Master Of Astral Summoner

Only a few moments later, the red-haired woman and Fenrir emerged from between the towering trees. Shaan immediately held his breath as they stepped into view beneath his hiding place. Damn... That was close. If he had arrived even a second later, they would’ve found him.

Robin Hood lowered his voice to a whisper. [So... what’s the plan now?] He watched the woman move cautiously through the forest. [We should attack while we still have the chance.]

"Target Fenrir first," Shaan whispered without taking his eyes off the pair below. "But don’t shoot yet."

His sharp gaze followed every movement the giant wolf made. "We need to wait until Fenrir gets a little closer..."

The beast took several more steps. A confident smile spread across Shaan’s face. "...Now."

[On it.]

Robin Hood immediately fired his arrow and successfully hit Fenrir. A loud explosion erupted instantly, causing the creature to howl in pain. Great, it seemed Robin Hood’s attack had hit its mark.

"Fenrir!" the red-haired woman shouted in surprise, hearing Fenrir’s howl from behind her. "Damn it, what the hell is going on?"

"Amazing—that was a great shot, Robin Hood," Shaan smiled with satisfaction, seeing his plan unfold perfectly. "Now, bring down all the trees surrounding them. They definitely won’t be able to dodge this attack."

[Understood.] Robin Hood drew his bow without hesitation and fired five arrows in rapid succession. [Time to finish this]

’BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!’

A chain of explosions ripped through the forest. One towering tree crashed into the next like a line of falling dominoes, sending massive trunks crashing toward the red-haired woman and Fenrir. Thick clouds of dust and splintered wood swallowed the entire area within seconds.

Robin Hood immediately drew his bow and fired five arrows in rapid succession. In an instant, the successive explosions toppled all the surrounding trees like dominoes, until everything was shrouded in thick plumes of smoke.

[Not bad.] Robin Hood leaned over the branch and peered through the dust below. [Jeez... I think we crushed both of them.

"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing." Shaan nodded, unable to hide the satisfaction in his voice. "No one could survive an attack like th—"

’Swoosssh!’

"W-What was that?!"

Shaan froze. His face drained of color as something sharp burst out of the dust cloud and shot straight toward him. Fortunately, the object missed and only struck a tree trunk. Otherwise, he might have been killed in an instant.

[D-damn. What’s really going on?]

Shaan swallowed hard and stared at the knife lodged in the bark. "...This knife..." His eyes widened. "Oh, no." He immediately turned toward Robin Hood. "Robin Hood, we have to leave. That woman—"

Before Shaan could finish, the entire tree shook violently beneath them. The branch lurched from side to side. At first, Shaan thought his exhausted body had imagined it. Then the trunk trembled again, even harder than before. Leaves rained down around them while smaller branches snapped and crashed through the canopy.

"Argh... Damn it!" Shaan shielded his face with one arm as twigs and leaves struck him. "What’s going on? Why is the whole tree shaking?"

[I have no idea what’s happening down there either.] Robin Hood shrugged and carefully scanned the area below.[Hold on. Let me take a look.]

He slowly leaned over the branch. The instant he looked down, his eyes flew wide open. His expression stiffened.

Every trace of confidence vanished from his face, replaced by pure alarm.

’...What did he see?’

"Robin Hood, what—"

[Shaan, listen to me! Grab the trunk and don’t let go!].

"Huh?" Shaan frowned in confusion. "Robin Hood, what do you mean by—"

The tree lurched again. This time, the violent jolt nearly threw both of them from the branches. Several thick branches snapped overhead and crashed into Shaan’s shoulders and back. He tried to grip the tree trunk as tightly as possible, but unfortunately, the tree suddenly tilted sharply to the side. Instantly, his grip slipped, and he tumbled right off the tree.

’Wooaaahh!’

[Shaan!]

’Thud!’

***

’Ck-hack! —’

Shaan opened his eyes instantly and looked up at the dark sky. Honestly, he hadn’t expected to survive that fall. The tree had stood dozens of meters tall, and he had already prepared himself for the worst. Yet somehow... he still breathed. Pain throbbed throughout his body, but none of his bones seemed broken. He forced himself to his feet and winced as every muscle protested.

"Ro-Robin Hood! Where are you?" Shaan slowly stood up, scanning his surroundings. "I’d better go look for him now."

Shaan pushed aside the tree branches blocking his path and began searching for Robin Hood. His eyes scanned the area, but he couldn’t see anything except a tangle of branches all around him.

"This is bad. Robin Hood should be around here somewhere, but where exactly..."

Shaan’s eyes were immediately drawn to the silhouette of someone walking with a limping gait toward him. At first, he thought the figure was Robin Hood. But as the figure drew closer, the dust gradually cleared. His smile vanished.

"...Oh, damn." Shaan tightened his grip on his twin short swords.

The red-haired woman stood before him.

Blood stained parts of her clothes, and scratches covered her arms, yet she still carried both swords as if nothing had happened. Her eyes were filled with hatred as she glared at Shaan.

"You think you can defeat me like that?" The woman swung her sword, and instantly a stream of black mana enveloped the blade. "I’ll make sure you die right now!"

The woman instantly launched a series of attacks at Shaan. Shaan crossed his twin short swords and poured every ounce of strength into his arms as he blocked each incoming strike. Sparks burst into the air with every collision.

’Clink! Clink!’

’Damn it...’His jaw tightened. Shaan bit his lower lip, his face tensing. "I have to launch a counterattack no matter what."

A ferocious battle raged between them, and Shaan’s defense began to weaken. He then decided to try a different tactic this time. When the woman launched an attack at him, he dodged and ducked. Without hesitation, he kicked her leg hard enough to make her lose her balance and fall.

"Argh, damn it, what the—" The woman fell silent, seeing the tip of Shaan’s sword pressed right against her neck. "...Tch."

A faint smirk spread across her lips. "You got me." She let both swords fall from her hands and slowly raised them in surrender. "Not bad." Her emerald eyes locked onto his. "A clever trick... for someone as weak as you." She smiled. "Just kill me."

"Kill you?" Shaan shook his head without hesitation. "No." He tightened his grip on his sword but refused to move it any closer. "I won’t do that." His eyes never left hers.

"I’m not a monster like you."

For a brief moment, silence filled the forest. The woman stared at him. Then she laughed. "Heh... What a naive fool."

Her smile widened. "In that case... I’ll kill you instead."

’What the hell is she-’

The woman kicked Shaan’s calf bone, sending him tumbling to the ground. She quickly twisted his arm and managed to wrestle Shaan’s dual short swords from him. She then swiftly pressed the tip of one blade against Shaan’s throat, turning the tables in an instant.

’I-impossible....’

The cold steel pressed harder against his neck. A thin line of blood trickled down his skin.

"You..." The woman leaned closer, her eyes blazing with contempt. "A weakling like you doesn’t deserve to live."

She pushed the blade a little deeper. The cold steel bit into his skin. Warm blood trickled down his neck, and he didn’t dare swallow. "Now..." A cruel smile spread across her face. "...let’s end this."