The Cardinal of the Church flew swiftly toward the center of the city, his face set with grim determination. The air around him grew denser with vile energy, the unmistakable signature of soul magic. He could feel it—stronger and more malevolent with every passing second—pulsing from the very heart of the city.

When he arrived, a scene of chaos and battle unfolded before him. A priest, one of the Church's own, along with a few remaining defenders, was struggling against a colossal mole beast and a horde of creatures. The defenders were vastly outmatched, their exhaustion evident as they fought to hold their ground. But the Cardinal's cold gaze barely registered their plight. They were inconsequential. With a flick of his scepter, a golden light erupted from the sky, forming shackles that wrapped around the mole, binding it in place.

He ignored the cries of the defenders and turned his piercing eyes on the priest. "Where is he?" the Cardinal's voice was sharp, cutting through the noise of battle. "We received word of a soul mage hiding in this city. The air reeks of it, yet you did nothing? Have you grown so useless?"

The priest swallowed hard, knowing there was no point in arguing. He had sensed the soul magic, but he had been powerless to act against it. Now, standing before the Cardinal's wrath, he could do nothing but obey. Reaching into his robes, the priest pulled out a communication crystal, sending a surge of magic through it.

It took only moments before the connection was established. The voice of Tem, a woman seated in a dark room with a massive crystal before her, answered. "He's in the center of the dome."

The priest's face drained of color. His eyes shot to the great dome in the heart of the city, a symbol of safety now twisted into a beacon of impending doom.

"He's with the civilians!" the priest cried, panic rising in his voice.

The Cardinal's face remained emotionless. He cared nothing for the fate of the people; his mission was singular—eliminate the soul mage. Civilians were irrelevant.

Before they could speak further, an overwhelming aura surged from the direction of the dome. It was so powerful that even the Cardinal, who had faced countless horrors in his lifetime, began to sweat. Moments later, a figure emerged atop the dome, leaping from its summit and hurtling toward the wilderness outside the city. As the figure vanished, both the Cardinal and the priest breathed sighs of relief, if only for a moment.

Suddenly, a deafening roar echoed through the city, shaking the very foundations of the buildings. Every monster near the dome, including the mole beast, immediately ceased their attack, retreating into the tunnels from which they had emerged. The ground rumbled as the creatures burrowed back into the earth, disappearing as quickly as they had come.

"What just happened?" The question hung in the air, unspoken yet heavy on the minds of every survivor.

The priest wasted no time in rushing toward the dome. His heart pounded as he feared the worst—had the soul mage performed a ritual? Sacrificed the civilians for some dark purpose? His steps faltered as he entered the dome, his eyes scanning the mass of bodies lying still on the ground.

But they weren't dead. One by one, he knelt beside them, checking for signs of life. They were all simply…asleep.

Even the priest, who had witnessed many strange occurrences in his lifetime, was shaken by what he saw next. In the center of the dome stood an enormous tree, its roots spread across the floor like veins of magic. Its branches intertwined with the stone ceiling, forming a natural shield. The sheer power needed to create such a spectacle left the priest speechless.

Returning outside, he found the Cardinal waiting. "No trace of him," the priest said, still in awe of what he had witnessed. "It must have been the man who fled the city."

The Cardinal's gaze never wavered. "Understood. You're coming with me. We're going after him."

The priest opened his mouth to protest, but seeing the hardened resolve in the Cardinal's eyes, he fell silent. They both took to the skies, flying toward the city gates. What they saw was the aftermath of devastation—the bodies of slain monsters littered the streets, but no more beasts remained. The threat was gone.

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The Cardinal briefly informed his unit of the situation before leading them southward, vanishing as swiftly as they had arrived.

…

Meanwhile, atop the city walls, the City Lord stood in stunned silence. He couldn't fathom why the beasts had suddenly retreated, but the immediate danger seemed to have passed. Relief washed over him, his tense shoulders finally relaxing.

A figure descended from the sky, landing beside him. It was the man riding the griffon. He dismounted, and the City Lord turned to him with gratitude. "Thank you," the City Lord said, his voice thick with emotion. "Without your help, this city would surely have fallen."

But the man showed no interest in thanks. His eyes were dark, filled with only one question. "Where is Emma, my daughter?"

The City Lord's breath caught in his throat. He had known who the man was the moment he arrived. "When the battle turned dire within the city," he began, his voice strained, "Emma and the captain of the city guard went to the southern gate. That's all I know."

The man's expression tightened. He understood the chaos of war, how even the most well-laid plans could unravel. But this was his daughter. Without a word, he took to the skies again, his griffon soaring toward the city in a desperate search for Emma.

…

Mr. F had already ventured deep into the forest, miles away from the city. In his hand, he clutched the sapling, its powerful aura no longer concealed. He could sense the beasts closing in on him from all directions, their presence growing stronger with each passing moment.

The first to arrive was the fire stallion. The massive creature halted about 50 meters away, pawing the ground with its fiery hooves, snorting flames with every breath. Its mane of fire roared, casting a menacing glow around it. But Mr. F remained still, choosing to wait. More beasts gathered, surrounding him in a tightening circle until both the gorilla and the giant mole had also arrived. The beasts thought they had the upper hand, their numbers and ferocity seemingly unbeatable.

But Mr. F was no ordinary opponent. Calmly, he reached deep within himself, drawing on a portion of his dwindling vitality. For a brief moment, he released his rank 8 aura, letting it explode from him like a tidal wave of power. The pressure was overwhelming. The beasts immediately felt the weight of it, their instincts screaming at them to retreat. The fire stallion, however, held its ground, unflinching. In response, it released its own rank 8 aura, matching the intensity of Mr. F's presence. A silent message passed between them. The lesser beasts, sensing the magnitude of the duel about to unfold, backed away, giving the two titans space.

Raising the sapling high in the air, Mr. F finally spoke, his voice calm but laced with authority. "If I had wanted to, I could have taken this sapling and disappeared without you ever finding me. You must know by now that I wasn't the one who stole it from you in the first place."

The beasts listened, their eyes narrowing as they processed his words. The fire stallion's fiery mane flared hotter, pulsing with rage. Mr. F continued, "My demand is simple. I will return the sapling to you, but I will take a part of it for myself."

The stallion's fury was palpable. Flames erupted from its body, licking at the air around it. The ground beneath its hooves blackened as it stomped, the firestorm building as it prepared to attack. The surrounding beasts growled, sensing the imminent battle.

But Mr. F remained unshaken, though inside he was anything but calm. His vitality was waning, and he knew that another battle would spell his end. He was gambling, relying on the fact that the fire stallion didn't know just how close to collapse he was. His bluff had to hold.

"Are you sure you want to attack?" Mr. F asked coolly. "The sapling would be destroyed in the chaos, and many of your subordinates will perish as well. Is it really worth that cost?"

The stallion's flames raged wildly, the heat making the air shimmer. But it hesitated, its fiery eyes locked on the sapling in Mr. F's hand. After several tense moments, the flames began to recede. The stallion, though still furious, stomped the ground in frustration, but ultimately, it relented.

With a deep breath, the stallion nodded its head slightly, signaling its agreement.

Relief washed over Mr. F, though he didn't let it show. His gamble had worked. Channeling his magic into the sapling, Mr. F focused, drawing a significant amount of power from it. Slowly, a smaller offshoot began to form, branching out from the main sapling. It was a delicate process, requiring immense magical control, and it drained Mr. F further. But soon, the offshoot was complete. Mr. F could feel that roughly one-third of the sapling's magical essence had been transferred into the new growth.

Without hesitation, he separated the offshoot from the main sapling and cast a protective barrier around both pieces. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the larger part, still encased in the barrier, toward the fire stallion.

The stallion caught it mid-air using telekinesis, inspecting it carefully. Its burning eyes scanned the sapling, ensuring that nothing had been tampered with. Satisfied that it was intact, the stallion let out a deafening roar, signaling the beasts to retreat.

Just as the beasts began to move, Mr. F's voice whispered directly into the stallion's mind, his words as sharp as daggers. "There are others who know about the sapling, humans who would seek it for themselves. If you want to eliminate all threats, now is your chance."

The stallion's rage flared again, its fiery mane igniting with renewed intensity. But this time, it wasn't directed at Mr. F. It knew that leaving potential enemies alive would only invite future danger. With a furious scream, it gave the command, and the beasts that had started to retreat turned around, their hunger for destruction rekindled.