Bound by the tendrils of the **Phantom Blossom**, the undead flyers not only stirred to life but also erupted in violent frenzy. With grotesque fervor, they sank their fangs into the very tendrils binding them, ripping and tearing with feral aggression.
Instead of succumbing to the invasive touch of the Phantom Blossom's tendrils, the creatures displayed an unforeseen resilience. As their razor-sharp teeth pierced the flower, the Phantom Blossom withered rapidly, its lifeforce seemingly drained away.
The **Enchantress Bloom**, who commanded these sinister flora, watched in horrified disbelief. Confusion and frustration twisted her delicate features—this was beyond her comprehension.
Eiko, brimming with rage, fixed her burning gaze on the enchantress. With arms outstretched, she soared through the air and lunged at her adversary. The Enchantress Bloom, unnervingly agile, bent her body backward with an inhuman grace, narrowly dodging the assault by skimming the ground.
For a moment, both combatants froze, scrutinizing each other with palpable curiosity. Each seemed to marvel at the other's unnatural abilities, unable to grasp what made their opponent so formidable.
Circling her foe like a predator, Eiko deliberated her next move. Though her thoughts were fragmented, her memories offered no precedent for such uncanny evasiveness. If only Terry El were present, he might have broken the tension with a sardonic observation: "Of course you can't comprehend it—neither of you are remotely human."
Determined, Eiko closed the distance with a calculated charge. She flew at the enchantress and sank her teeth toward her. The Enchantress Bloom, unwilling to surrender, entwined her arms around Eiko and unleashed a cloud of virulent green mist from her parted lips.
But her efforts were in vain. The venomous fog failed to harm Eiko, whose jagged teeth found their mark on the enchantress's neck. Eiko bit deep and began to drain her adversary's lifeforce.
Though blood did not course through the Enchantress Bloom's veins, the sap within her was vital. As Eiko drained it, the enchantress's body shriveled. Desperation painted her face as her limbs coiled tighter around Eiko, striving to crush her opponent in a final act of defiance.
Yet, Eiko remained impervious. The Enchantress Bloom's despair deepened as withering veins spread from her feet upward. The toxic fog that once blanketed the **Phantom Forest** began to dissipate, and the once-dominant Phantom Blossoms trembled as their master faltered.
Far from the scene, Terry El could only sense the cataclysmic changes, a gnawing unease taking root within him.
Unbothered by the unraveling chaos, Eiko continued her relentless feast. Only when the Enchantress Bloom had been reduced to a lifeless husk did she release her victim, casting the withered body aside with satisfaction.
This battle brought unexpected rewards. For Eiko, the venom she absorbed fused with the necrotic toxins in her own body, evolving into a more potent and insidious poison. Her newfound venom induced euphoria and vivid hallucinations in its victims, tailored to their innermost desires. Death would greet them gently, wrapped in visions of bliss.
Among the remains, Eiko picked up a large, pulsating seed—the heart of the Enchantress Bloom. She flew swiftly to Terry El, cradling the seed in her hands.
"Master, look at this!"
Terry El hesitated before accepting the enormous seed. "Where did you find this?"
"It fell from a beautiful woman," Eiko answered, her tone matter-of-fact.
"A beautiful woman?" Terry El's brows furrowed in confusion.
Eiko recounted the battle in vivid detail, leaving Terry El dumbstruck. According to her, the seed appeared to be the **King's Blossom**, a rare and mysterious artifact. Though modern logic could not decipher its potential, Terry El knew instinctively that it was valuable. He decided to safeguard it for future use.
"Eiko, search the forest for any other Phantom Blossom seeds."
"Understood," Eiko replied, darting back into the now-fading forest.
Terry El, however, had no interest in rare seeds for their own sake. His priority remained simple: gold. Without wealth, even survival in the **Kingdom of Resa** was uncertain.
Despite the withering forest, remnants of trampled Phantom Blossoms yielded an unexpected bounty—over 2,000 seeds. Terry El marveled at the harvest, his satisfaction growing.
Another revelation soon followed: his **spatial ring** had expanded. What once held finite treasures now seemed boundless. Could it be a growing artifact? Speculation would have to wait—pragmatism demanded immediate focus.
With a swift invocation, he reopened the **Gate of Summoning**, and the undead flyers disappeared into its void. Carefully stowing the harvested seeds, Terry El and Chriss began their journey toward the Kingdom of Resa.
"Chriss, why so quiet?" Terry El asked, testing her mood.
"I... I don't know how to address you," she admitted.
"Ha! Is that all? Call me as you always have—El, or even brat, if you prefer," he teased.
Chriss blushed faintly. "But... you're..." Her voice trailed off, mindful of his earlier prohibition on addressing him as royalty.
"Forget my past," Terry El said gently. "Why not see me as someone else entirely?"
"Someone else?"
"Yes, a middle-aged man, for instance," he quipped with a faint smile.
Chriss's face reddened further, her embarrassment mirrored by Terry El's awkward chuckle. In truth, the soul of a man in his thirties trapped in a boy's body carried a loneliness he could never fully articulate.
As they tread the narrow path toward Resa's capital, whispers of their deeds spread across the land.
The world soon buzzed with the news of the Phantom Forest's sudden annihilation. Who could possess the power to erase such an infamous place overnight? Had a god descended? The rumors, as wild as the act itself, stirred the continent into chaos.