Chapter 1403: A Particularly Exceptional Deer

The others didn’t fully understand her plan, but they all focused on the same spot.

The gray sphere finally reached the blade of grass.

Seraphine curled her fingers inward, releasing more Primordial Death Energy. The sphere pressed against the leaf and passed directly into the plant.

Death energy spread through it at once.

But the grass didn’t wither as everyone had expected.

It didn’t collapse or change color. The moment the lethal energy affected it, its condition reset, restoring it to exactly how it had been before.

It was as if the grass had died, then reappeared in the same place a moment later.

The gray light faded from Seraphine’s eyes.

She raised her other hand, spreading Light Force around the group until each of them was covered in a bright protective layer. Then she switched back to Primordial Death Energy and sent the gray power overhead, forming a barrier against the green rain.

"We can go out now."

Seraphina was the first to extend a forepaw.

Light Force covered her body, while the Primordial Death Energy overhead kept the green raindrops away. Protected by both powers, she was temporarily beyond the anomaly’s reach.

Seraphina stepped out of the shield first.

Once she confirmed it was safe, the others followed and began attacking the plant wall.

Seraphine remained behind to observe.

What had happened to the grass confirmed her theory. Time energy did cover the surrounding area, but it hadn’t truly stopped time.

It could only accelerate a process or reverse a change that had already occurred.

Energy spheres slammed into the plant wall one after another.

Explosions bent the branches and ripped entire clusters of leaves away. Ataneya’s infernal energy struck the trunks as well, flames spreading through the cracks and quickly burning a large section black.

Then the next temporal shift arrived, and the charred branches grew back.

The new growth didn’t just return to its original state. Its resistance to the infernal flames had changed as well.

Ataneya unleashed the same power again.

This time, the flames burned away only a small patch of bark before losing their ability to spread.

The same attack was already far less effective the second time.

Inside the plant wall, Auri’s fight was only getting easier.

Fairy power poured continuously from her hands and flowed into her Treants. Damaged trunks healed, severed arms regrew, and the Treants that Thornroot’s army had been overpowering gradually gained the upper hand.

Ethan remained by Auri’s side in case something went wrong.

But his concern was clearly unnecessary.

In addition to the Treant army already on the field, two much larger Treants were hidden beneath Auri’s feet. They stayed underground with their roots buried in the soil, waiting for Thornroot to unleash his true power.

The battle continued for a while before a strange wave swept in from the distance.

The leaves stopped rustling.

The sky gradually darkened as storm clouds gathered from every direction. Rain looked ready to fall at any moment.

Crack!

A bolt of lightning struck between Auri and Thornroot.

Blinding light illuminated the entire wooded space.

Ethan looked up, and Auri followed his gaze.

The moment their attention shifted, everything around them changed.

The fighting Treants vanished.

Shattered branches reattached to their trunks, and the churned earth flattened out. Thornroot’s enormous body rapidly contracted, returning to the towering tree he had been at the start.

Only the narrow hollow remained in the center of the trunk, sized precisely for Auri.

Drawn by the sound, Auri looked forward again.

All the Fairy power she had spent had returned to her body. The ground split open beneath her, and the branch that had brought her here reappeared. It wrapped around her ankle and began dragging her toward the hollow.

Ethan and Auri both froze.

Time had reversed.

Everything had returned to the moment before the conflict began.

Yet neither of them was injured.

Auri looked down at her wrist, then checked the rest of her body. The pain from the root constricting her was gone, and her energy had been completely restored.

She was about to speak when an enormous figure descended from the sky.

Mystical rings revolved beneath its four hooves.

The giant stag had two long antlers, with an energy sphere floating between them. A swaying clock hung around its neck, the hands turning gently as it fell.

The stag landed between Thornroot and the two of them.

The rings beneath its hooves approached the ground, but the impact didn’t disturb the soil. It merely tilted its antlers, sending a ripple through the sphere suspended between them.

"You entered the forest under my protection and disturbed its peace."

The stag lowered its head toward Ethan and Auri.

"How do you intend to compensate me?"

Before Auri could answer, a familiar figure stepped in front of her.

Ethan abandoned his black particle form and became visible again, shielding Auri behind him.

"You want us to compensate you?"

White energy rose around him.

"We haven’t even demanded compensation from you, and you’re already trying to blame us for this?"

A shield closed around them.

Auri jumped excitedly when Ethan finally revealed himself, only for him to push her back behind him with one hand.

"Dad!"

Ethan didn’t look back.

His gaze remained fixed on the giant stag while his hidden hand quietly gathered an energy sphere.

"So who are you?"

The stag glanced dismissively at Ethan’s concealed hands.

The sphere between its antlers began to spin, green light illuminating its surface. A moment later, it shot free and flew straight at Ethan.

"Me?"

The stag’s tone remained calm.

"Just a particularly exceptional deer."

It raised its head as the rings beneath all four hooves lit up.

"You may call me Vesperhart."

Ethan stopped hiding his attack.

He hurled the energy sphere from behind his back, white lightning leaping across its surface. At the same time, his shield rapidly thickened, completely protecting Auri behind him.

Auri wanted to help.

Fairy power flowed into the surrounding trees, directing branches from both sides to bind Vesperhart. With her other hand, she formed a green sphere and launched it after Ethan’s attack.

Vesperhart watched the attacks approach without retreating.

Another energy sphere formed between its antlers. A ring of mysterious energy spread from the sphere and became a transparent shield around its body.

Ethan’s sphere collided with Vesperhart’s between them.

White lightning and green energy pressed against each other, their violent power tearing through the surrounding air. Nearby trees couldn’t withstand the impact. Their trunks snapped in half, forcing Auri to abandon her attempt to bind Vesperhart with their branches.

Her green sphere struck a moment later.

A third force entered the collision, expanding the explosion and the resulting shock wave. Broken trunks were hurled into the air, their leaves shredded by the chaotic energy currents.

Vesperhart raised its antlers.

The sphere floating between them resonated with the explosion still raging overhead. Green energy extended from between the antlers, forming a link between the two.

The remaining white lightning and Fairy power flowed along the connection, gradually being drawn into Vesperhart’s energy sphere.

The explosion overhead quickly dimmed.

Every trace of energy was drained away.

Vesperhart closed its eyes, plainly savoring the sensation. The sphere between its antlers solidified again, now larger than before.

"You’ve seen what I can do."

It opened its eyes.

"So I have no choice but to kill you here."