Greetings. My name is Alyssa

"Ground Thrust!"

"Ahhhhh————!!!"

At this moment, Guy activated the over-limit release of his Shingu, [Rare Suit], pushing beyond his physical strength and drawing on his very life force!

Pfft!

Blood spurted from his seven orifices, his blood vessels ruptured, and in the blink of an eye, Guy's body was reduced to a bloody mess. But even so, with his helmet shattered, the bloodshot eyes that remained were still bright and filled with resolve.

Yes, he was a perverted lecher who had unspoken feelings for Cornelia, often teasing the girls in the Elite Seven. But he was also a reliable man!

Although the technique was called Ground Thrust, under Guy's full power and life force release, its range was far from small.

With precise control, Guy made sure that Najasho's entire body sank into the ground, gradually disappearing from view.

As he pushed [Rare Suit] to its limit, Guy gave one last glance at Najasho's vanishing corpse, a flash of sadness crossing his bloodied face.

Buddy, this is all I can do. I'll be joining you soon.

The sadness in Guy's eyes quickly gave way to determination. "Ground Thrust: Thorny Forest!!!"

Boom!

With a deafening roar, countless sharp three-sided earthen spikes erupted from the ground, shooting out wildly in all directions.

The speed of the spikes' growth was astonishing. In the blink of an eye, an area over a hundred meters wide sprouted dense, towering earthen spikes, quickly expanding outward.

This was the ultimate move Guy unleashed at the cost of his life.

Initially, Merraid had approached the battle with a playful, hunting mentality. But seeing Guy's suicidal determination, she grew wary. The moment the first spike shot up from the ground, she quickly began to retreat.

Swish, swish, swish!

Ancient trees were impaled and uprooted, their trunks split apart. The fallen bodies of the revolutionaries, whether dead or alive, were skewered by the spikes, leaving no survivors.

"Chief... what's going on?" Daniel and the others, who had just arrived, looked at the forest of earthen spikes with wide eyes, feeling both shocked and relieved.

"Just a cornered beast's last struggle." Merraid's eyes narrowed, her previously lazy tone now replaced by a serious demeanor.

Hearing Merraid's assessment, the revolutionary soldiers assisting in the pursuit breathed a sigh of relief. They were grateful they hadn't rushed in earlier—unlike Merraid, they lacked the strength to withstand such a desperate counterattack. If they had charged in, they would have been severely injured or worse.

Suddenly, a roar echoed from within the thorny forest, shaking the heavens, "Green!! It's your turn now!!!"

"Game over!" Merraid clenched her fists, and her figure vanished in an instant.

At the center of the thorny forest, Guy, who had used up every ounce of strength, collapsed to his knees with a loud thud.

By now, Guy was completely drenched in blood, his body resembling nothing but a bloodied corpse. Blood pooled beneath him, flowing from the numerous wounds covering his torn skin.

Without warning, the earthen wall before Guy was slashed apart, and Merraid appeared before him in the blink of an eye. Without hesitation, her sharp purple claws flashed.

Slash!

Her razor-sharp purple claws sliced through Guy's body as if they were five blades. Blood gushed out, flowing down from the massive wound that tore Guy's body apart from top to bottom.

"Grin... Hmph! Do you have any other traps left?" Merraid flicked the blood off her claws, her face cold as she gazed in the direction Tsukushi had fled.

"You can't escape from me!" She accelerated, quickly passing through the thorny forest that Guy had created with his last burst of life force.

It wasn't long before Merraid caught up with Tsukushi, who was moving slowly due to carrying three unconscious companions.

"I've got you now!" Just as Merraid was about to strike, she suddenly stopped in her tracks, her expression turning serious as she scanned her surroundings. "What is this... an ominous feeling? Something... is about to destroy everything?!"

For the first time, Merraid felt her temples throb, her heart pounding uncontrollably as if warning her of imminent danger.

This feeling… the last time she felt something similar was during the Imperial Martial Arts Tournament when she faced General Budo and Selene.

This wasn't good...

"Die!" At the edge of her vision, Merraid caught sight of a bespectacled young man pressing a switch.

The next moment, Boom!!!

A ring of fire erupted along with a shockwave, ripping through the forest floor and sending ancient trees flying, roots and all.

And that wasn't the worst part—Green had used incendiary bombs!

And this was a forest!

The first explosion acted like a fuse, triggering a chain reaction of explosions that illuminated the once-quiet forest with a series of blinding flames.

Trees, dry leaves, even the soil itself ignited. A massive fire broke out, spreading quickly across the forest as more explosions followed.

Flames roared and crackled, turning the entire area into an inferno. The explosion's epicenter looked like it had been turned into daylight, casting everything in a blinding glow.

Far in the distance, Daniel and the others could only stare at the raging fire in stunned silence.

Though they were a kilometer away, the intense heat from the flames made their exposed skin feel like it was burning, causing sweat to pour from their bodies.

"Commander, should we keep going?" someone asked nervously.

"Retreat!"

...

"Cough... I really underestimated you. That almost got me."

At the heart of the explosion, where all the flammable materials had been incinerated, a charred hand reached out from the blackened dirt. With a swift motion, a blackened figure emerged from the scorched earth, pushing aside the debris covering her.

As she moved, the burned layers of her body crumbled off, revealing pale, unscathed skin beneath. The only blemish was that most of her once-beautiful hair had been burned away.

It was none other than Merraid. At the last second, she had wrapped herself in layers of insect-like Danger Beasts and burrowed into the ground, surviving the blast.

Her gaze fell on the distant figures of Tsukushi and Green, who had also survived the blast, and a deep, murderous intent filled her eyes.

"What a shame. You almost killed me... but now, I won't hold back. You're all going to die!"

"No, I don't think that's going to happen."

Suddenly, a calm voice echoed through the now-empty battlefield, startling Merraid. She quickly stopped in her tracks, her brow furrowing in confusion.

How had she not sensed someone so close by? Tsukushi and Green also stopped and looked up.

Under the silvery moonlight, two figures floated in the sky above them.

"Greetings. My name is Alyssa Benares." said one of the figures.