"How are we going to escape from here?" I asked, obviously excited.

"Just stand back, we will do it," Vyaghra ordered.

Nymeria and I stepped back as the squad took their positions. Jambavan, Ruru, and Vyaghra stood side by side while Ume stood in front of them, facing the barrier.

Jambavan and Vyaghra placed their hands on Ume's shoulders, and Ruru touched Ume's back with her antlers.

Energy in the form of glowing veins began flowing from their points of contact and directly entered Ume.

Without wasting a moment, Ume drew one hand sign after another in rapid succession. A large pink magical circle formed in front of her, followed by three rings—red, blue, and black—each representing the corresponding Soulforce of the Four Gods. She continued her hand movements for almost five minutes until the magical circle began rotating—first slowly, then at blinding speed.

Once the circle reached the zenith of its speed, a violent screeching energy erupted from it, passed through the three rings, and collided with the barrier.

The trio behind her poured with sweat and breathed heavily as their energy was consumed tremendously, while their leader, Ume, who was putting in the most effort, barely showed any sign of fatigue.

After another fifteen minutes of continuous collision, the barrier began showing signs of cracking.

"We are close to breaking it," Ume announced. "Hold on a bit longer."

A few more cracks appeared on the barrier, but then the blue ring started flickering, and the barrier began restoring itself.

Thud...

Ruru fell to the ground, and the blue ring completely disappeared.

"Jambavan! Vyaghra! Increase your output," Ume shouted. "If the barrier restores itself, we won't be able to break it again."

"W-we are trying... Your Majesty," Vyaghra huffed, his eyes barely open.

"B-but we don't have... much Soulforce left either," Jambavan added.

"Do you need my help?" I offered, stepping up.

"Y-you can't help us... I-I can only draw Soulforce... from a fellow beast," Ume muttered, trying to stabilize her magic circle.

The intensity of the energy beam significantly decreased, and some of the energy began deviating from its path; hitting the ground, leaping into the air, and even bouncing back directly at Ume.

She closed her eyes, bracing herself for the incoming attack.

"Diamond Shield!"

A diamond-shaped ice wall appeared in front of Ume, tanking the attack for her.

Nymeria stood beside her, Frostbite in hand glowing with intense white.

I touched Ume's back with my hand before declaring in an arrogant tone, "If you need a beast to draw Soulforce from, I shall become a beast for you. Draw as much as you want."

"But—"

"Do it, Sister. He also has a core, so it might work," Nymeria added.

"H-he has a core?"

"Y-your Majesty, we can't hold for much longer," Vyaghra muttered under his breath.

"Tch, I shall try if you say so, Sister Nym."

Ume took a deep breath and began drawing hand signs again.

Ding...

"An external force is trying to consume the Host's Soulforce.

Should I activate the defense mechanism?

[Yes] [No]"

"Whoa, you had a feature like that?" I shouted inwardly before immediately pulling myself together. "No, don't activate it."

Veins of golden energy bulged from my core, flowed through my arm, and entered into Ume, forming a huge golden ring even greater than the magical circle itself, ahead of the other two rings.

"H-how do you possess such an enormous amount of Soulforce at your realm?" Ume gasped, utterly dumbfounded. "The extent of your Soulforce is similar to that of a Sacred Beast."

"Ume, shouldn't you focus on the task at hand?" I said, pointing toward Jambavan and Vyaghra, who had also fainted from exhaustion.

"Oh, you almost diverted my attention."

"Me?"

In front of the magic circle, there was only one ring left now—golden and full of energy. It was the energy of Yours Truly, after all.

Her magic circle stabilized, and the energy beam that had been veering off course once again followed a straight line.

The pink energy beam began flickering with lightning, its intensity increasing several folds, and the moment it struck the barrier, it pierced right through, opening an exit.

"You are a monster, Raj," Ume murmured.

Her knees buckled, and just as she was about to fall, I grabbed her by the waist and whispered, "Careful, Your Majesty. A Queen shouldn't kneel that easily."

"Raj, aren't you being too cheeky?" Nymeria hissed, folding her arms.

"Are you jealous, pretty lady?" I asked, leaning Ume's head on my shoulder as I sat down.

"Hah! Jealous, my foot," she scoffed. "She's your betrothed, so I don't care what you two do. I was just worried that the barrier might repair itself again."

"Don't worry... Sister Nym. The exit won't close... f-for one essence stick's worth of time," Ume replied, breathing heavily.

"You heard her, Nym," I smirked. "Why don't you also rest for a moment? My right shoulder is free."

"Raj, I have noticed you've become too bold these days," Nymeria muttered, drawing her sword. "Do you want to leave the forest as a corpse?"

"U-Ume, tell your sister to sheath her sword," I pleaded.

"..."

"Ume?"

"..."

She had already fallen asleep on my shoulder. I gulped and spoke in a low tone, "P-pretty lady, I was only teasing you. May you sheathe the sword? It's dangerous."

"Hmph, jerk," she muttered, turning her sword away.

After a couple of minutes, the squad rose again, and we were all set to move out.

We moved toward the opening of the barrier, and as we reached it, I turned and saw Ruru looking at us with tearful eyes.

"Ruru, why are you just standing there?" I called.

"She cannot come with us," Ume said. "She must stay here to heal herself."

"Why can't she heal herself like you all?"

"Her circumstances are different from ours," Vyaghra said, joining the conversation.

"But she'll be all alone if we all leave," I protested.

"I appreciate your concern, Raj, but she won't be able to survive in the outside world if she leaves the forest in this condition," Ume said. "But do not worry. She is not alone here."

Ume pointed at the thousands of deer-beasts emerging from the forest behind Ruru.

"They're the beasts of the Deer Clan that ya saved, Raj," Jambavan said in a calm voice, placing his hand on my shoulder. "They came to bid ya farewell."

I walked up to Ruru, touched my forehead to hers, and whispered, "I promise, I will return one day and take you out of here."

"Raj, come quickly," Nymeria called. "The barrier has begun to close."

Ruru licked my face and gave me a gentle push toward the exit.

I broke into a sprint, glancing back one last time.

"Take care, Ruru!" I shouted.

As the barrier closed fast, I leapt through the opening, slipping out of the Forest of Gumiho.

---

[End of the First Arc: Forest of Gumiho]

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