More root barriers appeared.

Leading Brunhilde to destroy them with golden writing, creating phenomena that made obstacles cease to exist. Then another set of barriers was frozen before shattering, while others were set on fire, or began to turn into dust.

As they continued moving, Phantasm Beasts attacked them. A cluster of Werefangs burst from the bushes around simultaneously, attempting to overwhelm through numbers.

But Brunhilde's hand moved once, and all five creatures collapsed with their heads being separated from their body, not understanding what happened.

Other Chimeras emerged from the forest. One showed Bear-Terror bulk with Autumn Deer legs and Werefang arms. Another combined Kungala size with Tetan armor and Forest Roots whips.

Both charged together, roots extending to grab and drag. But Brunhilde's spear appeared before she hurled it twice, the weapons dispersing before reappearing in her hand each time. Both Chimeras fell with holes punched through their centers,

After each kill, the group paused briefly to press their hands on the corpses to devour their souls. The emotion and memory that rushed through them wasn't something too hard, as the souls they are devouring aren't a lot.

Reinhard trembled as a Chimera's consciousness touched him, as multiple souls trapped together were screaming. He pushed through, devouring the essence quickly before feeling his soul count climbing up to past 960.

As they continued moving, they had to be careful of the terrain as well. Mushroom patches released spores that would paralyze anything that inhales them. But Brunhilde took care of this as she wrote golden words, and wind erupted from nothing.

The gale blew spores away, clearing paths.

But if that wasn't enough, they had to deal with exploding mushrooms. It filled the clearing with them, seeing it burst when one of the deer rushed past. Brunhilde created ice barriers, triggering explosions harmlessly against frozen shields as they rushed past.

The next was strange plants growing in clusters, their flowers beautiful but deadly. Some released pollen that induced hallucinations, while others had thorns coated in paralytic toxins. Brunhilde simply froze entire sections, creating safe corridors through biological minefields.

This continued before they paused as they saw corpses of dead Phantasm Beasts lying scattered. Some looked days old, others weeks, and all of them showed signs of root invasion. Reinhard saw wood growing from flesh, bodies half-consumed by the forest itself.

But they continued moving, pushing through the bushes, and past roots before coming alongside the sight of dead animals. A dog lay beside a fallen log, its body untouched by roots but clearly starved, and its eyes closed in final sleep. There was a family of deer, three of them lying on the clearing, all covered by the roots.

Rabbits scattered across their path, still alive but fleeing desperately. Their eyes showed terror beyond animal understanding, as if they sensed doom approaching.

The forest grew denser as they continued traveling south, with two hours passing. During this time, they encountered more Phantasm Beasts, such as a pack of Werefangs and a lone Kabas. Before Brunhilde took them down, and after another twenty minutes, they began to notice the gradual change in the area.

Grey trunks devoid of leaves, branches reaching skyward, moss covered everything, and pale white roots spreading across the ground. But they didn't care about this as they saw a white-gold rising down from them.

The structure was massive, easily forty feet tall, and Reinhard imagined it must have shone in gold from the sunlight in the past. But now it was dulled by centuries, covered in vines and moss. He saw cracks across its surface with multiple sections having collapsed entirely, creating gaps that revealed the inside.

They approached the largest breach, which was a hole perhaps fifteen feet wide where the wall had crumbled. Broken debris formed a natural ramp, white-gold stones scattered like discarded toys.

Brunhilde climbed up first before the others followed behind her, and once they reached the top, they looked inside.

All of them blinked in surprise at the sight of the City of Melo.

Once radiant streets of gold now lie buried beneath centuries of moss, vines, and soil. But even diminished, the architecture looked so beautiful. The buildings were carved with celestial patterns such as suns, moons, and stars in odd arrangements.

Some arches had held up roofs that still stood, though many had collapsed. Grand columns lined what must have been main thoroughfares, their surfaces covered in intricate engravings dulled by age. Gold trim peeked through the grime covering everything. It glimmered faintly where sunlight filtered through cracks in collapsed roofs, creating scattered points of light throughout the ruins.

Roots had forced their way between tiles, snaking up along marble walls like veins of some ancient beast reclaiming its body. The pale white roots contrasted sharply with the golden architecture, creating patterns that were both beautiful and disturbing.

They descended into the city proper, entering through the breach. Their boots touched streets that had once bustled with people who'd built this golden paradise, who'd lived and loved and died here.

Reinhard saw golden plant sculptures in corners, now filled with living vines that mimicked their original forms. They curled toward light filtering from above, seeking sustenance even in this dead place.

"Let's split up and explore," Amiya suggested. "Cover more ground. But stay within shouting distance."

Everyone nodded before they separated. Veryn and Casseo are heading east, Amiya and Janus are going west, Reinhard with Marie, Joseph, and Brunhilde are moving deeper into the city center.

Reinhard walked through streets lined with collapsed buildings. He saw windows broken from inside, doors torn from hinges, possessions scattered as if people had fled in panic. He paused beside what must have been a home, the roof had caved in completely, creating a pile of rubble.

But one wall remained standing, and on it hung a faded painting showing a family.

"It's beautiful." Marie said quietly, appearing beside him. Her light-gold eyes swept across the ruins with wonder rather than sadness. "Even covered by moss and roots... I can't imagine how beautiful it must have looked in the Golden Age. To think the people of Melo walked around in a city of gold."

Joseph nodded, his expression thoughtful. "If such a nation hadn't collapsed, I wonder how far they would have gone by now?"

"Maybe we would have been able to explore the seas and other dangerous places." Marie mused. "Maybe they'd have found ways to deal with Phantasm Beasts permanently."

Reinhard nodded but said nothing, and they continued walking, their path moving between buildings and through courtyards filled with dead gardens.

They saw how roots had taken over everything and grown through foundations, wrapped around columns. Objects lay scattered everywhere, such as cooking pots, furniture, and children's toys, all buried under centuries of growth.

Then they turned a corner and stopped.

A golden monument rose from the city center with a pillar perhaps thirty feet tall and ten feet wide at its base. Names covered every visible surface, inscribed in letters so small they formed a continuous golden list.

It seemed like there were over a hundred thousand names.

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