Chapter 239: Irritable Forest

Ancient trees of war are the natural allies and formidable weapons of the elves. When a treant reaches the final stage of its life cycle, it may, under the influence of the Tree of Life, grow increasingly massive and resilient, possessing strength of an exaggerated scale; such beings are known as Ancient Trees of War.

"What is going on with that Ancient Tree of War? Is there an enemy invasion?"

Wang Yu frowned as he questioned the elven ranger. Regardless of the circumstances, an Ancient Tree of War should be indistinguishable from an ordinary tree unless controlled by an elf. He could not fathom why this one was currently on a rampage.

"No... everyone, this is exactly what I meant when I said Liahim is not welcoming outsiders lately. The Primeval Forest has been acting uncharacteristically violent, and we have our suspicions about the culprit behind this, which is why we temporarily sealed off Liahim."

The elven ranger explained with a grave expression, then patted the peregrine falcon on his shoulder, signaling the young elf boy, Robin, to return to the elven capital of Liahim on his own.

The falcon beat its wings and took flight, circling above them, while the ranger earnestly laid out his plan to Wang Yu and the others.

"Please, follow Robin into Liahim. I must go and pacify this Ancient Tree of War. Regardless of the situation, they are our allies, and we cannot simply leave it to its own devices."

Zieg glanced at the distant Ancient Tree of War, which was swinging its massive wooden arms to crush everything in its path. A look of contemplation crossed his eyes before he signaled to Wang Yu, who understood immediately.

"Mr. Ranger, please allow us to lend you a hand. With our capabilities, we should be able to help."

Zieg said with a smile, and Wang Yu nodded in agreement.

"..."

The ranger fell silent for a few seconds, sensing the presence of the group. The vibrant, unhidden life force emanating from Wang Yu and Zieg made it clear to him that these guests were at least as strong, if not stronger, than himself and could indeed provide meaningful assistance.

"Then I am grateful for your help, honored guests. You shall be friends of the elven race. My name is Krie. Please, help me create an opening."

Elves rarely engage in human-style pleasantries. Having no reason to refuse, the ranger Krie immediately accepted their proposal.

"Robin, head back. If you encounter other rangers on your way, inform them of the situation here."

Krie shouted to the falcon circling above. After a cry of acknowledgment, the bird ceased its circling and turned toward the heart of the Primeval Forest, in the direction of Liahim.

"Follow me this way, and watch out for the boulders hurled by the Ancient Tree. These treants, raised in the Primeval Forest, possess an innate vision of the surrounding woodland; our approach cannot be hidden."

Krie slung his oak longbow over his back, drew a curved short blade from his waist, held it in a reverse grip, and darted swiftly through the trees, gesturing for Wang Yu and the others to follow.

Wang Yu and Zieg relied on their superior physical prowess to traverse the forest floor with ease, while Elvia summoned a gale to carry Noelle along as they closed in on the Ancient Tree of War.

"Whoosh!"

As if to validate Krie's warning, the moment they came within a hundred meters of the Ancient Tree, a massive boulder was unearthed from beneath the ground. The tree hoisted it high with its thick, wooden arms and hurled it violently toward them.

Perhaps due to some innate talent, the Ancient Tree threw the heavy, massive stone with uncanny precision. The boulder streaked through the air in a high arc, reaching the space above their heads before plummeting downward under the force of gravity.

"Watch out for the tree seeds embedded in the rocks! They will attack us. Do not let them slow you down, or you will be crushed!"

Krie shouted a sharp warning, urging them to dodge the boulder while remaining wary of what it carried. He himself darted to the side, anticipating the impact point.

Wang Yu and Zieg were already prepared to evade. At Krie's reminder, they scrutinized the incoming boulder and realized it was covered in a dense network of green vines.

Wang Yu signaled to Elvia behind him, and he and the professor accelerated, easily clearing the impact zone of the falling rock.

"Boom!"

The boulder struck the ground, crushing trees and kicking up a cloud of dust. The impact caused the massive rock to fracture, revealing the contents hidden within the tangled vines.

Embedded in the stone were miniature treants—tiny wooden figures with small limbs. They hopped out of the debris, looking clumsy, but their rapidly moving legs granted them surprising speed.

They rushed toward the nearest living beings, their bodies brimming with a volatile life force. Once they reached their target, these small treants would explode, transforming into a mass of vines that would bind the victim.

Krie gripped his curved blade, channeling magic into it, wary of the approaching swarm. If they were bound by these creatures, dodging the Ancient Tree’s blows would become impossible.

"Sizzle!"

Before the swarm could fully emerge from the fragments, a wave of scorching flame swept over the impact site.

The violent heat instantly reduced the small treants to charred charcoal, which crumbled into ash upon hitting the ground.

Elvia had acted. Her Tier 3 spell, "Scorching Tide," was perfect for dealing with these numerous, fragile, and highly flammable wooden creatures.

Krie paused for a moment, then reacted by signaling the group to continue their advance toward the Ancient Tree. He had not expected their progress to be so effortless with the help of these companions.

"Boom!"

The boulder fell several more times, but each was instantly incinerated by Elvia’s fire magic upon landing. The fast-moving, persistent treants were rendered useless, allowing the group to close the distance rapidly.

"Rumble..."

When they were within ten meters of the Ancient Tree, the entity—which had been standing in place, digging up boulders with its roots—began to move. Its root-formed legs stomped the ground, the sheer weight causing the earth to tremble.

The Ancient Tree was not fast, but with its height of nearly twenty meters, each step covered a vast distance. Even with its relatively slow gait, it was closing in on them quickly.

Wang Yu noticed that the root-legs of the Ancient Tree were stained with fresh, crimson blood and bits of mangled flesh.

As it moved, it left two bloody furrows in the earth; the source of this gore was likely the mass of animal carcasses at the spot where the tree had previously stood.

"It’s incredibly violent. What could have caused this..."

Wang Yu pondered the reason for the tree’s sudden brutality.

"Watch out! We cannot contend with the strength of an Ancient Tree. I need to bring this branch of the Tree of Life to the core of the Ancient Tree to restore its sanity."

Krie warned them, pulling a branch imbued with potent life force and fresh buds from his pack. He leaped to the top of a tree to get a better view of the approaching giant.

The core of the Ancient Tree was located at the very top of its trunk, hidden amidst the dense foliage and branches. To reach it, Krie would have to leap onto the head of the creature—a move that was exceptionally dangerous given the giant's immense power.

"Elvia and I will distract it. Professor, help Krie reach the core."

Wang Yu declared, setting the plan in motion. He activated his "Chariot" ability. With perfect synchronization, the girl opened a spatial rift, spilling out stored alchemical metals. Wang Yu commanded them to soften and cling to his body, where they then hardened and shaped themselves.

Within seconds, Wang Yu was encased in a suit of heavy iron armor, transforming into a massive, heavily armored warrior, his frame appearing significantly larger.

"Be careful! The strength of an Ancient Tree is exaggerated; even the power of a peak Great Knight cannot contend with it."

Krie stared in disbelief as the armored Wang Yu charged headlong toward the giant without a hint of hesitation. He couldn't fathom such recklessness—did the man really think he could wrestle with an Ancient Tree just by wearing armor?

Accustomed to the agile, lethal, hit-and-run tactics of the elves, Krie found Wang Yu’s simple, shocking style of combat difficult to comprehend.

"It’s fine, just trust him. Get ready; I’ll throw you up there in a moment."

Zieg walked over to the tree where Krie stood, reassuring the stunned ranger. He crouched down, placed his hand on the ground, and signaled for Krie to step on it.

"Bang!"

The Ancient Tree did not hold back. It raised a massive wooden fist and smashed it down toward Wang Yu.

Even at over three meters tall in his heavy armor, Wang Yu was still a mere speck before the giant.

The fist, several times larger than Wang Yu, slammed down, striking him directly. The ground shook violently, sending soil and debris flying into the air like rain. Wang Yu’s figure simply vanished.

"!"

Krie’s pupils contracted. He was utterly shocked. He knew Wang Yu was reckless, but he hadn't expected him to take a direct hit from the Ancient Tree. As Krie had feared, it was impossible to match the tree's strength—had he been flattened by that single blow?!

But the next moment, Krie realized Wang Yu wasn't just throwing his life away. The Ancient Tree’s fist had smashed a massive crater into the earth, and as it tried to retract its arm, it found something pinning its fist to the ground.

Despite the exaggerated strength of its massive frame, the Ancient Tree was, for the moment, unable to pull its fist free.

The architect of all this chaos was, naturally, Wang Yu, who had just been hammered into the earth by a single blow.

The War Tree possessed strength that dwarfed his own—a simple fact of nature, given the disparity in their forms; Wang Yu could never hope to match its raw, arboreal might.

Yet, sheer power does not equate to lethal damage. Had he been pinned against a floor of solid iron, that strike would have reduced him to a smear of gore, but this was a forest, and the soil possessed only so much density.

No matter how mighty the War Tree, its fist was made of wood. The initial impact was absorbed by the thick, heavy armor plating his body, and the residual force merely drove him four or five meters into the loam. As it stood, Wang Yu remained virtually unscathed.

Buried beneath the surface, he unleashed the full extent of his Chariot Power. Under the radiation of his will, the surrounding earth and rock bowed to his command, coalescing around the War Tree’s fist. With a violent, dragging heave, he pitted his strength against the titan, successfully holding the colossus at bay.

"Wooo..."

With a strange, guttural groan, the War Tree raised its other fist, intent on crushing the entity that bound its arm. But suddenly, a massive hand of earth and stone erupted from the ground, seizing the limb and halting its descent.

Elvia’s spell had been primed and ready. The Fourth-Circle Art: Fist of the Earth. Fueled by a rich supply of mana, the colossal stone construct joined Wang Yu’s Chariot Power, locking both of the War Tree’s arms in a temporary, immovable prison.

"Are you ready? Go!"

Zieg confirmed that Krey had stepped onto his palm, then thrust his arms upward, launching the ranger into the air.

Aided by Zieg’s momentum, the elven ranger vaulted gracefully, soaring toward the heart of the War Tree.

Mid-air, Krey drew his oak longbow, nocking a branch of the Life Tree to the string. He pulled back, closing one eye. His keen vision pierced through the dense, overlapping canopy of the War Tree, locking onto the core hidden within.

"Whispers of the wind..."

He chanted the elven incantation, the Nature’s Secret: Path of the Breeze, imbuing the Life Tree branch with a swirling vortex of air.

The bowstring snapped taut, transferring its power to the projectile. The wind-shrouded branch whistled through the air, a direct strike aimed at the core.

The breeze stirred, exerting a subtle force that allowed the branch to weave in minute, continuous adjustments, bypassing the intricate web of leaves and twigs without grazing a single one, striking the core with absolute precision.

The wind surged once more, slowing the branch’s velocity until it settled gently against the heart of the tree.

"Rustle..."

The War Tree shuddered violently at the touch of the Life Tree branch. It ceased its struggle against Wang Yu and Elvia, its body swaying as its root-legs sank slowly into the earth, retreating back into the soil.

Wang Yu and Elvia naturally released their hold. The War Tree’s arms retracted, folding against its trunk until they merged into a seamless whole.

Calmed, the War Tree stood before them, reverting into nothing more than an unremarkable, massive tree.

The elven ranger descended, rolling to absorb the impact. He glanced at the heavy knight crawling out of the earth, a sense of wonder washing over him. It had gone almost impossibly well.

With a self-deprecating smile, Krey shook his head.

Compared to the agile elven rangers, Wang Yu and Elvia—with their superior frontline combat prowess—had accomplished in a duo what usually required a team of rangers. All he had done was shoot a branch with Zieg’s help. It was truly…

"This forest is certainly a bit temperamental, isn't it?"

As the heavy armor retracted under the influence of his Chariot Power, Wang Yu looked at the trail left by the War Tree and clicked his tongue.

The trunk of the tree still bore streaks of blood that had not yet been washed away. This War Tree had not been here before; the path it had carved through the forest in its violent advance was a scene of utter devastation, littered with snapped timber and shattered stone.

Temperamental was, indeed, the perfect word for this forest.