Byron, transformed into an ancient giant, was actually smaller in size compared to the mist tree spirit. His body, about sixty meters tall, was only half the height of the mist tree spirit. If the opponent had been the lord of the mountain range during the day, the difficulty of the battle would have been quite high. However, the advantage of the mist tree spirit lay in its vines and its versatile attack methods. In terms of body strength and power, it was weaker than the ancient giant, and it was immediately overwhelmed by the sudden attack.
After knocking down the mist tree spirit, the giant sat directly on its weakest spot – the waist. He raised his fists and launched a continuous assault, fiercely pounding the mist tree spirit's body like raindrops.
The giant's fists were much more powerful than the attacks of Lancel and the assassin. Each blow left a deep pit on the mist tree spirit's face, causing the tree spirit to emit painful low groans, even with its sturdy body.
...although, given the height difference between the two, it looked a bit like a child beating up an adult on the ground.
Of course, as a creature that had existed for at least thousands of years, the mist tree spirit would not be easily defeated. Just as the giant's punches began to slow down, numerous vines surged out from the mist tree spirit's body, trying to use the same method it used during the day to deal with the lord of the mountain range, against Byron.
During the day, the lord of the mountain range suffered greatly from the vines, and if Byron, who was weaker in strength and body intensity compared to the lord of the mountain range, solely relied on his strength, the outcome would likely be even more disastrous than that of the lord of the mountain range.
But fortunately, this giant warrior, who was originally a human, was not just brute strength.
With fierce redness in his eyes, facing the vines that had already entwined around him, the giant warrior let out a loud roar. His body emitted a large amount of reddish light, and all the vines enveloped in the red light quickly ignited. Byron then jumped up and kicked the mist tree spirit, quickly freeing himself from those annoying vines.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, the mist tree spirit regained its footing, and the vines all over its body dimmed slightly so that they would not be burned by Byron's red Chi, while relentlessly entangling Byron. The surrounding forest also made intense sounds, with the trees shaking and numerous vines breaking through the soil and reaching upward, creating a chaotic dance.
As an existence at the pinnacle of natural creatures, the forest was The Realm for the mist tree spirit. If the battle during the day had taken place in the forest instead of on the mountains, the outcome might not have been a draw.
Byron also noticed the movement at his feet and quickly leaped to avoid dozens of vines. Then, his right fist gathered a large amount of red light, and he fiercely hammered the ground, causing a shockwave that completely burned down a large area of vines and forest around him.
However, even more vines were continuously growing under the control of the mist tree spirit.
"Tsk, what a troublesome guy." From a high ground, watching the battle between Byron and the mist tree spirit, other members of the Dragon-Slaying Squad couldn't help but break into a cold sweat. They hadn't anticipated that the monster would be so difficult to deal with.
"When did Byron become so powerful? I remember his rage only used to strengthen his body to a height of about five to six meters," Justin asked while leaning on his longbow.
"He hasn't mentioned this much, but based on the information I found in the Magic Guild, combined with the situation in the chaotic realm, Byron should be a rare giant bloodline holder," the white-bearded mage Domingosen said, stroking his beard and his eyes shining brightly. The research value of the giant bloodline was quite high, so he would definitely try to get some of Byron's blood samples next time.
"Who cares about the giant bloodline? It's all in vain if we can't win." Lancel snorted, "We were definitely tricked by that secretive guy this time, claiming it would be easy to resolve..."
"He didn't trick us on this point. In fact, before we left, he did remind us that none of the ancient-level monsters could be easily dealt with. Our plan was only based on the data we had observed," the old wizard sighed. "But if we can resolve this smoothly, the reward will be significant. With Byron's involvement, the battle should come to an end soon."
Facing the sea of vines from the mist tree spirit, the ancient giant also used his full power. With his human intelligence and based on the records and analysis of the mist tree spirit's fight against the lord of the mountain range during the day, Byron quickly determined the optimal tactics to deal with this creature.
Red light gathered in his right hand, forming a flame greatsword tens of meters long. With a few sweeps, he cut and burned the vines that attempted to restrict his movement. A sword with the dual properties of burning and sharpness was undoubtedly the unparalleled weapon against natural creatures.
The mist tree spirit let out a threatening low growl at Byron, and large thorny vines formed a solid barrier in front of it. However, Byron paid no attention and swung the flaming greatsword like a spinning wheel, cutting through everything blocking his way, aiming straight for the mist tree spirit.
"Wow, that was amazing! I give that aerial 360° spin a perfect ten," said Aya.
The giant on the ground, standing sixty meters tall, wielded a massive blade as he charged forward, taking steps that covered dozens of meters at a time. He skillfully dodged the vines that swarmed up at him, with even more agility than during the daytime battle. The visual impact was even stronger - after all, apart from the final blow, both dominators were merely standing and delivering their attacks.
"At this rate, maybe the ones below could win?" Aya speculated, stroking her chin.
But in the next second, her face was slapped hard.
"Damn, the situation has turned upside down. It seems that things that have lived for thousands of years are truly stronger," she exclaimed.
...
"Byron!"
Several members of the Dragon Slayers stared in horror at the distance.
Just three seconds ago, everything seemed to be going well. The giant flaming sword cut through all obstacles, and it seemed like it would cleave the Mist Tree Spirit in half in the next second. However, just as Byron dodged the final layer of thorns and swung his sword down from the sky, the body of the Mist Tree Spirit suddenly split open in the middle, and dozens of sharp thorns pierced through, impaling the ancient giant that was unable to dodge in mid-air!
Unlike the objects destroyed on the ground, the thorns that shot out from the Mist Tree Spirit's body were completely unaffected by the flames surrounding the giant. The faint green light flickering on them seemed to be resisting the flames.
A large amount of blood splattered, and the impaled ancient giant roared in pain. The giant flaming sword dissipated in the air, and its limbs hung down weakly, losing the ability to fight.
Without hesitation, the old mage used Space Movement Magic to move himself to a position where he could reach. More than ten "Gold and Jade Flame" Magic scrolls were shaken out from his sleeves, and they exploded against the thorns piercing the ancient giant.
Under the temperature of the golden jade flames, many thorns started to blacken and warp. However, the remaining thorns stubbornly continued to pierce through the giant's body.
The ruined face of the Mist Tree Spirit revealed an ugly smile, which surprised the old mage.
Impulsively, among the Dragon Slayers, only himself and Byron could pose a certain threat to this monster. Now that Byron was being controlled and he himself was about to be killed, the battle would really be over if he died.
"Ret...reat..."
The ancient giant incarnated as Byron endured the pain of dozens of thorns piercing through his body as he yelled out two words. His huge body instantly shrank back to its normal two meters, taking this opportunity to break free from the control.
There were still dozens of shocking blood holes all over his body, but fortunately, the berserker's body was strong enough and the vital parts were not affected. He could still move for a while without any problems, but he couldn't continue the fight.
The sudden disappearance of the giant caused the Mist Tree Spirit to slightly lose focus. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Byron rushed over, picked up the old mage, and ran wildly, preparing to meet up with his comrades who were already approaching and launch a retreat from the World Tree. They would regroup and come back for another battle.
But Byron had intentionally distanced the battlefield from his companions to avoid harming them, so now that they were running, they realized how dangerous the situation was.
The Mist Tree Spirit was not known for its speed, but it had a hundred-meter body. Even if it were a clumsy fat person, they would still be much faster than an ant.
So, after chasing for only a few hundred meters, the shadow of the Mist Tree Spirit had already engulfed the berserker who was still running, and his comrades were still nearly a kilometer away.
"Damn! Let's fight this guy to the death!" The old mage clenched his teeth, shaking out all the offensive Magic scrolls from his sleeve, preparing for a desperate attack.
Although he was a mage, he had chosen to be an adventurer, a profession that required courage and willingness to risk one's life. Since they couldn't escape anymore, there was no need to flee desperately. Even if they would die, they would make this guy pay a heavy price!
As the tree spirit's foot landed, a loud roar suddenly echoed through the sky, startling both the Mist Tree Spirit and the old mage who was preparing to fight to the death.
Although this roar was not as deafening as that of an ancient-level monster, it exuded an invisible pressure, as if it came from the top of the food chain... an imposing dominance.
The shadow that loomed overhead suddenly dissipated, and the Mist Tree Spirit was overturned on the ground amidst the violent shaking.
The old mage and Byron looked in astonishment at the creature that had just delivered that fierce blow to the Mist Tree Spirit, whose body radiated an ancient and solemn aura. In their minds, a thought emerged simultaneously: Impossible.
With a body of about fifteen meters, it was a colossal being compared to an ordinary person, but it was inconsequential to the Mist Tree Spirit. However, the Mist Tree Spirit seemed to regard it as a formidable opponent, ignoring even the old mage right in front of it and focusing all its attention on the creature emitting an ancient and dignified aura.
And... pale scales, isn't this the dragon that escaped from their hands a few months ago? Why is it appearing here?
"You said you never decapitate people." Aya, who had transformed back into her dragon form, muttered softly as she looked down at the treant below.
"Cough cough, well, um, can you call it decapitating people when it's about knights?" The princess blushed slightly and argued, "Besides, I'm saving their lives! Second Lieutenant, bring out your damn Italian cannon! Aim and shoot with all your might! If you hit, I'll reward you with half a kilogram of roasted sweet potatoes!"
"What does any of this have to do with that?" Aya was speechless. This treant was really unfortunate. It had weakened significantly from a battle with the Lord of the Mountains during the day, and now was crippled by a sneak attack from the Dragon-Slaying Squad at night. Just as it was about to finish them off... well, it encountered the Silver War Maiden to reap its life.
Magic elements began to gather around Aya, forming a massive energy sphere composed of earth, water, wind, fire, darkness, and light. Harmonizing conflicting elements was one of the abilities of the Golden Dragon itself.
A dangerous aura emanated from the sphere, and Tiran, sitting on Aya's back, brightened up. He took three quick steps and jumped onto Aya's head, almost interrupting her power build-up with a kick.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Aya glared.
"Don't mind me." Tiran cleared his throat, patted Aya's head, and with a suppressed smile, waved his hand forcefully. "Italian cannon—fire!"
The dragon unleashed a breath saturated with elemental energy, engulfing the massive treant within its misty form.
Consecutive battles had weakened the treant's resistance to magic to its lowest point. The protective green light that had shielded it before could no longer save it, and instead was directly annihilated by the six-colored dragon breath.
