Chapter 328: Facing Team Lucy 4

Jae Hyun gripped the handle of his axe tightly. His breath was rapid, his chest rising and falling quickly, sweat dripping from his temples despite the cool air under the canopy of the Artificial Forest. Jae Hyun's eyes were sharp—full of focus and restrained anger. He raised his axe high, the blade gleaming as sunlight pierced through the leaves, illuminating the cold metal.

Below Jae Hyun, Maximus was in his werewolf form—his body massive, filled with muscle and glossy black fur. Maximus's eyes glowed red like embers, his jaw wide open, revealing sharp fangs ready to tear.

As Jae Hyun was about to swing his axe, Maximus roared and lunged upward, attempting to counterattack from below with his claws.

But a flash of light slashed from the side.

Harl's body shot out from behind the foliage, his long and steady strides like lightning striking from the shadows. Harl swung his spear with full force—the weapon whistled, tearing through the air, and then the attack struck Maximus's abdomen hard.

“BAAAM!!”

The sound of cracking bones echoed faintly before Maximus's body was lifted and thrown into the air. He crashed into one tree... then two... then three. Leaves and branches flew, dust billowed. Maximus's body hit the ground with a heavy thud, sending dirt flying in all directions.

“MAXIMUS!!” shouted Goujiro, his face flushed. The giant sword in Goujiro's hand trembled from his tight grip. Goujiro then glanced at his thrown comrade, disbelief in his eyes.

Without waiting, Lucy slowly moved her hand toward the ground. The tips of Lucy's fingers touched the grass, and as if answering a mother's call, thick roots burst from the earth, wrapping around Jae Hyun and Harl's ankles.

“Oh my...” Harl hissed, feeling his body being pulled down.

Jae Hyun snorted. The veins in his neck tensed, his right hand pulling the axe back at lightning speed. Heavy energy flowed from Jae Hyun's body into the weapon, the surface of his axe turned black and began to vibrate violently—feeling like holding thunder.

Jae Hyun lifted his axe above his head, and with a loud shout that shook his chest, the weapon struck the ground.

“BOOOOOM!!”

The shockwave cracked the earth. The roots shattered instantly, flung away like fragile ropes. The ground around them rose, then collapsed again, creating a thick cloud of dust that enveloped the area.

Seeing an opening, Cynthia readied her bow. Her breath was unsteady, her left hand slightly trembling from tension. However, Cynthia slowly pulled back the bowstring until it sang sharply. Her eyes focused intently on her target—Lucy.

Twang! Twang! Twang!

Three arrows shot forth quickly.

But from behind the bushes, the sound of gunfire erupted.

DOR! DOR! DOR!

One by one, Cynthia's arrows were destroyed in mid-air by sharp bullets. Among the dark bushes, a silhouette of a young girl with a long rifle emerged. Her long black hair was slightly tousled by the wind, her sharp eyes staring straight ahead—Park Mirae.

“Good job, Mirae.” A soft yet threatening voice was heard.

Rinka Enju—a girl with short wavy reddish-blue hair, stepped forward. Hot steam began to rise from Rinka's body. Flames erupted from Rinka's feet, crawling up to her shoulders. The air temperature around Rinka drastically increased.

“They're yours now,” Mirae said while continuing to move, her shots ricocheting among the trees, creating misleading echoes. Mirae vanished into the shadows of the trees, like an armed ghost.

“Jae Hyun! Harl! Hold Rinka Enju! Let Oliv face Ai Lin!” Annie shouted, her voice loud, but her tone was firm and unyielding. Annie's eyes did not blink, sweat dripping from her temples, but she didn’t care.

“Understood!”

Jae Hyun and Harl exchanged glances and nodded.