CHAPTER 74: TWO PRONGED ATTACK

Fortunately, the spell did not cover the entire area instantly. It began from the Nighthral’s immediate surroundings and spread outward like a slow, suffocating tide. Although it failed to pierce the protective barrier of Aetherthorn, its effects looked grim for Queen Elarya and her crew.

"Oh no..."

"Run!"

"Hurry! Grab those who are still trapped in the illusions! " Elarya commanded, swinging her golden thorn spear to shatter the black spikes lunging toward them. Yet as soon as she broke them, they regrew almost instantly, one lashing so close it nearly grazed her head.

"Darn it..." She stepped back sharply, retreating with her warriors. As much as she wanted to reach the safety of Aetherthorn, the wall of living thorns blocked every path, waiting to impale anything that tried to break through.

"Hurry everyone! Do not stop!" she shouted while dragging along disoriented warriors who had yet to shake off the hallucinations caused by the domain. With their movement spells suppressed, they were painfully slow. The black thorns kept closing in, and it was only a matter of time before they were forced to the edge with nowhere left to run.

’I can escape using the Velzar trees... but my warriors would never make it in time.’

As if reading her thoughts, Rhiki appeared beside her. "Queen Mother, leave us and save yourself! I know you can escape through the Velzar trees. Please go now!"

"Yes, Queen Mother! If you die here, our sacrifice will mean nothing!" another soldier added.

"Please, Queen Mother! Leave us! Do not worry about-"

"SILENCE!" Elarya’s voice thundered as she gritted her teeth.

"Do you think I have the audacity to face my people if I abandon you all here?" she said, her voice firm, unwavering.

The soldiers stared at her, stunned. Seeing their queen willing to stand and die with them instead of fleeing brought tears to some eyes. Yet... was she truly choosing death, or did she have another plan?

"Everyone, move back," Elarya ordered suddenly. She dismissed her spear. "This beast seems to have forgotten whose territory this is."

ChatGPT said:

She drew in a steady breath, pressing her palm firmly against her chest. Mana gathered in a powerful surge, flowing into her heart until her entire body radiated with an intense, ancient light.

[GRAND VELZAR FORM]

Her smooth, fair skin shifted into rough, bark-like armor, and her silver hair unraveled into long vines that swayed like living tendrils. Her feet sank deep into the soil, merging with it as massive roots spread outward, cracking the ground and intertwining with the forest itself.

Within moments, Elarya’s figure expanded, reshaping into a colossal humanoid Velzar tree nearly thirty meters tall. Two massive, branch-like arms stretched wide, and thousands of glowing purple vines writhed and twisted around her, each responding to her slightest thought.

"No way..."

"Is that... the Queen’s Velzar Form?"

"I never believed the stories were real..."

The warriors stared, stunned into silence. What had once been whispered as legend now stood before them, towering and undeniable, filling their hearts with awe- and hope.

"Everyone, climb to me!" Elarya’s voice echoed like thunder through the domain. The elves obeyed without hesitation, leaping onto the broad branches of the Grand Velzar.

Elarya’s vine-like hair lashed out, sweeping away black thorns that tried to strike the climbing elves. Her massive body shielded them, creating a temporary sanctuary.

The attacks did not stop. Thorn after thorn shot from the ground, but her Velumbra vines struck relentlessly, shattering each one. Meanwhile, her tree form kept growing. Across Runewood, other Velzar trees shrank as if bowing to her, their mana flowing into her roots. The interconnected network of Runewood itself fed her, empowering her far beyond her normal strength.

This is my land. As long as I stand here, I am its will.

Her voice carried across the battlefield, powerful and commanding. "You dare bring your corruption here? Then listen well, beast. You are not the only one who commands the thorns of this forest."

[RUNEWRATH THORNS]

The ground trembled violently before splitting apart, and enormous thorned vines surged upward, glowing a fierce green as earth mana pulsed through their cores. They struck like predatory serpents, slicing through the shadow-filled forest and shredding the Nighthral’s black spikes as if they were nothing. With ruthless precision, the vines shot forward, wrapping around the beast’s limbs, neck, and torso, binding it in place.

The Nighthral let out a guttural roar as the living thorns constricted, tightening with unrelenting force.

GROOOAARR!

Vulkris, its massive body scarred and bleeding, recognized the fleeting chance. Its chest swelled with heat, molten light leaking from the cracks along its scales. It gathered every ounce of strength it had left.

[PROMINENCE BEAM]

BZZZT-BOOOOM!

A blinding beam of concentrated fire erupted from Vulkris’ maw, striking the Nighthral’s chest at point-blank range. The blast tore through the air, scorching everything in its path. The oppressive shadows that had suffocated the battlefield shrieked as they burned and dissolved.

Elarya’s RuneWrath thorns pulled even tighter, their sharpened tips spearing deep into the Nighthral’s hide. Black blood sprayed as the beast writhed violently, its strength unraveling under the relentless combination of crushing vines and searing fire.

From above, the elves clung to the Grand Velzar’s branches, their fear replaced by desperate, unrestrained hope.

"Hold him, Queen Mother! Don’t let go!"

"Yes! Keep it up!"

"I never thought I’d say this, but... go, Vulkris! Burn that monster!"

The Nighthral thrashed in fury, its tail whipping with lethal force and carving deep scars into the earth. But no matter how violently it fought, the living thorns held firm, locking its body in place. The Prominence Beam kept drilling into its chest, melting through flesh and bone, weakening the creature with each passing second.

Seconds felt like hours. Then, finally, the suffocating black dome began to dissolve, breaking apart into smoke that faded into the night.

The Nighthral shrieked one last time as the beam ripped a hole straight through its torso. A ten-meter-wide wound burned from its chest through its left shoulder. The attack narrowly missed its heart, but the damage was catastrophic. Its dark mana faltered. Its body staggered.

KROOOAGHH...

The combined might of Queen Elarya’s Velzar Form and Vulkris’ relentless fire had broken the Nighthral’s deadly domain.

THUD!~

The oppressive darkness vanished, replaced by the raw, electric silence of a battlefield that had shifted.

And for a moment, everyone felt relieved.

Yes, only for a moment...