Seojun as he sat at the center, eyes closed, focusing all his energy on the ritual to save the Aeternum Yggrith. His hands pressed firmly against the ancient bark, and a bright light began to glow from the tree's core. The ground trembled slightly, and the air was thick with tension. The barrier around him glowed, protecting him from the chaos outside, but it was not invincible.
Huno and Silla stood like guardians before him, surrounded by a swarm of wild, frenzied beasts. The creatures attacked without stopping, their eyes glowing red with madness. Huno, with his three heads, fought fiercely, Silla, now using his clones, fought alongside him. Each of his eight clones had a single head, turning them into a squad of silver-scaled serpents.
"There's too many beasts!" Huno shouted, his deep voice booming over the chaos. He slammed his paws into the ground, sending a shockwave that knocked back a group of beasts—giant, boar-like creatures with six tusks and thick, spiked fur. But for every beast they pushed back, more took their place.
Then, a new threat appeared from above. Winged creatures—large, bat-like beasts with leathery wings and multiple glowing eyes—began to dive down from the darkened sky. Some had four wings, some had three heads, and others were covered in scales that shimmered in the dim light.
"Incoming, from above!" Huno shouted activating his new skill, his middle head spewing a torrent of fire to burn the hornets away. Some caught fire and fell to the ground, but others dodged and continued their attack.
They screeched as they flew, diving toward Seojun's barrier, trying to break through from above.
"If only we could use our original size, we could block them all," Silla hissed, frustration in his voice because the biggest they can grow is only 15 feet tall as they have to level up more.
The beasts swooped down fast, forcing Silla and his clones to strike them out of the air. He coiled his body and shot upward, his jaws snapping shut around a beast's wing, tearing it off and sending the creature crashing to the ground. Meanwhile, Huno leaped up, his left head blasting fire to burn another out of the sky.
A swift, serpent-like beast with sharp claws and wings managed to slip past their defenses. It darted toward Seojun's barrier, its eyes glowing red with a crazed hunger.
"Master!" Huno and Silla shouted in unison, their voices filled with urgency. They moved to intercept, but they were just a second too late. The beast slammed against the barrier with a loud bang.
Inside the barrier, Seojun winced in pain, his eyes squeezing shut. The barrier shook, and a ripple of energy shot through it. The impact caused the ritual to tremble, and Seojun's body tensed as he struggled to maintain focus. [The barrier must not be breached,] the system warned. [Interference will cause great risk to the host.]
Huno acted quickly. He sprang forward with all three heads snapping and bit down on the beast's nape. With a powerful twist, he threw the creature far away, sending it crashing into a group of beasts below. But in his moment of action, Huno was caught off guard.
Three more beasts-a giant, bear-like monster with two heads, a horned wolf with spikes all over its body, and a creature that looked like a mix of a lizard and a centipede with long, sharp legs- pounced on him. Their jaws clamped down on his back and legs, dragging him away from Seojun's side.
"Brother, hold on!" Silla shouted, his clones quickly rushing to help Huno. Two of his serpents coiled around the bear-like beast, squeezing it until its bones cracked, while another two clones bit and slashed at the horned wolf, trying to pry it off Huno. But with Huno dragged away, another winged beast, a giant bat with a lion's face and claws like a hawk's, swooped down, aiming straight for Seojun's barrier.
It crashed into the glowing shield, and this time the barrier flickered more violently. Seojun's face twisted in pain, his body shivering as the ritual was threatened. The tree groaned as the flow of energy wavered.
Inside the barrier, Seojun flinched, his body tensing up. The ritual energy trembled again, and the tree groaned in pain. [Host is experiencing severe stress. The ritual's stability is at risk,] the system's warned.
Huno, despite being bitten and dragged, roared with fury. With a burst of strength, he ripped free from the creatures holding him. His middle head blasted the lizard-like beast with flames, burning it to ash, while his left head crushed the wolf's skull in its jaws. His right head snapped at the bear creature, forcing it to release its grip.
Panting, blood dripping from his wounds, Huno rushed back to Seojun's side, just as the lion-faced bat was about to strike the barrier again. With a mighty leap, Huno intercepted it, his jaws clamping down on its neck.
"Not today!" he growled, ripping the beast away and tossing it back into the air. Silla and his clones finished off the remaining attackers around them, making sure to keep a close eye on the sky.
"We have to hold them back, brother!" Silla said.
"Yes, for Master!" Huno replied, his heads scanning for any new threats.
A single bat-like beast managed to slip through a gap. It was small but fierce, with its mouth wide open and teeth ready to tear. It darted toward Seojun's barrier, aiming to smash into it. Seojun's body tensed even more as the strain of maintaining the ritual while defending against constant attacks weighed heavily on him. His breathing became shallow.
Huno was pinned to the ground, struggling beneath the weight of several beasts clawing and biting at him. His three heads snapped and snarled, trying to fend them off, but the beasts were relentless. One was a giant, saber-toothed lion with a mane of spikes, while another was a massive bear with scales instead of fur.
The third was a boar-like creature with tusks as long as swords, its red eyes glowing with fury. Huno tried to stand, but the combined weight of the beasts kept him down. Blood dripped from his wounds, and his strength was fading.