Chapter 12: The Ancient Forest Awakens Part 1 The forest was no longer a forest. It was a living creature. Every ancient tree. Every root beneath the ground. Every branch above the sky. Everything was connected. Adrian stood in the center of the darkness. Around him... Thousands of ancient trees awakened. Their enormous trunks moved like living giants. Their roots broke through the earth like dragons. The entire forest had revealed its true form. The Ancient Forest was not a place. It was an existence. "You humans always come here." "You enter." "You take." "You destroy." The voice of the Tree Spirit King echoed. "But now..." "You will become part of us." The ground exploded. Countless roots attacked from every direction. Adrian disappeared. "Void Traverse Art." His figure became a shadow. The roots destroyed the place where he stood. Boom! The surrounding trees shook. Adrian appeared above the forest. The Eternal Void Sword appeared in his hand. A sword light descended. "Originless Emperor Sword." Slash! Hundreds of roots were cut apart. But before they reached the ground... They regenerated. The broken pieces transformed into smaller tree creatures. Adrian's eyes became serious. Regeneration. Adaptation. The forest was completely different from the witch. The witch relied on spells. These beings relied on the entire environment. The forest itself was their body. More roots attacked. More branches moved. The sky became covered by leaves. Darkness surrounded Adrian. A voice whispered. "You cannot win." "The longer you fight..." "The stronger we become." Adrian landed on the ground. The forest energy was indeed increasing. Every destroyed tree became another source of energy. The enemy was using his attacks to grow stronger. Interesting. Adrian raised his hand. Lightning gathered. "Originless Heavenly Thunder." Boom! Lightning descended. The dark forest was illuminated. The corrupted trees burned. But... The ancient trees absorbed part of the lightning. The Tree Spirit King laughed. "Your thunder is powerful." "But nature has existed longer than you." Adrian looked at the forest. His current techniques were powerful. Against witches. Against spirits. They were enough. But this enemy... Was an entire ecosystem. A different type of battle. The forest attacked again. This time... The ancient trees themselves moved. Massive wooden bodies rose from the ground. Tree Golems. Their bodies were made from thousands of years of growth. Their strength was terrifying. One punch from them shattered the ground. Adrian moved. "Immortal Breaking Fist." His fist collided with the Tree Golem. Boom! The giant body was pushed back. But it did not fall. The wooden armor regenerated instantly. Another Tree Golem attacked. Then another. The forest continued creating enemies. Adrian's expression became focused. He understood. He could not fight endlessly. If this continued... The forest would never lose. He needed something new. Something that could destroy the source. Not the branches. Not the roots. The core. The ancient life energy controlling everything. Adrian closed his eyes for a moment. The battle continued around him. But inside his mind... A new understanding was forming. A technique that had never existed before. A technique created for this enemy. "The forest has one weakness..." "Everything connected has a source." Adrian opened his eyes. The Eternal Void Sword shone. "The source must be cut." The next attack... Would change the battlefield.