OLD-WORLD EXTRA-Chapter 187: Rootsire & Verdigris

'...It's thanking me?'

"Well, you're welcome... I guess." Emir said with a tilted head.

A soft, knowing chuckle escaped his lips as his gaze surveyed the aftermath.

The ground beneath him had yet to stop vibrating from the colossal explosion that had just rocked the battlefield.

In the center, a massive crater remained-a gaping void, its depths shrouded in darkness. The very earth seemed to have been torn asunder, with buildings, fauna, and everything in its vicinity reduced to ash or turned into a chaotic jumble of collapsed rubble.

The once-ferocious monsters that had swarmed the place had vanished as if they had never existed.

Their roars were silenced, their menace extinguished, leaving behind a complete hush save for the sound of battle far away.

'So I survived that...'

With a shake of his head, Emir's gaze wandered around what remained of the battlefield, waiting on his other potential targets.

While doing so, he remained absorbing and processing Aether.

He used much more than he expected in his fight with the Virearth, but that was to be expected.

Although mad and weakened, it was still a Tyrant...

So Emir hoped that whatever was coming next was something that he could handle.

But sadly, his hope was turned astern as he watched two monsters walk calmly in his direction.

A Verdigris, a creature of beauty and unsettling grace.

Its form resembled a humanoid figure draped in flowing robes woven from leaves and petals, shifting in color between various shades of green and brown.

Its skin seemed to be a living canvas of moss and vines, giving it an almost surreal appearance.

Its head was crowned with a halo of blossoms in full bloom.

Its eyes were deep pools of liquid green with a mesmerizing quality.

And next to it was a Rootsire, another Tyrant-ranked monster.

A creature that embodied the duality of nature-both beautiful and fearsome.

Its form was serpentine, its massive body covered in iridescent scales that shimmered in shades of deep earth tones and vibrant greens.

Along its spine, rows of thorn-like spikes protruded, adding to its already imposing presence.

The creature's head, which screamed danger, had eyes that gleamed like polished gemstones and fangs that glowed with a potent venom.

Its scales seemed to be intertwined with vines, giving the impression that it was an extension of the very environment it commands.

"Fuck me..."

Emir realized that he had no hope of winning this fight.

Whatever plans he could come up with would only delay the inevitable, as they appeared to be set on killing him.

He could simply run away using his Flash Step ability, but that thought never crossed his mind.

If he ran away now, then he could potentially lose vital information, something he so desperately needed.

And there was another reason...

Something that grew along with his strength.

Pride.

But that was something he didn't want to acknowledge.

Sure, he definitely would've run away if he was up against stronger beings; his pride wouldn't stop him then.

Since in the end, he was a logical man.

He wasn't stupid nor was he arrogant, as most confused the three.

'I'll just have to do the impossible and win, like always.'

'No big deal...'

Letting out a chuckle, Emir's gaze left them and shifted to where the fight between the celestials and monsters was still taking place.

His eyes landed on a building some distance away, and after scrutinizing it for a few moments, he chanted:

"Flash Step."

Disappearing from where he once was, Emir materialized in mid-air, a fair distance away.

Allowing the air to slow down his speed, he landed softly atop the roof of a building he chose a few moments ago.

Emir looked behind him and noticed that the two Tyrants were still following him, now no longer walking.

"Well... Let the fight begin."

Just as he said that he stepped forward.

His foot reached the ledge of the building and dropped down.

He murmured multiple incantations while jumping to and fro from the building he fell from and the one opposite it.

Reaching the ground in a moment, he touched the wall on his left and silently chanted once

again.

His Aether reserves were diminishing at a fast pace, but he never stopped absorbing Aether, which caused his Aether core to subtly begin overheating.

Pain was apparent in his chest, but that never showed on his face, as he remained calm, like a

still lake.

He did the same to the other eight towering buildings in his vicinity, almost exhausting his Aether reserves entirely.

And as soon as he did so, the Rootsire and Verdigris came upon him.

They stood right where he first dropped, standing still in the wide clearing between the two

buildings.

The Rootsire towered over both of them, at least ten meters tall.

While the Verdigris was of shorter height than Emir.

Emir silently raised his right arm and gestured for them to come forward.

They maddeningly smiled and complied, rushing him at once.

"Celestia's Maze!"

Splash!

Crack!

Thud! Thud!

But they couldn't do so.

Why?

Well, that was simply because of the current state of their bodies.

Just as Emir's chant rang out, tens of thin lines of Aether appeared in front of them...

And they ran cleanly through them, cutting and breaking their bodies in the process. But, unfortunately for Emir, their bodies healed in no time.

The Rootsire easily regenerated, while the Verdigris had vines spurt out of its body and reattached its missing limbs, appearing the same as before.

Now fully healed, they looked up to see Emir, but they didn't find him.

He disappeared...

Or at least that was what they would've thought as he simply jumped up and stood on the

wires higher up the buildings, hidden away from their view.

Emir quietly eyed them from above, like a hunter to its prey.

Then, with a subtle move from his fingers, a few wires danced, causing a few of the buildings

to groan in protest.

The Tyrants immediately followed after the sounds, this time appearing more cautious.

"ROOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAARRRRRR!"

The Verdigris was at least, as the Rootsire ran through them with no care in the world, destroying everything in its path.

Emir smiled at that sight, and with another flick of his fingers, the next building rumbled,

causing the Rootsire to follow...

He was like a masterful conductor to a deranged orchestra.

Every time they reached the location where the sound originated, he would quickly create another, some small distance away.

Emir repeated the process several times until he led both mad Tyrants straight to the middle.

Then he raised his hand up to the sky, waiting for them to reach the exact place he planned for.

And just as they did, he swung both his hands downwards.

"Fall."