Endless Horde: Through the Eyes of a Godking

This tree has the sentience of a child and is a predator; it feeds on any living thing that comes near it, not even its fellow demons. It could control sharp vines that could easily penetrate Tier 8 metals, and its toxic excretion contains a strong paralytic enzyme and makes its targets contagious.

For this thing to be in the middle of a ruined base wasn't good news for the team, obviously.

And then there's the puppeteer...

It would be a mistake to underestimate this one. In Acala's Demon Database, it's officially called 'Mind Flaying Puppeteer'. By itself, it's weak. Those who are at the same strength level could easily kill the puppeteer once it's exposed. But that's only if they could expose its whereabouts.

Mind-flaying puppeteers play to their strengths. They have excellent stealth capabilities and are able to hide from the senses of those who are way stronger than them. What makes them deadly is the way they could hijack the brains of their target.

The puppeteers didn't need to kill their target. They only need to be close enough to form a mental connection, and hijacking would commence. If the target's mental acquity was lower than that of the demon, they would be forcibly enslaved by the puppeteer, completely conscious of their actions. This is what made them terrifying.

Cedric read many stories of soldiers being forced to kill their comrades because they fell under the control of the mind-flaying puppeteers. It has traumatized many people; thus, puppeteers have gained a notorious reputation among humans.

Whistle!! Boom!!

The quiet ruins that's now occupied by the Crimson Thorn Tree were suddenly disturbed by a sharp whistle, followed by a large explosion.

Numerous thick vines erupted from the ground, forming a shield to protect the main body. It's a bit late for that since the attack came out of nowhere, but it did manage to lessen the damage dealt.

Before the tree could tell what was going on, another attack came. A pillar of bright flames erupted underneath itself. The scalding heat swiftly evaporated the crimson toxins on the tree and burned its sharp protrusions; even the vines were burned as well.

However, this state only lasted a few seconds. The tree recovered at a pace visible to the naked eye. This was due to the spare nourishment from the fresh corpses it stored, which was originally for later consumption. It was forced to consume its backup supply, which caused the tree to be extremely angry.

The Crimson Thorn Tree unleashed its fury by extending its vines as far as it could reach. The vines slithered like underground pythons seeking prey. Along the way, it's using siesmic sense to figure out the location of the enemy.

The radar caught something, but it was fleeting. However, that's enough for the tree to use all it has to hunt that elusive thing. Unfortunately, hunting the target like this was a fatal mistake for the tree.

Pshew!!

A blinding streak of light blazed with momentary glory, leaving a trail of verdant sparkle. The shot pierced the tree, punching a massive hole in its trunk. At the end of its life, the projectile also exploded, causing greater damage to the tree.

The Crimson Thorn Tree withered visibly and wasn't able to restore itself. The damage done to it was too much, and it has no more food source to consume for recovery.

Because of this, it was unable to defend against the final attack that claimed its life. The attack came from the large magical circle that appeared beneath it, erupting with a white and yellow spring of light that consumed its entire existence.

The Crimson Thorn Tree was no more. It was reduced to dust particles, and its soul left the plane, returning to its origin.

Its death left a gaping hole amidst the ruins of the dilapidated base. Moments later, several people wearing dark cloaks appeared.

'Do your thing, Cedric. The rest of you, keep your eyes peeled for the puppets and the puppeteer. Since we exposed ourselves, the puppeteer will undoubtedly try to get us.' Elric signaled to the team as soon as they arrived at the ruined base.

Yes, the ones that attacked and killed the Crimson Tree Demon were Team Elric. The first attack was sent by Floyd, who used an explosive shot. The pillar of flames came from Darwin, who used the volcanic eruption spell. The blur that the tree sensed was Francis acting as bait, and the verdant explosive shot came from Floyd again.

The final attack was from Erica; it's called Holy Light Spring. It's effects were similar to those of Sunfire but much, much weaker. The target has to be on its last leg for it to take effect; otherwise, demons would just brush off the attack, or they'd feel mildly inconvenienced by it at most.

It might've looked easy, but that's only because it was a planned assault. The team spent 30 minutes strategizing for this simply because they couldn't afford to be careless.

They had to get rid of the tree first since it was an immediate roadblock to their goals. And while the creature was deadly, Team Elric has three planar travelers, so they're not afraid of a single tree.

What they're wary of is the mind-flaying puppeteer and its minions, in addition to the possible attention they get because they're making a lot of noise here. This means that this battle is not over just yet.

Groan

Elric and the rest of the team were alarmed by the sudden sound. Before they knew it, they were already surrounded.

There were at least 20 demons around them. Each one had varying expressions, yet all were controlled by a single mind-flaying puppeteer who expertly hid itself.

Chrissy stepped forward and belched a thick purple fog that seamlessly blended with the surroundings. The marching group of demons suddenly paused in their steps, their bodies twitching weirdly.

This was due to the powerful paralysis contained within Chrissy's fog. This also made a mess of her targets' nerve condition, so even if they're resistant to the paralysis, they wouldn't be able to move properly. Simply put, she hacked the target's nerves, which are in charge of their mobility.

"I can't trace it," Chrissy muttered loud enough for her comrades to hear. "It's really hidden itself deeply."

In addition to the paralysis and nerve rewiring, Chrissy could also use the toxins to locate her targets by following the path of contingency. She was hoping that, as the controller of these things, the toxins would spread to the puppeteer as well. Unfortunately, the main target was too far from the toxin's reach.

Elric, Floyd, and Darwin didn't mind. They attacked and eliminated the paralyzed targets within a minute. It would've been good if the puppeteer was also infected, but since it has hidden itself far away, they'd just continue guarding Cedric.

However, it would seem that they're a little too optimistic in their fantasies...

Roar!!

"Oh, for fuck's sake," Elric softly groaned as he saw more demons appearing.

One in particular was a large one. And judging by its looks, it's also controlled by the puppeteer. It was also accompanied by at least 30 more demons. The weakest is Tier 7 in human equivalent.

"Fuck it. Balls to the walls, then," Francis muttered. "We need to shave off as many as we can. Being swarmed by demons isn't within my bucket list."

"Agreed." Elric sighed as a strong pressure erupted from his body.

The strenth of a planar traveler exploded from him. He then flew like a comet and met the giant demon head-on.

Boom!!

The giant demon was a mammoth. Its truck clashed with Elric's shield, and their clash caused a large explosion that sent strong aftershocks around them.

Francis blended with the shadows, swimming along the current like a fish and appearing behind a demon to disembowel it with a single strike. Floyd pulled back his bowstring and condensed a flaming blue arrow. Strings of incantations buzzed from Darwin and Erica's lips while Chrissy threw handfuls of vials all over the place, leaving behind toxic puddles.

Erica's incantations finished earlier. A rainbow-colored light erupted from her body. When this light touched her teammates, they felt light and energized all of sudden.

Floyd released the arrow he's holding, and as soon as it flew, it multiplied into shards of heat-seeking projectiles that punched fist-sized holes in his targets.

Darwin's incantations were finished. He slammed the butt of his staff on the ground, and all of a sudden, the ground beneath them turned into a muddy swamp that started swallowing the marching demons. This slowed them down greatly. In addition, the puddles of poison Chrissy left behind mixed with the swamp, making it harmful to the demons who are out to get them.

As for Elric, once he saw that the weight of the mammoth turned against it, causing it to descend faster to the swamp, he immediately climbed to its back and began hammering away at its spine.

All of this was happening while Cedric continued rebuilding the base.