Hero of Darkness

In the heart of Babylon's unforgiving realm, the clash of man and nature intensified. The battle of elements continued, each side seeking to dominate the other in this epic struggle for survival and supremacy.

And as the dust settled and the battle wore on, the true strength of the Hero's Party would be put to the ultimate test.

And finally, the member of the Hero's Party saw their attacker.

Step!

Step!

The Female Dryad Summoner stepped forward, her eyes gleaming with a mix of amusement and malice.

She exuded an aura of ancient power, deeply connected to the essence of nature itself. Her hair was adorned with leaves, and her body had a faint green hue, giving her an otherworldly appearance.

However, the face was covered in a black mask that hid her true appearance while the tree branches sprung from her back, the green leaves on them made it look like she had grown wings.

"Well, well, well, what a delightful surprise." she said, her voice carrying a melodic tone.

"I must say, it's been quite some time since I've encountered a Hero's Party with such potential.

The last one from 300 years ago were simply too unorganized."

Maximus and Atreus exchanged wary glances.

Whoever this enemy was... They knew that facing a skilled Dryad Summoner in her natural domain was no easy feat.

Her control over nature's elements could be devastating, and her ability to summon powerful creatures was unmatched.

"Who are you?" Atreus demanded, trying to keep his composure despite the daunting situation.

The Dryad Summoner chuckled, swirling her fingers in the air as vines and roots emerged from the ground, curling around her like an ethereal shroud.

"You may call me Sylvana." she replied.

"And I am one of the Guardians of this section of Babylon."

"So, you planned this ambush?" Maximus asked, his tone stern.

"Of course, my dear. I had to test your mettle, see if you were worthy of traversing this realm of the Gods... Or maybe I did that just because I was bored." smiled Sylvana and replied enigmatically.

"You could have simply approached us peacefully." Borat retorted.

"We didn't come here for conflict." said Rolakan from the middle.

Sylvana's smile widened.

"Ah, but where is the fun in that? A little ambush and few deaths never hurt anyone." she replied nonchalantly.

The Dryad Summoner's intentions were clear – she sought to test their strength and perhaps claim their lives for herself.

With a flick of her wrist, the battlefield erupted into chaos.

Vines snaked towards the Hero's Party, and creatures of the forest lunged from the shadows. The air crackled with wood elemental energy, and the ground trembled under the might of nature's fury.

Maximus, Atreus, and their party members stood firm, facing the onslaught with unwavering determination.

The onslaught of wood elemental creatures added a new layer of challenge to the already intense battle. These humanoid forms made of tree trunks and splintering spikes on their bodies moved with surprising agility, their massive limbs swinging with destructive force.

Bang!

Fists and bodies crashed against tall shields and walls made of mana cast by the two knights.

Stab!

With Maximus holding the line, the monsters that managed to breach the exit point were swiftly dealt with. Conan's light elemental swords sliced through the wooden limbs of the creatures with ease, while Maximus used his formidable strength and swordsmanship to overpower them.

As the monsters attempted to charge through the narrow gap, Maximus took advantage of their clustered formation.

He focused his elemental powers and unleashed a torrent of vines and roots that entangled the creatures, trapping them in place and leaving them vulnerable to Conan's attacks.

It was barely 3 meters wide and given their size, when Maximus covered almost half of it, they had to enter through that small gap.

And Conan being a light elemental seasoned swordsman, acted swiftly to cut down their legs, limbs and decapitated them.

On Borat's end, he did the same while cementing himself against such an onslaught.

BANG!

A massive Fist made of bone-biting frost appeared and punched through the heart of one of these Lord Rank monsters as Kahn simply created a big hole in its torso.

But instead of waiting, he spoke to Borat.

"I will kill as many as I can, you get rid of anyone who passes through the gap in case I fail to kill them in a single strike." he spoke in a resolute tone.

"Yes, sir." replied Borat and quickly plunged his greatsword.

Rumble!

As the ground rumbled and the vines emerged, a second layer of defense was created, reinforcing the permafrost walls that Atreus had erected earlier. The wooden walls with spikes acted as deadly barriers, impaling any of the wood elemental creatures that dared to approach.

Borat's wood elemental skills were put to good use, manipulating the vines with precision and agility. With each movement of his hands, the vines acted as extensions of his will, striking down the enemies with deadly accuracy.

The ground around the exit point became a battlefield of thorns and splintered wood, as the wood elemental creatures struggled to breach the defenses.

In the sky, Speki's fireballs streaked through the air, their fiery trails leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. The summoned firebirds swooped down from above, adding their elemental fire attacks to the mix.

Vikaat's metal halberds, controlled by his skilled summoning abilities, acted as deadly projectiles, piercing through the flying monsters with deadly precision.

Together, the Hero's Party unleashed a devastating display of elemental power and coordinated teamwork. The battlefield was filled with chaos and destruction, as the wood elemental creatures were met with a formidable force they had not anticipated.

Jump!

Kahn jumped high and summoned over 40 icicles that swirled behind his back like levitating spears.

Even as a Semi-Saint, Kahn's current limit was over 2 thousand at this point but he intentionally chose to use only 5% of his maximum capacity. So that others won't get suspicious.

Shoot!

The volley of icicles shot like arrows, each one precisely targeting the heads and hearts of the monsters rampaging towards them.

As Kahn's icicles shot through the air, they struck with deadly precision, finding their marks in the heads and hearts of the rampaging wood elemental creatures.

Each icicle acted like a lethal projectile, taking down multiple enemies with each shot. Kahn's control over the ice element was masterful, and he displayed his prowess as a skilled marksman.

At this moment, their strategy was working perfectly.

Both entrances allowed them to whittle down the enemy numbers and even the sky was covered by their allies, leaving them in an advantageous situation despite being under siege.

However, Kahn was not happy with this situation.

Why?

Because despite the number of monsters decreasing continuously… Kahn sensed that they were revitalized by the Life Force.

Their shattered and cleaved bodies were returning to the back of the armies and were being rebuild in mere minutes.

And using his Hunter's Domain, Kahn sensed the source of this unending life force to be…

Sylvana.