The trees that had just been saplings until a moment ago were growing exponentially.

“…My goodness!”

The person who was the most shocked was the person who had spread the seeds and grown those saplings. Jae Ha-Jung was the most shocked.

It was because he had a similar ability. That was the reason he was shocked more than anybody else.

‘How can he have such an ability?!’

Jae Ha-Jung’s gaze looked astonished, no, mesmerized as he looked past Choi Jung Soo to Cale.

‘How many abilities does this person have? And each of them are extremely strong abilities!’

But Jae Ha-Jung’s eyes were sparkling even more as he looked at these growing trees.

‘It’s different!’

The power Cale had used during the original shelter battle and this power were fundamentally different.

‘This is at a completely different level!’

He could feel a strong power coming from the trees that was incomparable to what he experienced before.

That was why his sparkling gaze started to shake.

“Ugh!”

Cale coughed up more blood.

Jae Ha-Jung was thinking that things might end up really bad like this. That was how serious Cale’s condition was right now.

“…Haaaa. Noonim.”

But Cale just wiped away the blood and ignored his condition.

No, he tried his best to forget about it.

What he did from here on was very important.

He needed to focus.

In order to do that, it would be best to be closer to the spot he needed to focus his power.

“Please put me down.”
“Huh? Dongsaeng, will you be okay?”
“Yes.”
“O, okay! I’ll do as you say for now!”

The Steel Feather Hawk quickly moved to where Cale had pointed.

Cale’s body staggered from the speed, but Choi Jung Soo quickly supported him.

“Thanks.”
“……Sure.”

The Steel Feather Hawk stopped on the tree that was closest to the castle gate.

Cale landed on the top branch of a tree that grew resembling a watchtower.

Choi Jung Soo and Jae Ha-Jung were with him as well.

But the people on the castle walls that had been fighting off the monsters until now could only see Cale.

“…Shit.”
“My goodness.”

They were at a loss for words after properly seeing Cale’s condition.

It was at that moment.

Someone started to mumble.

“…We really… Are seeing the most of that back.”

They recalled the promise that their young commander had given them.

‘Furthermore, the people here will fight while looking at my back the most, at least for this battle.’

Their commander had kept his promise.

Everybody could feel the weight of that promise after seeing his current condition.

“Are we just going to stand around like this?”
“No. We need to do something as well.”

The atmosphere on top of the castle walls had changed.

They could not just keep going like this.

They needed to do something.

Those emotions started to roar wildly in their hearts. The sight of their leader fighting in the front was bound to light a fire in the hearts of those who followed him.

“What is that?!”

There were some people whose hearts were lit up more than the others.

In fact, the heat was reaching up to the top of their heads.

These people were Kim Min Ah and Bae Puh Rum. These two who had trained with Cale could now see Cale’s condition up close.

“I don’t think he can hold on!”

Bae Puh Rum looked ready to fly up to the top of the tree where Cale was standing at any moment.

“We do not have much time.”

But everybody stopped after hearing a person’s voice.

It was Choi Han.

“I’m going first.”

That was all he said before he started to move.

Kim Min Ah and Bae Puh Rum then saw it.

Baaaaaang-!

They saw Choi Han getting on top of a large tree root that was quickly growing.

That tree root then quickly headed toward the yellow monster.

“Chsssssssssssssch! Ch!”

The monster seemed flustered after seeing the tree roots and trunks that were trying to bind it from all directions.

It tried to dodge, but that would not be easy to do.

“It can’t dig underground!”

Bae Puh Rum could see the roots thoroughly covering the ground.

He finally realized what Cale was trying to do.

‘He’s trying to tie it up!’

He was trying to bind the monster.

‘That means that there will be an opening for us to attack!’

The yellow monster could use water, electricity and poison, but Cale could also use water and electricity.

‘It’s worth trying!’

They would finally be able to attack properly!

Bae Puh Rum was the last one to realize that fact.

Lee Soo Hyuk and Kim Min Ah were already on top of other tree roots and heading toward the yellow monster.

The first large tree root reached the yellow monster at that moment.

It started to bind it.

“Roooooar!”

A different cry than before came out of the monster’s mouth.

It could not be helped.

A sturdy boulder-like dirt covered the monster’s body.

It had its almost invincible scales underneath it as well.

But these trees that were moving toward the monster as if they were snakes did not wish to cause damage to this monster.

They wanted to twist the life out of it. They wanted to make it unable to move.

The monster realized what was going on.

Crackle!

Golden currents charged toward the trees in the shape of spears.

Cale started to smile.

“I can’t let you do that.”

– Will you be okay?

“Yes.”

Baaaaang!

Rose gold currents flew over like arrows and exploded once they crashed into the spears.

Cale lowered his body as if he was leaning on the ledge of the watchtower.

Drip. Drip.

His nose was bleeding without stopping.

He had used the half-powered Fire of Destruction while using the full powered version of the Indestructible Shield’s tree ability.

The burden on his body was to be expected.

But Cale was smiling.

It was because the opening created by that explosion had given him just the thing that he had needed.

“Roooooooooar!”

The first tree root wrapped around the monster’s tail.

The yellow monster’s bluish yellow eyes could see tens, no, hundreds of tree roots and branches swarming toward it.

This was completely different than any of the abilities that the other humans had used until now.

It felt as if this person was controlling nature itself.

The yellow monster made eye contact with Cale.

That was the beginning.

“Roooooooooooooooar!”
“Ugh!”

The monster started to flail and Cale clenched a branch on the tree that he was standing on.

The former did it to run while the latter did it to capture it.

The only common thing between these two existences was that they were both fighting with their lives on the line.

They were both quite desperate as well.

They both knew that they didn’t have much time.

If there was a difference between the two…

Cale had friends by his side.

“Min Ah.”
“Yes, sir?”
“It’s my turn after Choi Han.”
“Puh Rum and I will go after you then.”

Kim Min Ah looked toward Choi Han who was up in the front.

But Lee Soo Hyuk was looking at Cale. Unlike Kim Min Ah who couldn’t bear to look, Lee Soo Hyuk was remembering each and every one of Cale’s appearances.

“I didn’t know I would be fighting while looking at his back.”

The corners of Lee Soo Hyuk’s lips twisted up.

He then looked forward.

He heard a voice drifting away as he looked at Choi Han’s back.

“Horn.”

That was all Choi Han said before jumping off the tree root and into the air.

Tatap.

A different tree root appeared just under his feet.

It was the same tree root that had wrapped around the yellow monster’s tail.

‘We can’t let it get away.’

Choi Han was desperate.

He didn’t have the time to look back or to stop.

He knew that the opportunity that Cale had created for them was extremely precious.

That was why he quickly started to run up the monster’s body.

“Rooooooooooooar! Roooooooooar!”

The monster flailed around.

It shot out electrical currents, but they were all blocked by Cale, giving it no choice but to twist its body to flail around.

Boom! Boom!

The monster’s body made dull noises as it slammed into the trees.

“Ugh!”

Choi Han ended up slamming into a few trees because of the movements as well.

He almost fell off a couple times.

But he did not stop.

In fact, he was smiling.

“It knows I’m here.”

Peek.

The yellow monster was looking at him.

The enemy had already noticed Choi Han a long time ago.

That was why it was flailing around even more.

It was because it knew that Choi Han had something that could injure it.

But Choi Han was already close enough to the monster’s head that the two of them could make eye contact.

‘This is enough!’

Choi Han jumped into the air after making that conclusion.

He then had a sad smile on his face before it disappeared.

Wind gathered around his ankles and tree trunks appeared in the air to create stepping stones for him.

Choi Han could feel Cale supporting him and creating a path for him.

Chhhhhhhhhhhh!

A violent black aura viciously wrapped around his sword.

“Roooooooooooooooar!”

The monster opened its mouth and revealed its poisonous fangs toward Choi Han.

Crack!

But tree trunks quickly blocked its mouth.

Choi Han was finally able to reach his destination thanks to his friend’s power that had blocked the attack.

He was looking at the places on the monster’s body that were neither covered in scales nor dirt.

Slash.

Choi Han’s sword slashed in a horizontal line.

Slaaash!

He had not been able to make any damages on the scales.

However, the things he was slashing right now were…

“Screeeeeeeeeech—!”

Bluish yellow blood spurt out of the monster’s two eyes.

“First the eyes.”

Choi Han’s sword started to move again.

He could not stop.

A proper fight was finally starting.

* * *

“Ha!”

The White Star started to frown.

His fire sword clashed against a white spear.

Baaaaang!

The noise was extremely loud compared to the sounds of battle all around them.

It was proof that two very strong powers were clashing against each other.

“…You’re persisting better than I expected.”

The White Star’s eyes had an odd glow to them.

He was looking toward Alberu, the black armored knight.

Alberu started to smile under the helmet.

He started to speak in a disguised voice.

“How odd.”

But Alberu’s gaze instantly sunk.

On the other hand, his voice seemed quite light as he spoke.

It was as if he was inspecting something.

“White Star, you seem much weaker than usual today.”
“Pffft.”

The White Star laughed.

“I’m just gathering information. The people on Cale Henituse’s side always have something prepared. Shouldn’t I confirm what that is first in order to lessen the variables against me?”

Alberu didn’t believe him at all.

The White Star was weaker than usual.

When the two of them had fought last time… And based on the information he had gathered about the White Star’s strength since then…

He was very weak compared to everything Alberu knew.

This place should have been extremely advantageous to the White Star.

That was why Alberu, who had prepared quite a bit to fight here while protecting something at the same time, could not help but be curious about the White Star’s current condition.

But he ended up making eye contact with the White Star who seemed just as curious.

The White Star’s fire sword pointed at something.

“What kind of weapon is that?”

The White Star did not even have a scratch from all of their clashes even though it was quite narrow.

The White Star was asking about this weapon and Alberu responded back.

He had not come here as the crown prince today.

The only person around him right now was this white thing as well.

That was why he answered honestly.

“Why the hell do you care?”

He also answered like a rascal.

“White Star, a bastard like you wouldn’t know the greatness of an Ex-Grade item.”
“…What grade?”

– That was a great response, sir. I, Taerang, am very happy that Alberu Crossman-nim understands my greatness.

“Pffft.”

Alberu had a smile underneath his helmet that Cale and Raon would say was quite annoying.

The White Star could not see that smile properly, but he could imagine it based on Alberu’s chuckle.

Alberu flicked his spear after seeing the White Star start to frown in front of him.

“Come on. I’ll give you the chance to fight properly with an important person.”

The White Star must have been extremely annoyed by those words as he started to frown even more.

Even though he was under pressure, Alberu had a refreshed smile on his face as he started to think.

‘It really is fun messing with the White Star as Cale Henituse mentioned.’

Just like this…

‘Let’s drag things out.’

Alberu fixed his grip on his spear.

It would soon be dawn.

He started to think about the long day ahead of him.

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