This time, when the hundred-meter-tall black staff struck the ground, it did not make the heavy thud of wood. Instead, it produced a sound like a mirror shattering.
Crystal clusters grew from where the Yggdrasil Staff touched the ground, rustling as they rapidly spread outward across the earth. Those translucent white crystals did not look any more luxurious than a noblewoman's jewelry, but when they spread in sheets beneath the night sky and were illuminated by the "Sun" above the throne's backrest, they possessed a different kind of beauty.
The crystal clusters did not merely grow along the ground. They even spread from the base of the enormous throne onto the throne itself. They did not damage its shape; the vines and solidified starlight were all outlined by crystal. Naturally, the surfaces of the clusters were uneven, and as they grew, rows of crystal spikes extended diagonally upward from the throne, guarding both sides of the seat.
Emilia fired her fourth arrow, driving it into the armrest on the throne's left side. When she lowered her longbow, she watched anxiously. Only after confirming that the crystal clusters had not spread onto Shade, but were merely gradually wrapping around the ground and throne surrounding the central seat, did she relax slightly.
But this still was not enough. Shade could feel that the miraculous power of this brand-new Thaumaturgy Mystic Lock was trying to turn the "Time Scar" into crystal and freeze it in place, but this power alone was still insufficient.
The long-haired, purple-eyed diviner turned to look at Adele, who was walking out from among the Witches at the edge of the clearing. The blonde Demigod Witch was clearly quite unwilling to approach Luvia. The expression on her face was probably even harder to describe than Flora's overturned palette, but