293 Ebony’s Counterattack (2)

Fortunately, Floral shook her head.

“This is impossible. You see, two timelines don’t equate to two separate worlds existing parallel to one another. Instead, they’re simply two potential outcomes for a single occurrence. So, he could be either a tribal warrior abandoned on an Ebony branch, or a warrior born and raised within the Ebony tribe. He could be a Forest Elf with a strong life force, or an undead creation of the Lady of Starvation.”

Her eyes met Ebony’s as she continued, “That’s why, to you and those misguided individuals who still believe they can overthrow me, they may have awakened and altered the timeline to what it is now. They’ve landed in a timeline that’s 90% similar to the original, but the details and essence have changed significantly.”

With a confident demeanor, Floral held a magical medium in her hand and stared down Ebony, who was seething with anger.

“This is all a lie!” Ebony growled through gritted teeth, unable to find any other words to counter Floral’s explanation.

William could sense that Ebony was on the brink of attacking, but as he knew that Ebony wouldn’t stand a chance against Floral, he didn’t try to diffuse the situation. Instead, he pressed on with his questioning.

“So, you let them stay in the underground root system so that they wouldn’t realize the truth?”

Floral nodded and said, “Yes. If they were to sense that they’re not in the same timeline as before, it could create cognitive conflict and disrupt the timeline, providing the Lady of Starvation with the perfect opportunity to trigger a timeline replacement. So, as soon as I discover their existence, I take the initiative to send them to that isolated underground root system, to prevent them from realizing anything is amiss.”

“As for him, I nominated him Holy Tree Matriarch Listener partly to keep a watchful eye on the Lady of Starvation’s potential actions. He rarely leaves the temple, preferring to immerse himself in his story and plan for things that will never come to fruition.”

Suddenly, the Beast Spirit tattoo on Ebony’s body came to life.

The roar that escaped from the Beast Spirit was blood-curdling and as Ebony charged towards Flora with lightning speed in a way incongruent with his burly build, the air whistled sharply. A pale lion’s head appeared on his left fist, its mane ablaze, its eyes filled with berserker rage. It opened its bloody mouth as if it could devour Flora’s entire upper body.

This was a special talent of the Forest Elves. Through signing a contract with the Great Spirit of wild beasts, they obtained the help of those savage souls.

Boom

It was like a truck hitting a wall. Almost instantly, an ice crystal wall stood between Floral and Ebony.

Ebony’s punch, carrying the power of the White Lion Beast Spirit, smashed into the wall and cracks quickly extended from the point of impact.

Lv. 7 Frost spell, Ice Crystal Wall, was a pure physical defense spell that could defend against City-Shattering Crossbows.

Flora stood on the other side of the wall, and the wall protruded from Ebony’s powerful punch. The funnel-shaped protrusion was less than two centimeters away from Flora’s nose, and new cracks constantly spread. It looked like it would shatter like glass in the next moment.

Floral looked at the ice wall that looked like it would shatter at any moment and said without blinking, “Very good. At least you still have anger.”

“And my anger can tear you to pieces!” Ebony roared, trying to punch through the wall with his right arm and the White Lion Beast Spirit.

Floral sighed slightly.

“Sometimes I wonder if it’s a good thing or a bad thing to explain the cruel truth to those involved.”

William ignored her sigh and asked, “Is Ebony an undead? I didn’t see anything with my Undead Detection.”

Floral turned her magical medium slightly in response to William’s question. The ice-blue nexus under the staff changed with her movement.

“It’s normal not to find any. He has to stay in the Holy Tree Matriarch Temple all the time. It would be terrible if tourists from other provinces discover his true identity.”

Ebony realized he couldn’t break free from the ice. The air around him grew colder by the second, as delicate and precise ice crystals slithered up his arm, encasing his fist, wrist, and elbow in a frozen grip.

With all his might, he struggled to break free. He shattered the ice that bound him, but with each blow, more and more ice crystals sprouted and spread across his body, wrapping him in an icy embrace.