126 Forest Treant

W-what's happening?!

The earth trembled, sending me falling to the snow. I didn't stay there for long, however, knowing there's a chance more vines would attack. I rolled over and leaped upwards as fast as I could, before casting Wind Step so my feet would be able to stand in mid-air, unaffected by the quake.

If only it was just an earthquake.

One by one the trees around me uprooted themselves. No, to be more precise, it was as if something was pulling them, gathering them together towards a single spot.

This forest isn't normal!

The sound of the roots piercing through the earth and the branches crashing into each other were deafening. I promptly flew upwards, away as far as I could from them.

Another roar echoed in the air, loud enough to deafen the sounds the pulled trees were making.

And then, what I saw took my breath away.

At a distance, not far from where I was, a giant tree-like creature was forming itself. Using the trees it pulled as the materials for its body, it quickly grew—bigger and taller after every passing second.

What the hell is that?!

Wait… the trees! Every tree that it's gathering is linked by the same network of giant roots!

So that's how they all got pulled together at once! This whole place isn't an actual forest! It's all part of this giant creature!

Whatever that is, I should put it down before it can assemble itself fully!

I flew up higher, giving me more time to cast my strongest fire spell in mid-air before I hit the ground.

Only to stop once I got a better look at the creature.

That's…. That's Anne, isn't it?!

Inside the creature's body, made out of a chimeric hybrid of roots and trees of all shapes and sizes, was a girl suspended on mid-air, held in place by the many roots wrapped across her body. And beside her, I could see other creatures stuck inside as well—Tyrant Deers, Frost Bears, even a few birds and squirrels if I squinted hard enough.

I think… I think I know what that thing is.

Forest Treant. A treant made out of an entire forest. Normally, it would camouflage itself as a normal forest, snatching unsuspecting monsters and humans alike into its roots to be used as its food. However, if disturbed enough, like by starting a forest fire, for example, it could rise and gather itself, forming a gigantic treant that is tall enough to blot out the sun.

It's an S-rank monster, something that should not exist in this region. Normal treants exist, sure, but a gigantic one like this? And so close to where humans lived? It doesn't make sense. It would either be hunted down first or there would be no village or town near it.

And Anne, along with her pursuers, I assume, had been captured by that monster.

Shit! I can't just blast it with my fire magic without hurting Anne as well!

I have no choice! I have to fly up close and cut those roots of her!

I flew forward as fast as I could, as the treant grew taller and taller. It let out a roar once again—the sound most likely reaching across miles from here.

And then, noticing my approach, it let out its barrage of attacks.

Roots and vines grew towards me at high speed. When I managed to dodge them, it didn't relent, firing off a swarm of thorns towards my direction.

This, I could not dodge. I had to dispel my Wind Step and protect myself with Wind Wall as I fell.

Its attacks didn't stop there, however, as a vine went flying from down below to hit me at mid-air. I barely blocked it using my sword, as my Wind Wall was on my front, protecting me from the thorns.

Only for another vine to come and slap me with its full strength, sending me flying to the snow down below.

"Gah!"

My sight dimmed. I'm quite certain several of my bones were broken. If it weren't for the snow, I might have been dead from that.

I was careless. Fighting mid-air like that? Not the best idea.

But on the other hand, I couldn't stay on the ground either if I wanted to save Anne.

I chuckled. Now this is a real S-rank monster. Like I've said, that dragon was already weakened by a bunch of other adventurers before I finished it off.

But this? This is all me. I'm the only one that would fight it.

I looked upwards.

...Ah, so tall. It's as tall as a skyscraper. It's even taller and bigger than that dragon. How can a monster like this be here without anyone knowing?

Can I really do it, I wonder?

I summoned Great Fairy, ordering her to heal my wounds immediately. The treant could easily step on me while I'm in this position, and there would be nothing that I could do.

"Master! What happened?!" She yelled. "You're bleeding!"

Ah, that explains the tangy, steel-like taste in my mouth.

I chuckled, answering weakly. "A big tree. A really big one. Strong as well."

My eyes gestured upwards and she followed. She gasped, her mouth opened wide with terror.

"Heal me. Quick. Before it attacks me again."

"A-alright!"

She poured into my mouth her healing water, rejuvenating my broken bones and closing my wounds, both internal and external. It was honestly miraculous, how quickly healing could work in this world. As long as its physical wounds, anyway.

THUMP THUMP

The treant let out another roar, and the earth shook every time it took a step. It seemed it had completed its transformation, and now, it walked with its full strength. I had no idea where it was heading, however.

...Wait, I think… I think I might just have an idea on how to handle this guy.

It's pretty risky, but knowing how flame resistant it should be, thanks to all the snow and ice on the trees, then it should work. I hope.

I stood up—a confident smile drawn on my face. It might be a skyscraper-sized monstrosity but there's one thing it lacks compared to the dragon. And I can abuse that here.

I can win. I have to. Or I would break my promise again.

"Fly near me," I instructed my summon. "Be ready to lift me up at a moment's notice."

"Aye aye Sir!" she replied with a smile as she formed her sword. I then aimed my wand towards the feet of the treant. Just like its body, they were made out of tangled roots, bushes, and trees. Its size was too massive for me to just cut through with my sword. And I imagine Boom Cannon would not be that effective as well since it could just reform and regrow the tiny hole I would make in an instant.

If I am going to cut its legs off, I need something stronger. Not just a mere flame but something even hotter. Something that could really pierce through its fire resistance.

"Magma Burst!"

Aiming at the ground where it stood, I brought forth a column of searing hot lava.

The effects were immediate. The portion of the feet where the lava came out immediately erupted into flames. And as plants didn't feel pain, the treant didn't react like a human would. It continued stepping on the lava, burning more and more of its own foot.

However, it was still a small portion of the whole thing, and there were two of them, so I had to use multiple Magma Burst to achieve the goal I desired.

"Magma Burst!"

"Magma Burst!"

"Magma Burst!"

More and more lava burst forth, and more parts of its massive foot were swallowed by the flames. Now, the treant finally decided to retaliate. It let out a roar before sending its roots and vines towards me like a storm, with some going through the air and others trailing underground. Another two-pronged attack from the creature.

I was already ready however.

"Stay close to me!" I ordered my fairy, before yelling, "Boom Orbit!"

The high-speed sphere of wind circled around me, obliterating any vines and roots that got close from the air. As for the ones from the ground, I used Graceful Step to run around, dodging them with relative ease. There might be quite a number of them, but they weren't fast enough to be able to catch me.

I stayed in the defensive for a bit, waiting until more and more of the treant's feet to be engulfed in flames. The smell of burning wood was now enveloping the air, and the black smoke was starting to inhibit my breathing. The lava spouts had stopped, but the flames continued on, fed by the "flesh" of the monster itself.

And then, it snapped.

First the left foot. Then the right. Slowly but surely, it lost its balance.

The mighty skyscraper-sized treant fell.

"Lift me up!" I yelled to my fairy, just in time to dodge the massive earth-shattering impact that followed.

KABOOM

It sent a massive shockwave that spread through the rest of the forest. And the sound was no doubt heard for miles around. They might hear the sound first, like thunder who struck the earth, followed by the tremor, which they might mistake as a minor earthquake.

A grin formed on my face.

Hah, I did it after all! With it being down like this, it's much easier for me to get to where Anne is. Like I predicted, the flames reached nowhere near its stomach where she's being kept, and since that region is the most protected part of its body, judging by the thickness, even letting it fall like that wouldn't harm her. Treants can't eat their prey instantly. They have to slowly absorb their nutrients over several days, and during that time, they would store them inside their stomach. And that's why it's the most protected part of a treant's body.

And now, time for the next stage!

The treant roared in anger. I could see it slowly reforming its burned off feet by moving the materials it used for the rest of his body. I was grateful that it couldn't absorb other trees that weren't part of its root network, or else it could probably regenerate even faster.

That's fine. I plan to finish this quickly after all.

I flew towards the lower back of the monster (as it fell face first). Or rather, I commanded my fairy to do so. I looked around, affirming where Anne was being stored inside the monster.

There she is. Just need to cut through all those wood.

I dived down, readying my sword in the process. My fairy followed with her own sword. Even though her water attacks wouldn't be that effective against a plant opponent, she could still make water blades sharp enough to cut through the treant.

"Hyaah! Hyaaah!"

She yelled loudly every time she swung her sword, which I would probably find cute if I wasn't in the middle of hacking down a skyscraper-sized tree. My mind was fully focused on the task at hand as I hacked and slashed as quickly and efficiently as possible. I also utilized Boom Orbit to help me with the process, obliterating any roots and trees around me. Not Boom Spiral though. It's too risky. I could hit Anne by accident.

The treant didn't just lay down and take it, however. It retaliated even harder now it realized I was inside its body, sending every single root, branch, and vine in our direction. Thorns grew to hinder our progress, with some firing at us as well.

However, the combined force of my spell, sword, and summon was enough to repel every single attack. Large, heavy objects were shattered by my spell while smaller objects were parried and blocked by our swords.

And then, we made it to the center.

As expected, she was unconscious. Not dead, as I checked her pulse immediately. Thank God I remembered what I read about treants. Even so, roots were stabbing her body all over. I took care not to dislodge them from the holes as I separated them from the treant so her blood wouldn't start to leak out. I had no time to tell my fairy to heal her. Not when we were still inside the treant like this.

Once I hauled her over my shoulder, we began making my escape. I looked at the route where I had come in. No dice. The treant had already fixed the hole I made considerably. And climbing upwards was naturally more difficult than the other option I had in mind.

Guess we just have to escape downwards then.

I aimed my wand downwards—my sword was already sheathed at this point since I needed one hand to keep Anne in place—before firing a Boom Cannon to clear out a small hole I could just jump down into.

As we fell, I fired more and more, as one wasn't enough to pierce all the way down. My fairy was on guard duty, cutting any attacks that came towards us.

And then, just when I was about to hit the ground…

"Earth Sprite! Dig us a tunnel to leave this place!"

I then softened my landing with Wind Step, just in time for her to manifest and make a hole on said ground.

Of course, I could always just tear through the treant all over again, only sideways, but this method was the safest way for us to escape. It wasn't foolproof, however, as the roots could still reach us. Still, it was nothing that we couldn't handle

In a few minutes, we came out safely to the surface relatively unscathed. I didn't look back as we fled from the treant as far away as we could. It would be foolhardy for me to go back and fight it again—even if I might be able to finish it off—since I had Anne with me right now. Her well-being was the priority.

And besides, the treant didn't seem to move after what I did to it. Maybe it had decided to focus on recovering itself after my assault on it.

Once I felt we were decently far enough, I put her down inside a makeshift cave I ordered Earth Sprite to create. Promptly, I ordered Great Fairy to heal her, as I worked on the roots embedded all over her body.

"Master, who is she?" Earth Sprite asked as she was watching us work.

"A friend," I answered with a smile. "Well, an acquaintance, to be more precise. I don't think we're that close yet."

"A friend, Master?" The fairy chimed in with her cheerful voice. "Master sure has a lot of female friends." She added with a slight giggle.

...Welp, she got a point there.

Heh, I might be able to make a harem if I put my all into it.

But Sherry will be mad for sure.

I pulled the roots as gently as I could, not wanting to leave any splinters behind. Thankfully, the wood was strong and firm, so I, who had no medical expertise whatsoever, had no problem doing so.

Once all of the wounds were closed, the spring fairy gave her some of her water to drink.

"G-guh!"

She promptly coughed, spilling some of the water from her mouth.

She's awake at last.

"Mm…" Her eyelids slowly fluttered open. "H-huh? Y-you?"

Her voice was faint and hoarse, but it was clear from her expression that she didn't expect to see me when she woke up.

"W-why—why are you here?"

"Why, to save you, of course," I replied with a grin.

"Save… me?" She paused. "Oh, right, I was running from that beast, and then… Wait, who are those two behind you?" She tilted her body to the side to get a better look at them. "Those wings… a fairy?"

Ah, I never showed them even once in our travels after all.

"Don't worry! Those two are my summons!" I quickly told her. "They don't bite!"

The fairy waved her hands with a smile. The sprite however only stared at her with her usual expressionless emotion.

I dismissed them afterward, knowing that they couldn't remain for much longer in this world. Anne was looking at me with an unpleasant expression however when I gave them a hug and a headpat.

"H-hey, don't get it wrong! I'm only doing it because it's their payment! Summons need to be paid every time they're called, you see!" She probably is thinking that I'm into little girls or something. She's always like that, assuming the worst about me.

"...Oh? Is that so?" was her only reply.

-----

I then told her everything, how I had come all this way after hearing the news from the others, and how I had fought against a giant treant who had captured her.

When I finished, she was already sitting, leaning her back on the cave wall. She had a smile on her face, and yet, her expression was forlorn, as if something also saddened her at the same time.

She sighed. "You really are strong, Charles. Far stronger than me or anybody else in our little group. Thank you. Without you, I would've been a goner for sure. That treant… it took me completely by surprise. It hit me with its vines, knocking me out in a flash. I have no idea a monster like that lives in this forest."

"Me neither," I replied. "It's odd, how a creature like that could live here without anyone knowing. Has it always been pretending to be a chunk of the forest all this time? It's lucky no one ever burns any of its trees before this."

"We should inform its presence to the Guild once we get back," Anne responded. "Its presence means the loggers would probably have to stop their activity here. Though, I wonder." She turned her gaze towards me. "Why didn't you finish it off? With your strength, you should be able to."

"You're overestimating me," I responded humbly. "I almost died fighting it, you know. Got slammed by one of its vines to the ground. Broke a bunch of my bones. It could've finished me right then and there. I called my fairy to heal me, but her healing takes some time. And besides," Oh God, I'm going to say something really cheesy now. "I can't risk it with you on tow. I come here not to slay the treant. I come here to save you after all." I gave her a smile.

My words immediately took their effect. Her cheeks turned scarlet, prompting her to look away, no doubt in order to hide it from me.

"H-hmph, playing hero again, huh?"

And there it is. Her tsun side.

"T-thanks."

And this, on the other hand, is her dere side.

Heh, pretty cute, if I say so myself.

"Well," I stood up, still keeping my smile. "Can you walk? I'd rather sleep at the inn for the night."

An awkward silence ensued. She remained silent for what seemed like an eternity, until she replied with a shook of her head.

"No. Let's camp here for the night. I… have something I want to tell you."

She looked at me as she said those words.

Those eyes… it reminds me of Sherry's when I first met her...

I can't say no to that, can I?