Reborn as a Demonic Tree-Novel

Diana met the gaze of the monster's glowing green eye that was like a contained star hidden within a mass of shifting tentacles.

"I thought I smelt the blood of a Ravena, but I wasn't so sure until just now when you leaked your presence."

So it knows about my bloodline. Is this another one of Maple's family?

"I watched you training in hell alongside Neptune... that is the nyou realm dwellers gave, right? Neptune? It sounds weird to say." The mass of wiggling tentacles opened up more as the giant green eye drew closer as if trying to get a better look at her. "Anyway, I see you have grown in power since then. I assthat is the work of that spirit tree?"

"Watching is all we Worldwalkers do as there's not much else going on in the void. It's terribly boring, so even overlooking someone's struggles in hell keeps the mind ticking. Without stimuli, tdoesn't pass for us, and we don't progress as beings."

"Well, I was also hungry." The eye shifted to glance at the blood-stained sand behind it before returning to stare at her. "There's nothing to eat out in the void, so a few limbs are a tasty snack and help to progress my cultivation." The monster let out an otherworldly sigh that made Diana's consciousness quiver. "I am terribly jealous of Maple, who gets to run around in this realm due to making a pact with that spirit tree. How unfair."

"Oh, that's because I am what you could consider Maple's little sibling. I am a few decades younger, so he findsannoying and dislikes includingin things." The monster's tentacles seemed to sag a little as if it were depressed. "Maple is mean, right?"

The monster laughed in her mind, "I fear Maple would eatif I hurt one of Stella's friends, so no, I would rather not fight."

"Oh, you are talking about this stuff?" The monster slammed down a few tentacles into the summoning circle, throwing up a cloud of sand.

"Something like that... anyways, as I was saying, I stuck my head through the crack and found myself in what I can only describe as a bubble. It forcedto take on a certain shape and heavily limited my powers, but I was in the lowest realm, facing that Elysia girl surrounded by a ritual circle. I thought about eating her but luckily realized that she was the reason I could appear in this realm."

"Well, the Mystic Qi she used to create the opening severely limited my powers by crushinginto a vessel of Elysia's design." The eye shifted to look at Elysia lying on the ground and groaning, "So I figured if I wanted to exert more power in this realm and feel less suffocated, I needed to open her mind, so I started visiting her dreams. She welcomed my presence, and as I slowly broke and twisted her mind, she created better vessels forto occupy."

The monster laughed, shaking her mind. "Of course not."

"I can only manifest in this place if Elysia inviteshere. If I give her the illusion of control, she will call uponmore often and feedmore cultivators in the long run."

"I am not."

The monster shifted to loom over her. "Why don't you surrender then."

"Then I suppose we are at a stalemate."

The monster's eye narrowed. "Are you really capable of such a thing?"

Diana didn't hesitate as she slashed her sword down and chopped off Elysia's left arm. The girl's eyes shot open as she was shocked out of her confused state, and she screamed out in pain.

"Haha, good, very good. As expected from one with the Ravena bloodline. How interesting." The monster's voice turned cold, "But to harm the tool I have spent so long carefully nurturing is deserving of spunishment—"

Diana dropped to the ground and felt the air rush over her head as a tentacle from her blind spot passed over. If she had remained standing, it would have slammed into her and flung her into the nearby wall—a nonlethal attack but enough to knock her out.

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"I assure you my temper is nothing compared to Maple," The monster replied as the whole arena trembled. A cloud of dust made tracking the tentacles even harder. Diana knew for a fact that the monster was holding back from killing her in fear of Maple, but it was determined to at least smack her around.

"Annoying fly," The monster said, and Diana noticed the tentacles suddenly double in speed.

Hauling her body up with a groan, she made sure to hide her face with a wooden mask from her spatial ring before glancing over her shoulder at the monster. It kept its distance and didn't seem interested in attacking while she was down as it watched her intently with its giant green eye nestled among a sea of shifting darkness.

"So what if I am? I can't eat you, so having a little fun is the next best thing, don't you agree?" The monster's eye shifted to Elysia, who clutched her stump and cried, "She won't die from such an injury, but it would be inconvenient if you damaged my carefully raised tool any further. So how about a deal?"

"It's rare that I get to test this form's limitations. Most opponents I face are weaklings like that ice cultivator from earlier. I desire schallenge to see what areas of this vessel need improvement. So, the deal is simple. Go all out againstfor ten minutes, and once the tis up, I will surrender to you so you may win this pointless duel."

"If you try to harm her further, I may accidentally use lethal force. Don't misunderstand, I don't want to kill you, but I will if I have to. Elysia is my only way into the realm, and I have spent years breaking her to this point. To throw that all away for a friend of my sibling's favorite human is not happening."

"That's the spirit." The monster said as a wall of tentacles cher way.

***

"What's going on in there? I can't see anything." Seth squinted at the arena and even cycled Qi to his eyes, but it was useless. The defensive array suppressed any spiritual sense, forcing them to rely on their eyes.

"Who knows," Stella shrugged. The arena had turned into a sandstorm mixed with demonic mist. Shadows could be seen moving within the mist, and there were the howling phantoms, but the spectators couldn't see much else.

Seth let out an exaggerated and distorted sigh beside her and leaned back in his chair, "What a bizarre fight. I have seen dozens of duels of Iron Seekers against Elysia, and I have never once seen that monster tremble in fear before an enemy. Just how strong is Diana?"

"Strong," Stella answered simply.

"No wonder she got a recommendation letter from a Sage Advisor. Maybe she is from shidden clan. Her family nwas Ravenborne, right? Do you know anything about it?"

Stella tilted her head to Seth, "You seem awfully concerned with the origins of her strength. Is there a reason?"

"Uh, I was just curious, is all. We might be working together soon to hunt down Albis Lunarshade. He was last measured to be in the 2nd stage of the Star Core Realm and is a good fighter, so I am relieved that Diana is so strong."

"Mhm?" Stella squinted behind her mask, "You sound more concerned than relieved."

"Do I?" Seth chuckled, "Well, we may be allies during the hunt, but if Diana wins this fight and ascends to the Crimson Trackers, us Iron Seekers will have a powerhouse stronger and even more ruthless than Elysia to deal with."

"The dust is settling!"

Stella looked to the side and saw a group of Iron Seekers commenting on the fight.

"Oh look, the mist is dispersing as well!"

"I can't see any more shadows flying around. Did the monster lose?"

"Don't be ridiculous. Elysia has a single loss and nearly fifty wins. How could she lose to an upstart with no record?"

"I mean, didn't you see the start of the fight?" One of them refuted the other, "She defeated Elysia in the blink of an eye."

"Nobody fears Elysia. It's that monster she summons, which made her the heir to the Mystshroud family that's the problem. I have seen Elysia beaten up before, but the monster always wins."

"True..."

Stella was also curious about the outcome, so she waited patiently for the sand and mist to disperse. In the middle of the arena, Diana stood tall. There was no evidence of her wings, and her cloak and mask hid any other signs that she was a demon.

Diana raised her sword and pointed it at the monster. "Surrender."

"Is she crazy," Seth muttered in disbelief.

Stella was honestly wondering that as well. Things weren't adding up. Diana was panting and seemed injured. Meanwhile, the monster was unharmed and could easily kill her. Instead of attacking, the monster turned and stared straight at Stella in the stands with its green eye that looked so familiar. Where had she seen that look before...

The monster began sinking back into the darkness of the ritual circle while keeping eye contact, much to the surrounding cultivators' shock. They stood up in disbelief and started discussing theories that were all wrong.

"No, don't go!" Elysia cried out as she scrambled through the sand toward the ritual circle. "Old one! Cback! I order you to cback and fight!"

Diana pressed the blade edge against Elysia's throat, causing the girl to stop in her tracks. "Don't bother, it's over."

The ritual circle collapsed in on itself, and the Mystic Qi returned to Elysia.

"There's no way the old one would lose or surrender." Elysa began muttering to herself as her eyes shook. "It's impossible. I still draw breath."

Diana sighed, "Just surrender—"

Elysia grabbed Diana's sword with her remaining hand, drawing blood. "There's only one explanation!" She looked up at Diana with crazed eyes, "You are also a worshiper of the old ones... no, you are a leader of them! It listened to you over me! That's the only explanation! Cwithto meet my family, you must!"

"Annoying," Diana kneed Elysia in the face, making her head snap back and tumble to the ground, knocking the girl out cold. "Stop sprouting such deluded nonsense," Diana said, turning and walking away through the sand. "You don't even understand the half of it."

"The duel has concluded! Elysia Mystshroud is no longer putting up a fight, which means Raven is the victor! Congratulations, Raven. You are now promoted to the elusive rank of Crimson Seeker with a flawless 1-0 record."

Diana didn't seem to react to the announcement as she swiftly left the arena. Her features were obscured by the white wooden mask she had equipped after getting smacked in the face, so Stella had no way to tell.

Meanwhile, Elysia's unconscious body was carried off alongside her arm.

"Good fight," Stella said once Diana arrived.

Diana snorted, "Quite the opposite." She said with spite, "Con, let's go."

Stella had expected Diana to sound relieved or excited about her victory, but her voice dripped with anger and annoyance. Had Elysia ticked her off that much, or was it something else?

"Sorry, Seth. I will give you the answer about working together next time." Stella stood up and followed Diana out of the arena.

"Oh, okay... you can findnear the door. I usually wait around there."

"Will do," Stella waved him off, and once they were out of earshot of anyone, "What happened out there? You're not acting like yourself. Are you not happy about being promoted?"

Diana paused her steps and turned to Stella, "That wasn't a fight. I just wasted a load of Qi and got beaten up for ten minutes for that monster's amusement. Worst of all, when I cut off Elysia's arm to try and convince it to surrender, it did nothing but laugh and say I had embraced the attitude of a person with my bloodline. Everything I did was simply amusing to that monster."

"Was that monster..."

"Yes, it was one of Maple's siblings." Diana sighed, "That was the only reason it didn't tearlimb from limb."

"I see..." Stella bit her lip. Things just got even more complicated. "There is no way the Mystshroud family is going to live this down. You will be targeted by them, especially by Elysia. How could they even summon and control a Worldwalker in the first place?"

"I will explain to you later. First, let's move fast while we are still under the nose of most powerhouses," Diana turned and started walking at a brisk pace, "Let's pick up my Crimson Tracker pendant first, and then we should visit Nox's sister at the Duskwalker residence before nightfall. We don't have tto wait until tomorrow."

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