Eat The World Tree

-Thud.

Fragile legs weakly buckled.

“Haah… cough, hack, cough.”

Blood-tainted coughs burst from a woman’s mouth.

Her bloodshot eyes turned towards another teacher’s desk in the office.

“…Why am I so sleepy?”

Min Hyunju. Blood splattered on the three letters of her name on her name tag.

She rolled up a tissue, wiped it, then slowly lowered her head.

-Click.

No one around her seemed to notice.

-Beep beep beep.

A disaster alert blared from her cellphone.

“…Ah.”

-Bang!

Just as the message arrived, a loud noise came from the door nearby.

-Bang, bang, bang, bang.

The sound of someone forcefully knocking on the door continued at regular intervals, then stopped abruptly.

A silence fell among the noisy crowd of parents, teachers, and young children.

All eyes turned towards the door.

“Oh, Mom…”

“Yes, it’s okay. It’s all right.”

The panic spread slowly, starting with a worried child.

A woman, trembling as she held her child after checking the message, and a man who left her to look around.

People trying to go outside, and those attentively watching the door from where the sound originated.

-Crack!

The disruption was cut short once again by the sound of the door.

-Grrrrrrind!

An Ent’s hand pierced through the door, tearing at it.

“You.”

“Yeah, can you find Shiba now?”

“Got it.”

Putting the cellphone in his pocket, he clenched his fist lightly.

“Kyaaaaah!”

A woman’s scream erupted, and the children started crying.

People panicked and rushed towards the entrance, trying to escape the kindergarten.

In the chaos, no one bothered with order as they pushed each other in their attempt to flee.

The Ent walked out among them, and as it stepped, a familiar face was visible.

“…Principal?”

She gasped for air, trembling with dilated pupils, slumping down.

Shin Hye-young.

Shiba was nestled in her arms.

I moved immediately.

“Ah… Gah!”

A groaning roar burst from the Ent as the creature lifted its arm.

Shin Hye-young, startled, shut her eyes tight and turned her back, holding Shiba close.

Trying to minimize the impact on Shiba, she half-pushes her away.

-Bang!

The Ent’s fist came down.

It was then caught halfway.

“Huh… uh…?”

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

An Ent’s rough fist, easily clenched in one hand.

The risen skin is rough.

The Ent, still with a human-like face, was twisted in pain.

“…Ah.”

I was sorry.

As I pulled the Ent’s hand from behind, it lost balance and fell in front of me.

The Ent’s chest came close to my face, and I threw a punch at it.

-Crack! Grind!

My arm pierced through the skin, extending out its back.

Blood from when it was still a tree person ran down my arm.

-Thump.

The Ent knelt, the light fading from its pupils.

I gently pushed the Ent away, letting the body drop from me.

Was she the principal?

Though briefly, I genuinely wished her peace.

“…Is there anywhere to run?”

I asked her as I unclenched my fist.

“Ah, uh, ah… Yes, yes?”

Shin Hye-young stammered and repeated her words.

I gestured towards the entrance where people were still pushing against each other.

“Is there a place to run to?”

“…No.”

Hye-young responded while still unable to take her eyes off the fallen Ent.

Somewhere in her expression, there was a look of utter despair.

It’s natural, seeing someone you knew end up like that.

If they were really close, it wouldn’t be strange for her to resent me.

I waited for Hye-young to speak. Meanwhile, Jin Dallae, holding Shiba, gasped for breath.

“…Are you okay?”

“Yes.”

Jin Dallae’s face is filled with worry, anxiety, and dissatisfaction.

She kept glancing around and then stiffened her face upon seeing the Ent.

The meaning behind the rampage of the Ent, she probably understood.

“Flower.”

Just as she said.

Flower, Flower… It’s Flower.

I gave one last nod to Shin Hye-young.

“Ah…”

Waiting any longer was difficult.

“Calm down.”

“…Yeah.”

“You and Shiba go ahead to the dorm.”

“What about you?”

As I activated a spell, magical energy swirled around us.

Jin Dallae looked worried. Who was she concerned about?

The opponent was Flower.

“I have things to do.”

I smiled faintly while stroking Shiba’s head.

Jin Dallae’s mouth tightened at the sight, sensing something peculiar.

“…You have things to do?”

“Calm our daughter down.”

“……”

Shiba looked at the Ent with wide eyes.

Jin Dallae hurriedly covered Shiba’s eyes.

“Paah…”

“Yes, yes, Daddy is here.”

Slowly, once more with magic.

“I’ll be there soon.”

I whispered and sent Jin Dallae, Shiba, and Shin Hye-young to the dorm.

I trusted Jin Dallae to explain everything.

They should blame me for wanting to save lives.

I clicked my tongue as I looked at the dead Ent.

At the same time, I rummaged through my bag and pulled out a mask.

-Swish.

As I put on the mask, it clung to my skin, changing my face.

“Ssuh-”

Inhale.

“Hoo…”

And exhale.

Inside the mask, I adjusted my gaze.

“…Has the location been secured?”

“Yes, but.”

A bustling Hunter’s branch.

An emergency alert has been triggered throughout the association due to a sudden terrorist attack and its unnaturally large scale.

Those responsible for this area had all gathered in one place, exchanging information over the phone.

“…There are too many.”

Calls continued to come in.

The number of attacked locations had already exceeded forty.

Though hunters were being summoned and dispatched constantly, the strength of the Ents was extraordinary.

C-class hunters could not match the Ents. Even B-class hunters could get seriously injured if they’re not careful.

Fortunately, thanks to the hunters and police on standby from a previous terrorist attack, the situation was somewhat managed… otherwise, how much worse could it have gotten?

There’s even talk of calling in the military.

“Hoo…”

One hunter, scratching his head, put down the phone.

“The transmission has been cut off. We are using magic. Interference will be difficult.”

“Get satellite information and thoroughly investigate this area. Approval will come through soon.”

“…Is this really turning into a war?”

“Shut up. Is that what’s important now? Saving people is what matters.”

Seven minutes soaked in dread.

Normally fleeting, the minute hand now felt unbearably long.

With each passing second, the life of an innocent citizen could be at risk.

Sweat began to drip from everyone’s foreheads.

“…We have some locations.”

“…Ah, really.”

Even after exhausting all available manpower to find answers, there were still not enough hunters to address the situation.

“…If only the president, or even the vice president of the association, were here.”

A man but his lower lip in despair, to the point of drawing blood, such was his self-reproach.

At that moment.

-Bang!

The door opened, and a person entered.

A man whose face was hardly visible under a flipped hood.

Everyone, taken aback by the sudden event, turned their heads.

“…Huh.”

A black hood.

However, the dense magical aura emanating from behind him.

His mere presence focused the room.

The man removed his hood, revealing a clean-cut young face, but it’s a face unknown to them.

He looked around quickly and then spoke.

“Terrorist locations.”

“Huh?”

“…What are you suddenly talking about?”

“Bring them.”

-Thump.

His voice carried an intimidating force.

The magic behind him was extraordinary.

It felt like it could explode at any moment, his words almost like a threat.

If not informed, it seemed he might drag everyone here to the underworld.

Indeed, as he flicked his finger, the magic behind him rippled at his will.

His resolve was palpable.

“…Manager.”

A man looked at the manager with trembling eyes.

His mouth quivered as he nodded.

“No time.”

The words of the man in the robe.

“Give it.”

The manager, after hesitating, reluctantly began to speak.

The nodding man began to hand over all the documents one by one.

The robed man silently inspected them with just a nod, then turned and stood by the door.

“Recycle the articles.”

“…Excuse me?”

“Say the incident is over.”

Wasn’t that usually done to prevent the spread of the news as much as possible?

The man didn’t understand the follow-up.

How could he circulate news that the ongoing terror was over? Falsely claiming such could provoke unknown reactions.

“……”

The man who had finished speaking withdrew his magic.

It seemed like they could finally breathe a bit easier.

The tense expressions of the hunters sitting there gradually eased.

Silently turning his back, the man walked out.

In the eerily quiet Hunter’s branch office, everyone watched his retreating figure with stunned faces.

It’s clean.

It couldn’t be cleaner than this.

The terror attack. And the sample.

Flower, who had injected syringes into the blood of dead Ents, collected the blood and stored it within.

-Ent.

Easy to create.

Just inject into a regular tree person.

Above all, they were strong.

The Corneus family wasn’t the only one waiting for the drug’s completion.

Those in robes were walking around the site, collecting samples.

Researchers would investigate these samples to create the final product.

“…Hoo.”

She lit up a cigarette.

Smoking it mixed with petals doubles the aroma and taste.

After the deed, even the bitter taste seemed sweet.

Tube Rose scanned the surroundings with heavily dark-circled eyes.

The ground was cracked with crevices everywhere.

Fallen telephone poles and sizzling wires.

Tube Rose, lowering her eyes, focused on the surrounding sounds.

Screams and voices soaked in pain, nearing death, mingled and echoed in one place.

“The last Ent.”

Had all the blood been drawn from the corpse?

It hadn’t been 20 minutes since the terror attacj began.

Just as they were about to withdraw, an ominous presence approached.

-Slither.

Dragging something black.

It turned out to be the end for a disrobed Flower.

The man approached, his eyes gleaming from beneath the black robe.

The clots of blood covering his body were a testament to his actions.

“…It was you.”

That guy from back then.

She instinctively made that judgment.

Tube Rose stood up and extinguished her cigarette.

All the Flowers, with stern expressions, watched the opponent.

“…”

Silently staring at him.

Tube Rose’s usually composed mouth trembled, murderous intent bristling around her.

“Remarkable.”

She had thought it was someone… who might be found rummaging around here, enough to fill a basket.

This was unusual.

It would be believable if it were the Vice President of the Association.

No… perhaps closer to the President than that human?

Somewhat similar to Cistus.

“…I don’t know what it is.”

Everything was mixed up.

The form of the magic was bizarre.

Though black magic flowed calmly throughout his body, the oppressive aura it emitted was anything but calm.

It seemed intent on ripping everyone present to shreds.

It was like watching a will-o’-the-wisp flickering madly in rage.

Tube Rose held her breath, taking out a syringe in one hand and a dagger in the other.

‘Even if it’s a monster.’

…This drug would become a weapon.

Let’s see his skills.

Or rather…

It might turn into a fight to the death. The sweat running down her back was telling her that.

-Bang!

The heads of the surrounding Flowers burst open.

‘Magician.’

The man hunter charged immediately.

Wrapping magic around his hand, he stopped in front of Tube Rose and swung his fist.

Tube Rose quickly raised her arm to block and was thrown backward.

‘No… a martial artist!’

Even with maximum use of magic, her arm was numb.

-Krrrrrr!

Tube Rose touched the ground and dropped from the air to the floor.

With trembling eyes, she looked at the man.

“…”

The wind slightly uncovered his face.

Eyes of horrifying black, devoid of any light, stared unblinkingly back at her.

It was as if he had come with the sole purpose of killing her from the start.

“Shit.”

Tube Rose was genuinely terrified.

“…Fucking scary.”

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

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