The army behind Darian and Niara gripped their weapons tight, focused and tense. Irana most of all — she had gotten some intel from the traitors she killed about this so-called 'Master' they had heard of earlier.

Her name was Clekul. Irana knew her. Just like the winners of that rookie tournament on Earth, this enemy was also blessed by Heaven's Will. But she wasn't just anyone — she came straight from Universe's planet number 7, Harrier.

A traitor from such a powerful planet, and also someone blessed… her level was on a whole other scale. A Spiritual Sovereign was her master — there was no way they could underestimate her or let their guard down.

Irana told everyone everything she knew about her and that planet ruled by Divine Beasts. But Darian didn't care much. He simply explained his plan and gave out clear commands to everyone.

"Athven."

Right as a massive Risen army was approaching, Darian's voice echoed.

The ground shook, and the World Tree pushed its power to the limit. In seconds, a colossal wooden wall rose up behind all the allies. But that wasn't all — everyone could feel roots of the World Tree spreading underground.

The wall didn't stop growing until it was twice the height of the tallest Risen tree in the area. The enemies didn't even think of attacking it — they were sure it would take all their energy just to break through. Meanwhile, over a three-hundred-meter-wide area of land, a natural energy started flowing.

"Pathetic. KILL THEM!"

The Risen dwarf roared. At that moment, over ten thousand Risen Chiefs were less than fifty meters away.

Niara smiled and flapped her wings, rising into the sky.

The green armor pulsed over her body. The Heart of Nature was fully activated, merging with her draconic bloodline.

All around her, small white particles, like grains of sand, began spinning. They were so bright they lit up everything nearby.

"Udynes!"

Niara shouted. In response, Udynes pushed his blessing to the max. A hurricane was summoned, and waves of wind scattered the white particles, which shot toward the Risen Chiefs like missiles.

It only took the lightest touch…

…for their bodies to collapse, the corruption being purged.

"What the hell?!"

"My body! NO!"

The first one hit dried up instantly, crumbling to the ground. A moment later, his shriveled body disintegrated into dust.

The sky, covered in white particles, kept pushing forward. Summoners and beasts wouldn't feel a thing — but for the Risen, it was the deadliest thing in the world. Screams of horror erupted everywhere.

"Retreat!"

The Risen panicked, yelling to save themselves. But it was already too late. Under the howling winds, the white particles spread like a holy veil, purging the evil. Every single one who had charged forward was caught off guard — no one had a chance to escape.

Niara smiled. Ever since the Divine Dragon's will had boosted her powers, her ability to control wood energy through the green armor had grown a ton.

Darian had thought this plan through and tested it out with his white power… and that's how this Risen-killer combo was born.

It only worked because wood energy could give the white power a solid form. Using the White Armor made the white power stronger — but not the wood power.

It didn't matter how strong those Risen were — all it took was one touch for them to wither completely. The only way to block it was with a power that went beyond corruption. That Risen dwarf definitely wouldn't die — he had earth power to protect him. Other powerful Risen might have their own tricks — but the weak ones? They'd be wiped out.

The scene left everyone stunned.

Athven was the most shocked of all. They had never heard of such a powerful purifying force in this world. No wonder Darian had been so confident before the battle. Didn't matter how many Risen Chiefs were there — numbers meant nothing against that.

But then…

"What the fuck are you all standing there for?! Kill those bastards!" the Risen dwarf roared.

Beastly howls echoed as the ground rumbled and countless beasts charged toward the enemy army.

Unfortunately, the Risen made up less than 15% of the enemy force. Only a third of them had come in this first wave. That white power had advanced five hundred meters, then faded away — killing only those who had moved in.

The traitor Summoners made up about 5%. The rest? Just beasts living in that place — a massive avalanche.

Niara and Darian had wiped out the ones that lived on the island, and Darian thought he had taken out half the army. But the truth was, those were less than a third of the total. The wild ones, the free-roaming beasts, were way more numerous.

Niara landed on the ground. Then, Darian turned to the ones behind them.

Haruto gave a nod, and his Summoner moved a huge Ballista, its structure anchored to the ground. The massive weapon spun around and aimed at the beast army.

*Peng!*

A giant metallic arrow was fired. When it landed among the beasts, it suddenly pulsed with chaotic, furious light.

That arrow had been crafted using fragments of weapons and objects gathered from the battlefield. Haruto had picked parts that held opposing energies — ones that naturally repelled each other. Thanks to the knowledge he recently got from Darian, passed down from the God of the Forge, he'd figured out a way to seal those energies... like a bomb ready to go off at the right moment.

*BOOM!*

The air shook, and the ground trembled. But visually? It looked like a beautiful firework going off right in the middle of the beast army. All parts of the arrow shattered in opposite directions, turning into blades that flew everywhere.

The blast was so powerful that even beasts strong enough to rival a Risen Chief couldn't block it.

*PENG! PENG! BOOOM!!*

More arrows were fired and exploded too. Haruto's other two allies also had ballistas and the same kind of arrows. A bunch more beasts got shredded on the spot.

"Come on, come on!" Niara laughed, watching the chaos unfold ahead.

The Risen had made the first move alone. After retreating in panic, the beasts further back started charging, but they had to cross about three hundred meters to reach their targets...

Meanwhile, the three with ballistas didn't stop. They had crafted hundreds of those arrows and were told to let loose from the start, no holding back.

Hundreds were killed with every shot. The blast range was huge.

The beast army was enormous, but they couldn't get close. Their backs were blocked by the wooden wall, so they could only push forward on three fronts. And with a ballista set on each side, firing nonstop, the beasts were getting hit easily.

But then...

"ROAR!"

The beasts started adapting. Besides being many, there were tons of different races and powers mixed in. All sorts of flying beasts showed up, able to mess with wind or space, offering support.

With that, the arrows began to get diverted or blocked before even reaching their mark, doing way less damage. Still, the pressure from the arrows remained huge.

There was no way they could stop that ocean of beasts with just this. Their numbers were getting cut down before even reaching the frontline, but in the grand scheme of things, that didn't mean much...

...or maybe it did.

It only took a few minutes.

Now, the sea of beasts was finally closing in.

A lot had been killed, but there were still too many. Still, the effort hadn't been a waste.

Darian could clearly see it in the enemy leaders — the birth of real fear. He had managed to plant that seed in them. The calm of that small eight-thousand-strong army, combined with the shocking show of force, completely shifted their perception.

What else could they be hiding?

In a battle, information was everything.

Numbers only mattered when there was balance, and everyone more or less understood each other's strength. But clearly, Niara and Darian weren't playing on the same level. On top of that, if they kept catching their enemies off guard, they could actually win.

That made the leaders send in just the weaker beasts first.

There were plenty, and they'd force their enemies to reveal their hidden cards bit by bit. That way, the Risen could launch sneaky and precise attacks. It was the safest strategy to win... which was exactly what Darian wanted.

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