CHAPTER 13: CHAPTER 12: BLOODY ENDING (4)

The Autumn Spirit raised her hand as soon as she saw the masked man approach her with incredible speed.

From the ground, dark vines suddenly sprouted and moved toward the masked man from all directions.

The masked man crouched to the side and then leaped back, dodging the first strike. He slid on the ground, narrowly avoiding the second attack, which came from a distance and was filled with sharp thorns.

He quickly spun his body around, raised his gun, and fired at her.

But the Autumn Spirit swung her arm, and a massive barrier of thorny plants formed in front of her, protecting her from all the bullets.

As soon as the bullets hit the barrier, a bright golden light exploded, flooding the entire area.

The glare blinded everyone for a moment, even causing the transformed spirits to stop moving.

When the light finally faded, the masked man appeared behind the Autumn Spirit, and he fired another round of bullets at her.

But she was faster. A thick vine shot up from beneath her, striking him with enough force to send him flying through the air and crashing into the rubble.

He hit the ground hard but quickly regained his balance.

Then, from his small bag, he took out a glass vial containing a blue liquid. He opened it with his teeth and drank it all in one go.

His eyes glowed a bright blue, and with renewed vigor, he started moving swiftly between the vines, dodging them with ease.

He bent sideways to avoid the attacks while shooting at the Autumn Spirit, who responded by manipulating the ground and sending more vines at him.

The vines rushed at him from every direction, but he shot them down before they could reach him.

Meanwhile, Oliver and Tell were searching through the destroyed village, looking for Elinor and the sage.

The monsters were everywhere, but for some reason, they didn’t attack Oliver. They watched him for a moment, then retreated, afraid of him.

Tell stopped in the air, watching this scene in confusion, unable to understand it.

"Hybrid, why...?"

Oliver turned to her.

"Why what?"

"Forget it."

They continued walking among the corpses. Oliver’s eyes were filled with fear and worry, but he wasn’t thinking of escaping. He was only focused on finding Elinor.

Tell noticed his expression and quickly flew around the village, searching for her.

One of the small monsters lunged at her from the roof, but she quickly turned and dodged its attack, sending it crashing into the wall and falling to the ground.

She continued flying until she finally found what she was looking for. In the corner of a half collapsed house, she spotted Elinor and the sage hiding behind a pile of wood and stones. She got closer to confirm, then immediately flew back up into the sky toward Oliver.

"I found her!"

"Where is she?!"

"Follow me!"

Tell took off again, and Oliver ran after her.

Inside the house, Elinor was trying to find a way out.

"I have to get out! I need to find Oliver!"

But the sage grabbed her arm tightly.

"Have you lost your mind? The monsters are outside. You won’t survive a minute out there!"

"I won’t leave him to die alone!"

"I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this, but he’s probably dead. Do you think he wanted you to die too?"

Elinor froze, unable to move. She seriously considered what he said, and tears began to well up in her eyes.

But before she could respond or break down, a familiar voice came from the entrance.

"I’m still alive, trust me."

She turned quickly, and there was Oliver standing there. As soon as she saw him, she rushed toward him and hugged him tightly.

The hug was so strong that it almost felt like he was about to suffocate.

"Elinor!"

"I thought you were dead, I thought you were dead..."

He smiled despite the pain and patted her back.

"If you keep hugging me this hard, I’ll actually die but from suffocation, not by the hands of those spirits."

After she released him, Elinor smiled.

"Don’t make me worry about you like this again."

"It’s not like I’m the reason those spirits turned into monsters."

The sage interrupted them.

"I hate to ruin your emotional moment, but we’re going to die anyway."

It was Tell who responded angrily.

"You’re such a pessimist. We’ll get out of here alive as long as Oliver is with us."

The sage lifted his head toward Tell, who was flying beside them.

He then stepped back and pressed himself against the wall.

"What is this thing doing here?"

Tell sighed deeply, her breath carrying much bitterness.

"Don’t worry, I haven’t turned into a monster like the rest."

Despite her words, the sage didn’t move from his place, staying pressed against the wall.

Tell then turned to Oliver.

"Tell this coward I haven’t turned into a monster."

"Who are you calling a coward, little monster?"

"Can you understand my language?"

"Yes, my father forced me to learn this cursed language."

"Cursed language? It’s better than your disgusting human language."

"Of course! A language that sounds like ringing bells is definitely better than ours!"

Elinor watched the scene, confused about why the sage was arguing with the spirit.

Oliver spoke up.

"Guys, we need to get out of here fast."

The sage smirked sarcastically.

"And how are we supposed to do that with all these monsters outside?"

Tell pointed to Oliver.

"Don’t worry, they’re afraid of this hybrid."

"Hybrid?"

Before Tell could respond, the building began to shake, and the walls around them started to collapse.

Everyone ran quickly, making their way out of the building just as it collapsed completely.

Once they were outside, they saw the masked man still fighting the Great Autumn Spirit, dodging her attacks and firing shots at her.

The village sage watched the scene in awe and said,

"Isn’t that the same man? And now he’s... fighting the Autumn Spirit?"

The masked man leapt to the side with a quick motion and then reloaded his gun, inserting a golden bullet engraved with small symbols.

He fired it directly at the Great Autumn Spirit.

The bullet struck her, and a golden light spread across the entire area.

As the light faded, the Great Autumn Spirit crashed to the ground.

Everyone stood still, staring at the scene in disbelief.

But the masked man quickly reloaded his gun and fired again.

Before the bullet could reach her, the black substance spread faster around her body, enveloping her completely.

Then she rose again, and as she stood, two black horns appeared on her head. She raised her hand into the air.

At that moment, a dark, suffocating aura spread across the entire village. The spirits that had already turned into monsters now became something even more hideous, resembling demons.

Around the village, a massive barrier of toxic, thorny plants appeared, preventing anyone from trying to escape.