"Split up, everyone," Shire ordered decisively.
Following their previous drills, the two eleven-man squads immediately broke formation, splitting into six smaller teams.
"Warriors, to the front! Archers, get the Blazing Fire Glue ready."
As five roaring Withered Monsters charged toward them, the goblin with the Shield pressed himself against it, bracing for the attack. Behind him, two or three other goblins were already pulling out Blazing Fire Glue from their waistbands.
"Red Eyes, aim for their legs!" Shire commanded loudly. At the same moment, a sharp bird cry echoed from behind him, and three Flaming Flying Birds shot toward the foremost Withered Monster.
Shire stared at the towering monsters. They staggered as they ran, their crowns long since stripped of green leaves, now just a tangle of dry, broken branches. With every step, their pitch-black bodies shed splinters of wood, as if they were nothing but decaying timber about to fall apart. They were a world away from the Tree-man who had guided him here.
"How could they have turned into this?" Shan Xi Ao murmured beside him. Shire glanced over, noticing the kid had drawn his Wooden Sword.
’He’s surprisingly well-equipped,’ Shire muttered. Just then, a furious roar erupted from the front. He whipped his head around to see a Withered Monster swing violently, its blow slamming into a goblin’s Shield and sending the creature tumbling away.
But the goblin’s teammates behind him immediately tossed the Blazing Fire Glue. BOOM! A series of explosions went off, and the Withered Monster shrieked, writhing in place.
Just as the burning Withered Monsters were about to charge the goblins again, a short figure suddenly dashed past. A flash of black sword light flickered, and with a CRASH, one of the monsters collapsed to the ground.
One of its legs had been severed.
Red Eyes weaved through the Withered Monsters, his Shamrah Black Sword a constant blur of motion. Soon, all five were felled, but they continued to crawl on the ground, letting out muffled, guttural roars.
"Finish them!" Shan Xi Ao yelled, flourishing his Little Wooden Sword before starting to charge forward.
Shire reacted instantly, grabbing both of his legs. "Don’t get in the way. It’s almost over."
The great fire blazed. The Withered Monsters seemed to have lost all strength to attack. They lay on the ground, bodies twitching as the scorching flames forced low groans from them.
Gradually, the Withered Monsters fell still. Shire cautiously took a few steps forward when suddenly, several voices reached his ears.
"Thank you..."
The voices were faint and weak, yet they sounded sincere, as if carrying a sense of release.
"Was that them talking?" Shan Xi Ao asked, landing on Shire’s shoulder with his Wooden Sword in hand.
"I think so," Shire said, looking up at the sky. "They may have regained a sliver of their sanity at the very end."
"So we won!" Shan Xi Ao said with a grin. His smile was as brilliant as a blooming flower, and he looked as if he wanted the whole world to see it.
"Will it be alright to just leave them here?" Shire asked as he walked briskly over to the Tree-man. Shire had held back both the Tree-man and Rubus during the fight, wanting to see how his own troops’ training would hold up.
"It’s alright. They will turn to ash and return to the earth. Their souls, too, will find peace in the embrace of the Mother Tree." The Tree-man’s voice was forlorn, and tears welled up in his eyes once more.
"Hey, don’t—" Shan Xi Ao flew in front of the Tree-man, wanting to comfort him, but he fumbled for words. What finally came out was, "Don’t cry. I have some sweets." He took all the sugar cubes from his backpack and popped them into the Tree-man’s mouth.
"Thank you," the Tree-man’s ancient voice rumbled.
Shan Xi Ao turned away, waving a hand dismissively as if to say it was nothing.
"We’ll rest for a moment, then head over to check on the Mushroom Tree. Do you want to come with us?" Shire asked, looking up at the Tree-man and awaiting his response.
"We cannot approach that strange tree. Whenever we get near, our minds grow hazy. We can only rely on your help." The Tree-man bowed slightly in a gesture of respect.
’Is that so...’ Shire thought, stroking his chin. He had been considering recruiting a few Tree-men to help him fight, but it seemed he would have to rely on his goblins alone.
He glanced down at his own feet, then at the Tree-man’s massive ones. ’Guess no leaf would be big enough for that,’ he thought.
"Right, about that Mushroom Tree," Shire asked, hoping for more intel, "did the Mother Tree tell you anything else?"
"Nothing else," the Tree-man replied after pausing for a few seconds to recall. "The Mother Tree only told us to wait. She said the whispers of the forest told her the enemy would ultimately fall to a sword of unwavering devotion."
Hearing this, Shire glanced over at Red Eyes, who was currently trying on a pair of leaf shoes. ’So, that means Red Eyes will be the one to finish off the final enemy.’
’Looks like this battle shouldn’t be too dangerous, then.’ He nodded, calculating inwardly. ’I should build a good relationship with the Tree-men. I could try to gather their fruit, and if a major war breaks out, maybe I can ask them for help. As for the Mother Tree...’
"Are we leaving now?" Shan Xi Ao asked, flitting about in front of Shire.
"You’re not going," Shire said, staring at him. He saw the little goblin’s clear, curious eyes immediately mist over.
"Just stay here, and don’t cause any trouble," Shire said sternly.
He then ordered his men to prepare to depart.
...
「A short time later.」
Following the Tree-man’s directions, Shire arrived at his destination.
He stood behind a withered-looking tree, surveying the scene before him.
A great tree with a white trunk stood tall and straight, its bark seeming to reflect the sunlight. In a radius of over thirty meters around it, not a single plant grew—not even a blade of grass. Its entire canopy was gray, and leaves drifted endlessly from its branches to the ground below.