Chapter 320: Five Paths

The professors split apart, and for a moment, the entire battlefield seemed to hold its breath.

Five regions had emerged across the Everglades, with a Mirror hanging above each one, and over all of it, the World Tree kept pulsing. Its golden trunk was covered in black veins, and every pulse sent another wave of corrupted mana through the Secret Realm.

Roland looked at the gathered professors. "Remember the objective. We aren’t trying to conquer these regions." His eyes moved to the distant colors. "We reach the Mirrors, we protect them, and we stop anything else from taking them."

A professor nodded. "And the students?"

"The rest of you stay with them," Roland said, looking at the students. "Keep them alive."

The order was simple. What it meant wasn’t.

Far from the professors, Arthur’s group had come to the same conclusion. There were five Mirrors, and there was no way to reach all of them in time if they stayed together, so despite Athena’s misgivings, they had split up at the edge of the merging regions.

And at almost the same moment, five groups began racing in five different directions.

...

The western forest had become a furnace. Trees burned without ever collapsing, streams of fire ran between enormous roots, and even the air seemed to shimmer.

Mithra stopped at the edge of the transformed region with Dawn Sovereign in her hand, the golden sword reflecting the flames, while Melo’s five tails swayed through the heat beside her.

Melo stared into the burning forest. "This place is unpleasant."

Mithra smiled. "That’s one way to describe it."

A distant explosion shook the ground, then another, and another.

Melo sighed. "Arthur really does attract trouble."

Mithra glanced at her. "You say that like you’re not following him."

Melo’s expression stayed completely flat. "I’m following you."

Mithra laughed. "That isn’t what I meant." She stepped forward, and flames curled around her boots. "I think Arthur would be disappointed if we missed the interesting part."

Melo’s third eye opened, and dream energy spread through the forest. For a brief moment, she could see straight through the flames. "There."

A golden glow burned deep in the fire. It was the Fire Mirror.

Mithra raised Dawn Sovereign. "Then let’s go."

Melo’s tails lifted. "Try not to get burned."

Mithra smiled. "No promises."

The two of them disappeared into the flames.

...

The northern region was almost unrecognizable. The forest had become an ocean, with water rushing between ancient trees and enormous waves crashing against ruined structures.

Sun stood on the remains of a stone platform, staring at the water, and then he looked at Kong, who was perched on his shoulder, his golden metallic fur gleaming and the crimson markings across his arms glowing faintly in the spray.

Sun pointed at the flooded forest. "Do you know how to swim?"

Kong proudly puffed out his chest. "Of course."

Sun waited.

Kong thought about it. "Probably."

Sun stared at him. "You can’t swim."

"I’ve never tried," Kong said. "That’s different."

Sun sighed. "You don’t even know what swimming is."

Kong pointed at the water and paddled his arms through the air with great confidence. "You do this."

Sun’s expression grew even more concerned. "That’s not swimming. That’s panicking slowly."

Kong kept paddling. "It looks the same."

"It’s not the same."

"It will be when I do it."

Sun rubbed his forehead. "That’s what I’m afraid of."

A massive wave crashed over the platform, and Sun grabbed Kong by the arm just as he leaned toward the edge, one foot already lifted.

Kong pointed indignantly at the water. "I was going to test it."

"You were about to jump in!"

"To test it."

Sun sighed. "Stay on my shoulder."

Kong grumbled and climbed back up. "Fine. But if we find treasure underwater, I’m going first."

"If we find treasure underwater, I’m selling it first."

Kong grinned. "Then I’ll steal it back."

"You’re my partner. You can’t steal from me."

"I’ve done it before."

Sun opened his mouth, then closed it again, because that was true.

He looked out at the flooded ruins. Somewhere beneath all that water was the Water Mirror. He tightened his grip on Long. "Let’s find it."

Kong’s crimson markings flared brighter, and he cracked his knuckles. "Finally."

The two of them moved forward.

...

The eastern region had become a landscape of stone. Ancient buildings were rising out of the earth, massive pillars pushed up through the forest, and roads appeared where trees had stood moments earlier.

Athena stopped and looked across the ruins, and her expression changed. "This architecture..."

Athy hovered beside her, spreading her perception through the area, and Athena looked through her vision at once. "There."

Athy’s perception moved through a collapsed structure, past ancient walls, down a staircase, and into a chamber, where a golden-brown Mirror sat at the center.

Athena smiled. "So that’s where they hid it."

Athy looked around. "There are more structures underneath."

Athena’s expression turned serious. "How many?"

"I don’t know."

The ground shook, and several enormous stone pillars rose around them.

Athena stepped back. "Apparently we’re about to find out."

Athy looked at her. "Do you think these structures are protecting the Mirror?"

Athena studied the carvings and touched one of the ancient symbols. "No. I think the Mirror is protecting something else."

Athy’s eyes widened. "Something underneath?"

"Exactly." Athena drew Heavenpiercer. "Let’s see what the ancient civilization was protecting."

The earth trembled beneath them as Athena and Athy moved deeper into the ruins.

...

The southern region was silent, almost unnaturally so. The trees had turned black, thin strands of purple mist covered the ground, and even the wind seemed reluctant to move through the forest.

Arthur walked at the front with Vedas close behind him. Eden stayed near Arthur’s shoulder, Star bounced quietly beside them, and Luna walked with the group on foot, staring at the dark land. "This is the place."

Arthur glanced back. "The Darkness Region?"

Luna nodded. "My grandfather’s records described it. He said the southern land became like this whenever the Darkness Mirror awakened."

Arthur looked ahead. "So this is what it was supposed to look like."

"No," Luna said, shaking her head. "It wasn’t supposed to look like this."

Arthur stopped, and Luna’s expression tightened. "The Darkness Mirror should create darkness." She pointed at the purple mist. "But that isn’t darkness."

Arthur looked at the corruption. "You think that’s Miasma?"

"Yes."

Eden’s perception spread suddenly, and Arthur’s vision widened. The darkness around them grew clearer, and he could see Vedas, Star, Eden, and Luna, and beyond them, thousands of roots moving beneath the ground.

Arthur’s expression changed. "Everyone."

Vedas raised King Maker immediately. "What?"

Arthur looked at the ground. "The roots are coming."

The earth exploded as a massive black root burst upward, and Vedas moved first, striking it with King Maker.

BOOM!

The root bent. Star bounced back, Eden’s perception spread farther, and Luna stepped behind Arthur as he drew Dusk, the golden spear catching the faint light.

"Stay close," Arthur said.

Luna nodded. "I will."

Another root erupted, and Vedas destroyed it, and Arthur thrust Dusk through a third. Star jumped onto Arthur’s shoulder, Eden’s perception linked them all together, and for a moment, the group moved as one.

Arthur looked into the distant darkness. Somewhere ahead was the Darkness Mirror, and beyond that, the World Tree. "Everyone ready?"

"Yes," Vedas said.

Eden smiled. "Yes!"

Star bounced twice, and Luna tightened her grip. "Yes."

Arthur smiled. "Good."

The darkness moved, and the five of them charged forward.

...

At the center of the Everglades, something strange was happening. The Light Region hadn’t erupted like the Fire, flooded like the Water, raised ruins like the Earth, or spread darkness like the south. It was simply glowing, quietly, almost peacefully.

Two professors, among the strongest instructors on the expedition, stood at the edge of the central area with their weapons already drawn.

One of them looked toward the center. "So this is the Light Region."

The other nodded. "The last one."

They moved forward carefully, and the closer they got, the brighter the air became. There were no corrupted Beasts, no massive roots, and no collapsing ruins, only light.

One professor frowned. "Why is it so quiet?"

The other didn’t answer, because neither of them knew. The Light Mirror had always been different. It had stayed dormant longer than the others, it had remained at the center, and now it was waiting.

The professor tightened their grip on their weapon. "Stay close. We reach the Mirror, and then we wait for the others."

They kept moving.

Five groups had set out in five directions toward five Mirrors, all at almost the same moment. Fire burned in the west, water flooded the north, earth rose in the east, darkness swallowed the south, and light waited at the center.

Above them all, the World Tree towered over the Everglades, its enormous branches stretching across the sky. Its golden bark had turned black, purple veins pulsed beneath its surface, and every pulse sent corruption through the roots.

High within those branches, Ronin opened his eyes. He could feel them all, the humans, the Beasts, the professors, and Arthur, every one of them moving toward the Mirrors. His gaze shifted to the five distant regions, and a faint smile appeared.

"So..." He looked down at the corrupted roots spreading through the Secret Realm. "They’ve finally understood."

The World Tree pulsed beneath him, and Ronin raised his hand as purple Miasma curled around his fingers.

"Come." His smile widened. "Let’s see who reaches the Mirrors first."