Riyao hoisted Gray and Cana onto his shoulders, narrowly avoiding the Skeleton King's massive foot as it stomped toward the train. He stumbled a few steps upon landing, intentionally retreating toward the nearby forest while laughing loudly, his mocking words carrying a deliberate provocation:
"Hey! You coward hiding on that pile of bones! You can't hit me, you can't hit me! Stay mad!"
The leader standing on the Skeleton King's shoulder shook with rage, his cloudy eyes bloodshot. His raspy and high-pitched voice clashed together like a cracked gong scraping: "Arrogant brat! You're courting death! No matter where you run, you're going to die!"
Completely blinded by fury, he didn't stop to consider the trap, thinking only of tearing the three brats who had humiliated him into a thousand pieces. He immediately barked an order: "Chase them! Grind them into meat paste!"
The massive Skeleton King let out a deafening roar and began to give chase with heavy strides in the direction Riyao and the others were fleeing. Its giant feet trampled the grass, leaving behind deep craters, as Riyao's taunts lured it into the dense forest in its fit of rage.
Seeing this, a glint of a successful scheme flashed in Riyao's eyes. He immediately set Gray and Cana down and whispered urgently, "Quick, run into the woods! The trees are dense there; it'll limit that big guy's movements and keep the passengers completely safe!"
The three didn't hesitate any longer, turning to sprint deep into the forest.
The Skeleton King strode into the woods. It raised its hand to swing the massive bone blade, and although the dense, thick trunks didn't stop it, they did slow the speed of its slash. The enormous frame found it difficult to turn, and its long legs were constantly tripped up by protruding old tree roots. Its originally powerful stomps and sweeps were completely restricted in the narrow spaces between the trees, making its movements clumsy and sluggish.
Riyao grabbed a towering giant tree with both hands and exerted sudden force, uprooting several ancient trees with a thunderous crash! The fallen trunks piled up, jamming tightly against the Skeleton King's ankles and knee joints, forcefully locking its movements. Even though its bones could regenerate quickly, it would only be pinned even tighter by the wood, unable to move.
Gray immediately understood. Ice-blue magic spread along the roots in the forest: "Ice-Make: Geyser!" Frost crept up the trunks and wound into the Skeleton King's joints, strengthening the restraint.
Cana raised her hand and flicked out several cards. Withered leaves in the forest were swept up by a gale, turning into a Gray mist that filled the air, obscuring the vision of the Skeleton King and the villain on its shoulder. Simultaneously, trees proliferated and coiled around the Skeleton King's lower body, making its limbs increasingly stiff.
After finishing this sequence of perfect coordination, all three were breathing unevenly, their foreheads covered in cold sweat. The magic within their bodies was mostly depleted, nearly reaching its limit.
Gray supported his aching arms while Cana gripped her cards tightly. Only one thought remained in their minds: they hoped the Council's Rune Force would notice the commotion and hurry to this forest.
On the other side, the Skeleton King, entangled by ancient trees and trapped by the ice sealing its joints, was still frantically twisting its massive body. Its joints creaked and cracked, but it couldn't break free from the shackles of wood and ice in such a short time.
The villain leader on its shoulder looked as if his eyes would burst with rage, roaring frantically: "Useless! Get up! Crush them! Turn these three brats into ash!"
Seeing the Skeleton King temporarily trapped and unable to approach for the moment, Gray and Cana breathed a small sigh of relief, their tense shoulders dropping slightly.
Only Riyao felt a sudden jolt in his heart. An inexplicable palpitation quietly surged within him; in the dark, a power rooted in the earth was slowly resonating with him.
He suppressed his confusion and tentatively leaned over to reach out, his palm lightly touching the damp forest soil. In an instant, his eyes cleared, and he immediately understood the source of this resonance.
A complex magic circle of emerald green interwoven with golden patterns quietly unfolded on the ground. After the halo shimmered for a moment, it vanished soundlessly, looking empty as if nothing had ever happened.
Gray scratched his head while Cana tilted her small face in confusion. They glanced at each other, neither understanding what Riyao was doing at that moment.
Just then, the leader high above completely lost his patience, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes: "Since you're stuck!"
He suddenly surged his magic to issue an order.
Without hesitation, the giant Skeleton King raised the massive bone blade in its hand and hacked down fiercely at its own lower body, which was locked by the trees!
"Boom—!"
Dust suddenly filled the air, obscuring everyone's vision.
The broken bone fragments of its lower body floated in the air, avoiding all restraints and rapidly reassembling and connecting. Within a few short breaths, the Skeleton King was brand new, standing firmly on the ground, having completely broken free from all shackles.
The leader looked at the freed Skeleton King and let out a crazed, piercing laugh, his voice a mix of triumph and murderous intent: "Hahaha! A bunch of useless trash brats! Die! All of you, die right here!"
As the dust settled, they looked at the Skeleton King, which had voluntarily severed its own body to reassemble and escape, knowing how to make sacrifices to break a deadlock.
The three little ones, who had exhausted their magic, were stunned on the spot. Riyao subconsciously let out a low cry, his face full of bewilderment:
"Damn... this nameless minor villain actually has a brain?!"
Gray and Cana looked at the Skeleton King, which had become even more ferocious after its escape. With their magic depleted, they completely panicked for a moment, turning to look at Riyao in a loss—he was their only hope now.
But the moment they turned their heads, both of them were stunned.
Riyao was surrounded by a faint, shimmering green light. The light lingered like morning mist in the forest, flowing slowly from the tips of his hair, his fingertips, and the hem of his clothes. Even his pupils were tinged with a transparent emerald hue.
What was resonating with Riyao at this moment was the endless life force of the trees in this ancient forest. That emerald magic circle from earlier had already quietly established a link between him and the forest.
Riyao closed his eyes and no longer suppressed the resonance, greedily absorbing the massive life force surging from the depths of the forest like a parched land receiving rain. The surrounding ancient trees trembled slightly, their leaves losing luster at a visible rate and their branches withering gently as a vast amount of mixed life energy followed the path of the magic circle, turning into streams of green light that flooded into his body.
Although this life force was mixed and impure, carrying the wildness and coarseness of vegetation, Riyao could no longer afford to be picky. His magic, which had been on the verge of depletion, recovered rapidly under the nourishment of the life energy. The golden patterns of 'Hundred Battles' on his body grew increasingly brilliant, intertwining with the green light to form a dazzling gold-and-green light screen that spread through his limbs and bones along his blood vessels.
The golden patterns of Hundred Battles on his body slowly brightened. Riyao squeezed his fist, feeling as though he could punch a black dragon to death.
"Gray, Cana, go back to the train and wait for the Rune Force."
Gray and Cana didn't move, refusing: "No, if we're going to fight, we fight together. It's impossible for us to run away and leave a companion behind."
Riyao simply picked them both up and tossed them out of the forest, cursing, "I'm just afraid you two idiots will get caught in the crossfire!"
At the very moment the two were thrown away, "Boom—!"
The Skeleton King's massive bone blade had already swung before his eyes. The blade was enveloped in a howl that tore through the air, its shadow looming over the entire forest floor. The chilling deathly aura almost froze the air.
Riyao turned around, no fear in his eyes. Instead, a raging battle intent ignited. Facing that bone blade capable of splitting mountains and shattering rocks, he didn't retreat but advanced, the gold-and-green light condensed in his right fist as he threw a powerful, direct punch!