Battle for the Forest

Twenty-four days had passed since Rao Wu first arrived in the strange forest. In that short period, the little rascal obliterated the delicate balance held between the various Bugbear tribes, resulting in never-before-seen chaos. With each new corpse discovered, the limited Bugbears warred even harder, some for revenge, but many more for the welcome excuse to eat real meat.

Several small tribes were wiped out due to the unprecedented war, and even the top two tribes had been whittled down to just over a hundred members each. The leaders of these two tribes had already begun preparations for one final battle to determine the master of the forest.

While the two large tribes geared up for war, the instigator of this mass genocide, Rao Wu, cheered from a tree branch as he watched Xian Da battle a 1st Phase Stage Nine Bugbear Lord.

The past two weeks had completely transformed Xian Da from the clueless little cub into a ruthless killing machine. The cub's naivety had been burned clean in the fierce fires of countless battle, his resolve tempered by numerous near-death encounters.

It was not just Xian Da's resolve that grew in the past two weeks. A closer look revealed that Xian Da had miraculously grown to 1st Phase Stage Nine soul monster! This was only possible because of the endless battles and supply of soul cores that came as a reward. Furthermore, due to the Eternal Spring Water, Xian Da did not have to waste time recuperating like most humans and soul monsters.

This was the time for explosive growth!

"Show him what's worth!" Rao Wu shouted, as Xian Da deftly dodged the Bugbear Lord's club by a hair's breadth. The Bugbear Lord looked worse for the wear. Its body was covered in small but bleeding cuts from the Dusklight Wolf cub's claws. Its swings were now wide and filled with exhaustion after having been toyed with for several minutes.

Xian Da, seizing the microsecond when the club struck the ground, jumped onto, and then dashed up the Bugbear Lord's club. Without needing Rao Wu's prompt, he leaped off the club and then drew a red line across the exhausted Bugbear Lord's throat.

The Bugbear Lord clutched its throat as it collapsed to the ground. Its eyes almost held relief as it embraced the sweet freedom of death.

"Hey, hey. You're getting better. He didn't even touch you once," Rao Wu praised Xian Da as he hopped off the tree.

"That was the final medium tribe," reported the Dryad as she too stepped out from among the trees. Her eyes watered with relief and happiness as she gazed at Rao Wu. "All that's left are the two large tribes." The Dryad could not believe her eyes. If someone had told her that 75% of the Bugbear population would be wiped out in a manner of weeks, she would have laughed them off. Yet the reality was as such before her eyes.

"Hehe," Rao Wu chuckled as he rubbed his nose. "That went better than I expected." Smiling, he looked at the Dryad and whistled, "At this rate, we just might finish up before the 30-day mark. Then you'll be able to join me when I leave."

"Join you?" The Dryad cocked her head to the side. "You already have your third soul pact?"

"Close!" Rao Wu proudly thumped his chest. Xian Da was not the only one to benefit from his rapid growth. As Xian Da's soul trainer, Rao Wu's soul strength grew stronger in tandem with Xian Da and Ju Tu's. "I'm a Stage 8 Soul Apprentice. Just a little more, and I'll break through to Stage 9!" Of course, even though he said just a little more, Rao Wu knew it would not be so simple. Climbing ranks was much more complicated than crossing through stages. It was the same for humans and soul monsters.

"Oh, wow" The Dryad stared at Rao Wu with conflicted emotions. All of a sudden, she wasn't sure whether she wanted him to succeed or not. However, she could not deny the fact that her heartbeat quickened just a little when he said he was a Stage 9 Apprentice. 'Do I really want to go with him?'

The Dryad shook her head and then pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind. After this, she looked at Rao Wu and said, "The Sprites reported that the last two Bugbear tribes are about to battle nearby. What do you want to do?"

Rao Wu scratched his chin as he examined the corpses around him. "These cores are basically useless to Xian Da now – the only thing they're good for snacks. He needs 2nd Phase cores now—like the type those Bugbear Lords will have."

Rao Wu paused for a moment to think, and then said, "Personally, I would have preferred to wait and set a trap for the survivors, but I only have six days left. Getting Xian Da to 2nd Phase should give me enough soul energy to enter Stage 9, I think. I want to get both Bugbear Lords' cores just to be safe." Rao Wu paused once again to carefully consider his options. A few moments later, he finally made up his mind and said, "Call as many Sprites as you can. We'll do our best to end this today."

The Dryad gazed into Rao Wu's determined eyes. Emboldened by the youth's confidence, she pushed her wariness to the side and then said, "I'll summon them now."

Ilvirin,

Elder's Forest.

On this fateful day, a particularly strange sight unfolded in the forest, as several soul monsters from different, sometimes warring species and clans gathered in Dusklight Wolf Territory.

These soul monsters sat amicably amongst one another, not because they suddenly loved each other, but because of the hegemons that had gathered in a small circle in front of Midnight's cave.

Amongst the seven hegemon soul monsters were Tyrant, Midnight, Twilight, the leader of the Forest Fairies, the Blue-eyed Devil Tiger, and finally, Rao Taylor's Cloud-Stepping Tiger (Demon) and Obelisk Python (Garo Garo). The Blue-eyed Devil Tiger, in particular, looked at Demon with equal parts caution, fear, and respect.

Twilight's eyes warmed as he looked at Demon, Garo Garo, and Tyrant. These three soul monsters stayed behind to ensure Rao Wu grew up well, even though the forest's lack of resources stalled their progress all these years. It had been five years since he saw them last, and if it were not for the situation, he would have asked to spar a few rounds.

"So, what trouble did you cause this time?" Garo Garo, the largest of the group, fixed Twilight with a teasing glance. "You wouldn't have called for us if you didn't."

"This time, it wasn't my fault," Twilight protested. Shaking his head, he quickly explained Rao Wu's predicament and then exposed the Eternal Spring.

"Graao!" The Blue-eyed Devil Tiger roared with excitement and anger. It could not believe the Dusklight Wolves housed such a treasure! Were it not for the other hegemons present, it might have instantly challenged Midnight and Twilight to battle.

Tyrant, Garo Garo, and Demon were not surprised as they already knew of the Spring's existence. However, none of them had exposed the truth, not even to their new tribes, to ensure that Rao Wu's progress was not impeded.

"I see why you have called for us." The Forest Fairy muttered as she observed Twilight. "Indeed, you are incapable of protecting this treasure all by yourself. However, what would we gain from helping you? As you know, we fairies enjoy neither strife, battle, nor war. I cannot ask my fairies to risk their lives without a good cause."

Twilight inwardly rolled his eyes. Fairies liked to pretend they were pure and without blemish. Meanwhile, they could be some of the most selfish and self-centered soul monsters out there. Take this Forest Fairy. Rather than outwardly ask for a share of the Eternal Spring, she was framing it as some good cause.

Unfortunately, Twilight needed her help. So, even though he felt like gagging, Twilight informed her that the Spring would be shared equally amongst the tribes. Like before, this territory would still belong to the Dusklight Wolves, but the tribes could send representatives to watch over the Eternal Spring. Then, whoever needed to drink would be allowed to do so by the collective guard.

Twilight made sure to stress that this would remain the Dusklight Wolves' Territory. As a result, he proposed limits on the numbers of each tribe that could reside inside or around them. This would prevent the chance of a hostile takeover while keeping all the tribes amicable.

Demon, Garo Garo, and Tyrant readily agreed to Twilight's plan. The trust built up over years of battling together assured the others that Twilight would not cheat them. The Forest Fairy and the Blue-eyed Devil Tiger were not so readily convinced. Still, faced with the other tribe leaders' agreement, they eventually caved in and agreed to the plan. Midnight's position need not be said.

Twilight was pleased with the speedy agreement. Indeed it helped that five of the seven hegemons were close friends who trusted his every word. Now, they just had to prepare for the humans' eventual attack. Twilight knew it was only a matter of time before humans figured out their location now that they had the scent. Humans were brilliant beings with all sorts of strange skills.

The Star Dusklight Wolf turned his head to softly gaze into the dark cave mouth. With a low howl, he wished Rao Wu good luck at the other end, hoping to hear good news from the little boy soon.

Unfortunately, any news, good or bad, would not arrive for a long, long, while.

X-2906

"Whoa... look at them go," exclaimed Rao Wu as he gazed upon a vast field several meters below from an outcropping. The large clearing was filled with the corpses and blood of several Bugbears as the final two tribes fought over dominance of the land. "Looks like they're just finishing up."

The death toll looked to be just over a hundred, but most of the corpses belonged to one clan. The other clan had begun surrounding the smaller one, aiming to finish off the last of their members.

Rao Wu looked at the Dryad, who stood by his side. "Let's lend them a hand. Are the Sprites ready?"

The Dryad nodded. "They are in place. With my support, we should be able to accomplish what you desire." She paused and then looked at Rao Wu with worry in her eyes. "Are you certain you want to go alone? I can assist you."

"Nah..." Rao Wu smiled as he shook his head. "Fighting head-on doesn't suit you." He paused for a moment and then added, "Not yet at least. It'll be really chaotic in there. I won't have the luxury of looking out for you. Besides, you'll be helping me plenty from here. None of this would be possible without you, okay?"

The Dryad hesitated, but then nodded when she realized that Rao Wu was correct. "Alright, then. I will provide support. Please be careful."

"Careful?" A dangerous light twinkled in Rao Wu's eyes as he summoned Ju Tu to his side. The Steelback Ape lifted the child onto its shoulders and then jumped off the outcropping. As they descended into the trees, Rao Wu chuckled as he loudly shouted, "I don't know what that means!"

When Rao Wu disappeared into the trees, the Dryad's eyes firmed with resolve as she sat on the ground. A slow, but powerful incantation escaped her lips, causing abundant life energy to suffuse the area around her. After a few dozen seconds, the Dryad's eyes snapped open, and she then slammed both fists into the ground.

Gu-gu-gu-gu-gu!

Seemingly endless green aura poured out from her and then burrowed into the ground in droves. Underground, the aura split into several parts and then traveled through several roots.

At the end of each root was a Sprite, which, when blessed by the Dryad's life energy, raised its head and then stomped their feet against the ground. Following this action, their branches extended upward, growing thicker and sturdier as they were fed with life energy.

Creeak!

The Sprites' thick branches met and then intertwined with each other as they grew, eventually creating a circular thirty-meter wall that surrounded the entire field.

The Bugbears who were about to finish off their enemies froze in shock as they stared at the giant wooden walls. These soul monsters, who had never seen anything like this, were frozen in place, wondering what could have possibly caused this nightmare.

Ssiiup!

Suddenly, a section of the walls split apart to reveal a Steelback Ape confidently striding into the forest.

"Nwaaa!" The Bugbear Lord of the winning tribe roared with rage when it saw Rao Wu. That's right. This was the very first Bugbear Lord Rao Wu encountered when he entered the forest. Having recognized the youth, it instinctively attributed all the misery it had suffered in the past few weeks to him.

"Nwaa!" The Bugbear Lord was just about to order its troops to go after Rao Wu when the cornered Bugbears, seeing an opportunity, launched a desperate attack on his clan. "Nwaa!" The enraged Bugbear Lord reluctantly split its forces into two, ordering one side to slaughter Rao Wu. At the same time, it led the other to finish off the opposing Bugbear Lord and its clan.

Rao Wu grinned as he looked at the twenty-odd Bugbears dashing towards them. "Too bad. We're not the same guys who ran for their lives three weeks ago." Rao Wu tapped Ju Tu's shoulder and then jumped. The Steelback Ape reached out and snatched the child mid-air, then spun around and sent him hurtling at the Bugbears.

Rao Wu's eyes gleamed with joyful murder as he flashed his teeth at the stunned Bugbears. "You're not nearly enough!"