The Triggered Instant-Kill Effect!

In one of the underground tunnels, a figure in a black robe stood still. This was the very "Envoy" that Rat King Aubrey had been desperate to find. Two hundred meters ahead was the tunnel's exit, where he could see the sunlight streaming in, representing hope and freedom. However, he dared not advance.

The constant thudding of giant clubs at the exit made his skin crawl. He didn't want to end up like those large black rats, crushed into a bloody pulp by twenty-meter-long clubs. 

"Damn it!" he cursed. "Even treefolk have appeared!"

When the Royal Gryphon Knights gathered above Salin, he had immediately chosen to flee the Rat Kingdom. He knew that the dragon, Charles, was likely dead and that the kingdom was doomed. Staying behind meant certain death.

He had fled into the tunnels to escape the chaos, but the enemy was faster and seemed to have foreknowledge of his plans, blocking almost every exit. He had tried several tunnels, but each one was a dead end. The most unbelievable part was that the guards at the tunnel exits were towering treefolk, each reaching extraordinary levels of power.

He couldn't comprehend it. This was the Karal Desert, a place where even a decent patch of forest was hard to find. How could there be treefolk here, and such powerful ones at that? What he didn't know was that these were not ordinary treefolk but Eternal Tree Guardians, capable of standing their ground even against dragons.

Another dull thud echoed, and the ground beneath him trembled. Looking towards the exit, he saw a large group of ratmen retreating in terror.

"Another batch of ratmen crushed!" He winced. The thought of those enormous wooden clubs made his hair stand on end. As a mage, his physical resilience was low. One strike would reduce him to mush. Even if he tried to shield himself with magic, he wouldn't last long.

A terrified ratman nearby pleaded, "Envoy, you are a powerful extraordinary mage. Surely, you can break through."

"Yes, Envoy!" others echoed. "Lead us out, defeat those evil treefolk. We'll support you in spirit!"

The black-robed figure trembled with rage. These despicable rats wanted him to pave the way with his life? The thought was infuriating. Did they take him for a fool?

Suddenly, a thought struck him. "Rushing out is pointless. You're rats, aren't you? Why not dig a new tunnel?"

A ratman shook his head. "The rocks in the underground world are too hard. Even with a month, we couldn't carve a safe passage. Besides, we don't have food. We'd starve before making any progress."

The black-robed figure had no retort. After a moment, his expression turned cold. "Then there's only one solution."

"Envoy, what is it?" the ratmen asked eagerly.

Raising his staff, the black-robed figure declared, "You all need to die!"

With that, countless dark tendrils emerged from thin air, grabbing and draining the life from the ratmen. In moments, dozens were dead, reduced to shriveled husks. The figure had held back; otherwise, the entire tunnel would be littered with corpses.

Seeing this, the remaining ratmen panicked. They scattered, some trying to retreat only to find their way blocked by more dark tendrils. They had no choice but to run towards the distant exit.

Hundreds of terrified ratmen surged towards the exit. They knew this was a human mage's ploy to use their lives as a diversion, but they had no other option. Dying under his magic was certain; perhaps they could escape through sheer luck.

"May the Rat God curse you forever, wicked human mage!" they screamed as they rushed out, only to be met by the waiting clubs. With thunderous crashes, group after group of ratmen were crushed.

Amid the chaos, the black-robed figure darted out of the tunnel like an arrow. He quickly gained distance, reaching the fastest speed of his life. Just when he thought he had made it, sharp wooden spears flew through the air towards him.

The spears moved faster than he could react. He watched helplessly as they struck his magical shield. He prayed it would hold just long enough for him to escape.

"I can do this," he told himself. "I'm a high-level extraordinary mage. Those treefolk are at most mid-level. With enough space, I could even defeat them…"

Just as this thought crossed his mind, the first spear struck his shield, followed by the second and third. His shield remained strong—until the penultimate spear hit. Without warning, his shield shattered.

The next moment, his body was pierced by the spears.

"How… how is this possible?" he thought as darkness enveloped him. His body fell, lifeless, from the sky.

He never understood why his shield had failed so suddenly. He had enough magic to sustain it. He didn't know that the Eternal Tree Guardians had a special trait, "Mighty Strike," with a chance to instantly kill enemies up to two levels above them.

In simple terms, the trait had activated. He was instantly killed.