Chapter 193: Rotten Pine Clone Moon’s mana flared, another [Ignite] forming above his palm before the light had even fully died. The fireball expanded rapidly, casting harsh orange light across the twisted pines. But this time, Moon wasn’t looking at the forest around them. He was looking at the notifications that had appeared in his vision. [You have killed a level 24 Rotten Pine Clone] [You have gained 0 Lives] [You have killed a level 24 Rotten Pine Clone] [You have gained 0 Lives] [You have killed a level 24 Rotten Pine Clone] [You have gained 0 Lives] Multiple tree clones that had been caught in his fireball’s explosion, incinerated before they could move away completely. The trees were the enemy. They weren’t just any enemy too, they had clones. All hostile entities that had been standing perfectly still, pretending to be nothing more than ordinary forest growth. "Prepare to fight, there are lots of clones around us." Selene’s eyes widened, her own fireball still hovering above her palm. "Really? These are clones?" "My fireball killed three." Moon’s gaze swept across the forest, seeing the landscape in a completely different view now. "They moved to dodge, but some weren’t fast enough. They’re not invincible, they are just many." "Every tree we’ve walked past. Every trunk we’ve used as a landmark. Every shadow we’ve moved through. All of them were Tree Clones, just standing still, letting us believe they were harmless." They finally understood what had killed all those previous expeditions. Just an army of monsters that looked like trees, that moved like ghosts, that had perfected the art of remaining perfectly still until the moment they struck. One of the trees began to move, and when it did, the others around it followed suit. The trees around were no longer hiding their existence, moving towards Moon and Selene. Two large, creaks that represented eyes also emerged on the tree’s outer bark. It looked really freaky, making Selene’s face grimace softly. Although there was hundreds, perhaps thousands of these trees. Moon and Selene weren’t scared, nor did they grow worried about their enemies. They had a weakness, an obvious one that both could utilize. Fire. With the ability to control the element of fire, fighting trees was almost laughable. Wood burned. No amount of trees could change that vulnerability. And Moon could see it in the way the Tree Clones moved. They were advancing, closing in from all directions, but there was something reluctant in their approach. The wooden bodies swayed as they moved forward, roots dragging through the soil slowly, almost unwillingly. They were afraid. Moon could read it in every jerking movement, every pause between steps. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎 The Tree Clones knew what fire meant. They understood the threat Moon and Selene posed. But they were attacking anyway. Which meant they had no choice. Something was compelling them forward despite their fear. Some force or instinct or command that made them ignore self-preservation, driving them to close in on prey that could incinerate them. Within seconds, the trees within the entire vicinity began closing in from all directions. A slow, creaking tide of wooden bodies and hollow eyes, converging on the two fire-wielders from every angle. The circle tightened. Thirty meters. Twenty. Selene’s fireball blazed brighter in her palm, her mana surging in response to the threat. "Let’s turn this entire forest into an inferno." Moon’s lips curved into a cold smile. "We will, but they aren’t our main enemies. Look at how they’re moving, they’re trying to surround us completely before they strike. They’re coordinating." "So?" "So they’re not mindless. They have tactics. Which means they have a commander." Moon’s eyes swept across the advancing horde, searching. "Something is controlling them. Directing them. And whatever it is...It’s back there. Watching." His gaze fixed on a point deeper in the forest, where the darkness seemed somehow thicker, where the trees stood perfectly still while all the others advanced. Selene followed his line of sight. "You want to go deeper? Toward whatever’s controlling them?" "No." Moon’s fireball continued to expand above him, growing to match the massive size of his first attack. "I want to draw it out. Force it to reveal itself." The Tree Clones were fifteen meters away now. Close enough that Moon could see the grain of their bark, the rot spreading through their wooden flesh, the way their eyes tracked his every movement with predatory focus. "On my mark," Moon said quietly, his voice carrying absolute certainty despite the army closing in around them. "We hit them with everything. Wide spread, maximum area of effect. Force whatever’s hiding to either let its minions burn or expose itself to protect them." Selene’s mana flared in agreement, her own fireball expanding in size. "Now!" Both released their attacks at once in different directions, the massive spheres of flame streaking through the air before detonating against the nearest clusters of Tree Clones. The explosions were devastating. Fire erupted outward in twin blooms of destruction, engulfing dozens of twisted trunks in an instant. The diseased bark caught fire immediately, burning with unnatural intensity as if the rot that permeated the wood was itself flammable. Flames climbed up the trees like living things, consuming branch and trunk with hungry enthusiasm. But Moon and Selene weren’t satisfied with just two attacks. They channeled a different element now, one that would turn scattered fires into an inferno. Wind. Moon’s mana continued to flair as he activated his wind manipulation, creating powerful gusts that spread outward from the burning trees. The flames responded immediately, leaping from trunk to trunk, Selene mirrored his technique from the opposite direction, her own wind magic fanning the fires into a growing conflagration. Within seconds, a ten-meter radius was completely ablaze. Orange and red flames climbed skyward, turning the oppressive darkness into flickering chaos. The heat was intense enough to make the air distort around them. Selene couldn’t help but glance at Moon in surprised, her epic-ranked skill allowed her to stay within range without suffering any damage, but Moon was also keeping up with her, which meant he had a resistance to fire too. Although it was surprising, she didn’t ask, focusing on the task at hand. Moon had done too many unnatural things, his strength, and everything about him wasn’t normal. Having resistance to fire wasn’t surprising anymore.