Just as Zhou Xiaoxiao opened her mouth to beg, the world screamed.

A roar, deep and tectonic, drowned out her plea. The ground lurched violently, sending tremors up through the soles of their feet as if a great dragon were thrashing beneath the earth’s crust.

Even the Corpse Thralls, bound by the willow vines, swayed drunkenly in the chaos.

Every survivor turned to look at the source of the commotion—the village square.

Beneath the canopy of the world-dominating Great Willow, a three-meter-tall giant was at work. Iron Lion’s muscles rippled like steel cables under his skin. His fists, now the size of sledgehammers, pounded against the massive trunk of the tree.

BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.

He was a living battering ram. With every impact, bark exploded outward, and the Great Willow wept thick, crimson blood.

Beside him, the long-legged girl stood amidst the chaos, her expression serene but deadly pale. She held her sword aloft with one hand, chanting syllables that twisted the air around her.

“Swift!”

She brought the blade down.

It wasn’t just steel that fell. A dazzling construct of white Sword Aura extended from the weapon, turning the one-meter blade into a ten-meter guillotine of pure energy.

Even from a distance, the killing intent made Chen Ye’s skin crawl.

Slash.

The giant blade of light cleaved into the Great Willow. It didn’t just cut; it carved a deep, horrific gash into the ancient wood. A fountain of red sap erupted from the wound, cascading down the trunk like a waterfall.

And then, the tree screamed.

It was a sound that didn’t belong in the mortal realm—a high-pitched, wailing shriek that seemed to rise from the depths of hell itself. The trunk twisted and convulsed in pain, the movement so violent it triggered an earthquake that rippled through the entire village.

The “taboo” of the village had been broken. The beast was awake.

“RUN!”

Chen Ye didn’t hesitate. He roared the command, not out of heroism, but out of sheer survival instinct.

The shout snapped the survivors out of their trance. Panic took the wheel. Clutching their bags, they turned and sprinted toward the village entrance like stampeding cattle.

Chen Ye was already moving. He could feel the shift in the air—the heavy, suffocating pressure of a seal breaking. He ignored the weight of his backpack, wishing he could sprout two extra legs as he tore down the street.

But back at the square, the giant wasn’t moving.

Iron Lion was lost in the sauce. His eyes were glowing glowing red, devoid of pupils or reason. He continued to pummel the bleeding tree, a berserker locked in a loop of violence.

This was the curse of the Titan Sequence. Immense power came at the cost of intellect. Once a Titan entered a combat frenzy, they were little more than engines of destruction until the enemy—or the Titan—was dead.

“Big guy! Let’s go!”

Xu Lina swayed on her feet, her face drained of all color. That last strike had taken everything she had. She knew they had to leave now, but Iron Lion was deaf to her pleas. He was an enraged lion trying to maul a mountain.

“Chen Ye!”

Desperate, she turned her gaze toward the fleeing mechanic. She was too weak to drag the giant. She needed help.

Chen Ye heard his name. He skidded to a halt, his mind racing through a cost-benefit analysis in 0.01 seconds.

Zhou sisters? Liability. Ignore. Iron Lion and Xu Lina? Sequence Beyonders. High combat value. Potential allies. Asset.

Conclusion: Save.

Chen Ye spun around, raised his Hand Crossbow, and aimed not at the tree, but at his teammate.

Thwip.

The bolt flew true, burying itself in Iron Lion’s massive tricep.

Chen Ye prayed the pain would pierce the bloodlust. But as the arrow hit, he watched with widened eyes as the tip barely penetrated the Titan’s dense muscle fibers. It was like shooting a tank with a BB gun.

The defense on this guy is absurd.

But it was enough to get his attention.

“ROAR!”

Iron Lion spun around, confused and furious. He spotted the small figure holding a crossbow. His berserker brain locked onto a new target.

He roared again and charged—straight at Chen Ye.

“Oh, you have got to be kidding me,” Chen Ye muttered.

I help you, and you try to flatten me?

Chen Ye didn’t wait to explain. He turned and sprinted harder than he had ever run in his life.

Behind him, Xu Lina seized the opportunity. As Iron Lion thundered past, she used her last ounce of strength to leap, landing lightly on his massive shoulder. She deployed a grapple rope, hooking their mountain of supplies and tying it to the giant’s arm.

The result was a terrifying freight train: a berserk Titan charging down the street, a Sword Immortal riding his shoulder, and a massive loot bag dragging behind in a cloud of dust.

They were gaining on Chen Ye fast.

But the village wasn’t done with them.

The Great Willow, wounded and furious, lashed out. From the center of the village, a tidal wave of vines surged down the main street, hunting the fleeing prey.

“Ah! Save me! I don’t want to die!”

A survivor at the back of the pack screamed as a vine snatched his ankle. He was yanked backward into the darkness so fast his fingernails left grooves in the dirt.

Panic exploded. The remaining survivors ran until their lungs burned. Two more were snatched, their screams cutting short as they were dragged into the shadows.

Chen Ye saw the vines snaking along the rooftops, trying to cut off his path.

Thwip.

He fired blindly behind him. The Black Dog Blood bolt struck a pursuing vine. It hissed and recoiled, retreating into the dark.

But they were everywhere.

Suddenly, a cold grip tightened around his ankle.

Chen Ye’s world flipped upside down. He was hoisted into the air, dangling like a piece of cured meat.

My turn?

He clicked the trigger on his crossbow. Empty.

He looked down the street. Iron Lion and Lina were still too far away. He was on his own.

The vine tightened, preparing to drag him back to the maw of the tree.

Chen Ye reached for his belt and drew his Heavy Machete.

Since finding the weapon, he had treated it with the same paranoia as his bolts. Every night, he soaked the blade in Black Dog Blood. He didn’t know if it would work on melee weapons, but he was about to find out.

“Get off me!”

He swung the machete with a desperate, guttural roar.

Schlick.

The blade bit into the wood. The vine didn’t just cut; it shrieked. The Black Dog Blood burned through the supernatural fiber like acid.

Chen Ye fell, hitting the ground with a roll. He didn’t waste a second checking for bruises. He scrambled up and ran.

“Chen Ye! Get on!”

A massive hand swooped down from behind, grabbing him by the back of his vest. Iron Lion, his eyes finally clearing of the red haze, hoisted Chen Ye into the air and tossed him onto the soft, towering backpack he was dragging.

“Hold on tight!” the giant bellowed. “I’m kicking it into high gear!”

Chen Ye dug his fingers into the canvas straps of the loot bag as Iron Lion accelerated. The wind roared in his ears.

The village entrance was just ahead.