Defiance of the Fall

After a quick look he saw that it only was fifty minutes until the fruits ripened . Even if he had blazed through all resistance in the forest it took some time to traverse the distance . He figured that if he ran it would take him twenty minutes or so to reach the crimson tree . He was hesitant whether he should leave the cover of the forest to enter the field as he would be completely exposed if he did .

After some deliberation , he ran along the forest edge toward the opposite side of the field . The demons should be concentrated on the eastern side , as they entered the valley from there . The army might have spread to encircle the tree by now , but it should at least be thinner at the opposite side .

When he was a bit more than half-way to the other side he veered into the dead zone and headed for the tree . He was running out of time and needed to get to the fruits . The area was largely devoid of combatants , either monkey or demon , and soon he saw why .

As he approached the tree he saw a scene of utter chaos . The magical tree still stood tall as it had before , with the addition of the two ripening fruits . Covering it was a glimmering shell covered in dense fractals . Zac felt that the shield should be the work of the System , as the fractals felt perfect and in harmony with the universe , just like the ones on his array flags . The inscriptions on the demons’ weapons were far more simplistic in comparison .

Packed around the shield was a confusing and bloody carnage between monkeys and demons . There were no lines of demarcation , no strategy , and no order . There were just hundreds upon hundreds of bodies crammed together , desperately trying to kill anything on the opposing side . They all tried to claw their way closer to the shield and the tree , to be as close as possible when the shield dropped .

Right by the edge of the shield , a few areas almost devoid of people could be seen , and in one of them , Zac saw the white-haired demon fight against the monkey king . The Herald had a few supersized monkeys by his side , and they furiously did everything they could to support their leader . It looked like the Herald was mostly healed up , but a huge scar adorned its chest now .

Every strike between the Herald and the general created rippling shockwaves in the area , keeping all the grunts at bay . The ground looked blazing hot with fire and molten rock , likely a result of the herald’s onslaught .

But the general clearly held the advantage , and with dizzying swordplay was whittling down Cindermane’s defenses . The large scar on his chest had started to open up , and new wounds over his arms accompanied it . Zac realized the lethality of the general , as even Zac’s own mighty swings had only left a white mark on the Herald’s sturdy hands . The hulking monkey captains were covered in wounds from head to toe as well , one of them even had a whole arm missing .

Meanwhile , the general still looked pristine apart from some soot marks , as though the carnage and fire in the surroundings was isolated from himself . The monkey captains were doing what they could to ease the pressure , but it seemed that they wouldn’t be able to hang on for long unless something changed . Since Zac didn’t want the general to kill the Herald , at least not yet , he was determined to be the change that would turn the tides .

Chapter 61 - Pitched Battle

The ground was barely visible beneath the forces as blood and broken bodies covered most of it by now . Even fires were starting to erupt at various spots around the battlefield , likely from the attacks of Pyromancers and the Herald . With the dried out tree husks on the ground the whole valley would likely be an inferno of flames in a short while .

Zac could see that more combatants from both camps were steadily streaming in from the surroundings , and immediately joined in on the mayhem when they arrived . He checked his quest and saw that the timer showed 00 : 10 : 03] .

Zac once more glanced at the mouthwatering fruits glistening on the tree , and after a few steadying breaths , he charged into the frenzy . He steadily moved forward wielding an axe in one hand and a dagger in the other . He refrained from using Chop] in this crammed melee , afraid to draw attention to himself .

He mainly used the axe to deflect or hook incoming swings , and finishing off the enemy with a quick stab in their throat or heart before moving forward . It was a quick and dirty method that didn’t announce his monstrous Strength .

He steadily moved forward , forced to kill a combatant almost with every step . His disguise was still assisting him immensely , as it often took the demons a second to register that they weren’t facing an ally . And a second was all that Zac needed to quickly and discreetly kill them .