246 Vine Graveyard Monster

“Grass monster, die!” Lupa shouted as she lept from a tree with her claws extended and her hands raised to slash.

The vine monster vigorously retracted and shot vines at Lupa, causing her to frown. Lupa gritted her teeth and began swinging her claws furiously. The vines rushing towards Lupa were soon reduced to shreds.

While Lupa was still in mid-air, and the head of the vine monster was in front of her, she swung her claws at the glowing red seed core attached at the center of the vine monster’s hollow head.

However, the vine monster retaliated, and multiple small thick vines extended like spikes from its chin area upwards. In the blink of an eye, a spiked vine visor formed with rays of red light escaping the tiny holes.

The momentum of Lupa’s swing soon came to a halt. The vines were thick and condensed enough to stop her swinging arm abruptly. Lupa’s prized sharp claws that could cut even thick wood got stuck. It was as if the vines were protected by mana or something as hard as metal.

Lupa struggled to remove her claws, but the only possible way remaining was to remove her combat form and lose the extra stats it provided. She felt more at danger for feeling weak rather than hanging by one hand on a three-meter vine monster.

As Lupa was trying anything but change her form, her ears raised at full alert, and she soon saw vines extending to impale her. Lupa was in mortal danger, but Primal Insight didn’t activate no matter how much she struggled.

*Swish* Lupa heard footsteps followed by a strange buzzing sound. After hearing the sound of multiple light objects falling on the ground, Lupa heard Ester say the code word, “Ambush!”

The vine monster suddenly started tilting and falling to one side. One of its legs was torn in half.

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Lupa took the life-saving opportunity made by Ester after she drilled one of the vine monster’s legs in the middle. Lupa started swinging her body and managed to evade the multiple vines headed toward her.

The Ester didn’t think her desperate attack would work so well. She swayed her body with the momentum as if dancing and turned her body facing the last undamaged leg.

The pair of crimson eyes moved and locked on the next target. Ester used the momentum to swing her arms and release all the condensed wind she had collected thus far. Before the vine monster hit the ground head first, the final leg was torn in half.

Lupa gritted her teeth, mustered her strength, and twisted her hand. With a rush of pain, she managed to break or tear her stuck claws out of the thick vines at the last second.

Lupa fell and rolled out of harm’s way a second before the vine monster was about to fall on her. Lupa was fortunate enough not to get crushed by the massive vine body slamming on the ground.

Ester felt a sense of dread after she thought of attacking the fallen and defenseless vine monster. However, what Ester felt was a warning given by the past two-month experiences she faced.

The vine monster didn’t have any killing intent as if it was an object, yet Ester believed that her life would be in danger if she ever decided to approach the fallen vine monster.

Ester turned her gaze at Lupa. She saw Lupa contorting her face and holding her hand. The white fur of one finger was colored red. Their chances to fight and win decreased as time progressed.

“Lupa, what were you and Vincent doing before you came here for us?” Asked Ester to see if they could receive aid from Vincent and Kazumi.

“I hunted two humans, and my mate hunted one. I was winning, but a grass monster like this one stole one kill from my mate.” Lupa grunted with her teeth slightly revealed.

“I left after I saw a grass rope thing with a mushroom and another with a red shining ball.” She added while cautiously taking a few steps back.

Ester now discovered where the second red glowing seed went. ‘I hope Vincent isn’t in danger.’ She hoped.

“Lupa, help me place Iris on my back. ” Ester asked. She went beside Iris and stored the mudcrab shield before grabbing Iris.

Lupa arrived and helped Ester placing Iris on her back. Lupa turned her gaze and saw the vine monster sucking dry two trees and slowly standing up on regrown vine legs.

“Vincent can make fire remember? Let’s get his help. Either way, he can’t start a fire here because of the trees.” Ester had a plan in mind, and it involved the use of mutated fire. Even if the fire isn’t enough, Ester hoped it would at least help remove the spike visor and allow Lupa to land a strike.

Lupa nodded and said, “Run, I will distract the grass monster if it comes after us.”

Ester and Lupa ran. They soon reached the end of the cluster of trees, and a sight to behold welcomed them. A seven-meter tall vine monstrosity of dread and death stood beside the crater.

On it was multiple withered humans and withered goblin corpses wrapped in vines. Unlike the one that stayed behind and absorbed trees, this one absorbed the adventurers, the inhuman Viscount Demel Blackheart’s private guards, and the goblins.

The vine graveyard monstrosity raised its arms and shot multiple vines at its head. Ester and Lupa soon notice a trial of green steam and a person on its shoulder.

Vincent was running toward its massive hollow head. He suddenly swung his arm and later snapped his finger. A short blast of green fire burnt the vines, and those that kept moving through the flame ended up missing him.

Vincent jumped and started climbing its head. He gazed down and saw his girls after he stood on the top of the towering vine graveyard monster.

A frown appeared on his face the moment Vincent saw trees fall one after the other. Something was rushing towards his girls. They were in danger.

Vincent crouched and grabbed a vine in each hand. Vincent focused on Overflow and started sucking all the mana the vine monster absorbed to grow so massive. The hunted became the hunter.

The towering vine graveyard monster shot multiple vines, but the longer they extended to reach Vincent, the more withered they became until they broke like a piece of dry wood.

Ester and Lupa could only stare at Vincent, who was causing the towering vine graveyard monster to panic. Vines extended, and vines fell. A rain of withered stick-like vines fell on the ground nonstop.

Spike-like thick vines poked out. Kazumi warned of the danger, so Vincent knew its intentions to impale him. If the vines from the arms failed, then the thicker vines from its temple should do the trick.

Vincent stopped absorbing the mana of the towering vine graveyard monster. He stood up and raised his hands.

On each hand, Vincent gained a couple of charges empowered with condensed mutated mana he absorbed. Two fingers were charged entirely, and one finger was half-charged on each hand.

The glow emitted from the nooks of each finger transferred to one hand. Vincent raised his fully charged right fist and slammed it on the towering vine graveyard monster’s head with all he had.

A powerful shockwave forced every vine to vibrate individually. While the towering body made out of vines started to lose its shape and wobble as if it was about to collapse, Vincent grabbed the edge of the vine graveyard monster’s head and jumped inside its large hollow head.

“Checkmate!” Vincent said with a grin before grabbing the red glowing core larger than his head and absorbing the concentrated mana.

All the vines started to wither evenly after each one temporarily acted individually due to the shock separating them while Vincent absorbed the mana directly from the core.

The towering vine graveyard monster soon crumbled and broke like a sculpture made out of bristle-dried wood.

Vincent fell down with a large red mushroom the size of a soccer ball in his hand. Kazumi suddenly warned of danger, but Vincent was too far and too late.

The second vine monster emerged from the forest. It shot its vines like harpoons and headed toward the unsuspecting Ester and Lupa.

Because of all the fighting in front of her, Lupa noticed the second vine monster attacking them from behind too late. However, before Lupa tried to push Ester away from the path of the vines, she heard, “Seed Guardian. Sprout.”

A glowing blue seed sprouted into a seven-foot seed guardian made out of vines in mere seconds. It pushed Ester, Lupa, and Iris away *Boom* the seed guardian became impaled by dozens of large thick vines.

The seed guardian took one last look at its master and wiggled its vines as if they were snakes. Its hollow head switched from front to back without moving an inch. The arms and legs also changed the elbow and knee pivot point. The seed guardian then started wrapping its vines around the vine monster’s arms.

historical

The vine monster raised its arms and tried to free its self. It was at that moment Vincent knew he had to act. He sprinted with all the strength his legs could provide, and unexpectedly *Boom!* the seed guardian exploded after it used the last of its little mana in its core to save its master.

Vincent jumped and used hundreds of pieces of vines falling on the ground as stepping stones. He climbed up three and a half meters high with his improved perception and speed.