Ghost of the Divine Tree (7)
"What... did you say?"
The one who blurted out in shock amid the shadows binding her body was Elenoa Armitas, the duke's daughter.
She seemed stunned to learn that Elvin Hersha—the man rumored to have fled the capital after manifesting this bizarre phenomenon right here—was the culprit.
The shadows hesitated for a moment at Eunhyeon's words but soon resumed their assault, tightening around Elenoa's throat.
"Guh... ugh!"
Unable to breathe as her windpipe was crushed, Elenoa let out a strangled cry.
"Haa..."
Eunhyeon threw himself toward her.
Pzzt!
In an instant, he closed the distance and roughly tore the shadows from her neck.
Sparks crackled and flashed from his hand gripping the shadow.
Eira stared blankly at the scene.
It was bizarre.
Shadows having a tangible form?
Eunhyeon had infused his mana to disrupt the magic within, granting it shape and mass before scattering it. But to Eira's eyes, it simply looked like the shadow was feebly dissolving away.
The shadow peeled off Elenoa's body.
Regaining her freedom, she collapsed forward limply, and Eunhyeon caught her falling form.
"Cough! Cough!"
Now able to breathe again, Elenoa coughed violently in his arms.
Clinging to her fading consciousness, she slowly opened her eyes and met the gaze of Eunhyeon holding her.
"Eek...!"
Startled by his face so close, she tried to push him away.
But with her shoulders gripped and pulled tight against him, Eunhyeon didn't budge.
Her struggles to escape his embrace were futile.
"If you let go of me now, you'll die."
"What?"
Stunned by his words, Elenoa glanced around from within his arms.
Shadows crept in, surrounding Eunhyeon and Elenoa.
Soon, the life-like writhing shadows began to take form like slime, morphing into swords, scythes, axes, spears, and more. Their bases squirmed like worms or slugs.
The weapons asserted their presence as if alive.
Elenoa's face paled, hemmed in by them.
"Hey."
"Y-yes?"
"What's your name?"
"E-Elenoa... Elenoa Armitas."
Elenoa answered his question in a daze.
"Good. Lady Elenoa. From now on, wrap your arms around my neck and hold on tight. Don't let go."
"Wha— EEP!"
Eunhyeon grabbed her butt with one hand and hoisted her up.
"You! Where are you touching— Kyaa!"
She was about to snap at him in humiliated fury when—
Eunhyeon parried an axe hurtling toward her head with the sword in his other hand, procured from who-knows-where.
"Hold on tight."
"Y-yes..."
Elenoa realized this wasn't the time for shame or outrage.
She nodded weakly and locked her arms around his neck, gripping hard to stay secure.
"Calm down."
Who was he talking to?
Elenoa knew it wasn't her.
"Killing this woman now won't change anything. It'll just cause chaos."
Eunhyeon calmly addressed the unidentified shadows encircling them, attempting persuasion.
"Let's talk. Elvin Hersha."
He plainly called out the name of a man who shouldn't be here.
The shadow weapons prowling around them, ready to strike, exuded menace to assert their presence.
They followed his gaze.
The shadows clumped together, forming a mound that grew into a human shape.
Like clay molded into a sculpture.
The shadow took the form of a hooded figure, glaring at Eunhyeon from beneath the hood with eyes promising to tear him apart for thwarting its plans.
"Who are you?"
"That's not the important question right now, is it?"
"...True enough."
The shadow figure nodded in agreement after a moment's thought.
As if matching his acceptance, the weapons' auras grew even fiercer.
Exposed at the epicenter, Elenoa shivered and tightened her arms around Eunhyeon's neck.
"No need to know. I'll just kill you all."
"That's not a good choice, either."
"Not for you, maybe."
"No, for you and this woman both. And besides..."
Eunhyeon paused, pondering, then sighed and continued.
"Your sister Erin, too."
"......"
Elvin offered no reply, but at the name from Eunhyeon's lips, his emotionless facade cracked.
His brows twitched, his face twisting savagely as his emotions surged.
His clenched fists trembled as he suppressed his rage and spoke.
"You... who the hell are you to bring up my sister?"
The attack Eunhyeon had feared from Elvin finally began.
Clang!
Eunhyeon deflected a shadow sword flying at them midair, then sliced away a shadow spear targeting Elenoa's crown from the right.
Elvin's shadows relentlessly hounded Elenoa, attacking from all sides.
Yet Eunhyeon, one-armed embracing her, deftly parried the onslaught with his sword.
Dozens of shadows surged from every direction—front, back, sides—aiming for Eunhyeon and Elenoa.
'No helping it.'
Thought Acceleration
Time Acceleration
Tsking inwardly, Eunhyeon activated Thought Acceleration and Time Acceleration.
His speed was a blur, batting away every shadow without letting a single one touch Elenoa.
The repelled shadows thrashed like giant serpents, wreaking havoc around them.
Was this humanly possible?
Even with one arm supporting Elenoa, limiting his mobility, Eunhyeon perfectly countered the shadows.
Eira thought that if she were in his place, she'd be shredded in three exchanges at most.
'Incredible... maybe even beyond Father...?'
No knight she'd seen—not even Aiter's renowned sword instructors—could reach such heights.
Eira felt she was witnessing a glimpse of swordsmanship's pinnacle.
'Can I... become like him someday?'
A fierce aspiration bloomed in Eira's chest.
Clang! Clang! CLANG!
The clashes grew ominous in frequency.
The shadows, frustrated at failing to kill Elenoa, shifted targets directly to Eunhyeon, the obstruction.
"Eira!"
Startled by the sudden call, Eira whipped her head toward him, eyes wide.
Eunhyeon blocked the shadows while shouting at her.
"Grab on tight!"
"Ugh..."
He whispered to Elenoa, who groaned and nodded.
Still parrying, he edged toward Eira.
Then, with his sword-free right arm, he hefted Elenoa and hurled her at Eira.
"Wha—what? Kyaa!"
So abrupt, Elenoa flailed in panic, then screamed in terror midair.
Exposed, Elvin's shadows lunged to impale her.
Thud!
"Wha-what the—?!"
Eunhyeon stomped the ground hard with his left foot, halting the shadows' advance on Elenoa in their tracks.
With their movements frozen, she arced safely toward Eira.
Eira flailed her arms in panic at the incoming Elenoa, unsure what to do.
She caught her awkwardly and tumbled to the floor.
"Ow ow..."
Eira rubbed her bruised butt, grimacing in pain.
Spotting Elenoa atop her, she jolted alert and helped her up.
"Lady Elenoa? A-are you okay?"
"Ugh..."
Eira glanced at Eunhyeon.
He stood rooted, left foot forward and pressing the ground with full force.
The warehouse, moments ago ringing with deadly metal clashes, now felt eerily still.
Sensing the dissonance, Eira scanned around.
The shadows had frozen too, all motion ceased.
Their faint tremors suggested an invisible contest of strength between them and Eunhyeon.
"You... bastard!"
The black-hooded man ground his teeth, glaring at Eunhyeon in impotent fury.
Just like when he'd peeled the shadow from Elenoa, he was infusing mana into the floor's shadows, interfering with Elvin's control.
Realizing Eunhyeon was suppressing them somehow, Eira met his eyes and grasped his intent—her role.
She slung the still-dazed Reno's arm over her shoulder, then hurried to Elenoa.
"We need to get out of here. Now."
"Huh?"
Elenoa blinked in confusion at Eira's sudden proposal.
Eira glanced around warily—the shadows could resume any second.
"Hurry!"
Unable to resist Eira's urgency, Elenoa startled at the shout but quickly nodded.
"You think I'll let you escape this easily?!"
Elvin's enraged voice echoed, grinding teeth, sending chills through them—but it only spurred the two women faster.
"Where do you think—!"
As time passed, the shadows' restraints began to loosen.
One finally jerked forward with strained effort toward Eira and Elenoa.
Its spear grazed Elenoa's throat—
Elvin savored the anticipated thrill of her death.
"Your sister."
Elvin's gaze snapped to Eunhyeon's murmur, losing focus—the moment Eunhyeon rebound the shadow.
'Perfect!'
As the three escaped the warehouse, Eunhyeon flashed a triumphant smile, goal achieved.
"Huuu..."
Relieved it was over, he collapsed onto the dusty floor with a heavy sigh.
Inhaling deeply, he wiped sweat from his brow with his hand.
The neglected warehouse was thick with dust, but he breathed freely.
The hooded Elvin eyed Eunhyeon's sudden relaxation suspiciously now that Elenoa and the others were safe.
"What're you staring at?"
Unable to ignore the blatant gaze, Eunhyeon turned his head from the floor to ask.
"You think I won't kill you?"
"Yeah."
"......"
"You want to find your missing sister, right?"
Elvin glared silently, neither denying nor confirming—proving Eunhyeon spot-on.
No one else held clues to his only sister's whereabouts.
"Tell me now. Where's my sister?"
"Hey, hey. Let me rest first. Been a while since I moved like that—my body's killing me."
Eunhyeon's whiny face was infuriatingly smug.
"...Maybe I should just kill you."
"Your emotional control's slipping. Not much time left, huh?"
Elvin froze at the pinpoint assessment.
Still sprawled, Eunhyeon's eyes calmly observed him.
"That's black magic's downside."
"You know about black magic?"
"Roughly."
Commonly, black magic referred to curses drawing from death qi leaking from corpses or the user's life force.
But Elvin's was Shadow Puppetry—manipulating shadows.
It granted one's shadow mass and form, embodying thoughts into physical force under the user's will.
Mastery extended to all shadows, wielding dozens like in their clash.
Potent, but with a heavy price.
"Don't tell me..."
"If you're asking how to suppress the shadows eating away at your body, give up."
"......"
Shadow Puppetry required assimilating thoughts into one's shadow for control.
Repeated assimilation merged shadow and body over time.
Infused thoughts were aggression-laden kill intents.
The fed shadow eroded the user's sanity, overwriting it with murderous impulses.
Like raising monsters that devour you.
His earlier "kill you?" thought proved his reason was already partially consumed.
"Well, rested enough. Shall we talk?"
Elvin scowled, feeling the conversation's reins slip unbeknownst to him.
"You must have questions for me first. Ask away."
"You seemed to know me. How?"
"Heard it from your sister, Erin."
"......!"
Elvin's brows shot up, shoulders tensing as he stared.
Only Erin knew he'd secretly learned black magic in Maebers.
Her mention confirmed this man alone knew her whereabouts.
"Is Erin... safe?"
"If you were that worried, you shouldn't have left."
"......"
Elvin had no retort to the rebuke.
"Ambiguous state."
"What?"
"Not dead, but not exactly alive."
Elvin frowned at the riddle-like words and pressed.
"What does that mean?"
"One condition before I explain."
"Condition?"
"A deal, Elvin. Cooperate with me, and I'll help get your sister back."
"......"
Elvin pondered silently for a long while.
"What do I need to do?"
Accepting, Eunhyeon grinned and extended a hand.
Elvin smirked back.
Minutes after their deadly duel, they shook hands.
A bizarre alliance formed between criminal and extra.