An Aura Farmer's Guide to Another World
Chapter 75: The Judgment Ring

Chapter 75: The Judgment Ring

I held Evelyn’s ankles steady as Lana placed her hands on Evelyn’s temples.

"Three, two, one."

Lana channeled mana into Evelyn. Her chest jolted upwards, then collapsed, spasming under the raw influx.

Evelyn’s wooden hand and ribs reacted aggressively to the external mana. Vines, resembling pulsating arteries, erupted across her right side in jagged, lightning-like patterns, convulsing violently.

"Three, two, one."

Lana channeled even more mana into Evelyn’s temples, causing her chest to heave violently. The wooden texture of her skin began to recede slowly, giving way to her natural fair complexion.

"Three, two, one."

Performing the mana transfer one last time, Evelyn’s chest jolted violently, crashing back into the snow. As I leaned closer, I saw her skin had miraculously reclaimed its normal fair hue.

Lana shifted her knees from Evelyn’s arms to the snow. She used a handkerchief to wipe the sweat that had formed on her forehead despite the biting cold.

"I’ve reset Evelyn’s mana heart," she announced, her voice a mix of exhaustion and relief, "thereby severing the mana that turned parts of her body into wood."

I moved away from Evelyn’s ankles and knelt beside her chest. I unbuttoned my shirt and helped her sit up. "How do you feel?" I asked.

Evelyn stretched her arms and glanced at me over her shoulder. "My body feels whole again," she replied, a hint of surprise in her voice.

I brushed the snow off her silver hair. "Here you go," I said, handing her my shirt. "Put this on. I’m sorry; in the heat of the moment, I tore your shirt instead of unbuttoning it."

Evelyn slipped on the shirt, then stood up. She kicked her legs out swiftly, rotated her right hand at the wrist, and tested its strength with a series of sharp jabs into the air, the air whistling with each movement. "My hand feels as good as new," she announced, her gaze flicking between Lana and me.

Lana and I rose to our feet, standing alongside Evelyn.

’When my blade pierced your heart,’ Lana began, her voice low, closing the distance between them with a deliberate stride, ’it allowed me to gauge your true mana capacity. The Queen and I have since agreed to grant you an SSS-rank artifact, one capable of finally sealing your mana output.’

Evelyn’s gaze drifted to the mangled trees, a bitter line forming on her lips. ’I’ve tried similar artifacts before,’ she said, her voice laced with doubt, ’and they’ve always failed.’

Lana opened her palm, and a white box with a purple rose design materialized out of thin air. ’This artifact, unlike those you’ve encountered, is from the Demon King’s own treasure,’ Lana stated, her voice firm with conviction. ’Based on my assessment, Evelyn, I assure you, it will work.’

Evelyn glanced at the small box resting on Lana’s hand. "Is that a Judgment Ring?" she asked.

"Yes," Lana confirmed, a slight smile touching her lips.

She lifted the lid, unveiling a rose ring unlike any other. Its band curled like a silver vine, dazzling as though carved from diamond threads. The vine blossomed into a perfect, vibrant red rose flower, its petals seemingly alive.

Lana took the ring and examined it. "While typically used to shackle prisoners’ mana, the former Demon King himself employed this very ring to temper his own immense power." She crouched, taking a needle from the first aid kit. Pricking her thumb, she let a drop of blood fall onto the ring. "Wardens usually wield these, creating a contract that lets them control a prisoner’s mana flow."

Using the same needle, Lana pricked Evelyn’s thumb. She held it over the ring, watching as blood swelled and dripped onto the rose. "The contract is sealed," Lana stated, her voice resonating with finality. "I can now regulate your mana flow from zero to ten." The ring then slid onto Evelyn’s right index finger.

At that moment, the red rose atop the ring bloomed, shifting from crimson to deep violet, and a searing purple glow ignited Evelyn’s eyes, her fingers splaying wide.

Her veins pulsed with flickering purple light, surging across her body. She convulsed violently, clutching her chest, head thrown back as uncontrollable tremors wracked her frame.

Just as abruptly as it erupted, the searing aura receded. Evelyn swayed, then slowly steadied herself. "It felt like acid flowing through my veins," she rasped. "And yet, it nearly pushed me to ecstasy."

Evelyn cupped her cheeks and tilted her face, licking her lips. "The pain in my veins... delicious," she said, glancing at Lana.

A subtle shudder passed through my body, and I pressed my lips into a thin line. "Is your heartbeat normal?" I managed to ask.

"I feel wonderful," Evelyn said, touching her chest. "My pulse is fine."

A gust of snow swept over us as we stood in a triangle. The cold bit into my skin—I had given Evelyn my shirt.

Lana stepped back two meters, turning to face Evelyn. "Activate your skill," she commanded. "Let’s test the seal’s strength."

Evelyn mirrored her, planting her feet firmly in the snow. I moved aside, careful not to stand in the crossfire.

Lana drew her sword, pointing it at Evelyn. "The Judgment Ring is at zero," she stated, her voice firm. "Maximum mana suppression. Attack with everything you’ve got."

Evelyn raised her palm, closing one eye for aim. "Understood," she murmured, thrusting it toward Lana.

"Blood Art Technique: Rose Garden."

Four strands of deep green vines sprouted from Evelyn’s palm and lunged toward Lana. Lana’s sword flashed, meeting the onslaught with a precise arc that cleaved them mid-air. Yet, more vines erupted ceaselessly from Evelyn’s palm, an unending torrent.

Evelyn’s lips curved into a wicked grin. She swiftly redirected her palm, slamming it into the snow. Instantly, the four vines burrowed beneath the ground, erupting moments later in four distinct directions, aiming for Lana’s torso.

Lana deftly leaped, dodging the incoming vines. As she landed a distance away, she saw them solidify into steel-hard spears with razor-sharp edges.

"Going for a kill already?" Lana smiled, a glint in her eyes.

She ran in an arc, maintaining a steady distance between herself and Evelyn. Purple rose vines continually emerged from beneath Lana’s feet, and she deftly dodged them as she ran.

Each vine would freeze like a metallic spear, clanging sharply when Lana parried it with her sword.

A minute into the test, Lana stopped directly across from Evelyn. "This should be enough," she said.

Lana sheathed her sword and glanced at Evelyn. "Your skill allows you to shoot vines and freeze them to steel-like density. I want you to modify that skill to create a weapon that is both steel-hard and sword-sharp."

Evelyn extended her palm, and four deep green, thorny vines, each a meter in length, erupted from her skin. They writhed and interwove with mesmerizing speed, swiftly forming a sturdy, gnarled pole. Seconds later, a delicate but firm hilt, also of woven vine, solidified at the base.

’A sword isn’t my style,’ Evelyn mused, her eyes narrowing. ’Let’s see what else these vines can become.’ With a dismissive flick of her wrist, the previously formed vines dissolved, flowing back into her open palm like liquid.

Then, with fierce concentration, Evelyn’s hand flared with purple mana, and new, thicker vines burst forth, intertwining and hardening into a 1.5-meter pole.

A massive scythe rapidly formed, its crescent blade over two meters wide and sharp as a new moon.

As it materialized, dark, almost black thorns studded its edges. Countless intricate purple roses bloomed across its curved surface, some shattering into scattered petals that momentarily swirled around the weapon.

A faint, purple-black aura pulsed from the newly formed scythe. The entire weapon, from its solid shaft to its terrifyingly beautiful blade, looked as though it had grown, not been made—an organic extension of Evelyn’s will.

She grasped the pole, a grim satisfaction settling on her features.

Evelyn advanced toward Lana and swung her massive scythe. Lana parried it, producing orange sparks. "Allow me to test this new toy on you," Evelyn said, grinning as she locked eyes with Lana.