. Every fiber of his being screamed caution, but he forced himself forward.
Every step counted.
"Movement to the right," Ilya's voice whispered through the communication crystal Xiaomei had distributed earlier.
Li Kai turned his head slightly and caught glimpses of twisted beasts—boar-sized creatures covered in bark-like armor, their tusks replaced with thorny vines. Their eyes glowed a deep, toxic green.
"They're mutated treants," Serin muttered. "Nature's berserkers."
Jax grunted. "I'll handle them."
Without hesitation, the giant mercenary swung his hammer into the earth. A localized shockwave exploded outward, sending the mutated beasts flying. Vines snapped. Bark cracked. The air filled with the sickening scent of ruptured, unnatural plant flesh.
More creatures poured from the undergrowth, drawn to the disturbance.
Li Kai cursed under his breath.
"Stick to the plan!" he barked. "We push through!"
Serin darted ahead, her blade flashing as she cut through snarling vines and lunging treants. Ilya provided precise cover fire, her arrows whistling through the air and striking eyes, joints, weak spots—all without missing once.
Li Kai stayed behind Jax's defensive screen, heart pounding as he advanced.
The closer they got to the Tree's trunk, the stranger the environment became.
The ground pulsed underfoot, almost like breathing.
Leaves drifted from above, and when they touched the earth, they transformed into slithering creatures that attacked anything moving.
Li Kai activated a protective charm from his inventory—an Aegis Sigil purchased earlier—and a soft golden shield enveloped him.
Even so, he could feel the oppressive pressure intensifying.
The Tree wasn't just a plant anymore.
It was evolving.
It was aware.
Half an hour later, they reached the inner perimeter.
They crouched behind a fallen log—though even the logs here twisted unnaturally, their bark whispering strange sounds.
Before them lay the core zone: a hollow surrounding the Tree's massive trunk, filled with worshippers.
Dozens of them, some fully human, others grotesquely changed. Twisting horns, eyes that gleamed like polished wood, flowers growing from open wounds. They knelt in concentric circles, chanting in a language that scraped at the edges of comprehension.
And at the center, embedded into the Tree's trunk, was a crystalline heart—the Seed Core. A second relic, birthed from the Vitality Seed's excess power.
"That's new," Xiaomei's voice crackled softly in Li Kai's ear. "The relic's evolution wasn't in any of the projections. That Seed Core... it's amplifying everything."
Li Kai's gut twisted.
This was no longer just an overgrown plant.
It was trying to birth a new world.
And humanity was merely being... repurposed.
Serin scanned the enemy formation. "They're too many. We can't brute force through this."
"No," Li Kai agreed. "We use precision."
He pointed toward a slightly less-guarded segment of the perimeter where tree roots formed a natural tunnel leading toward the Seed Core.
"Jax and Serin, create a distraction here," he said. "Draw as many cultists away as possible. Ilya and I will sneak through the tunnel. I'll plant the Stabilizer."
Serin grinned. "Finally, some fun."
Jax merely nodded and hefted his hammer.
"On your signal," Ilya whispered, already stringing a glowing arrow.
Li Kai counted down silently in his mind.
Three.
Two.
One.
"Go!"
Jax surged from cover like an unstoppable avalanche, his hammer crashing down with a roar. Earth shattered. Roots splintered. Cultists screamed and scrambled toward him.
At the same time, Serin danced into the fray, blade a whirl of silver light, cutting through the outer edges of the mob.
Li Kai and Ilya slipped into the natural tunnel, the noise and chaos masking their approach.
Inside the tunnel, it was like stepping into another world.
The walls were made of thick, living wood, veins of light pulsing through them like blood vessels. The air was thick with the scent of sap and ozone.
The further they moved, the heavier Li Kai's chest felt. The Stabilizer artifact, cradled against him, grew hotter with every step.
Finally, they emerged into a shallow clearing right below the Seed Core.
Up close, the Core was breathtaking—an orb the size of a carriage, suspended in mid-air, crystalline roots burrowing into the Tree's trunk. It pulsed with light and sound, a heartbeat in a language beyond comprehension.
Li Kai dropped to one knee, pulling the Stabilizer free.
"This is it," he whispered.
Ilya stood watch, her bow ready.
Li Kai began the attunement process, placing the artifact into the soil and speaking the activation phrases Xiaomei had taught him.
The Stabilizer floated slightly above the ground, its metallic frame unfolding like a mechanical flower. Runic chains snapped outward, latching onto the surrounding roots.
The moment the first chain locked into place, the Core screamed.
It wasn't sound exactly—it was vibration, pure emotion. Rage, pain, confusion.
The chanting cultists outside staggered. Some clutched their heads. Others howled in fury.
The Tree itself shook.
The ground cracked. Roots lashed out violently, smashing into the tunnel and tearing apart nearby structures.
Ilya fired rapidly, cutting down roots and any cultist that charged toward them.
Li Kai clenched his teeth, forcing himself to continue.
More runes ignited. The Stabilizer's sphere spun faster, creating a localized field of stability, slowing the rampant growth and mutating magic.
"We're at 30% synchronization!" Xiaomei's voice rang in his ear. "Keep going!"
A massive mutated treant, larger than anything they had seen so far, burst from the ground—an abomination of twisted wood and stone. It roared, gnarled fists smashing into the earth as it barreled toward them.
"Ilya—!" Li Kai shouted.
She didn't hesitate.
With perfect precision, she loosed three arrows in rapid succession—each one striking critical nodes along the creature's barky joints.
The treant staggered but didn't fall.
Li Kai grabbed a seal tag from his belt and threw it into the treant's open mouth. It activated mid-flight, exploding into golden chains that wrapped around the creature's head and arms, buying precious seconds.
"Synchronization at 60%!" Xiaomei reported.
Roots lashed out, clawing at Li Kai's legs. He stumbled, almost losing his grip on the Stabilizer's focus stream. Ilya shot down the nearest threat, but they were being overwhelmed.
Jax and Serin fought furiously at the perimeter, but the cultists were regrouping faster than they could be thinned.
A mutated cultist lunged at Li Kai from the side—skin turned to bark, hands twisted into claws.
Li Kai instinctively raised his hand, the Store's System surging to his call.
Emergency Skill Activation: Fate Shield (Single Use)
A barrier of burning light snapped into existence around him. The cultist slammed into it and vaporized instantly.
Li Kai gasped, sweat pouring down his face.
"Come on," he whispered to the Stabilizer. "Come on!"
The final rune ignited.
Synchronization: 100%. Stabilization complete.
The Stabilizer flared with pure light, sending a shockwave rippling outward.
The Tree groaned—a sound of immense, ancient resignation.
The roots slowed.
The pulsing of the Core diminished, fading from angry crimson to a softer gold.
The cultists screamed in pain and collapsed, many of their unnatural mutations dissolving into dust.
The battlefield fell into stunned silence.
Li Kai sagged to his knees, utterly drained.
They had done it.
Minutes later, after securing the area and checking on the unconscious cultists, Jax, Serin, and Ilya gathered around Li Kai.
"You alright, boss?" Serin asked, wiping blood from her cheek.
Li Kai gave a weary smile. "Better than alright."
System notifications flooded his vision.
Mission Complete: Balance the ScalesRewards:
Store Debt Decreased by 50%
Store Upgrade Function Unlocked: Dimensional Trade Routes
Title Earned: "Fate Weaver"
Li Kai let out a long, shuddering breath.
They had survived.
They had saved the future.
And more importantly—the Store would live to see another day.
But deep in the shadows of fate, unseen by mortal eyes, something else stirred in response.
Something older.
And far, far more dangerous.
End of Chapter 24