Chapter 188 – First Confrontation (3)

– Thud.

The slender legs give way, collapsing weakly.

“Haah… Kghak, cough. Cough.”

A blood-tinged cough escapes from the woman’s mouth.
Her bloodshot eyes focus on another teacher’s desk within the office.

“…Why am I so drowsy?”

Min Hyun-joo. Blood splatters on the three letters of the name on the ID card hanging around her neck.
She rolls up tissue paper, wiping away the blood, and slowly lowers her head.

– Drip.

Her breathing gradually grows weaker.
No one around her seems to notice.

– Beeeep.

A disaster alert rings out from her cellphone.

“…Ahh.”

* * * * * * * * *

– Bang!

As soon as the message arrives, a loud noise comes from the door right next to her.

– Bang, bang, bang, bang.

The sound of forcefully knocking on the door reverberated through the air. The noise, reminiscent of a fist striking at regular intervals, persisted for several times before abruptly ceasing.

Silence descended upon the clamorous gathering of parents, teachers, and young children. Everyone’s eyes were drawn toward the door.

“Uh, Mom…”
“Yes, it’s okay. Don’t worry.”

The anxiety of a child sparked a slow-spreading commotion. A woman checked her messages, hugging her child tightly as she trembled. A man, leaving the woman to fend for herself, surveyed their surroundings. Some attempted to venture outside, while others kept their eyes fixed on the door from which the sound had emanated.

– Crack!

The sudden cacophony that had followed the silence was once again interrupted by the sound of the door.

– Rip and tear!

The Ent’s hand burst through the door, tearing it to shreds.

“You.”
“I know. Can you find Shiba now?”
“Understood.”

As they pocketed their cellphone, they clenched their fist lightly.

“Kyaaaaaah!”

A woman’s scream erupted, and the children began to cry. Panic-stricken, people rushed toward the front door, desperate to escape the kindergarten.

Order was abandoned as they shoved each other aside in their haste. The Ent approached them, and where its feet were headed, a familiar face appeared.

“…Director?”

The woman, breathing raggedly and trembling with dilated pupils, hesitated before sinking to the ground. Shin Hye-young. Shiba was nestled in her arms. I sprang into action immediately.

“Ahh… Eeeehh!”

The Ent’s anguished cry pierced the air as the monster raised its arms. Startled, Shin Hye-young squeezed her eyes shut, hugging Shiba tight and turning her back. She did her best to keep Shiba from feeling the shock. Shiba was dropped and pushed halfway away.

*Thud!*

The Ent’s fist came crashing down. I intervened just in time.

“Ugh… What…?”

Hye-young, with her eyes tightly shut, trembles and turns her head to look at me.

The rough fist of the Ent, lightly encircled in one hand.
The raised skin is coarse and rugged.
The Ent, still bearing traces of a human face, is contorted with pain.

“…Ahh.”

I’m sorry.
As I pull the Ent’s hand from behind my back, he loses balance and falls right before my eyes.
The Ent’s chest comes up close, and I stretch my fist toward it.

– Crack! Splinter!

My skin splits, and my arm pierces through, emerging from my back.
The blood from when he was still wooden trickles down my arm.

– Thud.

The Ent kneels. The light fades from his pupils.
I gently push the Ent away, letting the corpse fall from me.
Was he called the director?
Though a brief moment, I sincerely offer a prayer for his repose.

“…Is there somewhere to escape?”

I ask her, loosening my fist.

“Ah, uh, ah… Yes, yes?”

Shin Hye-young stammered several times before asking again.
I gestured toward the entrance where we were still pushing against one another.

“Is there anywhere to run to?”
“…Ah, no.”

Even as Hye-young replied, she couldn’t take her eyes off the fallen ent.
Her expression seemed somewhat devastated.
Naturally, seeing someone she knew in such a state would be difficult.
If we were truly close, it wouldn’t be odd for her to resent me.

I waited for Hye-young to speak. At that moment, Azalea held Shiba and exhaled heavily.

“…Are you okay?”
“Yeah.”

She didn’t seem to be in a good mood. Azalea’s face was filled with worry, anxiety, and dissatisfaction.
She kept glancing around and, upon seeing the ent, her expression hardened.

The rampaging ent—she must have known what that meant.

“Flower.”

Exactly.
Flower, flower… it’s a flower.

I gave Shin Hye-young one last glance.

“Ah…”

Waiting any longer was becoming difficult.

“Azalea.”
“…Yes.”
“Go to the dormitory with teacher and Shiba first.”
“What about you?”

As I invoked the magic with my hand, a surge of magical energy enveloped the three of us. Azalea wore a look of concern, but who was she worried for?

The opponent was Flower.

“I have something to handle.”

I faintly smiled and gently patted Shiba’s head. At this sight, a sense of oddness seemed to stiffen the corners of Azalea’s mouth.

“…You have something to handle?”
“Our daughter must have been startled. Comfort her.”
“……”

Shiba stared wide-eyed at the Ent. Azalea hastily covered Shiba’s eyes.

“Pa-pa…”
“Yes, yes, Daddy is here.”

Slowly, I cast a spell.

“I’ll be there shortly.”

I whispered softly and sent Azalea, Shiba, and Shin Hye-young to the dormitory. I trusted that Azalea would handle the explanation. After all, she had acted out of the desire to save a life—how could she blame me?

Gazing at the lifeless Ent, I clicked my tongue.
Simultaneously, I rummaged through my bag and retrieved the mask.

-Swish.

As I donned the mask, it clung to my skin as if being suctioned, transforming my face.

“Whew-“

Inhale.

“Haaa…”

Then exhale.

Within the mask, I adjusted my gaze.

* * * * * * * *

“…Have you secured a location?”
“Yes, but…”

The bustling Hunter branch.
Due to the sudden terror and its extraordinary scale, emergency lights were activated throughout the association.

Those responsible for this area gathered in one place, exchanging information through a flurry of phone calls.

“…There are too many.”

The phone kept ringing.
Already, over forty attack locations had been reported.

Hunters were being summoned urgently, but… the Ent’s strength was exceptional.

C-class hunters can’t handle Ents. Even a slight misstep for a B-class hunter could result in grave injuries. Fortunately, there are many hunters and police officers on standby due to a previous terrorist incident; otherwise, the situation could have been far worse.

There’s even talk of mobilizing the army.

“Phew…”

A hunter scratched his head and hung up the phone.

“The radio signal has been cut off. They’re even employing magic. Interference… that’s going to be tough.”

“Get satellite information and thoroughly investigate the surrounding area. Approval should come through shortly.”

“…Really. Is a war going to break out?”

“Quiet. Is that what’s important right now? Saving people is what matters.”

Seven minutes shrouded in darkness.

The minute hand, which usually flits by, feels unbearably long in this situation. Every second that passes potentially claims the lives of innocent civilians. Sweat began to bead and fall from everyone’s foreheads.

“…We have some idea of the location.”

“…Ugh, seriously.”

No matter how much manpower is exhausted to find the answer,
there’s now a shortage of hunters to resolve the issue.

“…If only the association president, or at least the vice-president, were here.”

The man bit his lower lip with a gaze filled with despair.
His self-reproach was so intense that blood welled up on his lips.

At that moment.

-Bang!

The door opened, and a person entered.
A man whose face was difficult to see, hidden beneath a hood.

Everyone turned their heads with dumbstruck expressions due to the sudden event.

“…Uh.”

A black hood.
However, the dense aura of magic emanated from behind him.

His mere presence was enough to capture the attention of those present.
The man who appeared removed his hood, revealing his face.
The visage of a young man. Yet, it was an unfamiliar face.

As if fearing to survey his surroundings, he quickly opened his mouth.

“Terror location.”
“Huh?”
“…What’s that all of a sudden?”
“Bring it.”

-Thud.

A sense of authority imbued in his voice.

The arcane energy emanating from behind him was extraordinary.
His words seemed on the verge of exploding, carrying an aura of half-threat.

If they refused to reveal the information, it felt as though he would drag everyone present to the netherworld with sheer force. Indeed, when he snapped his fingers, the magical energy behind him undulated in accordance with his will.

A palpable vigor could be felt.

“I… Manager.”

A man gazed at the person in charge with quivering eyes.
He trembled at the lips and nodded his head.

“There’s no time.”

The words of the man donning a robe.

“Give it to me.”

After much contemplation, the manager reluctantly opened his mouth.

The man who had nodded began to present the documents, one by one. The robed man studied them with a silent, discerning glance, then turned and stood by the door.

“Kill the story.”
“…Pardon?”
“The incident is over.”

Wouldn’t that prevent the article from spreading as much as possible?

The man couldn’t comprehend the implications of what had been said.

What does it mean to circulate an article claiming the unending terror has ceased?
There was no telling what kind of backlash might arise if falsehoods were spread.

“…”

The man who finished speaking withdrew his magical power.
Only then did it feel as if they could breathe a little easier.
The stifled expressions of the seated hunters gradually relaxed.

A man walked out in silence, his back turned.

In the hunter branch office, the silence was so thick you could hear a pin drop. Everyone stared at the retreating figure with bewildered faces.

* * * * * * * *

It was pristine.

Nothing could be more immaculate than this.

Terror. And a sample.
Flower, who had injected the blood of the deceased Ents, collected the blood and stowed it away.

-Ent.

Easy to create.

All that was needed was to inject it into an ordinary wooden figure.

Stronger than anything else.

The Cornus family wasn’t the only one anticipating the completion of the potion. Robed individuals roamed the site, gathering samples. Researchers would analyze these samples to create the finished product.

“…Haa.”

They smoked the herbal blend. Mixing in petals doubled both fragrance and taste.

Perhaps due to the recent ritual, even the bitter taste felt somewhat sweet. Tuberose scanned the surroundings with eyes heavy from dark circles.

The damaged landscape where the ground had crumbled, leaving cracks scattered here and there. Fallen telephone poles and buzzing wires.

Tuberose lowered her gaze, focusing on the sounds around her. Screams and cries of agony nearing their end mixed together, echoing throughout the area.

“The last Ent.”

Had they drained all the blood from the corpse?

It had been less than 20 minutes since the assault had begun.

Just as we were about to retreat, an unusual energy approached us.

-Dragging.

Dragging along a black mass. Upon closer inspection, it was the end of a Flower, the robe cast aside.

The man, shrouded in a black robe, approached with his eyes gleaming from within. Bloodstains all over his body revealed his actions.

“…So it was you.”

That guy from before. Instinctively, I made that judgment.

Tuberose stood up from his seat and extinguished his tobacco. All the Flowers stared at their opponent with hardened expressions.

“…”

He silently gazed at himself. Tuberose’s relaxed lips trembled at the murderous intent emanating from the man’s shoulders.

“That’s incredible.”

Arrogant… I had thought he was just another one of those types who could be found by the dozen if one searched the area. But this was no ordinary situation. It was as if the Vice President of the association had arrived. No… was he even closer to the President than that man?

It somewhat resembles Sisyphus.

“…I don’t know what it is.”

Everything is mixed together. The form of magic was bizarre. The black mana flowed and calmly melded with his entire body, yet the oppressive aura it exuded was far from serene. It seemed as if it intended to tear everyone present to shreds. It was like watching a goblin fire trembling with uncontrollable rage.

Tuberose held his breath and withdrew a syringe in one hand and a dagger in the other.

‘No matter how monstrous…’

…This drug becomes a weapon.

Let’s test my skills. Or rather…
It might actually turn into a fight to the death. The sweat trickling down his spine warned him of this possibility.

-Boom!

The heads of the surrounding Flowers burst open.

‘A mage.’

A male hunter immediately charged towards him. He appeared to wrap mana around his hand, then halted in front of Tuberose and swung his fist. Tuberose hastily raised his arm to block the blow and was sent flying backward.

“No… It’s Mutuga!”

Despite having used my full magical power, my arms still tingled.

-Kugugugu!

Tuberose descended from the air, her hand touching the ground for support. She gazed at the man with trembling eyes.

“…”

The wind caused her robe to lift slightly, revealing her face.

Terrifying black eyes, devoid of any light, stared unblinkingly at him.

It was as if she had come with the sole purpose of killing him from the start.

“Damn.”

Tuberose was genuinely frightened.

“…So damn terrifying.”

For the first time, he felt the presence of death.