Chapter 12: Azure Leaf Tree

  Elder Grai's spiritual energy was truly immense. When he released all of his might, a majestic aura of power spread throughout the area. Immense pressure weighed down on the bandits who dared to harm his young master.

  "That's true. If a Second word Engraver like you were protecting that weak young man, the two of us would have no chance of getting close," the giant axe bandit laughed.

  "As Second word Engraver, two First word Engravers like us could only possibly fight evenly for a short time. Winning is hopeless," the dual axes bandit joins in the laugh.

  "But that's only if we were fighting you to the death, not with a hindrance like now," the giant axe bandit sneered, snapping his fingers.

  The last bandit, holding a bow, whistled upon receiving the signal. A high-pitched sound rang out, the bushes rustled, and the shadow of something large slowly emerged.

  The figure was a giant brown tiger. Its brown eyes held a bloodthirsty gleam. Its four enormous paws were like boulders, ground trembling with every step. The glowing tip of its tail bore brown engraved—an ancient character whose meaning, though indiscernible, could be understood.

  ‘Entangle’

  "Let me introduce you to my younger brother's pet, First word Engraver devil beast, Earthquake Tiger," the giant axe bandit laughed devilishly.

  "Second word Engraver might be able to handle the two of us while protecting that Newborn, but what about with the Earthquake Tiger?" the dual axes bandit laughed.

  "With a group barely able to stand, how long do you think you can protect them?" The archer sneered.

  Elder Grai's usually unbothered expression was now furrowed. With the presence of Earthquake Tiger, he now sensed a real danger, not just to his own life, but to the life of his young master, the master he had sworn to protect.

  Elder Grai knew that even if all three attacked simultaneously, he could handle them. He might not be able to kill them all, but he wouldn't lose. But protecting his young master at the same time was a different matter.

  He couldn't allow any attack to go through and reach his young master. Given the difference in levels, Injan couldn't withstand even a single move. Let alone the difference between a Newborn and an Engraver, the difference between a Newborn and a Learner was already immense.

  If he carelessly let any lingering attack go through, even if it wasn't fatal, the injury would be severe.

  Elder Grai knew about the young master's artifacts. He possessed something that could truly turn the tide of this situation. But that artifact could only be used once. Elder Grai had to ensure that it would be used at the right time and have enough impact to allow him to take them all down.

  Elder Grai glanced at the members of the group. Besides Fah, Prai, and Ratri, who were unable to fight, there was Arun, whose energy was worryingly depleted, and Nitaan, who was more skilled at tracking than fighting. What Elder Grai needed most right now was a fighting force—a fighting force capable of handling a portion of the enemy's fighting force.

  "Kill them all, Earthquake Tiger. "Your main target is that weak Newborn" the archer bandit grinned cruelly.

  With that, Earthquake Tiger roared ferociously. His eyes gleamed with ferocity as he charged forward.

  Injan's eyes showed no fear, he maintained his composure even in a situation where a single mistake could cost him his life.

  Injan held a single seed in his hand. The seed was a pure blue, covered in numerous chain-like patterns that tightly bound it.

  "Everyone stay close to me!" Injan pours his energy into the seed before hurling it onto the ground.

  Suddenly, the ground trembled. Massive roots sprouted from the earth, far more numerous than anything Prai had ever summoned. Colossal trees grew rapidly, their azure leaves spreading towards the sky, creating a vast canopy. Branches extended across the area, their countless roots and twigs enveloping the group, protecting them within.

  The massive roots coiled around the Earthquake Tiger, branches lashing down and trying to capture it. At this moment, Tiger's tail grew enormous, becoming like a giant magical rope, then entangled numerous branches and roots together before yanking them apart.

  The thick, sturdy branches and roots, under the force of the Earthquake Tiger, became fragile and easily torn apart by its powerful tail.

  The Earthquake Tiger roared again. This time, the surrounding ground shook violently, the ground collapsing and crushing the massive roots within.

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  Even though the Earthquake Tiger was strong, the collapsed roots and branches grew back rapidly and kept rushing in to restrain the tiger.

  The battle was divided into two sides. Elder Grai's side was stuck in a stalemate with two bandits, while Injan's group faced the Earthquake Tiger and the archer bandits. It was difficult for Elder Grai to find a winner in the short term, but Injan's situation worsened every passing minute.

  The archer bandits continued to unleash a barrage of arrows towards the group, forcing them to use some of the roots and invisible walls to block the attack.

  Injan's face was resolute as he scanned his surroundings, searching for the opportune moment to turn the tide. He knew what the bandits said was true. The adventurers were no longer in a condition to fight. Only Arun and Nitaan could still hold their own. Arun couldn't endure much longer. Nitaan wasn't adept at direct combat. The difference in skill between Engraver and Learner was too great. They simply couldn't handle the Earthquake Tiger.

  Elder Grai's face tensed. If there was another person capable of confronting the Earthquake Tiger while protecting the group from the bandit's arrows, he himself could easily handle the 2 First word Engraver. The difficulty lies in their shrewd plan, they weren't fighting directly but trying to attack Injan.

  They did not attack him at all, they constantly tried to pass him. Force him to keep them in check.

  If only someone could hold off the Earthquake Tiger for a moment and give Injan an opportunity, Injan could use his artifacts to kill one of the bandits in a single blow. The balance of power would turn, giving them control of the situation.

  Injan racked his brain, trying to find a way to pull his frail life out of this abyss of death.

  The Earthquake Tiger roared ferociously, the surrounding ground shaking. Its two claws slashed and destroyed roots and branches, fighting its way to the heart of the tree.

  Azure Leaf Tree is a special kind of plant. While still a seed, anybody can engrave their essence with spiritual energy into it, creating a bond of ownership. As the Azure Leaf Tree grows, the bonded owner can control its roots and branches with spiritual energy. Each branch is as thick as a strong man's arm. The roots possess powerful binding abilities and high levels of self-regeneration. The Azure leaves release spiritual energy that provides a sense of peace to its owner, helping to restore their spiritual energy.

  In small families or small factions, they often use Azure Leaf Trees to protect their territories. Once the Azure Leaf Tree takes root, it cannot be moved or relocated. Its growth takes a considerable amount of time, but its ability, even at its lowest level, is able to contend with most of the Learner. All of this makes it a highly valuable commodity sought after by many factions.

  This seed was given by Injan's father, a protection-type artifact against attacks from all directions. It's a superb asset for establishing a defensive position. Chao Phraya Uthumpohn suppressed its growth to make it into an artifact. When unleashed, the seal shattered, allowing it to rapidly grow into a towering Azure Leaf Tree.

  Prai, though both his arms were weakened, used all his remaining energy to spread his roots to support Azure Leaf Tree.

  Fah's face was pale. Although her power could directly slow the Earthquake Tiger, the difference in power between a First word Engraver like the Earthquake Tiger and Fah, a 3-word Learner, was too great. The result will be dishearteningly minimal.

  Fah smeared blood on the roots of the attacking trees, hoping to suppress the other side even a little. The massive blood loss and dwindling spiritual energy pushed Fah closer to her limit. But she has no choice, her only way to survive is to support them with whatever she has left.

  Arun continued to create invisible walls. He placed them directly to block the arrow and use it to obstruct Earthquake Tiger. Fortunately, the bandit didn't seem to be a First word Engraver. Otherwise they wouldn't be able to hold out this long.

  Every wall was as fragile as paper against the Earthquake Tiger's ferocious power. Just one fang or claw easily shattered it. The archer bandit continued his relentless attacks, distracting Arun and forcing him to defend.

  Ratri, while able to provide long-range attacks, couldn't harm the Earthquake Tiger’s skin at all. She also couldn't hit that bandit in her current state. She could only support him by sharing her spiritual energy with Injan, allowing him to control the Azure Leaf Tree longer.

  Although Injan was the master of the Azure Leaf Tree, he was only a Newborn. His spiritual energy was insufficient. Especially in a situation like this where he has to use all of Tree’s power to fend off Engraver devil beast.

  All four of them poured their energy into holding back the Earthquake Tiger. They had few options. This Azure Leaf Tree could only handle most Learner. First word Engraver like Earthquake Tiger was beyond the capabilities of it.

  They held on, hoping that Elder Grai's side could deal with the bandits and rush to flank the Earthquake Tiger. If Elder Grai could take down even one of them, the balance of power would shift immediately. They would gain the advantage.

  But it seemed the two bandits knew their thoughts. They simply alternated between attacking and defending, stalling Elder Grai to prevent him from fighting effectively, harassing him, and preventing him from killing them or helping Injan.

  These two bandits were First word Engraver, they surely possessed other Words of Power. However, those powers were of the supporting type, utterly useless against a strong Second word Engraver like Elder Grai. Word of Power at the Learner level had only a minimal effect on the Engraver.

  On Elder Grai's side, it was like a battlefield. Massive flames raged across the area. The grass and trees were scorched black, Some of it was bending and twisting like rubber. Much of the ground warped. Immense air pressure attacked the two bandits. The flames around them seemed alive, relentlessly attacking them with a frenzied ferocity.

  But when the flames reached the giant axe bandit, they twisted and distorted unnaturally, leaving only faint red marks from the heat behind.

  The dual axes bandit bounces between trees and the ground, using his speed to dodge and search for opportunities to attack. However, Elder Grai was able to create air pressure with his other Word of Power to push them back.

  These two bandits weren't fools. They were First word Engraver. They always ambushed groups of exhausted adventurers like this. Many adventurers died fighting devil beasts everyday, so unless someone survived to report them, the army or Adventurers Guild wouldn't make a move to investigate.

  That’s why their targets were only those they were confident they could kill and leave no survivors, or those who carried enough valuables to be worth the risk. Like Injan’s group today

  The sheer amount of artifacts that Injan used was enough to make them determined not to let this prey escape.

  The situation remained stagnant. Both sides were stalling for time, hoping the other could deal with their enemy and bring support.

  Injan's mind was working at full capacity to devise a way to survive. He needed more time to plan. He carried many powerful artifacts. If used wisely, they could still win this battle.

  Injan wanted Nitaan to keep an eye out for weaknesses or small mistakes that they could exploit.

  "P’ Nitaan, do whatever it takes to buy time…" Injan spoke rapidly but was interrupted by Nitaan's voice.

  "Injan, as agreed upon earlier, if the situation becomes life-threatening, we can withdraw without waiting for orders and will not violate any agreement." Nitaan's voice was cold amidst the tense situation.

  Nitaan stopped calling Injan ‘Nong In’ as before. Now he simply addressed him with the cold and distant ‘Injan’

  Injan's face was now bewildered. The four adventurers looked at Nitaan, unable to believe what they had heard. Elder Grai's eyes widened, his beard trembling with anger.

  "P’ Nitaan.." Injan's face contorts from despair and anger. "We still have hope if we work together." He pleaded.

  "I will withdraw." Nitaan's voice instantly extinguished all of Injan's words.

  "Nitaan!" Prai's angry voice boomed. Ratri bit her lip tightly, and Fah's still-moving hand clenched into a trembling fist.

  "We've fought life-or-death battles together, Nitaan!" Fah said in a hoarse voice.

  "They're right. At this point, we have almost no chance of winning. All of you can't fight any longer. Elder Grai can't protect us all. I'm not going to wait for death like an idiot." Nitaan said with a cold expression, devoid of any kindness or friendship.

  Injan's eyes turned utterly cold, the anger barely concealed. If he weren't in this situation... He probably would have punched Nitaan straight in.

  “I still have many things I want to do.” Nitaan said with a cold gaze.