The vine beast's enormous body trembled.
Its movements slowed.
Its structure collapsed inward.
"It's over…" someone whispered.
Hope surged through the explorers.
Then..
The ground shook again. The dust cleared.
And what they saw crushed that hope instantly.
The vine beast had not died.
It had grown.
Its body expanded rapidly, thicker and taller than before. Dark energy pulsed violently within its core as fresh vines burst outward, stronger and more monstrous.
Its pressure multiplied.
The air itself screamed under its presence.
The captains froze in disbelief.
And the explorers felt their hearts sink.
What should have been the final blow had only made it stronger.
The monster towered over the battlefield, its shadow swallowing the defensive line as its power surged beyond anything they had faced so far.
The massive vine beast roared.
A deep, tearing sound that shook the ground and rattled the bones of everyone who heard it.
