Extra's Perfect Ending-Chapter 243: Run

Seated on horseback just behind Max, Reeva craned his neck to get a better view of the tree forming in the distance.

"Your holiness, I’ve got a bad feeling..."

Before Max could respond, Reeva stood up on horseback, startling the horse with his sudden movement. Luckily, Max managed to calm it down. Reeva used the elevated height to look around the area.

The deer stretched as far as the eye could see, like a tide sweeping across the land. The more Reeva looked, the more dread seeped into him.

"If we run at full speed, could we make it out?" he asked, though it wasn’t directed at anyone in particular.

Max replied anyway. "Hard to answer."

Reeva’s tense behavior made Max even more uneasy. The forming tree in the distance exuded a sense of danger, even before it was fully formed. Max couldn’t shake the feeling that something was very wrong.

The apostle must have sensed the danger too... Should we make a break for it?

A bead of sweat formed on Max’s forehead. Although the fire didn’t burn allies, it still gave off some heat, amplifying his nerves in this situation. He slapped himself on the cheek to bring his nerves back.

"We should speed up," Reeva gritted out. At their current pace, they wouldn’t escape before the deer transformed into something far worse. Max sighed, as he was thinking the same. The sense of danger from that tree thing was not good.

Quin received the command and drew his crescent sword, imbuing it with mystic energy before slashing at the deer ahead. The strike was powerful, cutting down not only the deer directly in front but also several others within its path.

After carving out some space, he snapped the reins to quicken the horse’s pace. Max swiftly followed, urging his own horse to keep up. The knights around them did the same, matching Quin’s speed.

With the increased pace, the deer hurled themselves at the horses with greater frenzy. The knights fought them off, setting them ablaze, though they were nearly overwhelmed. The once-endless wave of deer began to blur, and the edge of the swarm was finally visible.

Even though more deer joined the fray, they managed to push forward. Yet, no one seemed relieved.

That one started moving.

Quin’s eyes fixed on the first tree that had fully formed. It was shifting now, fleshy tendrils at its base writhing as it drew closer. He couldn’t see it but the deer close the the tree started changing.

"Quick! Faster, faster!" one of the civilians shouted, panic coloring his voice. The malformed deer had been bad enough; now, a monstrous tree was closing in on them. And it wasn’t the only one—within a minute, two more had finished forming and were heading their way.

The weight of responsibility fell heavily on Quin; he was leading the charge. His arm tensed as he swung faster, though he could feel his strength waning. The faith that he used to cast mystic power was running dry. he didn’t have low faith but the deer was simply too numerous.

Quin knew he had to make every strike count. He waited for the right moment, timing each slash to take down as many deer as possible. Five deer fell at once and another five and Finally, he saw the end of the horde approaching.

But he knew this wasn’t enough. HIs mystic power ran out. With about ten deer still in the way, they’d have to switch to using regular swords. Seeing the urgency of the situation, the Quin quickly ordered.

"Help me cut them down!" he called.

Two knights immediately moved forward, positioning themselves just behind Reeva and Max. They drew their swords and struck at the deer before them. Using their torches as a deterrent, they forced the deer back, intimidating them with fire. The deer either fell to their slashes or retreated, burned by the flames.

Even with three people clearing the way now, it was slower than when Quin used his mystic power alone.

"Priest, we could help..." one of the knights suggested.

"It won’t make a difference. Stay on guard and maintain the formation," Max replied, never glancing back.

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"Yes, sir."

The knight couldn’t shake his unease. As the tree creature drew closer, they felt the grim weight of their situation. Max was as concerned as the others but knew adding more people wouldn’t speed things up—it would only spread them too thin. Their priority was escape, not eliminating the horde.

Adding more people would risk leaving the civilians unprotected, creating openings in their defense. If they weren’t on horseback, they might have had more flexibility, but with the horses, it would only increase the chances of friendly fire.

As the tree loomed nearer, the deer around them grew more aggressive. Up until now, they had managed to hold formation because the deer were attacking one at a time.

The fire had proven surprisingly effective, even for the knights. But they all noticed the deer behaving strangely as the tree creature approached. Now the tree was big enough for them to be considered a hundred-year-old tree up close.

Then their worst fear came true. The deer charged without regard for the flames, becoming a relentless tide. Each knight now faced three deer at once.

Reeva found himself a target too, as several deer charged toward him. Fortunately, Max was quick to defend, his sword skills keeping Reeva safe.

"Help me!" a civilian screamed in panic as the onslaught intensified. Though none of them had been injured yet, terror gripped the group. Some of the more experienced civilians drew swords, prepared to fend off any deer that got close.

The knights fought desperately to protect themselves and those behind them, slashing and burning the deer that closed in. But despite their efforts, they couldn’t hold all the deer back.

One deer slipped through, breaking past their defenses and heading straight for a little girl.

The scream of horror echoes through the battlefield. As the last deer blocking their way fell.