Chapter 66 - 62: The Two Heavens of Ice and Fire

Chapter 66: Chapter 62: The Two Heavens of Ice and Fire

Kob watched as the dense swarm of Tree Monsters appeared, his grip tightening on his sword.

The Guards’ Adam’s apples bobbed as they swallowed hard, their minds stretched taut with tension. The initial rush of excitement and fervor evaporated the moment they saw the dense, ugly mass of Tree Monsters.

Humans have an innate fear of these terrifying Tree Monsters.

Lian needed to turn the tables. To make the Tree Monsters fear the human army, he had to teach these monsters a proper lesson.

"Sophie."

Lian gave Sophie a look, signaling her to proceed.

Sophie nodded slightly. A six-petaled ice crystal slid from her fingertip and fell to the ground.

The earth was tinged with a silvery glow as frost spread across the ground.

The ground in Area 1 was completely frozen, including the roots of the Tree Monsters.

Their lower bodies were immobilized, as if they had become true trees.

The ferocious-looking monsters began to struggle, attempting to forcibly rip their roots from the ground, but it was completely useless.

At the same time, Lian waved his hand, and the front-rank Guards launched the oil flasks and flaming arrows they had prepared.

They were giving the monsters a taste of both ice and fire.

Their upper bodies burned while their lower bodies were frozen solid.

The Tree Monsters had become living targets. Unable to escape and highly flammable, they were quickly engulfed in a sea of flames.

The Faceless Monkeys, who had been mocking the humans just a second before, now let out cries of agony.

As the Faceless Monkeys scattered, the fire spread wildly.

Watching the Tree Monsters trapped in the inferno, the Guards felt an indescribable excitement welling up inside them.

Their former Nightmare was no longer a nightmare. The Tree Monsters weren’t so tough after all; they were creatures that humans could conquer.

Their fear was consumed by the flames. The Guards raised their Long Spears high and let out excited war cries.

Just then, the Tree Monsters abandoned their outer shells.

One by one, the monsters peeled back their bark and jumped out. They had bizarre appearances, like a head with four limbs sprouting from it, its face a mess of distorted features.

Their skin was viscous and coated in an unknown green liquid, and their limbs could stretch and contract freely, like rubber.

"What is this thing?"

The vast majority of the Guards had never seen such a monster; they had no idea this was the true form of a Tree Monster.

Only a few veteran soldiers had. "These things are called Hearts of the Tree Monster! Only adult Tree Monsters have them. Be careful, everyone, don’t let them latch onto you!"

"Whatever you do, don’t touch the liquid on their bodies!"

"Protect Lord Lian," Kob immediately ordered.

A group of Guards surrounded Lian and Sophie.

"AHHH—let go of me!"

A Heart of the Tree Monster had wrapped itself around a Guard, cruelly tearing off one of his arms and stuffing it into its mouth.

The other Hearts of the Tree Monster immediately rushed forward, intending to tear the Guard to pieces.

They were so fast that by the time the nearby Guards reacted, their comrade was already in grave danger, with no time for a rescue.

The Guard’s body was ripped apart and devoured by the Hearts of the Tree Monster.

The smell of blood filled the air once more.

The Guards screamed in terror. The Hearts of the Tree Monster were not only fast and agile, but most importantly, if the liquid on their bodies touched a wound, a person would lose consciousness and fall into a coma.

"Groups of ten! Deal with these monsters!"

Captain Cobb roared, and all the Guards obeyed, immediately forming squads to fight the monsters.

’With Sophie here to back me up, I don’t have to worry about messing up,’ Lian thought. So he pushed aside his protectors and charged into the monster pack himself.

A Heart of the Tree Monster that took ten Guards to barely handle was, for Lian, as easy to deal with as slicing through a melon.

One sword strike for each, he pierced their hearts, stringing them up like kebabs.

Their boasted Speed and Power were nothing compared to Lian’s.

This was the power of a Three-star Assassin Knight!

The more Lian fought, the more excited and invigorated he became.

’Why did I work so hard Cleaning Entries? Wasn’t it for this exact moment, to be able to stand tall before monsters?’

The psychological trauma the Tree Monsters had left on him quietly vanished with the fall of each Heart of the Tree Monster.

Lian was no longer the ordinary person who could only tremble at the sight of a Tree Monster. He was now a true Three-star Assassin Knight.

Captain Cobb was also slightly stunned by this scene.

The scene was familiar, reminding him of the time Lian had smashed a small Skeleton Soldier to bits with a single punch.

’Our Lord... he seems to have gotten stronger again!’

"Kob, don’t just stand there gawking."

Lian’s sword flashed, cleaving in two the Heart of the Tree Monster that was lunging for Kob’s neck.

Kob glanced back, shaken with fear. "Thank you, thank you, Lord Lian."

"Don’t focus on me. I don’t need your protection," Lian said.

"You are already powerful enough," Kob said earnestly.

Lian turned his head to look at the silver-haired girl. "Sophie, stay close. If you’re too far away, I don’t feel safe."

Cold sweat beaded on Kob’s forehead.

’Didn’t he just say he didn’t need protection?’

’Is it really okay to be such a hypocrite?’

Father Simo and Miss Enchanting Demon Sally hid behind the Guards the entire time, having no intention of joining the battle.

Simo even kept looking back, wanting to hide in the carriage.

The occasional Heart of the Tree Monster that got close was intercepted by the surrounding Guards.

Sally even used a form of her Charm Technique on the Guards, making them fearlessly protect Simo.

After killing 10 vigorous Hearts of the Tree Monster in a row, Lian’s Physical Strength began to slowly decline, and sweat appeared on his forehead.

"HUFF... HUFF... HUFF..."

Lian started to pant, feeling like he had reached his limit.

He counted the Hearts of the Tree Monster he had killed—15 in total. ’So this is the maximum number a Three-star Assassin Knight can handle at one time,’ he thought.

[Physical Strength +1]

The familiar notification sound suddenly rang out, and Lian felt a bit of his Physical Strength return.

’Grinding mobs also increases Physical Strength! The cost seems similar to Cleaning Entries.’

Lian’s spirits lifted. He brandished his greatsword, looked at the charging Heart of the Tree Monster, and roared, "Die!"

SCHLICK—

Lian pierced through the body of another Heart of the Tree Monster.

At first, the monsters had charged at Lian, but later on, they started running the moment they saw him, not even giving him a chance to draw his sword.

The roles of hunter and prey began to reverse.

Lian chased after the Hearts of the Tree Monster, cutting them down.

From dawn until dusk, a sliver of the setting sun appeared in the sky, casting a red glow on the distant Green Shade Territory.

The afterglow of the sunset fell upon the Bone Forest, as well as the exhausted Guards and the ravaged battlefield.

The Tree Monsters in Area 1 were mostly cleared out. Aside from those that were killed, Lian had also captured some of them alive.

These captured Hearts of the Tree Monster had been locked in cages. Their Nightmare was only just beginning.

Lian was going to plant the seeds of fear in them, to make the Tree Monsters give humans a wide berth from now on.