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n“Well, don’t dally. Let’s get the party started,” Dante prompted the shocked and confused Etz Chaim with an amused smile.

nEtz had a million things she wanted to say right now, but she could only swallow them and do what she planned to do. She opened the quantum space that she now had access to and saw the billions of Lara clones who were congregated together, forming a sprawling society.

nEtz Chaim was surprised that so many Lara clones could exist in peace with each other and even more surprised by the luxury Dante afforded her. Then again, Etz remembered that Dante was not Luka, who had deep beef with Lara, as the young man here only saw her as an enemy solely because of his task.

nTaking a deep breath, Etz Chaim activated her power, which caused a great number of roots to surge from her main body and pierce the chaos in front of her. These roots led right to Dante’s quantum space, appearing from a portal above the Lara society.

nThe Lara clones saw the roots appear and did not panic but rather displayed intense expressions of hatred. They all manifested their power and began to strike at the incoming roots, but it was akin to an ant trying to use its spit to drown a whale.

nThe roots were merciless and efficient, immediately entering the midst of the Lara clones and piercing through their bodies, sucking the essence and power out of them, causing them to turn into desiccated husks that disintegrated into ash.

nDespite the resistance, billions of clones were sucked away like this, reducing the overall number in the quantum space rapidly within mere seconds. What had taken Dante quite a while to collect was emptied out before ten minutes elapsed.

nDante himself quickly watched from an omniscient position as the clones were collected one by one, their collective essence being fed back to Etz Chaim’s main body in which Lara was suppressed within her core.

n“So, the plan I guess is to return all of Lara clones back to her and then extract the fragments of the remaining authority that she split among them?” Dante asked casually.

n“Yes. Without returning those clones, that final part of the authority you’re supposed to have will never return. While it’s small enough to be overlooked, at the level of battles you will be facing as Luka’s general, you cannot be lacking even a bit!” Etz Chaim stated with her hands clasped together, her face full of focus.

n“Mmm, I understand,” Dante said with a smile, no longer looking at the quantum space that was devoid of life, but rather directly at Etz Chaim’s trunk which floated in the void before them.

nThe roots retracted back into her body, having long fed the energy back and achieved their purpose. In fact, Lara’s main body had been brought out once more and one could see the energy visibly surging into her body through the various connections to Etz Chaim. .𝒎

n“Hmm, almost done. When it’s complete, I will extract the authority and give it to you the old-fashioned… what?!”

nEtz Chaim suddenly exclaimed in shock as she lost control of the energy, which backlashed on her as it crazily surged into Lara’s body. An explosion occurred on her trunk that caused some of the wood to splinter, causing the already shell-shocked Etz Chaim to groan in pain.

nEtz Chaim’s avatar was blown back, being casually caught by Dante who glanced towards her main body, in which a torrent of light and energy was converging towards an obscured silhouette.

nDante placed Etz Chaim down and hovered slightly closer, stopping just when the light show came to an end, which revealed the presence of none other than Lara Sanguis. She was initially naked due to being sealed that way, but her familiar military attire formed around her body, her cape coming to rest on her shoulders.

nHer eyes were closed, and her arms were placed in position of reception, up until the moment her energy subsided and settled. Like that, she sucked in a deep breath of air – which was pointless since they were in the void – and opened her eyelids to reveal her two blood-red pupils that were filled with intensity.

nLara remained floating in the void, glancing back at her former prison with a cold glance, then looking forward to analyze Etz Chaim’s avatar. Seeing the familiar manifestation, a sneer appeared on her face.

n“Humph, to think you could keep me locked up for millennia on end… if I had known, I would have nipped you in the bud the very day you sprouted, Little Tulip.”

nEtz Chaim was clearly in pain from the escape, but hearing the name ‘Little Tulip’ made her freeze up like never before. Dante glanced at her askance and then back at Lara, who slowly turned her attention to him.

n“And you.”

nLara spoke with such intensity in her voice as she glared at Dante, her eyes narrowing dangerously. “I have to say, it has really turned my world upside down that a true lower-

ndimensional being could not only rise to this height but even pose a threat to my noble self.”

n“Even though you have offended me, you did play a part in my release. Not to mention your quick growth and potential, you might have actually been someone I would have treated neutrally, if not an ally.”

nLara’s eyes flashed with an intense red light. “However, just like Luka, you are hellbent on defying authority, the very authority that cannot be defied!”

n“The power of Lord Deus is not something you can comprehend, being a mere lower-class trash. Even that foolish Luka has intoxicated himself with merely half of Myra’s power, thinking he can face up against the very being that grants us existence. Reprehensible!”

nLara flung her right arm to the side, causing her cape to billow. “Such foolish actions and childish rebellion will only hasten our demise and put Myra in danger. For her sake, it is up to me to vanquish the vile Luka and steer things back into the right direction.”

nLara then pointed a finger at Dante. “Here is your chance to make the right decision. Cast away your crass and uncouth thoughts of rebellion and aid me in subduing Luka, and I shall make sure to put in a good word for you with Lord Deus.”

n“Never! You crazy woman, how can you still be willing to fight for that man after all he has done to Myra?!” Etz Chaim spoke up in anger.

nLara’s eyes shifted slowly to Etz Chaim. “You understand nothing, Little Tulip, but I don’t expect you to. You have likely been corrupted by the evil thoughts of Luka, causing you to become muddle-headed.”

nEtz Chaim gritted her teeth. “Don’t call me that name…”

n“You don’t like it? Do you prefer I call you by your false name, Etz Chaim? Tree of Life? Hah, what a joke!” Lara laughed uproariously.

nThen her expression became cold. “You are and will always be one of the random flows in the Divine Meadow. A common tulip among a field of millions, that just happened to be picked by Myra and used as a vessel to share her power with Luka when they were infants.”

nLara’s lips curled upward. “Had that never occurred, who knows when you would have ever enlightened your fairy spirit? Even within your row in the tulips patch, almost all your sisters had gained consciousness, only the inferior little you remained unable to speak or think.”

n“SHUT UP!!” Etz Chaim cried out as she covered her eyes with an expression of pain.

nLara seemed satisfied by this and refocused on Dante who had been quietly listening. “Surprised? The almighty being that changed your entire existence and brought you to this level was a mere failure, a random flower in an expansive meadowland created for the Forest Fairies to feel at home.”

n“Not really. Everyone has got to start from somewhere, and it was always strange to me that she could pop up from nowhere without any backdrop then become the bond between a deity and mortal.” Dante replied with what he honestly thought.

n“Oh? Interesting. You don’t seem bothered nor fazed by my presence at all. Do you really have so much confidence in your little authority?” Lara teased with a cruel smile that began to spread on her face.

nDante also smiled, but his was neutral. “Not because of the authority or personal power, but because of predictions. You see, I knew this would happen.”

nLara’s growing smile disappeared. “Huh? Are you trying to suggest that a mere lower-dimensional being like you has foresight to predict my actions?”

nDante laughed lightly. “It has nothing to do with one state of being, and all to do with pattern recognition and simple deduction. With the information I had been given so far as well as my experience with your clones, I deduced that this would be the outcome of Etz’s plan.”

nDante’s smile disappeared and was replaced with a cold glint. “Because whether it’s Etz, Myra, or Luka, they may know this about you but do not understand just how deep it goes.”

n“The fact that you, Lara, are completely bat** insane.”

n𝘪𝘳.𝒸𝑜𝑚

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