202 The winner (1/2)

Lilith heard some strange sound projecting throughout the forest and started to become concerned.

”What was that!??” she asked while trying to gaze at the top of the mountain. She was using her combined form alongside Marcus which made her hair look snow-white.

”Not sure... Probably the young miss trying to reach for the core...” Detra replied.

The two were stuck back at the summoning ring after being teleported by accident once they tried to rush to the core after realizing Ellie was missing and hearing her beastly howl from the top of the mountain.

”You need to go after her!! With your fused form, you should be able to get there fast enough to help her!” Detra suggested.

”I can't just leave you here alone!!” Lilith debated.

”I'm a master class ice mage, I can handle myself! Just go!”

”But-”

Before they could continue their conversation, they spotted monsters being summoned all around them by the power of the forest.

Beasts of the size of a truck who looked like a mixture between a wolf with six legs, two heads, and a pair of bat wings on their backs. They all had fur black like charcoal and three eyes on their faces.

”The forest is trying to keep us separated... She's trying to stall us so we won't help the young miss...” Detra realized, ”You have to go!!”

One of the wolfs tried to charge at them but the two just defeated them quickly with a combination of ice attacks and sword-slashes.

”Can you take care of them on your own?” Lilith asked.

”Maybe...” Detra replied while looking clearly tired. She also noticed that even more monsters continued to show up with each passing second. She wasn't sure if she could handle such a big number.

Lilith knew she wasn't in a good state to fight, they had been fighting each other for a whole month after all with barely any breaks.

Lilith then grabbed Detra in a princess-carry position and began to rush with her in the opposite direction.

”What are you doing???” Detra asked.

”I'm getting you to a safe place outside of the forest, and then, I'm going after Ellie!!” Lilith shouted.

”Are you crazy??? We don't have time for this!! The young miss-”

”Is much stronger than we all give her credit for!!” Lilith interrupted, ”I know that because I just spent our entire time in the final ring watching her closely...”

Detra became silent, still feeling nervous.

”Have faith in our girl!” Lilith whispered while she continued to escape from the black wolf monsters.

Part 2

Ellie was still engaging with the clones of Flora.

They all kept charging at her with extreme ferocity in their eyes and trying to tear the young mage apart.

Ellie, however, was not worried, as she was relying on her magic combo of diamond golem and silver metal to fend them off.

With a couple of powerful swings in her weapon form, Ellie succeeded in defeating every one of them that were dumb enough to get close to her.

The clones kept trying to punch, slash, stab, or grab the enormous diamond giant girl, but its body was just too strong for any damage to take effect of for it to be held down.

More clones tried to leap on top of it, but the golem just changed Ellie into a gauntlet and knocked all of them with quick punches, sending them flying.

Vines began to try and tangle her up, but Ellie switched into a dagger again and cut them to free her doll.

A couple of carnivorous plants tried to bite the giant, and some of the wooden arms from the tree also attempted on holding her still, but the girl just gave up a couple of pieces of her diamonds to get away from their efforts.

She kept punching and slashing more clones but Flora would not stop making more of them emerge from the ground.

[Why won't you just go down already!!??] she thought to herself while taking the shape of a needle to pierce a plant.

The more time passed, the smaller her golem would get. Eventually, she would need to go back to normal once her magic energy ran out.

Ellie then noticed the clones all gathering in one place. Not just the clones, but also the plants, the vines, the arms, they all were combining themselves around the spherical core and the large tree located in the center of the mountain, and fusing into one monstrous being.

[Oh, come on...]

Ellie tried to charge at it but the creature just smacked the golem with a fist that was even bigger than it.

Ellie finally couldn't hold it anymore and returned to normal as she watched her golem crumble.

”Ugh...” she whispered as she was still being sent flying from the impact.

The girl was then caught before touching the ground by a vine that wrapped her arms and legs, making her unable to move.

”I told you that I could do this the whole day...” Flora commented while taking the form of a literal abomination of nature combining all of her tree and her agents into one being that looked like a woman with her legs buried under the ground with her core stuck in her torso.

”Seriously, how many times do I need to cut you down??” Ellie cried while trying to struggle against the vines.

She wanted to reach for the ground to use spell breaker and get more energy back, but Flora was making sure she would stay away from the floor.

”Its hopeless young mage... I'm a high-demon... I'm leagues more powerful than any regular demon that you might have faced in the past... My power is the kind of thing your kind could never dream to comprehend...”

”... You're not very humble, are you?” Ellie whispered.

”...”