Chapter 43: What Being

Alex landed, his gaze fixated on his hand, which regenerated in seconds before he shifted his attention to those before him. From bones to muscles, skin regenerated in the blink of an eye, while vines from the surrounding forest prepared to attack. His eyes analyzed his surroundings in a split second before reacting by activating his new skill to devastate the area.

[(A-) Raging Lightning – Area of Effect skill. Extremely condensed lightning decimates an area of 15 meters. Requires 2,500 Arcane mana per second.]

[Raging Lightning activated.]

Clouds began forming in the sky as condensed lightning rained down with roaring thunder. The lightning descended with immense power, obliterating the area.

BBBOOOMMM.

Moments later, anything within 15 meters vanished, leaving nothing but blackened ground, eliciting a smile from Alex. "Okay, loving this skill," he chuckled, then proceeded to analyze everything that had transpired. 'As we approached the forest, everyone was teleported to different locations around it,' he recalled, his eyes noticing everyone being protected by an illusory shield, understanding it to be Ximena's doing.

'Where is she anyway?' he pondered, searching for her until he noticed a soul appearing within his range. He sighed upon seeing the dragon, destroying anything within 10 meters with her white flames. Alex remained vigilant, unable to use his soul sense to locate the enemy, which lurked within the trees. Yet, he noticed something that piqued his curiosity.

In a few minutes, Ximena reached him, observing the blackened land around the man standing at the center. She appeared in human form and asked, "Have you figured it out yet?"

Before answering her question, he inquired, "Why didn't you protect me with a shield as well?"

She looked confused and replied, "Why should I?" As Alex pondered his response, he realized that without his ability to sense souls, he wouldn't have discerned the illusion. His dragon's instincts had kicked in at the last moment. With nothing else to say, he sighed.

"The trees around here are death trees. Most contain souls, but those are different," he explained.

Ximena nodded, "I noticed that as well."

"They're linked, connecting as if supported by a single soul," he continued, drawing from his knowledge of Soul cultivation. It should be impossible unless the person possessed a powerful soul. But controlling two bodies simultaneously was mentally taxing. There were two methods: splitting a part of one's soul or all the trees being part of a single being with immense energy to serve as their ears and eyes, programmed to attack anything they saw while reporting it.

Observing closely, he confirmed the latter but grew concerned about the entity behind it. Numerous ideas raced through his mind, a smile forming on his face. "What are you thinking?" Ximena asked.

"We should find the being responsible," he replied.

"A-rank and even S-rank adventurers have died. We should gather the others and head to that village," she suggested, being unease.

"Hahahahaha, I never thought I would see a dragon afraid," he chuckled.

Ximena shook her head, "That's because of an entity that can use space to teleport us in an instant without detection. Moreover, they can command those trees, all of which are C to B-rank in terms of power. It's not something we should trifle with, Alex," she cautioned.

"Ximena, can you still protect the others?" he asked, to which she shook her head, sighing.

"Yes, but they need to move beyond my range of influence," she replied.

"There's a being in this forest that even I can't fathom, so I can't leave without seeing it for myself. Besides, this is an excellent opportunity for the younger ones to understand the perils of weakness. Let them endure a little hardship. I'll be back in an hour or two," he declared, a burst of energy and Arcane mana emanating from him as he dashed forward.

'What are you dragging me into, Alex?' Ximena wondered, transforming into her dragon form without receiving an answer.

From afar, the rest were teleported. Ava stood at a height of 8 meters, with Davain and Asher beside her, all bearing minor injuries as they protected Stella, who stood below Ava.

[Lv65] Ava

[Lv31] Davain

[Lv19] Asher

'How did Ava dispel such powerful illusion magic?' Ximena pondered, using her dragon eyes to observe them. Amidst the surrounding darkness, she surmised, 'She isn't an ordinary dire wolf.' Realization dawned, and she thought, 'How can Alex…'

Ava roared, commanding, "Shadows." The shadows in the vicinity began to move, destroying vines and trees alike, consumed by her shadow. "Don't move; you're too weak to control them," she warned, as the shadows formed a barrier against the attacks. The darkness surrounding her body condensed, becoming more solidified, and soon, everyone around her was absorbed into her shadow. From the darkness emerged knights created from her shadows, their eyes aflame with green fire.

"Fight." The fifteen black knights moved forward, their power levels akin to D+ and C-.