Seeing that the ship was still some distance from the target stronghold, Tike decisively called for Alice.
"Alice, take me flying!"
"Roger!"
Alice extended her mechanical claws, firmly gripping Tike's shoulders. Unfolding her mechanical wings, she slowly lifted him into the air, leaving the deck.
Far from the ship, breathing the fresh air at high altitude, Tike let out a long breath of relief.
"This is much better. Alice, let's go!"
"Target—The Tower of Heaven!"
Alice flapped her wings, bursting with powerful thrust, speeding toward the stronghold.
Upon arriving above the stronghold, Alice activated her scanning mode. A detailed map of the stronghold was soon projected in front of Tike, clearly marking key information such as the hostage containment area, guard patrol routes, and magic power fluctuations.
"Good job, Alice." Tike nodded approvingly, then ordered, "Put me down."
Alice didn't hesitate; her mechanical claws released instantly.
Tike's figure plummeted rapidly. His hands flew and overlapped in front of his chest, a faint blue magical glow blossoming between his ten fingers.
"Water-Make: Goshawk!"
With a clear shout, water currents appearing out of thin air condensed into a lifelike water goshawk, spreading its wings with fierce momentum.
Tike grabbed the water hawk's claws to cushion his fall. His body swirled in the air, his gaze quickly scanning the surroundings. His right foot kicked fiercely at a half-open window on the tower body, and he leaped inside.
The moment his feet touched the ground, his originally childish body lengthened and grew rapidly. In the blink of an eye, he was already a tall and upright young man.
Tike let go, and the water goshawk shot forward like an arrow from a bowstring, accurately slicing across the neck of a cult member in front.
Squelch!
With a muffled sound, blood sprayed out. The cult member didn't even have time to scream before being decapitated.
Without wasting even a second on the dead man, Tike strode forward, heading toward the hostage containment area.
Along the way, a few unsightly cult members would occasionally spawn, all easily instantly killed by Tike, leaving only muffled thuds of falling bodies.
Just arriving at the containment area, Tike saw a fat cultist whipping a scrawny old man ruthlessly. He immediately went up and kicked him flying.
Crack!
The sound of bones shattering was clearly audible. The fat cultist's body flew out like a broken sack, smashing heavily against the wall. Blood gushed from his mouth, obviously not surviving that.
The surrounding cult members hadn't reacted yet when they heard a deafening roar from outside.
Woo—! Woo—!
The magic ships had docked; the coalition of guilds had officially launched the attack!
"Just in time."
The corners of Tike's mouth curled up coldly as his hands formed seals again.
"Wood-Make: Tree Sentinels!"
The ground shook violently. Several thick tree trunks burst from the soil, growing, twisting, and deforming at an astonishing speed.
In a flash, several humanoid tree giants over five meters tall appeared before everyone. Waving their thick branch arms, they opened mouths like black holes and devoured the terrified cult members around them one by one.
"This..."
The hostages in the cells were stunned by this sudden turn of events, staring dumbfounded at Tike.
"Don't be afraid, everyone. I'm here to save you." Tike walked to the cell door and said loudly, "There's fighting outside, and the situation is chaotic. Stay here for now; it will be safer to leave after the battle is over."
With that, Tike canceled the transformation magic, reverting to his six-year-old appearance.
(Still more used to this look.)
Seeing the newcomer was actually such a young child, the already shaken hostages were even more shocked, their jaws nearly dropping to the floor.
But they hadn't forgotten how Tike had just fed those fierce cult members to the trees one by one, so no one dared to act rashly.
Tike walked straight to the old man who had been whipped all over. Squatting down, he extended his tender little hands and began casting Healing Magic.
Warm blue light emanated from Tike's hands, enveloping the wounds on the old man's body. The shocking scars healed and disappeared at a speed visible to the naked eye, and a relaxed expression gradually appeared on the face of the originally tormented old man.
The old man slowly opened his eyes, looking gratefully at Tike.
"Thank you... little guy."
At this moment, several children of varying ages rushed into the old man's arms. The youngest two wept with joy, soaking a large patch of the old man's clothes.
"Grandpa Rob!"
(So comfortable.)
Tike liked this heartwarming atmosphere very much; it made him feel genuine happiness and satisfaction.
"Grandpa, is there a child named Simon here?" Tike snapped out of it, remembering another important purpose of this trip, and asked Rob softly.
The smells here were too mixed—sweat, blood, and mold intertwined—making it impossible for him to identify Kagura's relative directly by scent.
"?" A slightly older boy in Rob's arms looked up, pointed at himself, and asked with a trace of doubt on his face, "Are you looking for me?"
Tike took a step forward and sniffed the boy carefully. This scent was somewhat similar to Kagura's, which moved his heart. He asked again, "Do you have a younger sister named Kagura?"
"Mm!" The boy nodded vigorously. "You know my sister? Is she okay?"
"She misses you very much. I promised her I'd bring you back to see her."
"!"
Receiving news of his sister, Simon trembled all over with excitement. His lips quivered, wanting to say thanks, but he found no words could express his feelings at this moment. Only tears couldn't stop welling up from his eyes.
"By the way," Tike continued to ask, "is there a girl named Sorano here? Her sister Yukino also asked me to come find her."
Everyone looked at each other and shook their heads one after another.
Rob also recalled carefully and said, "Sorry, little guy, I haven't heard of this child."
(Was she sent to another stronghold?)
Tike thought for a moment and asked again, "Then is there someone named Siegrain here? His mother is also anxiously waiting for news of him."
Everyone shook their heads again, indicating they had never heard this name.
(Only found Simon so far. The relative-finding mission is only one-third complete.)
Not very satisfied, Tike simply sat on the ground, turning his depression into appetite, and began to gorge himself.
The people closest to him watched as Tike just casually patted the ground and pulled out a large pile of fragrant food, swallowing their saliva involuntarily.
The two youngest children among them curiously imitated Tike's action, slapping the ground, trying to "grab" food from the ground too.
Unsurprisingly, they only grabbed a handful of cold dirt.
Noticing their actions, Tike wasn't stingy. He generously activated "Food-Make" magic, creating a small mountain of various delicacies, enough for everyone present to have a full meal.
"Come on, everyone eat together!"