In the distance, the Risen dwarf was closely watching the battlefield. He and the other three leaders hadn't made a move without orders, as they were waiting for that other Risen Chief to start the chaos by destroying the southern wall.
The four of them kept their eyes locked on the Dragoness and her partner. They were, by far, the biggest threat. And since the two were also staying back and only observing, the enemies waited for the perfect moment to act.
But... they had absolutely no idea those troops had already been wiped out. They were still waiting for the surprise attack to come from the rear before going all-in from the front.
From time to time, Niara created more of that white powder using wood power and sent it into the sky. Udynes saw that and moved it with the winds toward the enemies.
When that happened, at first, the beasts would throw themselves forward like shields to protect the Risen behind them. But that obviously created an opening for shots or arrows to take them out; so, soon the Risen decided to throw themselves in front and explode with all their power in the middle of the sprouts whenever they got hit by it.
Ten minutes passed in that loud, brutal battle. The eight thousand were still holding strong without any casualties... while the Risen were practically all wiped out, with mostly just the beasts left standing.
"Why haven't they attacked yet? It should've happened by now," Clekul said, getting impatient.
"Wait, I told them to go all the way around to avoid getting spotted..." the Risen dwarf muttered, though even he was starting to get worried.
Since the sprouts were being attacked by a lot at once, it wasn't possible to keep a solid barrier, and many enemies managed to break through. So the wolves, Summoners and their companions were fighting directly against a reduced number of opponents.
Five minutes later, the eight-thousand-strong army began to show clear signs of fatigue.
The tanks had stopped taking pills. The two elves brought by Udynes, along with the two humans brought by Irana, acted as support. Their blessings, which previously shielded and prevented enemies from wounding allies, had lost their strength.
The Risen dwarf snorted. "Hell Lion King and Abyss Tree, attack."
The beast leader and the strongest native Risen Tree of that world nodded. With them joining the fight, the enemy leader would be forced to act and reveal something.
The dwarf and Clekul stayed put, coldly observing and keeping their eyes on those two further away. As soon as they were thrown off balance by the sneak attack—or gave any opening—they would strike and kill them.
But right then, because of the World Tree's power that had spread its roots through the ground at the very beginning... they didn't notice something that had been unfolding for quite a while.
A wooden root was slithering under the battlefield, right beneath them. It looked like a serpent, and a faint crack opened in the ground when its tip touched the surface.
It was less than ten meters from those leaders. Two small holes opened up on the root, looking like eyes scanning the area.
Confirming they hadn't noticed anything, the root slowly pulled back underground. Originally just a few centimeters thick, it now began to grow wider.
With everyone's attention focused on the battlefield, no one noticed a small patch of earth beneath them starting to rise slightly.
As the root thickened, the bulge of dirt grew. But the small bump didn't look all that suspicious, since the ground was constantly being shifted and impacted.
When the root reached three meters in thickness, it stopped growing. Instead, it became hollow, forming a wooden tunnel.
Silently, two pairs who hadn't drawn any attention so far slipped through the wooden passage.
The twins and their Summoners took a deep breath. Then, the two butterflies pulled out two strange daggers that looked like fragments of a shattered blade.
Completely focused, Lucy stopped in the middle of the tunnel. Lucius, meanwhile, rushed all the way to the end.
At that moment, an Abyssal Corrupted Wolfe was brutally hit by a black wave. It was thrown back and slammed into the ground, coughing up blood. Its body nearly split in two.
All eight thousand were startled by the sudden attacker. They turned, tense, toward the source...
It was a massive black tree. Its power was on a whole other level compared to the beasts. With a single strike, it attacked from a distance, slipped through a gap between the sprouts, and seriously wounded an ally—without giving any chance to defend.
Howlyn ran in front of that wolf to shield it. It was still breathing, but it couldn't fight anymore—and it didn't have any pills left either.
Udynes reacted fast, sending all that white powder from above toward the black tree. But it snorted, and its leaves shook, releasing a dense black wave in every direction.
Its power was way beyond the Risen that had died to that powder. It could burn a lot of energy to produce a dense force that scorched the powder before it even got close.
The others didn't have that ability and, even if they did, they could only use it once — and then they'd be too drained to fight or even run. The black tree, on the other hand, while it burned through a ton of energy, could still keep it up and fight for a while.
Just then, the roar of a fierce King made the whole battlefield tremble. Everyone turned and saw a massive lion charging. The two leaders had stepped in to break the balance... which was already about to collapse.
"Irana, Barod, and Udynes, focus on the lion."
Darian's voice rang out, and the three took a deep breath. Their Summoners gripped their weapons tight and didn't hesitate for even a second — they were already on the move.
The Black Tree snorted. Its branches pulsed, ready for the next strike... one that would now be stronger and definitely kill someone.
The Risen dwarf smiled. After the first death on their side, it would all fall apart.
Suddenly, all the light in the area changed.
The darkness, mixed with all the colors of the fighters' powers, was suddenly wiped out — replaced by a pure, blinding white.
It happened so fast. When the Risen dwarf turned to the source of it all... he saw a hole in the center of the battlefield. And then...
A Mannaz dashed out like a white flash. She held a dagger in her hands, and on her shoulder was a butterfly glowing like a star.
They were so fast they seemed to warp space itself. The second they appeared, they were already a meter from the target...
The Black Tree coldly turned toward the attackers going for it.
It didn't have time to react. It only managed to move its corrupted power in defense, but the dagger pierced through like there was no resistance at all.
Then... Lucy's eyes lit up, and her blessing kicked in to the max.
What was just a blinding light... turned into a sun in the middle of the battlefield. No one could see anything, but... they all heard a chilling roar, and right after...
A violent sound, followed by a furious shockwave, made everyone step back.
It all happened in just two seconds, and the light started to fade.
When they saw the center... all they felt was a thick, dark power scattering in the wind.
That terrifying Risen Tree had been obliterated... like an ant.
"FUCK! QUICK STRIKE!" the Risen dwarf roared at Clekul.
Now he got it — the enemy had been setting a trap. They were hiding monsters among them. Clekul needed to trap that thing *now* before it caused even more damage.
The moment Clekul ran, Niara smiled and flapped her wings.
At that same second... the Risen dwarf didn't notice something less than ten meters from him, rising out of the ground.
A Mannaz, holding another dagger — once a primordial weapon — shot forward like a bolt of lightning in his direction.
When Lucius activated his blessing, the Risen dwarf spun around in shock, but the dagger was already just centimeters from his throat.
The eyes of that Risen Chief lit up. All across his body, his purest Bloodline runes flared at full power, triggered by pure survival instinct. His skin was coated in a layer of black metal in under a second.
The dagger pierced the metal and shattered it, but its momentum was stopped and didn't go through.
Lucius roared. All at once, the dwarf was trapped in a cage of bright, radiant white light.
Unlike the Black Tree, this dwarf didn't rely solely on corrupted power to defend himself. That's why the dagger, infused with Darian's pure white power, couldn't kill him instantly. But now\\... this dwarf was like a turtle stuck in a jar.
At that exact moment, Niara appeared in front of Clekul, fists clenched.
"Finally grew a pair, bitch? Let's see what you're made of!"