“If that is the core of the rift, then we have no choice but to… d*mn it… no, whether that thing is a corpse or a living person, we have no option but to kill it.”

But… Haniel’s lips trembled.

She remembered Regan’s experience that she had heard shortly after entering the rift.

Regan’s former squad member, who had become host to a rift core. The moment someone becomes a rift core or is possessed by one, they can no longer be considered an ordinary person.

They become something entirely different, the seed of destruction itself, driving everyone around them to death unless they are destroyed.

Whether it was an innocent elf man who fell into the rift, or a grief-stricken boy who had been desperately waiting for a challenging lady, there was no option but to kill them.

D*mn it. Haniel bit her lip.

But Regan gave her a faint smile. Though he was clearly smiling, it was the kind of smile that made one feel like sitting on pins and needles.

“Having to kill a subordinate who became a rift core was not easy for me… but fortunately, this time I can remove the rift core with pleasure.”

“Hey!”

With a twisted smile, Regan ignored Haniel’s objection and began transforming his body into another form.

Crack-rustle. Armor-like fur sprouted, and hot breath escaped from his muzzle, filled with beast-like teeth.

He seemed eager to tear apart that smooth-skinned elf bastard before Haniel could add anything more.

“Wait, just wait!”

Haniel urgently grabbed Regan. She was afraid that he would charge like a mad dog and tear apart the willow branch-like elf… that was true, but it wasn’t because of that—it was because the elf man was moving.

Regan glared at the elf somewhat irritably.

At the edge of his vision was the elf, beckoning to Haniel.

Regan’s jaw muscles bulged.

“That half-breed…”

The elf, with his wet-looking hair clinging to his white, gleaming skin, smiled pitifully while beckoning to Haniel.

That gesture contained a secretive and mysterious sensuality, as if asking her to come closer and listen to his whispered words of love.

It was a completely different appearance from Regan, who was covered in slime and filth.

The uncomfortable feelings that had been boiling while facing numerous monsters and a Hume eyeing his mate on their way here reached a breaking point when he saw Haniel’s mouth gaping at the elf’s movements.

The man’s muscles suddenly swelled greatly, with veins bulging prominently.

Perhaps it would be better to forget about the rift and everything else, and thoroughly discipline Haniel inside and out while clean, so that she wouldn’t have the strength to look elsewhere or even move a finger—such twisted impulses arose.

With his temples throbbing from anger and heat, Regan spoke through gritted teeth.

“It’s a trick. Surely you won’t fall for something like that.”

“Hmm…? Ah… of course not. Absolutely not.”

“My judgment wasn’t wrong. I’m delighted. Now then…”

As Regan, who had transformed more than half of his body into his true form, was about to rush toward the annoying elf man, Haniel, who was fumbling with her crossbow to help him, suddenly noticed something sparkling among the pile of corpses.

What is that?

And what she saw sparkling suddenly shot out from among the corpses like lightning and began heading toward Regan.

Kku-deu-deuk…!

“Regan!”

Something that looked like tree roots, covered with thorns.

Startled by the hideous appearance that flashed before her, Haniel quickly pushed Regan aside.

It was a foolish act since his boulder-like body couldn’t possibly be moved by her strength, but there was no time to think about that.

Sa-sa-sak!

“!”

But Haniel widened her eyes when she saw the tendril, which had been heading toward Regan, suddenly change direction toward her as if it had been waiting for this moment.

‘I’ve been tricked!’

Those tendrils had been targeting Haniel from the beginning, not Regan!

Shocked that the movement hadn’t been detected even by the Hume’s keen senses, Regan swung his claws toward the tendril.

However, before he could tear it apart, the tendril that had snatched Haniel firmly bound her body and lifted her up.

“Haniel…!”

“Uwaaa!”

Haniel, her body tightly wrapped by the tendril, let out a shrill scream.

What, what is this! She barely managed to extend her hand to feel the tendril surrounding her.

Strangely, the tendril she thought would be covered in thorns that would stab her was softer than she expected. It was as if the tips of the thorns had been blunted. And while the force gripping her delicate body was strong enough to prevent her escape, it didn’t choke her.

Wasn’t it trying to attack Haniel? If so, then these tendrils also…

“Uwah!”

“…!”

As Haniel was being carried away, something invisible burst through the floor, blocked the desperate Regan, and struck him.

Chwak!

“Kugh!”

Regan, hit in the stomach, quickly retreated and keenly scanned his surroundings.

What was that attack just now? He bared his sharp teeth.

…He couldn’t sense anything.

Clearly something was here, but he couldn’t tell where it was.

‘It deceives my senses?’

Not many beings can deceive Regan Fenril’s five senses and instincts. Even fewer can deceive not only his sight and touch but his sense of smell as well!

Huk. Regan carefully inhaled the scents floating in the air. The smell of earth, soil. The smell of a damp cave, tree roots could be sensed. And among them, something alien in the wind.

The moment he noticed that dissonance, Regan instantly turned and swung his claws toward it.

Slash!

“!”

Regan’s attack was directed at the empty space right next to him! Seeing the entity that suddenly appeared in a space where there had been nothing but air just moments ago, Regan furrowed his brow.

A bundle of ‘tendrils.’ Was Haniel, who seemed to be floating away in mid-air from his perspective, actually wrapped in these tendrils?

Slither-hiss…. The bundle of tendrils faced him with threatening, writhing movements.

Unlike the tendrils that had wrapped around Haniel, these bore sharp, menacing thorns that showed no signs of blunting—they were clearly meant to harm.

These tendrils were full of hostile intent toward Regan, a Hume male, merely an obstacle—not the precious female who would be lovingly regarded by any living being in this land.

Regan’s pupils contracted to pinpoints as he observed the threateningly undulating mass of tendrils.

Assessing the situation quickly with his agile mind, he immediately realized that these tendrils were certainly being controlled by that ‘elf man.’

Shwack! Was the reconnaissance over? The thorny tendrils suddenly lunged at Regan. As he attacked them with his sharp claws, he shouted:

“Haniel! Cut the tendrils with your axe! You must not get close to that elf!”

The tendrils sometimes visible, sometimes hiding and deceiving the man’s senses when he looked away.

But Haniel was in no position to follow Regan’s instructions.

“I, I can’t move!”

Axe, what axe—she couldn’t even move properly!

While the man was struggling, the tendrils that had bound her moved swiftly yet gently, bringing Haniel to the vicinity of the ‘elf man’ in no time.

Huk. Haniel gasped while tightly bound.

Regan had told her not to get close to the elf…! But, didn’t she need to get close to obtain the rift core…? As she wavered with these thoughts, the elf man had already approached right in front of her.

The elf who had not taken his eyes off her throughout her journey here. A smile was displayed on his face.

‘…What is this?’

Haniel stiffened slightly at that smile and moved her lips.

She had certainly thought he was beautiful… No, his face was still pretty, but seeing him up close, something felt strange.

The focus of his two eyes was oddly misaligned, and above all, there was a peculiar vitality that could be sensed…

Just then, the tendrils surrounding and binding Haniel moved. Crunch, crunch-crunch!  The tip of the tendril began climbing up her body.

“Uwah!”

Creak-crunch, creak-crunch-crunch!

Like a vine seeking sunlight, a tendril as thick as an arm was slowly crawling up her entire body from her toes, wriggling and feeling around as if searching for something.

Haniel’s face grew increasingly pale.