Chapter 356: Cut the First Connection

Arthur could see the corrupted connection clearly now. A thick channel of purple energy extended from the artificial core in Ronin’s chest, branching through the surrounding roots before disappearing into the eastern stream.

The channel was wrapped around several living roots, using them as conduits to draw power from the World Tree while spreading the Miasma in return.

If they struck carelessly, they could sever the entire section of the network instead of removing the corruption.

“Vedas, don’t cut through the roots,” Arthur warned. “We need to separate the purple channel from the golden ones first. If we damage the living network, the Mirror won’t be able to stabilize the stream.”

Vedas adjusted his grip on his spear, studying the connection. “Then I’ll keep the surrounding roots away from you. Find the point where the corruption enters the stream, and I’ll make sure nothing interferes while you work.”

Ronin’s expression twisted. “You think you can dismantle something you barely understand?”

“We’ve spent enough time watching you damage it,” Arthur replied. “I think we’ve learned a few things.”

He raised his hand, and [Reality Dominion] spread across the exposed network. The golden and purple energies became distinct within his perception, but the channels were tangled together so tightly that following one required careful attention. Several times, the corrupted energy passed directly beneath a living root, disappearing from sight before emerging on the other side.

Arthur frowned. “The corruption isn’t just attached to the roots. It’s using their natural pathways to hide itself.”

“Can you identify where the connection begins?” Vedas asked.

“Not yet. Ronin has woven it through the entire structure. If I follow the channel from the core, I’ll lose it whenever it merges with the living network.”

“Then don’t follow it from the core.” Vedas pointed toward the eastern stream. “The Mirrors are stabilizing the natural flow. Start from the other end and find where the corrupted energy enters it.”

Arthur looked at him, then smiled. “That’s actually a good idea.”

“I am capable of having those occasionally.”

“I’ll make sure to record this historic occasion.”

“Please do. Future generations deserve to know that I was right.”

Their brief exchange ended when Ronin thrust his hand forward. The roots around them twisted violently, forming a wall between Arthur and the connection. Vedas moved immediately, his golden spear striking the ground as a wave of light swept across the platform. The roots recoiled just enough for Arthur to maintain his view, but more surged forward from behind them.

“He’s trying to bury the connection again!” Arthur shouted.

“We noticed!” Mithra called from the western side.

She raced across the platform with Dawn Sovereign in hand, cutting through the smaller roots before they could surround Arthur and Vedas. Melo’s dream mist spread behind her, creating false openings that drew several larger tendrils away from the central approach. Whenever a root lunged toward the manifested pair, the illusion made it appear as though its target had moved elsewhere, buying Mithra the instant she needed to redirect its attack.

“Your right side is clear!” Melo called. “For the next few seconds, at least. I make no promises beyond that.”

“That’s all I need!” Arthur replied.

“Good, because I don’t have any more seconds to spare!”

Mithra slipped beneath a sweeping root and struck its exposed underside, forcing it away from the eastern stream. She glanced toward Arthur, her expression sharpening when she noticed the golden markings across his body flicker.

“How long can you maintain that state?”

“Long enough if everyone keeps doing their jobs!”

“That wasn’t the answer I wanted.”

“It’s the one I have!”

Mithra clicked her tongue, but she continued clearing the path. She understood that Arthur couldn’t afford to waste time discussing his condition while the opening remained available. Still, she kept watching Eden whenever she could, and the Chrono Fairy’s increasingly unsteady movements made her worry that the operation was already approaching its limit.

At the southern approach, Sun and Kong were dealing with a much less delicate problem.

A massive root had torn itself free from the surrounding structure and was sweeping toward the central platform, dragging smaller tendrils behind it. Kong caught the largest root with both hands, his Fiery Stone Ape form braced against the ground as the impact drove him backward. Crimson markings glowed across his arms while he struggled to keep the root from reaching the southern stream.

“Sun! I can’t hold this thing forever!”

“Then don’t let go!” Sun shouted, raising Long.

He struck the ground, releasing a concentrated shockwave that traveled along the root’s surface. The impact disrupted the smaller tendrils wrapped around Kong’s arms, allowing the enormous ape to wrench the main root aside. Kong roared and slammed it against an empty section of the platform, keeping its weight away from the golden stream.

Sun grinned. “See? Perfect teamwork!”

Kong looked at the damaged platform beneath his feet. “You call that perfect? You nearly threw me into the stream!”

“But you didn’t fall in.”

“That is not the standard by which I measure success!”

Their argument was interrupted when another root emerged from the ceiling. Sun’s expression changed immediately, and he repositioned Long to intercept it before it could strike Kong from behind.

“Behind you!”

Kong twisted aside, catching the root with one arm before it could reach him. The two worked together to force it away from the southern stream, their movements rough but effective. They could not eliminate every threat, but they were preventing Ronin from turning the entire chamber into an uncontrolled mass of corruption.

Meanwhile, Athena and Athy remained focused on the eastern stream. Its golden light had begun to fluctuate as Arthur’s efforts disturbed the corrupted channel, and each fluctuation threatened to spread pressure through the other four connections.

“Luna, the eastern stream is reacting!” Athena called. “Arthur is separating the energies, but the flow is becoming unstable.”

Luna stood near the central connection, her attention divided between the five streams. “I can feel it. The Mirror network is compensating, but we need to keep the other four stable while he works.”

Athy watched the shifting light, then pointed toward a narrow branch where the golden flow was beginning to twist. “There! The eastern stream is trying to redirect its energy through that section. If it keeps pushing in that direction, the pressure will reach the central heart.”

Athena adjusted the barrier immediately. “I’ll hold the flow here. Athy, keep watching the other branches and tell me if anything changes.”

“Understood.” Athy moved closer to the stream, her eyes tracking the subtle changes in the light. “Arthur, whatever you’re doing, keep going! The stream is reacting to the separation, but we can still stabilize it!”

Arthur heard her, though he could not spare a response. He had finally found the point where the corrupted channel entered the eastern stream, and the sight was worse than he expected.

The purple conduit did not merely touch the stream. It had pierced the outer layer of the natural network and wrapped around its central pathway, drawing power through a narrow junction. Severing the entire junction would stop the corruption, but it would also interrupt the flow that sustained the surrounding roots.

He needed to cut only the artificial channel.

“Vedas, I found it!” Arthur shouted. “There’s a junction just beneath the outer layer. I need you to keep the roots apart while I separate the conduit.”

Vedas stepped forward, planting his spear against the platform. “Then do it. I’ll keep the opening clear.”

Ronin’s face darkened as he realized what Arthur had discovered. “You will not touch that connection!”

The roots around him erupted, and a wave of purple energy swept toward the eastern stream.

“Arthur!” Eden cried.

Vedas moved to intercept the attack, swinging his sword through the incoming energy. The golden rings around the blade spun faster, deflecting the worst of the impact, but the force still drove him back several steps. Arthur felt the synchronization shudder as Eden struggled to maintain both future states.

“Don’t lose focus!” Arthur called to her. “We’re almost there!”

“I’m trying!” Eden answered, her wings trembling. “But the resonance is fluctuating every time Ronin attacks!”

Luna raised her hands, reinforcing the connection between the five Mirrors. “Hold on, Eden! I’ll keep the network stable for as long as I can!”

The five streams brightened, and the pressure around the eastern connection eased just enough for Arthur to continue.

He focused on the narrow junction, using [Adaptive Sovereignty] to adjust his movements to the shifting energy. Rather than forcing his way through the entire network, he changed the angle of his mana and followed the corrupted channel to the point where it separated from the living root. Then he activated [Sovereign Piercing Light], condensing his golden energy into a thin, precise strike.

The attack passed through the purple conduit.

For a heartbeat, nothing happened.

Then the artificial channel split.

Purple energy burst from the severed connection, writhing through the air like a wounded serpent. Arthur immediately withdrew his attack, and Vedas drove his spear into the platform to prevent the remaining roots from collapsing inward. The corrupted channel recoiled toward Ronin’s chest, its flow interrupted, while the eastern stream surged with golden light.

The effect on Ronin was immediate.

His body jerked as the connection failed, and the purple veins across his chest dimmed. Several roots surrounding him loosened, releasing their grip on the heart, and the pressure that had been spreading through the chamber weakened for the first time since the battle began.

Ronin staggered.

“What have you done?” he demanded, staring at the severed channel.

Arthur exhaled, relief washing over him. “We cut the first connection.”

The eastern stream turned completely golden.

Athena stared at the restored flow, momentarily forgetting the roots still attacking the chamber. “It’s stable! The corruption has been removed from the eastern connection!”

Athy’s expression brightened. “Then it worked! The Mirror network is holding without the corrupted channel!”

Luna felt the change spread through the other four streams, and a smile finally appeared on her face. “One connection is free. The network is already responding.”

Sun raised Long triumphantly. “One down! Four to go!”

“Don’t celebrate yet!” Kong warned, shoving another root away from the southern barrier. “The enemy is still standing!”

He was right.

Ronin’s expression had changed from disbelief to fury. The artificial core in his chest pulsed violently, and the remaining corrupted channels began drawing energy from the surrounding roots. The golden heart shuddered as purple light spread across its surface, forcing the World Tree to struggle against the corruption once more.

Arthur’s smile disappeared.

Ronin looked toward the northern stream, where the corrupted connection remained exposed beneath the shifting roots. He raised one hand, and the energy around his body gathered into a concentrated surge.

“If you intend to take my power away from me,” he said, his voice trembling with rage, “then I will destroy the network before you can finish.”

The northern stream flickered.

Luna’s eyes widened as she felt the resonance falter. “He’s targeting the next connection!”

Arthur turned toward the northern stream, realizing that their first victory had forced Ronin to abandon any attempt at subtlety. He was no longer trying to conceal the corruption or defend every connection. He was willing to damage the entire network if it meant preventing them from separating him from the heart.

“Everyone, protect the northern stream!” Arthur shouted.

The first stream continued to shine with pure golden light, but Ronin’s next attack was already gathering above the second.

And this time, he intended to destroy it before they could reach it.