Spiral of Madness: Ascension of the Villainous Dragon Prince-Chapter 129: The Gardener [4] — A Never Thought Before Teamwork

Chapter 129: The Gardener [4] — A Never Thought Before Teamwork

"The Gardener is a resentful monster. When you defeat it, it invites you into its Domain and attempts to consume your bare soul. As you can tell, our bodies didn’t come with us."

"I see!"

"...Come."

Louis walked through the large crater in the emerald moon where he had emerged, climbing it and reaching the vast surface. He looked across and found it.

Or rather, it was calling them.

A giant tower made of vines, trees, plants, and flowers, with a gigantic red rose blooming at the top—revealing a giant eye eternally gazing at the starry sea.

Louis had died in this place in his previous regression.

But not anymore.

It was time for payback.

He knew the risks and still took them, having prepared ahead by consuming as many Fantasium Cores as possible to recharge his energy and redirecting it into his soul.

At this moment, Louis’s Soul Avatar blazed with Nirvana Flames. Everywhere he stepped, the plants burned and died.

Eventually, the Ruler of this Domain gazed upon him and Soma.

"What a beautiful flower," vines wrapped around Louis’s body, dragging him toward the Gardener. "My beautiful flower... My... flower?"

However, the moment it noticed a blooming red rose already inside Louis’s soul, the Gardener realized something was amiss.

Its power over Louis’s Soul was minimal—something else with similar authority protected him.

Both authorities were unable to overlap and ended up canceling each other.

"I am not your flower, you disgusting freak."

Louis’s soul suddenly grew larger. Soma watched psychic power emerge and wrap around Louis’s entire soul, beginning to transform his body into something enormous.

A giant dragon made of crumbly ashes, skeletal wings, and a long metallic tail burning with ghostly flames.

Even if this was only a fake dragon form possible within Domains like these...

Louis embraced his draconic heritage, always keeping his grandfather’s teachings in his heart.

"RAAAAAHHHHH!"

With a furious draconic roar, Louis charged—slamming his entire soul body into the giant pillar of flowers and vines, slowly forcing it to fall.

He opened his maws filled with sharp fangs and unleashed a breath attack of Nirvana Flames, beginning to burn the Grievance’s main body.

"WHY?! WHY DON’T YOU WANT TO BECOME MY FLOWER?!"

The monster roared furiously. Giant vines as thick as mountains surged from the ground, piercing Louis’s entire soul—yet he kept attacking.

Soma nodded, stepping forward. He understood Louis alone could never do this. He began channeling his mother’s powers once more—one last time.

Four enormous black arms manifested, made of inky miasma, with giant palms possessing glowing red eyes.

Soma leaped into action.

"May the Abyssal Mother bless your sinful being, Grievance!"

Using his gigantic fists, Soma slammed the massive tower, tearing apart vines attacking Louis and turning the hands into long black blades by fusing the fingers together.

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!

At the same time, Louis kept burning the creature, summoning Gungnir and his Ashen Frost Blade—cutting and impaling the massive thing.

"It’s useless...! MY GARDEN...! IS ETERNAL!"

RUMBLE!

However, to their disdain, the Gardener was incredibly stubborn. A shockwave of pure destructive Fantasium struck both Louis and Soma, throwing them to the ground and making their bodies roll across the moon’s craters.

The tower—even as it burned—slowly began to erect itself again, growing countless thick vines everywhere, resembling tentacles and redirecting them toward the two.

"How pitiful. Did you believe that only the two of you... could ever defeat me? My garden... shall spread all across your world... yes... you’re all pitiful, pitiful little pests... won’t be able to win... EVER."

Seeing the tentacled vines approaching, Louis smiled. "Yeah, I never planned on winning. I just wanted to create an opening for her."

"...?!"

BOOOM!

Before the Gardener could understand what Louis meant, a giant claw tore through the tower and split it open. Black miasmic sap poured everywhere like blood as Demonic Flames spread, burning the entire thing.

"GAAAAAHHHH! AAAAAHHHHHH! NOOOOOO!"

The Gardener screamed in horror and despair as it saw its entire moon beginning to burn with flames it could not extinguish—unlike Nirvana Flames, these were born from Entropy and Destruction.

Behind it, a giantess emerged—with six arms, red skin, long black hair resembling twisting black nebulas, seven eyes each gleaming with different colors, sharp white tusks, and a body combining the power inherited from her parents.

"W-What...! Grievance...! Not allowed here...! Begone...! Leave here!"

"I am not a Grievance; I am a human!"

The giant demoness roared, smashing her fists into the giant monster and burning it even more—engulfing it in an endless hellish inferno.

"GUUAAAAAHHH!"

The Gardener agonized while burning more and more. Vines emerged everywhere to defend it, wrapping around the demoness—only to burn or suddenly decay into ashes, withering to death instantly.

"A-Ah...! Entropy...! The Vessel of Entropy!!!"

The Gardener seemed to know about her. Soma gazed in awe as the giantess devastated the Grievance.

"Just who is she?!" he asked.

"That’s Mirai, this country’s strongest," Louis smiled, slowly standing up. "But she alone won’t do it. We must help her kill that thing for good. Soma. There’s no man I hate more than you, but even I’m not blind enough to ignore that I need your help. So stand up, and fight! That’s an order."

"Hohoh, oh my dear prince, you’re such a jokester!" Soma slowly stood up. "Well, I swore I would help you after you saved my life. Consider this me paying back part of the favor!"

He placed his six palms together, praying as dozens of black grimoires manifested, flickering their pages as giant black chains emerged and wrapped around the giant, monstrous Gardener’s true body.

"Oh mother! Give me the strength to restrain this evil demon!"

As Soma laughed while pouring everything he had—even his lifeforce and soul essence—Louis wasted no time. He charged the Gardener and smashed it with his draconic fists, punching holes through it while firing his draconic breath.

"NNNGGHH...! PESTS...! ALL OF... YOU...! PESTS...! BEGONE FROM MY GARDEN...! LEAVE AT ONCE!"

Desperate and without options, the Gardener attempted to send everyone back to their bodies and escape. However, it quickly realized it couldn’t. Mirai’s grip was strong and tight, and her flames burned faster and harder than ever. Its five cores—deep within the emerald moon—were being burned as her flames reached deep into the Gardener’s roots.

"NNGAAAAHHH!"