These were his strongest summons. He only had Archer left which he held in reserve. Four could be considered low, if not the bare minimum to challenge an adept rank. Other summoners might try for a bigger lineup in case a few were killed or injured during the fight. He didn’t have that problem with Wander’s shield and healing abilities. As long as his summons didn’t lose their lives instantly, he would be able to save them.

The flower demon did not appear alarmed nor did it try to run. It looked around and still focused on him, the strongest opponent. Naturally, it did not know that he was the least threatening part of the encirclement. The yellow flower petals quivered as it started to move, once again heading in his direction.

By now, Blue’s wall of mist was complete. The surrounding jungle was obscured from view, decreasing the chance of anything else interfering with this fight. And with the foliage above head, there would be no stray seagull dropping out of the sky, hopefully.

“Elmont, Doro, approach it slowly. Onkie, Wander, you two do the same. Careful, watch out for any strange abilities.”

“Gurr!” Doro let out a low roar.

“Aahh.” Elmont groaned.

“Onk! Onk!” Onkie snorted, eager for a fight.

“Wahaha! Let’s go!” Wander laughed loudly, his barks echoing against the thick fog around them.

Doro was the slowest. With each step it took, its feet never left the ground, making it seem like he was more gliding than walking. Elmont wasn’t much faster. Its steps were cumbersome as if it wanted to take root and never move again. Wander wasn’t slow but he was a turtle so he wasn’t exactly good at running. He also wasn’t tasked with the first clash.

That privilege went to Onkie. She was the only one among them that had fought a flower demon. That had been a tough defeat. She still remembered it clearly. This time, she was eager to redeem herself. Although she could not verbalize these feelings, Zachary felt them and he understood.

“Onkie,” He called out when his summons had closed the distance by half, “Go, charge!”

“Onnn!” Onkie let out a mighty snort and broke into a mad dash.

Her stubby feet pounded against the ground, kicking up dirt and a trail of dust. She built up speed like a boulder rolling downhill. Eternum flowed out of her soul and into her body, strengthening her muscles and toughening her skin and fur.

The flower demon saw the incoming attack. It turned and raised a mass of vines. These twisted and intersected, forming a net-like barrier.

Onkie didn’t slow down and charged directly into the vines. Several smaller ones snapped immediately. Other ones that were thicker strained and stretched to contain Onkie’s heavy mass before also snapping in the end. Only a handful of the thickest vines remained intact and managed to bring her to a standstill.

“Onk! Onk!” Onkie snorted.

She thrashed about, preventing the remaining vines from getting a solid hold on her. A wriggling ball of muscle and energy, even the thickest vines were in danger of snapping. Not to be outdone, the flower demon sent more vines her way. They moved quickly; each tendril more dexterous than a human finger. And soon, she was struggling to move, having been wrapped up like a present.

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An adept rank was still too much for a single novice, even at the Eight Paths Novice Rank. The flower demon’s vines were a dangerous ability. It could produce countless vines of varying sizes. Each one could be finely controlled. If it was a one-on-one fight, the only fate for Onkie was to be eaten. However, she was not alone.

Wander soon arrived. With a few snaps, he bit through the tough vines imprisoning Onkie. After being freed, she turned around and chewed on a few wriggling vines herself.

“Wander, Onkie, watch out!” Zachary shouted.

At that moment, the demon flower had pointed its red pistil at Onkie from above. The organ glowed with energy and emitted a sharp, dangerous aura. An instant later, a burst of Eternum erupted from the tip. Like a flying spear, it shot down at Onkie.

Ka!

A green shield materialized above Onkie like an umbrella. Eternum struck against Eternum, resulting in a shockwave that reverberated against the surrounding souls. A small hole appeared on the shield’s surface but it ultimately held.

“Ooh, that was scary!” Wander said and then laughed, “Come on, try it again! I dare you!”

The flower demon quivered all over as if from anger. It quickly turned toward Zachary. With no eyes or a discernable face, it was a creepy feeling being stared down like this.

Its pistil glowed red once again. However, before it could attack, another green shield appeared in front of the flower, completely blocking its line of sight.

“Hahaha, what are going to do now? Go on, fire that thing, go on!” Wander mocked.

Zachary couldn’t help but let out a laugh. Although there was a difference in soul cultivation, Wander’s control and usage of Eternum was equal to an Ensouled one rank higher. It was a testament to his talent.

“Elmont, Doro, grab the flower! Don’t let it attack randomly!”

During the prior exchange, Elmont and Doro had finally closed the distance. Elmont extended its arms, also covered in vines, and clashed with the flower demon. Next, Doro collided with the flower demon, almost knocking it over. Doro’s body was also attacked by vines but since it was made of dirt and moss, it didn’t care at all. Onkie and Wander didn’t remain still either. They continued biting and chewing.

The battle reached a critical stage. The flower demon was beset from all sides. Its vines either had no effect or were being chomped into pieces. Soon, Elmont and Doro were striking its main body while Onkie and Wander were biting at its bottom parts.

The creature trembled and then let out a huge burst of Eternum. This was not a specific ability but a move of desperation. As long as a soul had enough Eternum and enough control over it, one could expel a large amount of it at once in an act of desperation. It was considered a move of last resort.

The burst of Eternum formed a cocoon of pressure that pushed outward. Onkie was sent flying as if she had been kicked, rolling away head over tail. Wander reacted quickly by hiding in his shell. The force pushed him away several meters but that was about it.

As for Elmont, the treant was completely entangled with the flower demon. The impact slammed into it like a wall of bricks, smashing its limbs and flattening its face and body. It groaned in pain and staggered backward.

“Shit, Elmont! Hold on!” Zachary touched his brow and tried to recall his summon.

A short while later, the treant returned to its summoning orb. It was heavily injured but its life was not in danger.

“Rahhh!”

While he was caring for Elmont, he had forgotten about Doro. But when he checked on the elemental, he found that it was completely fine. It had born the brunt of the Eternum burst completely and stood its ground. There was no sign of injury at all!

“Good! Doro, hold it still!” Zachary shouted and moved his hand over to another summoning orb, “Archer, your turn!”

As Doro moved to hug the flower demon in an earthly embrace, a ray of light deposited a giant leaf-covered spider in front of Zachary.

“Shee!” It let out a sharp hiss as it prepared to fight.

“Let’s end this! Archer, target that flower, fire every leaf you have!”

“Shee!”