34. The Hungry Roots of the Banyan Tree
The sound of snapping roots suddenly filled the air, accompanied by sparks of fire scattered across several spots, as dozens of flaming feathers managed to slice through some of the hanging roots that had been aiming to attack the nameless young man.
Meanwhile, the Phoenix spirit could be seen circling the soul-draining banyan tree. Flames danced in the fog as the phoenix's wings slashed against the tree's bark.
Growl!!!
A loud roar of rage echoed throughout the forest, sending the crows perched on the banyan's branches fleeing as if they knew a great catastrophe was about to occur.
From the deep gash carved into the banyan's bark, dark red sap sprayed out, with several drops accidentally splashing onto the nameless young man's face, the part not covered by his silver mask. In that instant, something miraculous happened.
Gradually, the thick fog that had been clouding his vision began to fade, slowly disappearing. For the first time, he could clearly see his surroundings, including the mysterious Banyan tree.
He saw unfortunate human figures standing motionless, with sharp roots piercing their backs.
He also noticed how every leaf on the banyan's branches seemed to evaporate water, releasing mist that formed the thick fog engulfing the forest.
Upon seeing this, his mind started working quickly. The nameless young man touched the red sap on his face, and in that moment, he realized something important.
The banyan leaves were the source of the magic fog that obscured vision, and the tree's sap was the antidote, clearing the fog once it touched the skin.
"Kirmizi!"
Hearing its name called by its master, the Phoenix spirit immediately flew toward the nameless young man.
The bird's fiery form gradually faded, transforming into a sword wrapped in flames before disappearing into the young man's hand.
The nameless young man began to walk toward the now-calm Banyan tree. The hanging roots, which had been violently thrashing as if starving, suddenly went still.
This made the nameless young man wonder—had his attack really caused that much damage? It had only been scratch. To test this theory, he prepared another attack, Fireball Eruption.
The young man dashed forward at high speed, a large fireball forming in his hand. When he reached the right distance, he hurled it straight at the soul-draining banyan tree, hitting it dead on.
Boom! Kaboom!
The sound of the explosion echoed loudly, the ground trembling beneath his feet, and the plants caught in the blast were reduced to embers.
But strangely, the tree at the center of the attack remained completely unaffected.
The young man felt a growing sense of unease. He launched another attack, this time with Molten Torrent Fist.
He clenched his fist tightly, then slammed it into the ground with all his strength.
Whack!
Once again, the ground shook, followed by a series of explosions as lava erupted from the cracks in the ground, creating a chain reaction of blasts that headed toward the banyan tree.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Even the massive stones along the path of the explosions couldn't withstand the heat of the lava, disintegrating in its wake. But again, the soul-draining banyan tree remained unharmed.
The nameless young man grew more and more perplexed, spending the entire night trying to figure out the cause. He unleashed every technique he knew, but by the time dawn broke, he still couldn't topple the tree.
In the end, only a few attacks managed to hit the tree, and even then, they caused minimal damage. Only techniques involving the Phoenix spirit worked, and even then, they left only small marks.
"What's really hidden beneath that tree?" He pondered deeply, recalling the terrifying roar from earlier.
Flashback End
***
Present Day
In the oppressive silence, even the smallest sound would be heard clearly. The rustling of wild grass, the creaking of tree branches. Amidst the familiar sounds of the forest, a strange noise suddenly reached the young man's ears.
Immediately, he stopped observing the mannequin-like girl standing stiffly before him. His eyes sharpened, scanning the fog that imprisoned him as he searched for the source of the sound.
Kairav decided to move, quickly stepping away from the area, as his instincts urged him to leave immediately. His ears picked up faint sounds, like the cracking of wood, and strangely, they seemed to be getting closer.
Without hesitation, he quickened his pace to a half-run, ignoring the pain shooting through his body as he repeatedly bumped into unseen trees. According to his instincts, whatever was chasing him was far more dangerous.
In the midst of his growing panic, Kairav suddenly heard another sound, this one like the sharp slice of a weapon, startling him.
Crack!
His body froze, and slowly, with growing anxiety, he turned around. At that moment, his eyes widened in shock as he saw a sword flying past his face, just inches away.
Before he could even recover from his surprise, Kairav was startled again. He felt an unfamiliar hand grip his wrist tightly, pulling him into a run.
"Hurry!" said a voice, sounding like that of a young man.
"Who are you?" Kairav asked as he continued to run, following the unseen figure.
Strangely, as soon as he asked the question, his vision began to clear. The fog slowly faded, revealing the night sky, illuminated by the golden light of the full moon.
Gradually, Kairav looked ahead and saw the figure of a young man running in front of him, wearing a silver mask that covered half his face, with a sword strapped to his waist.
Seeing the man's appearance, only one person came to Kairav's mind. "The nameless young man?" he muttered.
Hearing Kairav's voice, the nameless young man briefly turned his head back.
Upon seeing the piercing black eyes that matched the dark mountain jacket he wore, Kairav became even more certain of his guess.
Just then, Kairav's ears were disturbed again by the strange sounds that had been following him relentlessly. He quickly turned his head, and what he saw shocked him.
"Hanging roots?!" he exclaimed, seeing the fast-moving roots chasing them. "What kind of monster is after us?!"
The nameless young man said nothing, only glancing at Kairav before continuing to pull him toward a mound of earth that looked like a small hill, now just within their reach.
The mound was surrounded by mountain pine trees, and their roots protruded abnormally from the ground, almost completely covering the hill.
"The door!" the nameless young man shouted as they neared the mound.
Kairav was astonished as he watched the roots, which had been tightly wrapped around the mound, slowly begin to loosen and pull away, revealing an entrance hidden beneath the soil.
The nameless young man quickly pulled Kairav into the mound. Once inside, Kairav was shocked to find all his friends, who had disappeared earlier, now gathered and waiting for him.
His frustration boiled over, and he almost cursed them out, feeling like all his worry for them had been for nothing. "You jerks—!"
Kairav stopped mid-sentence when he saw Gavin frantically pointing toward the entrance they had just come through, his face filled with panic. "The door!"