At the absolute edge of disaster, the air itself began to fracture!
Lawson arrived with reinforcements, his presence heralded by a beam of blinding holy light that shrieked through the spatial rift.
"[HOLY LIGHT OF SHATTERED DARKNESS]!!"
A warm, sanctified golden pillar fell like a sword of judgment from the heavens, slamming precisely into the Elder Wood's thorny vines. Wherever the gold touched, the malicious purple mist dissolved like snow meeting boiling water.
Phyllis descended into the battlefield, her will focused on dispelling the nightmare!
"This is... the A-Rank Armor {Dawn Break} that Lawson created for me!"
"[FEATHER DANCE: WIND OF EXORCISM]!"
With a flick of her slender arm, the folded metal feathers on her forearms slid into her palms, snapping together into a shimmering five-colored fan. Phyllis danced through the forest, every step generating lotus-like energy ripples. With every sweep of her fan, golden feather-like particles severed the nutrient links between the Elder Wood and the "Nightmare Greenhouses."
"Healing power, purify the filth of this land!"
A translucent rainbow barrier swept across the field, centered on Phyllis.
CRACK—!!
The grotesque buds imprisoning the warriors turned from dark purple to pure white smoke the moment the healing light touched them. The laughter in Victor's ears turned into a breeze; the phantoms haunting Valerie shattered like glass; Luther's father's roar became his grandfather's encouragement; and Emma broke the chains of her family's cold destiny.
"Ugh... this light..."
Dodge felt the leaden weight of the status ailments vanish. With a primal roar, he flexed his muscles, and the giant bud, unable to withstand the internal and external pressure, exploded!
"That was close... SAVED!!! You guys timed that perfectly!"
Dodge leaped from the slime, his sturdy muscles regaining peak vitality under the healing light. Seeing her "snacks" escape, the Elder Wood atop the tree let out a screech so shrill it threatened to shatter eardrums.
"Bad children... ALL... MUST DIE!!"
Her thorny vine hair surged, transforming into massive biological limbs that slammed down toward Phyllis with enough force to crush steel!
Just as the massive thorny foot was about to swallow the {Dawn Break}'s slender silhouette, a streak of ice-blue light sliced through the killing intent like a polar gale!
"You want to touch our 'Light of Dawn'? Ask my Frost Blades first!"
With Katie's tense cry, the {Moon Swift} armor flickered in a blink-step. Her twin frost-blades drew two perfect crescent arcs in the air.
CRUNCH—!
The vines that could pierce steel plates were sliced into frozen segments under the {Moon Swift}'s edge. Katie didn't stop; the thrusters on her back flared, and she turned into a blue-and-white blur, slamming into the distorted mutant tree!
"[ABSOLUTE ZERO DOMAIN] — EXPAND!!"
Centering on her footfall, a terrifying wave of absolute zero erupted. The wet, sticky forest was instantly painted in a thick layer of silver-white frost. The Elder Wood's writhing roots and lashing vines were frozen mid-motion, their surfaces exploding into crystalline ice flowers. Her shrieks became dull and broken under the physical constraints of extreme cold.
"Thanks, Katie! Perfect cover!"
Dodge let out a thunderous laugh, his long-repressed rage finally finding an outlet. "Everyone, ARMOR LINK—!!! Let's turn this old hag into firewood!"
The forest echoed once more with the heart-pumping sound of mechanical locking:
Clang! Victor's {Furious Shark} components reassembled into a blue gale;
Boom! Valerie's {Blaze Punch} gauntlets erupted in a violent steam of red light;
Bang! Luther's {Sniper Eye} locked onto the mummified head;
Thud-boom! Dodge's armor hit the ice like a pouncing tiger.
Vanquishing flames and vengeful sparks converged on the slowed Elder Wood.
Meanwhile, Emma scurried over to Lawson and Ester. Knowing her "taunt" armor was just a liability here, she pulled out two pom-poms (made from sticks she found) and officially transitioned into "Cheerleader-in-Chief."
"Go team!! Beat that old hag!!"
Her chirpy voice was hilariously out of place on the frozen battlefield. Ester gripped her tablet tightly, watching with wide eyes.
Lawson finally stepped to the front of the line.
He wore no heavy armor—only a long Armor Smith's coat fluttering in the sub-zero wind.
He opened his arms with the calm of a man who had seen every level design before.
"Let my 'juniors' show you how we deal with monsters," Lawson smirked, his eyes sharp as razors. "ROOT HER OUT!!"
The atmosphere ignited! What was a one-sided hunt turned into a final boss raid!
{Furious Shark} carved a blue zig-zag into the ice, his arm-blades shredding the tree's base.
{Blaze Punch} followed up with a punch that used the temperature difference to cause a physical collapse:
"[EXPLODING BLAZE STRIKE]!!"
"Don't forget me!" Dodge leaped, his steel claws sinking into the Elder Wood's neck.
"Luther, give her the final 'Sleeping Pill'!"
"Copy that! [Armor Piercing Cannon]—LIMIT RELEASE!!"
In the distance, Luther pulled the trigger. A dark green streak of light pierced the earth and shot straight into the Elder Wood's gaping, core-filled mouth!
BOOM!
The explosion ripped through the Elder Wood's head, turning her malicious face into splinters.
The massive tree shuddered and began to crumble like dried pottery, raining scorched wood everywhere.
"We won! Hurray!!!" Emma shook her sticks so hard they were a blur, dragging a confused Ester into a victory dance.
Lawson rubbed his temples.
"Hey, hey... this is a serious battlefield, and you guys turned it into a pep rally..."
Dodge retracted his helmet and wiped sweat from his face. The warriors relaxed, basking in the exhaustion and excitement of survival.
But Lawson's smile froze. As a "ten-year veteran," his gut told him an A-Rank Boss's death animation shouldn't look like this.
"Wait... EVERYONE GET BACK!! AWAY FROM THE DEBRIS!!"
He was too late.
The mountain of scorched wood didn't settle; it hovered. A tiny crack opened in the center of every splinter.
BOOM—!!
With a deafening, muffled explosion, thousands of wood fragments collapsed into tiny, swirling black gravity wells.
They merged instantly, forming a terrifying pull that warped the laws of physics!
"Wha—?! The thrusters aren't responding!" {Furious Shark} shrieked. Despite 200% power, he was being dragged toward the dark center.
"HELP!!" Valerie screamed as the earth, light, and air were sucked into the collapse.
It was the Elder Wood's final curse— [Spatial Funeral].
"Cackle... bad children... if you won't listen... then go to the abyss... WITH MOTHER..."
Lawson's brain whirled at lightning speed. He scanned every [Armor God] skill in his mind, but none fit. [Absolute Guard]? No, that's for physical hits; this is a spatial collapse. [Zero Armor Zone]? Dammit, it's on cooldown!
His heart twisted. For the first time, he realized that even with a god-tier skill library, he was powerless against this absolute death-trap.
The space groaned, buckling under the strain. The front-line warriors were already being pulled into the pitch-black void.
Lawson's pupils flared with a mixture of desperation and ferocity.
"ANSWER ME, SYSTEM! IF YOU'RE LISTENING, GET OUT HERE!"
He roared at the void, his voice piercing the chaos:
"They can't hold on... I want to save them! I don't care about the price—give me the power to reverse cause and effect—!!!"
Lawson's roar echoed in the gale.
It was the first time he abandoned his "player" detachment and prayed to the void as a protector.
Just as the warriors were about to be swallowed by the darkness, a change occurred—