The instant the words fell, Guldon opened a deep abyss of a mouth filled with sharp teeth.
Its head lifted, gazing at the sky, and it let out an angry roar.
Under that roar, the Yard Divine Tree did not show fear.
Around its heart, vines slowly began to twitch.
The spikes on them started spinning nonstop, even reaching such high speed that afterimages formed as they rotated wildly.
Like dozens of sharp, flexible drill bits, they covered the sky as they surged toward Guldon's eyes.
The shrill maw opened wide, trying to viciously bite into Guldon's body.
Against ordinary enemies, such an attack would indeed be extremely effective.
But unfortunately, the opponent it had encountered was the Calamity of Fire, the purest embodiment of fire energy in this world.
When it sensed the danger approaching, Guldon did not even try to dodge.
It was as arrogant as could be, allowing the vines to coil toward it.
Almost at the instant the maws were about to bite into its body...
BOOM!!!
Terrifying magma erupted from its body, accompanied by heavy pillars of fire shooting into the sky. Golden-yellow magma drenched its entire form.
The armor of molten lava became even more brilliant and vivid, glowing with golden light, as endless layered patterns attached themselves across its body.
In that moment, it was as if several ferocious beasts had appeared out of thin air on Guldon's body, bursting forth.
They carried an overwhelming presence, terrifying, as if they would burn everything around them to nothing.
[Magma Stance]
Once a world boss enters its second phase, not even the gods can save you.
The vines pierced through the heat waves of the distorted space, charging straight toward Guldon's face.
At this moment, they finally made contact with Guldon's body.
They embedded themselves into the lava-covered body of the Calamity of Fire, green energy gradually flowing in along the vines.
But almost the instant they touched, the vines violently recoiled.
The maws were stained with inextinguishable flames, which traveled along the vines, continuously burning the very heart of the Yard Divine Tree.
When magma and vines intertwine, magma naturally comes out on top.
On the vine maws, those luminous green energies were simply gathered together and then forcefully spat out.
Guldon's body shook. Its foot lifted and then slammed down hard.
In an instant, the earth trembled. The boundless magma beneath its feet transformed into a gigantic wall that rose straight from the ground, blocking all the green energy.
At the moment of compression, an extremely terrifying, earth-shaking explosion was triggered. The massive magma wall was torn apart and shattered.
As the dazzling green light dispersed, Guldon still stood completely unharmed.
The thick, magma-flowing arm of the Calamity of Fire slowly lifted, carrying an incomparably terrifying scorching aura as it hung in the air, then slammed down fiercely.
The air twisted. Waves of flame surged. Two sharp blades carrying fire slashed brutally toward the heart.
The vines intertwined with each other, forming a towering green shield that hovered in front of the heart, resisting the erosion of the fiery blades.
Bang!
The searing heat and crimson light completely exploded. Terrifying shockwaves carrying scorching force smashed into the heart.
That green shield was forcibly melted through, leaving a clearly visible hole.
The massive heart thumped violently, twitching nonstop.
It was injured.
Watching a chunk of the giant heart's health bar drop, Viktor shook his head.
He showed no contempt, only spoke the most realistic words in a calm voice.
"I once defeated an opponent similar to you, but several times stronger."
"Both are of nature, yet you fall far short of it."
Despite being a level sixty, sixth-tier boss, the pressure the Yard Divine Tree gave him was far less than that of the Wood Calamity he once faced, Druja.
"But then again."
Suddenly, Viktor smiled faintly.
This smile finally carried a trace of disdain toward the divine tree.
"Power obtained from the children of nature."
"How could it possibly compare to nature itself?"
After hearing Viktor's words, the heart seemed to understand something. The vines in the sky stopped swaying.
Finally, once again, it began to beat powerfully.
Thump! Thump!
Like a massive drum, it sounded without pause.
As if it were performing some precise and mysterious ritual.
Dense natural energy answered the call, gathering continuously from all directions toward the heart of the divine tree.
Viktor merely watched quietly as it strengthened itself, hands in his pockets.
"Still trying to resist?"
"Then..."
He extended one hand and snapped his fingers.
Guldon moved.
It was as if everything around them had turned into the inside of a volcano. The entire space was coated in magma, and the ground began to tremble.
Chunks of fiery stone started falling from Guldon's body, hitting the ground and splashing layers upon layers of molten sparks.
The temperature rose sharply, carrying a burning aura that could destroy everything.
Under this terrifying momentum.
Only a man's voice remained, clear and resonant throughout the space.
"Finish it, Guldon."
Roar!!!
A deafening roar erupted as natural energy was drawn out from the ground, from within the divine tree.
Astonishing pillars of fire illuminated everything.
Scorching heat swept across, engulfing all things.
———
Outside the divine tree, flames mixed with magma erupted from within it, falling onto the thick earth below.
Wild winds rose, reigniting the flames once more, continuously melting the divine tree.
The elves who were praying watched as the divine tree fell into endless agony, their own hearts equally tormented.
Vinia bit her lip, filled with humiliation, as she looked at Cocotte.
"Cocotte Yard, you are clearly also a member of the elven race."
"Why would you just stand by and watch the Yard Divine Tree be destroyed?"
Cocotte looked calmly at Vinia and said flatly, "Destroyed? No, of course not."
"It's just to let us, let the elves, let the divine tree be reborn."
She raised her head, her gaze sweeping over the elves below.
They were still praying, praying beneath flames that were like a natural disaster.
Their hands clenched into fists, as if tightly gripping some fleeting hope.
They would rather pray than dare to stand up on their own, to resist, to stop it.
Vinia could not understand Cocotte's reasoning.
She wanted to say something more, to refute Cocotte's words.
But then, the entire Yard Divine Tree began to flicker with a strange light.
It completely drew the elves' attention.
As if answering some mysterious summons, their eyes carried an eerie fanaticism.
The elves straightened their bodies one after another, and a voice rang out from the crowd.
"The divine tree is in danger. The divine tree needs us!"
As soon as those words were spoken, all the elves seemed to awaken completely, their eyes flashing with fanatical light.
They were like religious zealots, utterly crazed.
"The divine tree needs us, the divine tree needs us!"
Those words spread to every elf's ears.
Vinia was still one of the very few elves who remained clear-headed.
The abnormal movement of the divine tree did not draw her in, nor did the words of her fellow elves sway her in the slightest.
She stared in shock at her surroundings, at those compatriots who had fallen into fanaticism.
"You… no, what on earth is happening?"
Cocotte crossed her arms.
"Still don't understand, Vinia?"
"As the high priestess who has protected the divine tree for generations, have you never even understood what the Yard Divine Tree truly is?"
As she spoke, Cocotte raised her arm.
In her palm, a faint glow spread, flying toward the interior of the Yard Divine Tree.
It was natural energy, the sign of being forcibly absorbed by the divine tree.
Cocotte closed her palm, cutting off the connection between the natural energy and the Yard Divine Tree on her own.
"I can freely control this power. But what about you?"
At this moment, Vinia lowered her head and looked at her own palm.
Likewise, within her palm, a strand of green light pierced through the crimson flames, slowly drifting toward the interior of the divine tree.
Yet she was unable to stop this power from flowing out of her body.
She turned to look at her fellow elves and discovered that on their bodies as well, there was the same faint glow, continuously flowing toward the divine tree.
Seeing this, Vinia felt as if her faith had begun to crumble.
The Yard Divine Tree was forcibly drawing out their energy?
Elves were born from nature itself, inherently a form of extremely pure energy.
And once that power completely disappeared…
"What the consequences would be, I don't need to tell you, do I?"
Cocotte's face carried a hint of pity as she looked at Vinia and the elves.
Vinia turned back, reaching out her hand, as if trying to block those elves who were moving deeper into the divine tree.
"No! Don't go…"
'These foolish people, what are they doing?!'
'Do they really want to go throw their lives away?!'
But the resolve to die could not be stopped. From beginning to end, the belief the elves had been taught was that the divine tree was greater than everything.
They did not even realize that their actions meant death.
They only knew that, at this moment, the divine tree needed them.
Those elves even naively believed that as long as they saved the divine tree, their lives would return to how they used to be.
Under the protection of the divine tree, the elves had long since lost any sense of crisis or independent thought.
They even ignored the orders of Vinia, the high priestess, and stubbornly advanced toward the interior of the divine tree.
Under Vinia's despairing gaze...
Bang!
A loud explosion suddenly rang out.
Countless elves were drawn by the sound. Their fanaticism faded somewhat, and their eyes became much clearer.
They saw that beneath the divine tree, one of Leon's arms was raised, holding a black handgun.
The pitch-black muzzle was aimed straight at the sky.
White smoke slowly rose from the dark muzzle, drifting upward.
The next second, that dark muzzle precisely aligned with them.
Leon's emerald-green eyes, utterly devoid of emotion, stared at them.
A cold voice followed immediately after.
"If you take one more step forward."
"This thing will be fired at your bodies."