Yu and chased after Edward, his heart pounding in his chest from the exertion. Gino was following not far behind. As they ran, the energy fluctuations got stronger and washed over him. He could only swallow his discomfort and continue running towards the source.

"Elise!" Edward shouted, hoping to get a response from Elise.

Alas, he did not hear anything from her. Edward could only grit his teeth and hope for the best. He ran until his lungs felt like bursting. Yet, he did not dare stop.

Stray lianas were wriggling near them as they ran. The lianas snapped and slithered along as if being pulled by the energy. Suddenly, one of the lianas wrapped around Yu's leg and yanked him from down under. He slammed hard against the ground and was stunned.

During the few seconds that he took to recover, he was already pulled a distance away from the others. He heard the faint shouts of Edward and Gino.

The liana moved at a dizzying speed. Yu tried shaking his legs to loosen the grip. He also tried reaching down to his legs to try and cut the liana with his dagger. Unfortunately, the pulling force was so great that he could not fight the inertia.

He was dragged against the ground and through some bushes. Occasionally, he would bump against some tree trunks and get the wind knocked out of his lungs. The constant abrasions scraped the skin of his arms and tore some parts of his clothing.

After being dragged for an unknown distance and being knocked around until he could see stars, Yu decided that panicking and struggling against the pull was futile. He relaxed his whole body and let it become limp. He closed his eyes and focused on the moment. Once there was a change in movement, that would be his chance.

There was no change in movement until Yu suddenly felt that he was lifted up into the air. Only then did he open his eyes. The world around him was upside down as he hung midair. He could see many other strands of lianas wriggling all over him.

'This is my chance!' Yu thought and reached up to cut the liana wrapped around his ankles. It took him a few tries to cut through the tough and flexible stem. It did not help that the liana was swinging him to and fro, causing him to lose his grip on his ankles a few times.

Yu fell hard on his shoulder once the stem was cut through. The pain radiated through his shoulder throughout his whole arm, causing it to be numb and temporarily paralyzed. Ignoring the pain, he looked around his surroundings when a foul stench assaulted his nose.

He was near a foul-smelling bog. A small wooden dwelling stood next to it. Strange energy was emitted from the dwelling. However, what caught Yu's immediate attention was the innumerable lianas assaulting the knights, trying to wrap around them to pull them from underneath.

Although the knights seemed like they were in a predicament, they were actually holding up pretty well. Greysen's powerful slashes would obliterate numerous lianas with one swing. Cenric danced in between the striking lianas, nimbly avoiding them while dealing a few strikes himself.

Lana who was in the middle of the two swordsmen was casting magic that occasionally stunned the lianas. There were dead bodies of the corrupted wolves around them. It seemed that the wolves were not even a challenge to them.

The lianas were peculiar. It was as if they had their own consciousness. They would move nimbly. Sometimes, they would snake past one knight's strike to attack the other. However, the knights' quick reflexes were able to deal with such sneak attacks.

The situation was chaotic but Yu had his mind on someone else. He turned around frantically, trying to scan the area for any signs of Elise. Finally, he saw her hanging upside down, unconscious. He long hair dangled and swayed with the liana.

"Elise!" Yu shouted as loud as he could.

He hoped that he could wake her up. Unfortunately, she did not show any signs of waking up. The liana pulled her closer to the bog. Soon, other lianas converged and wrapped around her body.

Yu's eyes widened and he felt alarmed. He traced the lianas with his eyes and his sight ended up at the bog. A shiver ran down his spine as he thought of the eventual destination of the lianas. At the same time, he felt helpless. He could only watch as he did not know what should be done in order to free Elise.

Just then, the lianas somehow sensed that Yu was free and approached him swiftly, unlike the first time. Yu snapped his dagger up and deftly blocked the stem. This time, he was prepared.

The knights were alerted to Yu's presence the moment he shouted.

"What's that kid doing here?" Greysen complained as he unleashed a powerful slash.

Cenric grunted as he avoided three lianas whipping towards his direction. Although they could only defend themselves, it was not actually a stalemate. They were slowly whittling down the uncountable lianas.

Lana looked over to Yu with concern. She saw that the boy was frantically defending himself with a measly dagger. The lianas would try to coil around him but he would jump out of their reach in the last minute. Lana was surprised at first but it didn't last long. Yu's stamina was quickly wearing down. He could not sustain his current pace. She wanted to help him and Elise, but even a slight lapse in concentration was dangerous.

The lianas that wrapped around Elise tightened. The discomfort eventually roused her. She awakened feeling confused. Before she could regain her bearings, the lianas tightened further around her chest. The crushing feeling suffocated her.

Elise panicked and started struggling in an attempt to free herself. However, the more she struggled, the more constricted she felt. The lianas were so tight around her chest that her rib cage could not even expand. She gradually felt light-headed and tried shouting for help. Unfortunately, she could only gasp for air.

'Father, help me… Yu… please...' she pleaded in her mind as the world spun around her.

The others were too busy with their current situation to assist Elise at the moment. While the knights and Yu were busy fending off the lianas, Fulton watched them from within the wooden dwelling. He gritted his teeth, cursing the knights who discovered this place.

Fulton's preparations were almost ready. He was waiting for night to fall to start reciting the spell from the ancient blood scroll. However, the knights were gradually gaining the upper hand. He looked to the sky. It was a long time before the moon rose.

After deliberating for a moment, he decided to start the ritual earlier. It was not the ideal time for it, but it was better than their plan being foiled by the knights. The liana seemed like it will eventually be beaten.

"Jop! Bring the babies over. We're going to begin the sacrifice. Quick!" Fulton shouted over to Jop.

"Y-yes!" Jop answered feebly and rushed to get the babies.

Fulton went into the room where blood was drained from the captive humans. The stench was as overpowering as ever, but it did not faze him. He spread the old scroll over a wooden pedestal in the middle of the room and reread the incantations in his head to make sure that he got everything right.

Numerous barrels of blood surrounded him in a circle. He hoped that the blood was enough to power the spell.

"Master, here are the b-babies," Jop said as he carried the babies in a sack. They were wriggling and wailing from inside the sack.

"Good. Set them down on the floor," Fulton said excitedly as he pulled out a knife. This was the first time that he performed such an advanced spell.

Once the babies were laid bare on the ground, he swiftly slashed their tender necks. Soon, the wailing babies were silent. Their blood flowed onto the ground.

Fulton picked up a stick and carved a large circle around himself. Then, he filled it with intricate patterns. Finally, he wrote runes of the Old Language along the rim of the circle. Occasionally, he would refer to the scroll to make sure that he was right.

As Fulton was carving the magic circle into the moist soil below, blood from the babies flowed into the grooves in the ground. He felt magic energy accumulating in the magic circle. He was ecstatic that the spell was working.

As expected, blood from babies was the best. It was magic energy in the purest form and was the perfect catalyst for the spell. The blood finally traced the patterns of the magic circle. It was time for the incantation.

Fulton cleared his throat and wet his lips. He began reciting the spell in the Old Language.

[Ia serub kathee, tu emens oda natream,

Im ackut tda tu Lndang oda tu Wunia,

tda yikt tda mya coarhn usgna tu estipi opd linw: Blrdh]

Blood from the barrels started to float from their containers, responding to the words of power. They were attracted to the glowing red magic circle. He recited the rest of the chant.

At the same time, the people outside the dwelling felt the magical fluctuations from inside. This attracted their attention. However, before they could do anything about it, the liana shuddered and flailed around wildly.

They stopped their actions and watched the liana with caution. Dread filled Yu's heart as he caught his breath. He could see Elise still within the lianas' clutches. His mind was thinking rapidly of a way to help her. Unfortunately, he could not think of any method.

Elise was suspended in the air by the lianas, out of his reach. He wondered if he should jump into the bog and climb the lianas. However, the energy coming from the bog prevented him from doing so.

The different magical energy fluctuations in his surroundings overwhelmed his senses. He could feel the strange energy that they were tracking from the bog. At the same time, another dreadful energy came from the dwelling.

Yu shook his head in frustration. Just then, a loud and deep wail assaulted his ears.

The center of the bog rose up as a large figure emerged from it. Murky and viscous liquid cascaded down from its body. It stood up to its full height of 20 feet above the surface of the bog. The lianas were thicker and converged into a single trunk.

Human remains of varying degrees of decay were stuck in the crevices of its trunk and numerous stems. Decaying skin and flesh dangled from their bodies that were in twisted positions. Some of them had their eyes wide open and their tongues sticking out. Their pale bodies were bloated and were punctured by the twining lianas. The putrid stench wafted in the air.

The liana monstrosity roared from its non-existant mouth. It was actually a huge wave of magical fluctuation that sounded like a roar.

The liana, realizing that it was slowly being whittled down, finally decided to show itself. The liana was originally an ordinary plant. However, when the strange energy appeared, it fed on it and gradually evolved to its current form. There was a faint consciousness in the otherwise non-sentient regular lianas.

"By the gods! What is that monster?" Greysen exclaimed in shock.

"Be alert. Its attacks will be different from before," Cenric warned. He gripped his sword.

Lana gulped. It seemed that her premonition from before was coming true. She readied herself. However, she had only one mid-level magic left.

After pausing for a moment, the liana monster began whipping its stems in a speed much faster than before. The knights barely had time to react when a stem slammed Greysen against a tree in a distance. His sword flew from his hands. He fell onto the ground, groaning and tasting blood at the back of his throat.

Lana quickly cast [Protection] on herself and Cenric. The wall of light deflected the onslaught of whipping lianas.

Suddenly, magical energy exploded from the dwelling. Its wooden walls were blasted apart, revealing an eerie red glow over a large magic circle. Ribbons of blood danced in the air, rapidly absorbed into the magic circle.

Fulton's chanting grew louder and louder in a crescendo. Magic energy pulsed in waves in all direction. The glowing red runes along the circle moved and slowly clicked, like someone pushing a stuck gear with much difficulty.

"Blood magic!" Lana exclaimed in horror from the inside of the dome of light.

Cenric frowned. Too many things were happening at the same time. As if to add to his already chaotic surroundings, the liana monster pulled everything it could with its stems towards itself. Among the objects that it pulled were Edward and Gino. The monster seemed to want to absorb all the energy from other lifeforms in order to become stronger.

Yu and Greysen were not exempted. The liana wrapped around them and yanked them off the ground. They were all pulled towards the bog.

"No!" Lana screamed in horror. At this rate, the others will be absorbed by the monster.

In her haste, she canceled the [Protection] and started the prayer for another magic. She needed all her magic energy for the next spell.

"Lana, what are you doing?" Cenric exclaimed. He was surprised by Lana's sudden action. He quickly deflected most of the lianas but some of them managed to injure him. Worry washed over his face as he could not protect the both of them while Lana was initiating another magic.

[Smite]!

Lana pointed her palms towards the liana monster and willed the magic with all her might. Light surrounded the whole monster and burned it.

A hideous scream pierced into their ears.

The monster's long stems trashed violently in pain. They snapped against the ground in a frenzy. Then, it unwinded its stems that were twined around objects, humans included. They fell hard onto the ground with the air knocked out of their lungs.

Yu groaned, his head spinning. He pushed himself up to take in the current situation. Being distracted was a big weakness in this situation.

Despite the confusion, Edward looked around and saw Elise laying motionless. He rushed to her, ignoring the stinging sensation from his ribs.

"Elise!" he cried.

Elise was laying on her side, her eyes closed. Her face was deathly pale with a tinge of blue. Edward's heart dropped. He shook her but got no response. He felt for her breath. There was none.

The [Smite] was still in effect, with the liana monster alternating between jerking and flailing its stems. It curled and extended its stems as if it was trying to mediate the pain.

Its movements were more erratic compared to the last. It somehow sensed that its current suffering was caused by the male and female duo. Enraged, it focused its stems on them.

Cenric had difficulties evading and parrying the stems even with his increased perception due to its erratic path. The prolonged battle and him covering for two people did not help as well. A few liana stems slashed at him and he barely parried them. Then, a stem whipped over and slapped his right shoulder and dislocated it. Cenric grunted in pain.

A swift liana stem shot past him. His injured arm failed to block it in time.

"Lana!"

Lana who was concentrating on her magic did not notice the stem. As a mage, she trusted her back to her companions when she cast her magic.

She felt her chest explode with pain. She looked down and saw a bloody stem protruding out of her chest. Her eyes widened and her mouth formed a soundless 'O'. Then, the stem lifted her off the ground as it reeled in pain from the effects of [Smite].

Lana screamed as she was swung in the air. She was eventually dislodged from the stem and fell to the ground. She rolled a few times before coming to a stop, leaving a trail of blood behind her.

Yu was shocked at the sudden development. They were gaining the upper hand, but the tides changed in an instant. He knew that he should not be sitting in his current position, not doing anything-- but he could not peel his eyes away from Lana's downed figure.

He saw her trying to get up. She tried to collect whatever magic energy she had left but the sudden cancellation of magic created a backlash on her. She trembled as she tried again. Blood rapidly flowed from her wound.

Suddenly, her blood defied gravity and floated up into the air. Her body jerked upright as more blood was sucked out from her.

The trail of blood flew towards the magic circle and was absorbed. Lana screamed in agony as more blood was sucked out. The color drained from her face. Her veins constricted and her heart tried to pump faster to compensate the blood loss. However, the sudden drop in blood volume was too much for her heart to handle and it ceased beating.

Lana was dead before her blood was sucked dry. Her muscles spasmed for a bit as the last drops of her blood exited her body. She then fell limply to the ground.

"No!" Cenric roared in grief. Unfortunately, he was not given the opportunity to grief as the liana monster was still flailing its stems.

The last drops of blood were absorbed into the blood magic circle. The glowing red runes finally clicked into place. The spell was complete. Magic energy resonated in the air and the spell was finally released.

"Hahahaha! The blood of a mage does the trick!" Fulton was elated.

He was having difficulties with the spell but the problem was solved with the addition of Lana's blood. A mage's blood, after all, contained higher magic essence from that of a normal human.

Red light shot up from the magic circle. Everything came to a standstill including the liana monster.

Yu shuddered. The strange energy grew dreadful and more sinister. He felt suffocated and frightened. The hairs behind his neck were standing on their edges. Goosebumps covered his skin.

Then, a thin line was drawn in the air. Finer lines branched out and grew in length. They converged and a few pieces of the of the sky was cracked open. Crimson light shone from within. It widened gradually and a slender white hand with needle-like nails squeezed through it. The hand retracted, replaced by an eye peering through the crack.

It was gleaming in crimson. Yu felt that something deep within him stirred when he stared into the eye. It was as if his soul was attracted to the hypnotizing crimson light.