After returning to the city, Aurek presented the
Aurek's expression didn't change much. He asked. "With this, can you build that defensive structure you were speaking about before?"
"Indeed. I can."
The blueprint for
This withered tree, as if injected with the essence of life itself, recovered quickly and began growing in size.
[Congratulations!
[You've triggered a
[Description: After roaming around and encountering one of Aionthra's echoes, the brave heroes defeated it and managed to get its core. There are a total of four echoes wandering around the Willow World Tree. Defeat them all and complete the revitalization of the Willow World Tree's four guardians before the barrier collapses.]
[Objective: Revitalization of
[Condition: Time remaining until barrier collapses 354 days. (Time added due to getting item
[Failure: Existing World Tree Guardians will become 30% weaker.]
[Reward 1: Existing World Tree Guardians will be strengthened by 20%.]
[Reward 2: Dead World Tree Guardians will be revived without the strengthening boost.]
[Reward 3: Experience Points and a random piece of equipment depending on participation and completion rate.]
All of them read the words that appeared, making them somewhat tense. Someone muttered, feeling somewhat in disbelief. "...There are three more monsters like that one?"
Having fought it once, they now more or less knew how to counter it. However, the inexplicable movement and their lapses in consciousness made confused them terribly.
Suddenly, Lysera, the chief mage, spoke up. "Perhaps… does this BOSS Monster have time controlling skills like Lady Heavenly Willow?"
When those words reached them, all of them felt as if the fog had cleared. "No wonder she kept shifting so strangely without a trace of space essence…"
"No, but some of her movements did have space essence in them."
"She must have both time and space abilities then."
Another mocked. "Time, Space, all kinds of elements, erosion… What a fair BOSS Monster."
Aurek spoke solemnly. "Alright, enough with the sarcasm. I know we are all a bit agitated because of the death of our comrades, but we have to pull ourselves together, or more will fall. For now, prepare for the first monster wave that will arrive shortly."
From the messages they heard, the first monster wave would arrive a week after Aionthra noticed their presence. They didn't know how strong the Monster Wave was, or if it became stronger with time. Even then, it was not something they could lightly ignore with a Level 50 World Tree to protect.
Aurek began giving orders. "Spread out and plant Rune and Array traps. Also, set up a simple defensive array around the Willow World Tree if possible, but do not prioritize it. After all, we have the external barrier Lady Willow World Tree is maintaining."
It would be a bit of a pity to consume the barrier's limited time. However, they couldn't consume all the resources they've carried with them before even seeing a shadow of the BOSS Monster, could they?
Even when space bags with larger storage capacity were available, the storage space inside was not that extensive. After all, the technology to cram mini dimensions in items that could be closed was not simple.
Thanks to the new advancements in Rune and Array fields due to Liu Shu's evolved blessings, they managed to create something like a space bag that amplified inner space by around 10 times.
In short, the bags each of them carried had much greater storage capacity than they appeared to have on the outside.
So, everyone got moving for a few hours and then took a nap to recover some energy. They were quite exhausted after fighting the Aionthra's Echo.
Meanwhile, Aionthra glanced at the large World Tree that she needed to defeat and smiled faintly. "Alright, my children… Go tear them apart."
Deep within the forest, several low and menacing roars burst forth, shaking the sky.
Those on guard duty moved quickly, waking everyone. The Willow World Tree spoke as well. "Soldiers, wake up. A new challenge faces us."
Aurek and the rest noticed a large group of 100 fully armored humanoids appearing. Due to the thick armor, whether they were female or male couldn't really be told at a glance.
These 100 soldiers split into four groups, each led by someone with golden armor. Then, the four groups stopped at the four entrances of the city.
Aurek and the others glanced at them and tried to analyze them. They could see very limited information.
***
Species: Willow World Tree Protector
Level: 199
Overall Stars: 18 (S- Rank)
***
Species: Elite Willow World Tree Protector
Level: 199
Overall Stars: 21 (SS- Rank)
***
Aurek and the others, seeing their helpers, didn't feel a single moment of relief. If the
The Willow World Tree's city was not too large, and between the walls and the forest, there was around one kilometer of nothingness. The barrier was exactly behind the walls of the city, so to damage the barrier, the monster wave would need to destroy the walls first.
This knowledge relieved Aurek. 'If we couldn't even use the walls as defense, it would be stupid.'
While he was thinking, a scout shouted. "The monsters are here!"
Everyone glanced over, and they noticed around 200 monsters rushing out of the clearing. These 200 monsters were led by two Mini BOSS monsters, one of which was the
The tiger was already large, but the bear was at least twice as large and bulky. Of course, in terms of overall power, both were very similar.
Aurek pulled his bow's string and pointed it up. "
BANG!
The arrow shook its surroundings after being released and reached the clouds above the 200 monsters. Then, from the sky, a torrent of arrows descended like shooting stars.
Explosive sounds covered the charging beast army, making them roar in pain. In Aurek's eyes, messages of defeating beasts appeared three times. He frowned. 'Only three deaths?'
He was, after all, a bona fide Level 200 powerhouse. These Level 199 beasts should've easily fallen to his attacks.
Their speed was swift, so even when Aurek blocked their way, they had already covered half the distance between the forest and the city walls. Other than Aurek, the rest of his group was not idle. Those at the other gates rushed over, while the 25 knights at this door unsheathed their wooden swords.
Of course, the wood they were made out of was not normal. Woodcrafting ensured that these swords could cut through iron by their weight alone. Other enhancements were applied to them as well, showing that neither the armor nor the weapons were normal.
They were good enough that some people in their group felt tempted to get them.
A second later, a barrage of Aethermancy and Soulmancy burst toward the charging beast. The bear at the front roared lowly, a mass of purple crystal manifesting around its body.
Then, with a powerful leap, the bear took all the damaging effects and pushed forward.
The golden armored soldier spoke, his voice low and solemn. "For Lady Willow World Tree!"
"For Lady Willow World Tree!"
The soldiers repeated, and all of them pushed forward together with Kaelen and the other melee fighters present.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Collisions occurred everywhere as the knights and beasts entangled in a head-on battle. Aurek quickly analyzed while releasing another arrow. 'The knights are really strong. Even without us, defeating these 200 beasts should have been possible with only a few casualties.'
So, with their added power, the battle was basically effortless.
'This is not right…'
As Aurek felt an ominous premonition, Lady Willow Tree's voice reached them. "The west gate is being attacked."
Aurek's eyes widened and quickly turned. "Healers, follow me! Kaelen, go to the north gate! Riven, guide a group ot the South gate!"
This side, which had met with their full-on assault, was basically done for. However, the other gates had no one to protect them. While Aurek and seven healers rushed toward the East Gate, Lady World Tree Spoke. "The North Gate is being attacked."
"Sami, Lirie, go to the north gate!"
"Understood!"
The two of them, being the best healers after Ahria, whom Aionthra killed, separated and rushed over as quickly as possible.
Aurek arrived at the east gate, and the place was truly gruesome. The 25 elite knights were fighting bravely, but their armor had all kinds of scratches and bite marks. Two beasts stood out here, a massive Wolf and a swift Panther.
"Heal them quickly! Focus on those dying!"
Aurek drew his bow to a full moon and then released arrows toward the Wolf and Panther that the golden knight was fighting with.
With his powerful arrows, the battle situation quickly stabilized, and Aurek spoke decisively. "Gorka, Wencen, go to the south gate quickly!"
As he saw them leave, the Willow World Tree's gentle voice reached them. "South Gate is under attack."
Aurek continued to draw his bow and muttered. 'I hope they make it in time.'
The fierce battle continued, and soon the 800 beasts that attacked during this first wave were defeated. During the attack, the Defensive Tower built in the north activated, showing its incredible prowess.
The World Tree Guardian, once it was completed, summoned massive roots from the ground, blasting even the Mini BOSS flying with a single strike. With the World Tree Guardian and the knights, the north was the second to get cleared, even when Aurek was at the West Gate.
Once this wave of attacks ended, everyone held their breath. A moment later, the system pinged them.
[You've defended against the first wave!]
[Remining Guardian Knights: 99/100.]
[Remining World Tree Guardians: 1/1.]
[Damage to the barrier: 0 Days.]
[The second beast wave will arrive one and a half weeks later.]
[Aionthra is dissatisfied. The next wave will be slightly stronger.]
Reading through the messages, Aurek frowned. 'One knight died? How? Also… what do you mean that BOSS Monster is "dissatisfied"? Annoying.'
A report reached him. "General Aurek, we couldn't save one of the regular knights as the Serpent Mini BOSS managed to slip its fang through the armor and pour poison into his lungs and heart. The critical hit depleted almost 50% of his total
Aurek sighed. "Unlucky fellow… Alright, prepare. We only have one and a half weeks to find the next copy and defeat it."