SSS Class Mythic Beast Master

They moved as one unified force.

Reinhard, Marie, Joseph, Janus, Amiya, Casseo, Veryn, Honor, the golden Melo warriors, and now Vlad, Brunhilde, and Saint Lucian.

The formation adjusted naturally, the three powerhouses taking positions that maximized defensive coverage while maintaining speed.

They entered Helios as their steps hit golden stones cracked by roots and age. Buildings loomed on both sides, their tarnished surfaces reflecting the group's passage.

The city felt empty and hollowed out, like something vital had been removed and never replaced.

The Golden Melo Warriors grimace with looks of regret appearing on their face. Vlad had a slight frown and a sorrowful look while Amiya and Janus looked around in wonder.

The pale tree grew larger as they approached, its impossible scale becoming more apparent with proximity.

What had seemed massive from the entrance now revealed itself as truly colossal, a living structure that dwarfed even the largest buildings around it.

But then the forest realized their presence.

Roots erupted from every direction simultaneously and rushed towards them with terrifying speed. They burst from buildings, shot up from beneath golden stones, dropped from the pale tree's distant branches.

Hundreds of them rose before they became thousands as they all rushed towards the group.

Humanoid constructs launched from the city's shadows, dozens becoming hundreds in seconds. Their wooden bodies moved with enhanced coordination, suggesting direct control rather than autonomous action.

Night Terrors drifted from between buildings, black variants, and crimson variants. Their white eyes blazed with intensity that suggested rage, as if the forest itself was expressing fury through these creatures.

The attack came with terrifying urgency, the forest recognizing this was its last chance to stop the invaders before they reached the pale tree.

Vlad laughed as his hand swept outward, and crimson stakes erupted from the ground in a wave.

They caught the first rank of root-constructs, impaling dozens simultaneously. The stakes continued rising, piercing and puncturing through the forces rushing at them.

Saint Lucian's twin swords appeared in his hands, moving too fast to track clearly. He carved through humanoid constructs, attempting to block their path, each strike hitting their form and dispersing them.

The constructs collapsed instantly as their form faded away.

Brunhilde's fingers traced through the air, golden words blazing into existence. She sent them forward with gestures that resembled conducting an orchestra.

The words struck the approaching Night Terrors, each impact causing explosive deterioration, and shadows dispersed, unable to reform under the sustained assault.

The group pressed forward, not slowing despite the overwhelming opposition. Vlad, Saint Lucian, and Brunhilde swept aside anything that threatened to impede their advance.

The others-maintained formation behind them, the golden Melo warriors protecting the side while Reinhard and the others stayed ready for anything that broke through.

The ground trembled violently before reality seemed to warp slightly.

Dark ghostly apparitions rushed toward them, swarms of semi-transparent forms that moved with disturbing fluidity. A whispering sound preceded them, gradually becoming louder until the apparitions materialized fully.

They surrounded the group from all sides, cutting off escape routes.

Saint Lucian sighed, the sound carrying more annoyance than concern. The image of the ghostly things appeared on his swords' hilts as symbols with X marks over them.

He thrust both weapons forward, and the symbols erupted outward as waves of canceling energy.

The apparitions dispersed on contact, their forms unable to withstand whatever power Saint Lucian had employed. All nine swarms vanished within seconds, leaving only fading whispers.

Then massive shadows appeared above, leading Reinhard to glance up instinctively.

Black roots descended from the pale tree's distant branches, he saw they were covered with glowing green mushrooms. Each root was thick as a building, and they fell with enough force to crater stone.

Brunhilde's hands moved in rapid patterns, golden words forming faster than before. She sent them upward, each symbol striking a falling root. Where words made contact, the roots froze mid-descent, not from cold but from temporal stasis, movement still completely.

The group continued past the frozen masses. Behind them, the roots remained suspended, mushrooms still glowing but unable to complete their descent.

Then, after ten seconds, an ear-splitting sound erupted in the sky, the black masses exploding simultaneously. The detonation created shockwaves that rattled buildings and sent debris cascading from damaged structures.

But the group was already past blast radius, moving with perfect timing through the southern section of Helios.

The ground trembled again, different from before. Cracks spread across golden stones, widening until gaps appeared large enough to fall through.

Shadowy worms burst from the fissures!

Night Terror variants that resembled massive centipedes but were composed entirely of darkness. They rose with disgusting motions, segmented bodies extending twenty feet or more.

Other forms emerged alongside them, shapes that suggested no natural creatures, amalgamations of shadow and malevolence that defied categorization.

Vlad moved before anyone could react.

His crimson stakes erupted in waves, catching the emerging Night Terrors as they rose. The stakes pierce through shadowy flesh, each impact shattering segments that couldn't regenerate fast enough.

And then the stakes glowed before bursting out in a crimson explosion that scattered the Night Terrors.

More stakes followed, then more, a relentless barrage that turned emerging enemies into shadowy fragments before they could fully manifest. Vlad grinned throughout the assault, clearly enjoying the opportunity to unleash his full power without restraint.

The group continued through the southern section, moving steadily. Behind them, the battlefield showed evidence of the three powerhouses' terrifying might.

Reinhard saw the destroyed enemies, shattered barriers, and scorched earth where attacks had missed their targets.

Vlad moved alongside the golden warriors, his voice carrying appreciation. "Your coordination is exactly what the stories described. The way you cover each other's flanks without verbal communication, it's masterful."

The warriors laughed, clearly pleased by the compliment.

One called back. "Commander Dune drilled it into us until we could fight blind!"

Another added. "We practiced so much we started predicting each other's movements in our sleep!"

Their laughter mixed with Vlad's, creating a moment of camaraderie that bridged centuries.

But then the ground trembled violently.

Space seemed to compress, pressure building until a shattering sound rang out before something rushed down from above. Reinhard looked up before his eyes widened as he saw an amalgamation crashing down from above.

It's impact cratering golden stones and sending shockwaves through nearby buildings, before rising up to its full height, towering fifteen feet tall.

The creature was composed entirely of humanoid roots fused in a nightmarish configuration. Its body showed faces and features from all previous root-construct variants, Werefang skulls, Tetan armor patterns, Kungala proportions, and Kabas mushroom growths.

Its arms extended out at unnatural angles, some ending in claws, others in root-whips. Multiple heads crowned its shoulders, each one bearing different characteristics.

What the… How is that even possible? Reinhard thought in disbelief.

It roared, a sound that combined bestial fury with wooden creaking, creating dissonance that made teeth ache.

The aura radiating from it pressed against Reinhard and the others' spiritual armor with crushing force. It made Reinhard tremble as he felt like he was being pressed down by an entire country, and would be crushed soon. First Class Beast Master level magic, concentrated in a single entity designed to stop their advance.

"King Root." Saint Lucian identified, his tone carrying recognition from visions before he turned to Vlad. "Can you handle this?"

Vlad laughed as he stretched his arms and said. "Leave it to me."

Saint Lucian nodded sharply. "Don't take too long. We need you after all."

Vlad's grin widened until it showed teeth. "I'll catch up before you know it."

Saint Lucian rushed ahead immediately, his white robe billowing as he accelerated. The others followed, the formation moving around the King Root without engaging.