[Beacon Integrity: 48%]
One was running with all its might among the crystal trees.
Its six massive legs cracked the dark soil of Glassthorn Forest with every step and crushed the thin glass roots under its weight.
The cold wind hit Lian and Seris’s faces with force, and the transparent branches on both sides of the path had turned into stretched lines of blue and purple light.
In the distance, the red column of the Emergency Beacon was still rising through the dense treetops toward the sky.
But its glow was not like before. The light was getting weaker each time, it was clear that the user’s condition was getting worse and worse.
[Beacon Integrity: 43%]
The reflection of the red column had fallen on hundreds of glass trunks. For this reason, it sometimes seemed like dozens of Beacons had been activated in different parts of the forest.
However, Lian was not fooled by the reflections. He was not looking at the light, he was following the main flow of Mana.
A thin trace of emergency energy remained among the trees; like a red vein that separated its path from the forest’s natural lights.
A distance of thirty-seven kilometers for a normal person meant hours of travel, but One was running at a speed that many monsters in this forest could not match.
However, they could not move directly toward the Beacon.
The massive roots of some trees extended for dozens of meters on the ground.
Walls of crystal appeared on their path, and sometimes deep gaps separated different parts of the forest from each other.
Lian was forced to change One’s direction several times. Every deviation meant losing time.
And time was something their friend did not have.
[Beacon Integrity: 39%]
Seris was leaning over One’s back, holding one hand on the ant’s armor to keep her balance.
Her gaze did not separate from the red column.
"How long at this speed?"
Lian checked the distance again.
"If we don’t have to change course, a few minutes."
Seris looked at the crystal wall that was approaching ahead.
"Then we will have to."
Lian commanded One to turn right before reaching the wall.
The ant, without reducing its speed much, turned its heavy body. Its left legs dragged on the ground and left a deep mark.
A few glass branches shattered in their path. At that same moment, a sound echoed from a distance in the forest.
It was neither a roar nor a scream, but a multi-layered and coordinated sound that had risen from dozens of sources at the same time.
Its vibration passed through the air and reached the transparent trunks around them.
The trees began to tremble. The lights inside them became irregular for a moment.
Even One’s natural armor developed a slight vibration. Lian placed his hand on the ant’s back.
Hive Link transmitted the tremor more clearly to his mind.
This was not only sound, there was a structured wave of Mana within the vibration.
Something in the distance was using sound to attack a Barrier or defensive structure.
At that same moment, the red column of the Beacon became weaker.
[Beacon Integrity: 34%]
"I guess they used a defensive layer or a disposable shield, and the monsters are trying to break it." Lian said.
Seris placed her hand on her sword’s hilt.
"How many?"
"From the sound? A lot."
"Good."
Lian gave her a brief look.
Seris did not explain. There was no need. For her, a large number of enemies was usually not a problem.
The coordinated sound shook the forest again, this time closer.
The crystal leaves separated from the branches and fell on the ground like a rain of glass.
One passed through them, and the transparent pieces shattered on its black shell.
Lian stood up on his feet.
"We’re here."
The trees ahead parted, and a relatively large clearing appeared.
A massive Glassthorn tree was in its center.
The tree’s trunk was hollow, and a dark crack could be seen in its lower part.
But the area around it was filled with monsters. Six-legged creatures with black and elongated bodies.
Thin and transparent plates had grown from their spines, extending like a row of crystal blades to their tails.
Their jaws were large and multi-segmented. Every time they opened their mouths, the transparent jaw bones would open in four directions.
Their eyes were white and pupil-less.
None of them were very large individually, but their numbers had completely covered the clearing.
The panel for one of them appeared.
[Resonant Glassmaw]
[Level: 17]
[Rank: Normal]
Similar panels were seen on the rest of the creatures.
Their levels ranged from sixteen to nineteen, as expected, the monster levels in this forest were not that high, and monsters above level 20 were rare.
In the center of the colony, a larger monster stood.
The crystal plates on its back were thicker and taller. Its tail ended in a multi-layered mace, and every time it struck the ground, all the Glassmaws would move their heads in a specific rhythm.
[Glassmaw Chorus Alpha]
[Level: 22]
[Rank: Normal]
Inside the tree’s crack, a large blue and purple Barrier had formed.
The Barrier’s surface was full of cracks. Behind it, two people could be seen. Two people Lian immediately recognized upon seeing their faces.
Seraphina was holding her sword with both hands, its tip sank into the ground.
Three large Magic Circles were rotating around her sword, and strands of Mana were connected from them to the Barrier.
Her hair was stuck to her face, parts of her armor were broken, and her breaths were heavy.
A few steps behind her, Liana was kneeling on one knee.
Her clothes were torn from the side, and dried blood could be seen on her skin and armor. Her left shoulder was also wounded, and her face looked pale from exhaustion.
Nevertheless, a faint smile was still on her lips.
In front of both girls, a black wolf was standing.
Its body, unlike normal wolves, was not made of flesh but of shadows!
The shadows moved like thick smoke in its body structure. Two red eyes shone from its dark face, and its claws left a black trail in the air with every movement.
[Shadow Wolf]
Multiple wounds could be seen on the shadowy body of the wolf. Some parts of its body had become faint; as if every strike had destroyed a part of its existence.
But it was still standing in front of its summoner. Of course, that wolf was Liana’s summon.
The Glassmaw Alpha raised its tail.
All the surrounding monsters lowered their heads. The crystal plates on their backs began to tremble.
Weak and different sounds were produced. Each sound alone was irregular, but the Alpha turned them into a single rhythm with the beats of its tail.
Lian immediately understood the attack’s structure.
[Resonant Chorus]
A collective wave whose power was greater than the simple sum of the sounds.
The Barrier developed another crack with the first vibration.
[Beacon Integrity: 21%]
Liana looked at the collapsing Barrier.
"I think this one is really the last."
"If you have the energy to talk, get Shadow Wolf ready. Even if we’re going to die, we should take a few of these bastards with us!" Seraphina said without looking at her.
Liana placed her hand on the ground.
A strand of black Mana formed between her fingers and the wolf’s body.
Shadow Wolf lowered its body.
The Glassmaw Alpha raised its tail for the final strike. From its view, the matter was over, and these two humans were going to die right here.
But at that same moment, the sound of thunder shook the entire clearing.
Blue and white light exploded among the colony. Lian entered the field before One.
[Thunder Step]
He appeared in the center of the Glassmaw circle.
A few monsters had not even had time to turn their heads toward him when Lian’s palm hit the ground.
[Cataclysm Pulse]
A compressed wave of Mana entered the soil. The ground did not explode widely.
He had controlled the force.
The wave passed under the Glassmaws’ feet and hit them exactly at the moment their crystal plates reached a unified rhythm.
The ground trembled, the feet of some monsters shifted from their places, and a few crystal plates cracked.
The collective rhythm was disrupted for a fraction of a second, but the stored Mana within the Resonant Chorus could no longer be contained.
The incomplete wave exploded among the colony itself. A screeching sound split the space.
A few Glassmaws were thrown back by the pressure of their own attack. One of them hit the tree’s trunk, and the plates on its back shattered. Another’s jaw was split from one side.
The blue and purple Barrier also trembled, but the main attack did not reach it.
"Lian...?" Seraphina raised her head. For a moment, she could not say anything.
She saw Lian among the remaining lightning.
Seris jumped from One’s back at that same moment. Her body spun in the air, and her sword came out of its sheath.
Mana spread around the blade.
[Silver Requiem]
Her hand’s movement disappeared from view for a moment, then dozens of silver lines appeared among the Glassmaws.
One of the monsters was still getting up when all six of its legs were severed at the same time.
Another monster’s transparent jaw was split from both sides.
The plates on the backs of three Glassmaws were shattered in an instant, and black blood splashed on the soil.
Seris landed among them and took the next step without stopping.
One entered the clearing with a muffled roar.
Its massive body collided with two Glassmaws and dragged them under its feet. Its jaws closed around the third monster’s body and crushed its black armor and crystal plates with pressure.
The Glassmaw Alpha struck its tail to the ground. This time, it was not a collective Resonant Chorus.
"AAAAAAAGH" The monster’s roar covered the area.
It was enraged that outsiders had dared to interfere in its hunt!
And it was sure they would pay the price