WHAT! I Have To Kill Heaven's Son To Live!

Reon stepped into the teleportation formation, feeling the air pulse with energy as the ancient runes beneath him began to glow.

The light intensified, wrapping him in a radiant sphere of shifting blues and purples. His body felt weightless, as though suspended between worlds.

In an instant, the scenery warped, and Reon experienced a brief sensation of falling through a swirling tunnel of colors. Then, just as quickly, everything snapped back into place.

When the light dimmed, he stood at the shadowy outskirts of the infamous Shadowed Thicket, his heart racing from both the disorienting teleportation and the daunting realization of where he had arrived.

[Ding! The Host has successfully completed the selected option. Host has received Sword Aura Comprehension Card.]

[Ding! The reward has been stored in the System Inventory. Check your Inventory for further details.]

As Reon emerged from the teleportation, the eerie atmosphere of the Shadowed Thicket greeted him immediately.

The forest here was dense, the canopy so thick that only faint, fragmented rays of light pierced through, casting long, twisted shadows across the ground.

A heavy mist clung to the air, making it difficult to see more than a few feet ahead. The silence was unnerving, broken only by the distant rustling of unseen creatures.

Each tree seemed ancient, their gnarled branches stretching out like claws, and the very air felt alive with the weight of untold dangers lurking just out of sight.

Reon moved cautiously through the eerie expanse of the Shadowed Thicket, his every step swallowed by the thick, oppressive silence.

As he ventured deeper, a strange sensation washed over him—almost as if the forest itself was acknowledging his presence.

The gnarled branches of ancient trees reached out like twisted sentinels, while a group of ethereal beast girls stood near a massive throne, bowing in respectful greeting.

For a fleeting moment, it felt as though the forest itself was welcoming him, as if he were its rightful king.

But that unsettling stillness quickly shattered his fleeting sense of grandeur. His stomach tightened as he realized that this feeling wasn't a welcome at all—it was something far more sinister. His mind was playing tricks on him.

Suddenly, he snapped out of his daze, his eyes narrowing as he recognized the source. "The Phantom Mirage Tree," he muttered under his breath. Its shimmering leaves caught the dim light, distorting reality into a twisted mirage.

This tree was notorious for ensnaring the minds of those who wandered too close, weaving illusions that blurred the line between reality and nightmare. Reon's heart raced; if he stayed any longer, the illusions might grow too strong to break.

Without wasting another moment, Reon quickly summoned Cloudia. In a flash, the small, cute fox-like creature by his side transformed into her true form—a massive, majestic fox with shimmering fur, towering over Reon. She bowed slightly, allowing him to leap onto her back.

"Cloudia, we need to get out of here. Now!" he commanded, his voice tense with urgency.

Cloudia's sharp instincts kicked in. As a creature capable of casting her own illusions, she was also highly resistant to the illusions of others.

Her eyes gleamed with understanding, and she bolted forward, her lithe body weaving through the forest with speed that defied the twisted reality around them.

The Phantom Mirage Tree's illusions, though powerful, were no match for Cloudia's defenses.

But the dangers of the Shadowed Thicket were relentless. The further they ran, the more the forest seemed to fight back. Branches—dark and sinewy—lashed out from all directions.

They came from every angle, the trees themselves seemingly alive and intent on trapping them within their grasp.

Reon gritted his teeth as he drew his weapon, the Moonlit Fang, from his spatial ring. The Dark Blue sword gleamed under the shadowy canopy, slicing through the encroaching branches with swift, precise strikes.

But the sheer volume of attacks was overwhelming. No matter how many branches he cut through, more seemed to sprout from the darkness, reaching for him with relentless persistence.

"Dammit! Where did all these branches come from?!" Reon cursed under his breath, his voice strained with frustration.

His eyes darted around, scanning the chaotic mess of the forest. "I told them to teleport me to the outskirts! Did those bastards send me straight into the deeper parts of the Shadowed Thicket?!"

Cloudia, sensing Reon's panic, pushed harder, her powerful legs bounding over twisted roots and uneven terrain.

She moved with calculated grace, dodging the worst of the forest's attacks, but even her superior senses couldn't completely avoid the grasp of the enchanted trees.

The forest was alive with hostility, and every second in the Shadowed Thicket felt like a gamble with death.

"Cloudia, change course! Head for the Whispering Grove—our mission here is done!" Reon commanded, his voice edged with urgency.

Cloudia's ears twitched, and with a powerful leap, she veered toward the Whispering Grove. Though still dangerous, it was far less treacherous than the Shadowed Thicket.

Branches continued to lash out, but Cloudia's agility and Reon's swift strikes with the Moonlit Fang kept them moving, escaping the Phantom Mirage Tree's illusions.

Just as they cleared its range, a deafening roar echoed ahead. Reon's heart sank as the sound grew closer.

When he turned to face it, he froze, his eyes widening at the monstrous figure charging straight toward them.