Golden Demon Tree

The three of them crept down the mountain valley silently. Time seemed to stand still, as their movements were so subtle that one wouldn't notice anything amiss if they looked around the center of the valley.

He had traversed this route hundreds of times. While he had been discovered and failed before, that was when he was unskilled. Compared to then, it was now impossible. Although the treants were strong and aggressive, these naturally blind creatures were not good at reconnaissance—sound traveled slower than light, after all.

However, Brando, with his nerves still taut, heard the faint rustling sound of his boot tips scraping against the rocks. He turned his head and saw Freya staring back at him, her face tense. The young man couldn't help but frown: You're still too nervous, Freya.

He stopped to let Romane pass him. The merchant lady was doing very well—her body low, her breathing even, her pace neither too fast nor too slow, elegant and agile like a kitten, not making too much noise. Her mind was also delicately cautious and excited at this moment; the taut string of her nerves instead stimulated more potential in her body—Romane had always considered herself a natural merchant and adventurer.

"Romane, you're doing great, keep it up—" Brando encouraged her silently with his lips.

The merchant lady quickly nodded, her movements small but unable to hide her inner pride.

Brando let Romane pass and his gaze fell on Freya behind her. The girl seemed to know her state and couldn't help but lower her head. The young man let out a silent sigh at this sight. This future valkyrie, no matter her talent in any aspect, was not the most outstanding—her intelligence, judgment, psychological fortitude, and physical fitness seemed to have predetermined that she would be an ordinary person.

But only Brando understood that she must possess some potential that would allow her to achieve that legendary title one day.

He couldn't help but look at her closely. As she lowered her head, her light brown hair was revealed, evenly distributed, soft and smooth, appearing to have been meticulously cared for by its owner. It wasn't exquisite, but it was detailed.

At this moment, Freya had already passed him, her body low. The girl made no sound, only her long ponytail swaying with her movements as if expressing her unyielding spirit—Brando knew this was a unique kind of stubbornness.

His heart stirred: "Freya."

Freya paused in her movement ahead.

"You're too nervous, relax a bit."

"I'm sorry, I..."

"It's okay."

"Do you see that rock ahead? We need to split up here. You hide behind it, and when the patrol passes, you must divert the attention of the last two treants immediately."

Freya nodded.

"You go first. I'll watch you here, Freya. I believe you can do it well." Brando rolled over and lay on his side amidst the rubble, making a gesture to her.

The girl finally couldn't help but show a surprised expression. This was different from the prearranged plan, but she wasn't foolish. She knew Brando was staying behind to encourage her, and her heart was slightly touched—but at this moment, all she could do was purse her lips and nod heavily.

Brando watched Freya move forward, her movements becoming more steady, and then he breathed a sigh of relief.

In fact, such on-the-spot reactions were very normal. Not many people were as naturally gifted as Romane. He looked back and saw the merchant lady also stop to look at him, her face full of curiosity. He couldn't help but make a gesture for her to continue forward with a hint of annoyance.

Unfortunately, while this one had top-notch psychological fortitude, her thinking was too abnormal. Speaking of which, Freya was more reliable. He still looked forward to the day the future valkyrie grew up.

Freya quickly reached her designated position. The patrol had only covered half the valley, and no issues had arisen—in fact, no issues were likely to arise, it was just that the girl herself was too nervous. However, Brando was in a bit of trouble now. Because he had delayed a bit to encourage Freya, the treants had already circled halfway around and were entering their ambush range. At this distance, he was likely to be discovered.

But Brando was Brando, after all. He managed to control his route and timing to the best possible degree, without any mistakes. By the time he climbed to Romane's side, even he couldn't help but wipe a bead of sweat from his brow. He had been too nervous, but at least he hadn't let his emotions affect his performance—just like in the game, it was perfect.

Romane saw him sweating profusely and quickly rummaged through her bag for a checkered handkerchief and handed it to him. She didn't speak, but her thoughts were clear—Brando saw the checkered handkerchief and vaguely remembered it was a handicraft from the northern Viero region. Bucci rarely saw similar goods—it was also one of the merchant lady's favorite collectibles.

"Thank you," he said, mouthing the words word by word.

"I should be thanking you, Brando," Miss Romanee replied seriously, holding her bag with both hands. "Will it be very dangerous in a moment? Are there things I might not have a chance to say? That's why I want to tell you—thank you, Brando."

Brando was taken aback, then smiled slightly.

In just this moment, six treants had approached. The three of them could hear the approaching footsteps behind the sharp rocks where they were hiding. The treants communicated using low-pitched notes, and their communication with the mother tree was done solely through their minds.

Brando saw Freya draw her sword. She wrapped the blade with her clothes to prevent any reflection from alerting the enemy. Brando nodded, at least in this regard, he could see that Freya was no longer the little girl with only ideals from a few days ago. He immediately made a gesture, meaning: I'll go first, you flank.

Freya frowned. The other party always took on the most dangerous part of the work, which made her feel uneasy and also a little unconvinced. But even so, she knew this was the most appropriate course of action and could only nod helplessly.

The treants passed under a rocky promontory extending from the ground. Then they stopped, searched in all directions, and emitted a series of strange notes to communicate. Brando drew Gleaming Thorn, shielded Romane with one hand, and then signaled Freya to attack—

It was at this very moment. The treants should have been behind them and spread out. This was the best time to launch an attack.

Brando charged out first, his primary target being the adult treant. Then came Freya. The girl decisively drew her sword and charged towards the rear of the treant formation. Her target was the offspring of the two Golden Demon Trees that were standing relatively close together.

The treants at the back of the formation were usually responsible for guarding, so they reacted the fastest. The moment the two treants spotted Freya, they turned their heads and let out a low roar. Their bodies opened four vines, which shot out like bayonets—the vines whistled through the air.

But Freya parted her hands and blocked the four steel cables. Feather of Wind shone piece by piece, protecting her, allowing her to leap forward and collide with the first treant—Feather of Wind dimmed for a moment, then brightened again. But the tall monster was also sent flying by the unexpected impact.

The girl remembered Brando's words at this time: "Your Empress of Wind Half-Plate has a great advantage against them. You should attack with all your might—"

She gritted her teeth and, disregarding her own defense, pounced to suppress the treant that had fallen to the ground. A torrent of power immediately tried to throw her off—Freya knew her strength was limited and she could be thrown off at any moment. She gripped her long sword tightly, raised it high, and swung it down at the treant's right arm.

With a light zi sound, the right arm, covered in writhing vines, flew into the air. But Freya was also thrown away. As soon as she got up, she was whipped away by another treant and rolled several times on the ground. Although the Empress of Wind Half-Plate protected her, the impact still made the girl cough up blood.

The treant lying on the ground couldn't recover for a while. Freya knew she only had one enemy left. But she wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and couldn't find an opportunity to attack for a while.

She couldn't help but take a shallow breath.

On the other side, Brando had eliminated the enemy in a state of surprise as soon as he attacked. Gleaming Thorn was like a dancing silver thread in his hand: the first sword pierced the treant's right flank, then swung outwards, turning its right arm and several vines into dust.

The second sword severed its two legs, and the moment the monster lost its balance and fell, the cold edge of the elven sword swept across its neck.

Within the interweaving net of light, the adult treant turned to ash.

Of course, this was because he had the advantage of surprise. For the rest, he would have to think of a plan. However, Brando had already made his calculations. After the first strike, he immediately sheathed his sword and retreated. How could the vine monsters that had lost their companion give up so easily? The three treants roared and pursued him.

Brando was waiting for this moment—as they chased him through a narrow path, the three vine monsters instinctively lined up in a straight line to pass through one by one—but waiting for them was the faintly glowing silver ring in Brando's hand.

"Oss!"

Freya heard a terrifying explosion from her left rear and knew it was Brando succeeding. Her tension involuntarily eased, and at the same time, she noticed that the enemy in front of her was momentarily stunned by this huge sonic boom.

As a young person from a village in Bucci, she naturally didn't understand how much impact this sonic boom had on the sound-sensitive treants—the immense sound almost made them lose their ability to perceive the outside world, as if the entire world was filled with a blinding white light, and nothing existed within that white light.

But she knew this was an opportunity, and that was enough. She raised her longsword, which was corroded and almost broken, and slashed fiercely at the treant's legs.

The brief battle seemed to be drawing to a close with this strike—

With a crisp clang, the treant's towering body was split in two along with her longsword. Freya could barely believe she had succeeded. She opened her small mouth, and then saw Romane, panting, standing opposite her, twisting a Madara black steel sword.

"Romane!"

"Freya, I-I'm sorry, Brando told me to come help you..."

The girl smiled, "It's okay, thank you."

When Brando emerged from behind the stone outcrop, he saw exactly this scene. He couldn't help but freeze. He had expected Freya to throw a tantrum, but her reaction wasn't that strong.

In fact, his arrangement wasn't entirely to relieve Freya's pressure, but out of tactical consideration. This surprise attack's focus was actually on the side of this ponytail girl. The core of the entire treant patrol was their commander—the adult treant, and the two treants responsible for guarding the rear of the formation.

As long as the treants responsible for guarding were held back, Brando could easily launch a surprise attack to kill the adult treant and lure away the remaining treants to implement his plan. This was to prevent the enemy from having the chance to form up and counterattack. Otherwise, with six ranged monsters, even if Brando's level were five levels higher, he couldn't guarantee the safety of Freya and Romane.

But just as he was worrying about how to explain, Freya seemed to have understood.

"Why is the Golden Demon Tree silent?" The future Valkyrie also saw him now. She asked, "Can it not move?"

Brando froze, then came back to his senses. He shook his head. The Golden Demon Tree was certainly not silent; quite the opposite, in fact. The moment they launched their attack and caught the Golden Demon Tree's attention, that terrifying monster's counterattack had already begun.

It was just silent.

"We have one minute. I'll explain to you how to deal with the Golden Demon Tree. You must listen carefully if you don't want your souls to be eternally imprisoned within the Golden Tree," he replied.

(PS. I'm very happy to see the few long reviews in the comment section.

The results aren't strong enough yet, so I'll continue to ask for your support!)