Chapter 209: Interrogation and Elimination
I moved silently through the dense underbrush, careful not to disturb a single leaf more than necessary.
Each step was deliberate. No snapped twigs. No footprints in the softer soil. Even my breathing was subdued, wrapped beneath the veil of Essence. I wasn’t just sprinting, I was ghosting through the forest.
My Psynapse stretched outward in subtle pulses, detecting nothing yet. The traces I left earlier were meant for the Holts to chase. Here, in this untouched pocket of the forest, I moved like a shadow.
Roughly an hour passed.
Then I felt it—a subtle distortion ahead. Not a person. Something else. I crept forward and found it: a towering creature fused into the base of an ancient tree.
[Withered Ent – Level 131]
Its bark-like skin blended with the surrounding foliage. Vines slithered across its shoulders like serpents, and moss draped from its arms. It was over fifteen feet tall, rooted into the forest floor. Eyes like glowing sap flickered open the moment I entered its range.
I didn’t hesitate.
My Essence flared inside my veins, violet light surging through my bones.
It roared, a sound like creaking wood and a thousand rustling leaves and swung a branch-like arm at me.
I ducked low and extended my palm.
[Flame Surge].
A blast of fire roared out, blasting across its chest. The Ent stumbled, vines igniting instantly. It let out another guttural howl and slammed both hands into the earth.
Spikes of wood burst upward, aiming for my legs.
I leapt into the air and twisted mid-spin.
[Wind Blast].
I clenched my fingers slightly, and the air around my hand rippled—then tightened.
In a fraction of a second, I compressed the surrounding wind into a dense, invisible crescent of force. The pressure whined sharply, building in my palm like a drawn bow.
Then I released it.
The blast tore forward with a deafening hiss, the compressed air slamming across the Ent’s chest like a war hammer made of atmosphere. Bark cracked instantly under the pressure. The compressed wind didn’t just slice—it crushed, flattened, and peeled apart layers of its wooden armor with sheer force.
The Ent reeled back, staggering under the blow. Its torso caved in at the point of impact, vines snapping from its shoulders like ropes under strain.
It roared, a hollow, splintering sound.
But not before one of its massive, flailing limbs caught my shoulder mid-spin. The blow struck like a swinging log, hurling me through the air. My back slammed into a nearby tree trunk with a sharp crunch, branches cracking above my head.
Boom.
I grunted and wiped the blood from my lip.
“Alright then…”
I raised both hands, focused my Essence, and shifted its state.
[Ice Spear].
A jagged, glowing spike formed and fired from my hand, impaling its thigh. Then another followed—into its chest.
The Ent howled and tried to retreat, but I wasn’t done.
I slammed my hands into the ground.
[Burst].
The earth beneath the Ent trembled, then ruptured with a deafening crack.
A shockwave pulsed out as compressed columns of soil and stone burst upward, sharpened into jagged spikes by the force of Essence funneled through the ground. These weren’t ordinary eruptions, they were sculpted, brutal, and precise. Like spears forged from the earth itself.
The Ent barely had time to react.
A dozen of those Essence-hardened spikes tore through its roots and trunk from below, impaling it with explosive force. The creature’s massive form jerked upward, limbs flailing as its core was pierced clean through.
Vines flailed wildly, trying to retreat—but it was too late.
The impact lifted the abomination off the ground for a heartbeat before gravity reclaimed it. It crashed down in a mangled heap of splintered bark and shredded vines, twitching once, then going still.
Dead.
I stood up, flexing my sore shoulder. Another notification for level up came from the death of the Abomination.
After burning the body to ash to prevent traces, I continued deeper into the forest, weaving between massive trunks and clusters of moss-covered stone. My Psynapse stayed extended, my awareness branching like roots through the earth.freёweɓnovel.com
Eventually, I found what I was looking for: a massive, ancient tree, its limbs stretching out like a natural defense system.
I scaled it quietly, choosing a thick bough halfway up. From there, I settled into the curve of the branch, reducing my presence to near nothing. I wrapped Essence around me and slowed my breath, syncing with the pulse of the forest. Even the insects ignored me.
Then, I extended my perception outward, wide and far.
I waited.
Time passed. An hour. Two.
Then… a ripple.
Two distinct presences entered the outer edge of my perception.
I focused.
[Josh Holt – Level 107]
[Leon Holt – Level 127]
Both were Master-ranked. One moved cautiously, the other with aggression, scanning the surroundings like a wolf on the hunt.
They were close to the false trails.
I dropped silently from the tree, landing without a sound.
Then I moved.
It took minutes to circle around them.
The first one, Josh, was tall, armored in leather reinforced with Essence threads. He held a halberd etched with runes. Leon trailed beside him, clutching two curved daggers.
They never saw me coming.
I stepped out of the trees like a ghost.
Leon reacted first, spinning with a strike toward my ribs. I blocked it with my forearm, and my violet Essence flared to life.
“Who—?”
I punched him across the face before he could finish, sending him crashing into a tree.
Josh charged, halberd spinning in a wide arc. I ducked and rolled, then retaliated with a focused burst of fire from my palm. He countered with a translucent barrier, but I was already behind him.
My palm slammed into his back, and a pulse of lightning rippled through him.
He screamed.
Leon came again, daggers drawn, slashing wildly. I twisted and grabbed his arm, twisting until bones snapped. He shrieked.
“Enough,” I said calmly.
Essence flickered at my fingertips as I raised the man by his throat.
“I ask the questions. You answer. Lie or stay silent—and you die. Clear?”
Leon frantically nodded in my grasp.
“How many Holts—or those supporting them—are stationed here?”
He coughed and stammered. “Close to a thousand.”
My eyes narrowed. That was more than I expected.
“How many Grandmasters?”
“Only one.”
“How often do you leave the realm?”
“Once a month. The Grandmaster decides who goes and who stays.”
“Where’s the escape gate?”
Leon shook his head quickly. “I don’t know. We don’t activate it. The higher-ups control the portal when it’s time to go out.”
That tracked.
“Where are the Ferans?”
He hesitated. Silence stretched for a few seconds.
“I don’t know. I’ve only heard rumors.”
I stared into his eyes, searching for deceit. Nothing obvious—but I wasn’t taking chances. My will surged outward, slamming into his mind like a tidal wave.
His body froze. Eyes wide. Pupils shaking. He couldn’t look away from me even if he wanted to.
I leaned in slightly. “Last chance. What are the Holts doing here? Why capture the Abominations?”
“I don’t know,” he whispered, shaking. “They never told us anything. Orders come from above.”
I exhaled through my nose and shook my head. Useless.
Too low on the ladder to know anything.
I met his gaze one final time, then snapped his neck in a single motion. His body dropped from my hand like dead weight.
“Nooooo!”
Josh screamed, charging at me in a blind fury.
I raised two fingers. Light gathered at the tips, a concentrated beam forming instantly. I fired.
The laser pierced clean through his forehead. His body spasmed, then collapsed at my feet with a dull thud.
Two faintly glowing spheres drifted from their corpses—their souls—rising and vanishing from the realm.
I let out a quiet sigh, my gaze settling on the still bodies.
Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!