Rustle... Rustle…
Just as Ash managed to stand up, she heard a faint disturbance coming from the bushes to her right.
Was that... another Spirit Beast?
A bitter smile tugged at Ash's lips.
She suddenly felt there was no longer any point in struggling...
One giant Vespitoxin had already pushed her to the brink of death.
If another Spirit Beast, whose strength was an unknown variable, were to show up now... it didn't matter if she fought back or not.
The outcome seemed all but inevitable.
If that was the case, why should she bother with meaningless resistance and prolong her suffering?
So be it...
Ash, her spirit utterly crushed, released her grip on the multipurpose tool she had been clutching in a last-ditch effort to resist.
She stood there, resigned, waiting for the Vespitoxin's attack to pierce through her body.
Buzz—
The familiar sound of slicing wind approached right on cue.
Instinctively, Ash shut her eyes, bracing herself for the embrace of death.
But then, something unexpected happened.
Just before the Vespitoxin's attack could strike Ash, a vibrant green figure shot out from the bushes and collided with her, knocking her to the ground.
The next second, a thunderous crash echoed behind her.
Ash opened her eyes in shock to see the thick trunk of a massive tree behind her split cleanly in two, crashing to the ground with a deafening roar.
"Larvavine~"
An anxious yet familiar cry echoed in Ash's ears.
Knocked to the ground and dazed, Ash shuddered and snapped her eyes open in surprise.
The piercing pain she had braced herself for never arrived.
Instead, two vibrant green antennae swayed back and forth in front of her face.
Her gaze shifted downward slightly, and she realized the one who had knocked her aside to avoid the giant Vespitoxin's attack wasn't some stranger—it was a Larvavine with pale yellow patterns running along its sides!
Wait... A Larvavine!?
"It's you!" Ash exclaimed, her voice rising in shock as if struck by a sudden revelation.
If she wasn't mistaken, this was the very same Larvavine from the small park near her home.
But why was it here?
And the rustling sounds from earlier… Could those sounds have been caused by it, too?
Ash's mind swirled with a flood of questions, each one more perplexing than the last.
But now wasn't the time for her to delve into these mysteries.
Because behind her, the giant Vespitoxin was already tearing through the forest and rapidly closing the distance between them!
If she didn't get back on her feet and start running again, she really would meet her end this time!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh—
Almost at the same moment, Ash scrambled to her feet, the sharp, arrow-like sound of something slicing through the air came from right behind her.
Ash could no longer pay attention to the pain from her injuries.
She quickly bent down to dodge the sharp stinger attack shot by the giant Vespitoxin.
She then scooped up Larvavine from the ground and tucked it under her arm as she dashed into the forest ahead.