Rushu’s Spiral Arrow pierced the ground, and a mournful wail echoed from beneath the earth.
“Sophia, Lili’s safety is in your hands.”
“In the name of Rushu Isleyne Trick, Redeeming Hurricane, Sacred Weapon Liberation!”
Rushu channeled the magic within him, unleashing the power of the wooden bow and allowing the weapon to revert to its true, sacred form.
“Roar!”
A Cerberus burst forth from underground, a spiral magic arrow lodged painfully in one eye of one of its three heads.
“Soar, Hurricane!”
Rushu raised the bow, now a sacred weapon, in his hand. He drew the bowstring taut as magic coalesced, and a magic arrow, sharp as a wind blade, shot from the string.
Though one of its three heads was blinded, the Cerberus’s combat prowess remained undiminished. As Rushu’s magic arrow approached, the Cerberus’s central head roared, unleashing a torrent of flames.
The two streams of magic collided, erupting in a violent explosion. The resulting smoke billowed, completely obscuring the Cerberus’s vision. While the beast possessed a keen sense of smell, it was facing an Elf. The scent of an Elf was, after all, indistinguishable from the surrounding magical elements, rendering them impossible to track.
Suddenly, in that instant, a bloody gash appeared on the Cerberus’s left flank. Howling in pain, the Cerberus unleashed a surge of magic, forming an outward burst of energy in an attempt to repel its unseen attacker.
“Go!”
Rushu leaped into the air, easily evading the Cerberus’s magical burst. While suspended, he drew his bowstring, condensing a magic arrow that then split into five, scattering as they shot forth. Though their target was one, their points of impact differed.
Confronted by such a multi-pronged assault, the Cerberus unleashed the flames of the Underworld, enveloping itself in them to form an impenetrable defensive barrier.
“How troublesome.”
Rushu’s brow furrowed at the sight of the Cerberus wielding the flames of the Underworld. He held an aversion to all things from that realm, for its faith centered on the God of the Underworld, an entity hostile to the Elven worship of the Goddess of Nature. Moreover, Underworld Flames were inherently malevolent, capable of devouring all life, even souls.
Dealing with the Cerberus’s Underworld Flames was a headache, as there seemed to be no direct counter to such an element. Nevertheless, Rushu steeled himself to press on, intending to delay the troublesome beast, for its demise would surely follow the death of its summoner.
The Spiral Arrow, released from Rushu’s control, hurtled towards the Cerberus. As it flew, it tore through the air, emitting a loud, piercing whistle.
However, this attack by Rushu did not immediately dissipate upon contact with the Cerberus’s Underworld Flame barrier, unlike his previous multi-directional assault. Instead, the Spiral Arrow continuously struggled against the barrier, yet failed to pierce through it.
“Hurricane, roar with all your might! Storm Spear!”
Rushu concentrated magic in his right hand, and a cerulean magic circle materialized before him.
A sudden storm erupted from beneath the Cerberus, sending the beast soaring into the sky. It collided with the Underworld Flame barrier above, shattering the defensive shield.
Smash!
Just as the Cerberus was sent flying skyward, a massive hand slammed down onto it. It was Sophia’s Stone Golem, for Sophia was not one to merely observe from the sidelines.
The two Stone Golems and the Bone Dragon were locked in a fierce battle, a stalemate where neither could truly overcome the other. The enemy summoner grew increasingly restless. Seeing his summoned ghouls, skeleton soldiers, Bone Dragon, and Cerberus thoroughly suppressed, he felt an immense pressure weighing down on him.
‘Damn you, Fenardo! To leave me alone against this entire group, damn it all!’
‘If things become truly impossible, I’ll retreat. At worst, I’ll leave the organization and live anonymously on another continent.’
The Undead Summoner began to entertain thoughts of retreat. He was alone, facing five individuals whose strength rivaled his own, one of whom was a summoner just like him. The scales of victory would inevitably tip against him.
“I must retreat before I am discovered.”
Finally, the Undead Summoner made a decision. It was still not too late to flee, before the organization discovered his failure.
****
“What’s going on? Did they retreat?”
As the Leader Girl and her companions fought, they sensed a distinct shift in the situation. The ghouls and skeleton soldiers were retreating. Not only that, but the Bone Dragon and Cerberus had also withdrawn, and the Undead Summoner was nowhere to be seen.
“Quite clever, retreating once they knew they were defeated.”
The Cool-headed Young Man sheathed his greatsword.
“We should hurry and rendezvous with Lucy and the others. We can’t stay here any longer.”
Rushu resealed the sacred weapon, allowing it to revert to an ordinary wooden bow.
Sophia remained silent, perched atop the Stone Golem’s shoulder as she guided it towards the previously designated location.
“Woah!”
The Elven girl named Lili nearly tumbled from the Stone Golem’s shoulder, having failed to secure her seating. Yet, she managed to regain her balance without incident, settling back down.
****
On the other side of the Forest of Fingle, Jeanne and her companions found the Magic Flower at the location Alisa had described. Moreover, the six of them encountered a group of five individuals engaged in battle with a large white wolf. One person in that group struck Jeanne as familiar, though she couldn’t quite place them. As for the white wolf, it was Cang Lang, the Sacred Beast Jeanne had seen before.
“Jeanne, we should leave quickly. Our mission is complete.”
Shavier took Jeanne’s hand. She did not wish for everyone to become entangled in that battle, for their strength was limited. If even those five individuals couldn’t overcome the white wolf, then her own small group stood no chance.
“Yes, let’s go.”
However, just as they prepared to leave, a person suddenly flew through the air behind them, crashing directly into the flowerbed and crushing a large swathe of vibrant blooms.
“What a pity.”
Luoge felt a pang of regret for the vibrant flowers.
“Uncle, are you alright?”
Alisa rushed to the large man and poked his body, wanting to ascertain if he was alive or dead.
“I was careless. I didn’t expect that fellow to be so strong.”
The large man stood up as if nothing had happened, stretched his limbs, and then retrieved his fallen knight’s sword.
“Glennt! Are you alright?”
At that moment, four more people rushed over. Not only that, but Cang Lang also pursued them.
“Humans! You repeatedly trespass here, searching for the entrance to the ruins. Your greed will bring you a painful price!”
Cang Lang gazed down at the humans before it. The group, originally five, had now swelled to eleven, further fueling its anger. Just last night, several groups had brazenly trespassed into the deepest parts of the Forest of Fingle, openly searching for the entrance to the ruins.
“It seems there’s no escaping this.”
Confronted by Cang Lang, Shavier felt an unprecedented terror grip her. Instinctively, she pulled her sister, Shana, behind her to protect her, her trembling hand resting on the hilt of her sword.
“So… so terrifying…”
Windy Feron was too petrified by Cang Lang’s aura to move, and it was Jeanne who forcefully pulled her behind her.
“This is… a Sacred Beast?”
Luoge lifted her head, gazing up at Cang Lang’s form from a close distance. This was the first time in her life she had ever seen a Sacred Beast.
“Woah! What a huge wolf! So cool!”
Alisa’s eyes sparkled with excitement after observing Cang Lang up close; she was absolutely thrilled.
‘It’s her!’
At that moment, the beautiful long-haired blonde girl from the group of five looked at Jeanne and froze.
“Little ones, get behind us. It’s best to keep some distance to avoid injury.”
The large man stepped forward to face Cang Lang.
“Humans, I will give you one last chance. Leave this place and never trespass again.”
The previously enraged Cang Lang suddenly calmed, no longer hostile, but instead urging them to leave.
However, just as Cang Lang calmed, two Bone Dragons appeared in the distance. When Jeanne turned to look, she froze, lost in the memories of that night.
“Those are Sophia’s summoned familiars. It seems they’ve encountered an enemy.”
Lucy quickly recognized the Stone Golems battling the Bone Dragons.
“Your human greed has once again shattered the peace here. Now go!”
Cang Lang simply bypassed everyone.
“Wait!”
At that moment, Jeanne called out to Cang Lang.
“Human, you should thank that adult, otherwise none of you would have survived.”
Cang Lang turned its head to look at Jeanne, knowing that the Wolf Fang Necklace was worn around her neck.
“…”
Cang Lang’s words plunged the scene into silence, with only two people present understanding its true meaning.
Boom!
Just as the atmosphere fell silent, a violent explosion echoed from somewhere in the Forest of Fingle. This sudden event prompted Cang Lang to turn and sprint towards the sound without a word.
“We’re saved.”
After Cang Lang left, Shavier collapsed onto the ground like a deflated balloon.
“Shavier, are you alright? You’re sweating so much!”
Alisa helped Shavier up, then took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from her face.
“Little ones, you must leave this place quickly. This is truly not where you should be.”
The large man began to persuade Shavier and the others to leave, while the blonde beautiful girl continuously scanned her surroundings, as if searching for something.
“Then we…”
Before Shavier could finish her sentence, Alisa interrupted her.
“Uncle, you can’t make us leave. We’re here to train and grow stronger.”
Alisa looked at the large man, refuting him with righteous indignation.
“You foolish girl, you have no idea what you’re getting into.”
The large man had no authority to force them away, so he could only shake his head and sigh.
“Perhaps this妾身 and others can assist you.”
Seeing Alisa’s insistence on staying, Luoge decided she couldn’t abandon her there. Thus, she chose to remain with Alisa, knowing she had a backup plan if things became too dire.
“No! That’s too dangerous.”
Shavier would not simply watch Alisa and Luoge stay behind.
“But Shana is with us too.”
Alisa pointed to Shana, who was resting her hand on her sword hilt, then bypassed her sister to stand beside Alisa and Luoge.
“Shana!”
Seeing her sister act this way, Shavier immediately grew anxious.
“I want to grow stronger, then protect my sister and drive away everything that frightens her.”
Shana suddenly spoke, lowering her head to caress the single-handed sword at her waist.
“Sha-Shana, you’re finally speaking again.”
Shavier was overcome with emotion, rushing to embrace her sister. It had been years since she had heard Shana speak, not since that fateful year. Now, she had finally opened her mouth.
“Another sister worrying herself sick over her sibling.”
Luoge glanced at the bewildered Alisa, then sighed, shaking her head.