Chapter 87: Unexpected encounter
A seed...
"A...seed?"
Emperal was stunned when he looked at the thing, or rather, the source of the vine itself. Rooted in the ground was a small seed the size of a fist.
But through its small opening, thin roots spilled out...becoming giant, terrifying vines as they grew!
"Damn, this realm really is filled with some...creatures practically unheard of in Verandis."
Emperal muttered, clutching his sword tightly. He stepped forward.
His movements didn’t go unnoticed by the vines; they snapped towards Emperal like hungry wolves.
It was a slightly open area between three giant trees. The vines sprouting from the seeds were more than a dozen, with a few even having spikes on their stems.
Whisssss~!!
The sound of the vines whipping through the air resounded as two of the vines snapped towards Emperal in a maddened frenzy.
The air around Emperal shifted as he slashed his sword at the incoming vines.
Ssssssling!!
"They are surprisingly...weak."
Emperal muttered, without wasting a single second. He dashed towards the seed as countless vines erupted from it simultaneously.
This time, it seemed to have learned its lesson. Instead of sending one or two vines at a time...it sent all of them.
Fourteen thick vines snapped towards him with terrifying brutality; the spiked ones even started rotating.
Emperal, of course, didn’t slow down.
"Sol’verthrak."
Emperal muttered through the gaps of his teeth, Trisight reading the vines’ trajectories before they even arrived.
His eyes began shining, his body moved before thought. Due to the high concentration of Soul Energy in his eyes, despite his insane speed, he could clearly see everything and, to an extent, things even became slow for him.
Slash!
He swung his blade at the nearest vines and cut them in half. A boom resounded as he vanished again.
His pupils moved all over the sclera. "Six coming high and five coming low, three from the front."
Emperal analysed everything and in an instant dropped into a slide!
The ground beneath him shook as he used his blade to control his direction, his momentum carrying him under the high six simultaneously.
The five below adjusted quickly; they were faster than Emperal had expected. Planting his left foot below, he drove himself upward and swung the Stormvein Sword in a beautiful, wide arc.
Sling~! Sling~! Sling~!
Three vines fell in an instant.
"Three down, ten more to go."
The spiked three were still coming from behind. He stepped inside the first one, the spike passed behind his shoulder, barely an inch away from grazing his skin.
Well, even if it did touch him. Due to his thick skin, there was no way the vine could penetrate him.
Sliding to the side, he drove the blade into the vine’s base, where it was a bit thinner.
The cut was clean, in an instant, four more fell.
"Heh, this feels good."
Emperal smirked, according to his estimates. The vine’s strength was at least that of a Stage Two Verth Wielder!
But in front of Emperal, it could not even scratch him.
After a few more minutes, Emperal finally ended the farce by sending a glowing arc towards the base of the vine, destroying every root in the process.
Emperal looked at the seed on the ground. To his surprise, it started sucking in more Verth.
"Uh uh, not gonna happen, little seed."
Saying that, he picked up the seed, heat gathered around his palm, and...
SShhshhh~!
Intense flames consumed the seed, incinerating it into ashes. Emperal sheathed the Stormvein Sword behind his back.
He couldn’t help but stare at his palms.
"If it were the previous me, I would already be on the ground, desperate for a breath. Not to mention my Verth depletion."
Looking inside, his Verth was as much as he had the moment he entered here. There wasn’t an ounce of depletion.
Everything was spent from Soul Energy.
Just as he was about to move from his position, a pair of footsteps echoed.
Clutching the Stormvein Sword, he snapped back at the newcomer. But the moment his eyes fell on the person,
Emperal felt like his luck had finally hit rock bottom.
"...No fucking way your luck is that terrible! Who the heck did you see after waking up!"
The Infernal Dragon couldn’t help but comment.
"It was your nasty voice!"
Emperal barked back at the dragon, but his eyes didn’t leave that figure.
Step. Step. Step.
It was a tall woman with long, flowing purple hair. Emperal swore she was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen, if one ignored those emotionless eyes and cold face.
The woman tilted her head towards him, and then at the ground below...and then back at him.
"Weak."
She muttered, her voice borderline robotic. Emperal felt a twitch in his brows, but he didn’t dare retort, after all. The existence standing in front of him was such that he couldn’t even think of opposing her, given his current situation.
Emperal didn’t say anything, he just stood there. The woman, Zhaltheria Aldric Valdenmere—she too kept staring at Emperal.
Yes, the strongest practitioner from the human race who had entered the realm. The greatest genius of her era, she had one of the most exalted statuses as the direct descendant of Kaelen himself. And many more.
And standing in front of her?
"...What do you need? If it’s the treasure you want, sorry to disappoint you, I did not obtain any."
Emperal spoke in a calm voice. Hearing his words, there was no visible ripple in her eyes.
Those cerulean eyes looked at him deeply, as if unraveling his soul. After a few seconds, she turned her head and walked away.
Emperal, who was tense a few moments ago, frowned. Still, he didn’t attempt to do anything and quietly took a few steps back before dashing away.
Zhaltheria’s eyes reflected his movement. For a second, she just stood there, wondering.
"What did Grandfather mean by befriending a man...like him? He clearly has no traits or powers, not to mention the half-blood flowing through him."
The woman shook her head.
"I wasted fifteen hours finding him, only to figure out my efforts were useless."
Saying that, she vanished into the shadows. Her presence, though, still left a deep mark behind, scaring the nearby beasts away.
