“A Nephilim of Root Root,” Emperor Adonis said, watching on a hologram within the throne room. General Kur stood beside him. “I wonder how it differs…”
“I imagine Nephilim around the world are watching this as well. Afterall, even the ancient roots derive from the original root of the world tree, dubbed Root Root. It may even give us a glimpse of how to access our own realms.”
“Do you remember how many Nephilim are able to access the realms their ancient roots lie within?” Emperor Adonis asked.
“I only know of three. Bishop 1 of Caladale, Matau, also known as the former number one illuminus elite that now represents the Axien Church under King. The unknown figure head of the mountain men high within the valley of Xinax, and that’s only speculation seeing as our knowledge is very limited; however, given they’ve been labeled as one of the four pillars of the world, it is likely they possess such an ability. And of course, the one we discussed the other day.”
“Perhaps after today, there may be another,” Emperor Adonis said, intertwining his fingers as he watched the fight commence.
The entire coliseum started to shake.
“Earthquake?!” someone hollered, causing many to panic; but then many large roots erupted from the surface!
They loomed high over Inari, coiling around her as if they were newborns and she were their mother. Stretching her arm out, the roots attacked!
They whizzed through the air, aiming right at Rai! He jumped as they crashed below, ravaging the ground before sporadically twisting up into the air after him. Flipping mid-air, he launched off a giant root that had nearly hit him, landing on the ground. Gazing down, “Below!” The ground burst open as another root lightly smacked him in his attempt to avoid it. Rolling through the dirt, he smacked his palm onto the ground, backflipping while landing back on his feet. The ground started to vibrate, prompting him to turn and run. The earth continuously erupted behind him as root after root emerged, aiming to skewer him.
“He can sense my ancient roots?” Inari said, placing her hand out to trap him.
Rai leaped back as another root burst in front of him; though he improvised by using the two as a means to jump back and forth between the two, rising higher into the sky. “Uh!” Another root of Inari smashed into the one he was scaling, sending him sprawling backward; in the distance he caught a glimpse of Inari staring directly at him from the ground in the same place as when the fight had started.
“You move around too much,” Inari said.
“You attack too much!” Rai said, smashing his fist into a smaller root, however, the root remained strong not even cracking. Rai land on a root suspended in the air that had come to an almost standstill. Hand pulsing red, he blew on it. “It’s as hard as the luminite.”
“The roots of the world tree aren’t something you’ll be able to crush with a simple flux-backed punch,” Inari said, lifting her hand as more giant roots target him.
Quickly launching off of it, he slipped between the crevices of many of them, trying to close the distance, but below another giant root burst forth, aiming straight for his gut. “Ikken!” Rai shouted, blasting the giant root to tiny bits. “How’s that for simple!”
“Did a human just use ikken?” a Nefarian in the crowd said.
“Can’t be… Gotta be something else,” another said.
Alderai watched carefully; Chozu had spoken to him of a human who could use the Kalumi’s secret ability, however he was still surprised himself.
Rai pulled his leg back, target a root nearby.
“Didn’t I just tell you attacks like that—”
“Will you shut up already!” Rai shouted, kicking the very surface of the root, rather than the entire thing, causing small bits to chip off, speedily raced her way like bullets. Another smaller root emerged in front of Inari to block them, however one got through, barely gracing her cheek while snipping a few strands of her long green hair.
“He got her!” Lily said, watching on the screen below the arena stands.
“It actually hit,” Rai said as he landed on one of the larger roots that had become stagnant.
The giant roots slithered into the ground like a snake would when entering a gopher hole after its prey, however they never fully disappeared back under the earth in the way Plu would when in its root form; instead, they mostly stayed above the surface, making the arena their home.
Inari, frowning, wiped the blood from her cheek. “I didn’t expect you to peel off the surface of the root as a means of directing an attack from a distance.”
“As much as I hate to admit it, I learned that trick from someone back in the slums when I was a kid,” Rai said.
Gazing at the lightly smeared blood and the few strands of hair in her hand, she stated, “A scratch and a couple strands of hair, what have you accomplished exactly?”
“Give me a break already. If you’re that eager for a haircut, the next one will be on the house.” Tapping the root beneath him with his foot, he muttered, “Can she only control a few at a time?”
“You wanted to know about Nephilim,” Inari said, just barely visible to Rai.
“Sure, if you’re offering,” Rai responded.
“When Nephilim access their roots, they almost always emerge as a root of the world tree, like the one you’re standing on. It’s only after inserting their flux that it manifests into their ancient forms.”
Suddenly, the root below him sprouted branches! Quickly grabbing it, the branch still managed to pierce the surface of his chest. Snapping it, he swiftly jumped toward the ground. “If I hadn’t snatched the branch in time, it would have drove straight through me...” Many leaves and flowers bloomed all around him, blocking his view of Inari. Looking around, it was like being in the jungle. Hearing leaves ruffle behind him, he swiftly turned, only to see a floating lu-cam.
“No need to worry folks,” Otto announced. “Our lu-cams will continue to record the fight, feeding it in real time to the projector above.” The tournament board that displayed the match ups, instead revealed the entire arena, at times showing multiple screens, or switching between the two competitors in order to catch the best angles of the fight.
Walking through the jungle, Rai heard more ruffling behind him. “You mind moving the camera elsewhere,” he said turning around, however to his surprise, a creature with a flower as a head rushed him. It’s disc, located in the center, peeled backward, revealing teeth as tentacles shot out, wrapping around Rai’s leg. He yanked it toward him smashing it into the ground, causing purple blood to splatter everywhere. “Where did that come from?” Not long after, many more came running from the shadows. “Crap!” Rai said, running in the opposite direction.
“Hey, those are terrorpetals,” Alan said. “What’re they doing here?”
Rai rushed through the jungle, suddenly passing through a field of screeching orchids. Their piercing sound caused him to cover his ears in pain as he passed through them. Stopping short of a looming shadow that came from above, he gazed up noticing an earthbreaker yew tree. Its one of many large hammerheads were slinged back, in the same way a plastic spoon would be when flinging something from it. It would detach when it got heavy enough—and this one had reached its max size! Snapping off from the rest, it smashed down. Rai jumped back as the ground cracked and a terropetal was splattered behind him. Many more shot out their rooted tentacles, ensnaring Rai. “Can’t move!” Luckily, another of the large bulky hammers from the tree detached, smashing down as well, killing many holding him. He sensed something in the distance, rolling to his left, a large root tore through the jungle, directly past him. “Stop hiding!” he shouted into the abyss. Racing forward, flux vine creeper vines slowly followed him, revealing his position to the many plants running around. They followed where flux force flowed the strongest, which at the moment was Rai. Tripping on a small protruding plant, he became entangles in gravity vines, which were suspended in the air, steadily rising over time. “What the hell’s going on?!” He struggled to get loose from the gravity vines as he was lifted into the sky, however, it did bring him out of range from the many small plants below.
Outside of the jungle, Inari stood patiently. Lifting her hand, she said, “Got you,” but before she could do anything a plant creature known as a snapblossom appeared, running at her with its long green mouth. A root emerged from the ground severing the head of the thing—yet it still came at her! Climbing over the root, it lunged at her, causing Inari to dash to her left. From the jungle another appeared, but Inari stopped in place, using a large root to smash them both against the floor.
“This is insane,” Ayame said. “It’s like the outside world of plants have all gathered within the arena.”
“Hey guys, sorry I’m late,” Chloe said, appearing beside the rest. “How’s the match going?”
“Not sure,” Jack said confused. “The jungle seems to be against them both…”
“The chaotic nature of this jungle, I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s even more puzzling than your magic Mu,” Marco said.
“It is quite the trick indeed,” Mu said, watching intently.
In the throne room, Emperor Adonis asked General Ku, “Is this a realm?”
“No… When entering a realm, you no longer stay within the surface world. This is something else entirely.”
Inari, gazing at the lu-cam that hovered near, said, “Root Root allows me to summon the essence of any type of plant that could ever be produced, however, which appear, and the will of the plants themselves, are completely out of my control.”
“Kind of sounds like a wild mage,” Eiji said.
“Wild what?” Hanabi said.
“I main it in Baldurs Grove three; the characters are amazing,” Eiji said, clenching his fists to his chest.
“Game of the year,” Alan said, nodding.
“I prefer Eldin Root,” Neptus said.
“Guys…” Hanabi said.
“Basically, it’s a mage who can use crazy types of magic, but they have a chance to cause randoms spells to fire off, which can either be very helpful or very dangerous, depending. You might get stronger because of a power buff, or you might summon a chimera and get your face torn off.”
“Way to encourage,” Rina said.
Chloe gazing into the arena, “So there’s no telling what Rai’s up against?”
Hanabi clasped her hands together, bringing them close to her lips. Ri Ri…
As Rai was lifted to the sky, he noticed what looked like a large football head on the tip of an old withered tree, Slowly, the head turned a full three-sixty. It’s smile slowly spread before spewing a sticky liquid, sticking him onto a thick root behind him. “What the—?!” Its bark slowly turned a shade of purple as its vines slithered toward him. “I’ve had enough of this! Plu!” he shouted, and a large root burst from the earth, smashing the head of the plant off and digging into its hollow stomach, obliterating its core. “Quick, get me loose!” Rai said.
Plu, in its root form, nodded, rushing over to Rai as the tip of its wooden head gazed at the sticky substance. The root rubbed against the sticky material, attempting to saw away at it, but instead it got stuck. Yanking off, the root slouched in defeat.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“Try to escape this time,” Inari said.
“Plu! She’s coming!” Rai shouted.
Plu looked backward, seeing two large roots crushing the trees on their way to them. Panicking, Plu wrapped around the tree Rai was fixed to, snapping it off and carrying him away as the two larger roots flew by. Plu weaved in and around the jungle carrying Rai and the severed tree stump, avoiding many roots emerging from the depths of the jungle in attempt to get them. Noticing a flame-wheel tree in the distance, which had twelve rotating stems, each with a ball of fire at the end of it (much like a clock) it carried Rai over, tossing him towards the fire. “What the hell Plu!” he shouted before smashing into the fire-wheel.
“Ouch,” Lily and Daichi said.
Kenji chuckled seeing this, meanwhile Haruki and Gaius watched carefully.
Lying in a small crater of the fire-wheel tree that was now completely destroyed, Rai’s entire face down to his feet was charred black. “Plu… we seriously need to work on our communication…”
“Mecaw!” noises echoed below.
Looking down, he saw rootspore chimps hastily climbing his way.
“Get out of their Rai!” Alan said. “The spores on their heads explode, producing a paralyzing effect. He’ll be a sitting duck at that rate.”
“Plu, get Inari!” Rai jumped onto a giant flower nearby, but then it fell straight to the ground, like an elevator descending at a rapid rate. Daisy drops. The rootspore chimps lunged after him, but when Rai jumped off the flower, and one of the plant creatures landed on it, it rocketed back into the sky, causing the many rootspore chimps that had also jumped down, to get launched into the sky elsewhere.
“Phew…” Hanabi said, placing her hand on her chest.
“Inari! This is getting real old, are you going to fight me or what?!” he shouted, but strangely enough, he couldn’t hear a single thing. Lying on the ground were hushweaves. Plants that are known to create pockets of air in which no noise can emit. Crap?! Sensing danger from behind Rai lunged out of the way when while a large root nicked him, tearing his coat. “I just got this fixed dammit.” Again, he jumped, dodging another. “If it wasn’t for this weird sense of mine, I’d be dead by now. I can’t hear them coming at all,” Rai said, racing through the jungle yet again, until the sound returned, however as it did, a strange plant nearby exploded, causing a burst of wind to send Rai hurdling into a thick tree where he spat up blood from the impact. Gazing up, Inari was still on the attack! Rolling over, he narrowly dodged another root, however another smaller one appeared, smacking him and sending him soaring through a couple smaller trees. Struggling to rise, three more suddenly appeared in the distance. Rai jumped back, “Crap, can’t avoid this one!” he closed his eyes, lifting his guard, however he just so happen to slip into a boomi pod, immediately teleporting him out the end of another boomi pod elsewhere in the jungle. Lying on the floor, breathing heavily, he said, “This… is ridiculous.”
Outside, Inari’s hand was outstretched as she attacked Rai again and again, but then the ground erupted beneath her. “What?!” It quickly wrapped around her, yanking her into the forest. As the jungled flew by her in a blur, she said, “It’s the same root as before.”
Sitting on a log, with one leg folded over the other, Rai. “Looks like Plu got you,” he said, gazing up at Inari who was coiled within Plu’s grasp. “Good job Plu.”
The tip of the root, nodded, as if to say ‘thank you.’
“What is this?” Inari said. “The ancient roots of the world tree known as Root Root, are supposed to be under my control, and this is definitely one of them. Yet, I can’t control it at all.”
“Its name is Plu, and it’s my partner,” Rai said. Standing, he walked over to Inari, “Give up, it’s over.”
Inari smirked, “You should have asked your partner to use the thicker end of its root to ensnare me.” Bit by bit, the root wrapped around Inari expanded, before Inari busted out, causing the large root to fall limp. “Enough games,” she said, retracting all the plant life around into the original root root’s lying around; any remaining creatures simply died off, withering into dust.
Rai jumped back, “Damn. I totally forgot about Nephilim’s freakish strength.”
Tanabe, who was on a mission elsewhere, watch the fight on a tv screen. “Rai… I told you to watch out for this.”
Before Rai’s fight was set to commence, Tanabe met up with him. He was sitting in a chair placed backwards with his arms folded along the top of it, saying, “I hear you’re facing Inari in the tournament.”
“Yeah, not exactly the luckiest draw,” Rai said, kicked back on the small couch of his place. He casually tossed a small ball into the air, catching it as it fell.
“Nephilm, I hear you.”
“Think your grandpa could give me any pointers?” Rai said, throwing the ball toward Tanabe.
Catching it, Tanabe muttered, “Doubt it. He keeps most of his abilities as secret as possible, being the general and all. But I can tell you one thing. For being as old as he is, he’s got incredible durability and strength, and this is without even having a flux guard up. A quality of the Nephilim no doubt.”
Appearing out of thin air—a Plus!
It startled Rai who flipped backwards, taking the couch with him. The little blue fairy giggled, before vanishing. “What the heck is a Plus doing here?!” Rai said, lifting his head from behind the couch.
“Uh… To be honest, this one in particular has been following me around since you lost your memory…” Tanabe said, placing his hand on his head. “She must like you. She’s never shown herself to anyone.”
“Aren’t those supposed to be super rare?” Rai said.
“Apparently,” Tanabe said, tossing the ball back at Rai who caught it. “Anyways, I’ve got a mission southeast of the Kalumi woods. There’s a Minus causing a ruckus around some small villages and I’ve been tasked to deal with it. Be careful in your match. Nephilim aren’t to be taken lightly, I would know.” Having trained with his grandpa every day as a child, he definitely knew more than most.
Beneath Inari, a root emerged carrying her into the sky and away from Rai, back to the ground where she was originally at the start of the match. “Here’s another fact of the Nephilim,” Inari said. Under the arena, Gaius smirked watching the fight. “Our cores can handle a lot more than anyone else!” One by one, the ground erupted along the sides of the arena, wrapping every inch of the walls, even peering into the stands which were a hundred feet high. The roots that were already present from the fight before, lay motionless, making up the entire arena floor themselves, however these ones didn’t move.
Watching on another screen, Tina and Adrian, the couple who helped him up the stairs earlier watched cautiously from their home.
“Plu, you still with me?” Rai said, looking around at the roots littering the floor to see if he can spot it. Nearby, a root lifted its head, looking left and right before spotting Rai. “I think its time we try that out,” Rai hollered. The root nodded, retreating into the ground before reappearing as a much smaller root, wrapping around Rai’s foot.
“Farewell, imposter,” Inari said, and all the supersized roots crashed down at once.
“Rai!” Hanabi shouted.
When the dust settled, Inari gazed at the spot Rai was, however he wasn’t present.
“Up here moss head!” Rai shouted, falling from the sky.
“Lucky dodge!” Inari then continued the onslaught, but Rai simply was too fast, dodging everything she threw. “Uh!” Appearing in front of her, Rai. A medium-sized root emerged to stop the attack, but his leg smashed right through it, slamming his foot into her and sending her flying back.
“Ouch,” Rai said, shaking his leg off. “Plu, I’m gonna need a little more reinforcement.” In turn the roots wrapped around Rai’s legs grew a bit thicker.
“That’s more like it!” Eiji shouted, waving a flag with Rai’s face on it. “Woo!”
“Get up Inari, we’re just getting started!” Rai said.
Inari, rising from the ground, gripped a root with her arm, rising toward the sky, before flipping up on it. Lifting her arm, roots attacked, however Rai disappeared, reappearing in front of her, delivering another crushing kick that sent her across the arena into her own root below. “So fast,” she said, sending everything at once.
Rai jumped, ducked and dodged again and again, smashing through smaller roots while avoid the giant ones. “To slow,” he said, appearing in front of her, and smacking her around the arena numerous times, before kicking her to the sky. Jumping up, he clasped his hands together, smashing down, sending her plummeting into the ground.
The giant roots looming over the arena, fell limp, causing the arena to shake as they hit the floor.
“The fights completely changed in Rai’s favor!” Rina said.
“He’s gotten much stronger,” Aegis said smiling.
Rai, landing on the ground, breathed heavily before gripping his chest, spitting blood on the floor. He gazed at the roots wrapped around his legs, his vision slightly blurry. Standing upright, he watched as the dust cloud slowly dissipated, waiting to see the outcome. In order to use this ability, I have to push a ton of flux force into Plu. Asking Plu to give me a little be more firepower, was equivalent to me using many ikkens…
“Is it over?” Seppe said. Looking to his right, Kiku was sleeping. “How can you sleep during such a match?!”
“Guys…” Peon said, as the floor started to vibrate.
On by one, the roots that had become the new arena floor, snapped in half, and all the roots lying around stood upright, revealing the dirt floor once again. “I’ve had enough…” Inari muttered, blood trickling down her mouth. Since Inari couldn’t pull her roots back into the ground, snapping them in half, was her best option. Now, roots were quite literally everywhere.
“Dammit,” Rai said. “That’s Nephilim for you I guess.”
“Let’s see you dodge all these!”
They smashed down, and Rai jumped high out of the way, however another smacked into him sending him hurdling into a root which smacked him as well. Smashing through a half-torn root, he jumped off another, leaping between small and giant roots. Inari had placed many roots before her, making it difficult for him to get to her. “Ikken!” Rai shouted, and a large root was torn to bits as he launched off another toward Inari, but one above hit him, sending him straight into the ground.
“You won’t get away this time,” Inari said. She had left a root on the ground, which steadily coiled around Rai, in the same way he ensnared Inari.
“Shit! Ikken!” he shouted, aiming at his feet, blasting him and the root, propelling himself backwards.
“He hit himself with ikken?!” Neptus said.
Rising from the floor, barely, Rai huffed, blood dripping down his arm.
Inari was slightly in shock. “You would use such an attack on yourself.”
“No… choice…” he said. Thankfully Plu’s reinforcement on my legs prevented them from getting torn off… More roots crashed down, causing Rai to jump high. He noticed many more arriving mid-air, quicker than he could do anything about.
“It’s over,” Inari said.
“Plu, quick! On me!” Plu, as a root along his legs, swiveled up to his hand, forming a short spear of sorts. Not long after the smaller roots of Inari, wrapped and coiled Rai yet again within the air. Bit by bit, they worked their way up his body. “Take this!” Rai shouted, throwing the wooden spear with all his might.
Inari raised her hand to place a large root as a means of defense, however, a kick resonated from within her core, causing her to spit up blood; and the roots failed to rise in time to defend her. As a result, the wooden spear, smashed through the smaller defenses. Her eyes opened wide, but the spear just barely missed, only slightly slitting the side of her neck while completely chopping off her long green hair, to the left of her head.
“He missed! Awh come on you had her!” Eiji said.
“You wanted it to hit?” Neptus said, slightly worried.
“Well, not exactly…” Eiji said, nervously.
“You missed your only chance to win this,” Inari said, as the roots wrapped Rai up toward his head.
Before they could completely encase him, Rai muttered, “Hope… you like the new cut,” smirking as the roots wrapped him entirely, head and all. Inari, shook, remembered a moment earlier in the match, when Rai stated, ‘If you’re that eager for a haircut, the next one will be on the house.’ Not long after, slowly the roots unraveled. “What the?” Rai said, as he was gently laid down.
“What gives?!” Kenji said, watching Inari let Rai go.
Inari, gazing at her long green hair on the ground, which practically touched the floor prior to it being chopped off, said, “You missed on purpose…”
“Well yeah. I wasn’t about to kill another apprentice just for some tournament,” Rai said. “I’ve got a lot of dreams I’m trying to accomplish, I’m sure you do too. Ultimately, we’re supposed to be here to support each other, right?”
“Pathetic,” Gaius said under the arena stands, no longer watching the fight.
Reezo leaned back, recalling his moment with Inari, whom he chose as an apprentice.
They were standing out in the open field where Inari was testing her abilities against him. Rising from the floor, clothing tattered, Inari walked away from Reezo. “Is that it?” Reezo said.
“There’s nothing more to show,” she said. “You’re stronger than me, for now.”
“Inari, you should know strength isn’t everything.”
“Strength is the only thing that determines one’s status in this world,” Inari said, leaving.
“Dreams,” Reezo said, causing Inari to stop in place. “Strength can determine a lot, but it’s our dreams that are the driving force behind that strength.”
“And how can one achieve such dreams if they are too weak to do so?” Inari said.
“They’re made easier to achieve, when you have others who are willing to support you. Someday, I believe you too will come to realize this.”
Inari, thinking it over, cracked a light smile, shaking her head slightly as if to disapprove. Looking up at Otto, she said, “I forfeit.”
“WHAT?!” the arena full of people said.
“F-forfeit?” Rai said, surprised.
Inari didn’t answer, instead exiting the arena.
“Um… that was unexpected.” Clearing his throat, Otto announced, “Lets hear it for your victor, Rai!” and the crowd erupted with cheers.
“Ri Ri, you did it,” Hanabi said smiling.
“That’s my bro in there!” Eiji said, waving the flag with his face on it high in the air.
Once Inari departed the giant roots withered away, dispersing into dust that floated away into the air. The holes that would have been left, instead were filled with the wood, making the surface of the earth flat once again. The only holes were the ones the roots slammed directly down into when Inari aimed to attack Rai.
Rai gazed around at the many people within the coliseum. “I.. won?” Suddenly a smile emerged on his face, leaping high into the air. “Alright!”
“Well done,” Marco said.
Under the coliseum where the fighters normally would be, Inari walked down a long dark corridor by herself, when Reezo appeared. “So, have you found your dream?” he asked.
Inari, stopping short of the exit, glanced back, saying, “Not yet… but, these fights given me a lot to think about.” She continued to walk toward the exit, before stopping once more. “Thank you, Reezo. I look forward to our next sparring match,” she said turning, revealing a confident smile.
Reezo in turn smiled, turning the opposite direction. “As do I Inari.”
Rai, reappearing with the other combatants, hobbled over to Lily.
“You did it!” Lily said. “How’re you feeling?”
“Like a squashed potato,” he said.
“You should probably see Hanabi before your next match,” Lily said. “You’ve got time, considering the time it’ll take to repair the damage.”
“Good thinking,” Rai said.
“Will the next contestants, please enter the arena!” Otto’s voice boomed from the speakers.
“What?! Already?” Lily said. They both gazed at the projector, noticing Knox, the number eight elite whose hands were placed on the surface of the arena. All the holes created by Inari's attacks were filled with gold.
Sighing, Lily gazed at Rai, “See you in the semi’s,” she said.
“You bet,” Rai said.
“You’ll be seeing her in the hospital,” Kenji said, bumping Lily as he brushed by.
Outside, Lily and Kenji faced one another, with Otto once again standing in between them both.
“Alright Lily, you got this,” she said to herself.
“Just look, today the world gets to see just how useless of a Nefarian you really are,” Kenji said.
“What they’ll see, is me pummeling you to the ground,” she replied.
“Oh, a little fire in you I see. Can’t wait to snuff it out,” Kenji said, departing to his corner.
“Hm,” Lily said, turning as well.
After Otto and the apprentices got into position, he said, “Begin!”