SSS Class Mythic Beast Master

Amiya returned her full attention to the map, but her approach changed. Instead of trying to force the environment to match the parchment, she accepted the discrepancy.

The map showed what Saint Lucian had seen in his visions. The forest's structure beneath the shifting chaos, and the roots were obscuring that structure, not replacing it.

Her fingers traced routes again, but this time she ignored what her eyes showed. Focused only on the map's logic, trusting Saint Lucian's vision over immediate perception.

They'd been following the correct path initially, and Joseph's elemental sense had confirmed it.

So, when had they diverged?

They hadn't.

The realization struck her quickly as her mind began to point out that they were still on the path. The roots were just blocking it and shifting everything around to make it seem like they'd gotten lost.

The maze was an illusion created by constantly moving barriers that hid the true route.

She traced back through their journey, identifying where the roots had first started shifting aggressively. That point matched a section on the map where the pathway narrowed, a bottleneck that the forest would naturally want to defend.

Everything after that had been the roots creating false walls, fake pathways, and deceptive openings that led nowhere.

The answer wasn't to navigate around the shifting maze. It was to ignore the maze entirely and plow straight through to the path underneath.

Amiya stood abruptly, map clutched in one hand while her other gripped her scythe, and she shouted. "The path we need to go is forward! Just break through the roots with attacks! They're just covering it up by making fake walls!"

Everyone reacted instantly without questions or hesitation, just complete trust in her declaration.

…

Reinhard's foot came down hard, Gravity Step creating a well that pulled roots ahead of them together. The reversal scattered them violently, creating a gap before Shadow Striker activated immediately after.

Countless black spears erupt from shadows to pin the scattered roots in place.

Marie raised Longinus high before Purging Lance erupted from the spear's tip. A pillar of golden-white light that bored through the root barrier ahead.

The concentrated power burned through wood like paper, leaving a smoking hole large enough for their formation.

Joseph's Arondight spun, wind gathering along the lance's length before Stellar Dance activated. A giant forest of bone spikes bursts from the ground.

The bones blasted through the root barrier from below, shattering the false wall and revealing packed earth beyond.

The golden Melo warriors added their power. Shockwaves, elemental attacks, and spectral weapons all focused forward, smashing through the roots with overwhelming force. The barrier fully shattered, wood fragments scattering like leaves in a storm.

Beyond the destruction lay the continuation of their path, exactly as the map indicated.

They rushed forward immediately, not pausing to celebrate. The momentum carried them deeper, the revelation transforming their approach.

When roots formed new barriers, they simply destroyed them. No more attempting to navigate around, they just went straight forward, following the map's route regardless of what the forest tried to obscure.

They pushed through barrier after barrier, the golden warriors' laughter mixing with the living members' determined shouts. The forest's attempts to confuse them failed completely now that the trick was understood.

But gradually the environment began changing. Trees thinned slightly with fewer root barriers, and then ahead, through gaps in the roots, something massive became visible.

They broke through the final root barrier and stopped.

They saw golden columns rising up with the metal being tarnished, green patina spreading across surfaces like a disease. Moss covered the lower sections, thick growth that obscured decorative details. Vines climbed walls and wrapped around columns, nature reclaiming what humanity had abandoned.

Arches that could have graced the Colosseum connected buildings. Aqueduct remnants suggested sophisticated water systems. A forum-like central plaza stretched between structures, its golden stones cracked and displaced by roots growing from below.

Sections of the city had collapsed entirely, leaving only foundations. Other buildings stood but showed severe damage, such as walls cracked, roofs caved in, decorative elements fallen and scattered.

Roots had grown through everything, penetrating walls and erupting from windows like skeletal fingers reaching for the sky.

Before them spread Helios, the capital city of the ancient Forerunner Kingdom.

But despite the decay, despite centuries of abandonment, the city's majesty remained visible. The scale was breathtaking with buildings that dwarfed anything in modern settlements, plazas that could hold thousands, and streets wide enough for armies to march.

This had been the heart of an empire, the seat of power for people who'd commanded a continent.

Amiya's eyes shone as she stared at Helios, seeing history made tangible. Beside her, the others wore similar expressions, all of them clenching their fist in excitement.

Reinhard's gaze swept across Helios's ruined grandeur, cataloging the golden architecture transformed by centuries of decay. But his attention snapped to the city's center, pulled by something that dominated the entire northern section.

A massive pale tree rose from the heart of the capital. Its trunk was impossibly wide, easily the diameter of several buildings combined with bark so light it appeared almost white, like bone exposed to the sun for decades.

The tree stretched upward beyond sight, its branches disappearing into the clouds. Branches spread in chaotic patterns, each one thick enough to serve as a bridge between buildings. Smaller roots emerged from the main trunk, spreading across the city like veins, penetrating structures and wrapping around columns.

The others noticed simultaneously.

Marie crossed her arms, her light-gold eyes tracking the tree's impossible height. "If it wasn't for seeing something similar to this, I would be left stunned."

Janus blinked in surprise, his head turning toward her. "Are you talking about the towering tree in the Monster Zone of Collin Forest?"

Reinhard nodded, although he knew they meant tree in Phane City. "The tree itself seems to reach a terrifying height."

Joseph's lips twitched, expression caught between appreciation and apprehension. "Hopefully, this time there isn't anything terrifying inside."

Casseo bluntly said. "That is a useless hope. Most likely, the Dark Silence's strongest defenses are inside that tree."

Veryn nodded as a frown appeared on her face. "But fortunately, we won't be tackling those alone."