Is this really a Game?!

The massive sword of dark energy bore down on the wolf, striking from above and penetrating through the tough fur with terrifying force, causing the wolf to howl in pain and anger as the dark energy assaulted him.

Dark flames of demonic energy started to burn the body as the armor of the wolf splintered and cracked, the sword managed to get through it, and while the tendrils of shadows struggled to quickly reach the wolf, to reinforce it, to get a hold of the sword, the sword shone an eerie dark light as the wolf's eyes widened in shock before the sword exploded while still stabbed into it.

Seizing the moment while the explosion burned bright, Reign surged forward with his swords radiating light and darkness. He cut through the explosion that had shaken the entirety of the forest and slashed down with the two swords crossing one another, aiming to strike at the back of the wolf that was already wounded.

Light and darkness struck, causing the wolf to howl once again as the shadows of the forest seemingly came alive, moving toward the wolf with great fervor as its blood dripped down on the ground from the powerful attacks it had received.

The rest of the team didn't hesitate and attacked with great fervor, Shadow threw his daggers which were barely noticeable as they were enveloped in darkness, the two hitting the wolf, upon which the immense power of darkness that had been hidden deep inside them exploded out, shrouding a part of the wolf, making it impossible for anyone to see what was going on there as the power of darkness assaulted the wolf's body, corroding it and not allowing it to get away.

Aelrinder jumped high in the air, clenching the spear with full force and pouring everything he had left into it, all of the power of stars he had left with his current charge, before using another charge, his final one.

[ Starfall ]

The spear zoomed toward the snake as if it was a shooting star that appeared on the ground. In an instant, the spear struck the wolf straight in the forehead, the ground beneath the wolf cracked and caved in, and the wolf pushed against the spear, darkness converging on its forehead in order to block the attack.

"Little wolf, you should be careful and observe your surroundings at all times."

"It was arrogance that brought your downfall, know that."

Jin said as he appeared right below the wolf, his fists placed directly on his waist as he was in a horse stance, exhaling sharply as he punched out, the ground below him caving as well as the fist struck the underbelly of the wolf, and it actually lifted it off the ground, causing its body to twist as it was being attacked and pushed by multiple attacks from multiple directions. Read exclusive chapters at empire

"Break apart you damned beast!" Greenie said as he grabbed his hammer once again, striking the beast from the side, but unfortunately, his blow did little to nothing as he was back in his usual form.

The attack he previously used would immediately revert him back to his regular form and he would be in a weakened state for a while, which meant that he was effectively out of the battle, but that didn't stop him from trying to help them.

[ Ice Lance ]

Mia attacked from the back, digging her feet into the ground as a lance of ice formed over her sword and right arm, all the way up to the elbow, copying Reign and his [ Lightning Lance ] skill.

She twisted her hips, stabbing forward with great intensity, hitting the wolf and pushing further, giving it her all as frost started appearing on the body of the wolf from the tip of the lance that was slowly moving forward, penetrating through the many layers of shadows that were still appearing in order to shield the wolf.

They had previously only wanted to stall the wolf, but thanks to Greenie and his previous attack, they actually had a good chance of taking it down right now, and they were not going to waste it.

Beast, Wolf, and Tank, however, were still locked in battle with the tree, and they were also giving it their all to take it down.

As the final efforts of Reign's team converged on the massive wolf, the tree pulsed with an ominous, frantic energy, almost as though it sensed the imminent end of its twisted reign. Shadows writhed desperately from its base, branching out like dark roots through the ground, trying to reach the wolf in a last-ditch attempt to reinforce its failing defenses. Tank, Wolf, and Beast knew this was their critical moment, they would either stop and take the tree down here, or they might lose.

"Beast, hit it with everything you've got left!" Tank shouted, his shield raised to absorb another wave of dark energy that the tree expelled, the impact nearly driving him back to the ground. "I'll hold it down!"

Beast, sweat pouring down his face, nodded, gripping his bow with renewed determination. His hand trembled as he nocked an arrow, every ounce of energy he had left poured into the shot. Wind energy spiraled around the arrow's shaft, growing in intensity until it gleamed with an emerald light, casting a strange glow across the clearing. It was an arrow meant to pierce the heart of the tree, severing the last link it held with the wolf.

As Beast steadied himself to fire, Wolf summoned the last of his flames, coiling them into a burning spiral around Beast's arrow, fortifying it with fire to overcome the tree's dark, shifting aura. The combined force of wind and fire created a blistering wave of energy, powerful enough that even the tree seemed to recoil, its dark tendrils momentarily retracting as if recognizing the lethal threat.

"Take this!" Beast yelled, releasing the arrow. The combined power roared toward the tree's heart, slicing through the air and crashing through the protective veil with the sheer force of an erupting storm. The impact shook the tree to its roots, splitting its core open as flames spread along its bark, consuming the dark energy that oozed from within.

Beast slumped down on the ground, his mana spent, his energy depleted, and his stamina running incredibly low. He was incredibly tired, he could not longer even move, but he had done enough.

"Die already, you damned tree!" Wolf shouted as he swung his sword one last time, his muscles bulging, but hurting immensely. His flames were flickering, but they still held strong as he poured everything he had into them for this one final attack.

Purple flames lunged at the tree, enveloping it entirely, burning away the dark energy of the tree, decimating the shadows around it, and causing the entire tree to creak and shake, the burning pieces of the tree falling down as Tank held his axe with both hands, letting go of the shield as he had no more use for it thanks to the flames that caused the tree to go on full defense, no longer attempting to attack them as it was focused entirely on surviving.

With his axe in his hands, he struck from the side, just as a woodcutter would strike a tree. His axe, however, was not a regular axe used for cutting down trees, and the tree he was attempting to cut was not a regular tree as well.

His axe struck, cutting deep, about a meter deep, which was still not that much when looking at the entire tree that was wide enough for 10 people to hug it and still not touch one another.

He didn't falter, however, and pulled the axe back before striking again, doing his best to overcome the defense of the tree and the many roots and vines that were quickly moving to fill in the gash he had left.

He struck again, and again, and again, only for a large sword to embed itself deep into the tree. Wolf, already spent, was not going to merely stand aside and wait for Tank, even though he was barely able to cut through the tree, he was still going to do his very best. His flames were still roaring, enveloping the tree, causing Tank to sweat heavily as the high temperature didn't sit well with him.

It was only thanks to Wolf and his control over the flames that he was able to stand there and attack the tree, otherwise, he would have been burned as well.

Meanwhile, thanks to them attacking the tree so fervently, it was unable to help the wolf at all right now, which left it to battle against Reign and the others alone.

The four attacks had not dissipated yet. All four of them were still pushing and pushing, attempting to break through the defense of the wolf while the beast continued pouring more and more mana into its defense in order to not be taken down by them.

Each second felt like an hour, and they were in a stalemate for god knew how long, until there was a change in the pushing contest.