I’m an Alraune, a little plant monster girl.
And at last, my battle against the older Dryad sister, Feagismeinnicht, one of the Four Heavenly Kings, has begun.


Using the spirit spell “Herrschaft Pflanze,” she took control of the entire forest, manipulating its trees as freely as if they were her own arms and legs.


Defeating her was the goal, but first I had to free Lady Dryad from her brainwashing. Otherwise, I didn’t stand a chance. To do that, I needed to get Kiri inside the sanctuary somehow!
Taking on both Dryads at once would exhaust me to my bones. Well, I’m a plant, so I don’t actually have any bones.



The older Dryad sister, standing atop the land tortoise, swung one hand down towards me.


“To start things off, princess, why don’t you try fighting the forest itself?”


The branches and roots of the moving forest shot at me like a barrage of spears.

I answered with Plant Generation, transforming my vines into tree trunks and thrusting wooden spears back.
The spears collided violently against each other.
They say the best defense is a good offense, but at this rate, it doesn’t look like either of our attacks will reach the other.


“I see, so you possess the ability to transform your own body into other kinds of plants. Just that alone puts you beyond the realm of ordinary plant monsters.”


The older Dryad sister smiled, seemingly impressed.
It’s kind of creepy how relaxed she is.


“Then let’s see if you can defend this.” the older Dryad sister said as she placed her palm against one of the moving trees.

“Spirit Magic: Nature Transformation—Veränderung. ‘Strangling Arbor.’”


The trees under the older Dryad sister’s control began to change, splitting into a tangled mass of thin roots.
The roots crept over my tree trunks, crushing them with unbelievable force.


──Ugh… what is this?
They’re incredibly strong!


“There’s this magical tree that latches itself around other nearby trees and steals their place. I used spirit magic to give these trees that same property.”


I can modify my own body using Plant Generation.
In contrast, the older Dryad sister can alter the very nature of the plants around her through spirit magic.
Our abilities are pretty similar, but while my body gets hurt whenever I use mine, the older Dryad sister never gets as much as a scratch no matter what she does. It’s so unfair!


The thin roots came surging in like a tsunami.
I threw up a wall of thorns to defend myself.
But they wrapped around my thorns like octopus tentacles and began squeezing them tight.
As if wringing out a wet rag, the roots twisted and tore my thorns apart.


──Eek! That hurts!


A plant that strangles other plants to death—what kind of vicious plant is that?
But I knew of a plant with similar characteristics to this magic tree.

That plant’s name is the “banyan tree.”

Banyan seeds are often carried by bird droppings to high up places in other trees, where they would then sprout.
Their thin roots hang downward as they grow, eventually enveloping the host tree completely.
Once those roots reach the ground, they thicken and continue growing until the tree inside can no longer receive sunlight, causing it to gradually wither away.

Because they appear to strangle the trees they grow around to death, banyans are often called “strangler figs.”

The older Dryad sister had used spirit magic to create roots with traits similar to those of a strangler fig.
And to make matters worse, they’ve been modified for combat.


“I… I can’t… move…”


Her banyan had completely ensnared me.
Its thin yet powerful roots wrapped around my bulb, petals, and even my human body, which served as my pistil.

Every time I tried to move my thorn, the rapidly growing banyan roots immediately pinned them down again.
My entire body was now under the control of the older Dryad sister’s roots.


“How does it feel to be crushed by the Queen of Plants herself? You should be honored.”


The tremendous strength of the banyan roots squeezed my body tighter.
It felt as though my body was being crushed by a giant steel press.

──I… I can’t breathe… it hurts…

If I were still human, I probably would’ve coughed up my own organs at this point, let alone be gasping for air.
In fact, a spray of nectar flowed out of my mouth.


“For a mere plant monster, you did pretty well. But this is the end.”


The next moment, I was released from that suffocating hell, which felt more agonizing than death.
Only because my body had been destroyed.


Unable to withstand the crushing force, my bulb burst apart like an explosion, sending digestive fluid flying everywhere.

At the same time, my abdomen shifted out of place with a squelch.
I could see the nectar stored inside me gushing out.


──Oh, this might be bad.


The banyan roots covered my eyes.
Then, like a broken television suddenly cutting out, my vision went completely dark.
My sense of balance disappeared, and my entire body gradually stopped responding.


My entire body had been crushed to pieces by the banyan.



I lost both my sight and my hearing.
All that remained was my sense of touch.
Underground, my surviving roots continued drawing water from the soil.


It’s true, the older Dryad sister’s banyan tree had indeed killed me.
But that was only the case above ground.
Something like that isn’t enough to kill a plant!


I activated my recovery magic.
Just like during my battle against Drago, my chlorophyll began to work, and my body grew at a rapid rate.


My bulb regenerated, a crimson flower bloomed, and the human part of me, my pistil, grew back.
And just like that, a splendid young Alraune girl was complete.

I have resurrected!


“I didn’t expect that to be enough to kill you, princess. Still, that was an awfully quick recovery.” I heard the older Dryad sister comment.

“It didn’t… even… hurt.”

“You were being squeezed so hard you couldn’t even scream, and yet you still have the nerves to say that?”


That’s one way to put it.
Though, if I’m being honest, I never want to be strangled like that again.


“No matter how remarkable a plant’s regenerative abilities are, that speed is unbelievable. Princess, you’re beyond the limits of a plant monster. I’d even say your regeneration rivals that of a spirit.”


Me rivaling a spirit?
In other words, I have regenerative abilities as strong as a Dryad’s.

Hearing that made me both happy and uneasy.
Because if Feagismeinnicht is saying that, then she might possess regenerative abilities as strong as mine.


“Maybe next time I’ll strangle you down to your roots.”


The older Dryad sister launched another attack with the banyan roots.

Just as the tip of the banyan was about to reach me, I heard Nina shout, “I won’t let you!”

The light magic spell Regenbogen pierced the banyan root.
Nice one, Nina!


“It’s useless. An attack like that isn’t enough to stop my tree.”


She was right. Nina’s light magic had barely affected the Older Dryad sister’s banyan roots.
But for me, it was a huge help.

After all, the tip of the banyan that had been severed by the Regenbogen was lying on the ground right beside me.


I grabbed the chipped off root with one of my vines and stuffed it into my lower mouth.

──Chomp.

And with that, I gained the banyan’s ability.


I immediately used it to grow banyan roots of my own from my vine.
If she’s fighting me with a banyan, then I’ll fight her with one too.


The two masses of banyan roots tangled together, each trying to strangle the other.
Looks like this round is a draw.
But at least this means I won’t be strangled one-sidedly like I was when I fought her with ordinary tree trunks or thorns.


“It seems you stole my power and made it your own. I’m liking you more and more, princess.”

“I absolutely… hate… you.”

“Being hated by a plant once in a while isn’t so bad. It’ll only make it more satisfying when I force you to love me later.”


Was she planning to brainwash me if she caught me?
The scary part is, knowing her, she probably could do it.


“You seem relieved that our powers are evenly matched. But have you forgotten? You’re fighting two Dryads.”


Something softly brushed against my chest.

Startled, I unconsciously yelped, “Eek!”

Before I realized it, my body had been restrained by tentacle-like vines.
They moved like innumerable hands, slowly caressing me from head to toe as if inspecting every inch of me.


‘W-What is this?!’ I thought as I spun around. Standing behind me, unnoticed until now, was Lady Dryad.
She stared back at me with an expressionless face.


“My sister and I shall be your opponents.”


Of course, Dryads have the ability to extend the roots of their true bodies through the ground and manifest their spirit bodies wherever those roots reach.
Which means Lady Dryad had teleported behind me!


“I heard about your weakness from Kiri. You dislike being pollinated, don’t you?”


I noticed yellow pollen clinging to Lady Dryad’s vines.


This is bad.
Don’t tell me they’re trying to pollinate me?!


The merciless vines, intent on pollinating me, slowly crept closer to my mouth.


If I were pollinated by someone else’s pollen instead of my own, there was a very good chance I would lose the ability to become a seed and transfer my consciousness.
Once I’ve been pollinated, that’s it. The part of me that was the saint will die.


That’s why, no matter what, I had always avoided being pollinated.

After all, it was my one true fatal weakness.

***

Author’s Note:

Banyan Tree: A member of the Moraceae family. It germinates on top of other trees and extends its roots downward around its host. Eventually, the host tree dies due to the banyan tree, leaving behind a hollow lattice of intertwined banyan roots.

Next Time: Alraune vs. Dryad (Part Two)


TL’s Note:

A banyan tree (Ficus watkinsiana) in its early stages around a host tree.