Chapter 12: The Ancient Forest Awakens Part 2 The Ancient Forest had awakened completely. The sky was covered by countless branches. The ground was no longer stable. Every step Adrian took was inside the territory of the Tree Spirit King. The forest was watching. The forest was thinking. The forest was attacking. Thousands of roots pierced through the earth. Adrian moved instantly. "Void Traverse Art." His figure disappeared. The roots missed his body by a moment. But the forest changed. The branches above him twisted. The leaves became blades. The entire forest was trying to predict his movement. Adrian raised the Eternal Void Sword. "Originless Heavenly Thunder." Lightning descended. The dark forest was illuminated. Countless corrupted roots were destroyed. But the remaining roots absorbed the energy and grew stronger. The Tree Spirit King laughed. "Your lightning is powerful." "But every part of this forest is connected." "The more you destroy..." "The stronger we become." Adrian looked around. The enemy was different from everything he had fought before. The witch used spells. The spirits used emotions. But these ancient trees... They used endless life force. Regeneration. Growth. Connection. His existing techniques could destroy them. But they could not end the source. Adrian closed his eyes for a moment. The battlefield became quiet. Then... His sword intent changed. A cold aura spread across the forest. The temperature dropped. The ancient trees felt danger. "What is this?" Adrian opened his eyes. "Your power comes from endless growth." "Then I will stop your growth." The Eternal Void Sword moved. A single slash fell. "Originless Frost Lotus Domain." The entire battlefield changed. White lotus flowers bloomed across the ground. Beautiful. Silent. Deadly. Every lotus contained sword intent. Every movement of the enemy created another sword strike. The roots tried to regenerate. But the frost energy slowed their life force. The Tree Spirit King's expression changed. "This technique..." Adrian stepped forward. "The battlefield itself becomes my sword." Thousands of ice lotus petals turned into sword lights. Slash! Slash! Slash! The ancient roots were cut apart again and again. For the first time... The forest's regeneration was slowed. But the Tree Spirit King was not defeated. The giant ancient tree released a roar. The entire forest shook. A massive tree body rose from the ground. Its roots formed a gigantic humanoid shape. A Forest Ancient Titan. Its fist descended. Adrian blocked. "Immortal Breaking Fist!" Boom! The collision created a shockwave. The Forest Ancient Titan moved backward. But another fist followed. Then another. The forest created countless attacks without stopping. Adrian's energy continued decreasing. He used: Nine Void Collapse Fist. Originless Heavenly Thunder. Originless Emperor Domain. Eternal Void Sword. Every technique destroyed enemies. But the forest continued. Endless. Adrian finally understood. "Strength alone is not enough." "The forest has countless bodies." "I need a technique that controls the flow itself." His Originless Immortal Core circulated. The memories of countless battles became understanding. Not memories of another person. Not another existence. His own forgotten knowledge. A new technique began forming. The sword rose. The surrounding space became distorted. "Nine Dragons Origin Tide Sword." Nine streams of energy appeared around the blade. Each one moved like a dragon. The first dragon crushed. The second pierced. The third burned. The fourth carried wind. The fifth contained thunder. The sixth distorted space. The seventh carried sword intent. The eighth contained destruction. The ninth... Contained Originless Energy. Adrian swung. The nine dragons rushed forward. The forest shook. The Ancient Titan was pushed back. For the first time... The Tree Spirit King felt fear. This human was not simply destroying the forest. He was creating methods specifically to kill it. But then... The deepest part of the forest opened. A massive ancient tree older than all others awakened. Its voice shook the world. "You dare challenge the root of this forest?" The true body of the Tree Spirit King appeared. The battle had only reached its beginning.