Chapter 94: End Of The Tanky Tree

Even though Chu Cheng knew this tree wasn't a regular tree, he was surprised it could actually run away from him.

Its short legs were struggling under its own weight, and it wasn't fast at all. Chu Cheng couldn't let it escape, so he controlled Batman to quickly catch up.

As the tentacle tree fled, it tried to fight back by throwing a bunch of fruits to slow Batman down. But on Chu Cheng's screen, Batman could easily dodge the fruit bombs thanks to Chu Cheng's precise control and the help of the system.

This made Chu Cheng think about how Batman was labeled as an "ordinary human."

Even though Batman is supposed to be just a human, his acrobatic moves and superhero-like abilities are anything but ordinary.

The tentacles coming from the tree weren't much of a threat with Batman's special tools.

In cartoons, tentacle monsters are often shown in select Japanese shows, but here, they're more realistic and slimy. Batman, as a top hero, is used to dealing with these kinds of monsters and knows how to dodge and break free from them.

So, the scene was a bit strange and funny: a giant tree with short legs waving vines and throwing fruit bombs, chased around by a bat-costumed hero in the woods.

The tree, realizing it couldn't escape, decided to stop and stand its ground, looking annoyed.

Batman then used a special weapon he found in the Batcave—a dehydration bomb. This weapon is designed to quickly suck the moisture out of plants. It's similar to the microwave weapons from the movie "Batman Begins," but smaller and more focused on plants.

When Batman threw the bomb, it exploded and rapidly dried out the tree. The branches shriveled up, the fruits fell off, and a large part of the trunk quickly withered.

The tree was stunned and confused, unable to understand what had happened.

The dehydration bomb works well against plants. Although it might not be as effective against other creatures, it still gets the job done when necessary.

As a tree felt like it had drawn the short straw by getting entangled with such a terrible enemy. To it, the person in front of it looked like the ultimate villain, the worst enemy a tree could imagine.

The tree was determined to fight, but the sight of a small dehydration bomb shattered its resolve. Its roots, which hadn't even fully settled into the ground, were pulled out, and it began to flee on its stubby legs.

Unfortunately, these legs were barely better than nothing. The tree's attempt to run was more of a slow shuffle, and it made little difference whether it tried to escape or fight.

The tree's fate was sealed the moment it encountered Batman. After a brief and pointless struggle, it fell apart.

---

Meanwhile, in the cave behind the orphanage, the scene was tense. Infected people were emerging from all directions, looking terrifying in the dim light of the torches.

Fana, dressed in black, stood in the middle of the flickering orange light. Beside her was a woman in red, her hair disheveled, casting eerie shadows on the wall as the flames danced.

Raya Hada watched in shock from the other side of the infected crowd. She was stunned by the woman in red's graceful, almost dreamlike movements that were both beautiful and deadly.

The woman in red effortlessly took down infected people as if she were merely cutting vegetables. Raya was momentarily stunned but quickly regained her composure.

"I didn't expect this. Now I understand why you could escape," Raya said with a smile. "You're special; I can see that."

"Is it over?" Fana asked, her voice regal.

"Over? Hahaha, you've misunderstood," Raya replied with a smile. "You can keep fighting. It doesn't matter. As I said, I don't need love anymore. I have plenty of replacements."

Raya continued, "The man brought me the seed, and I planted it here. I watched it grow and give me everything I needed. Now, you'll see its true form. My mother, my guardian tree, I call it—"

—"Sacred Sky Tree!"

Her voice rose dramatically. It was supposed to be a dramatic moment, with the ancient tree rising from the ground with a monstrous appearance. 

But nothing happened.

Raya was momentarily puzzled. She took a deep breath, adjusted her stance, snapped her fingers, and tried again, "Appear, my guardian tree, Sacred Sky Tree!"

Still, nothing happened.

A dark wind seemed to blow in from the cave entrance, causing the flames to flicker and creating an awkward atmosphere.

"Impossible!" Raya exclaimed, her face showing shock and disbelief.

The shock she felt now was far greater than when she had seen the red figure's movements. Through her connection with the Sacred Sky Tree, she realized that the tree had been defeated by a lunatic in a bat costume.

"Why is this happening?!"