Chapter 56
Wasting no time, Bill shouted to the others:
"You two hold off the Baboons; I'll grab the flag and throw it back. Don't wait for me, just run!"
With approving nods, Bill sprinted forward several hundred feet until the ground erupted, revealing three cages with Super Tigers.
Super Tigers stood at the top of the food chain on the Archipelago, and Bill hadn't encountered one since his fifteenth birthday.
Seeing the three cages, Bill's adrenaline spiked, and he dashed toward the nearest one.
With a leap, he grabbed the cage and slammed it onto the door, hoping to trap its occupant. However, before he could reach the others, he heard a single Click.
Then, hearing a roar, Bill turned to see a massive tiger leaping forward.
As this happened, he focused before hearing: "Sharp corner, SLASH!"
The tiger halted mid-leap from the flying strike, roaring furiously and changing its target. Seeing a chance, Bill pushed the large animal on its side, sending it tumbling.
"Go on! I'll handle it!"
Hearing Sasha yell this, Bill quickly glanced at the other two cages: one door remained unopened, and in the other, the beast couldn't overturn the tipped cage.
Looking back at Ricky, Bill saw him deftly maneuvering among the baboons. His Thunder Sword was made for such battles, but given the condition not to touch the opponents, it was hard to say if he would manage.
"Watch out! That cage over there hasn't opened yet!"
Receiving a nod from the girl, Bill turned back to the enormous carousel tree and continued running.
Dodging grasping roots, biting plants, and tripping vines, Bill finally reached the base of the tree. Glancing up to see the spores, he held his breath and jumped.
Leaping several dozen meters, Bill dug his fingers into the tree, pushing off from it repeatedly.
Exhausted from running, his lungs began to burn from lack of oxygen. Looking down the tree, he saw Ricky and Sasha still fending off their opponents, but now they too were slowing down.
Before gazing upward again, he glimpsed the surroundings, seeing colorful trees, massive creatures, large writhing plants, and roots. He would have sighed if he wasn't holding his breath.
Although he didn't need confirmation, the view reiterated that he lived in a world of fantasy.
Knowing time was short, he took one final leap to grab a slippery vine. Climbing up, he saw his last, yet familiar opponent.
From behind the carousel tree emerged a twenty-foot Super Gorilla, looking at Bill with a determined expression.
Over the past two and a half years, his father had often used this same gorilla, and as a result, the creature had also grown stronger.
Looking at the beast, Bill quickly resolved to start swinging from side to side, despite the slipperiness of the vine.
After all, the Super Gorilla didn't need to defeat him — all it had to do was touch him.
Seemingly understanding this, the gorilla pounded its chest and jumped down, and now they were chasing each other at a height of over one hundred and fifty meters.
No matter how strong Bill was, the Gorilla weighed more, so it swung faster. By the time he climbed halfway up the vine, he was already dodging blows, holding his breath.
Realizing he couldn't outpace the gorilla, Bill decided to take a risk.
Gaining a bit of freedom on the vine, Bill waited until the gorilla was close and immediately put his plan into action.
As it swung at him, Bill flipped. Using the free part of the vine, he instantly entangled the gorilla.
When he thought the monkey was tangled enough, he jumped to the side before it could use its hand-like feet.
Now that the last obstacle was removed, Bill pushed forward with all his might, his lungs burning.
Leaping to the top of the carousel tree, Bill reached the center and grabbed the flagpole.
He thought the way back would be easier than the way up, so he took a deep breath before wrapping the flag around the pole.
Approaching the edge of the tree, he held the flagpole like a spear.
"SASHA!"
With a shout, he threw the flag like a dart, narrowly missing the Super Tiger by a hair.
Fortunately, the girl was smart and without waiting for a hint, she struck the tiger with an air attack before immediately running with the flag.
As for Bill, he didn't stay to watch. Holding his breath, he used the vines to lower himself about a hundred meters before jumping towards the tree.
"Damn, I need to learn Moon Step!"
With these thoughts and grateful to be able to breathe again, Bill rushed to the base.
He ran, encountering few obstacles, but the same couldn't be said for Sasha, who was carrying the flag. It seemed that all the animals in the challenge were targeting her, and although Ricky could help to some extent, he was exhausted after fighting off an entire squad of Super Baboons without receiving a single scratch.
Nevertheless, the two of them were managing the task commendably, and by the time Bill caught up with them, they could already see the base. Aramaki was standing there, waiting for them.
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