"What on earth is this thing...."
The people present were panting so heavily they could barely speak.
The recent roar seemed to directly stimulate one's soul. Apart from Lucas Reeve and Ceobe, the other three were all half-kneeling on the ground, blood trickling from their ears, which were ringing and temporarily deaf. It wasn't just their ears.
In that instant, they felt as if they had lost consciousness for a moment.
This was not good...
In a real battle, let alone losing consciousness, even a moment of distraction could be fatal.
At this moment, the hideously grotesque tree monster, which caused a massive SANity drop, twisted its body. Its hard bark cracked open inch by inch, and a milky white pus flowed out, seeping into the river water. In just a short while, the river around it was dyed white.
From the cracks, numerous white, semi-transparent hands stretched out and slapped towards Lucas. This tree monster didn't have high intelligence, but it knew that it was this ant that had nearly killed it just now.
Lucas wanted to dodge.
However.
The all-out attack just now had completely drained all the strength from Jessica's body. Forget about continuing to fight, even standing up was a problem. Jessica's body had reached its limit, even her potential had been exhausted. Sheer willpower alone was no longer enough to make her stand.
Just then.
Ceobe pounced over, hoisting Lucas onto her shoulder to dodge the attack. Then, Franka rushed forward, swinging her thermite blade. The scorching heat sizzled as it cut into the milky white hands. One of the fingers was severed by the thermite blade's cut.
The monster wailed, its shrill roar mixed with soul-level intimidation once again transforming into a heavy hammer that slammed into everyone's souls.
Franka, who was about to give chase, once again fell to one knee, clutching her ears tightly.
If it were just a huge monster, Franka would have a way to deal with it. The extremely hot thermite blade could cut through any living thing. No matter how large, as long as it could be cut, Franka would not be afraid. But... when it came to attacks on the soul level, it was difficult for ordinary people to resist.
The next second.
The monster roared again.
The thousands of surrounding skeleton monsters, which had been standing motionless like statues, all fell apart. The ghostly blue flames on their heads floated quietly in mid-air, then all flowed into the tree monster's body. As the ghostly flames merged with it, the tree monster's surface slowly began to emit a faint blue light. The entire cave was bathed in a blue glow, and from the cracks on the tree monster's surface, pale blue, semi-transparent hands continuously reached out.
These hands were different from the milky white hands in the center. They were the size of ordinary human hands, waving continuously, like the souls of the dead imprisoned in a jail, begging for freedom.
"Hah! Hah!!"
Franka's eyes widened. After this monster had fused with the ghostly flames, its mere intimidating presence was enough to make her soul tremble slightly.
What... what is this thing!!
*Gulp...*
After swallowing hard, she took a deep breath, her eyes hardening with resolve.
"Ceobe, quick, take Lucas, Jessica, and Miss Penguin and leave!! Liskarmy and I will hold it off for a while! Go now!!"
Franka forced herself to stay calm and said hurriedly. Now that the troublesome skeletons around them were gone, it was the best chance to escape.
"Hey, hey, hey!! Don't be like that, little Franka!! How could I just leave you here!"
Magallan immediately shook her head. Although she was the client, they were also friends. How could she possibly leave her friend behind to save her own skin?
"Ceobe, quick!!"
Franka shouted anxiously, because the tree monster, now fused with many souls, was about to attack again.
"But! But!"
For a moment.
Ceobe was also at a loss.
"Don't think about sacrificing yourselves! We have to try to see if we can all get out of here."
Magallan controlled the two drones in mid-air. Under her control, the final weapon modules of the two drones activated.
"This is a huge loss!!"
The next second.
The drones shot out, exploding violently the moment they crashed into the tree monster, a blast no less powerful than a medium-sized Originium bomb. Amidst the monster's wails, Magallan quickly fled, feeling the pinch. Ceobe picked up Lucas, and the others also took this opportunity to try to run.
However.
Halfway through their escape.
An invisible spiritual pressure, as if the sky were falling, pressed down heavily on everyone's souls. The explosion just now seemed to have truly enraged this tree monster. The spiritual pressure was much stronger than before. It felt as if a huge rock was pressing down on Franka and the others. They were forced to the ground, and even moving seemed like a luxury.
"Not good!!!"
Lucas could barely withstand this level of pressure, because the strength of his current remnant soul was much stronger than that of an ordinary person. Although he still felt the pressure, it wasn't to the point where he couldn't move.
Tsk...
To think that such a small amount of soul strength could suppress even me now. If my complete soul were here....
"I'm sorry! Mr. Reeve! It's all my fault!! If only I were a little stronger!!"
Inside the necklace, at this moment, Jessica was filled with immense guilt and pain. If only I were a little stronger!! If only I were a little stronger, I wouldn't be a burden to Mr. Reeve!! She was completely unaffected because Lucas had shouldered all the pressure for her.
"Don't blame yourself, Jessica..."
Lucas seemed to have thought of something and made up his mind. He smiled faintly and comforted Jessica.
"You've already worked very hard. We'll get back alive. When we return to Columbia, I hope you can continue to be strong..."
"!!!"
For some reason, a bad premonition flashed through Jessica's mind.
"Do you still remember when we first met? Jessica...."
"...."
Jessica didn't say anything, but she now understood what Lucas wanted to say.
"Make a wish."
Jessica didn't dare to make a wish. It was the kitten's natural sense of danger. She had a feeling in her heart that if she made this wish, Mr. Reeve might...
Looking at the approaching giant tree monster and her seniors struggling on the ground, trying to get up.
Jessica was at a loss for a moment. Timidity, hesitation, and weakness crept back into Jessica's heart at this moment.
"Mr. Reeve.... I.... I...."
"You are a very brave girl, Jessica. To choose the dangerous profession of a mercenary, you are already braver than 90% of the people in the world. This time, please continue to be brave..."
Lucas's voice was incredibly gentle, but it filled Jessica's heart with unease.
"I... I...."
"*Sob sob*!!"
Large tears streamed down from Jessica's eyes.
"Please, Mr. Reeve, defeat this monster!!!"
"Wish received!!"