"Hey! Are you alright?"

A worried unfamiliar voice resonated not too far from him. It seemed that Awakener nearby had decided to help him out.

Yuder evaded the attacks relentlessly using the power of the wind and raised his voice.

"Do any of you have a sword?"

"What, a sword?"

"I dropped mine! It'd be nice if there was a spare one, but if not..."

His speech was cut off as a claw narrowly grazed his earlobe. He clamped his mouth shut and vaulted onto the branch of a large tree, causing the monster, Pethuamet, to roar savagely. The sound was venomous enough to make his unresponsive ear feel numb.

Yuder clung to the tree, gasping for breath, feeling his head spinning.

"Got it! You said a sword! I'll find and throw one to you, just keep going!"

Fortunately, it seemed that his intended message had been properly conveyed, as the stranger responded affirmatively. Yuder did just as instructed and leaped from the giant branch. As he moved, Pethuamet bounded after him, clawing at the ground. The constant noise of the ground crumbling and the forest being destroyed by the rushing monster followed him. The smoke exuding from the venom spilling from Pethuamet shrouded the forest in darkness, creating an apocalyptic spectacle.

Luring Pethuamet was undeniably one of the most challenging and strenuous tasks Yuder had undertaken since his return from the dead. To keep the monster's attention, he couldn't escape too quickly. But, the moment he tried to use his usual powers to protect himself, the beast would absorb his strength and grow even stronger, necessitating extreme caution.

Whenever Yuder felt the presence of mages or other Awakeners fending off monsters nearby, he used fire or water powers, risking danger to draw the slowing Pethuamet's attention. Despite his best efforts to not provide any opportunity for absorption, Pethuamet had grown larger than when the baiting first began.

Dodging the collapsing trees overhead, Yuder turned his gaze towards a faintly twinkling golden tree not too far off. Given that the golden light took longer to appear this time, he sensed that they were also in a difficult situation. That golden glow, and the ceaseless loud noises from around, were all evidence of the Western Mage Union mages risking their lives to guide him on the right path.

Wiping the mixture of sweat or blood, he couldn't tell which, trickling down his forehead and neck, Yuder poured strength into his legs. The adrenaline-driven pulsing sensation of his muscles and lungs threatening to explode had oddly quietened after surpassing a certain limit.

And finally, a bright red tree far off in the distance shone brilliantly, indicating its presence.

'Finally.'

The red color was the signal agreed upon to indicate when Yuder had reached the highest terrain. The Western Mage Union mages had succeeded in guiding him through the darkness and countless obstacles to the very end!

The moment he realized this, the world's stillness vanished and the muted sounds and speed all returned to normal.

Rrrrrraaaaahhh-

As Pethuamet's roar rocked his field of vision, Yuder stumbled and turned his head. He found himself staring directly into the monster's enlarged eyes and pupils. Seeing Pethuamet bare its teeth and halt momentarily to spew venom, he seized the opportunity to fling a rock he had been clutching while fleeing.

The stone, propelled by a wind-laden arm, found its mark in one of the eyes of the Pethuamet. As black blood splattered in all directions, the beast shrieked in agony, lighting up the surroundings once more.

In order to properly lure the creature, it was essential that its eyesight remained unimpaired, hence the previous avoidance of such attacks. But now, the situation was different. They were nearing their destination, and it was necessary to land a more lethal blow to drain the creature's strength.

Vaulting with the wind, Yuder dashed past the final golden tree and towards the shimmering, red tree uphill. Numerous attacks targeted him in the meantime, more ferocious than before. He owed his untouched state to his instinct, reflexes, and the memory of the long-accumulated experience.

"Over here! This way!"

From not too far away, someone wearing a mage robe waved frantically and shouted.

"Head straight, and you'll reach the end of the hill! And your comrades at the base said"

As brave as the mage was to signal his position while gesturing, he could not finish his words. He stumbled and fell due to Pethuamet smashing the ground with its tail. Luckily, an unremarkable-looking young Awakener, dressed in worn-out clothes, appeared out of nowhere. He caught the mage by the armpit and whisked him up into a tree, preventing further harm.

It was uncertain whether proper cooperation took place, but considering the dire circumstances, it seemed they were able to help each other effectively, which was a relief.

"Everyone nearby, back away now!"

Yuder, running towards the visible end of the hill, shouted at the top of his lungs.

"The moment I reach the end, I'll collapse this entire area!"

"Hold on! Your sword!"

The young Awakener who saved the mage shouted from high up in a tree.

"We found your sword, take it!"

Without hesitation, he threw the long sword he was holding. Yuder easily caught his sword, which was enveloped by the power of the wind. Despite repeatedly striking the monster, whose hide no ordinary weapon could penetrate, and being drenched in corrosive, venom-infused blood, the sharpness of his sword was undiminished. It truly was a top-tier sword made from Eucalractium.

As Yuder reflected on the fact that Kishiar was the one who gifted him this sword, he was momentarily overwhelmed by a strange sensation, forgetting the pressing situation. Even though he knew Kishiar wasn't present, the moment he gripped the sword's handle, an odd sense of stability washed over him, as if Kishiar was backing him up. This strange yet familiar sensation seemed to drown out Pethuamet's murderous intent, his throbbing ears, and his pounding head.

However, this moment was fleeting, and Yuder was thrust back into reality. He leaped back to evade Pethuamet, who rushed forward with its mouth agape, ready to swallow him. As he vaulted on the wind and looked at the terrain, he spotted steep rocks lining the bottom of the tangled hillside.

'This should be enough.'

While the elevation was on the lower side, this just meant he had to dig deeper into the earth.

'The only concern left is whether my remaining power will hold'

He had expended more energy than expected in getting this far. Even in his previous life, it had been challenging to muster enough power to alter the terrain more than once a day. It was ironic and regrettable that the excessive power surge, which had been uncomfortable since the day he seemed to absorb the chunk of power within Kishiar, chose to settle when he needed it the most.

'If that had been the case, just a little effort could have achieved what I want... Well, there is no helping it. I would have to make do with the strength I have.'

Yuder paused, stopping just before the end of the hill. The prey it had been chasing turned around, emitting an abnormal aura, which prompted the Pethuamet monster to halt its movements and adopt a defensive stance. Onlookers hidden nearby held their breaths as they watched a monster, grotesquely swollen in spots, and a much smaller human locked in a standoff, each aiming for the other's life. It was time to see whether the man could, as he had assured, single-handedly defeat this nightmarish monster.

"..."

Amid the tension, Pethuamet made the first move. Just as the monster was swinging its massive, spike-studded tail as though to strike at any moment, the mages and Awakeners swallowed their screams at the sight of Yuder, who still did not dodge

Rumble. The ground shook as though thunder roared from the storm clouds above.

"An earthquake......?"

A mage hiding nearby mumbled in a daze. Pethuamet also flinched to a halt. The monster, which had been about to attack, stopped and looked down at the trembling ground beneath its feet, confused.

"The air... no, the entire forest is..."

The young Awakener, who had tossed a sword to Yuder, uttered in a breathless voice, watching the shivering tree branches and leaves. Indeed, it wasn't just the earth that was shaking. As the trembling sound grew louder, it felt as though the trees, rocks, the air, and finally, even the sky beyond, were shaking.

And at that moment, when the tiny tremor quickly rose to its peak like a bouncing ball hitting the ground

With a tremendous roar like the opening of the heavens and the earth, the entire hill collapsed.

"Aaargh!"

Everyone screamed as the sound of the shaking earth and the collapsing sky continued unabated. Dust, smoke, and the palpable waves of enormous power induced terror in everyone.

It was awe-inspiring.

The force of nature, which no one had ever imagined could be controlled by human power, was responding to someone's will.

For thousands, tens of thousands of years, the colossal force of nature, always stationary, had stirred to life. No one dared to think of escaping while nature's huge body was moving. They were completely dominated by sheer overwhelming force, fear, and awe.

After what seemed an eternity, the earthquake and dust finally began to subside. A mage, his face pale as if on the verge of passing out, barely managed to rise and shake the magic tool in his hand, emitting light that brightened their surroundings.

"My God......"

The scenery they had been looking at just moments ago was nowhere to be seen under the faint light.

The tall hill, which had been standing firm like a giant beast in a crouch, was more than half gone, leaving only a sharp cliff, as if it had been cut artificially. The endless pit that was dug out beneath was so huge it seemed more fitting to call it a valley.

Sporadically erupting like spears from underneath were rocks, and atop them was a glimpse of the monster's body, impaled by the fall. The monster, which until now had appeared so big and terrifying, lay collapsed like a helpless little beast, its long tongue hanging out, completely drained.

All eyes were on the man with black hair standing in front of it, holding a sword, and everyone fell silent. No one could express the emotions they were feeling.

Yuder very slowly raised his sword, then brought his arm down toward the shining blue tongue. It was such a slow attack that even a child could have dodged, yet Pethuamet couldn't evade it. Its limp body twitched a few times, but that was all.

After a moment, the enormous tongue was cleanly severed by the sword, spraying a vast amount of body fluids. The man, covered from head to toe in the fluid, watched it until the blue light from the severed tongue flickered and finally stopped.

At last, when all the light had ceased and Pethuamet's torn pupil was relaxed, the sword in Yuder's hand also dropped lifelessly to the ground. Just as everyone was about to gasp, watching his body collapse in a stagger, a shadow flew in from afar in an instant, jumping down fearlessly to catch him.