Earth's Greatest Magus

Chapter 2673: Sacrifice

Twik had always been one of Emery’s most treasured companions—a sentient plant creature he treated like his own little brother. Emery had watched him grow from a sapling into a formidable force, Stage 9 now, his power rivaling the mightiest desolate beasts.

When danger loomed, Twik didn’t hesitate. Without a command, he surged forward, roots expanding and thickening into an interlocking lattice of wooden armor. Massive tendrils burst from his body like spears, wrapping around the walls and curling outward to form layer upon layer of living shields. Some roots twisted through the air like serpents, aiming to snare Kronos and his twin temporal phantoms before they could reach the fragile line of defense.

But this was no ordinary enemy.

Each of Kronos’ phantoms shimmered with temporal distortion, exact physical replicas of the Grand Magus himself—wielding high-grade scythes imbued with cosmic energy. Every strike they delivered carried not just raw force, but time-splitting devastation that tore through Twik’s defenses like blades through paper bark.

"KUANG!!... KUANG!!"

Wood cracked. Bark exploded in splinters.

"TWIK—GET BACK!!" Emery’s voice broke with desperation, but it was too late.

But the sound of his panic only seemed to excite Kronos further. The phantoms moved in tandem, chopping through Twik’s limbs like executioners felling trees. Meanwhile, Kronos himself stood at a distance, chanting a temporal spell designed to halt Twik’s natural regeneration, freezing his healing ability entirely.

Twik let out a guttural groan, his glowing green eyes flickering as more and more of his wooden armor was torn away. Yet still, he didn’t retreat. The brave plant creature anchored itself like an oak in a storm, enduring the pain, refusing to let Kronos break through.

"HAHAHA! What a loyal pet you have here!" Kronos sneered.

Emery was torn. He couldn’t leave Morgana or Vayarel; both of them were in critical condition. One misstep in their healing could be fatal. Gritting his teeth, he pushed his focus to activate another layer of spell, a temporal accelerator to speed up the process.

But Kronos’s laugh cut through Emery’s concentration.

The scythes had struck true—deep enough to expose Twik’s main body.

Emery immediately sent out his Elysian roots to intervene, desperately trying to push Kronos back. He managed to force the two phantom clones to retreat, but Kronos’ real form managed to close in.

"Now watch this!" Kronos shouted with glee, raising his scythe high. With a single, devastating swing, the blade cleaved straight through Twik’s neck.

CRACK!!

"TWIKK!!" Emery’s soul screamed as he watched Twik’s head sail through the air. His wooden body crumbled, shattering into splinters and limp root fragments. 𝙧Á𐌽ꝋ₿Ë𝓢

Only one thing remained—his glowing life core, hovering in the air like a fragile ember of hope.

Emery’s eyes widened in horror. His instincts kicked in.

Breaking down what was left of the protective wall, he unleashed all the Elysian roots he could muster, sending them surging through the air. They wrapped tightly around the core, shielding it as he prayed it wasn’t too late. As long as it remained intact, Twik would still have a chance to be revived.

Just as he began to pull the core toward him, one of the phantom clones surged forward, scythes ready to destroy it.

But then—

FWOOSH!!

A blazing whip of fire cracked through the battlefield, instantly searing the phantom clone’s arms to ash. The force of it was enough to stop the killing blow in its tracks.

Morgana had returned.

She hovered like a burning comet just beyond the scorched roots. The cosmic fire pulsed in her chest, wild and raw, barely restrained. Though her control over the primordial flame was unstable, her unwavering tenacity burned brighter than ever.

Morgana’s burning eyes locked onto Kronos. With no time to waste, she raised her hand—and the air trembled.

A torrent of searing fireballs was thrown, each one an explosion of cosmic heat and destruction. The attack came fast and relentless, pushing all three versions of Kronos backward, forcing them to retreat under the storm of divine flame.

"Urghh... she just won’t die, will she?!" Kronos growled, shielding himself as best he could, his expression twisted with frustration and fear.

Behind all the flames, Emery’s arms protectively wrapped around the glowing core of Twik. His expression was grim, yet resolute. Channeling the ancient energy of the Elysian Tree, he began the incantation for his spell—[Rebirth].

The roots around his body shimmered with green-gold light, cradling the fractured core with utmost care. In response, faint strands of life began to weave from the core outward, forming the beginnings of a new plant body. Tiny leaves sprouted, and vines curled, slowly reconstructing the plant creature.

Emery exhaled in relief, sweat lining his brow. It would take time, but Twik could live again.

At this time, Morgana appeared ready to end the duel once and for all.

But just before she could advance, Emery intervened, and another presence hovered at his side. Vayarel. Still wounded, his movements sluggish, but consciousness had returned to his gaze.

The battlefield shifted.

Kronos’ expression turned pale. He wasn’t sure he could handle Morgana—let alone all three of them together.

Emery, filled with fury, stepped forward and growled, "He’s mine."

He didn’t need to say more. Morgana understood immediately. She turned her blazing gaze toward the other side of the battlefield, where Livi and Dark Emery were being overwhelmed—both caught in a critical situation under the crushing power of Talaro’s domain.

Her cosmic flame would be their best hope to stop the dark elf’s growing dominance.

Without hesitation, flame wings burst from Morgana’s back, searing through the air as she took off in a trail of blinding fire. Vayarel followed closely behind.

Now only two figures remained.

Emery turned back toward Kronos. "It’s you and me now."

As he spoke, his Twilight transformation surged to life—silvery fur spreading across his limbs, glowing runes igniting across his skin. They shimmered with divine resistance, his entire form pulsing with a calm, deadly power that even Talaro’s freezing domain struggled to suppress.