The natural system started off strong, but the navy finally reached its peak!

Giant tree branches sprouted wildly from his back and shoulders, twisting and intertwining.

In an instant, he was enveloped and sculpted into a statue over twenty meters tall.

A terrifying giant, half-human and half-tree, made of countless ancient trees!

The Tree Man, Wild Shepherd, let out a superhuman roar, its two forms compressed and condensed from countless branches...

A giant wooden fist, comparable in size to a house, was crossed in front of him.

At the same time, more branches act like living shields, layer upon layer protecting the vital points!

In an instant, a series of explosions rang out as densely as firecrackers during the Lunar New Year!

Golden swords and blades continuously shattered and pierced the wooden shield and fist, with wood chips and golden fragments raining down like a storm!

The Treant Wild Shepherd was forced to retreat repeatedly by the terrifying impact.

Its enormous body cracked the ground under its feet, and holes were constantly being created on its body, only to be quickly filled by newly grown wood.

Although he barely managed to withstand the devastating attack, maintaining the giant tree form was extremely taxing, his old chest wound was throbbing, and his breathing was already somewhat disordered.

Let Huang Mu know that he can no longer passively take a beating!

He was going to smash that damned golden barrel and that pretentious green-haired guy with his giant fist.

"Horo horo horo... Horo horo horo~"

At that moment, a burst of laughter made Huang Mu pause in his movements.

Immediately afterwards, he saw several translucent white creatures with long tails.

The ghost, making faces and laughing, floated lightly... through his massive tree-man body!

"Huh?!" Huang Mu was taken aback, not feeling any physical damage or energy impact.

But the next second...

A torrent of negative, pessimistic, and self-denying emotions.

It instantly overwhelmed all his fighting spirit and anger!

Tesoro, who was constantly wielding gold, became incredibly tall and majestic.

The giant forest he had painstakingly cultivated looked ridiculous and ugly.

Even the scar on his chest that represented glory (in his own mind) had now become proof of his incompetence...

The enormous tree-man form collapsed with a crash, and countless branches scattered and withered.

Huang Mu himself returned to human form, and with a thud, he knelt down on both knees, his hands weakly supporting him on the ground.

His head was bowed, and his once ferocious and arrogant face...

This moment is filled with a sense of despair and self-loathing, as if life is meaningless.

He began to mutter uncontrollably to himself, his voice filled with self-mockery.

"What guardian holy land... what knight of the gods..."

"I'm clearly... just a pretentious, incompetent guy who always gets beaten half to death... Jiahao..."

"Living is so tiring... Eating is such a hassle... Maybe I should just rot here like this..."

The negative ghost effect works perfectly!

"Horo horo horo~"

That ethereal laughter rang out again, this time so close it was almost touching.

She was wearing a dark gothic-style dress and a small top hat.

Perona, the "Princess Mononoke," holding a small, burgundy parasol with lace trim.

As if weightless, it floated lightly behind the kneeling, withdrawn Huang Mu.

She hovered a foot above the ground, holding an umbrella in one hand and covering her mouth with the other.

Looking at Huang Mu, who was so aggressive just moments ago but is now kneeling on the ground muttering self-deprecating remarks...

She blinked her beautiful big eyes.

"Horo horo horo~"

She laughed again and gently tapped the back of Huang Mu's unsuspecting head with the tip of her umbrella (of course, without using force).

"What the heck~"

Perona tilted her head

"What 'Knight of God'? The guardian of the Celestial Dragons..."

"So..."

"That's all there is to it~"

Her words were like the last straw, making Huang Mu's pessimistic mutterings even louder, and he almost curled up into a ball.

Chapter 729 Multiple Storylines Unfold: The 'Gentle' Eagle (Part Four)

"Horo horo horo~"

Perona's triumphant laughter still echoed in the square.

This formed an absurd contrast with the kneeling, self-pitying, and despairing former knight of the gods, Aramu, at her feet.

Sudden.

'bass'

A crisp sound rang out—the sound of a sword being drawn!

"Whoosh!"

A figure shot out from the ground the instant before the echo of the sword being drawn had faded!

Instead of leaping high into the air, he stayed close to the ground and made a high-speed, low-altitude dash!

The speed was so fast that the figure was almost a blurry black line, leaving only dust swirling in the wind behind it!

"Perona, watch out!!!"

Tesoro's exclamation rang out almost simultaneously with the start of that figure's movement.

They manipulated gold to try and intercept, but the enemy's attack was too sudden and the timing was too good!

Perona hadn't even fully grasped what the sound of the sword being drawn and Tesoro's warning meant.

Just instinctively, with a hint of confusion and a newly emerging unease, I turned around...

then.

What met her dilated pupils was a face that bore a striking resemblance to Shanks.

Shamrock, a member of the Knights of God!

And, in his hand, there was a slender Western rapier, its tip already less than half a foot from her throat!

Too close!

Perona's mind went blank; faced with a sudden attack from a powerhouse of this caliber, her body had no time to react.

Before even fear could fully arise, all that was reflected in their pupils was the rapidly enlarging sword!

There was no emotion in Shamrock's eyes.

From the very beginning, his goal was to kill with a single blow...

The rapier, with a trajectory as smooth as cutting through silk yet deadly, slashed towards Perona's fair neck!

Decapitation!

"clang!!!!"

There were no sparks flying, only a violent burst of air that exploded in a ring, instantly clearing away the rubble and dust from the ground!

A blade with a unique chaotic, overlapping T-shaped pattern appeared out of thin air; a thick, heavy black blade.

Using the broad blade, he blocked Perona's throat, meeting the tip of the deadly rapier!

The sword tip pierced the dark blade, unable to advance even an inch further!

"?!?!" The composure in Shamrock's eyes was instantly replaced by astonishment!

His all-out, determined assassination attempt was thwarted so easily and with such precision!

The opponent didn't even use the blade to parry, but rather the flat of the blade, a method that requires more timing and control!

So Sham's gaze followed the broad black sword upwards...

The hand holding the knife was as steady as a rock, with long, strong fingers.

His arms, wrapped in a burgundy shirt and a black trench coat, had smooth lines that exuded explosive power.

Finally, he met a pair of hawk-like eyes.

“A chaotic, overlapping pattern…” Shamlock murmured unconsciously, a name surfacing in his mind, “Is it… the black sword ‘Night’?”

He received no answer.

Hawkeye didn't even look at him.

He merely glanced at the point where the sword tip touched the blade.

Shamrock was also on guard!

Without the slightest hesitation, with a flick of his wrist, the sword tip instantly retracted.

He staggered backward several meters, landing in the most defensive stance possible.

With an extremely vigilant expression, she stared intently at the solitary figure holding a black sword horizontally in one hand, blocking the terrified Perona.

Meanwhile, Perona, who had survived the ordeal, was just beginning to recover from the frozen time.

"Wow!!! Woohoo!!!"

A deafening cry suddenly erupted!

Her petite body trembled violently, and large tears rolled down her cheeks like broken pearls, instantly soaking the hem of her gothic dress.

Then, with all her might, she grabbed the shoulder of Hawkeye's black trench coat beside her, sobbing uncontrollably.

"So close! So close to dying!!!"

My head almost flew off!!!

The cries were piercing, filled with genuine, unpretentious fear and shock.

Hawkeye frowned slightly, and the shoulder that was being grabbed stiffened almost imperceptibly for a moment.

"So annoying."

He uttered three words in a flat voice, revealing no emotion.

With a flick of his wrist, the black sword "Night" silently returned to its sheath.

He didn't comfort her, nor did he look at Perona, who was crying her eyes out; he simply turned his head slightly and said...

"If you want to cry, go to the back and cry."

"Waaaaah..."

Perona's sobs stopped abruptly at these words, and she lifted her tear-filled face.

Staring at Hawkeye's sharply defined, expressionless profile.

A sense of grievance and some inexplicable emotion welled up within her, and she accused him with a tearful voice.

"I...I'm currently immersed in the sadness of barely surviving!"

You... heartless man!

She sniffed and made her "obvious" request in a rapid-fire manner:

"Can't you say a few kind words to comfort me?"

Then kill that bastard who attacked me, and then go back and make me a hot, sweet cup of cocoa, okay?!