Chapter 250: Harmful Illusions

Just seeing the dark-shaded parts on the tree wouldn't be a particular detail for Darcel to notice before that first tree exploded. But now, it was like something had slowly clicked in his mind the more he stared at the dark-shaded spots.

Anything that happens in this hazy white mist, Darcel didn't consider it a coincidence at all. His mind clicked back to Aniela using Light energy to find the difference in the white leaves.

Previously, Aniela did claim her Light energy senses didn't pick up on anything. However, since they now have a different perception of the trees, Darcel believed it could change.

He had then turned to ask her, "Aniela….you also see the dark shaded parts of the trees, right?" 

"Eh?" 

Aniela perked up as Darcel called out to her. Because he had pointed it out, she too had quickly noticed the dark-shaded parts of the tree.

Masami as well notices it but stays silent, assuming that Darcel has an idea. 

"Yea… .it's a particular detail, but what do you want me…." Before Aniela even finished her sentence, she began to trail off. She stared at Darcel with a gaze that appeared to be coming to some sort of realization. 

And Darcel gave Aniela a small knowing smile and told her, "I see you're getting it. Maybe with our perception of the trees now changed, your Light energy can now sense something different. These should still be illusions to our minds. Well, illusions that can apparently hurt us."

Aniela furrowed her eyebrows for a moment. But almost instantaneously, her eyes lit up as she got the idea. "Ah! I should've thought of that first. And this time, I'll make it shine even brighter."

Because they could see now, Aniela decided to go higher in her white Light glow. It wasn't like they were blinded by the mist, and they needed to take particular notice of every little detail.

Right then, Aniela raised her palm high in the air and ignited it in radiant Light energy, spewing out brilliant white rays of light beams. 

The whole area lit up like a bright light bulb.

"At least now, I can see better….oh? Do you guys see that too?" Masami spoke while her gazed intently locked on the surrounding trees. 

Immediately when Aniela lit up the whole area, all three of them noticed immediate changes. Now almost every tree had a brighter light shaded part to them. But the dark-shaded parts on most of the trees had vanished. 

Only a few still had that dark-shaded parts, but there was something specific about their design.

Aniela had squinted her eyes as she zeroed on the changing dark-shaded parts. It almost looked like a form of energy to her. "Hmmm….Darcy….do you think your Darkness essence can show a difference?"

Darcel already raised a curious eyebrow while staring at the dark-shaded parts of the trees. It was like Aniela's Light energy revealed its true nature. 

Without saying anything, Darcel raised his hand and coated it in his profound Darkness essence energy.

His Darkness energy spewed a deep black glow that seamlessly blended in with Aniela's Light energy. 

Masami blinked her eyes as she stared at the magical combination of Darkness and Light. For the amount of time she's been with the duo, she never had a chance to witness their Darkness and Light energy blending in together. 

If it ever did happen, they would be in the heat in the battle, and she wouldn't be able to notice.

"That's….beautiful." Masami quietly uttered under breath. 

Even though she saw many magical sights in her life, there was something so hypnotic about Darcel and Aniela's Light and Darkness combination. As her eyes were pulled around the Darkness and Light imagery, her sights fell on one particular tree. And her eyes immediately twinkle. 

"Ah! It's that one!" She pointed her finger over to that tree, pulling Darcel and Aniela's attention on it.

Both of them didn't notice this specific tree yet, but their eyes also gained a glint when gazing upon it. 

The combination of Light and Darkness made the dark shades on the trees more pronounced, and this specific tree was a perfectly blended mix of Light and Darkness.

"If a Light shaded tree exploded in our face, then I'll just assume a darker-shaded one will do the same. So let's go straight for the middle man!" Masami spoke in a confident tone.

Darcel and Aniela traded a brief glance. Looking around the other trees, nothing was like this specific blended mix one. So they both nodded in agreement, and Darcel had said then, 

"Alright, let's go."

On Darcel's command, the trio began treading over to the blended mix tree very carefully. They made sure to avoid getting close to any other shaded tree. 

Thankfully, when the first tree had combusted, it took out many of the other trees, allowing for a wider breadth to walk.

Once they had made it within a couple of feet from the tree, the trio felt a bit of nerve. They finally realized that it will always be sudden and unexpected when danger comes for them in this area. 

But this time, Darcel, Aniela, and Masami passed through the blended mix tree without any sudden danger popping up. 

On the other side of the tree, the trio blinked their eyes as they sensed swift energy run through the whole area.

When they blinked their eyes open, the energy vanished, and the scenery had changed once again. Darcel and Aniela still had their Light and Darkness energy up, causing the new sets of trees to light up under it.

Although, compared to the first area, the trees shaded parts here were a bit challenging to tell. The Light and Dark shades became less pronounced, becoming vaguer in their appearance.

Before Darce and Aniela can start trying to make out the next blended mix tree, they suddenly hear Masami speak up. 

"Yea, it's that one right there!" 

Darcel and Aniela looked over to where she was pointing and saw another perfectly blended mix tree.

Now Darcel and Aniela got curious about how she spotted the tree before them. At first, they thought she just got lucky. But with how vague the Light and Dark shades suddenly became, they guessed something had to be up.

They had then trailed their eyes over to her face and was a bit surprised to see literal blue fox flames swirling within her vertical slit pupils. 

"Sami….can your eyes be enhanced with your fox flames?" Aniela asked in genuine curiosity.

Masami huffed up proudly and told her, "Of course! It's a bit stinging to do it, but nothing I can't handle. Honestly though? It sort of just happened on its own while I was staring into you guys Light and Darkness."

Darcel got an even bigger interest in the abilities of fox flames, noting it in his mind to learn even more from Masami. Focusing on the present, he told the girls, 

"We'll be relying on your eyes then, Masami."

With more assured steps, the trio started walking towards the blended mix tree. But when they had reached ten feet from the tree, the trio's Spirit Senses frantically went off. 

This time, they felt sudden danger on all sides of them!

In an instant, Darcel, Aniela, and Masami gathered a massive surge of power in their legs and began dashing towards the tree. As they shot off, they heard trees noisily rustling and felt the air whipped by behind them.

Neither Darcel, Aniela, and Masami looked back. But if they did, they would've seen numerous tree branches piercing their previous spots. 

The trio was intently focused, becoming a blur in the wind as they tried to get close to the blended mix tree.

However, they quickly noticed something odd. No matter how fast they were going, it was like that tree was only becoming farther away from them. 

Before either Darcel, Aniela, and Masami could question why, they immediately sensed danger coming from in front of them.

Numerous tree branches were now shooting right towards their faces and were exuding an energy that gave them a tremendous sense of death. 

In that instance, Darcel, Aniela, and Masami erupted their bloodline powers, and each of them erected a Qi barrier.

Right as the trio put their Qi barriers, the tree branches crashed right onto them! 

'Bang!' 

Both the trio's Qi barriers and the tree branches shattered to bits and pieces on first contact.

Darcel, Aniela, and Masami had taken a firm footing on the ground as they felt their blood churns and arms quiver from that violent clash. Even in their most powerful state, the force those trees exuded were quite deadly.

And if they took more attacks like that, it could quickly get worse for them. 

Almost immediately then, Darcel realized something strange. If they could phase through trees before, then why are they getting hit now?

Unless….right then, Darcel's eyes lit up. "Girls, stop resisting! Our minds had just got duped." 

Aniela perked up with the same realizing glint in her eyes. "Right! Clever trick, but we won't get fooled now!"

"Heh! That was a pretty vicious trick. I'll have to give props to whoever made this area." Masami spoke with scornful praise. 

At the same time, the trio took a deep breath, letting their mind quickly calm down.

They had then stood straight up, deactivated their bloodline powers, and began to calmly walk forward. As they walked without any hurried pace, the blended mix tree wasn't magically going farther away.

Once again, their Spirit Senses began to frantically go off with danger as they walked. 

But Darcel, Aniela, and Masami didn't react at all. Their eyes saw tree branches coming at them at all sides, but they simply ignored it.

And as they expected, every single tree branch had phased right through them. Darcel, Aniela, and Masami's lips curved up to a smirk as this was another trouble done. 

Under their calm, relaxed pace, the trio reached the blended mix tree with no danger to their lives. 

After going through all of this trouble, Darcel, Aniela, and Masami could only hope what comes next would finally be at least close to the end of this long, drawn-out area.