The sounds of the earth breaking could be heard as the seed sprouted roots that began tiny but which quickly began to grow. These roots shot out through the ground, rapidly expanding into a slowly growing network to draw in nutrients.

These sounds could be heard all over the vicinity both within and outside the bounds of the homestead – countless seeds were sprouting all over the area!

"Lars… D-don't worry… The Sun Lord will surely defeat the monster and save us! S-surely, surely he will!" Luca subconsciously tugged at Lars' sleeve as she spoke. He wasn't sure if her words were supposed to comfort him or if they were to console herself…

Nonetheless, Lars felt a warmth from the girl who had already endangered herself to keep him safe and protect him – not that he actually needed her protection in the first place, but her sincerity and aura of a big sister were something that touched his heart.

"Thank you, Luca��� Don't worry, I'm sure we'll make it out of here safely…"

'Even if this Sun Lord doesn't save us, with the damage done to both sides and the insights I've gleaned from their fight… Perhaps crossing the threshold to the Mythical realm and the power of laws won't be such a great challenge after all…' He calculated his odds of defeating the peak-Mythical treant and slowly formulated his own contingency plans, coming up with one after another and discarding those that were too uncertain.

One thing he was sure of was that the Sun Lord's conscient's full-power attack had used roughly 70-80% of his power. He wondered if the Sun Lord still had anything left in the tank. If that move earlier could not wipe out the rotting treant, what would…?

'If I could obtain such a power… I *MUST* study the Terra Root's powers… Then I would have a nigh-invincible life-saving technique... Wait, what if I—' Lars gulped as a crazy idea suddenly popped up in his mind.

'What if I *DEVOURED* that treant…? Ugh… It'll taste terrible, but… I'm suddenly hungry just thinking about eating it…'

Lars felt the greed rising in his heart. Not just the Sun Lord's pillar of light, not just Earth Pulse, not just the power of distortion – he wanted all of the abilities both under the sun and above it – he would grasp them all!

He glanced over at the Sun Lord as his lips parted slightly and traces of saliva wet the corners of his mouth. Perhaps the Terra Root wouldn't be any good for the palate, but the Sun Lord however…

He licked his lips discreetly, trying to still his raging desire to EAT. However, he did not let his expression betray any of these thoughts as he watched the Sun Lord's conscient's grim expression at the sight of the revived foe.

As the Sun Lord drew near Lars and Luca, the voluptuous girl fell to her knees and bowed prostrated before him.

"Lord…! I, your devotee, am not worthy to be graced by your presence…!" Luca spoke reverentially. Then when she noticed that Lars was still standing up straight cluelessly, she reached up and tugged on his sleeve hard, pulling him off balance.

Getting the hint, Lars, too fell prostrate and managed to copy Luca's words, "Divine Sun Lord, I, your devotee, am not worthy to be graced by your presence."

Nodding in approval, the Sun Lord's conscient reached down to raise Lars up to his knees. Then his fingers brushed Lars' forehead where the mark of a sun in the shape of a clock was hidden, causing Lars' senses to flare up.

However, the Sun Lord then merely nodded again as he smiled gently and spoke, saying, "Chosen one… You won't know how long, how many thousands of years I have waited for you to be born into this world…!"

Then his expression grew serious once more and he added with a sigh, "Just… I regret to say that… I fear that I may not be able to protect you right now… For I, as just a fragment of my main self, am unable to destroy this opponent…"

"L-Lord! But, but that's impossible… Divine one, there's no-one who can—" Luca immediately blurted out, nearly raising herself up but catching herself just before she did so. However, she was cut off mid-sentence by the divine being – albeit in a gentle but commanding tone.

"Silence, child. It is not your place to speak. You will have your part to play as well."

The Sun Lord stepped through the bubble and placed a hand on Lars shoulder. Strangely, though his body was burning with flames, Lars did not feel any heat.

"Chosen one, you are the one foretold in my prophecies of the millennia. You will be the rising sun of I, the Divine Sun Lord's new era…! You will be like the second coming of my greatness, uninhibited and irrepressible in your glorious might!"

Lars looked on with a look of innocence, but also with apprehension at those words. However, in his heart, a sense of suspicion was rising. Nonetheless, he played along with the Sun Lord's spiel, mouth opening in awe and falling face down again to bow before the Sun Lord's conscient.

"M-my Lord! I, I am unworthy of such an utmost honour! I will do my humble best and pray that Lord, in your grace, you will find my service acceptable! But Lord, if I may ask just one question…" Lars' looked up, keeping an innocent look on but with slyness in his heart.

"…What is it that gives me the greatest esteem of being the Chosen Child of Light…?"

Hearing that, the Sun Lord smiled with a look of gentleness and a touch of reminiscence as he chuckled.

"Chosen one... Seeing you reminds me of myself when I was your age… One that is beloved by the laws of the heavens and the earth… One that is kissed by the Divine Light… And yet, you have something that I never had…"

Just then, Lars could sense that the Sun Lord's gentle smile had another hint of something else behind it. Not just the fond look of a parent towards a child but…

'More like a chef when they lay eyes on a prized cow to be fed, reared and slaughtered…' Lars' eyes flickered for a moment, but he remained bowed and said, "I am unworthy, Lord! In no way can I compare to your greatness, Lord!"

"Alright, enough small talk. I will send you away. Look for my high priest, Sunil. I believe that even in this age of decline and the rise of darkness, my Divine Sun Lord's temple is still known throughout the realms, you should have no trouble finding this era's high priest."

"As for myself… I and this child here—" the Sun Lord looked at Luca momentarily before continuing, "—will stay behind to contain this creature."

Instantly, Lars frowned. If he were sent away, how would he devour the conscients of the Sun Lord and the demi-G.o.d…?

'This won't do… I'll need to pull a little trick…'

Continuing the act, Lars shot up with a look of horror, saying, "Lord! No, you cannot do so! It should be I, your child, who sacrifices myself for your safety! Let me stay, Lord, while you escape to the heavenly realms!"

"Shus.h.!.+ Innocent child, you are kind but foolis.h.!.+ Don't you know that even if this conscient is extinguished, all I will lose is one puppet and some power? Even the memories can be recovered once my full body is healed!"

The Sun Lord firmly placed a hand on Lars' shoulder and spoke without leeway for discussion.

"Your job is to survive, grow and bring glory to my name! You will be my second coming and share all of my power and greatness – but not now. For now, you must go!"

"…Yes, my Lord, your servant… Shall obey!"

"Good… Let's begin before that *thing* fully recovers."

One divine conscient began an esoteric chant and weaved threads of laws as the boy kneeling before him a.n.a.lysed, understood and began to form counter-measures to reverse the Divine Light runes of teleportation forming around him.

'Complex… But�� It truly seems that the formations of this world are several notches lower than Earth or Yiluo – even a G.o.d's rune arts are only at the Legendary realm…' Lars watched as the Sun Lord completed his chant and then injected a strong flow of Divine Light into the formation, causing it to come alive.

"There, it is done. The teleportation should begin in half a minute. Chosen one, you won't be able to move until the transportation spell is completed, however, you'll also be immune to harm."

The Sun Lord, satisfied that Lars would be sent away safely, turned over to Luca who was still kneeling, hands clasped in front of her lap and trembling in awe.

"Now, child, I will need your help." 

"Y-yes! What would you require, my Lord…?" Her face lit up and practically shone at the honour of being able to please her G.o.d.

"Child, I will ask of you a truly great sacrifice. However, I believe you have been raised well by my Divine Beast and priestess Mash'noth. Child… Are you willing to lay down your life for me to vanquish this creature of darkness…?"

"Yes my Lord! I would do anything for you! For the light!" Luca's eyes were practically ablaze and, in her pa.s.sion, she shot to her feet and looked up towards the fiery eyes of the Sun Lord's conscient.

"Good, good…! I see that Elder Mash'noth raised a good daughter… Then, child, you'll need to…"

In the last second before the teleportation was to start, Lars' mind froze as a bone chilling scene unfolded before him.

"Die for me here, child..." The Sun Lord smiled peacefully as his arm tore clean through Luca's chest.