Chapter 177 Fire lord!!

Chapter 177: Chapter 177 Fire lord!!

As the words left Luna’s lips, the entire tree shook violently, as though the creature had understood her insult and was furious about it.

Surprisingly, that was the happiest moment Luna had experienced since being trapped inside the damn thing.

Finally!

She had been waiting for the tree to make the first move. Now that it had finally revealed its anger, she had a perfect excuse to destroy it without holding back.

"Fuck! My throat!" Ethan’s strangled voice rang through the cage. "This motherfucker is choking me!"

He struggled against the vines wrapped around his neck, desperately trying to create enough space to breathe. Kai, who had been struggling for a while himself, suddenly went still as the memories of what had happened earlier came rushing back.

"Fuck! That means I really came back here and forgot everything that happened before!" he exclaimed, his eyes widening.

He remembered being the only person awake when the others were trapped in their strange illusions. He remembered watching the vines crawl over their bodies, tightening around them while the tree slowly drained their blood.

And yet, somehow, he had returned to that same situation without remembering any of it.

How the hell was that even possible?

"Wait a minute." Adrian turned his head toward Kai as much as the vines allowed. "How did you know about this fucking mess?"

He could finally speak because the vines that had covered his mouth and face had loosened. As he looked around, he realized something terrifying.

They had never truly left this place.

Their bodies had remained trapped inside the vine cocoon the entire time. Everything they had experienced afterward had been nothing more than an illusion created by the tree.

Kai stared at him as though the answer should have been obvious.

"Well, I don’t know if you were listening earlier, but I said I was here. I was the only one awake when this damn thing started sucking the blood out of us."

He was about to explain further when Rowan let out a painful groan, drawing everyone’s attention.

"Guys, just fucking cut it out!" Rowan snapped, his voice rough and exhausted. "Can we please get the hell out of this tree? If you’re not tired of being trapped in here, I am! I’ve lost enough blood to fill an entire drum!"

Kai glanced at him.

"That’s assuming you still have enough blood left to fill the drum you’re talking about."

Rowan’s jaw dropped.

For a moment, he simply stared at Kai, apparently struggling to decide whether he wanted to strangle him or save his remaining strength for their current predicament.

Kai immediately facepalmed himself.

"Oops."

Luna rolled her eyes so hard that she nearly gave herself a headache.

Unbelievable.

They were trapped inside a monstrous tree that was actively sucking the life out of them, and these idiots were still arguing like a married couple fighting over who had finished the last bottle of juice.

She honestly didn’t know whether to laugh or scream.

"Listen to me, you bunch of lunatics." Luna’s voice cut through their bickering. "I don’t know what I’ll do if you keep testing my patience, but I might end up breaking someone’s head before we get out of here."

The men finally turned toward her.

"Someone, anyone, release your damn powers!" she ordered. "Let’s burn this thing to the ground!"

As though the tree had been waiting for her command, the vines surrounding them suddenly sprang into action.

Several lashed toward Luna’s face and chest, moving so quickly that an ordinary person would barely have had time to react.

Unfortunately for the tree, Luna was anything but ordinary.

Her system panel flashed into existence before her eyes, its familiar glow illuminating the dim interior of the cocoon. A sleek knife materialized directly in her hand.

Without wasting a second, she swung her arm sideways.

The blade sliced through the incoming vines.

A loud, agonized hiss erupted from the severed ends as they recoiled, twisting away from her like wounded snakes.

Luna examined the knife briefly before looking at the remaining vines.

"That’s right. Come closer."

The entire tree vibrated.

More vines surged toward her, spreading across the walls and floor before twisting around her arms and legs. Some tried to seize the knife, while others wrapped themselves around her waist, attempting to immobilize her completely.

Her men watched helplessly.

Their hands remained bound, and the vines had drained so much of their blood that even moving their fingers was becoming difficult.

Luna’s eyes shifted toward her system panel.

It was scanning the creature.

A moment later, a notification appeared.

[Analysis complete.]

[One of your men possesses a fire ability. This ability can help you escape the current predicament with minimal casualties.]

[Warning: The island and the tree will respond with increased aggression. Their resistance will become stronger as the battle progresses.]

Luna’s expression darkened.

Of course.

Why would anything ever be simple?

She had survived zombies, mutated beasts, an ocean filled with creatures capable of swallowing vehicles, and an island that seemed determined to kill everything that stepped onto it.

Now she was trapped inside a carnivorous tree that could manipulate their minds, drain their blood, and apparently prevent them from escaping into reality.

What else did this damn world intend to throw at her?

She ground her teeth together.

"What’s with me and danger? Why does every damn thing in this world want to get its hands on me?"

Before she could complain further, something caught her attention.

A thick vine had attached itself to Ethan’s exposed skin.

At first, it appeared to be merely wrapped around his arm. Then its surface began pulsing, and the flesh beneath it started changing.

Ethan screamed.

Luna’s eyes widened as she watched the skin around the vine become unnaturally pale and thin. It looked as though the creature were attempting to suck the very life out of him, pulling everything it needed through that single point of contact.

"Ethan!"

He couldn’t move. His hands were still bound, and the more he struggled, the tighter the vine became.

The tree released a strange, rattling sound.

It almost sounded like laughter.

Luna understood its message immediately.

It was warning her.

Every time she attacked, it would hurt one of her men. If she continued fighting, they would pay the price.

The tree believed it had found the perfect way to control her.

Unfortunately, it had made one enormous mistake.

Nobody threatened Luna Hart with her men.

Her expression became frighteningly calm.

"Do you really think this is going to work on me?"

The tree answered with another violent shudder.

Luna didn’t look away from Ethan.

"Ethan, hold on. Don’t you dare give up on me."

But something strange was happening.

Despite the terrible condition of his skin and the blood being drained from his body, Ethan’s expression gradually became blank. His earlier panic disappeared, leaving him staring upward with his head tilted back.

It was as though he were concentrating on something deep inside himself.

Then a spark appeared against his skin.

Luna narrowed her eyes.

Another spark followed.

And another.

Small flashes of energy flickered around Ethan’s body, spreading beneath his skin before bursting outward in a sudden electrical discharge.

The vines immediately recoiled.

A deafening hiss filled the cocoon.

The sound was so sharp and unpleasant that Luna instinctively covered one ear. The pressure seemed to pierce her eardrums, while the others writhed against their restraints, struggling with the violent vibrations passing through the tree.

Kai clenched his teeth.

"Fuck! What the hell is that?"

Even Rowan looked alarmed.

Ethan, however, remained strangely calm.

The energy surrounding him intensified, making the vines attached to his body tremble. The tree seemed unable to decide whether it should continue draining him or release him before whatever was happening became worse.

Luna’s lips slowly curved into a dangerous smile.

"Oh, now you want to see me participate in your little game?"

She raised her chin.

"I love a challenge."

Her gaze became icy as she tightened her grip on the knife.

Then she threw it.

The blade shot through the air toward the thick cluster of vines binding Adrian.

But the tree reacted immediately.

Several vines rushed toward Luna, wrapping around her arms and torso with such force that she could barely move. They tightened mercilessly, determined to crush her before she could help the others.

The knife continued spinning through the air.

One vine stretched toward it, attempting to intercept the blade before it reached Adrian.

Unfortunately for the tree, it was too late.

The knife plunged straight into the vines binding Adrian’s hands.

SNAP!

The restraints split apart.

Adrian’s arms fell free, and he released a sharp cry as the sudden freedom caught him by surprise.

For a moment, he simply stared at his hands.

Then his expression changed.

The tree had made a mistake by freeing him from its control, even if it hadn’t intended to.

"Finally," Adrian muttered.

The creature seemed to realize what had happened.

Its response was immediate.

More vines surged toward him, moving with frightening speed. They lashed across the floor and walls, attempting to restrain him again before he could do anything.

Adrian stepped forward.

His feet touched the ground.

And suddenly, the earth beneath him erupted into flames.

Fire spread across the floor, swallowing the vines in its path. The creature responded with a furious hiss, pulling back the burning tendrils while the flames continued advancing through its enormous network of roots.

Adrian spread his hands.

The fire intensified.

A long, powerful stream of flames erupted from his palms, striking the thick walls of the cocoon. The heat became almost unbearable as the flames spread across the tree’s inner structure, illuminating the darkness with an orange glow.

The creature shuddered violently.

Its roots twisted.

Its branches cracked.

And for the first time since they had been captured, the tree appeared genuinely afraid.

Kai stared at Adrian with his mouth hanging open.

"Since when the fuck could he do that?"

Nobody answered him.

They were all too busy watching the destruction unfolding around them.

Adrian’s fire ability was far more dangerous than any of them had expected. The flames didn’t merely burn the surface of the vines. They spread through the tangled roots, consuming the creature from within.

The tree’s response became increasingly desperate.

The vines binding Kai, Rowan, and Ethan suddenly loosened.

All three men dropped heavily to the floor.

Rowan landed on his side, groaning as he tried to push himself up. Kai stumbled forward before collapsing onto one knee, his head spinning from the enormous amount of blood he had lost.

Ethan fell against the wall, breathing heavily.

Their bodies were weak, their strength nearly exhausted.

Yet they were finally free.

Luna felt the vines around her loosen as well.

The moment her restraints released, she dropped to the ground and caught herself with one hand.

She rose slowly, her eyes fixed on the retreating vines.

The tree was trying to escape.

Luna almost couldn’t believe it.

A creature that had dragged them into its illusions, stolen their memories, and nearly drained their bodies of blood was now attempting to retreat from a fight it had started.

She straightened her clothes and smiled coldly.

"Oh, no, sweetheart."

She tapped her system panel, bringing up the interface she had been waiting to use.

"You don’t get to attack my family, suck our blood, and then run away when things stop going your way."

The remaining vines began withdrawing into the darkness.

Luna watched them retreat, her expression growing more merciless with every passing second.

"Too late, baby. You and your entire tree are going to burn."

She turned toward Adrian.

Despite his exhaustion, he was still standing, surrounded by flickering flames. His entire body seemed to radiate an intense orange glow as the fire gathered around him, responding to the power he was releasing.

Luna winked at him.

"Baby, explode this damn tree."

Adrian glanced at her.

For a brief moment, his expression softened at the familiar way she addressed him. Then his eyes returned to the enormous mass of vines surrounding them.

His smile disappeared.

The orange glow around his body intensified until it illuminated every corner of the cocoon.

The remaining roots began to burn.

The tree released one final, deafening roar.

Then Adrian unleashed his power.

A blinding flash consumed everything.

The entire cocoon shook as the flames surged outward, swallowing the vines and tearing through the creature’s inner structure. The heat rose so rapidly that Luna barely had time to shield her face.

Kai reached toward Rowan.

Ethan stumbled sideways.

Adrian’s silhouette disappeared inside the overwhelming light.

And then—

Everything turned pitch-black.