They rushed forward as one coordinated unit.

Amiya led the way, map clutched in one hand while her other gripped her weapon. Marie stayed close beside her, the Star Jewel's golden light continuing to part passive roots.

Behind them came the fighters Reinhard, Joseph, Janus, Casseo, Veryn, Honor, and now Dune.

Roots lashed out from both sides simultaneously, attempting to catch them in a pincer. Dune's great sword swept through the left side, golden shockwave obliterating the tendrils before they could close the distance.

Janus crimson claws punched through the right side, expanding inside the wood to shatter the attack from within.

Night Terrors began appearing, such as the crow-like variants that had caused mental anguish earlier. Their high-pitched screams started building, preparing to unleash another mental assault.

Dune pointed skyward again.

Light shot up and split, the golden rain falling and smashing down on the enemies. Each Night Terror was struck directly, golden flames consuming their shadowy forms before the screams could reach debilitating intensity.

They dissolved without managing a single effective attack.

Root-creatures emerged from the tree line, they were humanoid constructs with mushrooms growing from their bodies. The fungi began glowing, building toward an explosive release of corrosive spores.

Veryn's barriers materialized around the group, purple walls that would block the initial spore burst.

But Dune moved faster as his fist clenched and smashed downward. The golden veil erupted, sweeping outward to catch the root-creatures before their mushrooms reached critical luminescence.

The constructs blasted into fragments, spores never getting the chance to detonate.

Then, Forest Roots beast, Tetans wielding wooden spears, Kabas with mushroom shells, all charged towards them. Over twenty of them were rushing towards the group while unleashing their own long-range attack.

The group didn't slow.

Reinhard's Gravity Step pulled clusters and their attack together before then reversing to scatter them. Casseo's Black Slash cut through reformed groups while Janus's roots bound stragglers.

Honor's banner swept through the chaos, black aura causing deterioration. Marie spear pierced through anything that got too close to Amiya while Dune fought near her.

His great sword carved paths of destruction, each swing producing shockwaves that cleared entire sections of the battlefield. His presence alone seemed to push back against the forest's oppressive atmosphere, creating breathing room not just physically but spiritually.

They advanced rapidly, covering ground that would have taken hours of fighting in minutes. The forest threw everything at them, roots from above and below, constructs from the sides, Night Terrors from the shadows, Phantasm Beasts from the trees.

But with Dune supporting their formation, the attacks that would have been overwhelming became manageable.

Amiya's voice carried over the combat: "Left here! The path curves, but the map shows this leads directly toward the center!"

They followed without question, formation shifting smoothly to accommodate the new direction. Reinhard's eyes slightly widened as he noticed Dune's spectral form flickered more noticeably now, his magic depleting with each massive attack.

But his smile never wavered, his movements never hesitated.

Why is he so… Wait, these are. Reinhard began hearing Dune thoughts, similar to what happened when he viewed his memory.

Dubne was fulfilling a promise two centuries overdue, protecting the future generations, clearing the path his own generation had failed to finish. And even knowing he would fade, the satisfaction in his expression suggested this was exactly where he wanted to be.

Dune…

The forest path narrowed, roots closing in from both sides like jaws attempting to bite shut. Dune's great sword swept left, golden shockwave tearing through the wooden barrier and creating an opening.

Joseph's lance punctured through before once again, winds burst out, making the humanoid burst into fragments. The group pushed through the gap without slowing, boots hitting packed earth in synchronized rhythm.

More enemies rushed out towards them.

Root humanoids emerging from the tree line in clusters of five and six.

Reinhard's Zenuken cut through the first, black-blue energy trailing from the jagged blade.

Casseo's sword followed immediately, Black Slash coating the weapon in a shadowy aura that split two more constructs vertically. Janus thrust both hands forward, his crimson claws multiplying and skewering three humanoids simultaneously before expanding to tear them apart.

Black Night Terrors drifted from the shadows between trees, their white glowing eyes tracking movement with unsettling precision. One moved directly into their path, its shadowy form blocking advancement. Its mouth didn't open, but a voice emerged nonetheless, echoing from within its formless body.

"Why do you even heed the call, Commander?" The words carried mockery wrapped in false curiosity. "Doesn't the dead know they should stay dead and stop wandering among the living?"

Dune smiled, his spectral form shimmering as he cleaved through a root-construct attempting to strike from his blind spot. The golden shockwave from his swing obliterated two more enemies behind the first target. "How can I burden the new generation with the old generation's problems without at least stepping up to help?"

Roots burst from underground with explosive force, erupting beneath Dune's position. Dozens of tendrils rushed upward like spears, trying to pierce through his golden form.

He spun, his great sword sweeping in a full circle. The shockwave expanded outward and downward simultaneously, catching the roots mid-emergence and pulverizing them before they could rise fully.

Wood fragments scattered, falling harmlessly around his feet.

The Night Terror continued speaking, its voice never wavering despite the combat raging around it. "The Old Generation is no more. Your city has collapsed, your armies were trampled, and your past glory is buried." It drifted closer, white eyes brightening. "In the end, your age is over. You have no place here."

Amiya shouted with a glare, carrying conviction that belied her earlier uncertainty. "Shut up! There's nothing wrong with our ancestors stepping up to help us. Especially against something like you!"

She swung her scythe through a root-humanoid, the strike empowered by emotion. The construct split cleanly, both halves falling in opposite directions.

Marie's spear followed immediately, piercing through two more enemies attempting to flank Amiya's position.

Janus nodded, his crimson claws tearing through another cluster of constructs. "Besides, it's only right that he be given a second chance to fight against this."

Dune's smile widened as his great sword swept forward in a devastating horizontal arc aimed directly at the speaking Night Terror.

The golden shockwave erupted from the cutting edge, expanding as it traveled. It struck the shadowy creature center mass with enough force to compress its form into a pinpoint before exploding outward.

The Night Terror shattered into fragments that dispersed like smoke in the wind, its mocking voice cutting off mid-syllable.

"Forward." Honor commanded, his banner sweeping through enemies on the right flank. The black aura caused rapid deterioration, wood weathering to dust within seconds.

They pressed deeper into the forest, the path becoming increasingly treacherous. Roots carpeted the ground in thick layers, forcing careful footing. The canopy overhead thickened until only scattered rays of light penetrated, creating a twilight environment despite the time of day.

More roots attacked from multiple angles with precision. Dune handled the frontal assault, each sword swing producing shockwaves that cleared swaths of the battlefield. Veryn's barriers materialized to block attacks from behind, purple walls holding long enough for Casseo's sword to eliminate the threats.

Reinhard's Gravity Step pulled scattered enemies together, then reversed to scatter them against trees with terrifying force.

They moved as a unit, each member covering the others' vulnerable points.

Amiya maintained their heading, map clutched in one hand while the other gripped her weapon.

Marie stayed beside her, the Star Jewel's golden light parting passive roots and providing illumination in the deepening gloom.

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