I was suddenly in mid air, coiled around by these annoying vines that were grasping like those disgusting tentacles that I have seen Hentai anime before. The way they coil and tighten around me was disgusting too.
As the vines constricted, I could feel my life force being siphoned away, a draining sensation that made my skin crawl. Dryads don't go for direct cum sucking; they use these insidious vines, or sometimes wrap their victims in a suffocating cocoon. From what I understood, they leech the life force from men until nothing remains but a lifeless husk.
These Dryads don't need physical contact to drain their prey—through their twisted vines, they can suck the very essence of their victims, consuming them without ever laying a finger on them. That's why this Dryad was employing her vines, trying to drain me dry with every tightening wrap.
"Burrrrrrrrrp~!"
The Dryad suddenly let out a thunderous burp, the sound echoing through the air. She immediately clapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes widening in surprise.
"H-Huh?"
She stared at me, confusion etched across her face.
"W-What?"
"You full already?" I asked. "If so, could you please get these off me?"
"H-How did you... No, wait. I was sure I was hungry before I started this, so why the hell do I feel so full already?"
She was visibly stunned by the unexpected turn of events. Normally, a Dryad could easily have enough capacity in her stomach to absorb the life forces of two or three men. This one, in particular, seemed to have an insatiable hunger and was particularly voracious. Yet, the problem with me was that I wasn't an ordinary male.
I stayed calm, knowing that if I were truly in danger, the Guardian would have signaled me. But there was no such warning. So, even if the Dryad managed to suck out my life force, it wouldn't have any real effect on me. It was likely that my life force was so vast and powerful that she couldn't store much of it, preventing her from fully draining me and leaving me high and dry.
"As I suspected, you're not normal," she said, her voice laced with cruel amusement. "But I'm sure you've been drained quite a bit from my sucking. So, why don't we go ahead and drain you a little more?"
In an instant, another set of vines snaked around me, their coils tightening with a sickening squeeze. Out of my peripheral vision, I saw two more women at a distance, their eyes locked onto me with predatory intent. They shot their own vines towards me, wrapping me in an even tighter embrace. The draining sensation intensified, every inch of my life force being pulled away.
"Hehehe," the Dryad's laugh echoed with a sinister edge. "Even though I couldn't completely gobble you up, at least you'll provide some delicious nutrients for my sisters."
The sisters finally made their appearance. They looked strikingly similar to the Dryad, with vibrant green hair cascading around them, their private parts modestly concealed by clusters of leaves. The only notable differences were their hairstyles: one had short, tousled hair, while the other sported long, flowing locks with one eye partially hidden by her bangs.
"I said shut up!" Lixis bellowed again. With a decisive wave of her hand, the vines sprang to life, slithering with predatory speed. They coiled around Morthea, their grip relentless as they bound her tightly. The vines wound around every inch of her body, constricting with a cruel, unyielding pressure. They even covered her mouth, silencing her with a suffocating embrace.
"M-Morthea?!" the remaining Dryad cried out, her face a mask of shock. If this one was Lixis and Morthea was now bound and gagged, then this must be Almea.
"You will regret ever being born!" Lixis spat, her voice seething with venomous fury.
The Treants surged forward, their massive forms casting ominous shadows over Artemis, who lay in blissful slumber. They gathered their vines and branches, twisting them into a colossal, menacing fists. With a thunderous creak, the fists were swung down toward Artemis with earth-shattering force.
But just as the enormous fists were about to smash into her, they were abruptly halted by a shimmering barrier created by the Guardian.
"W-What?!" Lixis shouted, her shock evident as her eyes widened in disbelief. "Destroy that barrier!"
The Treants obeyed Lixis's command, pummeling the barrier with relentless fury. Their massive fists crashed into it over and over, but despite their overwhelming strength and repeated assaults, the barrier remained unscathed. The Guardian's barrier was the strongest in existence, seemingly impervious to all attacks. Even my most concentrated mana blade failed to slice through it.
No matter how hard the Treants hit, nothing could penetrate the shimmering shield.
"W-Why?" Lixis cried out, her shock and frustration palpable. Her eyes darted around in disbelief as she struggled to comprehend the situation. "W-Why is nothing going my way?"
As Lixis clutched her hair in desperation, I decided it was time to take action and put an end to this chaos. I focused my mana, channeling it with intense concentration. The energy coalesced in my hand, swirling and hardening until it formed into a sleek, deadly blade that perfectly fit my grip.
Lixis was so consumed by her own anguish that she didn't notice the shift in the atmosphere or the deadly mana blade I held. I sprinted toward her with determination.
"S-Sister Lixis!" Almea cried out, rushing to protect her sister. But her attempt to block my attack was futile. I swiftly moved behind her, transforming the edge of my blade into a blunt surface. With a powerful swing, I smashed the blunt edge against the back of Almea's head. The impact might not have been sharp, but the force behind it was more than enough to knock her out cold.
She crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
"W-What?" Lixis finally snapped back to reality, her attention drawn by the commotion. Before she could react, I was already behind her. With a decisive motion, I brought the blunt edge of my blade crashing down against the back of her head. She toppled forward, collapsing face-first onto the ground.
Seeing both her sisters fall, Morthea was stunned into shock. As Lixis crumpled to the ground, the vines binding Morthea slackened and then released her entirely. She hit the ground and scrambled to her feet, desperate to flee.
I swiftly transformed my mana blade into a mana bow. The arrow I notched was blunt, designed solely to incapacitate rather than inflict lethal damage. I drew back the mana string and released it with a precise flick. The mana arrow streaked through the air, striking Morthea squarely at the base of her skull with a resonant thud.
The force of the impact was enough to send her collapsing to the ground, her body going limp as she joined her sisters in unconsciousness.