After being reborn, I was turned into a slave girl by a princess.

"To catch the thief, first catch the king. Let's head to the deepest part and see what kind of plan Dr. Marun is carrying out."

Yi Cheng patted the professor on the shoulder and said reassuringly.

Chapter 42 The Tree of Ruins

Traveling with Yicheng, Lonnies truly experienced the power of the Rainbow Abyss inheritor.

The underground world is intricate and complex, but Yicheng never gets lost. And although some mechanisms are well-hidden, they still cannot escape Yicheng's watchful eye.

Having someone like that as a partner would undoubtedly make you feel very secure.

Guided by Yi Cheng, the group quietly arrived at the very core of this underground ruin.

The scene that came into view stunned Lonnie.

This is an exceptionally magnificent cylindrical cavity, estimated to be over a hundred meters high and several tens of meters in diameter.

At the very top of the cavity, a tree was growing upside down.

Its roots kept spreading and attaching to the ceiling, while its branches and leaves stretched forcefully toward the ground.

Unlike ordinary trees, all its leaves are black.

An ominous aura permeated the space, making Lonnie feel that even breathing had become a difficult task.

(Is this the Tree of Ruins? But it feels slightly different from Dr. Okali's description... And were those people bound by hearts also supplying energy to this place?)

……

Lonnie held her breath. Inside the cavity, there were many living armors, alerting the surroundings.

Dr. Marun, dressed in a work uniform, stood on a platform at a high place, seemingly performing some kind of ritual:

"Ancient power, answer my call and open the path to the abyss for me! I will nourish myself with my own blood and fulfill my destiny to restore the boundless land. I will eradicate all the parasites in this world and clear the way for your glory."

……

Dr. Marun, what are you trying to do?

Although Lonnies remained bewildered, Elusia seemed to see through her and said:

"As expected... I knew it was like that."

"Master, what did I really mean...?"

"Idiot, can't you feel it? The Green Temple."

"what?!"

“With the power of the Tree of Ruins, Marin is trying to open the path to the Temple of the Green Fields… We can’t hesitate any longer; we must stop him.”

"What should I do..."

“Foolish maid, you and Dr. Okali stay here. I and Yicheng will act at the same time and see if we can subdue Dr. Marun while dealing with the guards.”

Elusia's attack was extremely swift.

The demon soldiers standing on the outside didn't even have time to react before their bodies were pierced by black longswords. Meanwhile, the demon soldiers on the inner perimeter didn't have time to resist before their heads were covered by a black mist.

This is Elusia's special skill: Deprivation of the five senses.

Taking advantage of this moment, Yicheng stepped forward and took out the weapon that Chengche had given her.

It was a beautifully designed, long, curved staff.

Although it appeared to be used for casting magic, Yicheng used it as a halberd... The weapon, imbued with the power of clear divine energy, was exceptionally sharp, cutting through the living armor's body almost as easily as slicing vegetables.

Therefore, although there were quite a few living armored warriors in the hall, and even a demon officer who looked like a captain, all the demons were killed in just a few rounds of fighting.

……

(Wow, that's amazing!)

Watching Elusia and Izumi fight was like watching a performance.

No wonder the power of Rainbow Abyss is so coveted; it could almost change the very fabric of this world.

……

However, although Elusia and Izumi's battle was clean and efficient, something unexpected happened.

Originally, Elusia's deprivation of the five senses should have been applied to Dr. Marun... but Dr. Marun was located right next to the Tree of Ruins.

Before the black light could even strike Dr. Marun, it was completely absorbed by the Tree of Emptiness.

……

So Dr. Marun, with his stubble-covered face, also saw this scene...

Faced with Elusia, who was like the Grim Reaper, his body trembled uncontrollably.

"H-How is this possible?"

"Dr. Maren, I think you should surrender now, shouldn't you?"

At this moment, the black-haired girl's temperament was so refined and sharp that she resembled a fierce and ruthless female demon... In contrast, the disheveled Dr. Marun appeared thin and frail. If an unsuspecting person were to come, they would not know who the real villain was.

however……

Faced with the imminent threat, Dr. Marun laughed as if he had given up on himself:

"Haha, hahaha!!!! You foolish humans, you're too late."

"Marun, what exactly are you trying to do? Why did you take away the Tree of Ruins? Why did you hurt the other researchers?"

Okali stepped forward and questioned her sharply.

She clenched her fists tightly, as if she had a bellyful of anger with nowhere to vent it.

however……

"Oh, Dr. Okali, you've come too... Didn't you already know why I stole the Tree of Ruins?"

"what?"

"Stop playing dumb. You and I both know that the Boundless Land was once an incredibly dense and lush forest. It was human warfare and biological weapons that completely destroyed it! Now, I will use the power of the Tree of Ruins to wipe all humanity out of this place and restore the world to its original state."

"Marun, how could you think like that?!"

……

Dr. Okali roared, and Elusia seized the opportunity to attack Dr. Marun.

However, as if he had expected it, Dr. Marun stepped back.

He was already on a high platform, and when he jumped, no one could stop him in time.

pat!

With a sudden impact, Dr. Marun crashed onto the reserved floor and turned into a pile of bright red minced meat.

"how is this possible?"

"!"

The horrific scene was so gruesome that even Lonnie couldn't bear to look at it.

But at the same time, strange things also happened.

The once peaceful Tree of Ruins suddenly began to undulate slowly... It stretched out its branches and reached towards Dr. Marun's corpse.

And then...

Both blood and chunks of flesh were absorbed by the tree branches.

Crimson blood flowed along the veins of the branches, gradually heading towards the core... and the branches, which were originally covered with black leaves, were now bursting with crimson petals.

At the same time, the dead demon soldiers seemed to be affected as well, their blood continuously flowing towards the branches and leaves, making the flowers even more vibrant.

"It's going against the flow!"

Staring at this scene, Yi Cheng gasped.

"Going against the flow?"

“That’s right. In the ordinary biological world, plants are producers, and animals are consumers. The flow of energy always goes from nature to plants, and then to other organisms. But the Tree of Ruins is the opposite. It can devour the energy of humans and all kinds of organic matter to fuel its growth... and the reason why Marun captured those researchers was to allow the Tree of Ruins to develop the ability to eat people.”

"!"

Plants eat people?

Upon hearing this, Lonnies's first reaction was one of absurdity.

However, just like the laws of nature...

Cycles are the essence of the flow of matter in this world and the foundation upon which this world operates.

Dr. Marun's goal is to completely eliminate all traces of humanity in this world and restore everything to its natural state.

(So, Dr. Marun actually...)

Chapter 43 Battle of the Abyss

The situation suddenly became extremely critical.

Dr. Marun's death seems to have been the key to triggering some kind of ritual... After his death, the Tree of Ruins completely erupted into chaos.

An unnamed wave spread throughout the entire space. Under the power of the Tree of Ruins, the ground suddenly began to shake, as if an earthquake had struck, making it impossible for Lonnies to even stand.

Rocks kept falling from the ceiling, making a loud crashing sound.

……

(Oh no, what do I do?!)

When people are in crisis, they subconsciously want to look at what they feel safest.

As for Lonnie, the safest thing is naturally...