Chapter 417: Solving The Trouble

Vikram’s eyes remained fixed upon the Crimson Flesh Tree.

The countless branches stretched across the battlefield like the limbs of a colossal monster. Every few moments, another cocoon formed somewhere among them, nourished by the crimson veins pulsing throughout the tree.

Before he could reach the trunk, he had to deal with the branches that continuously produced evolved zombies.

Vikram’s silver eyes narrowed.

’If the branches are the source of these guardians... then I’ll cut them down first.’

Without another moment of hesitation, he shot into the sky.

His figure streaked toward the nearest massive branch. The instant his feet landed upon it, both ancient wooden swords swung downward.

Just before the blades connected, the branch suddenly split open. A crimson cocoon burst apart. A gigantic figure shot out like a bolt of lightning.

It was another Iron Tyrant Zombie. Its appearance was almost identical to the one currently battling Kara.

Its enormous claws collided head-on with Vikram’s twin swords. The impact sent shockwaves racing across the branch. The Iron Tyrant landed firmly before him, its crimson eyes burning with murderous intent.

Behind them, the Evolution King merely watched. He made no attempt to interfere. Instead, a faint smile appeared across his face.

"Each branch gives birth to its own guardian."

Vikram’s eyes narrowed. "So... the branches protect themselves."

His gaze briefly swept across the battlefield below.

Kara was still locked in a brutal battle against the first Iron Tyrant Zombie. Every punch she threw landed with enough force to shatter mountains, yet the Iron Tyrant barely staggered. Its crystal-like armor absorbed every impact, while its immense physique refused to yield.

Despite exchanging countless blows, neither side had gained a decisive advantage. Kara’s fists were beginning to ache from the repeated collisions, while the Iron Tyrant continued advancing as though it felt no pain.

Vikram silently observed the exchange. Every one of Kara’s attacks was based on overwhelming physical strength, yet none of them had inflicted any real damage. The Iron Tyrant’s crystal-like body absorbed every blow as though it were indestructible.

A thought flashed through Vikram’s mind.

If physical attacks can’t break its defense... then perhaps that’s exactly what it was built to withstand.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"Kara!"

His voice echoed across the battlefield.

Kara instinctively turned toward him. She knew that look. Vikram had found its weakness.

"Switch with Carol! Leave the Iron Tyrant to her! Take down the Nightmare Beast instead!"

Without questioning his decision, Kara immediately retreated.

Carol understood his intention almost instantly. The moment she arrived before the Iron Tyrant, her emerald eyes glowed.

"Illusion Domain."

The surrounding battlefield instantly twisted. The Iron Tyrant suddenly found itself standing within an endless crimson labyrinth. Countless identical corridors stretched in every direction as thousands of Carol’s illusions surrounded it.

The zombie roared and charged. Every claw strike shattered another illusion. Yet each destroyed image was instantly replaced by dozens more. Unable to distinguish reality from illusion, the Iron Tyrant gradually lost all sense of direction. Its movements became slower.

Trapped inside the illusion, the Iron Tyrant completely lost its sense of reality. It attacked endlessly at enemies that didn’t exist while its mind was repeatedly overwhelmed by Carol’s hypnotic illusions.

Eventually, the relentless assault overwhelmed its consciousness completely. The Iron Tyrant froze in place before its crystal body began collapsing from within.

Its head exploded into countless fragments. The gigantic body crashed lifelessly onto the battlefield.

Seeing the result, Vikram looked back at the Iron Tyrant standing before him. A brilliant emerald light erupted around his body.

"Sync."

The power of the Phantom Treekin flowed into him.

Shadow Thorn Prison — Summons colossal shadow-infused vines that erupt from beneath the battlefield, binding both the physical body and soul while continuously draining stamina and life force. Any target unable to break free will eventually be consumed by the shadow vines.

The ground beneath the Iron Tyrant suddenly exploded. Dozens of enormous black vines erupted upward, wrapping tightly around its limbs before it could react.

The zombie struggled violently. It was too late. Several shadow vines shot directly into its mouth, ears, and eyes before piercing deep into its skull.

Its head burst apart from the inside.

Without slowing down, Vikram’s second sword swept toward the branch behind the collapsing corpse.

The gigantic branch was cleanly severed. The entire limb crashed toward the battlefield below.

Vikram landed atop another massive branch and immediately looked toward the next one.

If every branch produced a guardian... then he would cut down every branch the Crimson Flesh Tree possessed.

As Vikram had expected, the moment he landed on the second branch, another crimson cocoon rapidly swelled from its surface.

The branch split apart. A terrifying beast dropped onto the branch before him.

It was another Nightmare Beast. Its appearance was identical to the one Kara was currently fighting after exchanging opponents with Carol.

The Nightmare Beast let out a deafening roar before lunging toward Vikram.

Ignoring the charging beast for a brief moment, Vikram glanced toward the battlefield below.

Kara’s battle had already reached its conclusion. After exchanging opponents with Carol, the Nightmare Beast’s greatest advantage had vanished. Unlike the Iron Tyrant, its body lacked overwhelming physical defense. Kara’s fists crashed into it again and again, each strike shattering flesh and bone.

The Nightmare Beast continuously distorted Kara’s senses, but her overwhelming battle instincts allowed her to locate the real body. Once she closed the distance, the beast’s fragile physique couldn’t withstand her relentless assault.

Her final punch exploded straight through the Nightmare Beast’s chest. The colossal zombie staggered backward. Its crimson eyes rapidly lost their light before the beast collapsed to the ground, drawing its final breath.

Seeing the outcome, Vikram no longer hesitated. A brilliant emerald light surged around his body.

"Shadow Thorn Prison."

The branch beneath the Nightmare Beast erupted. Dozens of colossal shadow-infused vines burst upward like black dragons, instantly wrapping around the zombie’s limbs before it could escape. The Nightmare Beast roared furiously, desperately slashing at the vines with its razor-sharp claws, but every vine it severed was immediately replaced by several more.

The vines tightened relentlessly. Some coiled around its body while others pierced directly into its torso, rapidly draining its strength. The Nightmare Beast’s struggles grew weaker and weaker until the shadow vines completely engulfed it.

Moments later, the colossal beast stopped moving. Its body withered before crumbling into lifeless remains.

Without sparing it another glance, Vikram swung his twin swords.

The massive branch was severed. As it crashed toward the battlefield below, Vikram had already leaped toward the next branch.

As Vikram landed upon the third branch, another crimson cocoon immediately burst open.

A towering skeletal monster stepped out.

It was another Bone Shaper. Countless razor-sharp bones floated around its body, constantly reshaping into spears, shields, and blades.

The Bone Shaper raised its hand. Dozens of bone spears shot toward Vikram.

Before they could reach him—

"Shadow Thorn Prison."

Massive shadow-infused vines erupted from beneath the branch, instantly binding the Bone Shaper. The skeletal zombie struggled violently as countless bone spikes erupted from every direction, continuously cutting apart the vines. Yet for every vine it destroyed, several more replaced it, keeping the monster firmly restrained.

Vikram’s eyes drifted toward the battlefield below.

Liora was still locked in battle against the first Bone Shaper. The battlefield around her had become a forest of jagged white bones. Every attack she launched was blocked by walls of bone before countless spears retaliated from every direction. No matter how many bones she shattered, the zombie simply reconstructed them again.

Every time Liora closed the distance, walls of bone forced her back. The Bone Shaper never fought her directly. It simply kept her away while attacking from afar.

Vikram observed the battle for a brief moment. Then he understood.

The Bone Shaper’s greatest weapon... was the distance between itself and its opponent.

"Liora!"

His voice echoed across the battlefield.

Liora immediately looked toward him. "What is it?"

"Shrink to your smallest size. Get past its bone attacks and climb onto its skull. The moment you reach its skull... grow back to your full size."

Liora blinked before understanding his intention. A grin spread across her face. "Leave it to me!"

Her body rapidly shrank, becoming small enough to slip between the countless bone spears. Before the Bone Shaper could react, she darted through every opening in its defenses and climbed directly onto its skull.

The Bone Shaper frantically tried to shake her off, but it was already too late.

Liora restored her true size. The sudden expansion shattered its skull. Cracks spread through every connected bone before its entire skeletal frame collapsed into thousands of fragments.

Seeing the outcome, Vikram glanced back at the Bone Shaper trapped before him. Without another command, the shadow vines tightened. The entire skeletal body was crushed into bone dust, which scattered into the wind.

Vikram swung both swords. The massive branch was severed. Without slowing for even a moment, he leaped toward the next branch.

Just as before, the moment Vikram landed upon the next branch, another crimson cocoon rapidly swelled before bursting apart.

A lean crimson zombie stepped forward.

It was another Blood Reaver. Glowing blood-red veins pulsed beneath its skin as a faint crimson mist drifted around its body. Long blade-like claws extended from both hands, while every drop of fresh blood scattered across the battlefield was rapidly drawn into its flesh.

The Blood Reaver let out a shrill screech before lunging toward Vikram.

He didn’t even bother drawing his swords.

"Shadow Thorn Prison."

The branch beneath the Blood Reaver exploded.

Massive shadow-infused vines erupted from every direction, instantly wrapping around its limbs and body. The Blood Reaver struggled violently, its claws slicing through vine after vine, yet every severed vine was immediately replaced by several more. At the same time, the shadow vines continuously drained its energy, preventing the zombie from breaking free.

Ignoring the trapped Blood Reaver, Vikram’s gaze shifted toward the battlefield below.

Evelyn was still locked in battle against another Blood Reaver.

Her three clones continuously surrounded the zombie, their four silver swords launching a relentless barrage of slashes. Yet every wound they inflicted healed almost instantly. Worse, every cut spilled fresh blood onto the battlefield, allowing the Blood Reaver to absorb it and recover even faster. Instead of weakening, the zombie only became stronger as the battle dragged on.

Vikram watched the exchange for only a moment before understanding the problem.

"The clones!"

His voice echoed across the battlefield.

"Evelyn! Stop wearing it down! Withdraw your clones and strike together! Don’t give it time to regenerate!"

Evelyn instantly understood.

Her three clones retreated simultaneously before converging around the Blood Reaver once again.

Then, all four Evelyns vanished.

Four silver streaks flashed across the battlefield from different directions, and four swords pierced the Blood Reaver at the exact same moment.

Before it could absorb another drop of blood...

The synchronized sword intent erupted from within its body.

The Blood Reaver exploded into countless crimson fragments.

Seeing Evelyn finish her opponent, Vikram looked back toward the Blood Reaver imprisoned within the shadow vines.

By now, the zombie’s struggles had already weakened considerably. The shadow vines tightened one final time, crushing its body from every direction while relentlessly draining the last of its vitality.

The Blood Reaver’s body withered before collapsing into a dried husk.

Without wasting another second, Vikram swung both ancient wooden swords.

The massive branch was cleanly severed.

Before it had even begun falling toward the battlefield below, Vikram had already leaped toward the next branch.

---

Meanwhile, the Evolution King quietly watched everything unfold. His crimson eyes never left Vikram as he advanced from one branch to another, destroying every guardian while directing his companions to eliminate the Second-Generation Commanders.

A faint smile slowly spread across the Evolution King’s face.

"Interesting... So this is the power you’ve kept hidden all this time."

Unlike the other Werewolf Kings, Vikram had rarely fought personally. Throughout the war, he had remained behind the scenes, allowing his companions to reveal their abilities. As a result, the Evolution King had already gathered data on every major powerhouse in the alliance.

Only Vikram’s abilities remained unknown.

Every Treekin Vikram synchronized with and every technique he displayed was completely absent from the Evolution King’s records.

His smile widened slightly as he murmured, "Very well... show me everything you possess."