Chương 83: Burning Through the Ranks

The heavy footsteps of the treants merged into a single thunderous rhythm, like war drums pounding across the battlefield.

"Execute the plan we discussed! Gark, we're moving!" Marcus roared and charged forward with Gark right behind him.

"Boom! Boom!" Two dull impacts shook the battlefield as the two treants at the front swung their massive branches down like clubs. Marcus raised his reinforced composite shield to block the strike. With a flash of his saber, he severed the branch, then immediately retreated behind his shield again, maintaining a steady defensive stance. Gark, meanwhile, raised the buckler strapped to his left forearm. The small shield absorbed most of the impact from the branch strike.

Then he swung his broadaxe in a wide arc, using the force from his waist to throw his entire body into the attack. The axe slammed heavily into the treant's trunk.

"Crack!" Wood chips exploded into the air as the blade tore through the bark, ripping open a huge wound in the treant's body. Grey didn't possess the overwhelming physical strength of Marcus and Gark. Instead, he relied on his superior agility, weaving between the incoming branch strikes before slashing toward the treant's lower body. His sword cut precisely through the root joints the treant used for movement. The attack threw the creature off balance, further crippling its already sluggish movements.

While the three frontliners held the line, the ranged support from behind arrived right on time. Vaelis didn't charge up his Thunder Bolts. Instead, he switched to Rapid-Fire Suppression.

"Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!" One arrow after another streaked through the air. Each arrow carried a small amount of aura energy, and upon striking a treant, it triggered a minor explosion that disrupted their movements and slowed their advance. Zelier, meanwhile, delivered the most lethal attack against these wooden monsters. Fireball. The very first spell he had ever learned finally showed its true value. After a brief mana channel, the tip of his Ashwood Staff lit up with a brilliant orange-red glow.

But Zelier didn't aim for the treants' trunks. Instead, he targeted their thick, leafy canopies.

"Boom!" The moment the Fireball struck, the leaves ignited instantly. Flames greedily licked along the branches, spreading rapidly through the treant's upper body. But that alone wasn't enough. Zelier raised his Ashwood Staff again. This time, he wasn't casting Fireball.

"Gale Step!" If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. With a flick of his wrist, a spiraling current of wind formed before him and surged toward the burning treant.

"Whooooosh—" Wind fed the flames. The already raging fire suddenly intensified as the gale poured fuel into the inferno, causing the flames to spread faster and leap several meters higher. Burning branches swayed with the wind, carrying embers onto nearby treants. In an instant, the entire frontline transformed into a sea of fire. The burning treants visibly weakened. Their movements became chaotic, and they began losing control.

No longer able to follow the treant lord's commands perfectly, they thrashed around wildly, stomping and swinging their branches in desperation as they tried to extinguish the flames. But their efforts were meaningless. The fire only grew stronger. The sound of burning wood cracking echoed across the battlefield.

"Crack... crack..." The massive bodies of the treants twisted and warped inside the flames before finally collapsing with earth-shaking crashes. Zelier took advantage of the opening and fired several more Fireballs. The treants' bark was scorched black, their outer layers carbonized under the intense heat. Finally—"BOOM!" One after another, the burning giants fell. Zelier's combination of fire and wind had thrown the entire treant formation into chaos.

The remaining treants that weren't completely destroyed were quickly finished off by Marcus, Gark, and Grey. The three warriors moved in without hesitation, cutting through weakened trunks and severing their roots. Seeing the destruction of its servants, the treant lord finally lost its patience.

"ROOOAR!!!" A furious roar shook the forest. The treant lord's enormous root network immediately pierced deep into the earth beneath it. The roots rapidly thickened as they absorbed the power of the land. The treant lord's entire body began transforming. Its trunk grew taller and broader, becoming even more imposing. Its branches stretched outward at an alarming speed, while the vines hanging from its body twisted and extended, becoming tougher and sharper.

The treant lord's branches and vines lashed out like countless monstrous limbs.

"Watch out!" Grey shouted and immediately dropped into a roll.

"Whoosh!" The strike tore through the air. The vine slammed into the ground, carving a deep trench through the earth. More and more branches and vines swept across the battlefield, attacking the entire party. Zelier attempted to charge another Fireball. But unlike the slower treants, the treant lord reacted much faster. The moment the spell left his hand, a massive vine whipped through the air and shattered the fireball before it could reach its target. Not bad. It actually has some intelligence.

Zelier narrowed his eyes. Since ranged attacks wouldn't work... Then he would have to get close and burn the treant lord's face with Flame Breath. He made his decision.

"Marcus! Gark! Move in and hold it down! Buy me time!"

"No problem!" Marcus and Gark immediately acted. Both raised their shields and advanced toward the treant lord step by step. Their almost provocative approach instantly enraged the monster. Nearly every branch and vine turned toward them.

"Smack! Smack! Smack!" The sound of impacts rang endlessly through the forest. Yet Marcus and Gark refused to retreat even half a step. While blocking the attacks with their shields, they continuously hacked apart any vines or branches that came within reach. Just as the pressure began mounting, Zelier's support magic arrived.

"Stone Wall!" Two thick earthen barriers suddenly erupted from the ground in front of them. The walls blocked the incoming barrage of attacks. Although the surfaces were battered apart by the violent strikes, with dirt and stone fragments flying everywhere, they still provided Marcus and Gark with precious breathing room. Vaelis also continued providing support from a distance. This time, he used Thunder Bolts. But his target wasn't the treant lord.

Instead, he aimed at the remaining treants attempting to attack Marcus and Gark from behind. Each arrow infused with violent aura energy exploded upon impact, tearing apart sections of the treants' bodies. The support fire greatly relieved the pressure on the frontline, allowing Marcus and Gark to focus without worrying about their backs. At this moment, the treant lord's attention was completely locked onto Marcus and Gark. Dozens of branches and vines whipped forward under its control, attacking relentlessly.

It completely ignored Zelier. And that arrogance became the reason for its downfall. With the assistance of the Ashwood Staff, Zelier completed the casting of Flame Breath in just over five seconds. The temperature around him began rising rapidly. A terrifying heat spread through the battlefield, warping the air itself. At the tip of the Ashwood Staff, brilliant crimson light gathered. Then— It erupted. Only now did the treant lord realize something was wrong. But it was already too late.

"Flame Breath!"

"BOOOOM!" A blazing sphere of fire, like a miniature sun, surged forward. The terrifying torrent of flames engulfed the treant lord's upper body in an instant. The raging inferno, combined with the overwhelming magical force behind it, was a devastating counter to plant-type monsters. The treant lord's hardened bark. Its massive trunk that could withstand blades and axes. Everything was being destroyed at terrifying speed beneath the flames of Flame Breath.