BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Thunderous footsteps and a fierce cacophony of roars shook the walls of the fortress as countless beasts charged out of the forest. Beasts of all types charged without discrimination, intense bloodlust leaking from their bodies.
The eyes of these beasts contained a maddening light, some even showing a hint of unwillingness that would go unnoticed by everyone present. Still, they charged without care.
They stampeded over each other, even killing fellow beasts in the process. Some even turned outright and began devouring their brethren as they charged the thick metal walls they were approaching.
The scene was truly chaotic.
From the top of the fortress walls, two women watched this scene play out.
"Do you think we can work safely within a tide like that?" The blue-haired woman asked.
"It's no problem. My illusions should be perfect for this kind of situation." A pink-haired woman responded.
After they entered Jia City, the girls were almost immediately thrust into action. Barely anyone paid attention to them, simply pointing them towards the location they should be situated and leaving them be.
And only an hour or two later, another beast ride approached.
The process of events was rapid to the point where Rose wasn't able to examine the black strings she saw on the cultivators, and Elena was also forced to suppress the nagging feeling in her heart.
As the tide appeared closer to the city, a booming voice rang out, attracting the attention of every able fighter in the vicinity. "Alright! No time for talk! Everyone charge!"
A wave of elemental attacks flew into the coming tide, with many cultivators equipped with a variety of weapons following close after. Among these were Rose and Elena.
However, unlike the others, they didn't attack head-on. At speeds faster than sound, they arrived in the middle of the beast tide before descending rapidly.
Boom!
The impact of their descent crushed a few beasts below them and forced the others to scatter. But Rose wouldn't allow them to get away.
"Illusory Throne."
The world became grey and a massive dome trapped all beasts within a 100-meter radius within it. However, the beasts were none the wiser. Even the cultivators outside had no idea this was happening.
"Go wild. I should be able to hold this domain for many hours without rest." Rose said, encouraging Elena.
Elena gave her a deep look before charging into the crowd. Her body became a streak of light and in the next second, howls of pain could be heard from the beasts.
Shiiing!
The sound of a blade being drawn resounded through the domain and following it, ten beasts were immediately bisected.
Without hesitation, Elena moved to her next target. Taking one hand off of her katana, she waved it towards her back, causing golden-white ropes of light to bind a beast that was charging her.
But she ignored it, continuing her forward charge. Behind her, those ropes tightened around the beast, the light it was created from burning through its body until it was eventually diced into mincemeat.
A group of 10 more beasts suddenly pounced at her from every direction, while a flying beast dove down to ambush her. Facing this barrage, Elena stayed calm. Luckily enough, all the beasts she had fought so far were at 2nd class, allowing her to blaze through them.
"Yggdrasil."
Hundreds of thick tree roots exited the ground and surrounded her in a protective field, growing into a towering tree. The tree reached half a kilometer in height, which would have been a sight to behold if anyone else on the battlefield could see it.
The attacks of those beasts landed on the trunk of the tree, causing only light scratches, and that flying beast was skewered by the tree as it formed.
Once the trunk had branched out, Elena's voice resounded once more. Her words fell onto the ears of even those rampaging beasts, causing them to look in her direction. Her voice was like a melody that attracted them to its source.
"Call of Life."
Every beast within Rose's domain found a new target within the massive tree. Previously, they were attacking randomly, some not even having opponents. However now, they had a unified cause.
Find whatever was in the center of that tree.
It was truly a sight to behold. The sky was almost blotted out with the number of aerial beasts, the ground was a sea of darkness cast by the shadows of those running. And at the center of it all, a beautiful tree emanating a wondrous aura of life.
As the battle continued without pause, Rose had been slightly increasing the size of her barrier, trapping more beasts. Like this, the number only increased instead of decreasing, providing Elena with a steady source of experience.
As for the danger that would come if Elena ran out of mana? There was none. Everything happening was within Rose's palm, and all the beasts so far were weak enough to be crushed by a single move from her.
In earth terms, she had built an Exp farm for Elena's convenience. As for her, she simply sat back on the illusory throne that only she could see and watched the events in amusement.
On Elena's side, the sea of beasts had finally reached her tree. The branches extended, becoming akin to massive whips that maneuvered through the crowd below her and bisected everything in their path. As for the aerial beasts…
"Judgement."
A familiar skill was cast as a beam of light left Elena's body and shot into the sky. It transformed into tens of swords, showcasing her progress after her first fight with Rose, and charged into the crowd of beasts flying towards her.
"SKREE!"
Screeches of pain rang out, but they were drowned by the cacophony forming below. The swords of light in the sky continued unhindered, slicing many birds and winged reptiles into shreds. And on the ground, those beasts were being crushed into meat paste.
It was a symphony of death, with blood spilling wantonly and assorted body parts flying through the air. Oddly enough, though, not a single drop landed on Elena.
Well, that part could be considered a small gift from Rose.
Slowly but surely, the sounds of roaring and stampedes died down, leaving only a single tree standing within the grey world.
The ground was painted red, the massive tree was green, and the sky itself was grey. It was truly a beautiful contrast. However, the silence was quickly interrupted.
"Grrrr"
A low growl could be heard within the domain as a single beast walked forward proudly. It was a massive lion with two pristine wings on its back. Its mane was billowing even without a breeze as if it was blessed by the wind.
"Human, I cannot say I do not understand the reason for your actions, but you do not understand ours either. Regardless of wrong or right, you must die today." A deep and hollow voice left the mouth of the lion. Its aura was released wildly, clearly outlining its strength.
It was a mid-level 3rd class beast, perhaps even higher level than Rose.
