Far removed from Sonata's group, a man by the name of Kalanath was making clandestine moves to orchestrate an evil scheme. He was an elder among the hermits and the village chief's blood brother.
In contrast to the hermits who valued simplicity, modesty, and serenity, Kalanath's demeanor was peculiar. He possessed an ambitious, narrow-minded, and merciless personality.
He had persistently attempted to persuade his brother to switch sides and align with the Revarents. Kalanath contended that Atezia was inflicting more damage to the forest than the undead, and if Revarent emerged victorious in the war, the forest would be safeguarded.
Kalanath's treacherous thoughts led to his expulsion from the village. The position of Elder was scheduled to be handed over to Flora, the current Elder's adopted daughter, which infuriated Kalanath, the Elder's true brother.
After several years of practicing black magic, Kalanath had disappeared for a prolonged period of time. Now, he had resurfaced to eradicate his shame intentionally.
His nefarious plan would inflict significant harm upon the forest, but he believed it would be a resounding success. He should have executed his scheme a week earlier, but he had erred in selecting the wrong time for revenge.
It was the wrong time because he had crossed paths with Sonata, who would dismantle his plan with ease.
When Kalanath was uncertain about the outcome of his plan, he pursued his vision. He stood before an eerie, dead tree that was unfamiliar to most people. The tree was taller than a pine tree, with a thick black trunk that bulged out. Its top resembled the head of a praying mantis, and the remaining branches were shaped like two scythes.
Hermits who had seen this tree would think it resembled the remains of a gigantic insect, but only Kalanath knew that this insect-shaped tree was capable of movement.
Its name was Mantodiavas - a semi-vegetative-insect monster that had previously terrorized people. Mantodiavas was a high-ranking monster born from the body of the Demon Lord of Plants. In the past, this monster had single-handedly massacred an entire city. Kalanath had learned of this creature by studying black magic and had accidentally discovered information on how to revive it. With the help of a Revarent, he had found a way to bring Mantodiavas back to life.
"If this level of danger were to be revived as an undead, what face could stop it?," Kalanath laughed with confidence.
***--------------------------------------------------------------------***
Vanay was still rambling on about all sorts of things, particularly the undead soldiers in the army of Revarent. She made it clear that these creatures had been resurrected through black magic and consisted of skeleton demons, vampires, zombies, and other such horrors.
Sonata and his friends would need to be on their guard not just against these beings, but also against 'Deval.'
"Oh, Deval means monster," Vanay explained.
"Ah, I see. Thanks for letting me know," Sonata replied. Despite his distaste for people who were too eager to impress, he was willing to listen if it meant gaining useful information.
As Sonata was about to ask for more details, he was suddenly overcome by a sickening feeling. It was as if he could sense the presence of a malevolent entity, one that thirsted for indiscriminate killing.
However, he could not pinpoint its exact location.
A flock of birds suddenly soared overhead, drawing the attention of not just Sonata but also Alto and Vanay. Even without Sonata's keen senses, both Alto and Vanay were acutely aware that something was amiss. Alto quickly traced the root of the issue, but his line of sight was obstructed by a herd of panicked animals.
"I need to get closer to determine exactly what's happening," Alto declared. "Or we could simply circumvent the issue altogether. Let's head in the direction opposite to the stampede. If we're lucky, we might be able to avoid any danger entirely."
"Yeah, I don't think we need to investigate the cause of that commotion," Sonata declared firmly, unwilling to let this unexpected incident impede their journey.
Vanay's expression faltered at the thought. "But... but what if that thing is headed towards our village?"
Alto did not reply, but his troubled expression betrayed his own fears.
Sonata, Vanay, and even the five soldiers accompanying them could read his mind before he even spoke a word.
"You guys go back and safeguard the village. Alto and I will handle the situation at hand, and then we'll continue on towards the capital," Sonata ordered the soldiers.
The five soldiers were well-versed in following their leader's orders, so they didn't hesitate to pay their respects before heading back to the village. In their eyes, the monster ahead of them was nothing more than prey for their skilled Commander.
With the help of Vanay and Alto, Sonata quickly located the source of the threat.
"What in the world?" Vanay shrieked in horror, causing Alto to pause mid-thought, wondering what on earth could have provoked such a reaction. As they surveyed the scene before them, they beheld a colossal monster standing tens of meters tall.
Sss…!
Burning liquid spewed forth from the insect's mouth, causing massive damage to the surrounding forest. The intense force of the liquid spray toppled some trees, while others were instantly scorched by the searing heat.
...Telumrado…
The name of the spell was announced.
Although many devals couldn't speak human languages, they were capable of pronouncing the names of spells depending on their evolution or race type.
"Telumrado?" Vanay groaned. "That's a potent magic on par with Mega Might."
Sonata was already familiar with the different levels of magic, having learned about them from Vanay earlier. Although the magic used by humans and devals varied, there were several spells that could be compared. He surmised that the "Mega Might" magic used by the giant deval was a more powerful form of attack magic than the "Might'' magic.
The massive size of Mantodiavas did not hinder its speed as its sharp, sickle-like arms flailed about indiscriminately, attacking anything that moved within range, including humans.
Sonata and Alto swiftly evaded the attacks, demonstrating movements that exceeded the bounds of ordinary humans.
They nimbly climbed along Mantodiavas' body, seemingly unaffected by gravity. While Alto darted past the creature's chest, Sonata scrambled up towards its head...
Crack…!
With the monster's head the size of two people in his hands, Sonata leapt down from the fray. But Alto was nowhere to be found; he had vanished into the creature's chest. Moments later, he emerged from the creature's back without a scratch, holding its heart in his hand.
"Huh!?" exclaimed Vanay, struggling to keep up with the lightning-fast battle.
"I took it down first," Sonata declared, tossing the decapitated head of Mantodiavas high into the sky before taking aim with his "Anti-Matter Gun.
With a powerful blast, the gun shattered the creature's head completely without leaving a trace of its remains.
"If you'd just used the gun from the start, you wouldn't have had to exert so much effort," Vanay remarked.
Sonata simply shrugged. "That would've been too boring for my liking."
***-------------------------------------------------------------------***
Kalanath watched everything with a somber expression, taking note of the unexpected defeat of Mantodiavas at the hands of two strangers.
…It's a quick and decisive victory…
"Don't assume you've won just yet," the wicked old man sneered, his expression twisted with a menacing grin. He could sense that the life he had brought back from the dead was far from finished.
In a sudden, swift motion, a razor-sharp sickle arced through the air, aimed directly at Vanay.
"No!"
The young girl screamed in terror as she tumbled to the ground, narrowly avoiding the attack. Vanay frantically checked her neck for any wounds but found none, despite the fact that the surrounding forest had been brutally cut by a sharp, destructive wind.
It was only thanks to Alto's quick reflexes that Vanay had narrowly escaped death. With the ability to pass through objects, Alto had managed to get to her in time to prevent the monster's deadly scythe from cutting her in two.
"Even after we cut off its head and heart, why won't it die?" Sonata wondered aloud, firing several more rounds from his weapon. The shots caused Mantodiavas' body to chip away as if it had been ripped apart. Despite the destruction, the monster remained resolute, still moving and attempting to recover. Even after two of its scythes had been destroyed and its upper body had been shot to pieces, it still refused to yield.
"It's an undead. It won't die," Vanay shouted, "We need holy magic to defeat it."
"Okay, I'll buy us some time," Sonata said, readying himself for an attack. But Vanay's next words stopped him in his tracks.
"I have holy magic, but not for attack!" she cried out desperately, causing Sonata to stumble and nearly fall.
"We can't kill it," Alto observed grimly, watching as the monster's head and limbs regrew. "We need a different approach."
As Alto pondered his next move, the memory of their comrade trapped in cryogenic sleep filled him with frustration and anger. If only their missing friend were here, his power could break Mantodiavas down to the atomic level. But thanks to Sonata's mistake, they were left without his invaluable help.
"Are you gossiping about me in your head?" Sonata snapped at his friend, sensing Alto's frustration.
As lifelong companions, they knew each other's strengths and weaknesses well, and Sonata could easily guess what was on Alto's mind.
"Focus on the fight," Alto replied sternly, silencing his inner complaints. There was no point in continuing the argument.
Alto sprang into action, using his ability to pass through matter to dodge the monster's attacks and avoid taking damage.
"You're thinking about that guy again, aren't you?" Sonata taunted, a sly grin on his face.
"Why are you invading my thoughts? Your power doesn't allow you to read minds, does it?" Alto retorted, his irritation mounting.