On the evil tree's right side, the level 102 dragon Herox gripped a thick branch with one massive claw and yanked backward with casual force.
Boom!
The terrifying pull nearly toppled the entire hundred-meter tree sideways. Roots tore free from the soil with wet, ripping sounds, sending tremors through the surrounding jungle.
Even more outrageous was Aura.
Her tiny figure looked like an ant beside the colossal Zy'tl Q'ae, yet that ant-like little girl wrapped both arms around a branch several times thicker than her body. Her petite frame erupted with frightful strength as she grinned brightly.
"Here I pull!"
Between her and Herox, the evil tree became a living tug-of-war rope, pulled so taut it lifted partially off the ground. Though enormous, it lost all balance and swung like a pendulum, branches whipping through the air with deafening cracks.
"I'm going!"
Mare's normally timid eyes sharpened with focus. Gripping his staff tightly, he flashed his white-stockinged legs and sprinted forward, leaping hundreds of meters skyward toward the thrashing tree.
Mid-air, he caught sight of Helant and Momonga, both Supreme Beings, watching the spectacle at their ease from a safe distance.
Can't let Father and Lord Momonga down!
He twisted gracefully in the air, raised his staff overhead, and smashed it downward like a falling star.
Pinned between Herox and Aura, the tree could not dodge or counter. Its remaining tentacles flailed uselessly as its center of gravity wavered. It could only watch helplessly as Mare's staff ignited from air friction and crashed onto its crown like a meteor.
Bang!
A mage's supreme basic attack exploded on impact. The brutal force tore open a wound a hundred meters across, showering the jungle with splintered wood chips and the sharp scent of fresh sap mixed with scorched bark.
"Roar!"
Under Mare's sky-falling blow, the Zy'tl Q'ae was slammed flat to the ground. The dense jungle behind it flattened instantly; dust billowed upward in thick clouds, blotting out the sunlight.
"These people… are monsters."
The Dryad sat numbly on the ground, head swiveling between Mino, Shalltear, Mare, and the others in dazed disbelief.
That sly man had controlled the Zy'tl Q'ae with a single sentence. Fine.
But why did that insect-like hack only sever branches and roots instead of striking the trunk?
And why was the white-haired girl steadily healing the evil tree with holy light? Whose side are you on?
Most absurd were the two elf children. One treated a hundred-meter evil tree like a plaything for tug-of-war. The other, hello, that is a magic staff in your hand, use magic, had just flattened the Zy'tl Q'ae with a physical blow.
"I get it now!" The Dryad flopped backward onto the grass, stuffed a handful of leaves and dirt into her mouth in nervous reflex, and mumbled through the crunching. "They're afraid of accidentally killing the evil tree! It's just a game for them to polish their coordination!!"
Ridiculous. That was the Zy'tl Q'ae, the fiend that once slaughtered two million people in a single rampage!
Yet in their hands, it was like a fragile toy they feared breaking. Then she remembered the two figures behind her and spun around.
A terrifying skeletal grin stared back. Red flames danced steadily in empty eye sockets as the undead studied her with keen, analytical interest.
"W-what do you want?!"
She shrank instinctivel against the obviously kinder Helant, tears welling in her bean-like eyes. So scary!
Helant recognized the covetous glint immediately. Momonga's collector urge had flared up again.
To smooth the capture, he bent down and spoke gently. "Momonga means no harm. He just wants to ask you a few questions."
With gentle Helant vouching for him, the Dryad's fear ebbed slightly. She braved a glance at the towering skeleton. "W-what do you want to know?"
"How many are in your family?"
Momonga rubbed his pale bone claws together thoughtfully. "Are there other treants in this forest?"
"Since I became aware, I have never met another treant…" She calmed a fraction more; the skeleton's tone sounded almost harmless.
"Where do you live? Treants have to stay rooted to their own tree, right?" Momonga leaned closer, his voice casual.
"Yes, only on my own tree… but if someone helps, I can move." She answered absently, not fully noticing how near he had drawn.
So… movable… huh…
Momonga's mood lifted noticeably. A pale claw tapped her head lightly as he spoke with feigned indifference. "Then how about joining my service?"
No way!
The undead aura clashed violently with her nature-loving instincts. She forced the words out. "C-can I refuse…?"
Refuse?
"Of course, you can." Momonga gazed toward the vast expanse of the Great Forest of Tob, as though idly counting the countless trees. His tone remained airy, almost careless. "Though I wonder how many will be crushed. Any of them might be a treant's home tree…"
The words froze the Dryad in place.
That was a threat!
A naked, unmistakable threat!
Tears welled up in her bean-like eyes as she turned to Helant in silent, desperate plea.
I don't want to serve an undead!!!
Helant laughed softly at her pitiful expression. "Better agree. After all… you do not want your own tree destroyed, do you?"
The sentence struck like lightning. She surrendered instantly, wiping her eyes with trembling hands. "Fine, I give in!"
"Good. Very good!"
Momonga nodded in deep satisfaction, eyeing the Dryad like a rare, newly acquired treasure.
Collection +1!
"Helant-san, the Guardians are already showing teamwork," Momonga said, turning from the treant to watch the NPCs still pummeling the [Zy'tl Q'ae].
Though wary of the [Zy'tl Q'ae]'s level, the Guardians dared not use their strongest skills, yet solid team-fight thinking was on display.
With that mindset, next time they could enter the rhythm faster and suffer fewer losses.
"Objective achieved. Begin round two."
As the words left his mouth, Demiurge in the distance grinned. "Everyone, you may stop!"
He looked back at Helant far away, his tail wagging in delight.
Round one: the Supreme Beings were satisfied!
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