The battlefield was filled with relentless cries, but there was no time for surprise. The towering creature before them had already set its sights on Ais.
Before anyone could fully react, Ais, uncharacteristically, vanished from her spot, completely opposite to her usual calm demeanor as the 'Sword Princess.' For some reason, she couldn't maintain her composure. The name that had come from the fallen fairy avatar's mouth echoed in her mind, and in a reckless move, she charged towards the giant plant monster.
Her sudden action caused an uproar.
"Stop, Ais!" Finn, the first to react, shouted in an attempt to snap Ais out of her trance. However, his usual commanding tone seemed to have no effect this time. Ais continued rushing towards the fallen fairy avatar as if she hadn't heard him.
"Damn it!" Finn cursed. "Everyone, spread out and cover Ais!"
With the situation escalating, Finn couldn't waste time chastising Ais for her recklessness. He immediately issued commands to the team. The other adventurers quickly followed suit, responding with loud affirmations as they spread out and moved to support Ais from all directions.
The Loki Familia was tightly knit, and though no one understood why Ais was so agitated—why she would act so rashly during such a crucial mission—there was no way they would let her face danger alone.
So, if it meant jumping into the battle headfirst, so be it!
In an instant, the mages formed up, raising their wands and beginning their chants. Meanwhile, the melee fighters, apart from those holding up shields to protect the mages, grabbed their weapons and charged at the fallen fairy avatar.
Even the less experienced adventurers didn't shrink back. They drew the magic swords they had purchased from the Hephaestus Familia's weapon shop, ready to contribute when the time was right.
The atmosphere on the battlefield grew intense, a thrilling energy that was impossible to ignore. But Yami, standing off to the side, simply shook his head subtly. It wasn't that he had anything against the Loki Familia—he was just disappointed with Ais's impulsiveness.
"She's really being reckless," he murmured. "You can't become truly strong if you can't stay calm in critical moments, Ais. You still have a long way to go..."
He spoke softly, his words unheard by the others, reflecting his inner thoughts. But at this point, it was unrealistic to expect too much from Ais. After all, she was still young, and some lessons could only be learned through experience.
"I hope this will help you grow," Yami continued, his voice barely a whisper. "And maybe I'll learn something too."
Having gauged the monster's strength, Yami knew the Loki Familia was in for a tough fight. But even so, this was an opportunity—true strength is forged in the crucible of battle.
If everything went as expected, both Ais and Tiona should be on the verge of mastering the 'Breath of All Things,' which would give them a solid foundation to truly grasp the essence of battle. With this, they could enhance their offensive capabilities. Now was the time to develop other skills as well—like Haki, both Observation and Armament.
And what better target for this training than the fallen fairy avatar before them?
Returning to the heart of the battlefield, Ais continued to close in on the fallen fairy avatar, which reacted with excitement. The very thing it had been pursuing for so long was now within reach, rushing straight towards it. Who wouldn't be thrilled by such a moment?
Suddenly, the ground trembled and cracked open. Thick vines surged up from the earth, writhing like snakes and sending sand and rocks flying as they encircled the group. The creature clearly intended to trap them all.
But these writhing vines didn't deter Ais in the slightest.
"Ariel!" Ais's voice rang out softly, and powerful gusts of wind surrounded her, making her movements even more agile. Her attacks now included sharp wind blades, slicing through the encroaching vines as she drew ever closer to the fallen fairy avatar, the foul stench of its body filling her senses.
"Die!" Ais, usually silent in battle, now shouted with an intensity that surprised everyone. A massive slash tore across the ground, flying towards the fallen fairy avatar.
The vines surged from all directions, nearly blotting out the sky as they formed a thick wall of plant material, appearing impenetrable from the outside.
Though momentarily hindered, Ais's slash managed to cut through the wall, but it lost much of its power in the process and dissipated into the air shortly after.
"Lefiya, burn it with fire!" Riveria commanded.
"Yes, Riveria-sama!" Lefiya responded promptly.
The adventurers at the front continued to press forward, while the elven mages at the rear finally took action. Their task was to unleash powerful magic to support their comrades.
"—Gather, Breath of the Earth—My name is Alf!" Riveria's chant echoed.
"O proud warriors, archers of the forest. The marauders approach—ready your bows. Answer the call of your kin, nock your arrows, ignite the flames, lights of the forest. Fire your arrows, elven pyromancers—rain destruction upon the barbarians!"
Riveria expertly cast defensive magic over all her companions. Lefiya, known as the successor to the 'Nine Hell Princess' and titled the 'Thousand Elf,' although slower in her chanting, didn't falter. At that moment, she unleashed her fire-element wide-area attack magic, 'Salvo Fire Javelin.'
An emerald green aura enveloped everyone, draping them in a protective veil that enhanced their resistance. Simultaneously, hundreds of flaming arrows rained down from the sky, covering the area around the fallen fairy avatar, setting the surrounding vines ablaze.
"Nice job, Lefiya!" The adventurers cheered as the flames engulfed the enemy.
In their minds, even a powerful monster would be vulnerable to fire, especially if it was plant-based. Surely, after being hit by such powerful fire magic, the monster would be significantly weakened.
At the very least, this plant monster must have taken massive damage from Lefiya's spell. Now, they just needed to rush in and finish it off!
"This is what I'm here for!" Lefiya beamed, clearly pleased with her contribution. In the past, despite her exceptional magical abilities—enough to rival a first-class adventurer—her nerves often got the best of her, leading to mistakes. It felt good to finally be of help.
"Don't celebrate just yet. This enemy isn't that easy to defeat!" Riveria's sudden warning pulled Lefiya out of her reverie.
Lefiya turned around quickly, but before she could respond, the smoke and dust ahead began to clear. Amidst the dissipating haze, a massive pink flower bud came into view. As the petals unfolded, the enormous and eerily beautiful figure of the fallen fairy avatar reappeared, completely unharmed.
"How is this possible? It's a plant monster—how can it be immune to fire magic!?" Lefiya's voice trembled with disbelief as she stared, stunned and lost.
"Stay calm, Lefiya!" Riveria said firmly. Though equally surprised, she kept her composure. Even if the attack didn't work, it was something they needed to anticipate. This only confirmed how formidable the enemy was.
"Don't stop. As a team mage, your role is to keep chanting until the enemy is truly defeated!" Riveria instructed.
"Yes, Riveria-sama!" Lefiya snapped back to attention, quickly regaining her composure.
Both mages resumed their chants, and the other elven mages also got to work. Magic began to rain down from the sky, targeting the fallen fairy avatar.
Meanwhile, the adventurers who had tried to engage the creature up close were quickly overwhelmed by the thick vines and found themselves in a difficult battle. The mages now served as the primary attackers, unleashing a relentless barrage of spells against the formidable foe.
However, including Lefiya, the effect of all magic can be said to be negligible.
On the other side, the main force of the Loki family couldn't get rid of the giant vines in time.
Not only was it thick and long, but it was also extremely tough. Bete, Tione and the others couldn't cut it off with a single blow. After a short delay, the vine recovered again.
Only Finn and others were slightly calm.
In addition, Ais and Tiona did not fall into the crisis of the current drama.
Having officially set foot in the field of swordsmen, their attacks have become sharper, so even these vines can be cut off with ease.
"damn it..."
Dodging another slap, Bert the werewolf stepped aside.
His gaze scanned the surroundings, and then became extremely ugly.
Among the many companions, it seems that only he is in the most difficult situation, and even Tiona and Aisi, who were slightly weaker than him, have surpassed him at this time.
This kind of psychological gap is really unacceptable.
"How can I lag behind others!"
Under the extreme state of mind, Bert lost his mind for a while, and rushed towards the direction of the fallen fairy clone.
Then--
Boom!!!
Only a dull sound was heard, and then a black shadow flashed past.
Bete, who was planning to prove himself just now, flew upside down and landed directly beside Lefiya.
That kind of tragedy instantly put the elf girl in trance.
The movement of chanting the mantra was interrupted, and the whole person, like a frightened rabbit, subconsciously took two steps back.
This undoubtedly made Bert even more annoyed and ashamed.
"We can't continue to entangle here. The fighting power is divided, and it is futile. It will only be broken one by one."
Ignoring Bete's tragic situation at this time, Riveria frowned slightly.
Sitting in the rear of the battlefield, it is easier for her to see the situation than Finn and others who are deeply involved.
The companions who had lost their support were now retreating steadily under the whipping of the huge vines, and even Bete was no match, so fighting alone was definitely not a good way.
If the distance cannot be shortened, the contribution that Finn and others can make is almost zero.
So, something has to be done!
Thinking of this, Riveria instantly made up her mind.
She quickly raised the staff in her hand, her red lips slowly opened, and the corresponding incantation was uttered.
"Wood Spirit——fulfill my wish [Mori's Clothes——my name is Alf!!!"
A large number of attacks were defended by this magic, which bought enough time for many companions.
As an old partner, Finn immediately realized Riveria's purpose in doing so, so he didn't waste this good opportunity.
"Everyone, temporarily retreat!"
Hearing the order from their team leader, everyone immediately withdrew and left the attack range.
Originally Ais wanted to do something, but Tiona, who had predicted in advance that the girl might disobey the order, came to her side and grabbed the latter's arm.
It seemed that after she said something in her ear, Ais stopped her movements.
Everyone cheered up and returned to the front of the mage troops.
"Is everyone okay?"
The logistics team made an inquiry immediately, and then the mages who were good at recovering magic began to heal their companions.
After just a few face-to-face encounters, many people suffered minor or severe injuries.
"It's such a tricky monster, there is absolutely no way to break through its vines in a short time."
"That's right, the fire attribute magic can't work either, so it's troublesome!"
Finn and Gareth expressed their opinions successively.
The faces of both of them became very dignified. During the brief confrontation just now, the invisible pressure also made them a little dizzy.
"What should I do next?"
"This monster is too tricky, and no one knows if it still has some kind of hidden means, so in order to avoid accidents, a quick fix is undoubtedly the best way.£
Excellent experience led Finn to make such a decision.
In fact, it's all about his slightly trembling thumb, letting him do it again.
From the beginning of the battle until now, the twitching has hardly stopped, and this phenomenon undoubtedly made Finn even more worried.
But looking at the current situation, it was too late to leave.
That being the case, it would be better to take the initiative to attack!
"For the time being, that's all we can do, I will create the conditions for you to charge.
Riveria did not refuse, but expressed her determination with the firmest words.
"Ah, I'm counting on you, Riveria!"
Everyone trusts Riveria's magic very much, and they have turned disasters into fortunes countless times because of that powerful magic.
Therefore, it is not an exaggeration to say that Riveria is the pinnacle of the Loki family.
Others can completely hand over their backs to her on the way of charging!
"Let's go!"
After saying this sentence, a terrible wave of magic power appeared on Riveria's body.
"—soon, the flames will be unleashed..."
Far beyond Lefiya's momentum, appearing from Riveria's body, as Orario's best mage, her strength can be said to be beyond doubt.
And when she started singing, Finn also responded immediately.
"Everyone, charge!"
"Oh!!!"
After regrouping and recovering, many adventurers planned to rush towards the fallen fairy clone again.
However, at this moment, another voice suddenly sounded.
"Roar, roar, flame vortex!"
In an instant, a huge magic circle covering the entire hillside appeared directly below the fallen fairy's avatar, with complicated and mysterious patterns shining with the unique light of the fire element.
"O red lotus cliff, roaring wildfire! With the help of a sudden strong wind..."
"Are you kidding me??!!!"
Seeing this scene, everyone's eyes widened instantly.
The humanoid monster in front of them is actually chanting!