Chương 716: World Tree of War's Battle.

If it were a proper battle, Queen Xakira would've probably led a group of elites outside to battle. However, if she did so, she couldn't guarantee that the other party would be able to hold back her attacks as precisely. The few burn marks on the hulls of the scouts showed that the damage control was far from perfect. Still, she didn't mind. If the World Tree could defeat their fleet, it was more than enough to showcase her strength.

"Use energy weapons. Attack all roots that get close by. We can't afford to allow a World Tree to close in." The remaining 8 ships began attacking around them, energy weapons firing shots at an incredible rate. The mothership even had six giant lasers that shot out constantly, burning at Liu Shu's roots. Liu Shu received the attacks, as dodging was just too complicated with the number of roots she had manifested. Even then, she acted her part and didn't hold back much.

Her essence coated her roots, and she thrust them forward. She also cast <Elemental Lord Willow Catastrophe> without adding <Eternity Shards>. The skill was powerful by itself, and each attack resulted in heavy hits of elemental damage. Sometimes, massive spatial fractures appeared, other times, fiery explosions took over the place, while other times, beams of light fell down like rain, as if she didn't want to lose out in a comparison of fire rate.

With both sides holding some cards and the sturdy shields of the warships, the battle dragged out for a little bit. Queen Xakira saw several roots being destroyed, but each time one was eliminated, another one took its place as if they were endless. This shook her head. While fighting in a True World Tree domain's terrain was usually extremely difficult, it was not impossible to pave a way forward.

'At the rate we've been attacking, we should've cleared out this zone already… Why are there more roots appearing? How high is the World Tree's regeneration and spreading speed?' Meanwhile, Liu Shu nodded to herself.

'I am holding back quite a few cards, but I still can fight against them. My strength is even higher than I anticipated. Still…' Her eyes moved toward the <Mothership>.

'That thing is incredibly tough and strong.' The lasers were powerful enough to burn her roots, pushing them back and damaging her. Each time the main cannon shot, one of her thicker roots would be blasted into pieces, spreading sap and wood into the void of space. Clearly, even when the Mothership-Type Starship was Level 180, the firepower could contend with average Level 200 powerhouses.

'That ship must have some tricks as well that Queen Xakira is not revealing. Alright, while the attacks are strong, they are not instantly lethal.' Liu Shu's voice boomed out, filling millions of kilometers around them.

"World Tree Of War, manifest and fight off invaders of our empire!" Her words alerted all captains in Queen Xakira's fleet. Then, a second later, they felt a surge of ternary essence manifest in front of them. The essence twisted, changing shapes, and soon, Liu Shu saw Warlya manifesting. However, her manifestation was somewhat different from what Liu Shu had imagined. She, at first, thought that Warlya would manifest a carbon copy of herself. However, the creature that appeared was much different.

In essence, she was still a World Tree: a female-like trunk, a tree canopy, and roots spreading out from below. However, what changed was the overall shape of the trunk. Back in Ceperet, Warlya lacked a head on her main body, being a female torso and legs holding up her own canopy. However, her manifestation approached the form of a transformed Sylvan. A woman with windblown hair, a cold, stern, but beautiful face, wearing a layer of wooden-like armor, and with two free arms holding a massive war blade.

Her legs sprouted countless long roots, while her canopy acted like endless flags stuck on her back. Naturally, her height was identical to her own body, being over 18, 000 meters tall. The World Tree giant woman, who suddenly appeared, left everyone on the battlefield speechless, including Liu Shu. A second later, Liu Shu swooned.

"Wow~! Big Sister Warlya, you look super cool! Like a true war general about to lead an army into battle! Kya!" Queen Xakira, after snapping back from her daze, shouted through all communications.

"I don't know what or who that giant woman is. However, we don't need to stay still until we find out. Lock onto her and fire all main cannons!" Liu Shu was a bit too slow to stop the cannons from firing, and her core almost leaped out of her body in fright.

"Warlya!" However, facing the eight world-destroying beams, Warlya stood stoic and calm.

"Don't worry. <World Tree War Armament: World Shield>." Her second S- Rank skill activated, and in a second, her free hand manifested a gargantuan shield almost as tall as herself. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. The beams arrived a second later. BOOM!! The void was soaked in white, as if a new star was about to be born. Worried sick, Liu Shu quickly looked back at Ceperet to see if the World Tree was doing fine.

She saw that her body was instantly covered in deep cracks, some sap spilling out from the wounds. The sudden occurrence scared most of the people in her city into screaming for help. However, while the damage appeared extensive, the World Tree stood firm and remained full of vitality. Warlya spoke softly from the middle of the blinding light.

"<War Recovery>." An A+ Rank skill was activated, and a second later, all the wounds around her real body began healing stupidly fast. By the time the light vanished, Warlya was standing in her same position, with just a few superficial wounds. The <World Shield> was charred, but it didn't show signs of breaking down. Liu Shu was stupefied.

'She tanked a Mothership-Type and seven Warship-Type main cannons at once!?' The World Tree general in the middle of the void moved her shield aside, revealing her cold and perfectly carved facial features. Then, she stepped into the void.

"<War Charge>." Her body, as if she were an arrow released from a tensed bow, shot forward at a terrifying speed. Queen Xakira's jaw hung slightly loose before she reacted.

"Quickly! Stop that thing!" The secondary weapons that were focusing on Liu Shu were intended to change targets. However, Liu Shu snorted slightly, her voice reaching Xakira.

"Do you really want to ignore me? <Elemental Lord Willow Catastrophe: Frostfire Hell>." The roots that were momentarily ignored burst with terrifying frostfire, sneaking forward and slamming onto the surface of two warships. BANG! BANG! Her <Universal World Tree> title activated, adding 40% extra DoT damage to all temperature-related attacks. The people inside panicked.

"Shield integrity down 23%! The remaining flames are burning our shields like mites latch onto wood!" Meanwhile, Warlya hid behind her sturdy shield and finally arrived in front of one of the <Warships>. Her size, 18 kilometers tall, was enough to rival the giant starship. Arm raised, Warlya brought down her massive War Blade, striking at the <Warship>. Queen Xakira and the others held their breaths for a second, their eyes glued onto the giant descending blade and targeted ship.

The blade connected, and even when there was no sound transmitted in the void of space, everyone felt an essence shockwave visible exploding outward from the impact point. The warship, clearly unable to bear the ridiculous strike, sank down the shield rippling like ocean waves in the middle of a storm.

"That single hit sliced 6% of our total shields! Do not let her approach!" Six percent didn't sound like much. However, this attack was not a skill; it was a pure physical attack. Therefore, Warlya could basically break down a Warship's shield in 20-odd strikes. That information struck Xakira's brain quite badly. She, as a powerhouse, could naturally deal more damage than Warlya. However, the problem was that her sturdiness was not nearly as high as the mountain-dwarfing woman!

Liu Shu and Warlya battled together, Liu Shu taking charge of protecting the World Tree Of War. This battle was, in the end, Warlya's debut. Therefore, she allowed the woman to go crazy while protecting her from further main cannon attacks. Even if she knew Warlya was durable, she would not risk her death just to test that. Not to mention that the initial defense spoke volumes about it. Even in a clearly disadvantaged situation, Queen Xakira's orders were sharp and clear.

"Warship six, activate burst motors and soar forward. Warship three, fire. Mothership, move to tackle the giant creature. Warships four to seven aim your main cannons at the three largest roots. Lasers focus on damaged roots and clear them…" Her compound eyes took in all the information, processing it at an extremely high speed. Her words flowed continuously, making an extremely valiant attempt at defending against the two World Trees. However, as time passed, one warship after another had its shields depleted.

Even when the shields had some regeneration attributes, Liu Shu's and Warlya's attacks were extremely fierce. With only the <Mothership> remaining, Warlya showcased her strongest capabilities. While fighting groups of starships was not considered her weakness, the messy battlefield clearly disadvantaged her. However, with just the <Mothership> remaining, Warlya was like an agile cat playing with a blind mouse. Each of her sword strikes did less than 0. 2% damage to the shields.

Nevertheless, the <Mothership> was clearly not equipped to deal with an agile, giant woman. Moreover, Queen Xakira knew that Warlya was not the main threat. Around them, roots with seemingly endless elemental attributes rained onto the shield, each strike stronger than the last. Compared to the barrage of roots, Warlya's attacks were just children's play. After a few moments, she stopped relaying instructions and sighed, sitting back down.

"We surrender. Stop all offensive measures." Liu Shu naturally heard her, and her fierce roots stopped. Warlya was also quick to the uptake, and seeing Liu Shu stop, she also paused her attacks. Everyone couldn't help but look at the heavily injured yet clearly lively giant woman with both curiosity and awe.

"That was a refreshing battle." Liu Shu spoke first, in a gentle tone, as her roots retreated into the void. Hearing her, Queen Xakira smiled faintly and shook her head.

"I really want to say that we are far from showing our full capabilities. However, I know that you are also holding back some means. So, not accepting this loss would be narrow-minded on my part." After saying that, the Queen elegantly bowed forward slightly.

"Queen Xakira declares defeat for the first time in 234 years. World Tree Heavenly Willow, you've earned this Queen's respect." Liu Shu felt happy and spoke, her tone soft and gentle.

"It was a well-fought battle. You lasted quite a while against my assault, and that's praiseworthy." Queen Xakira chuckled to herself.

'I know she isn't, but… this way of praising others while still praising oneself is truly… cute.' If it was done on purpose, it would naturally be jarring, but the way Liu Shu's voice sounded so earnest and sincere made the Queen feel amused.

"So…" Queen Xakira turned to look at the armored giant woman and blinked.

"Is this a summons of some kind?"

"Eh?" Liu Shu answered, confused.

"Of course not, Warlya is a Big Sister World Tree that lives in Ceperet near me." Queen Xakira's composure shattered, her brain somewhat overloading with the multiple implications that simple sentence carried with it.