Chapter 49: The Battle for the Thornheart Flower

Ethan watched them through the Shadow Wraith’s vision as Kael, Liana, and Garrick moved closer.

Garrick suddenly stopped.

Kael took another step before realizing he had stopped.

"What is it?"

Garrick raised one hand, telling him to stay quiet.

He stood still for a few seconds, sensing the area ahead.

"There are three powerful beasts nearby."

Kael’s expression changed slightly.

"How strong?"

"All three are Third Order."

Liana’s eyes widened.

"Three Third Order beasts?"

Garrick nodded.

"They’re spread out, but they’re all in the same area."

Kael looked toward the deeper part of the forest.

"Can you tell what they are?"

"Not yet."

Garrick narrowed his eyes. "They’re too far away."

Liana thought for a moment then spoke.

"If three Third Order beasts are gathered in the same place, they must be guarding something."

Her expression changed as she thought about it.

"Could it be the Thornheart Flower?"

Kael’s eyes immediately lit up.

"The flower?"

He had spent the entire trip searching for it. Now that they had finally found signs of something guarding an area ahead, he couldn’t hide his excitement.

"Then it must be close."

He started moving forward.

Garrick reached out and grabbed his shoulder.

"Slow down."

Kael stopped and looked back at him.

"What?"

"We don’t know what’s waiting for us."

Kael glanced toward the forest again.

"I know. But we finally have a lead."

Garrick released his shoulder.

"Then don’t waste it by rushing into three Third Order beasts."

"I’ll go take a look first. I’m also Third Order. If I keep my distance, I should be able to get close enough to see what’s ahead without attracting their attention."

"Wait here."

Garrick bent his knees and jumped onto a nearby tree, then moved from branch to branch toward the deeper part of the forest.

"Let’s wait for Mr. Garrick before we move any closer," Liana said.

Kael shook his head.

"I’m not worried about Garrick."

Liana looked at him.

"Then what are you worried about?"

Kael glanced toward the direction Garrick had gone.

"Those beasts. What if they eat the Thornheart Flower before we get there?"

Kael’s expression became more serious.

"We finally found it. I’m not going to stand here and let three beasts destroy it before we even get the chance to extract it."

...

Ethan continued to watch through the Shadow Wraith’s vision as Garrick moved through the trees.

"Another Third Order?"

Now there was another Third Order standing between them and the flower.

"Level 28 too."

That was higher than the three beasts guarding the flower.

"Oh no. He found the Shadow Wraith."

Ethan immediately tried to withdraw the Shadow Wraith, but it was already too late. The connection suddenly disappeared, and the Shadow Wraith had died.

Just before the connection disappeared, Ethan felt something hit the Wraith. It was like a thin needle had pierced straight into its spirit.

"A spirit attack?"

Ethan had seen this kind of attack before.

It wasn’t something most professions could use, and the feeling was too different from an ordinary mental attack.

"Could he be a Spirit Executioner?"

Ethan had felt something similar before.

In his previous life, he had once been attacked by someone far stronger. That person’s attack had been much more powerful, but the feeling was almost the same.

He would recognize that kind of attack anywhere.

"If he’s really a Spirit Executioner, this is going to be more troublesome than I thought."

He moved the remaining Shadow Wraiths farther away, making sure none of them stayed close enough for Garrick to sense them.

Ethan continued watching through their eyes. He had a feeling Garrick was about to do something stupid, so he decided to just watch and see how the four Third Order fighters would handle each other.

Garrick was now not far from the Thornheart Flower and the three beasts guarding it.

He looked at the three beasts around the flower before choosing one.

"Let’s get rid of one first so the other two won’t be able to work together."

His eyes settled on the Level 25 beast.

The Ironback Gorilla was huge, with dark gray fur covering its body and thick arms hanging from its broad shoulders. Its chest and shoulders were covered in hard natural armor.

Ethan understood why Garrick had chosen it.

"Makes sense. Although the Ironback Gorilla was the strongest of the three physically, its spirit was weaker than the Stormwing Eagle and the Three-Eyed Toad

That made it the easiest target for a Spirit Executioner.

Ethan continued watching through the Shadow Wraiths.

"But how can I let you have it that easy?"

Garrick suddenly attacked.

His spirit spread toward the Ironback Gorilla, but before the attack could fully reach it, a Solar Ray shot through the trees and struck Garrick in the shoulder.

The attack still landed, but its power was greatly reduced.

"Roarrr!"

The Ironback Gorilla grabbed its head and stomped the ground in pain. The roar startled the Stormwing Eagle, which spread its wings and let out a sharp, "Shriek!" At the same time, the Three-Eyed Toad turned toward the trees and gave a loud, "Croak!"

"Damn it."

Garrick looked toward the trees where the Solar Ray had come from.

He had been discovered.

He quickly released his spirit and searched the area, but there was nothing.

The Stormwing Eagle flew toward the direction the Solar Ray had come from and swung its wings.

Two wind blades shot toward Ethan’s location.

They cut through several trees before crashing into the ground.

Boom!

The eagle shrieked again as it landed, its large body crushing the ground where Ethan was hiding. Its talons pressed into the ground, pinning what was left of Ethan’s body beneath them.

Then Ethan’s body suddenly faded into the shadows.

"Shriek!"

It lifted its head and looked around, then quickly spread its wings and tried to take off.

But it was too late. Thousands of Shadow Chains burst out from the shadows around it, wrapping around its legs and wings before yanking it back to the ground.