It seems like a voice is echoing in the darkness.

As if it's resounding within the mind.

"Come on, come, enter into my embrace."

Vasini seemed to hear such a voice, and he couldn't help but take a step towards it.

Then, there was light.

The light penetrated the darkness of the entire basement, dissolving the compelling summons.

In its place was a series of piercing wails.

Vasini woke up from his trance and finally saw the true form of the tree.

It did look like a tree, but more so, it was a conglomeration of vines.

At the center was a twisted mass of vines, resembling a menacing face.

Now, that face seemed to wail, or perhaps, it was roaring in anger: "Damn it!"

Immediately, vines began to sweep toward them.

But the light intensified, causing the vines to catch fire halfway through.

So the wailing grew louder.

"Stop! Stop! I surrender! I surrender!"

The face began to plead.

Ethan, however, did not dim the intensity of the light.

The vines continued to burn.

Only when the entire mother tree was burned down to just that face did Ethan finally stop.

"Now we can talk."

The face fell to the ground with new vines trying to grow again, attempting to reconnect with the earth.

But at any sign of this, Ethan intensified the light source.

"Alright, alright, I surrender, I really surrender, you... demon!"

Hearing this thing call him a demon, Ethan almost laughed.

"So, what should I call you? Mr. Tree?"

Ethan stared at the mass in front of him.

"Kaster... you can call me Kaster, that was my name as a human."

The face looked exhausted, as if it had truly given up resisting.

"Kaster, very well, Kaster, give me a reason not to kill you."

"I can grant you eternal life, you'll never fear death or aging, how about it? Even if you're a True Namer, you'll still die, as long as you..."

"As long as I become like you, or a slave to you?"

Ethan interrupted him.

"Well... immortality always comes with a price, doesn't it? Or can the beings behind you also grant you eternal life?"

Kaster said this, suddenly asking such a question.

Kaster could naturally sense Ethan's presence, but he never expected that Ethan was standing right in front of him.

"The great Lord can grant us everything, so don't even try to corrupt us! Divine Envoy, eradicate him completely, such a defiled entity would only taint our Lord."

Vasini was now the most devout crusader; set aside his identity, and he was perhaps even more devout than the Pope of the Sun God Sect cathedral.

Ethan remained silent, as if in contemplation.

"Don't... don't kill me!"

Kaster was frightened.

"I have other ways, I can grant you longevity without side effects, I also have many treasures, I can give them to you, and I have a big secret that I'm sure the one behind you would want to know, don't kill me, don't kill me!"

The more he spoke, the more panicked he became, like a desperate patient trying random cures.

There's a saying, the longer one lives, the more one fears death.

This guy had survived in this form for who knows how many years, he must be exceptionally afraid of dying.

That was also why Ethan had to handle him alone.

That head breaker was useful and powerful, not speaking much, but he was an outsider, inconvenient.

And if there really were benefits, it would be hard to split.

"Don't rush, remember that girl? The one you killed, Lily, let's bring her back to life first."

Ethan said.

Vasini's expression shifted; he hadn't expected Ethan to say such a thing.

Inside, there was a strange feeling.

It was like, God was really watching over us.

Even the Divine Envoy had such radiance.

"Can't be revived, she's already dead... I can't bring her back to life."

Kaster said, somewhat distressed.

"But... but I can make her seem alive, is that okay?"

Fearing he might anger Ethan, he hastily added.

Once dead, there's no coming back to life.

Of course, Ethan knew this, so this was what he wanted.

"Alright, take care of this first."

Then, Kaster used his remaining body to secrete some indescribable grayish-white liquid, which Vasini collected in a bottle.

"Use these on the girl, they can restore her body, give her basic consciousness, but of course, she's not truly alive; you'll need to apply them once a month, or else..."

Kaster hesitated a bit here.

His meaning was clear; to keep the girl "alive," he'd also have to stay alive.

Ethan didn't say much, only instructed Vasini to take the items upstairs, while he faced Kaster alone.

"I'm very weak right now, can you let me absorb some essence from the earth first."

Seeing Ethan seemed to soften a bit, Kaster tried to seize the opportunity.

The result...

"No."

Ethan shook his head, then more intense light emanated from the ascetic's staff, continuously burning away Kaster's remaining body.

Kaster cried out in agony again: "You're not keeping your word, you... ah!!!"

Until he became a small piece, Ethan grabbed it and tossed it into a bottle.

"Your vitality is so resilient, you should be able to survive with just a tiny piece, right?"

In fact, Ethan had long since known his properties through the True Name analysis.

True Namers of the Earth, especially at this high level, are most resilient in vitality; even just a tiny remnant can revive.

Sure enough, Ethan casually sprinkled some soil inside, and the remaining fragment began to inevitably expand, threatening to burst through the bottle.

At this point, Ethan hung the bottle on the staff, and the growth was immediately suppressed.

"You'll stay like this; I won't let you die."

Kaster writhed weakly in the bottle, but seemed too weak to make a sound.

Meanwhile.

In a dimly lit alley bar not far from the three-story building.

The old continent immigrants who once occupied the bar had already been slaughtered clean.

Two men in cowboy attire were sitting at the bar, drinking and playing a roulette game.

"So, what's it like in there?"

One cowboy spun the revolver, fired a shot at himself, nothing happened.

The other cowboy took the gun, also shot himself, and the bullet pierced through his skull again.

"Ice cream! Hit again!"

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