My world-tree system-Chapter 40 - 39 : Two generals of Hell

The forest was plunged into an almost unreal silence, a suspended calm that only foreshadowed the storm to come. Foster waited, hidden in the heights of a thousand-year-old oak, his body perfectly still despite the tension that ran through every fibre of his muscles. The hellish general he was to eliminate was slowly approaching, his massive silhouette silhouetted against the night mist.

Foster took a deep breath. His heart beat to the rhythm of the wind blowing through the foliage. The moment had come.

With a fluid movement, he leapt from his hiding place. Fulgurance Tempestive activated at the last moment, transforming his body into a flash of black lightning that tore through the night. It came down on his enemy like a sharp blade.

The demon reacted too late. Foster hit him full force, his reinforced fist slamming into his torso with unprecedented violence. A shockwave swept through the surrounding area, uprooting tall grass and sending shards of stone in all directions.

The monster recoiled, its armour cracked. But it didn’t fall.

A twisted smile played across his lips.

- ’A gnat who thinks he can take down a titan.’

Foster didn’t answer. He snapped his fingers.

The World Tree’s Roots sprang up from the ground, wrapping themselves around the demon’s legs, tightening with inhuman strength. He growled, trying to free himself, but Foster gave him no time. He raised his hand and a Fireball formed, crackling with pure energy.

With a brutal gesture, he sent it straight at the target. The explosion lit up the clearing, casting moving shadows on the surrounding trees.

A guttural howl echoed through the night. But just as Foster was about to attack again...

Something changed.

A sudden sensation, a link that vibrated inside him.

And then, the pain.

Somewhere in the forest:

Köflik parried a monstrous blow, the impact of the demonic fist causing him to grunt in pain. He slid several metres, leaving deep marks in the ground.

That monster... he was playing with them.

Around him, Giovanni, Yänn, Känn and Lorie tried to maintain their formation. But it was getting harder and harder.

- Keep moving!’ shouted Köflik.

Giovanni leapt forward, his sword covered in a thin layer of Ki. He struck diagonally, but the demon dodged with disconcerting ease. Then, with a flick of his hand, he swept Giovanni aside like a twig.

Lorie cast a worried glance towards him, but it was a mistake.

The general from hell disappeared.

A shiver of alarm ran through Köflik, but it was already too late. The demon was behind Lorie.

An explosion of Ki split the air as she tried to counter-attack, but the riposte came a fraction of a second too late.

The monster’s fist struck her full force in the abdomen.

The impact was brutal. His body was thrown backwards like a rag doll, hitting a tree with unprecedented violence. The trunk cracked under the force of the impact.

- ’LORIE!!’

Köflik felt a cold rage come over him.

Giovanni staggered to his feet, blood pouring from his forehead.

- She’s alive!’ he shouted. ’But she can’t fight any more!’

The demon sneered.

- ’What a pity. Such a beautiful little warrior.’

Köflik tightened his grip on his sword. He would not let this monster take another step.

Back to Foster:

Pain exploded through his body.

It wasn’t just a sensation. It was a tear.

His breath caught for a moment. Lorie...

Through their bond, he could feel her suffering. Every pulse of pain resonated within him like a bruised root in his World Tree.

His heart raced. He had to go. He had to go now.

He took a step backwards, ready to leave at full speed...

But a shadow stood in his way.

The General of Hell, barely scratched, looked at him with amusement.

- ’You seem to be in a hurry, little king.’

Foster gritted his teeth.

- ’Stand aside.’

- ’Oh, I guess not.’

The demon burst out laughing, crossing his arms as if he were watching a wayward child.

- ’You can feel her agony, can’t you? HAHAHA, the smell of fear of loss, it’s delicious.

Foster felt a shiver run down his spine.

Related.

An intuition germinated in his mind. Something he hadn’t yet understood.

Those two generals... They were twins.

The puzzle suddenly fell into place. Their bond didn’t just make them stronger. They shared their existence.

If one lived, the other would survive.

Foster clenched his fists. They had to be eliminated at the same time.

But he was alone here.

And Köflik and the others... they didn’t know.

His eyes lit up with a dangerous gleam.

The demon in front of him smiled, unaware of the determination that had just been born in Foster’s eyes.

- Keep on fighting, when I see the hope fading in your eyes, I’ll feel an immense pleasure.

Then, in an icy whisper:

- My pleasure will be to plunge this blade into your head.

...

Foster leapt back, his breathing ragged. All around him, the terrain bore the scars of their confrontation: trees uprooted, whole swathes of vegetation reduced to ash, and the ground pitted with deep craters. The air still vibrated with the magical resonance of his attacks.

And yet... the demon stood there, still.

Not just resilient. Regenerated.

His black armour, which he had cracked earlier, was smooth again, as if it had never been broken. His wounds had disappeared. Even his breath remained regular, implacable.

Foster gritted his teeth. It couldn’t be done.

He’d used all his resources: his roots had pierced this monster, lacerated it like a rag doll. He had burnt it with his flames. He hit it with the full force of Tempestive Fulgurance.

Nothing. He always came back.

- You’re quick, I’ll give you that,’ said the General in an amused tone, rolling his shoulders. ’But what’s the point if you can’t kill me?’

There was no arrogance in his voice. Only an icy certainty.

Foster didn’t reply.

He didn’t have the time.

A shiver ran through him as his link with the other elves of the World Tree suddenly vibrated. A dull pain shot through his chest, sending an uncontrolled shiver down his spine.

Something was wrong.

A presence in her mind... was weakening.

Lorie.

Foster took a sharp breath.

He could feel her. Through their connection, her pain reverberated inside him. Her breath became weaker, her energy frayed.

She was going to die.

He had to move. He had to move now.

Foster took a step back, ready to charge towards them.

The General of Hell raised an eyebrow. Then a toothy grin split his face.

- Oh no, no, no.’

He disappeared.

Foster had no time to react.

An explosion of pain ripped through his ribs as a fist slammed into his left flank. His body was thrown like a cannonball, smashing through three trees that crumbled under the impact.

He hit the ground, rolling several metres before coming to a halt in a spray of dust and splinters of wood.

He immediately got to his feet, stunned but alive.

A mocking laugh rang out.

- Little king, hurry up, your girlfriend is dying and soon her little group will join her...

He disappeared again.

Foster reacted at the last moment.

He rolled to the side, narrowly dodging a black fist that crashed into the spot where he had been standing a moment earlier.

The ground exploded on impact, raising a cloud of dust and sending shards of rock several metres.

- Crap.

Foster couldn’t stay there.

He had to get through.

Without waiting, he threw himself forward, using all the speed of Tempestive Fulgurance. He rounded the demon, shooting like an arrow towards the direction where Lorie was fighting.

Quickly.

Faster.

- ’Tsk.’

A shiver ran down his spine.

But it was too late.

A black wall sprang up in front of him.

The demon was already there.

Foster had just enough time to widen his eyes before the blow hit him full force.

A wrenching pain exploded in his chest as he was thrown backwards again, dragged dozens of metres.

He crumpled to the ground, coughing loudly, blood dripping from his lips.

Above him, the general looked on, impassive.

- ’You shall not pass.’

Foster closed his eyes for a split second.

Lorie.

She was going to die.

Her companions were fighting desperately.

And he was stuck here.

No.

No.

NOT LIKE THIS.

He clenched his fists, his body shaking with the effort.

A dull throb resonated inside him.

Something was stirring inside him.

A deep throbbing.

A primitive current of energy.

The World Tree.

Its roots.

Its essence.

Its bond with its people.

And suddenly...

Foster felt it fully.

Their energy flowing through him.

The flow of power that united them all.

The demon raised an eyebrow at the change in his gaze.

- ’Are you still up?’

The air around them changed.

The atmosphere became heavy.

The ground began to vibrate subtly.

The leaves trembled, as if driven by a non-existent wind.

And then, slowly...

Foster’s tattoos lit up.

A fleeting light, like a burst of power awakened too soon.

The demon froze.

- ’What, another one of your-’

Foster disappeared.

The demon had no time to react. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

His fist crashed straight into his face.

A deafening impact.

A blast of destruction.

The ground exploded beneath their feet.

The demon’s body recoiled violently, thrown back several metres.

- No more games.