Chapter 23: King of the green hell

Words : 1193 Updated : Sep 16th, 2025

Chapter 23 - King of the green hellI won. Against a Nexus Guardian. I was still not sure what a Nexus Guardian was, but it definitely was something big, something important to the system since I was also sure that it was the trial entity that the system indicated in an earlier notification. And against that monster, that guardian, I won. I was still in pain. After all, parts of my body was still injured, scorched and aching. First from the encounter against the Cinderrend Jackal, then straight to the clash against the Nexus Guardian. And yet, it was not just the euphoria of victory that I felt. After all, apart from survival, I changed during the battle. I evolved. There were so many new things about my new self that I was yet to explore; the Aphid Network itself, my Hive-Sight, the Symbiotic Command, and then the Royal Sporemark and my first Sporelink; my kin. It would take me some time to understand all the changes, and how to use them to become even more dangerous. For now, I was tired. And what do tired people do? Sleep. And rest. I was impatient to rest. And yet, before my tired consciousness could slip into hibernation, something changed. Something familiar and unfamiliar at the same time, something dreadful. The silence after Thryss's death did not last long. The very earth groaned, suddenly. Not near. Not far. It came from beneath. A pulse. No, several. Rhythmic. Massive. Like something ancient breathing below the crust. Then... KRRRRKHHHHHHHHH! A crack tore through the base of what was once Thryss's sacred basin. The soil split, black mist curling outward in chaotic tendrils. Glyphs pulsed in the rock; primal, unnatural symbols that hummed with malice and allure alike. DING! ~----~ [TRIAL NEXUS: UNSEALED] >Caution: All flora-class participants within range are now subject to Nexus Law. Nexus Guardian Present. ~----~ And then, I saw it. Emerging through the dark, a figure unlike any I'd seen. Not root. Not beast. Not bone. Metal. Armor fused with bark. A floral dreadnought. It had no eyes. Its crown of obsidian petals framed glowing symbols where its eyes should be. It turned its head, and looked directly at me. "Verdant Lord," it said, with a voice like cracking mountains. I shuddered at the sound of its voice, a feeling of deep dread rising from the depths of my being. 'W-w-What the hell!' 'What is this?!' All my instincts screamed in protest. It eyelessly stared at me. "You dare awaken the old order. Come then. Let us measure your worth". "..." Silence. Deep, painful, frustrated, suffocating silence. 'F*ck you!' I growled. By now, I thought I was already used to Echoterra. Without knowing it, I was already growing complacent; I was beginning to think that I could predict this crazy and demented world after all. A new threat comes after just defeating one, its part of my prediction. And yet, despite all that, this... this, I couldn't predict. This was beyond crazy. I just fought the Cinderrend Jackal, evolved, fought a Nexus Guardian, unlocked the full potential of my evolution, and yet, another Nexus Guardian? Even for a world as crazy as Echoterra, this was too much. This was next level. This was... madness! I felt rage. I felt despair. I felt deep frustration bubble within me. '2 consecutive fights and that's still not enough to get a moment to rest?!' I felt smoldering rage swell like a fountain, flooding my brain, setting it aflame. 'Arghhhh...!' 'F*ck Echoterra! F*ck the system! F*ck everybody! F*ck the world!' And yet, even in my rage, even in my frustration, even in my tiredness, I caught on to those words. 'Huh?' 'Trial nexus unsealed... what the heck is that?' 'That triggered a Nexus Law? What the hell is a Nexus Law?' 'Heck, what are the Nexus Guardians actually? What are the consequences of unsealing this trial nexus? What even is the trial nexus?' 'And what the hell is the old order?' 'Doesn't matter, I'm going to die... I'm about to die!' Even as rage flowed through my mind, contrasted by the rational thoughts also churning in my mind, I knew better than to focus on them if I wanted to survive 1 more day in this cruel world, this cruel crucible. Could I even survive? I don't know. And yet I had only one option, to keep on pushing till I die. 'I won't make it easy bastard!' And so, I focused. BZZZ! The Nexus trembled. I didn't know how I was still alive. My stalks were split and torn, blackened petals sagged with ichor and ash. From the battle against the Cinderrend Jackal to the brutal duel with Thryss, every inch of my being screamed for stillness. For rot. For rest. But the ground would grant no peace. Sёarᴄh the NôvelFire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Despite my dire need for rest to recuperate, despite my exhaustion, I was in hell, a goddamn green hell and in hell, there is no rest. No rest for the wicked. And so I focused on my new enemy, the Nexus Guardian. It was not a beast. Not a brute. It was a being sculpted from purpose. Its body was a colossal construct of thorned bark, metal, and pale golden sap. Vines lashed from its shoulders like spiked wings. An orb of glowing pollen floated in its chest like a second sun trapped in decay. Its head bore no eyes, only a crest of blooming symbols, pulsing in time with my own heartbeat. It towered like judgement itself. DING! ~----~ [System Alert: Nexus Guardian of Trial Sector 3 – "Verdant Archon" has manifested.] [Directive: Survive the Rite of Dominion] ~----~ 'Rite of dominion huh?' I growled. 'Well, who cares?' I snarled in my mind. 'It's simple. You want to kill me, I want to survive'. 'So come get me bastard!' 'Come kill me!' Fueled by desperation and the visage of death, adrenaline surged through my stem like a drug, filling me with mad power. But then... "Clayton of Thornkind..." It spoke! Well, this was actually its second time speaking. But the first time, I was just too exhausted and blinded by rage to pay attention but now, I did. It spoke, but no mouth moved. The voice seeped into the roots of my thoughts. "You've trespassed beyond your growth. Unsealed what was meant to remain buried". 'Is this because of my Aphid Network?' I was not sure. "I..." I tried to move, to respond. My branches twitched. My roots spasmed, pain rippled like wildfire through every limb. "I don't want to die," I rasped. The Verdant Archon descended. It didn't lung. It bloomed forward, each motion fluid, seamless, an overwhelming tide of technique and weight. Metal thorns shaped like scythes emerged from its arms. The air around it shimmered with pollen so dense it clouded thought. My response? I got prepared to die. 'I'm ready bastard!' 'Bring it on!'

Chapter 23: King of the green hell

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