Chapter 114: Chapter 109: Through the Legion
The warning from the World Tree lingered in John’s mind.
**Beware... the False Heart.**
The glowing leaf had long since dissolved into particles of golden light, yet its message refused to fade. Every instinct told him the World Tree had not spent the last of its strength on meaningless words.
There was something waiting beneath its roots.
Something beyond Cassian.
Something even the ancient tree feared.
John tightened his claws.
"We keep moving."
His voice remained calm despite the chaos surrounding them.
"The answer is beneath the World Tree."
Aerion nodded.
"Agreed."
Lythriel spun her spear once before resting it on her shoulder.
"Then let’s stop sightseeing."
Sylvara couldn’t help but smile.
"You call this sightseeing?"
Lythriel gestured toward the floating islands collapsing around them.
"I’ve seen worse vacations."
John chuckled softly.
Even now, she found a way to lighten the mood.
It reminded everyone they were still alive.
---
The legion closed in once more.
Unlike the mindless guardians inside the Archive, these corrupted champions advanced with disciplined precision.
Rows shifted seamlessly.
Shield-bearers formed walls.
Spearmen covered their flanks.
Archers positioned themselves on floating crystal platforms high above.
Aerion watched their movements carefully.
"They’re adapting."
John followed his gaze.
"They’re trying to herd us."
Sure enough, every opening that appeared quickly disappeared as another squad moved to block it.
"They’re forcing us toward the corrupted side," Sylvara observed.
"Why?"
Aerion’s expression darkened.
"Because that’s where they’re strongest."
John studied the battlefield.
The legion wasn’t charging recklessly.
It was fighting like an experienced army.
Every movement served a purpose.
Every retreat lured them deeper into a trap.
These warriors had once defended the Heart together.
Even after corruption claimed them, traces of that discipline remained.
"They deserve better than this," John murmured.
Lythriel looked at him.
"You still feel sorry for them?"
"They protected this place until the end."
He looked toward another champion whose crimson eyes burned with hatred.
"They didn’t choose this."
For a brief moment, silence settled between them.
Even Aerion lowered his gaze.
The enemy before them had once been heroes.
---
Far away, the World Tree groaned again.
Another massive branch broke away, drifting slowly toward the sea of floating islands below.
Instead of crashing violently, it dissolved into thousands of glowing leaves before reaching the ground.
Sylvara watched the spectacle.
"It’s dying."
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
John followed the falling leaves.
"Can it be saved?"
No one answered.
Even Aerion remained silent.
He simply looked toward the enormous trunk, his silver eyes filled with quiet sadness.
---
The legion attacked.
Not with overwhelming force.
With patience.
The shield wall advanced steadily.
Behind it, archers released synchronized volleys of crystal arrows.
John inhaled deeply.
"Spread out!"
The group separated instantly.
Arrows struck the empty air where they had stood moments before.
The projectiles continued flying until they embedded themselves into nearby floating islands.
A second later—
**BOOM!**
Each arrow exploded.
Crystal fragments rained across the battlefield.
Sylvara widened her eyes.
"They’re enchanted."
Aerion deflected another volley.
"They’re trying to limit our movement."
John realized something.
"They don’t want to kill us quickly."
"They want to exhaust us."
The realization made everyone uneasy.
If the champions kept forcing them to spend mana while Cassian continued breaking the seals...
The outcome would become inevitable.
---
"We need another route."
John looked upward.
The sky above the World Tree remained clear.
Most of the flying champions guarded the lower approaches.
Lythriel noticed where he was looking.
"You want to go over them?"
John nodded.
"They’re expecting us to fight through the army."
"So we don’t."
Aerion smiled faintly.
"A dragon solution."
John grinned.
"I’ll take that as a compliment."
Sylvara quickly began drawing glowing circles in the air.
"I can create a wind current."
"It won’t last long."
"Long enough," John replied.
The mage completed her spell.
Ancient elven runes rotated beneath the group.
Moments later, a powerful updraft surged beneath John’s wings.
He beat them once.
The current launched him high into the sky.
Aerion followed in a streak of silver.
Lythriel leaped after them, using floating debris as stepping stones.
Sylvara floated effortlessly behind.
For several precious moments...
It worked.
The legion remained below.
The World Tree grew closer.
Hope returned.
---
Then the sky changed.
Clouds of black mist gathered overhead.
They swirled unnaturally, forming a gigantic vortex.
John slowed.
"Something’s wrong."
The answer came immediately.
The mist condensed.
Not into clouds.
Into creatures.
Hundreds of winged monsters emerged from the darkness.
They resembled enormous ravens crafted from black crystal.
Each possessed four glowing crimson eyes.
Their wings left trails of corrupted mana.
Lythriel sighed dramatically.
"Of course."
"We couldn’t have one easy plan."
The flock shrieked as one.
The sound pierced the air like thousands of blades scraping against glass.
Sylvara covered her ears.
"What are they?"
Aerion’s face became unusually grim.
"I’ve read about them."
"They’re called Soul Ravens."
"They consumed the memories of fallen guardians."
John frowned.
"They eat memories?"
Aerion nodded.
"And mana."
The ravens attacked.
The sky became a storm of black feathers.
---
John dove directly into the flock.
His claws tore through the first raven.
Instead of blood—
The creature exploded into dark mist.
Three more replaced it instantly.
"They’re fast!"
Lythriel shouted as she spun her spear in wide circles.
Several ravens fell.
More took their place.
Sylvara unleashed streams of wind blades.
The magic scattered dozens.
Still the flock continued growing.
"They’re endless!"
John looked downward.
"No."
"They’re coming from somewhere."
He searched the swirling vortex.
Then he saw it.
At its center floated a crystal obelisk suspended in the clouds.
Dark mana poured from its surface.
"It’s a summoning focus!"
Sylvara followed his gaze.
"If we destroy it..."
"The ravens disappear."
John folded his wings.
"I’ll handle it."
"No."
Aerion moved beside him.
"We’ll handle it."
John smiled.
Together they accelerated toward the vortex.
The ravens sensed their target.
Thousands intercepted.
The air became a whirlwind of claws and feathers.
Aerion’s sword danced like flowing moonlight.
Every swing carved a path through the flock.
John followed directly behind, smashing aside anything that escaped the elf’s blade.
They fought without speaking.
Years of traveling together had forged an understanding beyond words.
Aerion opened the path.
John broke through it.
Behind them, Lythriel and Sylvara kept the remaining flock occupied, ensuring no enemies reached their backs.
Little by little...
They advanced.
The obelisk grew larger.
Its surface was covered in the same corrupted runes Cassian had used throughout the Archive.
John’s dragon instincts flared.
"This wasn’t part of the original defenses."
Aerion nodded.
"Cassian prepared this."
"He expected resistance."
As they closed within striking distance, the obelisk pulsed violently.
A deafening shriek echoed from the vortex.
The remaining ravens merged together.
Dark mist swirled around the crystal.
The countless creatures fused into one colossal being.
Its wings stretched hundreds of meters.
Its body resembled a monstrous raven crowned with jagged crystal horns.
Four blazing crimson eyes opened slowly.
The creature looked directly at John.
Then, in a voice filled with countless overlapping whispers, it spoke.
"**The Dragon... shall not reach... the Heart.**"
John stopped in midair.
The immense guardian spread its wings, blocking the only clear path toward the World Tree.
Behind it, the distant roots of the colossal tree pulsed with alternating waves of golden light and corruption.
Far below, another seal cracked.
The entire hidden realm shuddered.
Cassian was still moving forward.
John exhaled slowly as abyssal mana gathered around his claws.
He looked at Aerion.
"We break through."
The elf raised his silver blade.
"As always."
Behind them, Lythriel laughed as she landed atop a floating crystal platform.
"I was wondering when we’d get to fight the biggest one."
Sylvara completed another circle of protective magic, her voice calm despite the danger.
"Just remember..."
She looked at all three of them.
"We’re not here to win every battle."
"We’re here to reach the Heart."
John nodded.
"Then let’s carve ourselves a path."
The colossal Soul Raven opened its beak.
A sphere of condensed corrupted mana began forming deep within its throat.
The decisive battle for the skies above the World Tree was about to begin.
---
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