*Boom!*

The dragon and Theo couldn’t avoid it because Theo had used his Blink skill to escape from the dragon.

“Hahahahaha!” The World Tree laughed, thinking it had obliterated Theo and the dragon together. He also hated the dragon for everything he’d done, so hitting them with the Explosive Fruit was like killing two birds with one stone.

With this, even if Theo and the dragon didn’t die, they would be severely injured. The World Tree might not have any more explosive fruits, but it didn’t change the fact that he would be unstoppable by someone who was half-dead.

When the explosion subsided, the dragon and Theo fell down to the ground, charred black. The dragon’s scales had almost gone, while Theo seemed to have lost one of his arms.

“Hahaha. Serve you right, Theodore Griffith, stupid dragon!” The World Tree couldn’t contain his joy. Theo had been an extremely powerful opponent for him, so the joy of defeating him couldn’t be described.

However, the World Tree was different from the dragon. If the dragon was the one in its position, the dragon wouldn’t deliver the killing blow for a moment.

That was why the World Tree instantly moved toward them, extending its roots to pierce their bodies.

With his giant root, it shouldn’t be hard for him to create a hole in the dragon’s body while crushing Theo’s body should be enough for him.

The World Tree sent the root forth while shouting, “Die.”

Unfortunately for the tree, he forgot about one thing. Theo was a master of illusion and reality.

The moment the World Tree sent forth its root, Theo, who was lying on top of the dragon, suddenly disappeared.

“Huh?” The World Tree was stunned. ‘He disappeared? Don’t tell me—!’

The World Tree felt a presence coming from the side. That was right. It was Theo, and there was no wound in his body.

Theo waved his sword and cut the root with his illusion. The World Tree thought he almost died, so he lowered his guard for a bit. And that made him unable to channel the Magic Power needed to protect the root from Theo’s illusion.

*Bam!*

The root was cut down, saving the dragon from death. Of course, Theo never intended to save the dragon. He simply wanted the EXP for killing a World Class Monster.

After killing two World Class Monsters, he knew how much experience they gave. It wasn’t just two or three times a normal Mythical Rank Monster.

It was much more than that. After all, a World Class Monster had developed the Authority. It was worth more than a thousand normal Mythical Rank Monsters.

If he could kill a World Class Monster, he should be able to level up three times or even more.𝒩𝑂𝑣𝓵xt.𝑐𝑶𝓂

With that thought in mind, Theo turned around, slashing the World Tree’s body.

The illusion split the World Tree into two, but the World Tree managed to use its Unbreakable Wood Ability this time, preventing the trunk from being cut like how Theo’s illusion showed.

Still, his current condition didn’t allow him to escape unscathed. There was a huge sword mark appearing on the trunk.

This fifty feet deep sword mark was the symbol of Theo’s counterattack.

“You… You have tricked the dragon into following your illusion.” After defending the attack, the World Tree finally had some time to think about what truly had happened.

Theo smiled. “Don’t worry. You believe the dragon is an idiot, I do too.”

‘…’ The World Tree was completely speechless. That was right, Theo was actually switching his body with an illusion. Because the dragon used a magma ball to isolate them from the outside, the World Tree couldn’t see Theo at all.

The only thing he could sense was his Magic Power through Awareness. He sensed Theo teleporting, so he believed he was using his Blink and the dragon followed him desperately before eventually catching him.

The reason why Theo was surprised was to lower their guards. If it was the real Theo, there was no way he would stop just like that. He would hurriedly use his Twisted Reality to change the course of the explosive fruit.

Yet, he didn’t do it. He wanted the dragon to catch him and take the full brunt of the explosion. With this, the dragon would be half-dead and the World Tree would have no more explosive fruit to use.

In other words, he could focus on the World Tree before killing the dragon. This was Theo’s real plan.

The World Tree simply didn’t expect Theo to use his illusion at the last moment and manage to fool the dragon. No, the fact that the dragon was an idiot might be the reason why his plan succeeded.

‘He…’ The World Tree was completely amused with this human even if he was facing death right now. If Theo hailed from another race, he surely would bring that race to its golden age.

Unfortunately, he was a human, a race known for their greed and foolishness.

The World Tree fell silent for a moment before raising its last root.

“Even if I’m in this state, I’ll still fight until the last moment. Don’t think you can defeat me that easily, Theodore Griffith.”

Theo shook his head. “I never thought that. In fact, if you knew how to use the dragon’s brain, you would have defeated me.”

Theo didn’t say anything wrong. Theo could take advantage of the dragon’s brain, and that was why he could win despite being outnumbered.

The World Tree knew that, but unfortunately, it was at his last stance.

“Still, dying in your hand might not be as bad as I think. I, Xditva, the Plant Authority, recognize you as humanity’s last hope. If you die, humanity will perish. If you live, humanity will strive. Now, where fate will lead you…”

“Farewell, O’ Plant Saint.” Theo raised his sword, preparing to kill the World Tree before delivering the last blow to the dragon.

…or that was what was supposed to happen until they felt another presence coming fast toward their location.

“!!!”