Chapter 74 - 70: Couldn’t Care About Shame Anymore

Chapter 74: Chapter 70: Couldn’t Care About Shame Anymore

Sophie realized the target she had attacked was not the King of Tree Monsters. So where had the real King of Tree Monsters gone?

She turned and rushed in Lian’s direction.

Almost at the same instant, a deep Fissure appeared in the ground where Lian stood. Vine tentacles surged out, wrapping around him.

Lian was slightly taken aback. ’With my current, hypersensitive hearing, how could I have failed to notice the Tree Monsters’ vanguard hiding underground in Area 2? The moment they made a sound, it couldn’t have escaped my ears.’

’Unless... they were already hiding underground. Or had been hiding there the entire time.’

’What kind of being could hide underground indefinitely without making a single sound?’

Lian forced himself to calm down and think, listening with his ears, sensing with his touch, and using his nose to unravel the mystery.

He discovered that all the giant Tree Monsters smelled the same, and these vine tentacles surrounding him had the exact same scent.

He discovered a shocking fact: this so-called vanguard wasn’t a legion, but a single, giant monster.

The monster’s main body was always hidden underground, connected by its root system to the vines and giant Tree Monsters that burst from the ground.

This monster had been hiding underground the whole time, which was why he hadn’t noticed it. It had practically merged with the Bone Forest, becoming one of its original inhabitants just like the soil itself, evading all detection.

’This monster... this might be the real King of Tree Monsters!’

’It must have sensed the humans the moment they first set foot in the Bone Forest.’

’It gave up Area 1 simply to lure the humans into its trap.’

’Who said Tree Monsters had no Wisdom? Useless conventional wisdom will be the death of me.’

As Lian’s thoughts raced, the vine tentacles, like a man-eating flower, completely enveloped him.

Fortunately, he was already a tough Four-star Shadow Knight. The barbs on the vines, sharp as razor blades, pierced his Armor, but only left shallow red marks on his skin.

The surrounding Guards were sent flying by the vine tentacles, collapsing in pools of their own blood, scattered everywhere.

Captain Cobb roared grimly, "Protect Lord Lian! Protect Lord Lian!!!"

The Guards charged toward the vine tentacles, but the ground began to shake again.

Deep gullies appeared all over the ground, and from them extended countless tentacles that swept up the Guards.

"Damn it, Lord Lian is in danger! Save Lord Lian!"

Cobb wanted to rush over and save the imprisoned Lian, but Tree Monsters swarmed him, leaving him unable to break away.

The Guards also fell in waves to the attacks of other giant Tree Monsters and vines.

Though they didn’t want to admit it, they once again felt the terror of the Tree Monsters. The confidence they had built up began to waver.

If Lian died at the hands of the Tree Monsters, the Human Legion might collapse on the spot.

Although Lian was completely surrounded by the vine tentacles with not a sliver of light, plunged into total darkness, his vision was completely unaffected. He could even clearly see the direction of the vines’ attacks.

Ever since upgrading to a Four-star Shadow Knight, Lian had not yet used his Swordsmanship.

However, a normal Knight would continuously gain experience and develop their Swordsmanship step by step through practice and battle.

But Lian had used Points to exchange for it, skipping the crucial accumulation process.

So, his Swordsmanship was naturally different from other Knights. He could only rely on the Swordsmanship in his head.

And the Swordsmanship most vivid in his mind was Green Algae Head’s Three-Sword Style.

Although it was a bit embarrassing to admit, when Lian was a cringey teenager, he had once challenged all the ruffians in his courtyard with a single ’sword’. He was practically the second coming of Green Algae Head, undefeated in his neighborhood; only the "world’s greatest swordsman," his Hawkeye-esque father, could have posed a challenge.

Without three swords, he could only use his one sword and resort to the One-Sword Style.

Lian gritted his teeth, casting aside his shame. ’I’ve already been transported to an Otherworld; I can’t die here just because of a little embarrassment.’

"Lion’s Lament—Iaido Slash!"

After a loud shout, Lian sliced the cage of vine tentacles in two. Green sap splattered all over him.

Fortunately, he had no open wounds, and the sap didn’t get into his mouth, ears, or nose. Otherwise, he most likely would have been instantly stunned and unconscious for at least three days and three nights.

Sophie had already rushed back. She quickly used her Magic to freeze the vine tentacles and giant Tree Monsters surging from the ground.

She froze all the monster limbs that had appeared on the ground into ice sculptures.

The Guards were saved as a result.

Seeing Lian standing on the ground, safe and sound, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

For a moment there, they thought the Green Shade Territory was about to lose its great leader.

"Lord Lian, are you all right?"

Cobb asked nervously.

Sophie also gave Lian an apologetic look.

Lian patted Sophie’s shoulder. "This isn’t your fault. Who would have thought the King of Tree Monsters wasn’t the one surrounded by all its minions, but was just hiding underground the whole time."

Sophie shook her head, indicating that Lian didn’t need to comfort her; it was her oversight.

She extended her hand, and the frozen monster vines and Tree Monster offshoots on the ground all turned to dust.

This completely enraged the King of Tree Monsters hidden underground.

RUMBLE—

The ground began to collapse downward like a sudden, massive earthquake. Birds and beasts in the forest scattered, and a rotten smell wafted up from deep underground.

The Guards immediately lost their balance, stumbling and sliding downward.

Sophie quickly used her Freezing Magic to freeze the ground.

But the newly frozen ground was immediately pierced by giant tentacles surging up from below.

The tentacles emerged one by one, breaking through the layer of ice like giant pythons and attacking them.

The tip of a tentacle opened into a cavernous maw, bit down on a Guard’s head, and swallowed him with a GULP.

"AHHH—"

Screams of agony instantly filled the entire battlefield.

At the same time, the members of the true Tree Monster Legion, now unfrozen, were also counterattacking the Southern Army.

Sophie was truly angry now. A bone-chilling cold erupted from her body.

The cold caused the water vapor in the air to condense into Ice and Snow, and thick flakes began to fall from the sky.

Seeing this, Cobb immediately pulled Lian back.

"This is bad! The Lady Ice Witch is angry! Lord Lian, we have to retreat now, or we might get frozen solid along with everything else!"

Lian nodded slightly and gave the order for the entire army to temporarily retreat.

During the retreat, a Tree Monster suddenly blocked Lian’s path. He bellowed, "Lion’s Lament—Iaido Slash!" and sliced it in two with a single strike.

Cobb was a battle-hardened captain, but he was shocked to find that his own reaction Speed couldn’t even compare to Lian’s.

It wasn’t just his reaction Speed; his sword-swinging Speed was far too slow to keep up as well.

If it weren’t for Lian’s sudden shout, he wouldn’t have even known Lian had attacked!

He just couldn’t understand. ’Why does Lord Lian have to shout like that?’

’Is this some kind of Knightly virtue? Like introducing yourself before you kill your opponent?’

Countless Tree Monsters that blocked their path during the retreat were cut down by Lian one by one.

And so, Cobb’s ears were filled with the constant refrain of "Lion’s Lament—Iaido Slash!" and the sound of countless falling Tree Monsters.

Cobb, who had intended to act as Lian’s bodyguard, hadn’t even had a chance to make a move. He just felt like something was wrong with his ears. ’What is this ringing, like the kind right before you go deaf?’

’Damn that "Lion’s Lament—Iaido Slash," why is it still echoing in my head?’