Chương 812: General Group Enters Aionthra's Instance.

[Welcome to the <Hall of the Ascension Echo>.] [You've triggered the main Sylvan Quest: <Crystal and Echo World Collapse>.] [Description: You've arrived at the last bastion remaining in this world. The World Tree behind you has been weakened to Level 50, and any creature can defeat it. Your objective is to defeat the <Ascension-Echo Eternal Arbiter> that the Willow World Tree is trying to stop by consuming her existence: <BOSS Monster: Aionthra, She Who Walks Between Seconds>.] [Note: Your appearance has made Aionthra worried, so she has started resisting and is trying to escape her cage.] [Countdown until Willow World Tree loses her strength and the barriers weaken: 1 year.] [Countdown until Willow World Tree loses her strength and is unable to constrain Aionthra: 5 years.] [Countdown until the first wave of <Crystal Echo> monsters attacks: 1 week.] [Note: Monsters can attack the barrier around the Willow World Tree and weaken it.] [<Dungeon Escape Methods> have been sealed by Aionthra. Only those that surpass her <Tier> will have an effect.]"Reveal the <Dungeon>'s alignment." [Dungeon Alignment: Pride, Lust.]"Is this all?"

"No, General Aurek, we've encountered four items. <Trial Guide>, <Defensive Barrier Status>, <Defensive Tower Construction>, and <Hero of the World Tree Temporary Summon>."

"Good job." Aurek was a human and one of the two leaders of this expedition to the <Hall of the Ascension Echo> The other leader, Kaelen, glanced at him and spoke.

"We've been talking with Lady World Tree, and she has told us to be careful. She also explained a bit of the surrounding terrain and what path to take if we want to go to the <Mirror Cathedral>." Aurek asked.

"Mirror Cathedral?"

"Yes, it is the location where Aionthra is hiding." Honestly, when Aurek and Kaelen went to the Explorer Association to get their permission to enter this <Dungeon>, they thought that entering together would not be possible. To their surprise, their group of over 20 entered without a hitch. This meant that, according to the <Dungeon>, their group was participating in a "fair" battle. Aurek, a Level 200 General of Liu Shu's army, spoke with a solemn expression.

"Alright, we need to complete the few extra objectives first. From what we know, the BOSS Monster is currently stronger." Kaelen agreed and added.

"Even then, we can't linger too much." A woman named Lysera, grabbing a magic staff, spoke with a sigh.

"Honestly, General, why did you choose this difficulty? We could've challenged the previous one, right?" Aurek shook his head.

"From the hints found in previous <Dungeons>, gathered by completing quite harsh secondary quests, the Seventh Trial is something for a large group. This one is for a more concentrated group." Lysera tapped the magic staff, and reading the absurd messages that had popped into her system space, she sighed.

"Alright, I understand. So, do we go to activate the defensive structures?" There were four defensive structures that they could activate. For that, the Level 50 World Tree they were defending told them that they needed to defeat some special creatures. So, their group set out. The World Tree they were defending spoke to them as they left.

"Good luck, challengers. I hope you can avoid the collapse of our dimension." Meanwhile, Aionthra had been observing them with curiosity.

"So, these are the new challengers." Looking at Kaelen and Aurek, both Level 200 powerhouses, Aionthra could tell that their stats were absurd.

"Hm… in raw numbers, they might have double my base stats." Aionthra was strong, and her strongest Stats, at Level 199 and without Liu Shu's buffs, were quite ridiculous. Her <Aether>, especially, almost reached 4, 000, 000 points. For a non-Level 200 without powerful World Tree buffs, that number was just stupidly high. With Liu Shu's buffs, Aionthra might've reached around 7 to 8 million <Aether> at Level 199.

Remember that Rhazor, at Level 230, had around 9, 000, 000 main stat points with all his Level 200+ equipment. It showed that, if Aionthra had been able to participate in that war, Xakira's presence might not have been needed.

"Still… these people do not have Liu Shu's buffs within my <Dungeon>." This was not because Liu Shu was petty, but by design. If challengers could be overbooted by Liu Shu's existence while diving into the <Dungeons>, what was the point? Not to mention the Dungeon System, Liu Shu would not accept it! After all, <Dungeons> were like resource spots that could run dry if abused. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

If a <Dungeon> was cleared too often and without any deaths, the <Dungeon> would eventually collapse and disappear. So, Liu Shu didn't give the challengers of the <Eternal Trial Domain> her blessings. Aionthra saw them approach the <Echo Crystal Tiger> Mini BOSS, and paid attention. Only… Aurek drew his bow, and after releasing an arrow, the Mini BOSS was struck so hard its giant body flew a few hundred meters.

"Strong." Aionthra hummed. Unlike her first challengers, who used tactics to wear down the Mini BOSS, this group used brute strength and easily overwhelmed it. The Empress's purple eyes squinted as she saw them approach her first copy.

'Should I take over?' It was both an advantage and a disadvantage if she did so. If she took over and used her weakened skills, the group would get used to her attack patterns and have an easier time when facing her main body. If she did not control her copy, it would be defeated as easily as the Echo Crystal Tiger, giving them the four defensive structures.

'While the defensive structures are not everything when it comes to defending the World Tree, they are a cornerstone that will give tons of freedom.' While these people were important in Liu Shu's current empire, Aionthra would not hold any punches to annihilate the entire group. That was her pride as Liu Shu's daughter and BOSS Monster.

"... I will need to be a bit underhanded if I want to have an easier time. I'll exchange knowledge of my skills and attack patterns for some of your lives." While there were some aggro gathering skills that would prevent her from attacking whoever she willed, Aionthra was not fearful of being unable to hold up her own for a while, even with her weakened copy. So, in the end, she chose to give it a try. The group of explorers approached the area of Aionthra's copy, and soon, Riven, a male scout, spoke aloud.

"General Aurek, I've noticed the presence of a 20-meter-tall woman made of roots and purple crystal. Her demeanor seems somewhat different from that of normal monsters. What should we do?" Aurek pondered and glanced at Kaelen. Aurek was an archer, while Kaelen was a swordsman. Kaelen opened his mouth.

"An ambush should be good. Do we encircle her? From her attire and weapon that you described, the monster seems to be an Aethermancer or Soulmancer. Perhaps a mix of both." Lysera, the chief mage of the group, spoke up. Her honey colored eyes squinted as she used a sight-sharpening skill.

"... The aura of that creature is quite terrifying. Her control over the Aether Mana around her has reached a level I can't even comprehend." Aurek pondered and nodded.

"Alright, since that's the case, we should challenge it frontally. An ambush might backfire. High Aether Mana control means that its ability to grasp the environment and nuances is as high. If we are taken by surprise when we are separated, some of us might die even before we are aware of what happened." When Aurek chose that option, Aionthra knew that she couldn't continue to stall. So, a message that made them stiffen reached them. [Aionthra's will has descended into <Echo Of The Arbiter Number 2>.] The crystal and wood doll's eyes suddenly changed from glazed to ones full of vitality. Then, the giant woman around two kilometers away from them turned to look at them. Aurek's face changed.

"Prepare for contact!" Seven heavily armored frontliners stepped forward, followed by around 10 lightly armored melee explorers. Behind the group, the buffers raised their staffs, amulets, books, and other weapons, raining blessings on the group. This increased their overall strength by 30% Meanwhile, Aionthra's copy rushed at them, the 20-meter-tall woman's legs taking long strides as she rushed over while holding her equally massive staff. Aurek aimed and sneered.

"If you are a caster, stay back. <Cloud Piercing Arrow>." BANG! A loud shockwave spread from the force of the released arrow. When everyone thought that the spring woman would be hit, the world felt as if it had blinked. The incredibly powerful arrow passed through Aionthra as if nothing was there. Then, the massive woman jumped and slammed her aether staff onto the ground. BOOM! A large area of effect skill covered absolutely everyone, and a second later, the system began ringing.

[You've been affected by <Domain Of The Eternal Arbiter (Weakened)>.] [Speed -68%.] [Recovery -68%.] [Reflexes -68%.] [Casting Speed -68%.] [Time perception -22%.] [Debuff Duration: ∞.] Everyone's eyes widened in sheer terror.

"What kind of debuff is this!? Cleanse it!"

"It's impossible to cleanse, lord! Only skills of similar Tier will affect it!" Aurek asked, drawing his bow.

"What skill are you using!?"

"Lord, we are using <Mind Purity (A+ Rank)!" Aurek's face sank. If not even an A+ Rank specialized skill couldn't cleanse it, then this skill was most likely an S Tier skill. If they knew that the skill was a weakened SS Rank skill, how would they react? Aionthra's body shifted, appearing above them with the staff raised high.

"<Eternal Royal Decree: Collapse (Weakened)>."

"DEFENSE!" Some people reacted to Aionthra's quick casting, defending themselves, but many didn't. A pillar of purple light descended from the sky, striking everyone in the group. BOOM! [-4, 777, 000, 000!] (-47, 770)! (-0. 47)! Aurek's face hardened, and he shouted.

"Kaelen!" The man nodded, and his body disappeared, reappearing right before Aionthra's Clone.

"<Ten River Currents>." His sword flashed incredibly quickly, but once more, the world seemed to blink. Aionthra's figure, which was in front of Kaelen, shifted just enough to the right to avoid the attack.

"<Eternal Royal Decree: Shockwave (Weakened)>." BOOM! Kaelen was pushed back, together with everyone else. [You've been affected by <Eternal Royal Decree: Shockwave (Weakened)>. Defense reduced by 10% for 5 minutes.] [Corrected.] [Debuff timer increased to: ∞.] Kaelen stabilized midair, and Aionthra also moved back, avoiding the attacks launched her way. The Special Monster's figure shifted through space, appearing in the ground again.

"<Inferno (Weakened)>." Another massively large spell exploded from the ground, engulfing everyone. [-1, 988, 800, 000] (-19, 888) (-0. 19) [You've been affected by <Inferno (Weakened)>. You will receive 1, 444 <Phoer Body Cores> of damage per second for 3 minutes.] [Corrected.] [Debuff timer increased to: ∞.] Aurek glanced at those messages, and his heart sank again.

"Separate! Don't stay close to each other! Use mobility locking skills and barrage her! We must kill her quickly!" When that order came, the lips of the woman sitting on her throne and manipulating the Special Monster arched.

'Got you.'