Those few enormous vines burst out from the ground near Fuen's feet, lunging towards Chloe and the others at an extremely rapid speed.
Their progress carried a chilling edge.
After Chloe ordered them to dodge, the members of the First Military Academy protagonist team quickly stepped back, nimbly evading the first wave of vine attacks.
Daniel's clothes were slashed with a gash, and he cursed:
"These damn vines are sharper than knives?"
He pressed his hand against his arm.
Qin Huaibei rolled his eyes at him:
"Focus, or the vines won't just cut through your clothes, but your throat next."
He was right. Fuen seemed determined to make things difficult for them, as the vines relentlessly attacked in a terrifying onslaught.
Eventually, they even coalesced into a massive canopy, aiming to ensnare the First Military Academy protagonist team in one fell swoop.
Left with no choice, Chloe had to employ her perception ability, instantly slicing these vines into shredded remnants.
But as soon as these vines were shattered, Fuen merely lifted his hand, summoning another torrent of vines to assail them!
Chloe swore under her breath:
"Don't resist him head-on, fall back!"
Every blade of grass and tree in the Forest of Life was under Fuen's control. If he wished, Chloe and her team might not even be able to leave this forest.
But more perilous than that was remaining close to Fuen.
Following Chloe's order, Qin Huaibei formed a hand seal, softly chanting a string of runes before forcefully flinging them backward, his voice sharp:
"Break!"
In an instant, flames erupted, reducing the indestructible vines to ashes while continuing to spread towards Fuen.
During this time, the members of the First Military Academy team ran for their lives, their only goal to get as far away from Fuen as possible.
Daniel praised Qin Huaibei's cool technique as they ran, but Qin Huaibei's face darkened:
"Stay focused."
Daniel widened his eyes: "I'm trying to compliment you for once, and you don't appreciate it?!"
Amidst their bickering, Chloe glanced back, her brow furrowing.
Her wings suddenly unfurled, and she darted towards Qin Huaibei and Daniel, scooping them up like schoolbags before taking flight above the Forest of Life!
Qin Huaibei and Daniel's squabbling abruptly ceased.
Daniel: "What the hell are you doing?"
Chloe remained silent.
Half a second later, Anderson and Katherine grasped her intention, unfurling their own wings to take flight.
In the air, they were less vulnerable to Fuen's control.
On the ground, Fuen gazed up at the five figures in the sky, letting out a cold laugh.
In the next moment, vines surged towards them in the sky.
With both hands occupied holding people, Chloe couldn't draw her weapon, so she forcefully flung Daniel towards Anderson's arms.
Daniel's face turned ghostly pale: "You bloody..."
Before he could finish, Anderson tightened his grip, nearly suffocating Daniel until he surrendered and kept quiet.
With one hand holding a person and the other wielding her blade, Chloe sliced through the incoming vines.
She spared a glance at her companions, confirming that they were all focused on fending off these vines.
But Chloe realized this wasn't a viable solution.
Fuen was clearly trying to hamper their progress. If this continued, he might even eliminate the entire First Military Academy team here.
Looking at the situation now, the latter seemed more plausible.
Chloe felt a flash of irritation.
This approach wouldn't work. If they kept this up, they would inevitably run out of stamina, while Fuen wouldn't be burdened at all.
Chloe felt her newly sharpened teeth with her tongue as she swung her blade, severing a vine segment. She asked with her head bowed:
"Can you still use your human secret techniques?"
Hearing this, Qin Huaibei sensed the magic within him and confidently estimated:
"Yes, but not much left."
Chloe: "Enough to support me attacking Fuen directly?"
Qin Huaibei: "If we move fast enough, yes."
"Alright."
Chloe didn't ask what he meant by 'fast enough.' As soon as the words left her lips, she charged towards Fuen at an extremely rapid pace.
Katherine's urgent voice called from behind:
"What are you doing?!"
Chloe didn't respond.
What was she doing? Of course, taking Fuen down.
Did this brat really think he could run wild in the Forest of Life?
Chloe was going to make him realize that even on the elves' home turf, she could still beat him into a bloody pulp.
With that thought, Chloe's gaze turned even fiercer.
Her diving speed was fast enough that while the vines swarmed towards her, most were incinerated by Qin Huaibei's secret fire spells.
Chloe only needed to push her speed to the limit.
Within just a second or so, Chloe came face-to-face with Fuen.
Without a word, she greeted Fuen's stunned expression with a fist to his face.
Fuen didn't dodge or evade, taking the full force of the punch, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
In the next moment, Chloe felt a chill around her ankle before being flung away!
The vines slammed Chloe's back against a tree trunk with brutal force.
The searing pain overwhelmed her, and once the initial agony subsided, lingering aches radiated through her limbs like a thousand ants crawling over her.
Yet Chloe's expression didn't even flinch.
Enduring the torment, she charged towards Fuen again.
She deftly hooked the vines around her ankle with her blade, accidentally piercing her skin, leaving a trickle of crimson blood.
Qin Huaibei had been thrown back when he landed, clutching his chest as he calmly flung fireballs towards Fuen.
Dammit, couldn't kill him with that.
This time, Chloe was more meticulous, and after several maneuvers, the vines couldn't even graze her clothes, but she landed several punches on Fuen's face and body.
But those were the only hits she could get, for Fuen soon caught on, using vines to form an impenetrable barrier against each of Chloe's attacks.
Frustrated, Chloe slammed her blade against the tightly woven vine web.
The recoil numbed her knuckles.
"Fuen, isn't this inappropriate?" Chloe remarked coolly.
As she spoke, she swung her blade to sever the attacking vines.
Sheltered by the vines, Fuen replied, "Nothing inappropriate about it. This is the home turf of the Sasley Military Academy. Aren't we allowed to exercise our advantages?"
Chloe's expression darkened:
"If that's the case, don't blame me for not holding back."
As the words left her lips, a torrential wave of perception erupted from Chloe!
This overpowering pressure seemed to take physical form, almost making one wonder if they could see translucent currents rippling through the air.
And in that moment, this perception converged entirely on Fuen!
Like a crashing tsunami, obliterating all in its path.
The vine web shattered with a crisp snap.
