WHAT! I Have To Kill Heaven's Son To Live!-Chapter 39: Our Mission Here Is Done!

Reon stepped into the teleportation formation, the air around him pulsing with unseen energy as ancient runes flared to life beneath his feet.

A brilliant glow enveloped him, shifting in hues of blue and violet, wrapping his body in a cocoon of crackling power.

He felt weightless—suspended between worlds—as reality blurred.

Then, in an instant, the sensation shifted. The world around him twisted, colors spiraling into a vortex of motion.

A moment of freefall—disorienting, fleeting—before everything snapped back into place.

The light dimmed.

Reon now stood at the shadowy outskirts of the infamous Shadowed Thicket.

His heart pounded, not just from the jarring teleportation but from the weight of realization—he had arrived at one of the most perilous regions known to the disciple of the Supreme Dao Sect.

Then, the familiar chimes of system notifications began appearing before him one by one.

[Ding! The Host has successfully completed the selected option.]

[Ding! The Host has received: Sword Aura Comprehension Card.]

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

As the residual glow of teleportation faded, Reon waved his hand to dismiss the screens before him.

Taking his first step forward, he was met by the eerie silence of the Shadowed Thicket.

Towering trees loomed around him, their gnarled branches clawing at the sky like skeletal fingers.

The dense canopy above swallowed most of the sunlight, allowing only fragmented, ghostly rays to slip through.

A heavy mist clung to the air, thick and cloying, making it difficult to see beyond a few feet.

Shadows stretched unnaturally long, shifting as if they had a life of their own.

The silence was suffocating.

Not a single bird call.

No rustling of leaves.

Nothing—except for the distant whisper of something moving through the fog.

Something unseen.

Watching.

Reon moved cautiously, each step swallowed by the oppressive hush of the forest.

And then—

A sensation washed over him.

It wasn't fear.

It was acknowledgment.

The forest... recognized him.

Ancient trees stood like silent sentinels, their unseen eyes weighing his presence. The very air around him felt sentient, pressing against him with an unspoken question.

Then, as if responding to an unspoken command, a group of ethereal beast girls emerged from the depths of the mist.

They stood near a massive, twisted throne of roots and vines—bowing in respectful greeting.

For a fleeting moment, something stirred deep within Reon's mind.

A thought, a feeling—as if he belonged here.

As if the forest itself was his to command.

As if he were its rightful king.

A ridiculous notion.

His chest tightened.

The realization struck like ice down his spine.

This wasn't recognition.

It was a trap.

The illusion was already at work.

His fingers curled into fists, his breathing sharp.

His mind—his very thoughts—were being distorted. Twisted. Manipulated.

"The Phantom... Mirage Tree."

The name left his lips in a whisper.

Among the many terrors of the Shadowed Thicket, this was one of the worst.

A tree that didn't need venom or claws to kill.

It preyed on the mind.

A single glance at its shimmering leaves, and reality itself unraveled—pulling its victims into a waking dream, distorting their senses until they could no longer tell what was real and what was not.

Those who lingered too long would never wake again, their life force drained until nothing remained.

Even the protagonist, long after rising to the rank of Inner Disciple, had once fallen victim to its dream.

Reon's heart pounded.

He had to move.

Now.

"Cloudia!"

The instant he called her name, a small fox-like creature appeared at his side.

Then—in a flash of light—she transformed.

What once was a tiny, cute companion now stood as a towering, majestic fox. Her silver fur shimmered with ethereal energy, and her tails flickered like ghostly flames.

She bowed slightly, waiting for him.

Reon wasted no time. He leaped onto her back.

"Cloudia, we need to get out of here. Now!"

The beast didn't need further instruction.

Cloudia bolted forward, her massive form weaving through the dense forest with breathtaking speed.

She was an illusion-casting beast herself, and as such, she possessed an innate resistance to mental attacks.

Even the Phantom Mirage Tree's reality-warping influence struggled against her defenses.

Yet, the Shadowed Thicket was relentless.

As they fled, the forest fought back.

SWOOSH!

Dark, sinewy branches lashed out from all directions.

They moved unnaturally—alive, aware—reaching for them with grasping, claw-like tendrils.

Reon gritted his teeth.

Shing!

With a swift motion, he summoned his blade—Moonlit Fang.

The dark blue sword gleamed under the twisted shadows, its edge slicing effortlessly through the encroaching branches.

But for every vine cut down, three more took its place.

It was endless.

"Dammit! Where did all these branches come from?!"

Reon's frustration surged.

His mind reeled. The teleportation should have placed him at the outskirts—yet this?

Why was it so difficult?

Not even a single beast had appeared.

Had those bastards sent him deeper?!

Or was the outskirts of the Shadowed Thicket far more dangerous than he could handle right now?

Cloudia pushed forward, bounding over tangled roots and uneven ground, her body a blur of speed and precision.

But even she couldn't fully avoid the forest's grasp.

The air itself pulsed with hostility.

Every second spent here was a gamble with death.

Reon's pulse quickened. They needed to change course.

"Cloudia, head for the Whispering Grove! Our mission is done—we're getting out of here!"

The fox's ears twitched. Without hesitation, she veered sharply toward the new direction.

Though still dangerous, the Whispering Grove was at least a safer alternative to this nightmare.

Branches still lashed at them, but Cloudia's agility—and Reon's precise strikes—kept them moving forward.

And just as they escaped the range of the Phantom Mirage Tree's illusions—

GROWL!

A deafening roar shattered the silence.

Reon's breath hitched.

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The sound wasn't distant.

It was close.

Too close.

The ground shook.

A monstrous presence surged toward them, an overwhelming force crashing through the forest like an avalanche of death.

Reon's eyes widened.

He turned—

And froze.