Chapter 239: The Forest's Fury

The war-trees—ancient, towering treants—were both the natural allies and greatest weapons of the elves. When a treant reached the final stage of its life cycle, it had the potential to undergo a profound transformation under the influence of the Tree of Life: it would grow larger and hardier, and gain access to immense power. In this evolved state, it was known as a war-tree.

"What's going on with that war-tree? Is the forest under attack?"

Wang Yu asked the elven ranger. Under normal circumstances, without elven guidance, a war-tree should have been no more dangerous than any other ancient tree. But this one was rampaging—clearly, something was wrong.

"No," the elven ranger replied gravely. "This is precisely why Liaheim has been barred to outsiders lately. The Forest of Origin has grown increasingly volatile. We believe we've identified the culprit behind this unrest. Until we can deal with it, Liaheim must remain sealed."

He raised a hand to the falcon perched on his shoulder, signaling the elven boy Robin to return to the city.

The falcon took flight, circling overhead for a moment before turning and vanishing into the deep forest as it headed toward the heart of Liaheim.

The ranger turned back to the group with steady resolve. "Follow Robin to Liaheim. I must calm that war-tree. These beings are our kindred allies—we can't leave it like this."

Sieg glanced at the war-tree in the distance. Its massive limbs were smashing the earth in a blind fury. He frowned in thought, then exchanged a glance with Wang Yu. The two silently reached an accord.

"Ranger, allow us to assist you," Sieg offered with a smile. "With our strength, we may be of some help."

Wang Yu nodded in agreement.

"..."

The ranger fell silent for several seconds. Then he closed his eyes and considered the strength of those before him. Neither Wang Yu nor Sieg had bothered to conceal the vibrant lifeforce that pulsed through them—he realized, with no small surprise, that these outsiders might be even stronger than himself.

"Very well," he said at last. "You have our gratitude. My name is Krei. Please help buy me an opportunity to strike later."

Unlike humans, elves rarely wasted words on polite formalities. They were refreshingly direct.

"Robin, return at once," Krei called out to the falcon still gliding above them. "If you meet any rangers en route, tell them what's going on here."

The falcon gave a sharp cry in answer as it veered away, disappearing into the forest's depths.

"This way. Watch out for the boulders the war-tree throws—within the Forest of Origin, treants have an innate awareness of their surroundings. We can't hide our approach."

Krei slung his oaken longbow across his back and drew a curved dagger from his belt. Reversing his grip, he darted forward, weaving through the trees like a phantom. He gestured for the others to follow.

Wang Yu and Sieg shot forward with ease, their powerful physiques allowing them to traverse the forest floor with speed and grace. Behind them, Avia conjured a whirlwind, lifting herself and Noelle into the air as they followed.

As if to confirm Krei's warning, a massive boulder suddenly erupted from the earth. The war-tree's gnarled limb hoisted it high into the air, then hurled it toward them with terrifying force.

Whether by instinct or intelligence, the war-tree's throw was astonishingly precise. The boulder arced gracefully through the air before descending toward them with bone-crushing speed.

"Watch out for the seeds inside the boulder!" Krei shouted. "They'll attack you—don't let them slow you down, or the next strike will smash you to pulp!"

He dove to the side to avoid the impact.

Wang Yu and Sieg were already in motion. Upon hearing Krei's warning, they paid closer attention to the incoming projectile. There it was: thick green vines entwined the stone, clinging like serpents to its uneven surface.

Wang Yu raised a hand to signal Avia behind him. He and Sieg accelerated, bursting clear of the boulder's range just as it crashed down.

The earth shook. Trees splintered. Dust and bark filled the air. Cracks webbed across the massive boulder. Small figures emerged from them, nestled in vine-wrapped hollows.

Miniature treants—knee-high, stubby-limbed things that looked like animated stumps—tumbled out and bounced to their feet. Though they looked clumsy, they moved with startling speed.

They surged toward the nearest signs of life, vitality radiating from their bodies. If they managed to close in on a target, they would subsequently explode into tangles of writhing vines that bound and immobilized their targets.

Krei tensed. Power swirled around his blade as he prepared to strike. If they were entangled now, avoiding the next boulder would be impossible.

But before the creatures could act, a tidal wave of flame surged forth from the place where the boulder had landed, engulfing the swarm of mini-treants in an instant.

Avia had made her move. Her third-tier Blazing Tide swept through the clearing. In seconds, the tiny wooden foes were reduced to cinders and drifted to the ground in clouds of ash.

Krei blinked, momentarily stunned. Then he nodded in thanks, motioned the group forward, and resumed his dash toward the war-tree. With such allies at his side, perhaps this fight would be easier than he'd expected.

More boulders came, but each was met with a wave of cleansing fire. Avia's magic swept through the battlefield like a scythe, ensuring none of the embedded treants ever reached the group. Unimpeded, they closed in on the war-tree.

But when they came within ten meters of the war-tree, it began to move. It had been wrenching nearby rocks free with its roots and launching them like artillery. Now, however, it uprooted itself and stepped forward with a groaning quake.

Each step sounded like the boom of thunder. Though its speed was slow, its strides were immense. The twenty-meter behemoth charged forward like a walking avalanche.

Wang Yu's sharp eyes caught sight of something unexpected: blood. The war-tree's roots were slick with bright red blood, and bits of torn flesh clung to the bark.

Wherever it passed, it left behind twin trails of gore—remnants of the animals it had crushed beneath its fury.

"This thing's completely out of control... but why?" Wang Yu thought grimly.

"Keep clear of it!" Krei called. "None of us can match its strength in direct combat. I need to deliver this to its core."

He pulled from a vibrant, living branch from his pack. It had been cut from the Tree of Life itself. He leapt to the top of a nearby tree and looked toward the war-tree's head.

The war-tree's "core" was hidden in the thickest part of its canopy. To plant the branch there, he would have to leap onto the war-tree itself—an incredibly dangerous feat.

"Avia and I will distract it," Wang Yu declared. "Professor, help Krei reach the top."

Without waiting for a reply, he activated his power. Space cracked open behind him, and alchemical metals spilled forth. He shaped them in midair, the substance coiling around his body like liquid armor before hardening into a solid suit.

In seconds, he had transformed into a heavy war-knight clad in thick plate. His silhouette had doubled in size.

"Be careful!" Krei shouted, wide-eyed. "A war-tree's far stronger than a grand knight. You'll be crushed!"

Krei was dumbfounded as he watched Wang Yu charge headlong at the towering war-tree without hesitation. Was this man insane? Did donning heavy armor somehow convince him he could wrestle with a war-tree?

By and large, the elves were nimble, deadly skirmishers. Krei couldn't comprehend Wang Yu's absurdly simple and direct style of combat—but perhaps that was to be expected.

"He'll be fine. Just trust him," Sieg said, stepping up beside the great tree where Krei stood. "Get ready. I'm going to throw you."

He crouched low and placed a hand against the ground, motioning for the startled elven ranger to step onto his palm.

The war-tree didn't hesitate. As Wang Yu rushed forward, it raised a massive wooden fist and brought it crashing down. Even with his ironclad form now towering over three meters, Wang Yu was still dwarfed by the colossal creature.

The enormous fist, many times larger than Wang Yu himself, smashed into him directly. The earth quaked from the impact. Dirt and stone exploded into the air, raining down like a storm. Wang Yu's figure vanished on the spot.

Krei's pupils contracted. He was truly stunned. Wang Yu was clearly reckless, but taking a full punch from a war-tree head-on was beyond the pale. As expected, he hadn't stood a chance. That blow would have flattened him!

But the very next moment, Krei realized that Wang Yu hadn't been obliterated after all. The war-tree's fist had struck the ground, forming a great crater—but when it tried to pull its fist free, it couldn't. Something was holding it in place.

Despite its immense size and overwhelming might, the war-tree found itself unable to retract its fist immediately.

And at the center of it all was Wang Yu, buried deep in the earth.

The war-tree was unquestionably stronger; its sheer mass alone guaranteed that. Wang Yu could never hope to match that kind of brute power.

But that didn't necessarily translate to more damage. If the blow had landed on metal or stone, Wang Yu might well have been reduced to a smear. But this was a forest, and the soil here lacked the hardness to deliver lethal force.

Though the punch had landed squarely on Wang Yu, his thick iron armor had absorbed the shock. The rest of the force had merely driven him four or five meters into the ground. And now, nearly unscathed, he was fighting back.

From beneath the earth, he unleashed the power of the Chariot, flooding his body with energy. The surrounding soil and rock responded to his will, sweeping toward the embedded war-tree fist, wrapping around it, and dragging it down. Astonishingly, this counterforce was enough to keep the war-tree at bay—at least for the moment.

A low, guttural groan escaped from the creature. It raised its other arm to smash whatever was restraining it—only for a massive hand of earth and stone to erupt from the ground, seizing its free limb and halting the strike.

Avia had been prepared. Her fourth-tier Gaia's Fist, supplied with ample mana, formed a titanic hand out of rock that aided in Wang Yu's efforts to restrain the war-tree. For a brief but critical moment, both of the war-tree's arms were sealed in place.

"Ready? Go!" Sieg asked Krei, who now had one foot on his palm. Without waiting for a reply, he flung the elven ranger into the air.

With Sieg's aid, Krei soared upward, flipping gracefully in midair toward the war-tree's core.

As he spun, he drew his long oaken bow from his back, nocked a branch from the Tree of Life to the string, and pulled it taut. With one eye closed, his sharp vision pierced through the dense canopy atop the war-tree, locking onto the hidden heart at its center.

"Let the winds whisper..."

He chanted in Elvish as he cast Path of the Breeze. A gentle vortex of wind formed around the arrow.

The bowstring snapped taut, releasing the enchanted branch with speed and precision. It flew straight for the war-tree's heart.

Guided by the breeze, the arrow slipped through the dense maze of twigs and leaves. It narrowly shot through every gap and struck the heart dead center.

The wind rose once more, gently slowing the branch. It alighted softly upon the core.

The war-tree shuddered. Its struggles ceased. Instead of straining further against Wang Yu and Avia, it swayed gently, its roots sinking into the ground as it slowly withdrew.

Wang Yu and Avia, seeing the change, naturally released their hold. The war-tree's arms folded back along its trunk and merged seamlessly with its body.

And just like that, under the watchful gaze of the group, the frenzied war-tree calmed and reverted to a seemingly ordinary, if massive, tree.

Krei jumped nimbly from the sky, rolling to absorb the impact. He glanced toward Wang Yu, who was now climbing out from the pit, still clad in battered but intact armor. Krei could hardly believe how smoothly it had all gone.

A wry, self-deprecating smile crossed his face. Compared to agile elven scouts like himself, Wang Yu and Avia—with their overwhelming power and direct combat prowess—had accomplished what would've taken a coordinated effort from several rangers. And what had Krei done? He had fired a single arrow while flung aloft by Sieg's throw. That was it.

"...This forest really is a little hot-tempered."

Wang Yu's heavy armor fell away under the influence of the Chariot's power. He looked around at the wreckage left behind by the war-tree and clicked his tongue thoughtfully.

The war-tree's trunk was still stained with blood. Its rampage through the forest had left a trail of destruction: splintered trees, unearthed rocks, and general chaos.

Honestly, "hot-tempered" was an understatement.