As I ran toward Miko, the spirits and the trees supported me along the way — enhancement magic, mana refilling as I moved. I pushed every last bit of speed I had.
Then I felt it.
A powerful aura. Lethal. The kind that makes the skin go cold before the mind catches up. My fear for Miko sharpened into something sharper than fear.
I got close enough to see the execution platform. The guillotine.
The crowd. The guards. Miko's neck already positioned.
Then three figures dropped from the sky — horned, from nowhere — and snatched Miko and destroyed the platform in the same motion.
Rage detonated inside me. My aura came out stronger than it ever had before.
All three turned toward me. Tension clear in their eyes.
I screamed: "Let her go. I swear I will make you suffer for this."
One of them — long red hair — stepped forward, raised a single finger, and launched a fireball at me. Large. Purple.
I drew the sword. Planted my feet into the earth. Raised the shield in front of my body.
The moment the fireball met the shield, time stopped.
It wasn't a normal explosion.
It was like a small sun detonating directly in front of my face.
My arms shook violently. The shield let out a sharp crack — the sound of something on the edge of breaking.
I forced every unit of mana I had into my left arm. My bones screamed before my muscles even could.
No.
I pressed my teeth together.
But the fire wasn't fire.
It was eating the mana itself.
The heat pouring through the shield began to burn my hand. Fractures spread across its surface at a speed that was wrong — too fast, too many.
Then everything broke.
A massive explosion tore through my left arm and wiped out half the surrounding area.
I felt my pelvic bone crack — a sound I heard and felt from inside.
The air was gone from my lungs.
I couldn't even scream.
My body flew like a ragdoll, hit the ground once, bounced over rocks, kept sliding until it uprooted several trees before stopping.
I tried to get up.
My legs didn't respond.
I pressed my hand into the earth. My fingers were shaking without my permission.
Blood rose to my mouth.
And for the first time in a long time — I felt death standing in front of me, not behind.
Dust everywhere, covering all of them. My arm was wrecked. My eyes full of blood.
Then someone stepped out of the dust. Short. Right in front of me.
He raised his hand and tried to punch me. I grabbed the sword from the ground and turned it toward his hand — The force of the blow shook the earth and the trees around us.
The one behind me — three horns — kicked me directly in the pelvis.
I felt the bone give. I flew and hit the ground.
My face, my body — completely spent. I couldn't move.
But the wind picked up, as if the trees and spirits were refusing to accept my defeat.
The forest spoke: "We will give you some of our strength. It will be temporary and it will hurt you. Do you want it?"
Silence fell.
Even the wind stopped.
The trees that had been swaying moments ago went completely still.
Then their leaves began to tremble — all of them, together.
Not from fear.
From waiting.
As if the entire forest was holding its breath for my answer.
I laughed and said: "Obviously. Is that even a question?"
A voice came — strange, a woman's voice: "I am the core of this forest. I will give you a portion of my strength. The trees will support you."
The one with three horns was laughing, mocking me, looking at his companions: "Is this really the person who's supposed to defeat us?"
While I was on the ground, I saw the red-haired one holding Miko.
My eyes locked onto him.
I whispered: I will get you back. Then I laughed — loud — and said:
"It's been a long time since I've taken a beating like this. Seems like you're causing real trouble. But you're afraid — it shows. It's obvious from your movements and your unstable auras."
While they floated above like they owned the sky, the short one appeared in front of my face again. He raised his right hand to tear my head off.
"You have a big mouth. You're not the threat we thought. You're going to die."
I smiled. "That's exactly what I wanted."
I grabbed his hand.
"Have you ever tasted dirt?"
I poured every last unit of enhancement into my right arm and ripped his right arm off.
They went still. The short one was screaming in pain.
I raised my hand again — the smile left my face — and drove a punch into his face and drove him into the ground.
They stared.
A sharp pain tore through my right hand. I'd thought I won.
Then the short one came back up, grabbed my head, his arm completely restored.
He was going to crush my skull. Then the core of the forest said:
"Now, Tai."
I raised my hand slowly, grabbed his arm, and said:
"You're going to explode with me."
His expression collapsed. "What —?!"
I released every unit of mana from my body and detonated it through the entire area.
The three-horned one tried to protect him. Too late.
Everything around us exploded.
I hadn't seen the queen yet.
I came out of the explosion intact — the shield had held that much.
But when I emerged, the red-haired one was behind me.
He placed his hand on my back.
"This is where you end."
He was going to drive straight through me. I brought out the wire, wrapped it around his hand, and cut it off. I turned toward him, ready to hit him —
The three-horned one came in from behind and punched me in the spine.
My breath cut off completely. I was thrown away from Miko.
I hit a tree and couldn't breathe.
Bright lights appeared — the spirits, treating me. Then the color drained from everything. The world went black. I started sinking.
My own voice came from somewhere inside:
"Are you really going to accept this? Are you going to give up here? Stand up. Face it. You haven't lost yet."
Then the voice disappeared.
I was sinking and I didn't know how to stop it.
Then a light appeared — in the shape of Miko.
She said:
"Tai. Stand up. I know your pain. I know it well. And I know you're not going to give up here."
End of Chapter 48