If anyone who had been to Port Victoria before went there again, they would never be able to recognize this formerly prosperous city.
Dimensional overlaps had transformed this place into a unique dimension that was rarely seen in the world. This place was both a part of the Undead Plane and a part of the mortal plane, but also a part of neither.
Judging from how Undead Emperor Aso had personally arrived, it was highly likely that the Death Plane on the other side was the infamous Desecration Plane. That would be even scarier. Obviously, after the Dimensional Descent was completed, an endless undead army would enter the mortal plane through that entrance.
However, the undead hadn't achieved their goal. According to the original Undead Emperors' will, after this place became a land of death, they would be able to move a large number of undead from the Undead Plane and gradually invade and expand this place into their own territory. At the very least, the natural laws of the Undead Plane would allow this city to become the new capital of death. Countless dead would crawl out of their graves, and the Undead Plane without any sunrise would basically be heaven for the undead. Even the Undead Lords would be able to enter the mortal plane through this entrance.
Although the newly formed undead army might not be able to leave this area in a short period of time, with multiple Undead Emperors occupying this area, the undead with absolute power would no longer be afraid of any challenges. A new Undead Calamity wouldn't be far away. This was precisely why the Holy Church had unhesitatingly started a Holy War. Unfortunately, there was a small mistake in their plan.
Currently, Port Victoria and the surrounding port area were divided into two distinct regions. One was the Undead Plane, the Undead Plane that belonged to the undead. The other was a lush, emerald green forest under the sunlight. The trees were growing at a furious rate, and the greenery that covered the sky was a symbol of endless life force. The mysterious sun was also something the undead hated.
The powers of life and death clashed against each other. The faint green mist released by the forest fought against the grayish-black aura of death. The Undead Plane's entrance, which should have been opened, was now forcefully stuck. This unique region was beginning to break away from the control of the two planes. The undead's vanguard army kept rushing over from the Undead Plane, but this magical forest was actually evolving and growing.
Near the entrance of the forest, two groups of people were engaged in a cruel battle. One group was naturally the undead army, while the other group wasn't just a bunch of magical plants that couldn't move. These "native residents" were more like the descendants of a primitive tribe.
Just by looking at their appearance, one could guess that this was definitely not a life form that had ever existed in this world. Most of them were humanoid, and their seemingly slender limbs were unexpectedly thick and powerful. They could easily lift objects that were several times their own weight.
There were giants of different heights and sizes, ranging from less than half a meter to more than ten meters tall. What they had in common was that they had emerald-green hair, bark-like armor on their skin, and thorns and magical vines that wrapped around their bodies like clothes. Their bodies seemed to have obvious plant characteristics.
From a distance, their elegant figures and beautiful faces, as well as their vigorous figures in the forest, made them resemble forest elves. However, from a closer look at their performance in battle, no one would mistake them for the delicate and sensitive elves.
Their fighting style wasn't methodical at all. They only relied on their physical instincts, and their attacks were even more barbaric than barbarians. However, they were so powerful and shamelessly powerful.
That's right, shameless. The undead would have to worry about their own soulfire being extinguished. Although they wouldn't die from serious damage to their limbs, their combat strength would be crippled. Yet, these plant lifeforms' attacks were all about taking their enemies down with them.
Most of them fought in groups. The ones standing at the very front were the taller and stronger ones. They were incredibly strong in melee combat, and the vines behind them were as agile as their arms. Their joints would twist and turn as they pleased in battle. Their lack of fighting style also meant that they were incredibly difficult to predict. Melee combat units that didn't feel any pain and were incredibly strong were already difficult enough to deal with. Not only that, these plant lifeforms had an undying attribute that was even more ridiculous than the undead.
Their heads were chopped off? If they retreated just a little, their heads would grow back. The tall tree giants were so excited about fighting that they directly tore off their own right arms and tossed them out, causing a large number of skeletons to explode. But that wasn't the end of it.
Under the illumination of a green light, the broken pieces transformed into a new group of tiny treants that attacked in a new wave of attacks. What the high-level undead feared the most was that after they finally destroyed one of these abnormal tree lifeforms, a green flame would suddenly escape from the broken piece and enter a nearby tree. After a short while, a brand new tree warrior would emerge from the tree and join the battle.
Not only that, this wasn't a simple undying body. The newly born plant warriors would often be even stronger and more skilled than the previous ones. In fact, they would even be able to learn the combat techniques of the Death Knight and Skeleton General, increasing their combat strength by at least 20%. This didn't seem like much, but if these tree warriors were revived dozens or even hundreds of times, it wouldn't be long before even Sword Saints appeared in this world.
Due to the restrictions of the Elemental Tide and the dimensional will, the truly high-level undead were still unable to enter this dimension. And, the low-level undead that the undead possessed as a gatekeeper were actually outclassed by the undead's ridiculously undying nature.
And, these wooden lifeforms didn't only have valiant warriors that didn't fear death.
These seemingly petite creatures didn't seem to have much physical strength, but they were actually even more difficult to deal with. They were either manipulating the power of nature to cast all sorts of natural magic or natural talent abilities, or they were controlling the magical plants in the forest to attack. Just like their tribe members who were skilled at melee combat, they were also undying.
The leader of the undead army was on the brink of despair. At the very beginning, these green-haired little creatures were as weak as gnomes. They could only tremble in despair under the cover of the forest and blindly run around to avoid the undead's attacks. But, in less than a week, these abnormal lifeforms had already evolved to the point where they could fight directly against the undead army.
That's right, these plant lifeforms were all independent individuals with emotions and thoughts. In fact, they had even developed their own language thanks to this forest's nurturing. And in the near future, they would also enter history as a species named "Wood Spirits" (named by Roland).
"… If we can't destroy this forest, we'll never be able to win this battle."
The Undead Knight Kakarlo's conclusion was basically the same as his companions'. If they didn't destroy this forest, these abnormal wood spirits would never die. But, in order to safely enter this forest, they would first need to kill off the wood spirits and magical plants that were in their way. It seemed that they had entered an endless cycle.
"This is basically impossible to deal with. It's as if we're fighting against a dimensional will. She has the support of Karmic Luck and an endless supply of backup combat strength. Meanwhile, our numbers keep decreasing as we fight. Look! Our luck is getting worse as well. "
In the distance, an ancient durian who tossed an exploding fruit casually tossed it into the sky. He didn't have to worry about injuring his own allies. An Undead Knight and a wood spirit were locked in a fierce battle, and the flying shrapnel turned the undead into a hornet's nest. Even though there was less than two meters between the undead and the undead, the wood spirit was completely unharmed.
If this was intentional, then this blind shooting ability would be more than enough to crush any elven Divine Archer. And if this was just a coincidence, then the probability of surviving unscathed would be ridiculous. Yet, such lucky people kept appearing, while the undead would forever be the unlucky ones. Even an idiot could tell that there was a problem here.
In terms of experience, the lich Andro was far older than the great lich himself. As an old subordinate of Aso when he was still a human, Andro had experienced countless battles, including the Dimensional Wars. Andro's decisions were quite trustworthy.
Although Andro was unable to level up due to his body's limitations and was only at the peak of the Gold rank, Andro's experience and wisdom accumulated over the years earned Undead Emperor Aso's trust. Precisely because of this, when the battle reached a stalemate, Aso, who had already returned to the Desecration Plane, sent Andro out to investigate the situation.
"The dimensional will? How is that possible? "
The dimensional will of the Aichy world had long since fallen into a deep slumber. Why would it make things difficult for them here? And if the dimensional will of the Aichy world was truly enraged, it was likely that this dimensional entrance would have been sealed off long ago.
Andro didn't reply. He simply looked at the forest that was brimming with life. In his imagination, an invisible arm had already covered him, and that demon-like existence was laughing maniacally in the shadows, mocking the undead army's uselessness.
"Damn it! How is this possible!? "
Andro finally noticed that something was off. The high-level undead that had just collapsed didn't have its soulfire extinguished. Instead, it was being surrounded by a phosphorescent glow on the grass. The soul was gradually changing from a ghostly white to a greenish hue. The next moment, the soul was tossed into a tree, and judging from the protruding part of the tree, a new wood spirit was being born.
The undead's corpse was devoured by the forest and transformed into nutrients for the forest. Meanwhile, the soul of the undead entered the forest's soul and transformed into a new wood spirit … The undead army, which was the most skilled in battle, had met with the most troublesome of their kind.
"There's no mistaking it. It's currently stealing souls. This is basically an automatic Cycle of Reincarnation. This forest is the will of a new dimension! Damn it, we're in big trouble. "
…
Appendix: An excerpt from archmage Viktor's research in a lecture: Research on the Origin of the Wood Spirits (AD1541).
It was quite difficult to believe that while the Holy War was still in full swing, the cursed Dimensional Descent, which took away millions of lives, created a new species — the wood spirits.
Perhaps the current humans were already used to the wood spirits' hospitality and sincerity. They were friendly, hardworking, and peace-loving. They were also viewed as the representatives of tolerance and kindness. Very few people hated this species that was filled with kindness.
However, very few people knew that the moment this new race was born, they had to face the continuous flames of war that they were destined to face, and they had been evolving and growing in the flames of war. For a considerable period of time after their birth, they were even seen as emotionless war puppets by the world.
The most inconceivable part was that their creator wasn't a God, nor was she an undying existence from another dimension. Nor was she an elf who viewed herself as the God of Magic. She was just an ordinary human mage.
That's right, there was no need to doubt that Amelia Milan was the same as you and I, who were listening to my lecture. She was an ordinary human mage who slowly became a Legend.
Although there were many doubts as to how Amelia Milan managed to create such a divine miracle, too much time had passed, and it was impossible to verify. What I'm going to provide here is probably the most probable explanation, as well as the one that is most accepted by the academic world.
First of all, I need to mention that in the Mage Country's records, Amelia's personality was slightly crazy … a little too extreme. What we can confirm is that she had long since transformed her physical body into a magical forest created by magical plants. Her soul had also transformed into the will of this forest.
It was impossible for us to find out what this archmage from a thousand years ago had in mind. However, the soul connection between the creator and the creator was quite obvious. Judging from her adorable children, the crazy and insane descriptions of the "Holy Mother of the Jungle" as well as her lawless crimes were obviously nothing more than artistic exaggerations and slander by those with ulterior motives.
Let's not talk about the legends that were acknowledged by everyone. We could easily infer from the fact that Amelia Milan received elite education from the royal family when she was young and even became a candidate for the Earth God Church's Saintess (this was back in the day) that she must have been a gentle and friendly Saint Mother … I'm saying this not because I have a wood spirit wife, nor am I worried that if I don't praise this Wood Spirit Mother, I'll probably go home and sleep on a tree. Even my two mixed-blood sons won't call me father anymore. (Laughter from the audience.)
Cough, getting back to the main topic, let's start with the tragedy that happened that night. Oh, that was truly a tragedy rarely seen in the world. No wonder SemiGod undead were always viewed as a taboo. They were truly vicious. Thirty years of preparation was activated in just a single second, and that prosperous commercial city was instantly transformed into a dead city without a single living person.
The moment that the "Dimensional Descent" occurred, millions of lives turned from life to death. Their hatred before death transformed into a physical curse. Not only that, the mystical dimensional structure of both the mortal plane and the Undead Plane made it impossible for anyone's hatred and hatred to be vented. The hatred and hatred circulated in that sealed dimensional space.
According to the Undead Emperors' expectations, this entire area would become a world of the dead, and all the vengeful spirits and curses would transform into undead, becoming the foundation of a new land of the dead. But sometimes, no matter how much planning one had, it would still be impossible to overcome one pure coincidence. Perhaps the only thing that the Undead Emperors didn't expect was that Amelia Miran just happened to be in Port Victoria on that day.
Although Amelia was a SemiGod, she was still powerless against dimensional laws. In that instant, she also experienced the transformation from life to death. Archmages would always have many backup plans, such as a small trap that would immediately transform them into liches after they were killed. And just as I mentioned before, Amelia's entire body had transformed into a magical forest. Her transformation from life to death had only transformed her into a magical forest that had lost its consciousness.
At the time, the Undead Plane that was connected to the mortal plane didn't have any plants. The dimensional laws also didn't have the existence of undead plants. At that instant, Amelia became a bug in the dimensional laws. She was both a collection of living plants, as well as an undead that complied with the dimensional laws. In just a short instant, she became the only living person in this tiny plane who had reached the level of a God. And just like that, she mysteriously obtained control over this newly-born plane.
That's right, it was an independent plane, not an intersection between two planes.
The result of Victoria Harbor being stuck between the Undead Plane and the mortal plane was the creation of a relatively independent plane. And when the will of this plane's ruler was chosen, the descending process of this plane would stop. The newly-born plane would instinctively search for a powerful will that was strong enough to bear the weight of the entire world. And the first will that was born in this plane would become the only candidate. Not only that, this existence just happened to be a soul that possessed SemiGod power, so it naturally became the best choice among the best.
As for information about the plane and the textual evidence that we used to come to this conclusion, you can check out Grand Mage Heloise's "The Relativity of Space and Time" and Grand Mage Roland Mist's "Eighteen Rules of Dimensional Travel (28th Revised Edition, this is probably the final edition)". Oh, right, there were many academic works written by Roland Mist, but at least half of them were compilations of legends and novels, which were obviously fake works written by later generations. Usually, anything with more than twenty revised editions would be considered authentic, so make sure you don't get it wrong.
Yep, getting back to the topic, when this temporary world chose Grand Mage Amelia as the ruler of this plane, Amelia just happened to lose her consciousness. The forest that was her physical body began to instinctively evolve, and countless vengeful spirits found a shelter to seek refuge in.
The plane's will had absolute control over the souls of its residents. This was one of the basic laws that Grand Mage Roland had researched. And because of a freak combination of factors, the Holy Mother of the Forest, Amelia, who had an extremely strong maternal nature to begin with, took in those souls and began to search for new chances for reincarnation.
The plane's will was capable of creating life in the plane, and only the Creator Goddesses were capable of reaching the true Divine Realm. This was the second basic law that Grand Mage Roland had proposed. And so, because of a freak combination of factors, the Holy Mother of the Forest used humans and elves as models, as well as the structure of her own commonly seen treants. Using magical plants as a blueprint, she began to evolve and naturally created the first generation of wood spirits — the First Wood Spirits.
The plane's will was composed of Order and Chaos. The most basic power of Order was space and time, while the most basic power of Chaos was evolution. This was the third law that Grand Mage Roland had concluded. In front of the dimensional will's power of Order, twisting space and time wasn't much of a problem at all. It wasn't impossible to accomplish a million years' worth of evolution in an instant.
The threat of the Undead Plane caused the Holy Mother of the Forest to instinctively increase the speed at which her people evolved. And after receiving the blessings of time and evolution, the wood spirits, as the world's favored children, rapidly evolved in that world, developing their own history, culture, and inheritances. The long and drawn-out war against the undead army sharpened this new species' survival abilities and will. That was how the wood spirits of today came to be. They were a contradictory species that excelled in combat, yet were also kind and amiable …
As for why the wood spirits were used to calling Grand Mage Roland "My Father" … Eh, was class over? Alright then, if you wanted to hear more gossip, then please listen to the next class.
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