A rumble came from the south. About half a minute later, another followed. Brando tilted his head to listen, confirming that the Stone Cone Worm had passed through the area where the valley filled with sharp rocks narrowed inward—the rock-armored creature had thirteen thousand steel-needle-like teeth packed into its spiral mouthparts. Not only could it easily bore through layers of soil, it could also chew up the hardest rock.
Brando had seen an adult Stone Cone Worm before. It was about thirty meters long and took three people holding hands to encircle. These creatures from the Stone Nexus had astonishing defensive power. Even Brando's greatsword, with a Strength Level of 40 Oz, could not break through their surface armor, let alone inflict any damage.
The Golden Demon Tree BOSS had released the Stone Cone Worm and allowed it to charge straight in. This showed that it had shifted the focus of its defenses onto the few of them. Brando could not help cursing under his breath.
The rocky cape was about one li from the center of the Forbidden Orchard, where the Golden Demon Tree had taken root. Even moving through the strata at top speed, the Stone Cone Worm would need more than two minutes and thirty seconds. The three of them, meanwhile, had already entered the core of the Forbidden Orchard. If the Golden Demon Tree did not interfere, they only needed to get around the stretch of broken, uneven ground ahead to see the Golden Tree's true body.
Two minutes remained.
But Brando knew with the back of his heel that the Golden Demon Tree would never let them proceed unhindered. Sure enough, before he could finish thinking, the solid ground beneath their feet let out a splintering groan. At such a close distance, they were already within the area covered by the Golden Demon Tree's roots. As a result, the roots moved without the slightest warning, leaving Roman's ability with no chance to take effect.
All three of them felt their bodies sink downward at once. Brando, who had been prepared, thrust the Elven Treasure Sword into the ground and steadied Merchant's Daughter with one hand. He glanced to the side and saw Freya half-crouching on the ground, keeping her balance.
But before the three of them could breathe a sigh of relief, the ground sank again. This time, it clearly tore open a crack from the surface.
"What is it trying to do?" Ponytail Girl nearly toppled backward and asked nervously.
"It wants to kill us. Follow me." Brando hauled Roman up from the ground, then pulled out his sword. Half-embracing Merchant's Daughter, he leaped forward and rolled twice across the ground, dodging a fissure the Golden Demon Tree had forcibly created underground with its roots.
Roman was protected beneath the young man's body. Her face flushed like a rosy apple, and she stared wide-eyed without even daring to breathe loudly.
Freya seemed to want to jump over as well, but the Golden Demon Tree was no pushover. It used its roots to drag the ground even farther downward, causing her chest to slam into the offset strata. If Brando had not reacted quickly and pulled her back, she might have sunk below with the soil and rocks.
"Thank you." Freya pulled free of his hand and lowered her head as she replied.
"Now isn't the time for that." Brando drew his sword and sliced a whip sweeping horizontally toward them into two.
But more serpentine roots soon appeared ahead, while the fissure behind them sloped farther downward. The crack was widening. It seemed that the BOSS had made up its mind to teach them a lesson. Yet these tricks were all too familiar to Brando. He could not help thinking that aside from surprising him in the first phase, this wooden stump did not seem capable of coming up with anything new.
The ability to tear open the ground was a large-area AOE in the game, but it was not without weaknesses.
"Watch closely!"
He spoke to Freya while holding Roman tightly and staring at the roots sweeping toward them. He turned sideways, letting the "whip" pass in front of him, then reached out and seized it in a tight grip. The Golden Demon Tree clearly had not expected this move. It hurriedly coiled up its root, trying to fling Brando away.
But the young man held on stubbornly, rising and falling with Roman in his arms. The BOSS of Xavier Mountain Pass finally lost patience. It raised the root high, intending to smash Brando to death. Brando, however, released his grip at the perfect moment and leaped backward, landing thirty-four meters away from the fissure.
His Strength Level of 3.7 gave him nearly four times the strength of an ordinary person. His Agility Level of 2.9 made him nimbler than the mountain apes that moved across the treetops as though they were walking on level ground. With these Attributes supporting him, completing this series of movements was not difficult. He landed, and his powerful muscles, bones, and internal organs absorbed the impact layer by layer. An ordinary person would have had their organs crushed, but for him, it caused only slight discomfort.
This was the benefit of improved physical Attributes. Brando knew that everything he had done before had not been in vain. He had accumulated his Attributes bit by bit for the sake of this very moment.
The moment Brando landed, he turned and shouted to Freya, "Keep up!" Then he did not stop, taking the staggering Merchant's Daughter by the hand as the two of them charged toward the Golden Demon Tree with one sword between them.
"Brando, wait!"
"I can't keep up!"
But Brando paid no attention to what the young Merchant's Daughter was saying. He turned a corner, and the ground suddenly split open with a loud crack. Countless roots shot out from beneath the earth, forming an enormous web—the Golden Demon Tree stood behind it.
Less than a minute remained.
Brando stopped short, and Roman behind him came to a halt as well, panting heavily. She raised her head and gazed curiously at the Golden Demon Tree behind them. No matter how she thought about it, she felt certain that it had to be the golden apple tree of the Deities.
Brando examined the web. It was exactly the same as in the game. He swept the Elven Treasure Sword in a circle before himself. Two serpentine vines that lashed toward him instantly caught fire and split into four pieces. Military Swordsmanship was broad and forceful. It did not have many defensive moves, but the few patterns it did possess were all extremely refined.
Then he released Roman and took a step back. Raising the sword with both hands, he stepped forward. "Power Burst—!" Brando felt excessive power being drawn from his upper arms, forearms, trapezius, and latissimus dorsi, causing the Elven Treasure Sword to carve a beautiful silver arc. The sword surged forward, carrying a force of 7.7 Energy Levels as it slammed into the web.
When Freya limped up from behind, this was the scene she saw. Every time before, she had thought she was witnessing Brando's limit. The last time, she could explain it away by saying he had used that magic card to cheat. But this time, she had truly seen that power erupt.
The blade forced the air aside, drawing out a rapid sonic boom. Like dead wood before a splitting axe, the Golden Demon Tree's web of roots tore open with a sharp hiss, and the entire thing collapsed from the middle.
This trapped beast of Xavier Mountain Pass could no longer stop the three of them. It could only watch helplessly as they broke through. The moment Brando entered the core area of the Forbidden Orchard, he shouted to Roman and Freya, "Attack the main trunks of its roots. Leave the main body to me—"
With that, he took out a Fate Card and silently thought, Display the Holy Sword!
*********
Even in summer, Winterclaw Castle was shrouded in a thin layer of frost. It had originally been built in the high-altitude mountain region of Kolkova to watch the barbarian tribes in the northern forests. However, after Barta Province was established, it also became one of the royal family's villas.
In the castle's diamond-shaped courtyard stood an ancient pine tree. During a fire at Winterclaw Castle in the previous century, it had miraculously survived among the charcoal. The castle's owner considered this a good omen, so they rebuilt the fortress and preserved the tree.
Now, beneath the pine tree, a solemn atmosphere was spreading.
The little girl dressed in a thick knight's uniform had beautiful silver hair. Her slightly pointed ears proved that part of her bloodline was not human. Yet unlike the aloof grace and softness of the elves, this fifteen-year-old girl wore a stern expression. She gripped a dark, heavy longsword with both hands, and her stance was the opening defensive posture of Eluin Cavalry swordsmanship—
She pursed her lips and commanded a slightly younger boy before her, "Haruze, attack me—!"
Simple and unquestionable.
"Sister..."
"Attack!"
The boy could only brace himself and thrust his sword forward. But the girl smoothly pressed down his blade with hers, then stepped forward and placed a hand against his chest, directly pushing him to the ground.
The surrounding servants let out a collective gasp.
"Again!" The girl's expression did not change.
"Sister, I..."
"Stand up. Again."
The boy could only get up and take a step back. Gritting his teeth, he charged forward again. But the girl in the knight's uniform shifted her sword from her right hand to her left and casually swung it, knocking his sword flying.
"What are you spacing out for?"
"I'm sorry."
"Again."
Ten minutes later—
The girl entered the changing room and had two maids remove her heavy knight's armor. Heat and sweat steamed her beautiful silver curls. Without turning her head, she asked, "Where is Father?"
"The envoy from Madara has arrived, Your Highness."
"His Majesty is meeting Marquis Kluger in secret," another maid replied with her head lowered.
The girl glanced at herself in the mirror. Her face was icy, without a trace of unnecessary expression. She changed into a dress, slid her hand back through her long silver hair, and tossed it behind her. Then she raised her head and replied:
"Take me to Gemmel." She silently thought that the war might have a turning point, but that old fox, Marquis Kluger, was not worthy of trust. Of course, there was no need to say such things in front of the servants. She needed to find a trusted confidant.
"Yes, Your Highness."
This day was the beginning of June in the Year of Flowers and Summer Leaves—
*********
Brando watched as the color gradually faded from every branch of the Golden Demon Tree and they drooped weakly. He knew that the terrifying monster had finally reached the end of its life. He felt somewhat exhausted. Paying two points of mana to maintain the Holy Sword's effect had nearly drained his entire mental capacity.
After all, he was a warrior, not a mage. Even a mage at this level would have only a dozen or so points of mana.
Freya and Roman sat off to the side, their bodies utterly limp. Freya had suffered a slight injury to her arm, but it was nothing serious. Besides, compared to defeating a powerful enemy, the joy of victory was enough to lift their spirits even more. They could not help turning to look at Brando.
But they saw Brando step forward and swing the Elven Treasure Sword in a full arc, striking the Golden Demon Tree's main trunk.
Power Burst—
The dying Golden Demon Tree, having lost the power of God's Blood, was no more than an ordinary ancient oak. It had no strength to resist the terrifying force of 7.7 Energy Levels. The tearing force directly severed the upper half of its crown. The crown broke cleanly and flew away.
Both girls let out a low cry, unable to understand what Brando intended to do.
Only Brando knew that the Golden Demon Tree would hang the creatures it killed in its crown and slowly drain their mana. After accumulating over time, there would still be some spoils to find.
Although most of them had long since been drained of mana and reduced to useless junk.
Brando walked over. The first thing he saw was the card on the ground—
Before you continue