Chapter 1339: A Hero''s Sacrifice


    ?


    "No, Bark..."


    As the chaos around them reverberated with countless explosions and screams, Ivy and Bark remained immobile.


    For once, Bark had sacrificed himself to block Ivy from getting cut into two halves, being cut apart instead.


    Although Sylphy''s clone was being dealt with by Felicia, everything else around them seemed to have stopped.


    Ivy couldn''t believe Bark had just died in front of her.


    His internal organs, everything was shown.


    They were different than normal nts that could be cut down and regrown easily.


    Arboren were more simr to fleshy beings, but made of nt matter, than the viceversa.


    This meant that if they took fatal damage on their heads, hearts, or were sliced apart like this, chances were, they would die.


    She remembered all the memories she lived with the old knight, and how gentle he always


    was.


    Ivy felt slightly bad...


    She started crying as she looked at the old knight''s body.


    "I shouldn''t have treated you so harshly all the time..." she sobbed. "I''m sorry, Bark... I was so dumb... I was so stupid... I''m sorry..."


    As she continued crying, losing all her battle instinct and drive, suddenly.


    BA DUM!


    Something.


    She heard something.


    It was like the beating of a heart.


    BA DUM!


    She didn''t know what it was, but it wasing from Bark''s dead body. Or... not so dead.


    "B-Bark?"


    "Ivy..."


    His voice resonated inside of her head.


    A spiritual presence surged from within him, rushing towards her soul.


    "I... vy..."


    "BARK?! Is that you?!"


    "Take it..."


    "W-Wha...? What are you- Ah!"


    She suddenly noticed both halves of Bark changing, shapeshifting into roots moving towards her.


    "Before I die... my spiritual soul... please... take... my strength with you...!"


    "Bark! I-I can''t! You have to live... I can''t let you- "


    "Please... IVY! Don''t trample on myst wish! Our master is in danger... She''s confused, she''s afraid...! Y-You... as her hero... you must... respond to your goddess'' calling of help... do not let our goddess... sob...!"


    "Bark..."


    Ivy, who was the least loyal of the three heroes, quickly realized the drive and spirit of Bark, and walked towards him.


    As she sobbed, his roots embraced her body.


    "Is this okay?" she wondered. "I... This is my fault...!"


    "It''s not your fault...!" Bark roared. "I died on my own... ords! And now... you''re receiving my strength! Take it, Ivy...! You must fight... Please take it, the Oath of a Spirit Pdin, take it into your very heart...!"


    "I..."


    Ivy was still hesitating, but after noticing the chaos around her, she grew desperate.


    Even more when a fourth True Demon, much more menacing than the rest, surged from the Demon Gate and rushed towards the struggling Sylphy.


    She had no time to hesitate anymore.


    "Fine! FINE!" She screamed, still crying. "But don''t leave me...! Promise me that you won''t leave!"


    "I won''t... My Spirit shall live within you, my friend!"


    FLUOSH!


    ...


    "Gryahahahaa! You really did it, you bastard! You opened a Gate inside of that brat''s Dungeon?! Time to dine!"


    The fourth monstrous True Demon surged, its skin was dark blue colored, covered on ck horns, its head was long and aberrant, with a long nose, long and dry colored silver hair, and six golden eyes spread across its face.


    It had six limbs, four of them were like legs, and the two in the front had giant ck pincers like those of a crab, all while its tail had a sharp stinger simr to those of scorpions.


    "A-Agh...!"


    Sylphy tried to stand up and fight, but the miasma inside of her was constantly weakening her! She couldn''t move as she wished, falling to her knees again.


    At the same time, her Familiars weren''t responding, the miasma was covering her soul, closing the connection between her familiars, and somehow sealing them inside her Soul


    Scape.


    It was as if it was all a plot of the God of Dungeons, he knew this would happen!


    "You foolish girl... You''re simply going to get what you sought for," he smiled. "Death."


    "Dammit, move!"


    As Sylphy screamed to try to move, theughter of the fourth True Demone echoed, his giant pincers rushing down towards Sylphy.


    "Gryaahahaha! Thank you for the meal, you traitorous god!"


    CRAAASH!


    Sylphy closed her eyes, fully expecting to get split into two halves.


    However.


    The smoke dissipated, revealing apletely different scene.


    A tall woman covered on heavy ck and golden wooden armor, resembling steel itself, stood


    mightily in front of her.


    Using her bare hands, which were enormous as tall as her body of over three meters of height,


    stopped the gigantic w alone.


    The demon was furious!


    "Hah?! Who the hell are you?!"


    The Demon furiously swung its ws against her again.


    Only to be meet by a giant de made of zing holy mes and struck into the face.


    CRASH!


    "Gryyyaaaggh!"


    As the demon screamed, Sylphy reacted.


    "Huh?" Sylphy''s eyes looked at her savior in surprise. "That presence...! Ivy... and Bark?!"


    "As long as I live, nobody shall touch my goddess," Ivy said, with the knightly voice of Bark. The two of them had be one.


    Her hair had be long and spiky, resembling the spikes of nts, decorated with red and


    ck roses.


    The rest of her armor grew sharp metallic spikes out of her wood, and her hands were equally armored, while her entire Aura exuded the power of two Spiritual Heroic Soulsbined as


    one.


    At the same time, her Magic Circle had fused with Bark''s, and so all their abilities together! Her face was covered by her knight helmet, only revealing her two sharp emerald-coloredn/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    eyes.


    Sylphy remembered what had happened to Bark, gasping.


    "W-What... what happened? Bark is... fused with you?!"


    "There''s no time to exin," Ivy said. "But I shall assist you, my goddess."


    She swung her hand against Sylphy, as a beam of spiritual energy hit Sylphy''s heart.


    FLAAASH!


    "Ungh?!"


    The bright blue and golden light spread through Sylphy''s entire body, the miasma blocking


    her Soul quickly recoiled, stepping back.


    And in that moment, all her Familiars appeared again!


    "Sylphy!"


    "Dammit, she almost died!"


    "That damn demon!"


    "Kill it!"


    Sylphy was once more surrounded by her Familiars.


    And her body could somehow move better now. "Sylphy...! Your body is unstable, you have to let me help you!"


    And the voice of Curse reverberated within her body and soul. "Curse? What do I need to do to get this out of me?!"


    "You can''t... the miasma has merged with your biological body..."


    "What?!"


    "It is unlike anything I ever thought possible, and it was most likely nned by that god!


    However..."


    "Yes?"


    "However, there''s a way to take advantage of this, and perhaps even fully recover you back to


    normal... But you''ll need to make a sacrifice, an important one."


    "A sacrifice...?"


    Sylphy gasped, she didn''t want to lose any more of her friends.


    "It doesn''t involve your friends or anybody, it is a sacrifice of your own body."


    "What is it then? I''ll do it!"


    "You must shatter your Spiritual Heart and fuse it with my Curse."


    "What?!"


    Sylphy couldn''t believe it.


    Was that truly the only way to do it?!


    Yet... right now, was there even time to question him?


    Curse has been helping her this entire time. And it was quite clear his intention was to kill all the Gods.


    Both were allies, undisputably so! "Okay... Let''s do it!"