Chapter 198: Too Late. They were barely visible in the chaos, their forms obscured by the press of enemies. Moon immediately conjured another [Ignite], launching it at the cluster of trees between them, clearing a momentary line of sight. There—he could see them clearly now. Yara and Gratis, along with several other Savi warriors, cutting their way through the forest toward Moon and Selene’s position. "Here!" Moon shouted, pouring mana into his voice to carry over the din of battle. "Selene is injured! I need you to take her out of here—do you remember the exit?!" "YES!" Yara’s voice rang back, fierce and determined. The Savi warriors immediately changed direction, angling toward Moon and Selene’s position. Yara held an Axe rather than her bow—close-quarters weapon for close-quarters fighting. Gratis wielded a spear, using its reach to keep Tree Clones at bay while they advanced. "Careful!" Moon warned as they drew closer. "There’s a powerful druid hidden among these beasts—it’s as strong as the Magma King! Watch for branch attacks from unexpected angles!" He began helping Selene move toward Yara, using wind magic to clear a path through the swarm. The Tree Clones pressed in from all sides, but Moon’s defensive spells kept them at bay long enough for the gap to close. But the druid remained invisible. Moon’s eyes swept across the battlefield, searching for any sign of the creature. It had been relentless before—attacking every few seconds, probing for weaknesses. But now, with the Savi warriors’ arrival, it had gone completely silent. ’Where is it?’ Moon’s eyes kept scanning the battlefield, searching for the druid that had seemingly vanished into thin air, ’Did it flee?’ No. That didn’t make sense. The druid had been too committed to the fight, too aggressive, too confident. A creature that intelligent wouldn’t abandon its territory just because two reinforcements arrived. It had an entire army of Tree Clones at its disposal—a few more enemies shouldn’t change the situation enough to warrant retreat. ’It wouldn’t flee. This beast is too cunning for that. It must be waiting for the right moment to attack.’ Moon remained focused, his attention split between fighting the swarm and tracking any sign of the druid’s presence. He knew the real threat wasn’t the clones, or even the Rotten Pine Trees. It was the druid. And it was still out there, watching, waiting for its moment. It didn’t take long for them to reach the edge of the forest. Moon could see it now daylight streaming through gaps in the tree line, the boundary between the cursed Rotten Pine Forest and normal wilderness clearly visible just meters ahead. Freedom was within reach. Yara and Gratis were helping support Selene, the three of them moving together while Moon covered their retreat with spell after spell. The Tree Clones had thinned considerably—whether from casualties or the druid calling them back, Moon couldn’t tell. But the path ahead was almost clear. They were going to make it. Before any could react, a multiple branches emerged— Not from the sides. Not from above. Not from any angle Moon had been watching. It came from below. From the ground itself, bursting upward in an explosion of soil and twisted wood. The attack came from a completely unexpected vector, something that even Moon hadn’t anticipated. His eyes widened in horror as he watched countless wooden spikes pierce through Selene’s body from underneath, erupting through her torso like spears breaking through paper. Selene’s body jerked, impaled on a dozen branch-spikes. Her eyes went wide, then the light began fading from those eyes. "Selene! No!" Moon’s shout was raw, a sound he didn’t recognize as his own voice. Blood sprayed outward in a crimson arc, coating Yara and Gratis who stood frozen beside Selene’s suspended body. Yara’s mind disconnected from reality for a moment that felt like eternity. She couldn’t process what her eyes were showing her. Couldn’t accept it. Selene—the powerful awakener who’d saved their people, who’d fought through an army of monsters—was dying right in front of her. The branches withdrew with a wet, tearing sound. Selene’s body fell to the ground. Moon’s eyes dilated as his eyes scanned the surrounding in growing fury. Within moments, he spotted the druid, emerging from its hiding place with wooden vines still writhing around its form. Wood element manipulation—an affinity it had kept completely hidden until this exact moment. It had waited, patient and cunning, for the moment when they believed escape was certain. When their guard was at its lowest. When it could strike with absolute certainty. The druid’s wooden face still wore that terrible smile. "You bastard!" Moon’s mana erupted outward in a violent surge. His body launched forward, crossing the distance between himself and the druid with insane speed, lightning crackling in his legs, his resistance reducing the usual horrible pain that he would receive during this body casting. He moved like a ghost through the forest, his body phasing between trees as if they were mere obstacles rather than solid matter. He jumped from trunk to trunk, using them as stepping stones, his eyes locked on a single target with absolute, murderous focus. The druid’s smile faltered as Moon closed by. Branches lashed out at Moon from every direction, trying to slow him, to stop him, to kill him before he could close the distance. But Moon’s blade flashed every so often, cutting through the attacks. Each branch that tried to intercept him was severed, falling away uselessly. And in his right hand, [Ignite] was forming. Moon was pouring an immense amount of mana into the spell—more than was safe, more than was efficient, more than any of his previous Ignites contained. The fireball grew rapidly, expanding from fist-sized to massive in seconds, the heat radiating from it so intense that the air itself distorted. Within mere seconds, Moon was already within ten meters of the druid. The creature’s wooden face twisted in what might have been fear. The smirk vanished entirely, replaced by sudden, desperate realization. It turned to flee, trying to hide between the dense cluster of trees behind it. Moon didn’t let it. "Die!"