"The sky and the water have both turned black… and those withered trees twisted like fangs and claws. This ominous atmosphere—what exactly is this…?"
"This is Vanarana of the Past, the place where the Nara Varuna and Aramuhukunda once fought against the Marana's Avatar. It is no longer suitable for life."
"That's terrifying… the Marana's Avatar—then let's defeat it ourselves!"
"So reliable. Then leave the Marana's Avatar to you all!"
"That's not right, Arama. It should be us."
"But… I can't defeat the Marana's Avatar?"
"That's not how it works!" Paimon explained with effort. "I can't defeat the Marana's Avatar either, but we're together—we're one whole. So don't exclude yourself."
"I see. I thought Paimon was really amazing."
"You… forget it, I won't argue with you. First, we need to find Aramuhukunda's body, right?"
"The Vasara Tree that Aramuhukunda grew into is very, very big—bigger than the Ashvattha Tree. It's just ahead. I can already see it."
"Where?"
Paimon looked around, but couldn't find the massive tree Arama was talking about.
Victor Wang reminded them, "You mean that broken ring of tree stumps that looks like a wall, right?"
Arama nodded. "That's right."
The corroded Aramuhukunda and the Marana's Avatar.
"Ah?" After confirming the target, Paimon clutched her chest and said with a bitter expression, "Even though the Vasara Tree was hollow to begin with… this corruption is way too severe… If we'd come any later, maybe not even the stump would be left…"
"So, returning to this body will cause Aramuhukunda extreme pain. That strange area in the middle is the Marana's Avatar. We need to defeat it as soon as possible."
As if responding to Arama's words, eerie dark-purple energy surged up from the tree stump that Aramuhukunda had become. Something like a shattered eyeball—the Marana's Avatar—emerged within it. It manipulated Aramuhukunda's body to form a shell, unleashing terrifying beams of withering light that struck down from the sky like falling thunder.
"This kind of attack… it's terrifying!"
"Arama is too timid. I'm not scared."
Paimon's words carried a hint of lingering resentment, but Nahida spread her arms, and a green barrier blocked the withering light. There truly wasn't much to fear.
Gales roared upward, surging against the Marana's Avatar's attacks, tearing apart its wooden shell. Another fierce wind followed, drilling into the cracks of the shell and clattering wildly along the avatar's core—ding ding dang dang.
"So hard…" Coordinating with Victor Wang, Lumine said, "According to the plan, we can't destroy it directly—but at this point, it doesn't look like we need to hold back."
"Then go all out."
The Marana's Avatar was indeed tough. Under the combined assault of Victor Wang and Lumine, its outer shell was completely shattered, and its core was heavily damaged. Yet it merely swayed once and recovered as if nothing had happened.
"The attacks… don't seem to be working?"
Nahida watched the battle with her head tilted upward. Seeing this, she immediately made a judgment. "It must have transferred its 'mind.' Only by destroying the vessel that holds its mind can we deal real damage to it."
"The vessel of its mind?" Victor Wang asked. "I sense several Withering Tumors nearby. Could it be those?"
"Very likely."
"Then I'll take care of all the Withering Tumors and leave the Marana's Avatar with nowhere to hide. You all hold it here."
When Victor Wang returned after completing his task, the Marana's Avatar had indeed already been beaten down.
Nahida was explaining, "According to the plan, the next step is… to awaken the Vasara Tree that Aramuhukunda has become. This step requires the use of 'Kusava.'"
"So, it's Kusava!" Paimon tilted her head, recalling their experience saving Aranakin. "I remember that the Kusava of Aranakin and the others could briefly awaken plants that died after being tainted by the Withering. Since Aramuhukunda is the very first Aranara, he should definitely be able to do it too!"
However, Nahida shook her head. "A healer cannot heal itself. Outside the dream, Aramuhukunda can no longer leave his body, so this can only be done by Arama."
"Huh? Arama can do something like that too?"
"This is just like speaking with trees—it's an ability all Aranara possess."
Lumine added, "But I remember Aranakin saying that Kusava is a temporary dwelling place for Aranara memories. Using it to touch the Withering is extremely uncomfortable and painful, and it consumes memories as well. Arama… won't that be pushing yourself too hard?"
"A-Arama can do it!" Arama said, trembling.
"Believe in Arama." Victor Wang encouraged him.
"I believe in you too, Arama." Nahida echoed softly, then continued, "The next steps are tightly connected, so let's confirm them one last time."
"While the Marana's Avatar is at its weakest, Arama will use Kusava to help Aramuhukunda recover a portion of vitality.
"Aramuhukunda will seize that moment and concentrate all his power into the revived part, allowing new buds to bloom.
"I will cut off the new bud and use my power to ensure it can continue to live.
"Lumine and Victor must immediately destroy the Marana's Avatar completely, restoring purity to this place.
"Finally, we will replant Aramuhukunda, granting him new life. That is the entire plan. If there are no issues, we can begin."
Everyone nodded, and the pressure shifted to Arama, who was responsible for the first step.
He first communicated with Aramuhukunda through the language of trees, then, while trembling with fear, released the power of Kusava toward a section of the tree's body. It was the most intense pain he had ever experienced since gaining memory.
Fortunately, Aramuhukunda did not keep him waiting long. From the revitalized part of the tree, a tender green branch sprouted.
Nahida plucked the branch, severing Aramuhukunda's connection with his corrupted body.
The paralyzed Marana's Avatar was, at that very moment, completely destroyed by Victor Wang and Lumine—reduced to nothing but fragments. With the source of corruption in Irminsul gone, this death marked its true end, and Vanarana of the past was finally restored to tranquility.
"Only after flowers wither can fruit be seen. Only after branches and leaves dry up can fruit fall. Only after fruit decays can seeds grow…"
Nahida's voice echoed across the land as she held the branch and placed it upon Aramuhukunda's old body, which had perished together with the Marana's Avatar.
"Decay is not the end. So, awaken, just as you once did—awaken from the corrupted soil…"
Nahida's power surged forth. The branch took root in the ground, growing as if stretching its body, until it finally became a small tree taller than a person.
"Thank you all. I will grow into a great tree here once more, and I will be able to reach Vanarana from the dream. I will no longer be alone, nor will I endure pain again." The reborn Aramuhukunda spoke.
"We succeeded!" Arama cheered.
"Yay, we did it!" Paimon cheered along.
Arama continued, "Let's go celebrate the Sabzeruz Festival! The festival where Aranara's Nara friends and Nara's Aranara friends sing joyfully together. Araja has been preparing for a long time. He told me to tell you once we succeeded—that it's a surprise!"
"Yay! Listening to Nahida sing, listening to Lumine sing, listening to Victor sing!"
"Does Paimon like listening to songs? All the Aranara will be there—everyone sings beautifully," Arama said.
"Can I just be in charge of accompaniment?" Victor Wang said, pulling out an erhu.
"Paimon, you have to sing too." Lumine grabbed Paimon threateningly.
Nahida smiled, quietly watching the scene unfold.
===BREAK===
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