Chapter 252: Assisting in Battle

The problems plaguing this forest have grown far more severe since we first arrived.

Wang Yu carried Sif, sprinting through the woods. His shattered meteorite blade hovered at his side, weaving and circling with fluid grace under the manipulation of his Chariot Force. The razor-sharp edge sliced through the vines and trees blocking their path, allowing Wang Yu to maintain his breakneck pace.

Hmm, we came to gather magical flora as per Professor Moira’s instructions, but I never expected to encounter something like this. Let’s hurry back to Liahim; the elves should be able to handle it.

Avia manipulated the gale to follow Wang Yu, flying at high speed through the path he had cleared, responding to his words.

Glancing at Sif, whom he held in his arms, her clothes tattered and her body mottled with blood, Wang Yu immediately assessed her condition with his practiced eye. It was not a fatal wound, but it was certainly grave.

He shifted his grip, swinging Sif onto his shoulder. The Chariot Force commanded a small vial in his pocket to fly out, uncorking itself and pouring a pale red potion into Sif’s mouth, the liquid wriggling as it slid down her throat.

A Red Vial—a potent healing concoction of his own invention. It was a solution refined from various medicinal magical plants, mixed with a portion of Wang Yu’s own blood, granting the potion a degree of sentience. Even if the patient were uncooperative, it would administer itself and instinctively seek out the most severe injuries.

Wang Yu and Avia were in the Primeval Forest to complete a plant-gathering assignment for Moira’s class. They had not anticipated that, upon arriving to harvest, they would stumble upon Sif and her sister under attack by a corrupted War Ent.

They had arrived a beat too late to save Sif’s sister, but saving Sif herself was a stroke of fortune.

Whoosh!

The sound of air being torn apart echoed through the sky. A massive boulder was hurled from the position where the War Ent had stood. The stones thrown by this mutated creature were significantly larger than those of the rampaging War Ents they had encountered before.

Don’t get tangled up with it, just stay away. That thing is too tough; it’s a nightmare to deal with.

Wang Yu warned Avia, then channeled his battle aura, accelerating once more to quickly clear the zone where the rocks might fall.

Understood.

The flying figure turned back. The girl’s magic and void energy intertwined, rapidly gathering fire elements. She intended to incinerate whatever was carried within the falling boulder to avoid being pursued.

Flames erupted from thin air, swirling and sweeping toward the falling rock. The intense heat heated the stone to a glowing, softened red before it even struck the ground.

One could see a multitude of frenzied, thick vines breaking through the rock under the pressure of the heat, writhing in an attempt to escape, but the fire turned them all to ash before they could break free.

The red-hot, fissured rock crashed into the woods amidst the swirling flames, igniting a large swath of trees. Wang Yu and his companion had no time to worry about that; the forest possessed its own methods for dealing with wildfires.

That War Ent shouldn't be able to catch up now. Let’s make haste.

Wang Yu looked back at the scene behind them. The forest was shrouded in smoke and fire, and the frenzied figure of the War Ent and the falling boulders were nowhere to be seen. It seemed they had escaped the creature’s detection range.

Wang Yu, about six hundred meters to the west, a squad of elven rangers is being attacked by a large number of small plant-based lifeforms similar to that mutated War Ent. A five-man squad might not be able to handle them. Should we help?

Avia’s voice reached Wang Yu. The girl’s habitual caution had led her to leave behind several Wizard’s Eyes along their path while they were gathering herbs.

At this moment, the squad under attack by the floral monsters had entered the range of Avia’s observation as they fought and retreated.

If we can help, we should. Head that way.

Understood.

Since Avia had asked if he wanted to help, it certainly wasn't a situation beyond his capabilities. Living in the elven capital of Liahim, Wang Yu was always happy to lend a hand to the elves when he could.

Adjusting his course, Wang Yu sped toward the location the girl indicated.

As they drew closer, the scene, previously obscured by the dense, tangled growth of grass and foliage, began to enter Wang Yu’s field of vision.

Within the woods, many humanoid creatures, their colors blending into the forest background, were moving. They were converging from all directions toward a single point—the very destination Wang Yu was heading toward.

Gwa-aoh!

A monster clinging to a tree branch and leaping rapidly spotted the approaching Wang Yu. The combined life force radiating from Wang Yu and the Sif on his shoulder immediately drew its attention.

Its thorn-covered limbs kicked off the tree, and with a guttural shriek, it lunged at Wang Yu. The massive maw in the center of its flower-like head opened wide, and the barbed tongue within lashed out toward Wang Yu’s neck.

Clang!

Without even glancing at the charging floral monster, a flash of white light cut through the air. Before the creature could enter the range of Wang Yu’s limbs, the shattered meteorite blade, flying from nowhere, sliced it in two. The corpse, its cross-section smooth, flew through the air and hit the ground, leaving behind a puddle of foul-smelling, viscous green fluid.

The other monsters ignored Wang Yu; their attention remained fixed on the squad of elven rangers trapped in the center. The life force of five people was far more tempting than that of a single man.

A curved blade traced a beautiful arc, severing several lashing thorn-limbs in mid-air. The elves stood back-to-back in a circle, relentlessly slaying the floral monsters that lunged from every angle. Around them lay a path paved with green blood and monster carcasses.

Yet, despite the number of monsters they had slain, the elves were in a dire state. There were simply too many; no matter how many they killed, new ones emerged.

As minor lapses in defense created wounds on the elves, the spilling blood not only weakened them but drew an ever-increasing number of floral monsters to surround the life-rich prey.

Hmm?!

One of the elves sidestepped a lunging monster that had lost its thorn-arms and was now snapping with its massive maw. He swung his curved blade with practiced ease, separating the creature’s giant floral head from its vine-wreathed body.

But in that very instant, several slender vines, far harder than normal tree branches, shot out from the canopy nearby. Seizing the brief pause in the elf’s movement, they pierced through his arm before he could react.

The vines that impaled his arm were connected to silk-like threads—thin, yet incredibly tough. A sudden force was applied, yanking the elf toward the canopy. It was those unseen creatures that had shot down the monster messengers.

Argh, ugh...!

The elf’s face twisted in agony. His muscles were crushed by the vines, and the internal wound was torn further open by the mounting force. The pain was excruciating, and the creature’s strength was far greater than he had imagined; he had to exert his entire body’s power just to resist being dragged away.

Hold on!

A comrade shouted, drawing his longbow without hesitation. Imbuing it with battle aura and natural incantations, he fired an arrow directly at the source of the vines.

Bang! Pfft!

The battle aura exploded upon impact, creating a shockwave, while the power of the natural incantations instantly manifested a mass of thorns, binding the attacker tightly. Sharp barbs twisted and sliced into the creature’s body, causing viscous green fluid to pour down.

Hah!

Feeling the tugging force on his arm slacken, the elf immediately grabbed his curved blade with his other hand and hacked with all his might at the threads, severing the connection and freeing himself.

But in the brief moment his teammate had drawn the bow and he had been unable to strike, the floral monsters had broken through their perimeter. Monsters with intact thorn-limbs lunged forward, wrapping their limbs around the elves while their massive maws snapped shut with full force.

Crunch, crunch, bang!

Caught off guard, the elves were immediately ensnared by several fast-moving floral monsters. Their tooth-filled maws bit deeply into the elves' bodies, grinding against the vine-armor created by the elves’ natural incantations with a grating, ear-piercing sound.

This won't work, we have to find a way to break out! Damn it, get off!

The archer-elf, his waist and arms bound by several thorn-limbs while two monsters gnawed at his vine-armor, struck one away with his bow and shouted in desperation.

Before he could finish, the remaining monster used its barbed tongue to grind through the vine-armor, tearing a large chunk of flesh from his side.

It’s endless! This is suicide! But if we use this...

The elf who had been impaled through the arm looked equally grim. In his hand, free of the curved blade, he clutched a small glass vial with a metallic frame, glowing with blue light. He hesitated.

A compressed alchemical bomb—enough to create a massive explosion that would clear the surrounding area. But at such close range, they would be caught in the blast as well.

Don’t hesitate! We won’t last much longer like this. I’ll hold them off—not everyone has to die here! Urgh!

Another elf urged. They couldn't hold out; they had to act now. As he spoke, another barbed tongue lashed out, grazing his cheek and tearing off a piece of his long, pointed ear. Blood splattered everywhere.

Understood!

The elf with the alchemical bomb steeled his gaze. The device was ready, and he prepared to hurl it into the cluster of floral monsters nearby.

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!

Yet, before he could hurl his alchemical bomb, a series of explosions erupted in the nearby forest. Crimson fire blossomed in violent succession, shredding the floral monsters and shattering the surrounding trees alike—a fourth-tier spell: Scorching Starfire.

Tiny, unassuming specks of golden-red heat descended like a fine rain, yet each collision with solid matter unleashed a surge of raw power. As the flames roared into a fierce conflagration, the kinetic force within them tore everything nearby to pieces.

The relentless explosions carved out a clearing, now consumed by a spreading, raging inferno, from which a figure tore through the flames and leaped into the open.

Surrounded by two dozen blades dancing in the air, Wang Yu—who had just arrived on the scene—shot them out repeatedly to strike down and dismember the monsters drawn to him by the blast.

"Avia, give me fire!"

Wang Yu shouted his demand, and the girl, as if possessed of foresight, had already readied her next spell: a third-tier spell, Flame Tide.

The flames dispersed into overlapping waves, rushing toward Wang Yu as if to swallow him whole and reduce him to ash. But as they neared his person, they were suddenly seized by an invisible force: Chariot Power!

The scattered, diffuse waves of fire were gathered the moment they reached him, twisted and knotted by the Chariot’s influence. Wang Yu forcibly coiled the wide-area spell into a single stream of flame: a Fire Whip.

The highly condensed flow of fire glowed with terrifying heat and brilliance. Every flame Avia released was compressed and controlled by Wang Yu, transforming into a searing serpent of fire that coiled around him.

"Hah!"

With a flick of his fingers, the fire serpent lunged forward under the drive of his Chariot Power, charging toward the floral monsters besieging the elves.

The fire snake was shockingly agile, and its power was insurmountable for these fibrous creatures. The crimson stream spun at high speed, punching charred, blackened holes through the heads of the monsters surrounding the elves, leaving their lifeless, incapacitated husks to tumble from the canopy.

"Move!"

Wang Yu shouted to the elves, who had been stunned for a heartbeat before seizing the chance to clear the remaining monsters.

He gripped the Shattered Meteorite Blade, which had shifted from its fragmented state into a long sword, tracing blinding silver arcs through the air and carving the oncoming monsters into pieces.

His Chariot Power was not yet strong enough to control too many things at once; once he commanded the fire serpent, he could no longer maintain the blade’s fragmented form, or his efficiency would have been even greater.

"Thank you for the help!"

Having broken free, the elves immediately drew their bows, firing a volley of arrows that pinned the closing monsters to the ground, signaling for Wang Yu to follow them.

After piercing and killing the monsters that had pinned the elves, the fire serpent dove into the regrouping mass of floral horrors, detonating with a roar that scattered them and prevented the persistent nuisances from giving chase.

Without hesitation, Wang Yu sprinted toward the elven rangers. Avia flew in from the side, riding the gale to keep pace, while a cushion of compressed air carried Sif along at high speed.

With a few bursts of acceleration, Wang Yu caught up to the rangers, who had deliberately slowed their pace to wait for him, occasionally loosing arrows to pick off monsters lunging at his flank.

"Many thanks for the assist!"

The elf with the pierced arm thanked him earnestly as Wang Yu drew near; it was an unequivocal debt of life.

"Don't mention it, just doing what I could. What is happening in the Origin Forest? The unrest is growing worse. We just saved an elf from the War Treant and found you under siege. Do you know what's going on?"

Wang Yu glanced back at the retreating mass of monsters, confirming they could not catch up before turning to the elf beside him.

"The War Treant? You encountered that squad calling for aid?"

Another elf asked, clearly surprised.

"It was Sif..."

The wounded elf glanced at Sif, who was being carried by Avia’s currents, and spoke with a heavy tone. If only Sif remained, it meant her sister had likely perished.

"We don't know the situation either. We only came to assist the ranger squad, but the forest’s state... we must return and report what we've found."

The ranger frowned deeply as he answered.

"Chirp!"

A sharp cry pierced the sky. Wang Yu, Avia, and the elves looked up in unison.

Several eagles with broad wings swept overhead, led by a massive griffin. On the backs of these great beasts rode fully armed elven warriors, representing more than just the ranger profession.

"The Liaheim Guard. They’ve already received the news!"