"Impressive."
The Ice Empress took a deep breath. "It's not just magic power; the magicules throughout the entire forest are surging."
It was hard to fathom what kind of evolution Treyni was undergoing.
"Could Treyni be on the verge of a breakthrough?"
"Impossible."
The Snow Empress shook his head. "At most, she's at 990,000 EP. Until Damien awakens, Treyni can't become a True Demon Lord."
However, with this foundation, it would be far easier for Treyni to take the next step.
Once Damien became a Demon Lord, Treyni would be among the first of his subordinates to reap the benefits.
"Incredible..."
Artoria spoke up. "Is this what subordinate transformation entails? It's practically a leap to the heavens, isn't it?"
When it came to evolution, Artoria had a lot to say.
Originally an ordinary Heroic Spirit, she had defeated the semi-awakened Frey after receiving Damien's blessing.
Though the Voice of the World played a role, Damien was the true catalyst.
Similarly, Treyni's transformation stemmed from Damien.
"Unexpected."
Violet appeared beside Damien, her voice tinged with surprise. "Her compatibility with your Lord of End is remarkably high."
What was Treyni's essence?
Elementally, she was a Dryad, existing between wind, earth, and water.
Trees symbolized flora and life itself.
Unfortunately, bound by her sacred tree, Treyni could not attain true freedom, only able to wander as a thought projection.
Yet, under Damien's influence, she inherited one special skill after another.
[Treyni]
Race: Dryad → Celestial Spirit → ??? (To Be Determined)
Magicules: 990,000 EP (Semi-Awakened)
Unique Skills:
- Tree Herder (Designates an area to promote the robust growth of its creatures)
- Planter (Shares power seeds with others, continuously drawing nutrients)
- Desolator (Forcibly consumes others' abilities to strengthen herself)
Special Skills:
- Magicule Solidification
- Spirit Particles (A lesser ability derived from Stardusts, capable of nurturing and manipulating Elemental Force)
Ultimate Skill (Incomplete): Lord of Life (A lesser ultimate skill derived from the power of Lord of End)
Tree Herder
This unique skill's essence was to foster growth in all majins and magical beasts within the Jura Forest.
The longer it persisted, the greater the benefits the creatures received.
If this were her only ability, Tree Herder would seem like a selfless sacrifice, a thoroughly underwhelming role.
But when paired with Planter and Desolator?
Planter
By sharing power seeds with other majins and aiding their growth, Treyni could draw a portion of their magicules and gain a magic recovery boost from those majins during battle.
Desolator
Forcibly absorbs magicules within a certain area.
The stronger the connection between the magicules and Treyni, the faster and easier the absorption.
"Are these Treyni's new attributes?"
Damien found Treyni's unique skills formidable, surpassing even the combination of his own Capturer and Leader skills.
Planter's gradual absorption, Desolator's forceful seizure, and Tree Herder's overall enhancement.
Together, they painted the picture of a vast breeding farm.
Find livestock and seeds, nurture and cultivate them.
When they matured, it was time for the harvest.
Ultimately, all magicules would flow to Treyni, fueling her growth and propelling her to greater heights.
"Tch, tch, tch."
Damien praised, "This ability set is straight out of a villain's playbook."
Of course, he was only joking about the villain part.
Given Treyni's nature, she would never exploit others recklessly.
At most, she would use her power seeds to create a mutually beneficial situation.
"By the way, what's the deal with this Celestial Spirit?"
From a Dryad, she had evolved into a Celestial Spirit.
Since the Cardinal World had no such creatures, this was yet another new race born because of Damien.
"Evolved from a elemental."
"Evolution?"
Damien asked, "So, are Celestial Spirits superior to regular elementals?"
"Not quite."
Violet explained, "Elementals are spiritual life form, not part of the material world."
"Among the Ten Great Demon Lords, the Fairy Queen Ramiris was the Elemental Queen before her fall."
"Just as elementals can fall to become sprites, Celestial Spirits are the sublime evolution of elementals."
Of course, just as there's no hierarchy between elementals and sprites, there's no clear superiority between Celestial Spirits and elementals.
Their paths of development simply diverge.
"If sprites are elementals fused with the material, becoming half-spiritual and half-material life forms." Violet continued, "Then Celestial Spirits are elementals elevated further, becoming beings closer to the world's origin, the Stardusts."
"I define this power as 'Elemental Force.'"
Though called Elemental Force, it didn't imply the existence of Daemon Force or Angle Force.
At least not yet, as Violet hadn't designed these secondary energies until Damien creates true angels or daemons.
"Stardusts are the power of creation." Violet said. "Elemental Force, on the other hand, is a newly born power of creation."
Elemental Force symbolized life, capable of granting life to anything.
"If there's Elemental Force, then Daemon Force and Angle Force will likely follow."
Damien asked, "Violet, what do you think they'd be like?"
"If I were to design them, they'd likely represent chaos and order."
Natural Elemental Force, chaotic Daemon Force, and orderly Angle Force.
These three powers would be unique to Damien, unrelated to the Cardinal World's elementals, daemons, or angels.
Unless they joined Damien's ranks and received his naming, they could never access these powers.
While Elemental Force was lesser in quality compared to Stardusts, it was restricted to the Celestial Spirit, making it impossible to replicate or steal.
"How far Treyni can she go with the help of Elemental Force?"
"Miss Treyni might become the queen of Celestial Spirits."
"Lord of Life is quite a remarkable ultimate skill."
***
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