Wizard: Starting from Escape from the Thorn Garden

Chapter 153 The Core of Dreams

That amber crystal, revered by the light fairies as the "core" and speculated by Kate as the "core of dreams," is currently waging a lonely and magnificent war.

It is the embodiment of the ancient covenants and collective dreams of this land, the beating heart of the tranquil forest and the soul crystal storing memories.

In the darkest hour when the seal reversed and evil erupted, it did not choose to escape or fall silent, but instead built a final, invisible barrier with itself at its core.

Its power is entirely transformed into the purest power of "existence," stubbornly anchoring itself to reality and resisting the relentless, pervasive erosion of darkness.

Each pulsation of the dark origin, the torrent of destructive energy that surges forth, seems to strike a layer of flexible yet incredibly strong net before it hits the forest ecosystem—the light released by the burning "core," interwoven with the tiny prayers of billions of living beings and the ancient vows of nature.

This network greatly slowed down and weakened the speed and intensity of the erosion, like a small, unsubmerged island in a raging flood, protecting the last faint spark of life in the crystal flower field and the few core areas of the forest connected to it.

But the price of this protection was devastating.

It is like a king who is seriously injured but fights to the death. Every bit of power it outputs means the accelerated consumption and irreversible pollution of its own essence.

The pure amber luster, which contained dreams and the rules of life, has now become dull and murky, with black veins seemingly writhing and spreading inside.

Those malevolent black energy tentacles extending from the dark origin below not only restrained it, but also, like a persistent carbuncle, continuously drained its power, polluted its essence, and attempted to assimilate this last force of resistance into the darkness.

It was nearing its limit; fine cracks had even appeared on the surface of the crystal, as if the next violent impact would cause it to shatter completely and turn into dust. After that, the Silent Forest would no longer have any miracles to speak of.

The root of all the crises in the Tranquil Forest is laid bare before our eyes!

This is not a natural disaster, but a chain of disasters originating from within and triggered by an accident!

An ancient seal that was meant to protect the forest has been transformed into the most terrifying source of pollution and engine of destruction because its core mechanism has been reversed.

Without fundamentally resolving this reversal magic circle, cutting off the supply of dark energy, or even attempting to repair or reverse it again, all efforts—whether it be clearing the eroded vegetation, purifying the water source, or repelling the corrupted creatures—will be utterly futile.

Just as this place is cleaned up, the magic array will continuously pump out more and purer decaying energy, like an endlessly regenerating malignant tumor.

Only by venturing deep into the tiger's den and confronting the source of this terror can we truly turn the tide.

However, the scene before them was enough to make anyone despair.

The dark, primordial matter that occupied the entire crater and pulsated slowly emitted energy fluctuations as vast and unfathomable as the sea, filled with the purest will of annihilation and death.

Its power level far exceeded any enemy Kate had ever encountered before, and it even made him clearly recall the feeling of insignificance and fear he felt when facing the incarnation of the Undead Lord in the Eternal Night Canyon.

This was an existence that he, with his current strength as a late-stage first-ring wizard, could not directly confront; even getting close to it seemed incredibly difficult.

Moreover, those black energy tentacles that entangle and imprison the "Dream Core" are by no means simple energy bundles.

They seem to possess some kind of vicious primal consciousness, keenly guarding their "trophies," and any attempt to approach or touch their "core" will be met with their most frenzied and fierce counterattack.

They are fangs and claws that extend from a dark origin.

Just as Kate's brain was working at an unprecedented speed, squeezing out every bit of wisdom and courage to calculate any tiny probability of breaking the deadlock, a sudden change occurred!

It seemed that the life force of the two living beings, so out of place in the deathly silence, and the pure, natural song of amber, finally stirred up the dormant evil source.

Glug glug ...

The chilling, viscous, writhing sound, like boiling mud, suddenly intensified!

The surface of that huge mass of gray matter churned and bulged violently. Then, three more cohesive and darker masses of matter, as if they contained all the malice, separated out, wriggled and stretched, and quickly shaped into three tall, robust, human-shaped but twisted and grotesque gray puppets.

They had no clear faces, only blurry facial features, but where their eyes should have been, two chillingly green flames burned. There was no emotion in those flames, only the purest desire for killing and destruction, and they instantly locked onto Kate and Amber who had broken into the nest!

At the same time, as if to punish the "core" for its abnormal outburst, or perhaps sensing the threat, the black tentacles that were binding and imprisoning the "dream core" suddenly tightened as if on command.

The amber crystal's luster dimmed rapidly, and the cracks on its surface emitted a subtle yet piercing "crack" sound, as if it would be completely crushed and devoured at any moment.

"roar--!"

The three gray puppets let out a silent yet soul-piercing roar, causing the entire ancient hall to hum.

They transformed into three thick, dark shadows that tore through space, carrying a suffocating aura of death and the heavy pressure of a decaying realm, as they pounced from different directions.

Its speed and angle were so sharp that it completely blocked all possible escape routes for Kate and Amber.

"Be careful!"

Kate's pupils contracted, and she abruptly pulled Amber, who was still chanting, behind her, using her own body to form the first line of defense for her.

His eyes flashed with a fierce light, leaving no room for further hesitation.

"Heart of Reincarnation Realm - Fully Unlocked! Life Absorption - Resistance Barrier!"

Buzz—! ! !

A much more solid and massive force field than before suddenly expanded outwards from Kate's center.

The vibrant, lush life force, brimming with vitality, clashed violently with the dark, lifeless, and decaying power that sought to erode everything. The clash produced a hissing, piercing sound, and temporarily formed a shaky yet incredibly resilient semi-circular protective barrier around the two, barely managing to block the first wave of attacks from the dark puppets.

However, the impact was enormous!

Each time the puppet's claws, composed of pure negative energy, struck the protective barrier, the entire domain trembled violently. Kate's body shook violently, and her face instantly paled.

The depletion of mental energy is like a flood that has been released from its dam.

This is by no means a long-term solution.

"Amber! Don't stop! Keep trying to resonate with the core! Awaken it with your deepest intentions! Even if you can only awaken a sliver of spirituality, establish the most fragile connection, it will be worthwhile!"

While struggling to maintain her domain and withstand the relentless, storm-like attacks, Kate shouted urgently to Amber behind her, her voice hoarse from the immense pressure.

He saw it clearly: a direct confrontation would be a certain death, with not even a one percent chance of winning.

That dark origin is unfathomable; these three puppets are probably just vanguards it casually conjured.

The only, faint hope may lie in that "Dream Core," which is still putting up a desperate resistance.

Since it was able to briefly erupt and repel the previous erosion, it may still retain a faint trace of autonomous consciousness or response mechanism.

Amber's face turned pale with fright from the terrifying scene, but upon hearing Kate's words, she immediately bit her lip hard, forcing herself to calm down.

She understood that every second at this moment was a matter of life and death.

She took another deep breath, banishing all distractions and fears, and immersing herself completely in the ancient bloodline heritage.

This time, her singing became more ethereal and melodious, no longer just a prayer, but more like a heartfelt call, a resonance originating from the very source of the soul.

The song is filled with an endless love for the forest, a longing for the past, a deep yearning for the future, and an unwavering determination to never give up.

The song transformed into countless pure, emerald-green sound waves, imperceptible to the naked eye, persistently piercing through the protective barrier of the domain and the turbulent energy currents.

They tried to bypass those vicious tentacles and reach the tightly wrapped, dormant "core".

However, her efforts seemed to anger the Dark Puppet.

They showed extreme disgust and fury towards this pure rhythm of life.

One of the puppets suddenly turned, its eerie green eyes fixed on Amber. Abandoning a direct assault on Kate's Domain, it transformed into a twisted shadow, bypassing the main body of the protective barrier at an eerie angle, and rushed straight at Amber.

The jet-black claws aimed straight for her throat with astonishing speed.

"Don't even think about it!" Kate roared, and he immediately activated his spatial teleportation, already on high alert.

The figure blurred and disappeared from the spot, and the next moment it appeared precisely between Amber and the attacking puppet.

"Golden Thorns Iron Armor - Full Power! Bloodthirsty Vine - Strangulation!"

The fist, covered in dark gold armor and engraved with demon-slaying thorns, slammed out fiercely. On the fist, several blood-devouring vines shot out like raging poisonous dragons, carrying the green light of life absorption and the highly condensed power of the rules of death, and collided fiercely with the dark claws.

Bang-!!!

A deafening energy explosion resounded in the air.

Black fragments and green shards of light flew everywhere.

Kate felt a sweet taste in her throat and forcefully suppressed the rising blood pressure. The immense force sent her sliding back several steps, leaving two shallow marks on the metal floor beneath her feet.

The gray puppet was also repelled slightly, and a small portion of the black energy swirling around its claws was purified, emitting a hissing sound.

At this rate, we definitely can't hold out for long!

The puppet's power far exceeded expectations, and it seemed tireless, while his own energy expenditure was too great.

We must take risks and stop being on the defensive!

A hint of almost insane determination flashed in Kate's eyes.

He no longer used the Heart of Reincarnation domain for all-round defense, but instead suddenly contracted it, instantly withdrawing and condensing most of its power.

The Heart of Reincarnation in the Sea of ​​Spirituality spun wildly at an unprecedented speed, forcibly extracting and merging the power of the Seed of Life, the Core of Death, and the Garden of Space.

He transformed this power, which contained the vast majority of his essence, energy, and spirit, into a highly concentrated and extremely refined energy.

A soul shockwave containing a strange "resonance" frequency.

This fluctuation simultaneously contains the contradictory unity of life and death, a profound understanding of the rules, and a trace of aura originating from the baptism of the Moonwell and the insights gained from the Aisha Space, sharing the same source as the High Elf relics.

The target was aimed directly at the "Dream Core," which was tightly sealed and whose light had become extremely faint.

"In the name of reincarnation, bear witness to my heart! Resonate with me!"

This is not an attack, but a "wake-up" ritual that puts you in a life-or-death situation.

He wanted to use his unique soul essence, which walked on the edge of life and death and integrated multiple rules, as the strongest stimulus signal to impact those forbidden tentacles.

Go directly to "question" the deepest core of that "core of the dream" that is on the verge of extinction.

He's gambling!

I'm betting that the creator of this "core" is related to the High Elves, and that it can recognize this shared or similar aura.

Let's gamble on its remaining instinct to protect the forest, hoping it can respond to this powerful call from the outside world, one that is also aimed at saving it!

This invisible shockwave, which contained all of Kate's hopes, struck precisely the tightly wrapped, venomous, writhing black tentacles.

The expected violent explosion did not occur; instead, it triggered a strange, violent energy ripple, like waves on water.

The tentacles seemed to be disturbed by some high-frequency vibration they couldn't understand, causing them to momentarily stiffen and become disordered.

At that very moment—

Perhaps it was Kate's unique soul fluctuations, which merged life, death, and space, that truly acted as a key;

Perhaps it was the ancient song in the amber, imbued with utmost sincerity, that finally broke through the layers of blockade and touched the core;

Or perhaps the "Dream Core" itself sensed that this might be its last chance, and squeezed out power beyond its limits—

The amber crystal suddenly, violently, and unexpectedly, erupted for a moment...

An unprecedentedly dazzling light.

The light was not dazzling, but it carried an indescribable, pure power that pierced through all illusions and reached the very essence of all things.

It is like the first ray of dawn breaking in the darkest hour before sunrise; though brief, it contains boundless hope.

The light, like mercury spilling onto the ground, swept across the entire enormous hall in an instant.

The three gray puppets that were struck by the light suddenly froze, as if they were forcibly bound and frozen by an invisible force originating from the level of rules. The black aura churning around them subsided considerably, and the eerie green flames flickered violently, as if they were being greatly restrained and interfered with.

As for Kate and Amber, who were closest to the scene, it was as if a floodgate had been forcibly opened in their minds, and a massive amount of fragmented yet incredibly clear images and information surged in like a burst dam.

That was the final truth and information that the "Dream Core" was transmitting with its last strength before its structure was about to completely collapse due to this eruption!