Looking down from the sky, the army of tree people created by the mist tree spirits seemed less impressive, just like a dense forest or a wave of lush greenery surging forward.

Of course, considering the same height, Beacon City viewed from above resembled a miniature city on a sandbox. Once the tree people breached the city walls, the entire city would suffer.

"It's such a headache. And judging by their demonstrated regenerative abilities, we won't be able to eliminate them unless we burn them to ashes, right?" Aya did not transform into her dragon form, merely hovering in the air with her membrane wings beating.

"Then let's burn them all in one go," the princess said confidently, as always.

"Seriously? But remember, Queen Mother is among them too."

"That's why I haven't taken action yet."

Tiran sighed. How did he not think to suggest to his mother to draw more magic circles on the headbands initially? At least equipping them with teleportation protection spells would have spared them this headache now.

Although the crystal ball's response continued to indicate that Vivian was currently not in mortal danger, in a forest of active trees, no one could guarantee they wouldn't be crushed in the next second.

With the tree army advancing to less than a kilometer from the city walls, time was running out for them to make a decision, and it seemed like there was only one option left before them.

"You chop down the trees, I'll save the people."

Yeah, that's the plan.

...

The sky was filled with dark clouds at some point, casting a gloom over the city. The mist tree spirits could already see clearly the panicked people behind the city walls and the seemingly diminutive houses.

Compared to its size and the fences it could easily cross, Beacon City's wall was nothing to the giant creatures. The residents inside the beacon were now keenly aware of the fear of the monsters landing.

The towering figure looked down on the common folks, making even movement difficult under its oppressive presence. The sense of helplessness was overwhelming, and even running for their lives felt impossible within the reach of this colossal creature.

The city guards had done everything they could. Magitech cannons and ballistae were calibrated, bundles of arrows soaked in oil were stacked on the walls, archers were lined up, silently waiting for the tree people to enter their range.

But to be honest, even if they could repel the ordinary tree people's assault, wouldn't the two hundred-meter monsters easily flatten the beacon?

Though no one spoke, every soldier standing on the battlements deeply understood this. Even the sturdy stone walls beneath their feet trembled from the vibrations caused by the tree people marching, yet they had to stand there at that moment.

Footsteps approached within range.

Observers around the soldiers waved their flags.

No verbal commands were issued on the walls—interpreting flag signals wasn't everyone's forte, so dual signaling was usually the method. But at this moment, it felt like their vocal cords were restricted, unable to utter a sound as if their throats were sealed with beeswax.

There were no human voices, only the sound of leather rubbing, bowstrings twanging, cannonballs rolling into barrels, and the faint hum of spell circles charging.

The pressure reached its climax, waiting for the right moment to ignite.

Given the speed of the tree people's actions, they wouldn't have a second chance to fully reload.

"Fire!!!"

"Blast them to hell!"

"Damn it!"

Almost simultaneously, each military officer on the defense lines issued their command. But it wasn't exactly an order; rather, it was a release of the suppressed fear and frustration, transformed into anger and profanity.

Of course, specific commands were not necessary. Everyone was tensed up, waiting eagerly to unleash everything at that moment.

Almost in response to their courage, the moment the battlements were illuminated by cannon fire and rockets, the clouds ripped apart, radiating intense light.

A crescent-shaped sword energy crossed the entire length of the wall, cutting deep into the ground about a hundred meters away from the wall.

The leading tree person who failed to evade desperately rolled into a ditch, before being trampled by its Beacon City companion behind, while the following troops got tripped over. Along with the burning arrow rain and cannon blasts exploding among the trees, the scene turned quite spectacular for a moment.

Joining in the descent were several huge meteors of fire, courtesy of Aya's powerful magic, intensifying the fire on the fallen tree people in the ravine, turning it into a blazing furnace.

"Looks like it's effective. Let's keep it up," Tiran remarked, landing next to the sword's mark she had created, watching the trees below crackling in flames.

The rift in the ground alone wouldn't halt the tree people's advance, especially leaving two divided mist tree spirits strategically located at the back of the tree army.

But Tiran seemed prepared for more than just that.

With the sword as the focal point, visible distortions in reality began to emanate from the blade, a subtle strangeness spreading out from the edge.

The laws of time and space were the fundamental rules beyond "matter" that composed the world, marking the chasm between Holy Rank and ordinary beings. Altering the time law could help Holy Rank easily dodge any attack, while tearing apart space was their sharpest weapon.

Any object existing in this world couldn't sustain its existence after withstanding a sword strike that severed space along with it.

Even for Tiran, facing a scaled-up enemy in numbers with this range of space rifts was unprecedented. She wasn't sure where the limit of this strike lay.

Deep ebony.

Similar to the strike that severed the mist tree spirits in two, the rift extending from the sword's edge was a pure black void without a hint of light, even devouring the surrounding radiance, dimming it further.

The vast coverage allowed the spatial crack to be sustained longer than before, with each rift consuming immense energy. Despite having made pacts with deities and receiving bodily strengthening shared with Aya through life force, Tiran could feel her body subtly cracking under the strain.

Luckily, before reaching her limit, the scale of the spatial crack finally enveloped most of the tree army before her.

"Goodbye."

Holding her breath, Tiran swung the blade charged with numerous spatial rules, as if executing any routine and straightforward strike during practice.

Everyone tensely watching Tiran and the tree army experienced a strange dislocation, originating from Tiran's position and rising up at an angle of about ten degrees, causing a minor flicker in the extensive scenery. It wasn't glaringly noticeable, but easily discernible.

At that split second, the almost still air on the plain suddenly howled with furious winds as the surrounding air rushed into the space cleaved by Tiran’s strike, refilling the vacuum left behind by the void.

Even the air couldn't escape, and the tree people facing this sword strike head-on naturally suffered the same fate.