While my empire grew wide and tall I began pondering. How could I get an edge against everyone, even gods while in this state?

The answer to that question came in unexpected time and form. Because one of my helpers just said to me that thanks to my nature as a crystal life form I could exist without the atmosphere. I knew my creatures were able to communicate between themselves but I thought only a select few could talk to myself.

Atmosphere huh, my invaders were breathing the current mix of gasses without an issue but I wonder what would happen If I catapulted the atmosphere into the cosmos. It’s surprisingly easy, just a planet sized implosion which could be achieved by Midas Apocalypse.

That means I need alchemists and runeworkers. For alchemists I decided to use the fish people template as a foundation.

Firstly, I made them bigger and made their skin thicker and eyes more adept at seeing both on land and in the water. Next I made their fingers more dexterous and long with small razor sharp nails at the end so that they could process plants efficiently.

Secondly, I changed their colors to green and used a lot of mana to make their skin able to act as a grow bed for any plants they might deem necessary to grow in big quantities.

I really knew shit about alchemy so I used these as my alchemists, for rune workers I just made one of the mages stronger and mentally inclined write down the magic on the stone. These professions should have the bare minimum to work their way up to acceptable levels.

Next I began my next mega-project, the Axis-Mundi. In simple terms the World Tree acts as an elevator to space. I connected myself with every tree on the island and began shaping them to form true symbiosis exchanging nutrition and minerals from the ground to grow upwards.

I began dumping nearly all of my mana inside the new hivemind to make it grow, then something unexpected happened. The clouds on the sky started swirling a lot and lightning started hitting the top of the tree amalgamation, charring it and stumping its growth.

This enraged me and with me every helper began chanting and shoving mana into the amalgamat, which slowed down even more rapidly pulling the minerals and life-force out of non-dungeon plants making the whole island whitter away in seconds. When everything died it shot upwards creating big upper branches of a tree that blot out the sun and the sky.

To stop any smart invaders I littered every exposed root and branch with tunnels for Zodarii and turrets. I even made some of the smaller branches able to move and swat the flyers away.

I think I'll wait for next arrivals while making this tree huge and complex labirynth of death. I wonder what my mom would've said when she saw me doing all of this. I really changed haven't I? Maybe I really was a monster as the classroom teach said during my primary school days....