Elsewhere on the battlefield, the mages of the Bounty Guild and Rose’s Guild synchronously began chanting their spells. 

They raised their staffs and tremendous magical power surged forth, forming streaks of lightning and fireballs in the air, raining down upon a band of treant warriors!

Lightning coursed through the sky and scorching fireballs plummeted onto the battlefield with terrifying heat, causing a series of deafening explosions and filling the battlefield with a wave of heat.

“Form a formation, form a formation!” Zachary Barnes urgently bellowed. 

Simultaneously, a green light radiated from the treant heroes, as natural magic was triggered. 

The surrounding trees seemed to spring to life and lash out at their foes.

Rose stood at a distance, a longbow materializing in her hand. 

She drew the bowstring steady, the taut bow resembling a full moon. 

As she released her grip, the arrow streaked across the sky like a meteor!

Whoosh!

A cold flash pierced Zachary Barnes’s chest, toppling him to the ground. 

He coughed up blood and desperately retreated. 

If it weren’t for the treants’ trait of lacking vital organs like a heart, that arrow would’ve been fatal.

Rose calmly nocked her bow, releasing arrows with each of them taking down an enemy. 

The band of treant heroes was immediately filled with panic, their morale taking a severe blow.

“Keep attacking!”

Ethan’s frosty voice echoed through, sending a jolt through the treant heroes. 

Rose’s archery was indeed astounding, and the battle situation was indeed unfavorable for them. 

However, the fear of Ethan that lurked deep within them was even greater… 

Despite his severe injury, Zachary Barnes picked up his sword and rejoined the battle.

To continue fighting, there was a chance to survive…

But if they fled, death was certain.

Ethan turned into a gust of wind, dodging enemy attacks as he plunged directly into the group of mages. 

Like a tiger among lambs, his sword was like the reaper’s decree, each strike claiming a life.

Without the support of long-range firepower, the treant heroes soon regained their momentum.

A group of them formed a tight line, countless vines and branches intertwined to form a shield in front of them. 

Sword light and shadow intertwined on the battlefield, clashing and reverberating through the forest.

Rose continuously moved positions in the distance, launching arrows with superior skill. 

She cleverly used the environment to her advantage, continually choosing the appropriate timing and angles. 

Every time the bowstring sounded, it couldn’t help but make one’s heart taut.

The performance of the two strong players instantly became the main theme of the battlefield.

Rose looked at the group of treant warriors and Ethan, who was now drenched in blood. 

The sense of incongruity in her heart grew heavier.

“Daniel Green, I need an explanation from you!”

Hiding at the very end of the team, Daniel Green laughed and said, “Miss Rose, they say women are suspicious. We are allies after all. Even if you are dissatisfied, there’s no need to act out now. We can talk after this battle is over.”

“Right now, we have both suffered heavy casualties, and our eyes are seeing red. Do you really want to sit down and have a chat with your enemy?”

As Daniel Green spoke, his expression suddenly changed, pointing to the area behind Rose.

“Miss Rose, instead of causing trouble for me, you should worry about what’s behind you. That guy seems to have set his sights on you!”

Rose turned around just in time to see Ethan run a hero through with his sword, charging straight at her.

Their eyes met and Rose instantly understood Ethan’s intentions. 

As the two strongest on the battlefield, the fall of one would essentially signal the end of the war.

“Do you think I fear you?” Putting aside her discontent, Rose slowly drew her bow and then shot her arrow!

The arrow that rushed out drew a cold light in the air, aiming at Ethan. 

Ethan, charging forward, did not slow down. 

He just tilted his head slightly, allowing the arrow to graze his cheek, leaving a faint white mark.

Almost instantly, Ethan lunged at Rose. 

He didn’t give Rose another chance to draw her bow. 

His sword was aimed straight at Rose’s chest, and he thrust fiercely!

Clang!

The sound of metal colliding echoed as sparks flew. 

Rose immediately dropped her longbow and pulled out the dagger from her waist, clashing it against Ethan’s long sword.

Ethan’s immense power sent Rose flying, crashing heavily into a large tree behind her.

Ethan squinted, gripping his long sword tightly as he charged again.

With a muffled ‘thud’, smoke rose from where Rose had just fallen, instantly obscuring Ethan’s line of sight. 

A chill suddenly emanated from behind Ethan.

Ethan quickly raised his sword, blocking it behind his neck. 

With a dull sound, Rose’s dagger slid across his sword, leaving a trail of sparks.

Failing to land her strike, Rose’s figure jumped back and then disappeared right before Ethan’s eyes.

Ethan licked his lips, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

This woman had indeed surprised him. 

He had initially thought she was an archer, but she turned out to be an assassin…

Stab!

A booming sound resounded in front of him. 

The air in front of Ethan suddenly distorted, then formed Rose’s silhouette. 

She held her dagger high and stabbed towards Ethan’s skull.

Ethan cut horizontally with his sword, striking with full force!

Terrifying power was endowed on the sword, emitting a horrifying sonic boom. 

This sword instantly bisected Rose in front of him!

A strange scene occurred, Rose, who was bisected, didn’t bleed at all. 

Her figure slowly turned into smoke and dispersed with the wind.

With a dull thud, Ethan suddenly felt a chill at the back of his chest. 

A cold blade had penetrated his flesh, and blood began to drip down.

“What… how could this be…?” Rose, now gradually becoming visible behind Ethan, was filled with disbelief.

Her ultimate strike had only managed to scrape the surface of his skin, without harming him critically. 

She had initially aimed straight for his heart!𝒪𝐯𝔩xt.𝚌𝑶𝓂

“You’re quite good,” Ethan slowly turned around, seizing Rose’s hand.

It had been a long time since he was last injured, almost forgetting what it felt like to bleed.

“However, you’re not strong enough,” Ethan’s eyes slowly turned into a golden vertical pupil. 

His hand surged with a terrifying electricity, countless arcs of which instantly enveloped Rose…

The last thing Rose remembered was Ethan’s cold eyes before she passed out.

Ethan was about to chase down the guy from the Bounty Guild, only to realize he had already hightailed it out of there, leaving no trace behind.

“Do you wish to continue?” Ethan held the unconscious Rose in one hand, his calm voice slowly resonating across the battlefield.

The two sides engaged in combat gradually ceased their attacks, staring fearfully at Ethan. 

Rose was one of the top three heroes in terms of strength within Riverside, but she fell so easily in his hands…

“I surrender…”

“Me too!”

“What’s the point of fighting anymore? Damn it.”

“Are all the followers of the Dragon Church so powerful now? I thought we heroes were the main characters in this world. But now it seems that anyone they bring out is stronger than us.”

Dragon Church?

Several comments from the heroes of the Rose Guild piqued Ethan’s interest. 

After interrogating a few of them, he quickly understood the situation.

“That Bounty Guild… playing a really good game…”

No matter who won or lost this battle, the Bounty Guild was sure to profit. 

If they won, they could eliminate Ethan, a potential threat. If they lost, they could drain the life force of the Black Rose.

“They sure ran fast…” 

Ethan snorted coldly, adding the guild leader of the Bounty Guild to his hit list.

But now was not the best time for revenge. 

The Riverside camp was equipped with Dragon Crossbows. 

Although he hadn’t seen one in person, the device was capable of severely injuring a A-rank Black Dragon. 

Ethan knew that with his current defense, he was no match for such a weapon, which could be considered a “dragon slayer”.

Besides the Dragon Crossbow, there were also many powerful NPCs of Rank B or above around the Lord of Riverside…

“I’ll have to play the long game.”

After ordering Zachary Barnes to clean up the battlefield and having a group of treant heroes escort the prisoners of war, they embarked on their journey back to the treant village.

The battle had subtly changed the attitude of the treant heroes towards Ethan. 

Originally, they had only submitted to Ethan due to circumstances. 

Now, many of the heroes’ loyalty to Ethan had grown significantly.

Ethan’s strength had left an indelible impression on their hearts.

…

Back at the treant village…

Rose slowly woke from her slumber, the refreshing scent in the air helping to revive her spirits. 

Surveying her surroundings, she found herself in an elegantly decorated bedroom, which from the décor, she surmised belonged to a young woman.

“Where am I, and how did I get here?” Rose massaged her temple, trying to recall. 

All she remembered was being knocked unconscious by that beast-like figure in the last battle…

“So, I’m a prisoner now?” Rose quickly came to this conclusion, but she was also somewhat puzzled. 

If she was indeed a captive, why would her conditions be so comfortable? 

Shouldn’t she be shackled and imprisoned in a dark, sunless dungeon?

Lost in her thoughts, the bedroom door creaked open, and an exceptionally beautiful treant entered, carrying a plate of fresh food. 

“You’re awake? Eat something first.”