Quickly, an explosion erupted at the center, and a thick fog emerged in the battle. The smoke quickly dissipated following the Archmage's skill, and the battle between Noah and the Archmage began.

Noah moved first and unleashed vines. [Vine Strikes] x 90. Massive vines sprouted from the ground and headed toward the Archmage. As a result, a huge transparent shield surrounded the General and the Archmage.

He countered by raising his arms, freezing the vines, and then releasing his arm towards Noah. He felt an inexplicable danger and began to feel tingling under his feet.

In a single second, his attacks were neutralized. Noah leaped backward, and ice spikes appeared under his feet. He shattered the ice spikes and projected them using his vines.

Quickly, Xenoth acted and launched wind blades at Noah, deflecting the projectiles. Then, he shook his arms, and vines appeared, swinging in all directions, destroying the ground. [Vine Strikes] x90.

Xenoth flew out of the attack range and fired fireballs. Noah was made of a highly flammable material, so his primary weakness should be fire, something he should avoid. It would be a natural weakness if he were a normal tree. But Xenoth had underestimated his opponent.

Noah had never been a normal tree from the beginning. Although it would be fatal for him, it wasn't his true body. He could take as much damage as possible, but it wouldn't affect his original body.

And this is what tipped the balance of the battle. Noah took the full force, burning in the flames, and gathered hundreds of vines under his feet before projecting them in the shape of a fist towards Xenoth.

Surprised by the speed, Xenoth didn't have time to react and hastily summoned a temporarily weak shield to minimize physical damage. Unfortunately, the damage was too significant, and the blow too powerful.

He was sent crashing towards the ground, and an explosion resulting from the collision between Xenoth and the ground created a crater about ten meters wide.

Noah descended and vigilantly observed Xenoth's position. He wasn't as foolish as the other. Although his strike could be decisive, he knew the Archmage before him was unique. It was impossible for him to die from a simple attack.

After the smoke had cleared, a translucent shield with a supernatural aura appeared. Noah had anticipated this and continued to swing the vines even more intensely than at the beginning of the battle. [Vine Strikes] x200.

After launching a hundred vines, his mana began to rapidly diminish. He couldn't continue attacking at that pace, and Xenoth's shield remained untouched, without a scratch.

He had spent a lot of mana to stealthily kill the other Archmage, reorganize his second avatar, and launch his attacks. Noah started to feel fear creeping in. "Did I misjudge the power of the other?" he squinted his eyes.

After ceasing his consecutive attacks, Noah retreated with Mary, moving about ten meters away from their original position.

In the center was a circular translucent shield with unlimited power, and inside it was Xenoth, holding a golden pendant with a shield-shaped symbol that was glowing.

Noah was curious but quickly grasped the situation. If the barrier could hold, it was because it wasn't Xenoth's mana that was supplying it, but the pendant itself. Although he understood the situation, it didn't change the course of the battle in any way.

But since Xenoth didn't rush towards him, it simply meant that he couldn't attack through the barrier. Eventually, both were in a situation where neither could gain the upper hand.

Suddenly, earthquakes reverberated across the battlefield, drawing the attention of the many ongoing battles in TreeCity.

The infantryman who seemed to be closest to the North gates and had turned around at the unfamiliar noise widened his eyes. After being stunned, he immediately shouted in urgency before fleeing. "E-Enemy!"

Several infantrymen also turned around, widened their eyes, dropped their weapons, and fled with all their might, using their legs to escape the battlefield.

Obviously, Noah and Xenoth were also concerned. They turned towards the noise, and dozens of giant red trees were charging towards TreeCity. Hundreds of humans were perched on the trees, hiding under the branches.

Marianne, who was close enough to spot this, shouted, "The cavalry has been neutralized!"

Noah smiled, nodded, and then turned to Xenoth. Xenoth wore a grim expression and began calculating the outcome of the battle but soon withdrew with a disapproving look.

Noah didn't bother to pursue him since he couldn't penetrate the barrier with his current power, and Xenoth knew it too. "You're lucky..." he said before turning to the General's corpse. "The one I was supposed to protect is dead, so I have nothing left to do here..."

At that moment, Xenoth's eyes lit up. "However... I will avenge the disgrace of this battle and my younger brother... Remember this! Because next time, you will die by my own hands!" he exclaimed before disappearing somewhere.

After confirming that Xenoth's presence had disappeared, Noah sighed and then turned to Mary. "Have your injuries healed?" He had provided healing fruits and coordinated with his companions to tend to her wounds.

She nodded. "Other than minor injuries, I don't see any serious wounds, just some lingering pain," she chuckled.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

At Mary's words, Noah shook his head. "If you had enough energy to joke, then you should have fought," he thought, but he didn't feel the need to say it to Mary. After all, she had fought hard enough to kill the enemy.

As he looked at TreeCity, he could see the Wood Kingdom infantry dispersing through the streets and outside the walls. With their main support gone and their commander dead, the infantry would likely desert, leading to the annihilation of the army.

Noah believed that they should clean up the mess before addressing the damage. After taking command of the War Treants, humans, and elves, Noah began exterminating the remaining enemies.

***

"In total, 35,000 infantrymen were taken down, while 5,000 managed to escape or flee," said Christine, bloodied and having taken refuge farther away, protecting civilians from the battle.

Noah looked at her. "You should rest. You must have fought and used a lot of energy to battle the enemies. It's my fault for letting enemies into TreeCity." She shook her head. "No, it's rather an honor to have been able to protect my people."

"You should still take a bath and have some healing fruits after you finish your report," Christine humbly nodded and withdrew.

"Mary, take the War Treants and pursue the remaining enemies who fled the battle, then send me a report once it's done," he ordered.

With the War Treants as support and the elven archers perched on branches at a height of about ten meters, it shouldn't be a problem for them, with their peripheral vision as sharp as a human's and hearing as sensitive as a bat's.

"Marianna, you'll take care of repairing the buildings and main structures of TreeCity. As for the forest, I'll handle that myself. We should prepare for the next season, anticipating winter, so that everyone can go through it smoothly."

Marianna nodded and led the others to follow her, organizing the repairs.

After resolving minor and major issues, his avatar collapsed, and Noah retreated into his own body, beginning to rest. The battle had depleted his mana reserves, and his mental state had taken a hit.

He needed to rest for a good while before completely replenishing his mana reserves. In the meantime, he would have to think about the future of TreeCity...

[Year 59, Month 3]

Christine gathered everyone around a table at City Hall and began the first meeting after the enemy invasion. "First, we will have an update on TreeCity. Any objections?"

No one spoke up, so Christine began listing some points.

"How are the current repairs in TreeCity?" She turned to Marianna, who was sitting on a wooden chair to the right of the rectangular table.

"The repairs will be completed soon. In two months, all the infrastructure will return to its pre-war state. However, the shortage of raw materials may extend the reconstruction time," Marianna replied.

"As for the raw materials, we should seek clarification from the Lord. Perhaps he can find a solution to this problem," Christine said, turning to the elevated chair where a doll sat, sharper and more refined than the last time she had seen it.

Seated on the wooden chair was Noah, but compared to the last time, his avatar appeared more realistic. This was mainly thanks to the skill he had unlocked, [Intermediate Avatar].

Since the last battle, he had acquired various skills, and one of them pertained to avatars. Thus, his intermediate avatar was taller than the previous one. If his original avatar measured about 1.30 meters, then his current avatar was about 1.50 meters.

A 20-centimeter increase, making him approximately the size of a small human. Regardless of his size, Noah still radiated a powerful aura around him. Although he could dampen it when necessary, it was a challenge because his strength had increased since the last time.

This was unsettling for the people close to him and even more so for those he interacted with. At the moment, many of those present around the table had their heads lowered due to the existing pressure that weighed on them.

"The raw materials can be resolved with my new familiars."

One of the skills he had unlocked involved new familiars—sort of mini-lower avatars that could operate autonomously. Compared to his lower avatar, these avatars were less detailed but had stable autonomy.

As such, he could send his lower avatars into mines where certain resources were located, and then transfer them via carts to TreeCity for processing. Raw materials were no longer a problem.

"Next, what about negotiations with the Wood Kingdom?" Maestros asked impatiently.

Christine turned to her notes and then highlighted some points. "Considering the previous battle, our relations are very hostile, so it's impossible to establish a peaceful relationship between our two parties."

"Of course..." Maestros murmured sadly.

"But since finding an agreement is impossible, we must take a stance," she said before turning to Noah. The others followed her gaze and awaited his response impatiently.

"My Lord," she said, pausing for a moment. "Should we establish an independent nation?" Noah closed his eyes. "Alright. Let's go with that. After all, we have no other choice. Let's create an independent city-state separate from Wood City."

The people present rose and began to cheer and clap at the table. "Finally! We can start trading with other nations!"

"The tyranny of Wood Kingdom will no longer reach us!"

"Our nation is strong enough and has resisted Wood Kingdom!"

Noah ordered for silence and then continued, "Although we have destroyed the enemy's main force, it doesn't mean it's over. In the meantime, we should begin increasing our population and preparing an army that matches our national strength."

They nodded in agreement, and then Christine stepped forward. "My Lord, there is an important question that must be asked!" She looked at the others in the room, who in turn turned their attention to him.

At the same time, they exclaimed, "What name will you choose for our new nation?!"

"Of course, it should be Tree Kingdom!"

"No! That's too similar to Wood Kingdom! Inappropriate for our nation!"

"How about TreeDom (a fusion of Tree and Kingdom) or even Root Kingdom?"

"Too bad! I'd suggest..."

Suggestions piled up, and Noah had to make the final decision. Noah rubbed his temples and then sighed. "For God's sake, can we postpone this discussion?"

There was a collective sigh of relief, and they agreed to continue the discussion later.

Maestros rose from his chair. "My Lord! This is an important matter for our state and our future diplomats! We must choose carefully!"

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Noah randomly selected a popular name from his former world. "Alright. Alright, then our new state shall be called..."

"Yggdrasil."