SSS Class Mythic Beast Master

The first root humanoid lunged, wooden claws extended. Reinhard's sword swept through it in a single fluid motion, the black-blue blade cutting cleanly. The construct splits vertically, halves falling in opposite directions.

Two more charged simultaneously from different angles. Reinhard's foot came down hard as purple-black energy erupted, spreading across the root platform.

The gravity well formed instantly, pulling both constructs toward the center point.

They crashed together, wooden bodies splintering from the impact. He reversed the pull, and both constructs shot away, slamming into the walls with enough force to shatter their forms.

Night Terrors drifted closer, their white eyes brightening. One began splitting its face, revealing the interior darkness and emerging tendrils.

Reinhard's eyes shifted into three pupils expanding into diamond shapes arranged in a triangle pattern. Fenrir's power surged through him, as golden-black markings tried appearing on his arms, and the golden cape fluttered behind him.

His mouth opened, releasing Sinner Reflect.

The attack erupted outward, leading to screams, roars, pleas, and begging to be smashed into the enemies in front. The Night Terror froze, its face-splitting reversed as the mental assault disrupted its coordination.

The other Terrors scattered before Reinhard rushed forward and smashed into each of the Night Terrors. He blasted a fist through one of them before grabbing the head of two and smashing them into the ground. Then his fists began a blur as he smashed through Night Terrors, one after another.

Shadowy fragments scattered out as Reinhard continued moving. Then over fifteen root humanoids emerged and rushed forward in a coordinated wave, trying to overwhelm through numbers.

Reinhard switched back to Odin, and then blue ripples spread from beneath his feet.

Drasil Step.

Time slowed to crawl, the world shifting into that frozen state.

He moved through the stationary enemies, Zenuken becoming a blur as he hacked and slashed through them. The first humanoid's torso was slashed through before the second lost its head from a thrust. The third, fourth, and fifth burst from a sweeping arc that caught all three simultaneously.

Reinhard continued through the remaining ten, each strike he slashed and tore them apart without stopping once.

When time returned to normal, all fifteen constructs exploded, and their remains scattered across the pale roots.

Reinhard ascended higher through the interior with more enemies appearing. It was clusters of grey humanoids, pairs of Night Terrors, and occasional larger constructs that suggested elite variants.

But none of them slowed his advance significantly.

Shadow Striker activated, countless black spears erupting from every shadow. They tore through the advancing enemies, while pinning down some others, and buying seconds for Reinhard to move past their positions.

Then Reinhard used Gravity Step to pull the remaining ones together, and then Azure Beam froze targets that got too close. The ice in the beams covered them in layers of frost before he smashed them into pieces.

He switched between Odin and Fenrir with increasing frequency, using whichever skillset better suited each immediate threat. The transitions became seamless with no wasted motion, no hesitation, pure efficiency born from having two complete arsenals at his disposal.

The interior grew brighter as he climbed, suggesting proximity to the top. The faint light intensified, casting everything in pale radiance that made the grey constructs harder to distinguish from their surroundings.

But Reinhard's senses had sharpened through Fenrir's enhancement. He perceived threats before they rose up, heard movement through walls, and felt vibrations announcing approaching enemies.

Mimir remained on his shoulder throughout, claws gripping firmly but not painfully. The crow's presence provided constant reassurance, proof that he wasn't truly alone despite his friends being trapped below.

"How much farther?" Reinhard asked between strikes, his breathing controlled despite the sustained combat.

"Not far." Mimir replied quickly.

Reinhard's boots pounded against pale roots while Zenuken carved through another grey humanoid that appeared from the walls. The construct shattered, wood fragments scattering as he pushed past without slowing.

More bodies appeared as elevation increased.

A man in ancient armor lay wrapped in roots, the metal rusted and corroded beyond recognition, styles suggesting centuries-old design. His face was peaceful despite the roots growing through gaps in his breastplate, penetrating flesh that had long since ceased bleeding.

The armor bore no insignia Reinhard recognized, marking him as a warrior from before the current factions existed.

A woman nearby was extremely pale, with her skin appearing translucent. Veins showed dark beneath the surface, creating patterns that suggested the roots had completely replaced her circulatory system. Her clothing had rotted away almost entirely, leaving only fragments clinging to root-covered limbs.

She'd been here decades at minimum, possibly longer.

Young adults appeared among the others, young faces frozen in peaceful sleep, unaware of the horror consuming them. A boy no older than nineteen with roots wrapped around his body like swaddling.

While a girl perhaps eighteen, with her hand reaching toward nothing, fingers encased in wood. Their presence made Reinhard grit his teeth, rage building beneath a controlled exterior.

Phantasm Beasts continued appearing throughout.

A Werefang with its three tails fused into a single mass of wood and flesh, the boundary between root and fur impossible to distinguish.

An Autumn Deer with leaves growing from its antlers, mixing with parasitic vines, creating a crown of combined life.

A Bear-Terror so completely covered that only its massive spike-covered back remained visible, the spikes themselves serving as anchor points for dozens of root tendrils.

A Tonothus lay on its side, the grey hide pierced in hundreds of places. Roots had grown through its body and emerged from the opposite side, creating something approaching a bridge using the creature's corpse as a foundation. Its eyes remained open but glazed, awareness long gone.

Grey root humanoids emerged ahead, a cluster of eight moving, but Reinhard didn't stop. His foot came down, and the purple-black energy pulled the constructs together, compressing them into a tight ball. He reversed the effect, and they shot outward, smashing into walls with devastating force.

Night Terrors drifted from above, descending in a loose formation. Reinhard switched to Fenrir smoothly, and he opened his mouth, releasing Ursa Suppression. The visible sound waves swept upward, catching all six Terrors and stunning them. He then switched to Odin before his shadow trembled and black spears rushed out, piercing into the Night Terrors.

He pressed higher, the pathway curving sharply to the right, leading to more victims appearing around the bend.

A Seeker in full uniform lay with roots growing through the silver crow insignia on her shoulder. The black coat had torn in places where the parasitic growth expanded, revealing pale flesh beneath. Her two swords lay just beyond her reach, as if she'd tried grabbing them before succumbing.

The positioning suggested she'd known what was happening, had fought against the sleep, but ultimately failed.

Three Luminous Knights tangled with pale wood, creating patterns that blurred the line between fabric and plant. The swirling circle symbols with stars and half-moons were still visible on their shoulders, marking them as defenders who'd ventured into the tree and never returned.

A particularly old warrior appeared ahead, his armor style suggesting he'd been from the original Forerunner Kingdom, contemporary with Commander Dune's era. The golden and iron plates showed extensive damage, not from combat but from centuries of root growth deforming the metal. His face carried dignity even in sleep, suggesting he'd been someone important before being claimed.

Reinhard continued ascending as he saw fifteen grey humanoids emerging from the walls simultaneously. Reinhard's hand moved, leading the area above to be illuminated before golden swords appeared above, and then they rushed down.

While countless black spears erupted from every shadow, skewering the constructs before they could close the distance.

Then the golden swords smashed the humanoids into pieces, with most of them burning from the terrifying light.

Reinhard rushed through the gap created, ascending another twenty feet before the next obstruction appeared.