The Veiled Celestial Arboretum, as the name implied, was a large botanical expanse that served as the first layer of the shroud, enveloping the entire Forest of Gardenia.
To venture deeper, one had to deal with this area first.
Fortunately, Agatha was familiar with the entry procedure.
After all, her master was responsible for a large portion of its creation. Though… while she did have a hand in its creation, she didn't complete it alone.
As it stood, Wykins weren't the only people skilled in creating protective enchantments.
There was a reason the Fairies didn't face such an unfortunate invasion. All things considered, their location was lauded as one of the most secure places in Xenith.
"Follow me closely… otherwise this arboretum will attempt to swallow you whole. Should that happen, even I'll have a hard time getting you out," Agatha voiced.
The Veiled Celestial Arboretum was designed to thwart the invasion of powerful characters, such as the Lords of the War Deity Council. But most importantly, when activated fully, it could also hinder the council leader, who held the title of the War Sovereign.
Some said he had some relation to the true War Deities, but such a claim remained unfounded given the quandary of verifying it. The interactions of the deities inside Xenith were minimal at best, which was why its current condition was as such.
As per Agatha's instructions, Kieran followed closely behind, almost clinging to her body given how slow her steps were.
With each step taken, Agatha kept her Wykin state active, surrounding herself in a sea of mystic energies to mask Kieran's unusual presence.
Though he might also be a Mystic Runemaster, Kieran emitted the presence of a human. Since his Ascendancy had yet to begin, he could only be considered superior to a typical human, but inferior to a genuine High Human.
A genuine High Human would have undergone a Spiritual Sublimation. On the other hand, Kieran's remained in a locked state.
Until he could complete the criteria alone, or learn how to impersonate a genuine Wykin, Kieran's current situation remained… obscure.
As he traversed the arboretum behind Agatha, Kieran took in the vista that made up his view. Upon closer inspection, Kieran realized the varying shades of green indicated differing levels of defensive mechanisms.
Depending on the strength of the intruding party, certain parts of the arboretum would react, intending to remove them from the area.
The only way to avoid this was to bear a symbol granted by the Elven Race themselves or… like Agatha, understand how to circumvent the veil's activation.
"How long did the creation of such an intricate veil take?"
"If I recall properly… more than one hundred years. Though, this was after the Lady Enchantress regained her power and was assisted by the Queen Mother," Agatha replied.
When Kieran heard her mention of the Queen Mother, his eyes lit up strangely. 'Another character on par with the true upper class of this world—the leader of the Fairies. Though they're not a combative race, they wouldn't suffer many losses if they were to participate in a war.'
As Kieran recalled this information, he also remembered his first experience after his rebirth. 'I never did ask the fairy's name, but her suggestion to meet the dragons has stuck with me. do any even reside with Xenith anymore?'
Curious, Kieran brought up the question with Agatha. "You're familiar with at least some of Xenith's history, correct?"
"I suppose that's correct. I wouldn't claim to be knowledgeable about all… but I'm more learned than most," Agatha said in response, gradually coming to a halt.
After exhaling, she glanced over her shoulder. "Quiet for a few moments, please. We're at a dangerous impasse that requires all of my focus."
As Kieran listened, he glanced around.
Despite being attentive at all times, Kieran somehow failed to notice when their surroundings changed. If he had to describe it, the arboretum from before was freely flowing and sparsely littered with trees.
It was unlike now, where there was an abundance of them.
Moreover, these outrageous trees—both in number and size—formed an impenetrable cage that couldn't be tackled through normal means.
'Just what level is this veil at that my True Unveiling Eyes failed to detect any such change? This is precisely why I couldn't muster the courage to visit the Elves alone. In comparison, the Wykins wasn't too bad of a venture,' Kieran thought.
Unlike the Wykins, Kieran had heard many stories of players attempting to pierce the Veiled Celestial Arboretum and gain entry to the Forest of Gardenia.
Unfortunately for them, despite sacrificing tons of one-use magic items, entering the forest proved impossible and many players either lost their lives or became entrapped.
Thus, the territory of the Elves soon became known as No Man's Land. Meaning, as long as one possessed a human-type race, entering the territory was impossible.
This—as sad as it was—was the aftereffect of a human-led blood feud.
As Agatha focused on creating a mystical cipher to deal with the task at hand, Kieran's ears twitched, leading him to furrow his brow.
Upon glancing around, Kieran detected movement in the distance, followed by a rustling of foliage that increased in volume.
Something was swiftly approaching.
Kieran habitually summoned Crimson Ashrune and narrowed his gaze at the rustling in the distance. Since it was within his sensing range, Kieran expected his Retaliatory Sense to go off, but it didn't.
This discrepancy naturally led to bigger questions in Kieran's mind. 'Is it not an individual?'
For Retaliatory Sense to activate, a hostile presence had to enter Kieran's sensing range. Aside from that, the presence also required signs of life associated with breathing organisms.
But most of all, due to the nature of Kieran's power, the target required a beating heart that circulated vitality.
If the opponent had no vitality, his passive wouldn't activate.
This was a weakness that not even Kieran was aware of because he had yet to go against such an opponent while relying upon this ability to assist him.
All of a sudden, numerous vines as thick as Kieran's arms shot through the foliage and streaked toward him. Soon, the air was filled with blurs of a grayish-brown and greenish-black color.
Clang! Clang!
As Kieran slashed his blade twice, his eyes widened.
During the final moments of his attack, two small detachments appeared from the rapidly moving vines. By the time Kieran could react, it had already impacted his raised arm, puncturing the muscle.
When it came to sharpness and density, these vines were a match for the current Crimson Ashrune!
"Could it be?" Kieran muttered.
Taking a closer look, Kieran realized that because of Agatha's deep focus, parts of the mystical energies she produced to mask his presence were fading away. Or more precisely, she was exhausting her energy at a frightening rate.
"Well… this isn't ideal," Kieran muttered, grimacing.
"Vim Restoration!"
Left with no other choice, Kieran activated one of Blood Mania's special abilities, rapidly healing his damaged arm until the hole disappeared, leaving mangled and recovering flesh.
Approximately one second later, as soon as his arm recovered to a decent degree, the vines that passed his body returned.
However… considering how close he was to Agatha, Kieran could only do what he truly didn't want to do—separate from Agatha to avoid breaking her focus.
Whoosh!
After performing a powerful backstep, Kieran created further distance.
"Fury Rush!" "Grand Stomp!"
Rather than retaliate against the vines, Kieran chose to avoid them as best as possible. After his earlier attempt to defend against them, Kieran had verified that these vines had no Health.
It'd be pointless to try and defeat them if they continued to draw power from this immense veil.
Thus, his only options were to last until Agatha opened a pathway and cling to her or risk interrupting her altogether. Given his personality, Kieran naturally chose the former.
Bang! Bang!
Kieran continued to evade, making use of his Accel Shift and Surge Step Techniques to narrowly avoid a collision with the vines.
At this point, the vines seemed more like earthen snakes than they did vines.
As he looked to the side, Kieran witnessed a tiny opening forming before Agatha. Through the small opening, Kieran laid eyes upon a seemingly breathtaking sight.
Sadly, he had no time to marvel at what he saw.
The moment Agatha succeeded in advancing to the last part of opening a portion of the veil, the vines multiplied in number.
If the slightest hint of tampering was sensed while an intruder was detected, the veil's defensive measures would automatically increase a few notches.
'I suppose this would be a decent time to check how my progress has affected me in here,' Kieran thought.
A moment later, his body began to release a strange and almost imperceptible fluctuation. As it appeared, Kieran's Flawed Soul discharged traces of energy that helped him refine the use of his momentum.
Fwoosh!
With a single step, Kieran's body flickered and landed with a light tap. Compared to before, the distance he moved was much smaller.
On top of that, the aftermath of his movement wasn't as sloppy.
'A bit of stumbling. Oh… I like this,' Kieran inwardly muttered, a pleased grin forming on his face. 'Compared to the first two, this Enhanced Drive, though far more taxing, is nifty in creating a combat style.'
「 Technique Name: Enhanced Drive: Phantasmal Flicker
Grading: ★★★☆
Description: An independent movement technique that allows the users to instantaneously increase their movement speed (MAX: 1000%). The higher the movement speed increases, the harder managing the aftermath of the flicker becomes (consumption increases with every subsequent use).
Note: When used at perfection, one should be as soundless as a phantom strafing through the gloom.
Consumption: Stamina and Focus 」
Compared to the First and Second Drive, Phantasmal Flicker could serve as a basis for a combat style, which was a form of fighting unique to a player.
If one could succeed in creating a style, the rewards would be phenomenal.
Unfortunately, it wasn't as straightforward as creating a Technique.
As Kieran continued to employ the Phantasmal Flicker Technique without stopping, the vines were suddenly stopped, held in place by mystical bindings that emerged from space.
"Stop playing and come along child," Agatha's voice sounded, pointing at the finished entry point.
Noticing its completion, Kieran put away Crimson Ashrune and sighed in relief.
