The flower behind Chris quickly split into two parts: the stem and the petals. The green stem rooted itself in the ground and spread its roots across an area of 10 square kilometers.
Meanwhile, the head of the flower disintegrated into thousands of small petals, rushing towards Erik. At the same time, the roots surged from below, trying to grab at his feet.
"He definitely can't control all of this at once!" Erik muttered, clenching his teeth as his instincts warned him of the petals' danger. He waved his hand quickly, releasing wind blades that carved a path through the wave of petals, while a massive storm swirled around him, suppressing the roots.
"Ahh! Help me! It's draining my blood!" screamed one of the tribe's guards behind Erik, as a petal that had survived the wind blades clung to him and started draining all the blood from his body.
"Everyone, fall back! This place is dangerous!" Oliver shouted urgently, retreating toward the cave, with everyone following him in confusion.
As soon as the guard's blood was drained, the petal detached, now turned red, and flew towards the nearest guard who hadn't yet escaped.
Kieran glanced at the unlucky guard beside him with pity before he sped up, running to the cave. Fear overwhelmed him, and nothing else mattered anymore.
"That bastard!" Erik muttered, glancing at the chaotic scene behind him. That single petal had killed more than three people and terrified the others so much that no one dared disturb Chris in the fight.
"An opening!" Chris leaped high, gathering some roots to form a sharp spear, and launched it with all his strength at Erik's exposed back.
The green spear shot forward at incredible speed, piercing through the wind barrier and striking Erik's upper back. The green poison spread rapidly, turning his entire shadow green before his form crumbled into a pile of sand.
"This is bad... where did he go?" Chris frowned, sending roots into the ground quickly, trying to sense his opponent.
"Argh!" Chris suddenly felt pain in his back as his robe and part of his outfit were torn, and blood started dripping to the ground.
"You should know that fighting in the air is a mistake. This is my ultimate territory," Erik's gruff voice echoed from all around Chris.
Chris quickly turned, trying to locate his opponent while pulling roots around him to form a shield. He held the shield cautiously, standing in midair.
"Landing now would give him a chance to attack me from behind, but staying here means fighting at a disadvantage… damn!" Thoughts rushed through Chris's mind as he continued changing his position every five seconds.
"Behind me!" Chris felt a chill on his back and quickly spun, placing his shield in front.
Before him, a concentrated mass of wind energy, about the size of an egg, surged towards him as if it had a mind of its own. It wobbled slightly, then disappeared and reappeared directly in front of his shield.
The terrifying energy spread from the shield to his arm, numbing it as his shield started to wither. His body was hurled downward, crashing into the ground and raising a cloud of dust.
"Chris, admit it and leave. I don't want to fight either," Erik's voice resonated again, this time clearer and steadier.
"Do you think I don't know about your plans? Zane has the records of this world, and whoever finds his legacy can easily rule it." The dust cleared, revealing Chris standing upright, blood dripping from his wounds all over.
"Do you think there's no price for that knowledge? And you're not someone who can pay it!" Erik replied, his voice tinged with impatience.
"What makes you think I can't pay the price?" As soon as Chris said this, a green light spread across his body, healing all his injuries, while the roots gathered around him, forming hundreds of sharp spears.
"It seems I have no choice but to force you out."