Chapter 29: Purify by Fire

To not give the Tree Knight the chance to hit them, Shymine and Hazel didn’t let up their attacks. Therese, unfortunately, hadn’t recovered enough to fight, leaving only the other two to fight.

"Ice Bullets!"

Shymine froze the moisture in the air, creating thumb-sized pellets, then firing them at the speed of sound.

"Earth Needles!"

Hazel, on the other hand, formed sharp needles from the earth of the plateau and fired them at the enemy with pinpoint accuracy.

However, none of the projectiles were dealing any damage.

They targeted vitals—the gaps in the armor, even the enemy’s eyes—but—

TING!

—the attacks just bounced off the Tree Knight’s body, as if fired from peashooters. He didn’t even move to dodge or block, as if the attacks didn’t threaten him at all.

Instead, the Tree Knight swung its sword downward, sending another flying slash.

"Tsk!"

Of course, everyone dodged fast.

However, Raive—still injured—and Therese—still reeling from the backlash of her shattered swords—were much slower than the rest.

They could barely dodge the attack coming for them.

’This won’t do...!’

Raive bit his lip, staring at his missing left arm.

He’d already tied it off tight to control the bleeding, but he still couldn’t adjust to his body’s shifted balance. He couldn’t even run straight.

However, he had to.

He needed to watch over the fight until the end and figure out something they could do. They needed a way to defeat, or maybe even just a way to injure, the enemy before he died!

"Ugh!"

"Kyaah!"

"Ack!"

However, just one minute in, and everyone was already on the ground.

They were still alive, thankfully, but they didn’t have the stamina to keep moving for long. Even Shymine and Hazel were already panting hard, unable to catch their breath. The rest got hit by the scattering rocks, piling up small injuries until it became too much.

"Shit..."

Even Raive could barely move now.

He just sat by a small rock some distance away, watching the fight with impatience in his eyes. At the rate things were going, this loop would just be a wasted one!

He had to do something, before everyone truly fell and slowly died to the monster before them.

"This... leaves me with no choice...!"

Raive pushed himself off the ground, standing up.

Then, he began running around the enemy, trying to reach behind it. But just as he almost reached a position perpendicular to the enemy—

"...!"

A sword slash suddenly flew toward him.

It came in despite Hazel and Shymine attacking with all their might, as if it were a last-ditch attack—one that actually dealt some damage, severing the monster’s right arm.

Fortunately, that hit made the aim wobble, buying Raive a little more time to live.

But that wasn’t all.

’T-This...!’

The reaction was so fast.

Almost as if the enemy didn’t want him going behind it at all.

And that curious behavior convinced Raive.

’This boss’s weakness is behind it!’

And looking at it, there was only one thing behind it.

A lone tree, blooming while scattering pink petals all over the place. It was the cherry tree!

Thinking about it normally, it should’ve been obvious.

The enemy came out of it, after all. The tree should’ve been doing something more than just being a portal of sorts.

Raive, as soon as he realized this, gave a new command.

"Khamish! Fuel and a lighter!"

His words were direct, if lacking explanation. Still, Khamish pushed himself off the dirt and moved fast.

He ran to Raive, pulling a gallon jug from his bag.

"I don’t know what you’ll use it for, but here, Raive!" He shouted as he threw it over.

After confirming the catch, he also threw the lighter, completing Raive’s order in seconds.

"Great!" He cheered. "Next, run to the other side and try to circle around the monster! Keep this much distance too!"

"H-Huh?"

Khamish was confused.

He wasn’t told why he had to do it, but after seeing the look in Raive’s eyes, he realized he had no time to explain. They truly didn’t have much time remaining, after all.

"Alright!"

Although clueless, he still followed his order.

He ran to the other side, keeping about forty meters of distance. Raive watched intently, making sure not to miss a single detail. Then, when the Tree Knight turned to Khamish...

’Now!’

It was finally his chance.

He ran straight to the cherry tree, covering the forty meters in under three seconds. He had already opened the fuel gallon and was ready to chuck it at the tree, but—

"Khack...!"

Khamish, playing the bait, couldn’t dodge the flying slash.

His body was cut cleanly in two, vertically.

It was instant death.

"NO!"

Three seconds.

It was enough time for the knight to turn and face Raive next, about to launch another attack. Ready to protect the cherry tree at the cost of everything else.

But Shymine moved fast.

She erected an ice wall, separating the knight and Raive.

It didn’t mean much as a defense, given the power gap, but still, it bought Raive precious time. Without delay, he threw the gallon, letting it splatter gasoline all over the tree.

Then he grabbed the lighter with his trembling fingers and tried to snap a flame.

But as if fate was messing with him, the lighter only sparked, but didn’t light up.

"Fuck it! Light up, you useless shit...!"

He cursed, pressing the sparker again and again.

But the result was still the same.

No flame rose.

"RAIVE!!! DODGE!"

"Huh?"

The warning came a tad too late.

When Raive returned his gaze to the enemy, he could already see a white, flying slash headed his way. It was a deadly attack aimed to cleave him vertically in half.

"...!"

But his reflexes kicked in fast, boosted by all his stats and all the adrenaline in his blood.

He turned his body away, as far as he could.

SLASH!

And, finally, successfully avoided taking fatal damage.

"Ugh...!"

Though not without paying a heavy price.

"MY... LEG!!!" He let out a pained roar.

Everything from halfway down his left thigh was missing. It was bleeding so profusely that he worried he’d bleed out in seconds.

Pain muddled his brain, but he still didn’t give up.

It was painful, true, but it wasn’t any worse than the pain of death. He was still alive. He could still move!

He pulled out his belt and quickly wrapped it around his amputated thigh, limiting the bleeding.

Then he grabbed the lighter he’d dropped, and pressed the starter once more.

CLICK!

As if the goddess of fate was messing with him, this time, the flame lit up on the first try.

"Yes...!"

He cheered, before quickly cranking the lighter’s flame to maximum, and threw it toward the cherry tree.

No...

He threw it toward the pooled gasoline by the tree’s base.

The next moment, a grand flame erupted, devouring the beautiful but eerie tree.