SSS Class Mythic Beast Master

Amiya beamed, her earlier anxiety completely replaced by confidence. "Honor, the Saint said you can contact him?"

Honor nodded once, his wyvern helm tilting slightly. His thoughts echoed outward through the golden words Brunhilde had inscribed. The telepathic link connects all team members across vast distances.

We have reached the center of the forest and are looking at the Forerunners' old capital city, Helios.

…

Northern Front.

Vlad's crimson stakes tore through another wave of root-constructs, the blood-like weapons blasting through the woods. Roots attempting regeneration found themselves impaled repeatedly, unable to complete the healing process before being destroyed completely.

His crimson eyes glowed brighter as Honor's message filtered through his consciousness via the golden words. A wild and predatory grin that carried satisfaction spread across his face, as the plan had worked perfectly. "About damn time."

He drove another stake through a Towering Night Terror's chest, the massive creature shrieking as it dissolved. Around him, the northern battlefield lay littered with destroyed enemies, hundreds of them, all sacrificed trying to stop his assault.

The root barrier he'd been attacking showed massive damage, sections pulverized beyond the forest's ability to regenerate.

But Vlad didn't care about finishing the barrier now. The eastern team had reached the center. His job was done.

…

Southern Front.

Brunhilde's golden words glowed in the air before her, each symbol carrying devastating power. They struck root-humanoids with explosive force, the constructs shattering on contact. Her light blue eyes tracked multiple threats simultaneously, calculating trajectories and writing new symbols.

Honor's message reached her through the telepathic link. Her cold expression shifted into a faint smile as she sighed in relief. "They made it."

She gestured, and the golden words orbiting her position rushed outward in a coordinated assault. They caught a swarm of Crimson Night Terrors, the symbols detonating against their forms. The Terrors shrieked, unable to regenerate fast enough before follow-up words destroyed them completely.

Around her, the southern battlefield showed similar devastation to the north. Bodies and fragments scattered across scorched earth. The root barrier displayed catastrophic damage, entire sections were reduced to splinters.

But like Vlad, Brunhilde had no interest in continuing the assault now that the diversion had served its purpose.

…

Central Front.

Saint Lucian stood in the eye of chaos. Roots lashed at him from above, below, and from all sides simultaneously.

Phantasm Beasts charged in waves while the Night Terrors rushed from shadows, their white eyes blazing with hatred. The forest threw everything at him, desperate to eliminate the threat that had been tearing apart its central defenses.

His white robe billowed despite the attacks passing by it harmlessly. The black mask covering his face reflected attacking roots, showing them their futility. In his hands, twin swords moved in patterns too fast to follow, each strike precise and devastating.

Honor's message filtered through the golden words, and Saint Lucian chuckled. "Good work." He murmured in satisfaction. "Now then, I should do my part as well."

He hurled the two swords forward, as they pierced through multiple roots, which began to disperse. Then he clasped his hands together while staring at the crimson light where Vlad was, the sigil behind him appeared underneath his position.

While he did this, the roots rushed toward him, trying to exploit the apparent vulnerability. The signs shined with white and black lights as the pattern shifted to the crimson light.

Grafting.

Saint Lucian vanished from the central front, the space he'd occupied collapsing as roots filled the area.

But he was already elsewhere.

…

Vlad blinked as Saint Lucian appeared beside him mid-strike, appearing between one second and the next. The masked figure's sudden presence disrupted Vlad's attack trajectory, forcing him to redirect his crimson stakes to avoid hitting an ally.

Then Vlad grinned. "Took you long enough."

Saint Lucian nodded with a sigh, and then his hand shot out, gripping Vlad's shoulder. "Hold on."

Saint Lucian then looked towards the golden-blue light in the sky, down to the south front where Brunhilde was fighting.

Grafting.

Reality twisted, and the northern front vanished. Replaced by the southern battlefield, where Brunhilde stood surrounded by destroyed enemies

Brunhilde saw the duo appear, her light blue eyes widening slightly, then she nodded with a faint smile. Her Nine Skies armor began dissipating, leading to black and white fragments drifting off her form. The transformation reversed, returning her to her normal appearance without losing any of the elegance that made her extremely beautiful.

Vlad's form shifted beside Saint Lucian. The Governor Blood state released, his body returning to normal proportions. The overwhelming crimson aura that had been radiating outward faded, his eyes dimming from blazing red to their usual terrible crimson.

Saint Lucian spoke through the golden words. Launch an attack upwards, Honor.

Then the seconds passed, one, two, and three, before something happened.

Then, from the center of Helios, attacks erupted skyward.

Orbs of darkness rose first, Honor's Cessation Orbs climbing through the sky. They left trails of deteriorating air behind them, the atmosphere itself weathering wherever they passed. A piercing golden light followed, brilliant and pure, so bright it painted everything. The beam climbed impossibly fast, leaving afterimages burned into retinas.

A stream of wind came third, visible only because of the debris it carried, a tornado that tore through clouds overhead.

Saint Lucian's hand gestured, the movement casual despite the complexity of what it triggered. The sigil beneath them blazed again.

Grafting.

All three vanished from the southern front.

…

Reality twisted and deposited Saint Lucian, Vlad, and Brunhilde directly beside Reinhard's group. They materialized mid-step, their momentum carrying them forward naturally as if they'd been walking with the formation all along.

Reinhard blinked, his light blue eyes tracking their sudden appearance. No surprise showed on his face, he'd witnessed enough impossible things today that teleportation barely registered.

But seeing them arrive confirmed the plan's final stage had begun.

Brunhilde's gaze swept across him, Marie, Joseph, Janus, and Amiya immediately. Her eyes checked for injuries, for signs of serious damage, for anything suggesting they'd suffered more than minor wounds.

Relief flooded her expression when she found them relatively intact, and she smiled at them.