"Can you make new sprouts?" Darian asked, already working out a plan.

Athven shook their head. "Unfortunately, I had to use up all the energy I'd stored just to heal. It only worked because of that tiny bit of immortal energy you gave me... I really don't know how to thank you for giving me something that valuable."

"Hm? Was that really that good?" Darian asked, watching Athven sigh and nod.

"It made my core generate the purest wood element possible. Normally, I can only produce something like that in tiny amounts over decades... if only we had more of that, I... ah!"

Athven stopped mid-sentence and nearly yelled when the little dragon waved. Their whole body jolted, white power pulsing out.

Ever since Darian upgraded his rings and his white power became more efficient, he barely needed any to heal — it'd been ages since he even came close to running out.

"Take more..." Darian sent the thought without hesitation.

Athven gulped and started absorbing the energy rapidly. Their true form appeared, glowing intensely and lighting up the sky. Wilted branches sprouted fresh green buds.

Seeing that, Darian didn't stop — he kept pouring out more white power. In minutes, the World Tree was overflowing with vitality, radiating an unprecedented wood element.

"Y-You... really have that much to spare..." Athven's voice trembled. "If you really have that much extra, I could burn a lot of energy to create a bunch of children. They might seem dumb, but they'll follow my commands perfectly and act as shields for your allies. What do you think?"

"I don't need shields, I need support," Darian replied with a snort. "How many can you make in a day?"

Athven thought for a second. "If I've got enough of that energy, I can do about three hundred an hour."

"That'll do. If we run short, I'll just get more by weakening the enemy," Darian said casually. "Start working. Take everything I've got — I shouldn't have trouble getting more in this place."

He nodded, and his white power surged like a dam bursting. It all went straight into the World Tree, which almost felt overwhelmed by the flood.

Its branches shook, and small seeds appeared. At first just a few centimeters, they quickly grew, radiating intense wood power.

Darian watched, curious. "This looks like..."

After a few minutes, a light formed in front of him as Athven's humanoid form returned.

"My body's already working on its own, but you gave me way more than I'll actually use," Athven murmured, stepping closer. "This thing inside your partner came from another World Tree... but something feels off. Can I analyze it? Might help somehow."

Darian nodded. He had plenty of time before everyone woke up and the sprouts were ready.

Athven approached and touched Niara's forehead — she was sleeping deeply. A minute passed before their expression changed.

"This... inside her is an embryo that, once it gets soul power, turns into a living sprout... that's not supposed to be possible. Whenever an embryonic seed forms, a piece of the World Tree's soul detaches and merges automatically. It's like a natural law of our kind. We're a natural species, meant to seed the foundation of life across worlds."

Darian nodded, getting the idea. So the "Heart of Nature" that people from the Aeternum Atlantis Empire use is actually the embryo that creates sprouts. "My universe is practically empty of energy and elements. The World Tree that made this doesn't have a soul — that's probably why."

"I see... so since it doesn't have any soul power, the embryo can be absorbed by other races' bodies. But... that's not how it was meant to work. The assimilation is really unstable," Athven murmured.

That explained why the sprouts thought Niara was one of them so quickly. She had something inside her that was supposed to grow and actually become one of them.

"I got it!" Athven said excitedly, looking at Darian. "I can use the purest wood power to tweak it a bit. That'll let your partner draw out way more power."

Darian's eyes lit up. "Purest wood power... wait, can you make it in a way that's easy to copy?"

Right away, Darian thought of Camille. She had nine rings and was super skilled at using her Heart of Nature. She could probably create some high-quality wood power and maybe reproduce the changes.

Athven nodded without asking questions. After thinking for a bit, they started channeling power into Niara.

First, they sensed the hidden corruption inside her. Without hesitation, they purified it with their energy. Then they asked Darian to follow everything they did and explained it simply.

Darian paid close attention, memorizing each step. It wasn't that hard — just precise use of high-grade wood power to grow new roots and create several different internal connections.

In the end, Darian was excited. Niara was now completely healed and had even gained the power of wood to use freely. When they returned to Earth, Camille should be able to replicate that for herself and for everyone in her Empire.

As the first hour passed, three hundred sprouts dropped from the World Tree onto the ground. Then, they automatically underwent metamorphosis and opened their eyes for the first time.

Athven looked at them all and smiled warmly.

"My children are born very pure and connected to me, but after reaching full maturity, they become another race and separate from me forever. Their race is called Foundation Tree. From them, many other races in the universes are created."

Darian nodded. If they were already this scary in terms of defense as newborns, it was hard to imagine what they'd be like as adults.

...

Time passed. A full day went by, marking the end of the second day inside the World of Life.

By now, everyone had awakened calmly. The moment they opened their eyes, a new light appeared in their pupils.

They felt like they had been reborn. They still couldn't fully grasp what had changed, but one thing was clear: thanks to Darian, they had all gained something unbelievable. If others ever found out where to get something like this... they'd kill and start wars to own it.

In the future, once they resumed training, the difference would be like heaven and earth. Those who used to be average would now be seen as geniuses. And those who were already geniuses... would become unmatched.

Everyone clenched their fists and took a deep breath.

Then they looked at the small Dragon coiled around the distant Dragoness. Their eyes trembled. He had only helped them, trained them, and given them even the unimaginable. There was no way to repay this debt in just one life. So they could only swear to themselves they would never let him down and would do anything to help him.

At that moment, Niara opened her eyes and took a deep breath...

"!"

She realized she was completely healed. Then, she hugged Darian tightly. Quickly, a strong green aura flowed through her body.

"Oh?" She felt something more. Then she activated her bloodline to the max. Her body became covered in green scales.

But now, they pulsed with an intense natural light.

Athven watched, surprised. But soon understood:

"Her Divine Dragon bloodline is something mutant and very unique. It's absorbing the wood power and fusing with it... I don't know what that'll lead to."

Darian nodded, satisfied. Then he turned to everyone. Only now did they notice the army of eight thousand sprouts staring at them silently, very curious.

"You've all rested enough. Now, let's get to work..."

Darian grabbed their attention and explained his plan simply. Everyone would split into eight groups, and each group would take a thousand of those sprouts with them. The World Tree would grant them a bit of its power so they could command its "children" more easily.

After that, each army would attack the core of this World of Life, the epicenter of the past battle. They'd all move forward from a different direction.

"You'll move forward wiping out traitors, Risen, or beasts that show up. But don't be too quick—always leave some enemies alive so they can escape," Darian explained calmly.

"The goal is to push them until they realize they're trapped and can't go after treasures anymore. Then, they'll all contact each other and gather together to defend themselves and fight. I'd say, if all goes well, in ten days we can face a do-or-die battle against all of them."

Everyone nodded. Athven would also leave this place and connect with the land. If any of its sprouts got lost, it would call them back.

People would soon realize their treasures were disappearing and many were dying. It'd be inevitable—they'd all join forces to wipe out the enemies and defend themselves.

"These little ones are super useful if properly commanded. Use the battles to teach them how to act better. It'll be great training for the final battle, so don't slack off—teach them as much as you can. As you advance, you'll also gather the treasures you find... or the ones those idiots kindly found for you."

Darian wrapped up, and everyone nodded. Lucy, Lucius, Howlyn, Irana, Udynes, Barod, Amara, and Haruto would be the leaders of the eight groups.

With everything ready, Athven gestured, and a spatial opening appeared.

Everyone returned to the World of Life, now extremely focused and knowing exactly what to do to win.

"Move carefully. In seven days, come back to this exact spot so we can regroup for the final battle. Niara and I will head straight to the center... let's stir things up a bit there."

Darian finished. And with that, everyone started moving.

Niara spread her wings. Her scales covered her entire skin, then turned completely black.

The Black Dragon Armor would confuse the senses of the Risen and other enemies, making it easier for her to move around more discreetly. So, she jumped and flew off into the distance.

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