Chapter 24: Kill Her

The Sunwell was right ahead. In the moonlight reflected off the water, Asa could see two dark shapes, which he knew were the leaves of the World Tree.

The divine power of the Sunwell could terrify any living being, causing them to feel a deep fear and reverence from the depths of their souls before even entering the forest. Even if someone managed to resist this pressure and enter the forest, they would face merciless attacks from the hundreds of withered tree sentinels patrolling the perimeter. Because of this, the elves had no need for additional security measures. Moreover, in their ancient culture, the Sunwell and the leaves of the World Tree were considered an inseparable entity, and they had never imagined someone would attempt to take the leaves out.

What concerned Asa more was another effect of the Sunwell: it prevented any magic from being used within the forest by anyone other than the elves. That was why the red-robed man only dared to enter during a solar eclipse. Asa's blade had already fallen on the grass outside the forest, and now, without magic, he was left completely defenseless.

But he couldn't wait for the next eclipse—it wasn't due for another 130 years. In any case, today was as good an opportunity as any, especially since the hundred or so tree sentinels that had been destroyed by the red-robed man hadn't yet been replenished.

The area that had been reduced to scorched earth had already sprouted saplings taller than a person, and ferns had begun to grow on the ground. Just a few days ago, Asa had witnessed Elder Cranford using two leaves of the World Tree to sprinkle water from the Sunwell onto the barren land. Instantly, new trees and grass had burst forth from the charred soil. According to Ruya, the burnt area and the tree sentinels would fully recover in just a month.

In the bright moonlight, Asa could see that many of the saplings around him were the seedlings of the withered tree sentinels. These crooked, emaciated branches stuck out of the ground like malnourished twigs, but in a month's time, they would grow into towering giants, large enough to crush a man like a rat underfoot.

As Asa approached the Sunwell, he saw that the area was almost entirely filled with the saplings of the tree sentinels. He shuddered at the thought of what the forest must have looked like before it had been burned, and suddenly felt a new respect for the red-robed man. If not for their fire, sneaking in here like this at night would surely have resulted in him being turned into either a pile of flesh or a smear of blood.

Asa reached into the well and took out one of the leaves. He knew it was a treasure, but he only needed one, and carrying something so precious around would only create unnecessary trouble for him.

Under the moonlight, the leaf's intense color was hard to discern, but he could feel its vitality. It seemed as though the leaf was emitting an aura of life. Asa could tell that this was no ordinary leaf—it had no visible veins, and the entire leaf and stem were seamlessly one. Holding what was said to be a divine object, he felt an inexplicable surge of excitement, and his fingers trembled slightly.

"What are you doing?" A voice, bright and clear as moonlight, suddenly called from behind him.

Asa spun around like a leopard whose tail had been pierced by an icicle, pouncing before the speaker had a chance to react. In an instant, he had pinned her to the ground, his hand tightening around her throat.

A cascade of silver hair spread across the ground, reflecting the moonlight and accentuating her ethereal beauty. It was the elven girl, Ruya.

Kill her.

That was the first thought that flashed through Asa's mind, the tense atmosphere turning even his thoughts bloody.

Her pale neck was soft, delicate, and fragile under his grasp—it seemed like it would snap easily with just a bit more force.

Her treehouse was near the path Asa had taken earlier, and she must have followed him after hearing some noise. Her innocence had left her unguarded—she hadn't thought to alert the other elves, and Asa, preoccupied with the World Tree leaf, hadn't noticed her approach.

No matter what, the other elves must not be alerted. Elder Cranford had said that violence was something their noble race despised and would never resort to unless absolutely necessary. But this wasn't just necessary—it was beyond necessary. These two leaves of the World Tree were their only remaining divine artifacts, and Asa's body still contained the power of the Sunwell.

Asa had seen the elves practice archery. Any one of them could string together two apples with a longbow from a hundred meters away. If the other elves were alerted, even if he were as swift as the most agile leopard, he would become a pincushion before making it out of the forest.

He really should kill her.

Asa used his other hand to grab both of her slender wrists and pin them to the ground, while his legs restrained her lower body. Though she struggled with surprising strength, her thin limbs were no match for him, and she couldn't break free.

Her face, now contorted in pain under the moonlight, was a mix of anger and agony. Her ethereal beauty had transformed into a vivid, almost enchanting intensity.

Their bodies were pressed so closely together that Asa could feel her warmth.

Her throat struggled to breathe under his grip, but no matter how much effort she exerted, she couldn't break free of his hold. Asa could feel her heart beating faster and faster through her chest. He knew that soon, a few more beats, a few more convulsions, and her heart would stop forever.

Her once-beautiful face was now twisted in pain, and her heartbeat had almost reached its limit. Suddenly, Asa was overwhelmed by an urge to let go.

No! He couldn't let go! The moment she breathed freely, she would shout for help, and that would bring the entire elven race down upon him.

Her fragile body suddenly convulsed violently, nearly throwing Asa off, and then collapsed limply. It was as though an essential string in her body had snapped.

Asa jumped back from her as if electrocuted.

She was completely still now. The struggle that had once animated her face was gone, and in the moonlight, her skin appeared deathly pale.

Asa suddenly felt like throwing up.

No. She probably wasn't dead, just in shock. He exhaled deeply, trying to calm himself.

To be sure, he should probably go back and finish the job...

Asa shook his head hard. It shouldn't be necessary. She looked fragile, and her constitution couldn't be that strong. Besides, maybe she really was...

Asa picked up the World Tree leaf and ran toward the edge of the forest.

But just as he reached the clearing, Ruya's voice echoed from far behind him. "Everyone, come out! The human has stolen the World Tree leaf!"

Clearly, her constitution was much stronger than he had thought.

Cursing under his breath, Asa quickened his pace.

From deep within the forest, the shrill cries of unicorns echoed, and the elven settlement was becoming noisy. In the quiet of the woods, every sound carried far, including Asa's running footsteps.

His leg muscles were working to their limit, moving so fast that it felt like he might lose balance at any moment. Asa raced desperately through the forest; he had reached the outskirts now, and if he could just run another two miles, he would be free.

Ahead of him, a withered tree sentinel appeared, raising its enormous foot to stomp down. Asa didn't dodge or stop; he didn't alter his movement in any way. With his head down, he charged straight toward the giant branch descending to crush him into a smear of flesh. He couldn't stop—he could already hear the hoofbeats behind him.

A thunderous boom sounded as the tree sentinel's foot slammed down, the wind from its movement clear against Asa's back, along with the splatter of mud hitting him. He was just fast enough to dash past before the massive foot crushed him.

Yet, Asa felt no relief. The moonlight was bright enough for him to see clearly, and up ahead, a whole row of tree sentinels stood waiting. The sound of hooves behind him grew louder and louder, and no matter how fast he was, two legs could never outrun four.

One of the sentinels slowly raised its branch-like arm and bent down, ready to swat him like an insect.

It was the perfect moment. Asa, still sprinting, dropped to his knees, planted his hands on the ground, and rolled forward just as the giant hand came down. It landed right in front of him, its smaller twig-like branches brushing his face and leaving a sharp, stinging pain.

The sound of hooves was almost on top of him. Asa didn't dare look back. He leaped forward and grabbed hold of the tree sentinel's hand. As it lifted its arm, it brought him up as well. The other sentinels closed in, their enormous hands reaching for Asa, now dangling in midair.

Using both hands and feet, Asa scrambled up onto the sentinel's shoulder. There were several heavy thuds as the sentinel's own hand was smashed to pieces by the other sentinels, broken branches flying everywhere.

Before he could catch his breath, more gigantic hands came at him from all directions. Without even thinking, Asa leapt off the sentinel's back. There was a loud crash as one sentinel's head was shattered by its companions.

As Asa landed on the ground, he saw that while he had been delayed, a group of unicorns had already circled ahead of him. These creatures were highly intelligent, aware that he was trying to escape, and had positioned themselves to block his path.

He couldn't afford to hesitate any longer. If the elves closed in, it would be even harder to escape. Asa charged directly at the unicorns. They lowered their heads, ready to meet him with their sharp, deadly horns.

There was no room for retreat or evasion. Asa focused all his mental energy, summoning the clarity he found during meditation. He could feel every muscle in his body and could even see the trajectory of the lead unicorn's attack clearly in his mind.

He kept charging forward, and just as the unicorn's horn was about to make contact, he placed his hand on its forehead and leaped upward with all his strength, pulling off a perfect somersault, using the unicorn's momentum.

As his body sailed through the air, his face passed within half a meter of the unicorn's horn when it suddenly exploded with a brilliant flash of white light.

Asa screamed in agony. Though he had cleared the group of unicorns, he landed heavily, crashing to the ground. After the searing flash of pain, his vision went completely dark.

Though he couldn't see anything, he forced himself to stand and started running again. But after just a few steps, he felt himself slam into what felt like a wooden cage, and then he was lifted into the air.

Elder Cranford and the elves had caught up by now. From a distance, Cranford could see Asa, like a headless fly, running straight into the waiting hand of a tree sentinel. The sentinel lifted Asa, and its other hand began to close in, ready to crush him into pulp.

Elder Cranford sprinted forward. This human still had the power of the Sunwell within him, power that hadn't yet been extracted. He couldn't let him die here. The tree sentinels, without any sense of reason, were purely attacking any intruder in the forest. He had to save Asa quickly.

Asa struggled with all his might against the crushing force coming from both sides. His shoulder and chest muscles were swelling to their limits, and the skin on his legs was being stretched tight by the force. But for now, he was just managing to keep the tree sentinel's branch-like hands from squeezing him.

Suddenly, the pressure around him surged, an overwhelming force pushing beyond what his muscles could bear. His arms and legs, which had been holding on with all their strength, snapped back under the force, and the tree's branches pressed in, crushing against his body. Even the air in his lungs was forced out, and he couldn't make a sound.

Elder Cranford watched as the tree sentinels crowded around, eager to get a piece of their new "toy," pressing their hands in, crushing the man trapped between them.