Notker's shout reached the Manggot members, and they concealed themselves even more thoroughly within the forest. Those who lived in the dangerous region outside the barrier were all experts at concealment.

"Once we leave this forest, we will never meet again."

They nodded with determined expressions at his words.

Manggot had not come to win the war. They would perish alongside the Empire.

"Alright, without further ado, head towards the barrier,"

Notker tried to lead the charge, but

"What, what is this?"

His feet wouldn't leave the ground.

This wasn't a figurative expression of hesitation or anxiety. His feet were literally bound.

He looked down at his feet.

Some kind of vine-like thing was wrapped around them.

"What is this! When did this happen!"

"Lord Notker! Our feet are bound!"

"It's the enemy's trap!"

It wasn't just him. The feet of all the Manggot members hidden in the forest were bound.

‘A trap? Who could have set a trap!’

Did the ones on the barrier anticipate that we would ambush them here?

No, it was impossible for them to know our path in this vast forest in advance.

Moreover, when Notker himself had appeared before the barrier, even Hector had been surprised. The surprised looks on the faces of the soldiers on the barrier were definitely not an act.

That's when it happened.

Flutter-

A butterfly flew among the Manggot members.

A blue butterfly with beautiful black markings fluttered around them with a unique wing pattern.

Notker watched the butterfly for a moment.

A strange silence fell. For some reason, everyone was captivated by the insignificant butterfly.

Notker soon understood why.

‘...Have I ever seen a butterfly like that?’

Manggot, accustomed to life outside the barrier, had the natural environment etched into their minds.

And yet, the beautiful butterfly passing by them, with its stunning patterns that were hard to forget, was completely unfamiliar and strange.

“……!”

Suddenly, Notker looked around.

He realized that the forest had subtly changed, starting from somewhere, sometime.

‘What is that tree, those leaves, and those flowers over there! I don't recognize any of them!’

It was more than just unfamiliar; it was an eerily well-manicured nature.

They had somehow entered a fairytale-like landscape, with colors more saturated than a real forest.

[It's inconvenient for you to go out now.]

At that moment, a voice reached them.

Manggot looked around in confusion.

Whether he had been there from the beginning or had arrived the moment they saw him, an old man emerged from behind a tree.

"Wh-who are you!"

"Who are you!"

Manggot shouted threateningly, but their feet were still unable to move an inch.

[I don't have a name worth mentioning to an old man like me.]

The elderly man waved his hand once.

[But I can't just leave things as they are.]

Squeeze-

The tree trunks grew thicker, binding the Manggot members' entire bodies.

[I can't let the moment of a hero's birth be tainted.]

No matter how skilled Manggot was at concealment,

they couldn't hide in this forest.

This was already his domain,

his dream.

* * *

Aster believed this battle would ultimately come down to stamina.

More precisely, when his energy ran out, he would lose.

Even though he couldn't use One Flash easily, if he just held back, he would be crushed by the minotaurs' attacks.

Just as Aster could kill them in an instant, he too would be finished if he were hit even once by their attacks.

Therefore, his only path to victory was to avoid their attacks entirely and defeat them all before his aura and stamina were depleted.

But then.

Clang─

The unexpected happened.

“……!”

Aster's sword broke.

Aster's strength and technique were sufficient to cut through the minotaurs' tough hides and sturdy flesh, but the sword was not.

He had used the most complete stances and the cleanest swordsmanship to minimize the strain on the sword, but

it had only served to extend its lifespan slightly.

ROOOOAR!

The minotaurs roared once more.

Aster ran with all his might to avoid the attacks raining down from above.

Knowing that his weapon was broken, the minotaurs attacked without hesitation. Aster rolled and jumped to evade the relentless bombing.

Woosh-

Aster's aura surged again. It condensed, filling the void left by the broken sword.

Aster tried to use it to cut the minotaurs' hides, but

Shhk-

He managed to cut them, but he couldn't inflict any significant wounds.

"Ugh!"

As soon as Aster realized this, he ran. He couldn't inflict damage with aura that had no blade. The minotaurs realized this too, and they immediately gave chase.

Boom! Crash!

The minotaurs rampaged with glee. The little human's attacks had become pathetic. They weren't quite ticklish, but the previous threat of his blade was gone.

They could kill him soon. As if to engrave that fact into their eyes, the minotaurs' eyes turned red.

"Ugh!"

Aster, trying to escape quickly, lost his balance due to the tremors caused by the minotaurs. Their hands reached out.

Aster rolled on the ground to dodge them,

Thud!

He stabbed the broken sword into the ground and used it as a lever to launch himself into the air.

Soaring through the air, Aster barely managed to distance himself from the beasts, but he was now empty-handed, having lost even the broken sword.

"Hoo."

Aster stood up again.

He had no sword. He couldn't kill them with aura that had no blade.

The people at the barrier couldn't damage the minotaurs more than Aster could, and he had no other options.

Death approached. It took shape, became a blade, and strode towards him.

Aster looked straight at it, maintaining the same expression he always had.

"I haven't fallen yet."

He spoke to the beasts.

"I said you have to knock me down to get past."

This time, it was a truly absurd provocation. The minotaurs strode towards him. They no longer had any trace of leisure in their demeanor.

Aster's entire body was enveloped in aura.

How many seconds could he hold out? Did the people at the barrier realize the situation?

If they abandoned Tyburn and focused on defense again, could they save even a few more people─

Water Magic 3rd Form

Growth, Rejection, Fairy's Call

Wave

At that moment.

A faint sound came from near Aster's feet.

“……?”

At first, Aster couldn't tell what the sound was, but when he realized it was the sound of water droplets falling,

the droplets in front of his feet rolled, as if advancing towards the minotaurs.

And in an instant, they swelled, becoming like a stream, a lake, a river.

Soon, it grew as vast as the sea,

"Swallow them."

As if obeying someone's soft voice,

it surged towards the minotaurs as a wave that towered over their heads.

"Haa, this is really something."

Someone spoke in a somewhat dissatisfied tone, and Aster turned around.

"He said you'd come to the Sacred Forest, but you made me come all the way here."

No matter who says it, prophecies and the like are unreliable. The woman grumbled.

Of course, Aster had no idea who she was, so he just tilted his head in confusion.

"You're the one, aren't you?"

"...The one who is what?"

"The one who Frondier said would come to the Sacred Forest someday. The one that man said was more fitting than himself."

"...Man?"

"Did you come here without hearing anything? From Frondier."

At those words, Aster was momentarily stunned

.

Aster took a moment to process the situation.

"...That bastard."

He soon let out a sigh and smiled, a mixture of unknown emotions welling up within him.

"As you know, you can't defeat them with just a wave. It will only stop them for a moment."

"Then what should we do?"

"...You really did come without hearing anything, didn't you? No sense, no understanding of the situation."

Aster pursed his lips.

It was quite rude for someone he had just met to speak to him like that, but it was an evaluation he had heard too many times from those around him, so he had nothing to say.

"Here."

The woman then extended what she had been hiding behind her back towards Aster.

"It's time to keep the promise."

What the woman held out was a sword.

"It's time for the hero to appear."

It was the second Excalibur,

the one Frondier had entrusted to them.