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With this new combination, Duke realized that they finally had a chance to turn the tide against the mutated tree.

The creature, though exasperated, felt a growing sense of fear and hesitation. It paused, uncertain whether it could win against Duke and the others.

However, after a brief moment of indecision, it decided to press on with the fight. Despite its formidable power, the mutated tree’s intelligence was limited, leaving it unable to assess whether it was truly gaining ground.

As a result, it continued its relentless assault, unaware of the shift in momentum.

The mutated tree’s entire body trembled, emitting a deafening creak that echoed through the air—like the groan of an old, brittle tree.

But this time, the sound resembled a roar, a clear declaration of fury. Its stance shifted, radiating an intense anger as it prepared to fight Kisha, Duke, and Vulture to the death.

This, however, was exactly what they had been hoping for. They didn’t want the mutated tree to retreat; they wanted it to stand its ground, so they could finally face it head-on.

With most of its roots and vines damaged by Duke’s recent ice-and-lightning attack, the mutated tree had little choice but to rely on its remaining tendrils.

It surged forward with its massive form, aiming to crush Kisha, Duke, and Vulture, swatting at them as though they were mere flies buzzing around its massive trunk.

"Seems like it’s already losing its composure after taking that much damage," Duke remarked mockingly, a cold smile curling on his lips as his eyes followed the enormous Weeping Willow tree’s every move.

"I knew this mutated tree had the ability to detach itself from the ground and move whenever it pleases," Kisha said, her voice sharp with anger as her eyes tracked the massive, moving mutated tree.

The fury surged through her veins. Along with using her telekinesis to keep herself, Duke, and Vulture floating in the air, she extended her powers further, reaching out with determination.

Bang!

A massive cluster of hardened soil shot toward the enormous mutated tree. Due to its sheer size, it couldn’t evade the incoming attack Kisha launched at it, and the clump of soil struck the tree’s body with a resounding impact.

Most of the mutated tree’s roots and vines had already been damaged by Duke’s earlier strike, leaving it severely weakened.

Without the ability to regrow its roots quickly—especially without the vital nutrients or the flesh and blood of living creatures—the tree was left battered and defenseless.

Its remaining roots were insufficient to provide proper balance.

When Kisha’s attack landed, the mutated tree was knocked off balance and tumbled backward with a loud, crashing thud.

Seeing the mutated tree struggle to stand back up, Duke seized the opportunity.

He conjured an even more powerful and bigger ’Ice Storm’, enveloping the tree’s entire form.

The storm’s icy tendrils surged with force, covering every inch of the mutated tree.

The creature tried to push itself up using its remaining roots and vines or roll out of the way to avoid being encased in ice.

Just the sight of the ice caused the tree to tremble, recalling the damage to its roots and vines earlier, and panic set in as it realized its vulnerability.

But Duke wasn’t about to give it a chance to recover. As he maintained the ice storm, Kisha offered crucial support.

She harnessed her telekinesis to gather more hardened soil from the surrounding area.

Initially, she considered using nearby trees that would serve as her bullet, but she quickly dismissed that idea, recognizing the ecological importance of the trees to their planet.

Instead, she scooped up the solid earth with a telekinetic grip, launching it at the mutated tree with all the power her immense strength could muster.

With her Strength at 220, each chunk of soil hit with the force of a cannonball.

Even though the mutated tree boasted impressive defense, Kisha’s attack still struck with overwhelming power, causing the already-weakened creature considerable pain and further destabilizing it.

As the ’Ice Storm’ steadily encased the mutated tree in thick layers of freezing ice, Kisha’s relentless assault kept the creature pinned to the ground.

With precision, she used her telekinesis to pull herself and the others closer, inching ever nearer to the struggling tree.

Once they were within range, Vulture felt the familiar, grounding connection to the earth once more.

With this newfound proximity, he was able to draw on the earth’s energy, conjuring powerful earth spikes.

The spikes shot up from the ground with lethal speed, further immobilizing the mutated tree and ensuring that it couldn’t escape its weakened state.

This effectively set the stage for Duke to deliver the final, devastating blow.

As Duke watched the mutated tree fully encased in layers of ice, a sinister grin spread across his face.

With a decisive motion, he raised his arm high and summoned a ’Lightning Strike’ that crackled with the fury of a dragon descending from the heavens.

The bolt of lightning surged down, engulfing the mutated tree in a blinding flash of energy.

Upon impact, the freezing ice that had cocooned the tree shattered violently, breaking apart like brittle glass.

The tree’s roots and vines splintered with it, leaving only a small portion of the trunk standing.

Though the tree’s immense form had been devastated, the trunk quivered faintly, its creaking sounds betraying its desperate struggle to cling to the last vestiges of life, as if it refused to yield completely.

With a swift motion, Kisha used her telekinesis to lift herself, Duke, and Vulture high above the mutated tree.

Without hesitation, Duke seized his Kratos’ Spear, gripping it firmly, and with a burst of raw power, hurled it with pinpoint precision at the crevice of the mutated tree.

His eyes had caught a faint glimmer there, suspecting it to be the tree’s crystal core.

The Kratos’ Spear, enhanced with the ’Pierce’ effect, cut through the mutated tree’s remaining defenses as effortlessly as a hot knife through butter.

The moment the spear struck its target, the tree let out a dying groan, its form cracking as it split in two.

The Kratos’ Spear was lodged deep between the severed halves, its tip buried in the earth, while beside it lay the green crystal core—a smooth, vibrant orb roughly the size of a ping pong ball, glimmering faintly in the fading light.

Without descending to the ground, Kisha used her telekinesis to lift the mutated tree’s crystal core toward them, along with Duke’s spear.

She handed the spear back to him, then briefly examined the crystal core before storing it safely in her inventory.

With the immediate threat neutralized, their focus shifted to finding Sparrow.

Though the evidence from the mutated tree—the fact that it fed on flesh and blood—led them to believe that Sparrow was most likely dead, they still held onto a glimmer of hope.

They wanted, at the very least, to recover his body or remains to bring back to the base for a proper burial, giving him the respect he deserved.

Vulture fell silent as well, his thoughts mirroring those of Kisha and Duke. As they descended to the murky, sticky ground, he gave the dead mutated tree a hard kick, his frustration and sorrow evident.

Afterward, he quietly retreated to a corner, his shoulders shaking as he silently broke down, tears streaming down his face.