Savior merely nodded, already sprinting back to where Willow stood, staring at him with curious eyes. Leonidas didn’t stare back...more like he couldn’t.

Root was right in front of him, and averting his gaze would be a death sentence. Leonidas lowered his legs, spreading them slightly, his sword held in a reverse grip.

The cold steel touched his arm, cutting into it slightly, though it didn’t cut. Pushing on the ground, Leonidas shot off with a thunderous sound, stone breaking behind him like fragile glass.

He practically teleported, as in under a second, Leonidas was falling on Root’s massive body, which was, literally, a green root sticking out from the ground that towered over everything.

As it went upwards, the body thinned, with the top being sharp, like a spear’s edge. Leonidas swung with devastating force, body weight forcing the flowery blade forward.

He cut through the air with a whistling sound, cutting into the profane pilgrim. Blush struck the very tip of Root’s writhing body, and from there, it went straight down...alongside its wielder.

He cut Root in half, stopping somewhere near the middle.

Oh hell...

The mad pilgrim moved, shaking wildly, slamming into the darkened trees and shattered ground. Cold air slammed into Leonidas’s body, his arm shook like a toothpick under intense wind, while his bones rattled from Root’s desperate attempts of getting him off.

He pushed his legs into Root’s fetid body and shot. Blush tore free in a spray of pus, a waterfall of pure filth.

Blood splattered on the ground, staining it green, a shade unusual to regular pilgrims. Leonidas didn’t stop. The moment his feet landed on the ground, the ruby ring, which was swirling behind him, whizzed, and a stream of flowers flowed off.

A faint crimson sheen glowed on their surface, different from the usual shine Leonidas’s flowers seemed to possess.

That was because invisible tendrils of [Free Will] were wrapped around each and every flower, guiding them like they were part of his body.

Leonidas nudged the disjoined stream forward, stabbing and sticking into Root. However, there was resistance.

As if it had just gained consciousness, Root’s skin resisted the foreign entities, fighting back. A plethora of tiny strings burst from its skin.

They were like hair on a woman’s head, long and silky, moving in waves. The hair intercepted the flowers, wrapping around them. Some were crushed into fine dust, red drifting alongside the wind, while others successfully cut through the interference and completed their task.

How much longer...

His reserves of Insenium were running dry and would drop below a comfortable mark in a matter of seconds.

Oh well.

He could do nothing about it, and so he discarded the thought entirely, focusing instead on the battle ahead. He clenched his hand, grip tightening around Blush’s hilt.

His knuckles whitened, and his connection to the roses he had sent to fight Root vanished. An explosion followed, but there were no searing flames consuming everything.

Rather, a storm of crystal detonated, flying through the air like shrapnel, enough to shred anything into minced meat.

Leonidas brought the larger of his flowers forward to protect him, interlocking them into an elegant shield. The crystal storm and rose shield collided, cracks spreading through the roses, forcing Leonidas to pour more Insenium, making them stronger, more rigid.

With a final thunk, the tempest stopped, and he peeked over to see the aftermath. A green blur...

Shit!

Something slammed into Leonidas, too late for him to properly react. He had managed to bring his sword just in time, but the force behind the strike was harrowing.

Root had slammed into him, its bulky body swallowing him whole. It was unfazed, as if his attack had done nothing more than annoy it.

Realization came with the bitter taste of blood on his tongue. The damned thing had blocked most of his attack by sacrificing its hair like appendages.

How devious.

He smiled. Two could play that game.

Abandoning all pretense, Leonidas vanished, appearing above Root in a flash of crimson, coat billowing wildly. His fist slammed into Root, shoving the beast off balance.

His fist turned into bullets, tearing into Root’s flesh, steam rising from his hands. His knuckles tore open, blood flowing freely, yet Leonidas didn’t relent.

Nor did he let Root catch him. He kept moving, one moment to its right, the other on top, and then he would be right in front of it.

His movements were nimble, as if he were a ghost. The spectral light emanating from his mask only made the sight creepier.

Ahh, but all good things have an end. Leonidas punched once more, his hands swift, but this time, just as he was retracting his hand, something latched onto it.

From the puddle of blood and mush, a thin strand emerged, almost like a hair, yet much harder and stronger. Leonidas broke free in an instant, yet that instant was enough for Root to act.

The beast moved with a fearsome roar, earthquakes breaking the ground, land shifting on top of each other. Root slammed into Leonidas, sending him flying across the vast battlefield. They had moved quite a bit away from Willow and Savior.

Leonidas passed them, a scream naturally leaving his mouth. But that wasn’t the end; he passed them, heading straight for the Sanctum’s obsidian walls, a fate that would leave him as nothing but paste.

Focusing inwards, Leonidas quickly used his Edict to manifest roses, hoping, praying they would slow his descent.

A dozen flowers slammed into his back, pushing forward. The sudden interference slowed him down, but not enough.

Leonidas still crashed into the Sanctum, his back bending under pressure. He coughed, a mouthful of blood leaving without permission, staining his crimson clothes.

His ribs were cracked, some shattered under the insane force that Root packed.

Damn fucking pilgrim.

A shadow fell over him.

Leonidas looked up, his cerulean eyes widening in surprise and delight.

Before him stood Willow. She was the same as when he had left her, but beside her, Savior had changed, both in appearance and in presence.

"Let’s go kill a damned pest."