"Wh-wh-wh-what is that!?"
"What's wrong, Melt!? What on earth is— Gah!?"
Following Melt's lead, Yugo looked out the window and was rendered speechless by the scene unfolding before him.
In the direction she was pointing, a massive tree was lumbering toward them. It was a colossal trunk that easily towered over the inn.
"I-It’s huge! Since when do trees just walk around!?"
"Yugo! That’s not just a tree! It’s a Treant!!"
"A Treant?"
"It’s a monster born when an evil aura possesses a tree. But look at the size of that thing! It’s several times larger than a standard Treant!" Marcos shouted as he laid eyes on the giant approaching them.
Judging from the reactions of his companions, Yugo realized the scale of this thing was completely abnormal. As he turned his gaze back toward the wooden monster, Naruru spoke up with a delighted smirk.
"Hahaha! Like what you see? I made that monster by forcing a tree to absorb massive amounts of my slime. You could call it an Artificial Treant! It’s my trump card. But it’s not finished just yet! Let me show you its true power!!"
"Ah— Dammit!"
Naruru let out a triumphant shout as she crushed a hidden vial of slime fluid. In an instant, her body liquefied into the same substance. She slipped through the gaps in the group's perimeter, making a clean break for it.
Caught off guard by the sudden appearance of the giant monster, Yugo and the others were left to regret letting her slip away. Meanwhile, Cyan and Egos—their rage smoldering against Naruru for deceiving them and taking their virginity—let out a roar.
"You aren't getting away! I’ll never forgive that woman!!"
"Everyone, follow me! We’re taking that thing down!!"
"O-Ohhh!!"
"Wait! Everyone! Hold on a second!"
"P-President! Please wait!!"
Determined to make Naruru pay no matter the cost, Cyan and Egos charged out to hunt her down.
In that moment, the Cooking Club members, swept up by the protagonist-tier charisma Cyan possessed, followed his orders and joined the pursuit. Seeing this, Presia—and Hao, who was worried about her—ran outside as well.
"Hey, Ann! I have to ask, just in case—you haven't built a Giant Combined Armor set or something for a situation like this, have you?"
"Of course I haven't! I’m not some miracle inventor who has a gadget for every conceivable disaster!"
"Right! Sorry, forget I asked!"
A giant robot battle was exactly the kind of thing that got a Nichiasa Hero’s blood pumping, but now wasn’t the time for games. Besides, building a giant robot was actually pretty difficult. Shaking off the pull of his otaku instincts, Yugo refocused and shouted orders to his allies.
"I’m worried about President Presia and the club, but if those guys start a fight with that Treant near here, the building is finished! We need to evacuate the villagers to safety immediately!"
"Understood! I'll lead the way!" Melt said.
"I'm heading to the front too! Apologies to the landlady, but I’m smashing through the walls to make the fastest exit possible!" Ann added.
"Hurry! Considering the distance to the Treant and how Cyan’s group is acting, we don't have a second to waste! Everyone, stay together and get out of here!"
Following Yugo's instructions, Melt and the others began the evacuation, playing to their respective aptitudes.
During the chaos, Yugo, who was handling the rear guard alongside Marcos, tried to find his younger brother to urge him to leave, but...
"Fee? Fee! Where are you!? Fee!!"
Realizing Fee was nowhere to be seen, Yugo continued to call out his name loudly.
Then, a sudden realization hit him. Fee had been desperately worried about Shiroi, the only person whose whereabouts were still unknown. Yugo’s eyes snapped toward the Treant looming outside the window.
"He didn't... Did he go to find out where Shiroi is!?"
The only person who knew where the missing Shiroi was hidden was the culprit, Naruru. Driven by a desperate need to confirm his friend's safety, Fee had likely gone after her the moment she fled.
As Yugo cursed himself for missing his brother slipping away among the Cooking Club members, Marcos placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Yugo, leave this to us. You go after your brother!"
"Marcos... Sorry, I'm counting on you!"
Grateful to his friend for the support, Yugo sprinted toward the window and vaulted out, heading for the Treant.
Praying that nothing would happen until he arrived, he continued to run with everything he had.