The walk back to Vrimor was surprisingly pleasant. Luka had taken a more scenic route than the way he came. Along the way, he was able to see evidence of great battles waged long ago. He noticed massive craters, huge gash marks, and broken rock and soil. The ground had taken the brunt of the war's damages. Some of them had plant life growing in these ruins, which was proof of their age. They likely originated from the beginning of the war, when the fighting was most fierce. Back then, hundreds of humans, angels, and monsters died each day. Their bodies now feed into the cycle of life.

When Luka reached the city, he noticed the many mass graves which were just outside its castle walls.

It's not noon just yet. Guess I'll have to wait.

"And then Heinrich struck down Black Alice, his attack shaking the very earth," Luka explained.

"Hmm, then what?" Salamander asked.

"He ascended to heaven, supposedly. With Black Alice dead, the hero was rewarded by Ilias for his brave deeds."

"But that's not what really happened, right? That's what you said earlier."

"Yeah, those were actually lies fed to us by Ilias. In truth, Ilias had saved Black Alice from death, so she could control the flow of dark energy in the world. Heinrich was enraged by this and decided to go to heaven himself. He ended his contract with the spirits so that Ilias would not hurt them. He was given the sword 'Angel Halo' by Lucifina, who forged the weapon herself. He fought against Ilias, managing to take down scores of angels alone. Unfortunately, his body gave out, and he died. His soul was trapped in the Sealed Sinner's Prison. Thankfully, before his death, he had a child, who continued his line until my father, Marcellus, was born. But that's another story" Luka answered.

"That's quite the tale. And this happens five hundred years from now?"

"Yeah, well, it should," Luka said.

Before the spirits could ask any more questions, Omori appeared. Luka put down the anti-observation barrier he had put up earlier. Thankfully, the Scylla had not noticed anything, thanks to it originating from holy magic and not dark.

"Omori, how'd it go?" Luka asked.

"Oh, Luka. It went fine. Vrimor is sort of similar to San Ilia, except they have monsters instead of angels. I gathered as much information as I could. For one, it's the only fully monster-controlled city they have. Remina is only partially controlled by monsters. It's been under monster rule since the beginning of the war. They use it as a home base of sorts for their army. It's also multi-racial," Omori explained.

"In terms of the treatment of humans, it could certainly be better. I saw some slaves walking the streets and many human beggars. Overall, though, it's not as bad as Yamatai, as there are some free humans."

Human slaves... ending the war is not my only goal. Now that I've gotten all the spirits, I'm confident enough in my fighting ability to any humans I find. At this point, I could probably take an ancestor alone. Although I may have to resort to 'that'...

"Alright. By the way, I got Salamander." Luka said, "So, who is the ruler?"

"That's what I've been trying to figure out. It's almost certain to be an ancestor. My bet is on Kanon. Kanade doesn't like the air in the Gold Region, preferring to stay underwater or in the Noah Region, so I'd doubt it's her. Saja is like a bodyguard to the Monster Lord; Tamamo No Mae is still in Yamatai; Hiruko isn't here; otherwise, I'd recognise her scent. Minagi may be ruling the city, but seeing as how there is only a light lewdness, I'd say that's unlikely. Kanon likes this region, as far as I know at least. Plus, one of the monsters mentioned her, even calling her queen, although it was an alraune, to be fair." Omori answered.

"Kanon, the ancestor of flora and alraunes. She's meant to be tough. But now that we have Salamander, I'd say we can take her. Do you know where she is, Omori?"

"She's probably in the main castle. We can't exactly walk right up to her and start a fight, though. This morning I thought of a plan for how we get you in, although I'm not sure you'd be a fan of it."

Luka listened as Omori explained the plan to him. His face slowly disintegrated as he heard more and more details. Omori had bought some 'gear' for Luka while she was in the city. Even worse, Luka knew there was no other option that would not risk them having to fight the whole city. Luka sighed, did as he was told, and together, he and Omori entered the city.

It had been a long day for Riya. She had just spent the last two hours solving a dispute between two dragonkin over a human male. Both desired to keep him as a mate but refused to share with the other. Fighting quickly began, and Riya had taken a fair few hits as she and the other guards attempted to calm the two down. Riya was thankful for her harpy heritage as she flew back to the battlements. She made some small talk with the others there as she laid down on her perch.

Another day goes by, and nothing has happened. I'm a harpy knight, for Alice's sake! I should be out there fighting those damn angels! But nooo, I have to stay here and protect the city. Just because Kanon's too lazy to do it herself. What's the point of all this waiting? We have enough strength now to fight Ilias and her pawns. She'll pay for killing our queen!

Riya continued to fester in her hatred on her perch for the next hour. She had thought of every reason there could possibly be to hate angels in that time and only stopped because she noticed two people approaching the gate. One was a boringly ordinary-looking Scylla, while the other was an especially small human. She had estimated he was no larger than a fifteen-year-old boy. The boy was wearing a pair of handcuffs along with some other shackles around his body. He had a cloth covering his mouth so that he could not speak. His purple hair was ruffled up, but he was not dirty.

Another slave? Isn't that the same girl I saw leave ten minutes ago? Where did she get that boy?

Riya continued to watch as the two were let through the gate. She came down from her perch to get a closer look at them. The boy's collar was well worn, although it strangely had no leash.

He must be fairly well trained if she trusts him not to run off. But I've never seen him around here before. Could he be from Yamatai?

Riya was intrigued by the young slave. She decided to approach the pair and see if she could enjoy his services. Only if his owner was okay with it, of course. Although he looked to be of high quality, and his scent... Riya knew this would not be cheap.

But it's been so long now since I last did it. I need some relief, and I've saved up a fair amount of cash.

"How much?" Riya asked.

"Huh? How much for what?" Omori responded. Riya was standing in front of them, blocking their path.

"For the boy, of course. How much for a few rounds with him?" Riya asked again. Omori, realising what she was asking for, slightly blushed as she responded. Luka said something, but neither could understand him through the cloth.

"He's not up for rent right now. I'm here to deliver him to the queen. He's a gift from Queen Hiruko." Omori explained, "If Lady Kanon were to find out he had already been drained, she would be outraged."

Sent to Kanon? That means... This is my only chance!

"Wait! Please, just- just one time!" Riya begged as Omori attempted to walk past.

"I told you no. Have some restraint, geez." Omori scolded the harpy. Riya deflated instantly, slightly ashamed of her actions. Without another word, Omori 'walked' off. Riya sighed in defeat.

Dammit. Looks like I'll have to find someone else...

Riya flew into the air again, heading back to her battlements. This already bad day had only gotten worse for the unfortunate harpy, and she had no idea just how much worse it would get.

Omori and Luka continued to walk through the city. Riya had not been the only one to ask for Luka's services, but Omori had refused them every time, using the same excuse as before. Luka felt strange in the slave gear, and although it was certainly uncomfortable, it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. He pushed away the strange thoughts he was having and instead focused on the mission.

"Quite popular, aren't you? Omori said.

Luka tried to respond, but with the makeshift gag he had on, it came out garbled.

"Guess I can take that off now." Omori proceeded to take off the gag, allowing Luka to speak.

"Thanks," Luka said.

Luka and Omori looked at the large castle in the centre of the city. If they were unsure of the queen's identity before, all doubts were lost when they saw the immense amount of plant life that grew on the castle walls. Vines seeped through cracks in the bricks, flowers bloomed on the ground surrounding the castle, and large bulbs were hanging from some of the walls.

"That's where Kanon keeps her prey. She slowly digests them over time, sometimes dragging it out for days. Like the other ancestors that eat their prey, she does not discriminate between the races. Monster, angel, or human, all are prey for her. She's been in charge of reducing the infighting in the monster lord's army, and her solution is this." Omori explained as she pointed a tentacle at one of the bulbs.

She even kills her own kind, just like the Canaan sisters in Plansect.

Luka looked at the pulsing bulbs with horror. Kanon was known to dissolve prey alive, and Luka had seen it done before through other alraunes, but this was on a whole other scale.

There are at least 50 bulbs here, and she's just resting! How much could she possibly need to eat?

The Caanan sisters said they could live off photosynthesis but chose to eat people since it was more fun for them. Is Kanon the same? As an ancestor, I'm sure she'd need a lot of energy. But there's got to be another solution than just eating people alive! It's sick!

Luka was disgusted by the thought that he was watching the end of so many people's lives. From his perspective, all they amounted to was food.

Is this the standard for the people of this world? Omori doesn't even look surprised, although I can tell she also disapproves of it.

Luka and Omori moved past the bulbs and entered the castle itself, using the same excuse one more time. Luckily for them, once inside the castle, it was only a bit further until they reached Kanon.

"She should be just in here. I should probably tell you some more about her before we go in, though." Omori said, "As you know, she's weak to fire, and she's also vulnerable to poison. Thankfully, I just happened to buy some especially potent poison earlier. It won't be enough to take her down or anything, but it might help. One more thing: her nickname is the 'Green Dragon' for a reason. There's a rumour that when Kanon is really serious, she transforms into a hideous plant-like beast. Her power is at its peak when she's in this form. If we're serious about taking her down, we'll have to be ready for it." Omori explained.

"Omori... you don't have to come, you know," Luka said.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I can sense your fear. It's natural. I think I can do this on my own, and I don't want to see you get hurt" Luka said.

"...No" Omori responded, "I want to do this. I know I'm just a random Scylla... but... this is wrong. The ancestors—Alipheese, Ilias—all of them are destroying the world! They can't be allowed to continue. So, I'll help you. You don't get to choose!" Omori said.

"...I see," Luka sighed. "Fine then. But you better not die on me... I'll never forgive you if you do."

"Then you better make sure you protect me," Omori said with a small smirk. Luka smiled as well in response. The two then approached the throne room gate.

"State your business," A Succubus guard asked.

"I'm here to deliver this morsel to Kanon. It's a gift from Hiruko." Omori explained

"I see. Alright, we'll take him in. You can go." The guard responded.

Luka looked back at Omori as the guard took him. He offered no resistance as he was pulled into the throne room. In the centre lay a great throne, which was typical of a castle. What was not typical was the number of plants and flora sprouting from every available surface of the room. Luka saw a large hole in the back of the room, which allowed rays of sunlight to fall upon the throne.

Sitting on the throne was Kanon. She was a large alraune, with a very gifted chest. Luka noticed this but quickly diverted his attention elsewhere. The room was surprisingly pleasant-looking. Almost like a park, or the Monster Lord's Garden. The ancestor looked passably bored until Luka entered.

"My Lord. Lady Hiruko has sent you this boy as a gift," The guard explained.

"Ohhh, has she now? I'll have to thank her later then, since he looks so delicious," Kanon said as she licked her lips. Luka was nervous at being called delicious-looking, and his worry only increased when the guard left.

Luka looked at the ancestor once again. She was sitting on a strange cross between a flower and a throne that had vines feeding into it. The throne was also connected to her. Omori explained earlier that the vines brought the nutrients she harvested from the bulbs outside into here, and were then absorbed by her. This is how she feeds on multiple people at once while also being able to simply relax on her throne.

"Now, boy. Come here. I'll make sure your end is as pleasurable as possible~." Kanon said with a wide grin.

Luka looked as the plants near him sprung to life, revealing a large Venus-fly-trap-like organ. Luka, deciding it was time to break the act, summoned the power of the earth and broke the handcuffs he was wearing.

"Huh? How'd you do that?" Kanon asked. Luka drew Angel Halo and backed up from the plants.

"Hmph. Going to fight back, are we? Well, do try to entertain me," Kanon said while smiling. Luka saw a plant suddenly try to wrap around his legs, but he jumped back in time to dodge it.

"Let's go! Everyone!" Luka said as he summoned all four spirits at once. He swiped away at the multitude of plants that attempted to nab him. He then heard the door to the room open and saw Omori standing there. He also noticed the two guards slumped over on the floor. It appeared that Omori had dealt with them herself.

Why does an ancestor even need guards anyway? Well, it's not important right now anyway.

Luka imbued his sword with fire and began to strike at the plants.

"Hah! Fire! You bastard!" Kanon shouted as her plants shrieked back. Luka looked as the fire spread, but the burned plants were quickly regenerated.

This must be what they meant by high vitality. But if I keep burning and cutting, I should be able to bring her down!

Omori watched as Luka zipped around the room. She saw arcs of flame appear in midair and then disappear. He was moving so fast that it looked like teleportation to the young Scylla.

So, this is the power of the spirits...

Omori observed Luka dodge attacks he had no way of seeing and pull off manoeuvres that no normal human could do.

Incredible...

Omori realised that she was still standing at the entrance to the room. She quickly began to join the fight.

I can at least reduce the number of plants attacking him.

Omori used her tentacles to crush some of the vines and other flora that attempted to attack her or Luka.

Luka silently thanked Omori as he continued to burn Kanon.

"Damn it! Stop moving around!" Kanon shouted in anger. Luka did not stop, and kept destroying plant after plant. Eventually, he decided to go for the main body and leapt towards Kanon.

"The jaws of the Rakshasa come to make the wicked pay!" Luka shouted as he summoned his mother's power. The attacks were now far fiercer, and he even began forcing Kanon back. Kanon grimaced as she watched her plants be destroyed.

"Damn you! This was all some trick; I bet Hiruko sent you here to kill me! Well, I'll show her I'm not to be underestimated!" Kanon said as she summoned a wall of plants towards Luka. Luka did not dodge the attack in time and was instead forced into the wall. Luka felt his upper arm get tangled in a vine and watched as more plants approached.

"Hehe, this is the end, boy. You fought well," Kanon snickered. Luka, choosing not to give up just yet, cut the vine that was trapping him and, at the same time, jumped off the wall straight into the plant's jaw.

"Huh? What are you doing?" Kanon asked.

"Cutting through time, space, and reason!" Luka shouted as he cut the plant in two. Kanon looked at the severed remains with both shock and anger, but while she was distracted, she failed to notice the Scylla that had jumped onto her back.

"Take this!" Omori said as she dropped a full bottle of poison down Kanon's mouth.

"Urgh! Poison! You'll die for that, runt!" Kanon said as she attempted to grab Omori. Thankfully, Luka had grabbed her first. He took the Scylla off the plant and dropped her to the floor. He then protected them both as Omori stood back up.

"You two... You're really annoying me, you know that?" Kanon said as she coughed a little from the poison. "And now you're forcing me into this hideous form..."

"I'll make sure you die for that," Kanon said as she began to transform. Luka told Omori to run as the transformation started. Omori had done her job, and now it was up to him. Omori did so, and Luka reinforced his spirit power once again.

Kanon's body began to change shape rapidly and exploded into a new form. This new body included a large, monstrous plant that was larger than the room itself. Luka watched as the walls buckled under the pressure and only hoped Omori made it out safely. Once the transformation was complete, Luka could no longer see Kanon. Her main body seemed to have assimilated into the larger plant. After a few seconds, Luka saw many, many plants attack him at once. He cut through them expertly, using his complete mastery over the blade to sever each one. He heard a large screeching noise and noticed the colossal Venus flytrap above him. It was so large that he had no hope of cutting it, and it was moving towards him dangerously fast.

Gah! Damn!

Luka winced in pain as the distraction cost him a few cuts along his body from the thornier plants. He decided dodging the attack was the best alternative and ran out of the room extremely fast. The jaw continued to chase him as he ran through the halls, all the while the castle began to crumble above him.

She's destroying the whole castle, and she doesn't even care! All she wants to do is kill me!

Luka continued to run as fast as he could until he made it outside.

"Luka!? What... What is that?" Omori said. Luka looked up to see the massive plant that now covered the entire castle. Huge vines had engulfed the building, and what was left of the castle was now being further destroyed whenever it moved.

"Luka, you're bleeding! Can't you heal yourself!?" Omori asked.

"Not right now! It would cost too much energy to heal; I need to use it to fight!" Luka explained. "Run, Omori! Try to get everyone out of the city!"

"O-Okay! Be careful!" Omori said as she began to run. Luka turned his attention to the abomination he would soon have to fight.

This reminds me of when Ilias showed her true form... although Ilias was far stronger. But still, Kanon is no joke. If this continues...

Luka's thoughts were interrupted when the floor near him began to crack. The foundation of the castle was collapsing. Luka backed up and looked at Kanon. His gaze was returned by the ancestor, who was also looking at the hero.

"Now, die," The plant spoke with a rough, monstrous voice. Kanon's body shifted and turned towards the hero. She prepared her most powerful move. She brought hundreds of vines, thorns, stems, and other flora and prepared all of them to strike at the hero. All of them were just distractions, however, as her main attack would be the massive jaw-like plant that gave the Green Dragon her namesake.

Wasting no time, Kanon fired them all at the hero. Luka looked up to see them dart towards him.

Shit! There are so many! And from all angles!

Luka readied his sword as the attack grew closer. He watched as the plants multiplied and shot off into different paths, surrounding him with their joint attack.

This... This is the power of an ancestor...

It's hopeless...

...

Unless...

...

Mother, lend me your strength once more.

Kanon looked down at the purple-haired boy who challenged her. A smile reached her lips as she watched her attacks get closer. This tactic was so powerful and fast that only a seraph could stop it. She would be glad to feast on the little hero; she deserved it for all the energy she was spending fighting him.

"My mother is the star of morning, the child of dawn," Luka said. The words barely reached Kanon's ears.

What's he saying? Has he finally given up?

"The star, thrown to earth, shall obtain victory!" Luka shouted.

Wait a second, that pose, those words... Daystar?

Before Kanon could finish her thoughts, she felt a huge, searing pain spread throughout her body. She felt her insides be ruptured by a powerful blow. She was still standing, but she had taken severe damage. Unfortunately for her, Luka was not done just yet.

"The power of the Four Spirits, in my hand!" Luka shouted once more as he used his second-most powerful technique. Only this time, he had also infused his own holy power, increasing the damage of the attack even further. Needless to say, Kanon stood no chance of surviving the blow. Kanons watched as her largest and strongest organ, her jaw, was sliced in two. The rest of her body fell to the ground, slowly decomposing or burning.

Da-Dammit! Ca-Can't stop- breaking! The-The poison!

Kanon cursed herself for ingesting the poison earlier. It had slowed her regeneration, and now she suffered the consequences of her foolishness as she struggled to stand. Kanon then felt her energy seep out and soon realised she was being sealed.

M-Me? Sealed? Impossible! How! How did he do that!? He-He's not human!

Kanon collapsed onto the floor, her now-sealed body making a light thud as she hit the floor. She was still just barely conscious, enough so that she could hear two people speaking not so far from her.

I-I'm going to die, aren't I? This is it, the end...

A tear fell down Kanon's face as she realised her fate.

I-If they're going to kill me anyway, then I'll at least give them a nice goodbye!

Kanon coughed as she began the Alraune race's most powerful and dangerous technique.

Lord Alipheese... Forgive me...

With the last of her strength, Kanon sent out a final message to her lord and her sisters.

"So, what do you want to do with her?" Omori asked. The subject of the question was currently lying flat on the floor. She looked like a far younger and much smaller version of Kanon.

"I'm not sure," Luka responded. "Now that she's sealed, maybe we could entrust her to the resistance?"

"I still don't see why we don't just kill her. She's killed thousands in her time, you know, and plenty of them were just innocent humans or even fellow monsters if she's hungry enough. She was a blight on the world, and we'd all be better off without her," Omori explained.

Luka did not reply, instead looking at the child in front of him. The same child was responsible for the deaths of so many, but Luka could not bring himself to harm her. Even now, Luka still believed that everyone has some good in them, including her. He reasoned that she had just been brought up terribly and that if she had instead been taught to see humans as people and not just food, she may have turned out differently.

"Amazing... You really weren't lying..." Undine said.

Hmm? What do you mean?

"I believe you. You really are the son of the daystar..." Undine explained, "If that's true, then... maybe you really can end this war."

Yeah, well, I still have a long way to go.

"Hey, do you smell tha-" Omori said, before falling onto her side.

-! Omori! Wait, that pink mist... Aztec Rose!?

Luka stopped breathing as he grabbed the Scylla and ran. Kanon had given what remained of her life for even the small chance she could kill one of them, and Luka feared that she may have been successful.

Shit! Omori inhaled it!

Luka continued to run with the Scylla, who was now coughing profusely. Some of her blood got onto Luka's shirt as she coughed.

Aztec rose... Aztec rose... How do I counteract that!? There must be a way, right!?

Luka panicked as he set Omori down. They were now a fair distance from where Kanon resided. He quickly summoned a holy aura and did his best to stop the poison.

Damn it! It's already spread to her tentacles! But I can at least stop it from reaching her heart!

Luka did all he could to stop the poison. Thankfully, after a few minutes, he had contained the poison to her extremities. Only two of her eight tentacles remained untouched, but she was alive.

Haah... Thank Ilias... That should be enough for now.

Luka let out a large sigh of relief as he let go of Omori. Thanks to being taught healing magic by both Undine and Micaela, he was able to save Omori's life. The bad news is that she would likely be paralysed for life. Luka felt incredibly guilty at the thought. He was the one she trusted to protect her, and he had failed.

I'm... I'm so sorry, Omori...

Luka felt useless as he watched his friend suffer.

"Calm down, would you? She was the one who made the choice to follow you; she knew the risks. And besides, she's alive! And together, you brought down an ancestor! Think of how many lives you've saved!" Salamander said.

"Yeah, Luka! Don't blame yourself!" Sylph commented.

...Yeah... Maybe you are right. Still, it's my fault for losing focus.

"Nobody can be omnipresent, Luka. And so what, you fucked up; everybody does that! Also, it's not like she'll be crippled or anything. Scylla can still move around even with just two of their tentacles," Salamander explained. "So cheer up, will you?"

"...Yeah, sorry," Luka said. He picked Omori up and began to leave the city. He walked past the completely destroyed ruins. The castle that had once stood so tall was now non-existent, with only a large hole in the ground being the last evidence of its existence. Thankfully, Omori was successful in evacuating the people of Vrimor. Most of the city was still intact, as the castle had taken the brunt of the damage.

"Excuse me... Are you the one Lady Kanon was fighting?" A Lamia with green scales asked.

"...Yeah"

"Where is she now?"

"...She's dead," Luka said. The lamia looked at Luka in disbelief for a few moments before looking at the Scylla he was holding.

"Huh? Is that Omori? What happened!? What did you do to her!" She asked.

"Kanon poisoned her. How do you know her?"

"She stayed at my inn last night. So, you really weren't joking? You and her took Kanon down?"

"Yeah. Before she died, she used Aztec Rose, and Omori took the hit," Luka explained.

"The poor girl" The Lamia said, "I'd offer you a spot in my inn, but it wouldn't be safe for either of you. You're both enemies of monsterkind now, although personally, I'm happy that the plant bitch is dead. She deserved far worse, in my opinion. Anyway, you two should go, like, now." She explained. Luka got the message and began to leave the city once more. He would have to talk to Omori about what happened when she woke up, but for now, both of them needed a good night's sleep.