Nameless King

"Are you sure about this?" Leon asked.

"Yes, I didn't want to get involved, but my intuition is rarely this active. I can't ignore it. We have to go down now and decide based on the situation. If we fight, we could make a grave mistake."

Felix didn't wait for a reaction and jumped into the abyss. It was a simple but revealing action. Leon and the elders knew Felix well, sometimes, he was too lazy even just to walk, but now he was active.

"Damn, it looks like we really have no right to delay." Leon turned around and jumped after Felix.

The others gradually followed his example, and only Wain and Eva were left at the top after a minute.

"We're not going after them?"

"No, we'll join the party a little later, let me enjoy that scent." Wain took a deep breath.

Thousands of thin strands of scent from the blood lotuses headed toward him.

"Okay, go ahead." Wain walked over to Eva, took her in his arms, and jumped down.

They landed among several blood lotuses that covered the entire bottom of the funnel. In the center was a massive tree-like root, on top of which a huge mansion-sized bud was blooming.

Wain touched one blood lotus and absorbed it.

[You absorbed the blood essence.]

[Your blood essence is increased by 1%.]

'1%? That's not bad, but the effectiveness is obviously going to drop precipitously.'

The higher the blood purity was, the harder it was to raise it. This was a problem everyone faced without exception.

Wain wasn't the only one who decided to absorb blood lotuses, some of the Plants did so even though there were possible negative effects.

The leaders of the families did not stop them, as such a reaction was inevitable. The blood essence was a valuable resource that everyone coveted.

"Aren't you afraid you'll have enough?" Eva asked.

"No, I'm fine. There are plenty of blood lotuses, and that's certainly not all. I smell a new, strange scent, Felix's intuition didn't let him down."

Eva nodded and picked one of the flowers. She also needed to boost her blood purity, and she knew she couldn't pass up such an opportunity.

"Felix, how do you feel?" Leon asked.

"The threat is coming. I would advise you to destroy the blood lotuses, don't you smell that?" Felix said seriously.

The others began to smell the blood lotuses, and many of them frowned.

"What is that?" Carlos muttered, "Is that the kind of smell blood lotuses are supposed to have? It doesn't smell like blood, it smells like rot..."

A little panic began, people didn't understand what was going on, and those who had already devoured the blood lotuses began to regret their greed.

"Silence!" Leon said menacingly.

He swung his fiery trident, and the flames consumed dozens of blood lotuses, turning them to ash. Leon destroyed the precious flowers containing the bloody essence without a doubt.

"I hope no one has any doubts now that we must get rid of the bloody lotuses. We must hurry, go!" Leon uttered and plunged his trident into the ground creating a massive wave of fire.

Everyone responded to his call without exception and used their skills to destroy the blood lotuses. The nasty smell of rot intensified by the second, and no one regarded the bloody lotuses as a treasure anymore.

'Now...' The voice of the Knight of the Bloody Rose sounded in Wain's head.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

The ground trembled, and the ground beneath the main bloody lotus began to fall. A fountain of dark blood erupted from it. The drops covered the ground and the lotuses, and they began to change.

Spiky vines burst from beneath the ground and began to attack the Plants, and the blood lotuses developed a menacing aura. Gradually the flowers turned into monsters with creepy jaws. They looked ferocious and bloodthirsty.

"What is this...?" Eva muttered.

"I don't know... maybe it's some monsters, or the bloody essence has taken material form. Either way, it looks really creepy. Eva, get a safe distance away. I don't know what happens next." Wain said, and dark wings erupted from his back, and a sword appeared in his hand.

The main flower was unaffected and brightly illuminated the battlefield with a scarlet light.

Leon and the elders of the main families fought valiantly. Their attacks were deadly and effective, easily destroying the vines and killing the reanimated lotuses, but the situation was grim. The other Plants failed, and the lotuses devoured them and grew stronger.

The vines pierced the defeated warriors and turned them into monsters with bloodshot eyes and an eerie aura. There were gradually more opponents and fewer allies.

"Looks like I should have hurried... Okay, it's not a critical problem." Felix muttered and folded his arms in front of him.

He created a huge lotus bud that split into hundreds of petals. They headed toward the Plants, and a phantom purple armor appeared on them, protecting them from any threats. The revived lotuses couldn't get through the armor, nor could the vines.

"You still prefer not to attack?" Leon uttered and swung his tridents, creating a stream of fire that destroyed dozens of lotuses and vines.

"I hope I don't need to do that. I had a lot of trouble last time because of this, your power should be enough for that." Felix calmly replied and flew upward on his petal.

He defended Plants, but he took no further action. Felix's manner of fighting was strange and unnatural. It was as if he was a spectator rather than a participant.

Wain did not actively participate in the battle. He only killed the lively lotuses that attacked him or Eva. Wain sensed that this was not the end, the scent told him.

Tremble.

The ground trembled again, and a huge bloody hand emerged from the hole by the main lotus. It looked like the paw of a demon coming from hell. Many people trembled with fear and stepped back.

Then a second hand and another pair of hands appeared. There was more than one monster hiding below.