Chapter 419: Finally Solving The Crimson Flesh Tree

Watching every severed branch reconnect with the Crimson Flesh Tree before giving birth to another wave of Zombie Commanders, Vikram’s expression darkened.

"So that’s your game..."

Without another moment’s hesitation, he looked toward the allied army and shouted,

"Everyone, leave the crater! I’ll handle the rest!"

The Mist King, the Sand King, Aurelia, and the others immediately understood his intention. Without questioning his order, they swiftly withdrew from the battlefield, retreating beyond the crater’s edge.

Only after confirming that everyone had reached a safe distance did Vikram slowly raise a hand.

"Shadow Thorn Prison."

The entire battlefield shook.

This time, countless shadow-infused vines erupted simultaneously from every corner of the crater. Like living serpents, they surged toward every newly born Zombie Commander, binding their limbs and bodies before any of them had the chance to move.

The zombies struggled violently. Some tried to slash through the vines. Others attempted to escape.

But no matter how fiercely they resisted, more shadow vines continuously wrapped around them, draining their vitality while imprisoning them completely.

Vikram lowered his gaze to the twin ancient wooden swords in his hands.

"If cutting them once isn’t enough..."

"...then I’ll leave nothing to regenerate."

The next moment, his figure vanished.

A blur streaked across the Crimson Flesh Tree at astonishing speed.

His twin swords flashed relentlessly, crossing the battlefield again and again. Every branch was sliced apart dozens of times before it could even begin to reconnect. Massive fragments rained from the sky, each one reduced into countless smaller pieces that scattered throughout the crater.

Only after every last branch had been completely shredded did Vikram descend back onto the ground.

Around him, the shadow vines continued draining the trapped Zombie Commanders until each one crumbled into ash.

Beyond the crater, the allied army stared in stunned silence.

Even the Mist King, the Sand King, and Vikram’s wives couldn’t hide the surprise in their eyes. They had witnessed Vikram’s strength countless times before, yet watching him single-handedly suppress the entire Crimson Flesh Tree with such overwhelming ease still left them both astonished and reassured.

Watching the last of the branches reduced to countless fragments, Vikram slowly lowered his twin swords.

"It’s over."

His calm voice echoed across the silent battlefield.

Yet the Evolution King merely laughed. The laughter grew louder and louder, carrying an unmistakable trace of mockery.

Vikram’s brows furrowed. Even after watching the Crimson Flesh Tree be completely dismantled, the Evolution King hadn’t shown the slightest hint of panic. Instead, it stood there smiling as though everything was unfolding exactly as it had expected.

The next moment, every shattered fragment of the Crimson Flesh Tree began to tremble.

The countless pieces scattered throughout the crater slowly rose into the air, pulled together by an invisible force. Large fragments merged into branches. Smaller fragments fused into larger ones. In only a few breaths, every broken piece had returned to its original place.

The shattered branches became whole once again. Not a single crack remained. It was as though Vikram had never cut them apart.

Then, before his eyes, countless crimson cocoons rapidly swelled across the restored branches. One after another, the cocoons burst open. Fresh Zombie Commanders stepped out, identical to the ones he had destroyed only moments earlier.

The Mist Devourer. The Gravity Tyrant. The Space Phantom. The Blade Mimic. Every commander had returned.

Vikram’s expression finally darkened. "This..."

He couldn’t understand it. Whether he severed the branches once... or reduced them into countless fragments... The result remained exactly the same. The Crimson Flesh Tree simply restored itself without suffering the slightest damage. No matter how many times he destroyed it... it regenerated completely.

For the first time since the battle began, Vikram felt that he wasn’t fighting an ordinary living creature. It was as though the Crimson Flesh Tree existed beyond the very concept of destruction.

His gaze slowly shifted toward the Evolution King.

"What exactly... are you?"

"I am Evolution," the Evolution King replied calmly. "Nothing can destroy this evolution."

His crimson eyes swept across the towering Crimson Flesh Tree before a faint smile spread across his face.

"This Crimson Flesh Tree will continue to exist forever. It will keep giving birth to zombies... millions, billions, even trillions of them. Eventually, the entire world will belong to my evolution."

His voice carried absolute confidence, as though he had already witnessed the future. To him, the zombies had already won. Nothing could stop them anymore.

Hearing those words, Vikram’s anger finally erupted. His grip around the twin wooden swords tightened until his knuckles turned white.

"If this tree is the source of your zombie army... then I’ll destroy the tree."

The Evolution King laughed. "You may try. You’ve already destroyed it twice. And yet... it still stands."

His mocking tone only fueled Vikram’s fury.

Without another word, he activated Sync. A surge of emerald light enveloped his body before transforming into blazing crimson flames.

Fire Mage Treekin... Sync Complete.

An overwhelming wave of fire mana erupted from Vikram.

Flame Territory Manifestation!

The ground beneath his feet instantly ignited. A sea of crimson flames spread across the entire crater like a raging tidal wave. Rocks melted beneath the terrifying heat. The blood-soaked earth blackened into charcoal. Every newly born zombie was swallowed by the inferno before it could even take a step.

The flames climbed relentlessly up the Crimson Flesh Tree. Its trunk burned. Its branches burned. Its countless crimson leaves were consumed by the blazing fire.

Within moments, the entire Crimson Flesh Tree had transformed into a colossal pillar of fire. Even the Evolution King stood within the inferno. His robes burned. His body was engulfed by the crimson flames.

Vikram stared at him with cold eyes. "Now... what will you say?"

The Evolution King didn’t answer.

He simply stood amidst the sea of flames... smiling.

Seeing the smile still lingering on the Evolution King’s face, Vikram’s frustration finally reached its limit.

He slowly turned toward the Crimson Flesh Tree. The raging inferno continued to engulf every inch of its enormous body. Its trunk was burning. Its branches were burning.

Yet nothing had changed. Not a single branch had been burned.

The fire that could reduce powerful Zombie Commanders to ash seemed incapable of causing even the slightest damage to the Crimson Flesh Tree.

"What kind of tree is this?!"

Vikram’s furious roar echoed throughout the crater.

He forced himself to calm down. If brute force couldn’t destroy it... then there had to be another reason.

Instead of attacking again, Vikram carefully observed the entire tree. His eyes swept across its burning branches... its crimson leaves... the countless veins spreading throughout its trunk... every inch of the colossal tree came under his scrutiny.

Suddenly, his gaze stopped.

Deep within the center of the Crimson Flesh Tree, hidden beneath layers of bark and crimson vines, a massive heart-shaped organ slowly pulsed. With every heartbeat, countless crimson veins spread throughout the tree, carrying an endless stream of energy into every branch and every leaf. At the same time, the severed branches that had reattached moments earlier continued drawing power from that beating heart.

Vikram’s eyes narrowed.

"So... that’s the source."

Everything finally made sense. The branches... the regeneration... the endless Zombie Commanders... none of them were the tree’s true core.

That heart was.

As long as it remained, the Crimson Flesh Tree would simply regenerate again and again, no matter how many times its branches or trunk were destroyed.

A determined smile finally appeared on Vikram’s face.

"I’ve found your weakness."

The Evolution King’s gaze briefly shifted toward the heart hidden deep within the Crimson Flesh Tree.

A faint smile crossed his lips. There wasn’t the slightest trace of concern on his face. Instead, his expression was filled with absolute confidence, as though he had already decided the outcome.

To him, it didn’t matter whether Vikram had discovered the tree’s core or not. The result would remain the same. Vikram would never be able to destroy it.

Seeing the Evolution King remain so calm, Vikram’s heart sank slightly.

’Not even a little panic... Does he think that I can’t do anything to it?’

For a brief moment, Vikram doubted his own conclusion. If the heart truly was the Crimson Flesh Tree’s weakness, the Evolution King should have tried to stop him. Yet he simply stood there smiling. It was as though he wanted Vikram to go ahead.

"...Even if this isn’t its weakness, I have to try."

Without another word, Vikram shot toward the center of the Crimson Flesh Tree. The closer he drew, the clearer the heart became. It was nearly five meters tall, pulsating with immense crimson energy.

However, protecting it was a massive cocoon woven from countless blood-red vines and crystalline roots. The roots intertwined layer after layer, forming a living fortress around the heart. Every pulse of the heart caused the crimson barrier to glow brighter, as streams of life energy continuously reinforced it.

It looked less like a shield... and more like an impenetrable womb nurturing the tree’s true core.

"So this is your final defense..."

Vikram raised his hand.

Flame Territory Manifestation!

A torrent of crimson flames surged forward, engulfing the cocoon. The blood-red vines writhed violently beneath the inferno. The crystalline roots cracked one after another before slowly blackening into charcoal.

Despite its astonishing regenerative ability, the protective cocoon gradually gave way under the relentless flames, finally collapsing into burning fragments.

The enormous heart was completely exposed.

Vikram slowly reached out. "...Let’s see if I’ve guessed correctly."

His palm touched the beating heart. And he was about to unleash the flames, when a familiar mechanical voice suddenly echoed inside his mind.

[Ding!]

[Treehouse Core detected.]

[Absorbing Treehouse Core...]

Vikram’s eyes widened.

Before he could react, the gigantic crimson heart began to dissolve into countless particles of emerald light. They flowed directly into his palm like a rushing stream before disappearing into his body.

Within only a few seconds... the heart was gone. It had completely vanished.

The Crimson Flesh Tree suddenly stopped beating. The endless crimson veins spreading throughout its trunk instantly lost their glow. Its overwhelming life force disappeared without a trace.

The inferno that had been unable to harm it moments earlier suddenly erupted with terrifying intensity. Without the heart sustaining it, the Crimson Flesh Tree could no longer resist the flames.

Its branches rapidly blackened. Its trunk cracked apart. Its leaves curled into ashes. The colossal tree that had regenerated endlessly only moments before was now consumed by the sea of fire, collapsing into countless drifting ashes that scattered throughout the crater.

Nothing remained.

"...What?"

The Evolution King’s expression changed. His confident smile vanished. Shock filled his crimson eyes as he stared at the place where the Crimson Flesh Tree had once stood.

"Impossible..."

His voice was barely above a whisper. He had never imagined such a thing could happen. The Crimson Flesh Tree, the pinnacle of his evolution, had actually been destroyed.

Vikram himself stood frozen for a brief moment. He hadn’t expected the System to absorb the heart instead of allowing him to destroy it.

However, as the System completed its absorption, countless pieces of information flowed into his mind. In an instant, he understood everything.

The so-called heart was never an ordinary organ. It was the Treehouse Core, the true foundation of the Crimson Flesh Tree.

As long as the Treehouse Core remained intact, the tree would endlessly regenerate, restoring every branch, every leaf, and every Zombie Commander it created. Destroying its body had always been meaningless because the Core continuously rebuilt everything from within. Only by removing the Treehouse Core itself could the Crimson Flesh Tree truly die.

A slow smile spread across Vikram’s face. He lifted his head and looked directly at the Evolution King.

This time... the mockery belonged to him. There was no need for words. The satisfaction in his eyes alone was enough.

The Evolution King met his gaze. The shock on his face gradually faded, replaced by his usual calm expression. His smile slowly returned.

Although the Crimson Flesh Tree had been destroyed, there was no trace of despair in his eyes. Instead, he looked at Vikram with an unreadable expression, as though he had already accepted what had happened.