With a light, effortless leap, Kurose Akira landed squarely on Azkman's back.
As a centaur warrior, Azkman's back was as broad, level, and solid as a fine warhorse's—instinctively reassuring to sit on.The only problem was that this "horse" didn't come with reins.
But Akira quickly found a workaround. His gaze fell on Azkman's long, flowing horse-tail hairstyle, and an idea sparked—this could serve as a temporary rein.
"Hold on tight. I'm taking you somewhere," Azkman said.
The next instant, her hooves struck the ground, and she shot off in a single direction.
Akira hurriedly wrapped his arms around Azkman's waist and shouted back toward Lucia and the others, "Wait here for me! I'll be right back!"
…
Not long after, Azkman carried Akira dozens of kilometers away.
At first, Akira felt a bit unsteady, but he quickly adapted to the sensation of riding on her back.Even without reins, he no longer needed to cling tightly to her waist to keep his balance.
And Azkman's speed far exceeded his expectations—it reached an astonishing 150 km/h.
To achieve that kind of speed in forest terrain was incredible. On an open plain, she would likely be even faster.
"We're here," Azkman said.
Akira lifted his head and saw something resembling a shrine ahead. Within it stood a small yet exquisitely carved stone statue.
"This is…?"
"A statue of the Goddess of Nature," Azkman explained, turning her head slightly. "Although only a few races still worship her now, she remains one of the greatest gods on the Magic Continent. The Forest Birdcage was created by her daughter. Her divine power should be able to help Virola escape her predicament—but only if you have the courage to carry this power into the Forest Birdcage and bring her out."
"So that's how it is."
Akira immediately leapt down from Azkman's back and walked toward the shrine.
The moment he reached out toward the statue of the Goddess of Nature—
A mass of green light suddenly burst forth from it and hovered in front of his brow.
[Congratulations, you have obtained the Mark of the Goddess of Nature!]
"…That's it?"
Akira blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected to receive the mark so easily.
Was it because of the blessing of the Elf Mother Tree?
After all, the Goddess of Nature was also the guardian deity of the elves.
"How could you obtain the Goddess of Nature's mark so easily? This isn't normal!" Azkman stared at him in utter confusion, completely unable to understand what she had just witnessed.
"Who knows?" Akira shrugged. "Since we've got it, let's hurry to the Forest Birdcage."
He returned to Azkman's side and mounted her back once more.
"..."Azkman shot him a speechless sideways glance, then immediately sprinted toward the Forest Birdcage.
Half an hour later, they arrived at its location.
But the moment they did, they discovered that over a thousand soldiers had already surrounded the area.
"The army of the Starfall Kingdom?!" Azkman instantly halted and took cover behind nearby terrain.
"It must be those centaur tribes who let them in. Those bastards actually dared to violate the forest's rules!" she snarled, stomping her hoof in fury.
Akira immediately contacted Lucia and the others, urging them to rush over as fast as possible.
At the same time, he realized that the number of soldiers far exceeded a thousand. Among them were several knights above level 50, clearly acting as commanders.
And at the very front of the Forest Birdcage stood a mage in green robes who drew particular attention. The green glow flickering at his brow was identical to the light Akira had obtained from the Goddess of Nature's statue.
Even worse—
That mage seemed to be preparing to enter the Forest Birdcage.
This is bad.
Akira frowned. The other side had also obtained the Goddess of Nature's mark.
He also noticed a male player staying close to the green-robed mage.
From this, it wasn't hard to deduce that the player's mission was to assist Prince Tedes and bring Virola back to the Starfall Kingdom.
With both a player's help and covert support from the centaur clans, obtaining the Goddess of Nature's mark wouldn't have been difficult for them.
But merely acquiring the mark wasn't enough—they also needed the resolve to enter the Forest Birdcage.
The reason they'd been lingering nearby was probably because that player still hadn't made up his mind.
Akira's gaze shifted to the Forest Birdcage itself, now surrounded by human troops.
It was a massive cage woven from vines and leaves, intricate and organic in design.
Dense foliage obscured the interior, making it impossible to see what lay within.
All that could be felt was an overwhelming surge of magical power enveloping the entire structure—evoking awe… and fear.
"There's someone there!"
Suddenly, a Starfall Kingdom soldier spotted Azkman and Akira.
In an instant, countless gazes snapped toward them.
"Damn it!" Azkman bit her lip, anxiety flashing across her face.
"It's fine. We'll charge straight through," Akira said calmly.
That player's guild was likely C+ rank, with most members around level 50.
Among the Starfall Kingdom forces were also several knights at roughly the same level.
That meant over a dozen enemies above level 50, plus a mass of low-level soldiers between levels 10 and 30.
If Lucia and the others were here, this army would be nothing to fear.
But right now, it was just him and Azkman.
…They could only gamble.
"Charge through?" Azkman looked at Akira in confusion.
But when she focused on him, her eyes widened—
Akira had already activated Half-Dragon Transformation.
In this state, his size and build were comparable to Azkman's, fitting perfectly atop her back.
"We kill that mage, then go straight into the Forest Birdcage," Akira laid out his plan.
"Got it!"
Azkman immediately kicked off, carrying Akira as she charged toward the green-robed mage.
"Damn it—it's the centaur!"
"Stop them!"
"Do not let them interfere with this operation!"
…
Starfall Kingdom soldiers swarmed in, trying to block Azkman's path.
"Out of my way!" Azkman barked coldly.
Her spear thrust forward like a battering ram, instantly skewering several soldiers and lifting them high into the air.
Akira didn't waste a second either.
He pulled out his Thunderfire Staff and began chanting.
As the incantation completed, a Thunderbird gradually took shape above his head, crackling with electricity.
Phantom Thunder Bird!
Boom!
The blue thunderbird slammed down into the army ahead. Screams erupted instantly as soldiers were engulfed by lightning.
The blockade collapsed in moments, bodies falling lifelessly into a sea of thunder.
"Players?"
The green-robed mage's guild leader instantly recognized Akira and Azkman as fellow players.
"Stop them!" he shouted to his guild.
"Yes!"
Several adventurers around level 50 rushed toward Azkman. At the same time, Starfall Kingdom knights drew their swords, locking onto Akira and her.
"I'm accelerating!" Azkman warned.
"Huh—?"
Before Akira could react, a faint blue glow spread across her body.
In the next instant, her speed multiplied severalfold. She became a blur, weaving through the battlefield like a phantom.
To Akira, riding on her back, it felt as if he'd entered a world where time had frozen. Enemies around them seemed to move in extreme slow motion.
"What's going on?"
His heart jolted as he checked his status panel.
[Divine Speed Meteor (15s): An ultra-tier mounted technique possessed only by centaurs of high or noble bloodlines…]
"Ultra-tier riding skill?"
Akira's eyes lit up.
In this transcendent state, enemy actions slowed dramatically. While its effect likely diminished against high-level opponents, against soldiers weaker than Azkman, they might as well have been stone statues—utterly incapable of stopping them.
In the blink of an eye, they reached the green-robed mage.
Yes!
Akira's heart surged with excitement.
Xu Feiyan's adventurers… really are absurdly useful.
"Stab!"
Following Akira's command, Azkman thrust her spear straight at the mage's heart.
"Damn it!"
The mage clenched his teeth. The moment Azkman moved, he realized her target was him.
He had already formed a defensive spell.
A dark green magical barrier enveloped his body, intercepting the spear.
At the same time, his companions were slowly—painfully slowly—closing in.
As long as he blocked this one attack, he would be safe.
Crack!
The spear tip struck the barrier, carving a visible fissure into it.
But the power wasn't enough.
The barrier held, and the mage remained unharmed.
"Not good!"
Azkman frowned. She hadn't expected the barrier to be this tough.
And Divine Speed Meteor was about to end. Once it did, killing him would become far more difficult.
The mage, however, broke into an excited grin.
He silently thanked himself for choosing a defense-focused magic build—otherwise, he really would have died here.
"It's over," he sneered, beginning to chant reinforcement magic.
Then—
In that instant.
Akira raised his palm.
Between his draconic claws, blue lightning condensed into a thunderbird, shrieking sharply.
Seven-colored radiance shimmered around it—
The blessing of the Elf Queen.
It granted three activations of 500% elemental magic amplification.
Die.
The strike fell.
The blue thunderbird shattered the barrier instantly.
The green-robed mage didn't even have time to react before he was struck head-on by the Phantom Thunder Bird—reduced to ashes.
The Mark of the Goddess of Nature at his brow drifted free… and landed in Akira's hand.
"Go!"
Akira ordered without hesitation.
Azkman bolted straight into the Forest Birdcage.
In an instant, she crossed the threshold.
The sight left everyone present staring in stunned silence.
They had lost the Goddess of Nature's mark—and with it, their right to pursue.
The player stood there in disbelief.
A level 50 defense-type mage… killed by another player?
Were players really this terrifying now?
And on the other side—
The moment Azkman entered the Forest Birdcage—
Akira felt the laws of space subtly shift. They had entered a realm beyond normal rules, similar to the elves' Umbral Prison.
At the same time, a voice reached his ears.
"This aura… Are you… Guildmaster?"
Akira turned around.
Behind them stood a centaur—
No.
A deer-centaur.
She had a pair of pristine white antlers, elegant and beautiful. Smaller than Azkman, she gave off a delicate, refined presence.
Soft lavender fur covered her back, looking irresistibly plush to the touch.
Her deer legs lacked the brute strength of horse limbs, instead carrying a feminine slenderness—light and agile.
Her small deer tail wagged cheerfully the moment she saw Akira, radiating joy and friendliness…