Chapter 13: The Ancient Tree Spirit King's Wrath Part 2 The Ancient Forest roared. The moment the Tree Spirit King released its true authority... The entire forest responded. The ground cracked. Countless roots broke through the earth. Ancient trees that had remained silent for centuries began awakening one after another. Their enormous trunks twisted. Their branches moved like countless arms reaching toward the sky. Adrian stood alone. But this time... He was no longer facing one enemy. The entire ancient forest had become his opponent. The Tree Spirit King spoke. "Wake up." "My children." "Show this human the power of the ancient forest." The forest trembled. From the deepest darkness... The first ancient spirit appeared. A massive tree with dark red bark. Its roots were covered with strange patterns resembling veins. Bloodwood Ancient Spirit. Its voice was low. "Another life..." "Another source of energy..." The roots beneath the ground suddenly moved. They were not ordinary roots. They carried a strange ability. They absorbed everything they touched. Energy. Heat. Life force. The roots rushed toward Adrian. Adrian immediately moved. "Void Traverse Art." His figure disappeared. The roots destroyed the ground behind him. But the Bloodwood Ancient Spirit did not stop. Thousands of smaller roots spread across the battlefield. It was creating a trap. The entire area became a net. Adrian understood. This spirit was not trying to hit him directly. It was controlling the battlefield. A single mistake would allow the roots to absorb his energy. The Eternal Void Sword appeared. "Originless Frost Lotus Domain." The temperature dropped instantly. White lotus flowers bloomed across the ground. The roots touching the frost began freezing. The Bloodwood Ancient Spirit was forced backward. "Freezing my roots?" "Interesting." The ancient spirit released more energy. The frozen roots shattered. Then regenerated. The battle between endless growth and absolute freezing began. ... Before Adrian could continue... The sky became darker. Countless branches appeared above him. A second ancient spirit awakened. Thousand Branch Phantom Spirit. Its body was hidden among thousands of branches. Its ability was not strength. It was deception. The forest changed. One Adrian became ten. Ten became hundreds. Illusions surrounded him. "Which one is real?" The spirit laughed. Every illusion attacked simultaneously. Adrian's eyes narrowed. This was similar to the witch's mental techniques. But different. The witch manipulated minds. This spirit manipulated the forest itself. Adrian closed his eyes. "Originless Mind Severing Sword." The sword moved. Not against the illusions. Against the connection controlling them. Slash! The entire illusion collapsed. The Thousand Branch Phantom Spirit was shocked. "You saw through it?" Adrian looked toward the hidden tree. "An illusion requires a source." "And every source can be cut." The sword light flashed. A massive branch fell from the sky. ... The third spirit awakened. A withered black tree emerged. Its bark looked like ancient bones. Withered Bone Tree Spirit. Unlike the others... It carried corruption. The air around it decayed. Leaves fell. The ground turned lifeless. A dark mist spread toward Adrian. The mist did not attack his body. It attacked his energy circulation. Adrian's expression became serious. The ancient spirits were not fighting randomly. They complemented each other. One restricted movement. One created illusions. One weakened energy. Together... They formed a perfect battlefield. The Tree Spirit King watched silently. This was the power of an ancient forest. Not one warrior. But countless beings working as one. Adrian raised his sword. The sky above him changed. Thunder appeared. "Originless Heavenly Thunder." Lightning descended. The dark mist was pushed away. But the moment the lightning struck... The fourth spirit awakened. A gigantic tree covered with silver leaves. Storm Ancient Spirit. It absorbed the lightning. Then redirected it back. Boom! A thunder attack stronger than before descended. Adrian blocked. The impact pushed him several steps backward. For the first time... The ancient spirits saw it. A human being pushed back. But instead of fear... Adrian smiled slightly. "Good." "Finally..." "An opponent that forces me to create something new." The ancient spirits became silent. A human... Was enjoying this battle. The Tree Spirit King looked at Adrian carefully. For the first time in thousands of years... It felt curiosity. This was not a human who entered the forest to die. This was a being walking a completely unknown path. And the true battle... Had only begun.