Ishiki's first awareness was a weary pressure on his whole body.

And then... something was crushing his throat deliberately... the grip getting tighter with each passing second.

He jolted awake with a strangled choke and gasped. For a second his mind was blank and he thrashed around recklessly.

'Stop that... stop, you trying to kill me bastard.'

It was at that moment, the memories slammed back in. Ishiki blinked a couple of times. 'Huh? Wait... didn't I die already?'

But, he was lying on his back, staring up at the golden canopy that was… wrong.

For a second he froze as his mind reeled into the possibility that this all might also be an illusion and what he experienced wasn't real once again.

His heart really ached at that thought.

Something tightened around his neck and chest... Ishiki forced his eyes down and saw hell.

Thick branches were coiled around him like a nest of wooden serpents. Bark scraped his skin where his cloths didn't cover.

Thorns dug into his arms and ribs. Every time he tried to move, the branches pulled in opposite directions—not enough to tear him apart yet, but making very clear what they were working toward.

'Holy shit...' He moved a little to resist... but the branches didn't let him.

He took a few deep breaths... he could breath properly and there was no pain in his body. His abdomen felt whole again with no tearing ache.

'I died,' he thought, with a strange, cold clarity. 'Or close enough. And I'm back again.'

He smiled involuntarily... This was an actual miracle. Yuki had literally brought him back from the dead.

Suddenly his eyes widened... but, where is she? The place he was in was not the same place where they had fought the demon.

He turned his head as far as the branches allowed and looked around frantically... there, a short distance away, Yuki laid near the roots of a massive tree. Even in the strange light of the crimson moon, she looked drained and deathly pale. Her lips were colorless and her hair fanned messily around her.

She wasn't moving. For a moment Ishiki's heart stopped... but her chest was slowly rising a falling... that meant she was still alive.

A strange relief flooded his mind, despite the situation he was in. But that relief only lasted mere seconds before the situation revealed itself in full.

The huge tree behind her was an abnormal one. Its trunk was thicker than a house and its bark was ridged like old scars.

Its branches were constantly wrapping around Yuki in layer after layer, possessive and tight. Other trees around it were thrashing, striking at it with their own limbs in hopes to pry her away and claim the meal for themselves.

But none succeeded, the old tree was cunning and stronger than others because it had much more branches than the others.

Ishiki tried to rip his arms free. The branches binding him flexed in answer and pulled harder. Pain flared as something in his shoulder popped.

'Great,' he thought bitterly 'Goddamn it... why the fuck do i end up in such situations.'

The pressure kept increasing. If it went on like this, sooner or later something would tear apart—and of course they would be his limbs. He gritted his teeth.

"Do you bastards eat rocks!" he muttered hoarsely.

'I really didn't wanna use this.'

But weird times require weird solutions and he happen to be in possession of an particularly weird solution.

With a grimace, Ishiki summoned the [Hard Nub].

A familiar ring coalesced on his finger, made out of pure black that seemed to reflect darkness. The moment it settled, a shudder ran through him.

His muscles began to stiffen just immediately. At first, it was just a dull heaviness, then it deepened with each heartbeat. His skin tightened and his joints protesting as if they were being filled with cooling metal.

Ten seconds passed and by then, breathing had became an effort. After fifteen seconds... Ishiki couldn't even twitch. The branches around him strained and they tried to pull, one of them creaked.

By the end of twenty seconds, he felt less like a human and more like a statue carved from stone. His muscles had turned metallic. The trees pulled and jerked hard... but couldn't make the human flinch, if that was a human anymore.

After a bit, they finally gave up and redirected their efforts toward the softer meal in the other tree's grasp.

Ishiki counted a few more pounding heartbeats, then dismissed the ring. The effect broke like a snapped chain.

Sensations rushed back like pins-and-needles piercing his skin, followed by heavy numbness, then the deep ache of overstrained muscles.

He dry heaved and gasped... feeling his whole head turn.

"I am... I am never using that again," he hissed.

It was really a one time experience... and he would rather not experience that again honestly. But still, it did work and that was a job well done.

He shoved off the loosened branches and sprinted, he activated [Ghost Blade] and ran as the trees couldn't perceive him.

The forest was chaos around him—trees were attacking trees, the golden leaves shaking with every moment.

In the middle of it all was Yuki, limp inside the embrace of the older tree. Ishiki skidded to a halt and grabbed the closest branch trapping her shoulder and heaved.

It didn't even shift.

"Bastard tree," he growled. "Let—her—go." But no matter how much force he used... it didn't even bulge. On the contrary... he was the one being dragged towards the tree's maw.

Not to mention the branches that tried to attack him every now and then. He summoned the [Berserkers Effigy] but the armor didn't appear... rather a new message greeted him.

[The Vestige is being repaired in your NEXUS Chamber]

"Screw you... " He gritted his teeth and continued to pull at the trees with his bare hands. Not having a weapon was so bad and it really hurt him that all his best weapons have been destroyed.

Just then he remembered that actually... he had a weapon. A legendary one at that. But... but, it was as useless as his bare hands, even more so.

He shook his head and then eventually summoned the [Aether Blade]. The tachi materialized in his hands, its silver saya, incarnated with malleable patters gleamed in the oppressive red illumination.

Without wasting even a second... he pulled it out. The scabbard slid free… revealing an empty hilt.

Ishiki scowled cursing under his breath and jammed the hilt back. Then... he started using the scabbard as a club. Not the best weapon... but better than nothing.

He battered at the branches holding Yuki. Every time he made a gap, the wretched tree filled it. It was like prying open the jaws of a beast while it was chewing.

"Let… go… you… cursed… log!"

Slowly... but surely, frustration curdled into something darker inside of him. Not long after, the tree succesfuly dragged them both just inches away from its mouth.

Ishiki gave up on the branches and swung wildly, smashing the silver saya against the tree's ancient bark. "Die already! You think you can eat her?!"

The tree too noticed him and a branch caught him in the chest, sending him stumbling back. He pressed the tachi against the ground and got back up. Without wait he ran back and hit the tree real hard.

CRACK!!

A crackling sound followed. Ishiki's eyes lit up with the hope that maybe the bark actually cracked. If it did... that would be an ideal situation.

He had seen in the past that these trees turned feral if something was actually able to hit them. This tree would leave its pursuit of Yuki and -

Before he could think of anything else... his expression darkened. Through watering eyes, he saw the scabbard crack, then fracture completely, exploding into fragments of light.

'NO... HOLY NO!'

He was left holding only the hilt.

The tree groaned and slowly, Its trunk split wide near the base, revealing a grotesque maw lined with root-teeth. The branches holding Yuki began to lower her toward that dark throat.

Ishiki gritted his teeth and charged but a branch hit him in the side knocking the air out of him, but he dig his legs into the ground and didn't loose his ground. He vomited a bit of blood and broke the branch with his bare hands.

His eyes were burning with a desperate motivation, the one that drove people beyond the edge of madness.

"How dare you hit me twice... you rotted piece of shit!" He roared. "I swear... I will cut you! I will CUT you Goddamn it!"

He drove the empty hilt into a slicing motion, but nothing happened. The invisible blade... just passed through the tree.

"Just once! That's all I want!"

He swung again and again and again. Without any response...

"Cut! Just—CUT! YOU WRETCH"

Then suddenly... the invisible blade passed through the bark and suddenly stopped. Ishiki felt an immense amount of resistance and the tree screamed.

It was like stabbing into wet stone, but Ishiki pushed even further... he poured all his strength. The hilt sank an inch, then another The unseen edge of the invisible blade bit deep.

"CUTTTT IT!"

The invisible blade obeyed and carved its way straight into the core. Something inside gave way with a slick sound.

The hilt jerked as the unseen edge tore through and burst out the other side of the tree... without even touching the bark.

As the resistance was removed... Ishiki's balance faltered and he toppled over with wide eyes. The blade... the tachi actually cut something.

The entire tree convulsed, then its branches spasmed and went slack. The great maw shuddered once sending a dying roar. The deep roar rolled through the forest as the giant tree went still.

[You have Slain a Rank 4, Ancient Tree of The Crimson Canopy]

[You have received 10,000 Data Fragments]

[You are the 'First Being' to achieve this feat]

[You have received a new Attribute]

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