The day of their raid entry had finally arrived.
For weeks now, adventuring parties had been entering the World Tree.
Some returned triumphant in their own minds.
Others returned injured.
A few returned shaken and silent.
And many… never returned at all.
Around the raid camp, stories had begun circulating.
One party claimed to have reached the 18th floor.
Another bragged about reaching the 23rd.
The most recent rumor claimed a team had pushed as far as the 29th floor before retreating.
No one knew if the story was true.
But everyone knew one thing.
The Crimson Vanguard had entered two days earlier.
If anyone was going to clear the raid first…
It would probably be them.
Which meant the Vixens had only one option.
They had to move faster.
They arrived at the raid gate an hour before their scheduled entry.
Grim and Steed pulled the wagon into the clearing before stopping near the base of the massive tree.
Nyxian stepped forward and gently touched the Grimsteeds.
"Rest."
The shadow bulls dissolved back into darkness, ready to be summoned again if needed.
The group stretched as they stepped out of the caravan.
Jax began a final equipment check.
"Everyone good?"
Bunny lifted her hammer proudly.
Llandra checked her quiver.
Zee adjusted the grip on her staff.
Nyxian twirled her whip lazily.
Everything was ready.
Above the entrance, the raid timer ticked down.
00:00:59
Adventurers around the campsite turned to watch.
Whispers spread.
"That's them…"
"The Vixens…"
"Look at their party size…"
The group was small.
Extremely small.
Most raid parties had 12–20 members.
Even the Crimson Vanguard had fourteen.
The Vixens?
Five.
Six if Pixelle counted.
The timer reached zero.
Weapons appeared.
Jax summoned his massive double-bladed sword.
Peacemaker.
The Godslayer blade gleamed with dragon-scale metal.
His twin guns—Infernal Requiem—remained holstered at his waist.
Nyxian drew her whip.
Lilith's Kiss.
The black-red weapon moved like living barbed wire in her hand.
Bunny slammed her hammer into the ground.
Titanfall.
The ground trembled slightly.
Llandra drew her bow.
Starpiercer.
Its magical string hummed with energy.
Zee rested her hand on her staff.
Sanctaris.
The dragon-forged weapon pulsed softly with holy magic.
Pixelle hovered at shoulder height beside the group.
Then she quietly landed on Nyxian's shoulder.
She was not going to be seen riding inside Nyxian's cleavage in public.
The bark of the massive tree split open.
The raid gate appeared.
The Vixens walked forward.
Dozens of adventurers watched silently as the small group entered.
The moment they crossed the threshold…
The gate sealed behind them.
Inside, the world changed.
They were no longer inside a tree.
They stood in a dark forest.
Ancient trees towered above them.
A narrow path stretched forward into the distance.
The forest felt alive.
Watching.
Breathing.
Waiting.
Jax stood at the front of the group.
He waited until the gate behind them fully sealed.
No witnesses.
Then he turned to Pixelle.
"Your Grace."
Pixelle straightened proudly.
Jax smirked.
"You're a Vixen now."
She sighed.
"Yes…"
"You understand why we keep this part private."
Pixelle nodded.
Then Jax raised his hand.
"Arise."
The ground split open.
Shadows emerged.
One.
Five.
Ten.
Thirty.
Shadow Soldiers rose from the forest floor.
Among them were his strongest.
Fang.
The massive shadow wolf.
Gryph.
The winged shadow beast.
Several elite shadow warriors.
Then the forest trembled.
A massive form erupted from the shadows.
Dante.
The enormous dragon shadow stretched his wings.
Trees snapped as his body forced space into the forest.
Pixelle stared.
She had seen Jax summon shadows before.
But not like this.
Not all of them.
Not like an army.
The first floor was simple.
A forest path.
Root Golems.
Mana Leeches.
Spore Wolves.
The enemies rushed them.
Dante inhaled.
Then unleashed a wave of fire.
The forest lit up.
Entire packs of monsters turned into charred husks instantly.
The group didn't even slow down.
They simply walked forward.
Shadow soldiers cut down anything that survived.
Fang tore through wolves.
Gryph ripped apart mana leeches midair.
The Vixens barely had to fight.
Floor one ended.
Stairs appeared.
Floor two.
Another forest.
More enemies.
Another staircase.
Floor three.
The same.
The group moved forward like a storm.
They cleared multiple floors in the time it would normally take a party just to fight one battle.
Jax felt slightly disappointed.
The monsters burned too quickly to leave many materials behind.
But speed mattered more.
They kept moving.
Eventually, the forest opened into a massive clearing.
The ground trembled.
Roots burst from the soil.
A massive wooden giant rose from the earth.
The Root Warden.
A colossal tree creature bound to the ground by massive root systems.
Pixelle gasped.
"That's the Mid Boss!"
The creature roared.
Roots twisted beneath the ground.
"It can trap players with its roots!"
"It releases poison pollen storms!"
"And it regenerates as long as it remains connected to the ground!"
She looked at Jax nervously.
"How on earth are you planning to attack something like that?"
Jax blinked.
He looked at her.
Then at the monster.
Then back at her.
"…It's a tree."
Pixelle frowned.
"Yes."
Jax pointed behind him.
"We have a dragon."
Dante inhaled.
Fire exploded across the battlefield.
The Root Warden screamed as its entire body ignited.
Dante circled.
Another pass.
Another wave of flame.
The massive creature collapsed.
Charred.
Destroyed.
Total fight time:
About sixty seconds.
Pixelle stared at the ashes.
Her wings fluttered slowly.
"Oh…"
She looked up at Jax.
"I thought that would be much more difficult."
She shook her head thoughtfully.
"They must have been weaker monsters than I heard."
Behind her, Nyxian smiled.
Pixelle simply didn't understand yet.
She had just watched one of the strongest mid bosses in the raid get burned to ash in under a minute.
And this was only the beginning.