Gargoyle Supremacy-Chapter 74: I Have Been Tricked! HOW DARE YOU!!

After riding the tortoise for 10 minutes, they found a massive tree on the horizon. The closer they got to the tree, the thicker the Aether in the environment. However, Carn was no longer in the mood to absorb Aether as he spotted an anomaly.

The tree was not green. It was a gold mushroom that had expanded over the sky and clouds. That was not what Mother Tree Carn knew.

Seeing the state of the tree, Carn whispered to Nobody.

"Are you sure that this is my Aether World?"

Nobody confirmed, "Yes. According to Overlord Impermanence, the Mother Tree is not a tree but a sentient fungus. Those who have never touched Styx River cannot see its true form. After Kaim Ariel and Overlord Impermanence rescued your soul, you briefly came into contact with River Styx while you were unconscious. That’s why you can only see its true form now."

Carn smirked, "Heh. Very convenient story."

"…"

"Open the portal. Get us out." Carn urged Nobody. It didn’t matter if the self-proclaimed aide of his father had spoken the truth or not, he had no intention of mingling with the giant mushroom and the rude tortoise.

Unfortunately, Nobody pointed at the massive mushroom, which had been producing gold and red spores in the air.

"It’s too late. We’re under its domain. No dimensional portal can be opened until we leave here."

"That makes it simple. We can just ditch the tortoise."

Carn smirked and teleported away from the tortoise, traveling a kilometer away from the giant tree. Nobody also followed Carn closely, serving as his bodyguard.

As soon as they vanished from the tortoise’s head, the divine beast turned around and bellowed.

"DEMON LORD PEBBLE AND HIS SERVANT HAVE ESCAPED!! CAPTURE THEM AND PRESENT THEM TO THE MOTHER TREE!!"

All the trees in the forest rose up and screamed. Uprooting themselves, they marched, following Carn’s scent. At the same time, flying dragons emerged from the mushroom tree, charging in the same direction.

.

Carn took advantage of the free teleportation perk, traveling 100 kilometers within a minute. However, despite his attempt to flee, he couldn’t leave a gigantic rainforest.

Last time he remembered, Aether World didn’t have many thick forests. Even the Mother Tree’s territory was half barren due to the constant wars and deforestation. Yet, here, the land was too green.

Carn stopped being absentminded and took a short break. He turned around. Instantly, the self-proclaimed aide caught up to him and stood straight. He pointed at the direction that Carn was heading in and warned him.

"As I said, we were too late. We have entered its domain."

Carn frowned and turned around. Then, he was speechless.

In the direction that Carn had been running toward, there was another big mushroom tree. However, this one was bright red and full of raw Aether and crimson haze.

As Carn gazed deeper into the crimson mist, he noticed ethereal faces emerging—wild animals, humans, monsters, and even demons like himself. Their features shifted and swirled, and their expressions froze in agony, rage, or despair. The sight left him utterly flabbergasted.

"What happened here while I was away?! How could these…?"

The source of this c𝓸ntent is frёeweɓηovel.coɱ.

The bodyguard crossed his arms and looked up. Shortly after, gold beacons of light shone upon them, and they could hear a dignified woman’s voice in their mind.

[Oh, Messenger from the Netherworld’s reign,

Welcome, Nobody, to my domain.

You, too, Gargoyle Lord, wake and stand,

Pebble of power in a dream land.]

As soon as the words entered Carn’s mind, his heart sank. It was the voice of the Mother Tree. Carn was both happy and disappointed in the Mother Tree for not controlling her subordinates well enough.

"Mother Tree? Is that really you? What the hell is going on here?!"

[Return to your quest, let the battle begin,

Defeat the Lich King, and cleanse your sins.

Demon Lord Pebble, the hour’s too soon,

Your place is not yet beneath our moon.]

Once again, the Mother Tree’s cryptic words didn’t make sense. Carn grew wary of her.

"Could you please explain what your appearance is? What happened to you? What happened to this world." Carn persisted in digging for the truth. He had a bad feeling about this place.

But instead of answering Carn’s question, the Mother Tree threatened him.

[Turn back now, O Demon Lord,

Lich King has plotted to sow discord.

Return to your world, let wisdom defend,

For if you stay, this will be your end.]

As if the threat wasn’t enough, the gold beacon turned black, and Carn’s Aether escaped him! In addition, his holy power was depleted, leaving only the divine spirit’s portion.

"MOTHER TREE!!" Carn bellowed, enraged. He felt betrayed, "WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?! I SAVED YOU AND YOUR PEOPLE!!"

Mother Tree stopped talking in poems. Her cold voice echoed in his mind, "You are nothing but puppets, Pebble. Be obedient and go kill the Lich King! Then, you may kill yourself and follow your father to the Netherworld!"

"YOU WENCH!!"

Carn had enough. He commanded his remaining holy power, and the golden beacon was dispersed. He gathered whatever Aether remained inside him to his body, ready to fight Mother Tree to the death.

"—ORD!"

*CRACK*

As if the reality broke, the atmosphere and surroundings froze on its track. It stopped flowing, and objects stopped reflecting sunlight. The sky turned gray as if the universe was shattering.

However, Carn could still move, but he wasn’t responsible for such an anomaly. He was also surprised by the changes.

A moment later, a faint voice of a certain knight entered his ears.

"MY LORD!"

Reality dissolved into darkness, consuming everything including his own form. When he reopened his eyes, a flood of new information and a completely different scene imprinted itself onto his mind.

In the dimly lit corridor, Carn lay pinned beneath the towering figure. The entity’s skeletal arms pressed him to the cold, unyielding floor, and a web of pulsing purple veins extended from its hollow eyes, latching onto Carn’s temples. Carn’s Aether and holy power were being siphoned into the fiend’s flesh.

The flash of golden light jolted him back. Gawain had driven his holy blade straight through the creature’s chest. The sword gleamed with righteous fury, and he twisted it, seperating the entity’s upper body and lower body. The dream demon shrieked in agony.

Carn’s head throbbed as the fog of deception cleared. Memories, sharp and stinging, flooded back to him and a realization hit.

This monster wasn’t his father’s aide, but it was an incubus, a vile dream demon. Carn had been put to sleep, and everything was a dream, fabricated by the monster to sow discord between him and Mother Tree! Moreover, it stole his power!

"YOU SON OF A F—K!" Carn bellowed, ripping the grotesque purple tendrils from his head. His legs wobbled as he forced himself upright. Hatred burned in his eyes, igniting a thousand violent thoughts of revenge.

Gawain, still pressing his boot against the fiend’s upper torso, glanced over his shoulder. "My lord, this thing is one of Demon Lord Luca’s henchmen. The ECD captured this guy years ago. It must’ve escaped and found you."

Carn sneered, "I see. I thought they were extinct… But no. This scum dared to worm its way into my mind!"

Once again, Carn thought of his father and his warnings. Indeed, he was invincible in direct combat, but he was the most vulnerable to mind attack, just like when he lost to Kaim Ariel.

The incubus groaned beneath Gawain’s weight, its split form writhing. Carn canceled his transformation to conserve energy, still feeling the void left by his drained Aether. With a growl, he kicked the demon square in the face.

"You thought you could deceive me, huh? You dig through my memories, wear a friendly mask, and have the audacity to drain my power? You slimy, two-faced, lying son of a f—!"

Words failed him as fury took over. He kicked the incubus again. Then Carn crouched, seizing the creature by its crown.

"Listen here," Carn’s grip tightened until the entity’s skull cracked. "Whatever you stole from me, I’m taking it back. All of it—plus interest!"

With a surge of raw will, crimson wisps of Aether and a golden sheen of holy power began to flow back into him, as if reclaiming what was rightfully his. The incubus howled, its body thrashing in futile resistance. All its Aether vanished into Carn.

Carn scanned his body with his mind. Roughly 6,660 silver marks of Aether, including the incubus’s energy, gathered inside him. However, some of his holy power was lost as the incubus couldn’t contain them.

After getting his energy back, Carn’s eyes turned red. The collection was over, but the torture had just started.

"Now, let’s see how long you can scream before I rip you apart!"

.

Meanwhile, Gawain silently watched Carn ripping the lanky incubus’s skin and bones with his bare hands. He laughed dryly and unsheathed his sword.

In his other hand, Gawain carried three branches of Mother Tree, which she had entrusted him to give to Carn. Looking at the present, he sighed.

’I guess the present can wait.’