My world-tree system-Chapter 66 - 65: Rescue

The two adversaries collided with unprecedented violence. Foster’s katana came down in a swift arc, searching for a gap in the Hell general’s defense, but the latter parried with his massive claws, creating a spray of sparks.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The blows followed one another at lightning speed. Foster struck with precision and fluidity, but his opponent compensated with terrifying brute force. Each of the demon’s blocks sent a shockwave through the clearing, throwing chunks of earth and grass around them.

"You’re fast, I’ll give you that!" laughed the demon as he parried another attack. "But speed alone won’t be enough to defeat me!"

He counter-attacked with a vicious backhand, his claws slicing through the air with a deadly hiss. Foster narrowly dodged as he pivoted on himself, slipping under the attack with feline suppleness before immediately counter-attacking with an estoc strike.

SHLAAK!

A red line appeared on the hellish general’s torso. A superficial wound, but a wound nonetheless.

The demon stopped dead in his tracks, lowering his eyes to his chest before sneering.

"Impressive. You managed to touch me..." He licked the wound with his black tongue and split the air with a toothy grin. "But believe me, it’s nothing compared to what I’m going to do to you."

He extended his claws toward the ground and, with an infernal roar, a wave of black energy exploded around him. Dozens of shadowy vines sprang up from the ground, seeking to immobilize Foster.

"I’m not going to give you time to react, you miserable elf!"

Foster leapt back, but one of the vines wrapped itself around his ankle. He grunted and tried to slice the shadow with a clean stroke, but the material regenerated instantly.

"Tsss... Now that’s annoying."

The general burst out laughing. "There you go, caught like a bug in a web!"

He lunged at Foster, ready to skewer him with his claws.

But just then, Foster’s grimoire lit up again. He raised a hand and whispered in a cold voice:

"Root of the World Tree."

BOOM!

Dozens of roots sprang up from the ground, piercing the earth and hurtling towards the demon. Some wrapped around his arms, others pierced his abdomen.

"AAAAAAARGH!"

The demon howled as he struggled, trying to break the roots holding him in place.

Foster took advantage of the opening. He lunged with all the speed he could muster, his katana gleaming in the dim moonlight.

"Die."

He struck.

The edge of his blade met the demon’s neck in a flash of steel and severed flesh. Silence fell for a moment as a trickle of black blood gushed from the gaping wound.

But...

"Tsk... Tsk... Tsk..."

A guttural laugh rose from the hellish general’s throat.

Foster opened his eyes wide as he watched the wound close before his eyes, as if time itself were reversing its course.

"Ah... I see," Foster murmured. "Advanced regeneration..."

The demon stared at him with a sadistic smile. "Exactly. You can slice me a hundred times, but I’ll always get back up. But you, how long before you run out?"

Foster stepped back slightly, thinking fast. He knew he couldn’t afford a battle of attrition. He had to strike hard and fast.

His grimoire opened of its own accord and the pages turned madly until they stopped on a very specific spell.

"Invocation..."

The air around him charged with energy. Luminous green glyphs appeared beneath his feet, shining in symphony with his tattoos.

"...from the roots of the world-tree."

A violent wind swept across the clearing. A blinding light exploded from the ground, and suddenly an immense root sprang up, striking the demon full force with devastating power.

The hellish general was hurled through the air like a common puppet. He crashed several meters away, creating a crater under the impact.

Foster gasped, his body on fire from the magical effort he had just produced.

But he couldn’t let his guard down.

The crater shook. Slowly, the demon straightened up, his body still covered in wounds... but his eyes burned with a new rage.

"Not bad... NOT BAD AT ALL!" he yelled, spreading his arms wide. "You’re the first to push me that hard, Elf! But now..."

The atmosphere suddenly darkened. The air became heavy. Oppressive.

Foster felt an icy chill run down his spine.

The demon parted his mouth and, with an infernal roar, unleashed a blast of black energy.

- "I’ll show you... what HELL really means!"

- Come here, you piece of shit," Foster replied.

Foster felt his adrenalin surge as his body lunged once more at the now more powerful Hell general.

With a flick of his hand, his grimoire lit up with a vibrant green glow, ancient letters floating around its pages.

- Roots of the World Tree]!

The ground shook under the force of the incantation. Like hungry snakes, dozens of thick roots sprang from the earth, twisted and gnarled, hurtling towards the demon with lightning speed. They slammed the air with unheard-of violence, hissing like enchanted whips.

The hellish general grabbed each of them and tore them off, slicing them with force.

- Shit," Foster swore.

Without giving him time to react, Foster pivoted on his support foot, lowered his center of gravity and bent his legs slightly before executing a lightning charge. His katana split the air, ready to slice again.

The general protected himself by crossing his claws, but this time Foster anticipated. He reversed his grip on his katana at the last moment and, in one fluid movement, changed the trajectory of his attack in mid-strike.

His whole body pivoted, increasing the speed of the blow in a devastating upward arc. A fiery glow ignited the blade, transforming it into a crackling streak of fire.

The demon barely managed to dodge the blow by moving to the side, but not completely. His left arm was sliced clean off.

- GRAAAAAAH!

An infernal howl echoed through the clearing as his black blood splattered onto the grass. But instead of falling, the creature smiled evilly.

- You dare...

His muscles contracted, his skin began to boil, and in an instant, a new arm sprang from his shoulder with a vile crack.

- You think you can hurt me, you miserable vermin?

Foster gritted his teeth. Advanced regeneration. A power unique to the beings of hell. He couldn’t hope to defeat him with conventional blows.

The Hell general’s dark aura exploded, distorting the air around him into a vortex of evil energy. Foster barely had time to cross his katana in front of him before a shockwave hit him full force, throwing him backwards. He rolled several meters before digging his blade into the ground to stop his fall.

He winced.

His arms trembled.

It wasn’t just the force of the blow that had shaken him, but the oppressive sensation that now weighed on him. The demon hadn’t even attacked directly yet, and yet he could already feel the crushing pressure of this unleashed power.

- So, the little elf has nothing more to say? sneered the general, his guttural voice echoing through the clearing.

Foster didn’t reply. He simply tightened his grip on his katana.

- All the better. I’m going to break you.

The demon vanished.

- Crap!

A violent blow struck Foster in the abdomen. The impact was so brutal that it felt like his organs were being torn apart. He felt his body being lifted off the ground before being thrown like a rag doll against a tree.

- GHAAA!

The wood shattered under the impact and he crashed to the ground, a trickle of blood running from his mouth.

He tried to right himself, but a sharp claw grabbed him by the throat and lifted him into the air.

- You weren’t so smart before, were you?" growled the general with a sadistic grin.

He tightened his grip, and Foster felt the air run out of him. He tried to slice the demon’s arm with his katana, but the latter released his throat to drive his fist into his ribs.

CRAC!

A searing pain exploded in his side. One or two ribs had surely given way under the force of the blow. Foster toppled forward, breathless, before another blow crashed into his back, pinning him violently to the ground.

He tried to move, but his body refused to obey him.

Too fast... too powerful...

His brain was spinning, looking for a way out. He had to react immediately or he would die here. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

The general of Hell placed a foot on his back, crushing him further against the earth.

- You’re already at the end of your rope? Disappointing.

Foster gritted his teeth, struggling not to lose consciousness. He couldn’t end up like this. Not now!

He could feel his body screaming in pain, his mind wavering under the pressure.

But a flame still burned within him.

A flame that refused to go out.

The general leaned back slightly, savoring his victory.

- One last dying wish, bug?

Foster slowly raised his head, his eyes ablaze with unshakeable determination.

- Yeah... die.