F-Rank Soul Eater-Chapter 172: Soren Vs... Ambush (5)

The laughter around the ridge had barely settled when hurried footsteps broke the calm.

A cadet came sprinting up the rocky slope, nearly tripping over himself in his haste. His chest heaved violently as he finally reached the Mohawk Party, sweat clinging to his forehead despite the cold air of the artificial Glass.

He bent forward, gasping.

"B–Boss Aegon...!"

The group turned toward him, annoyed at the interruption.

Aegon didn’t move from his seat atop the unfortunate student serving as his stool. He merely tilted his head slightly, his gloved fingers drumming lazily against his knee.

"Well?" he asked.

The messenger swallowed hard before speaking.

"It’s... it’s Soren!"

The name alone made several of the Mohawk cadets sneer.

"What about him?" one of them spat. "Is he dead already?"

The messenger shook his head as he forced the words out.

"The first group we sent after him... they were driven back!"

A ripple of surprise passed through the Mohawk Party.

"What?"

"No way."

"Driven back?"

The messenger nodded rapidly.

"T–They launched a full bombardment when they spotted him... but the giant with him—she wiped most of the attacks out in a single blow!"

For a brief moment, silence settled over the ridge.

A shocked expression was plastered on their faces.

Then Aegon chuckled.

A quiet, amused sound.

"Well," he said, adjusting his spectacles with one finger, "it seems I underestimated the giant standing beside him."

His smirk returned.

"But no matter."

He lifted a hand lazily.

"There is only so much a human being can do."

His gaze drifted across the distant hunting grounds.

"Send another group."

Several of the Mohawk cadets immediately nodded and began issuing orders through their wristwatches.

Then Aegon turned back toward the messenger.

"And where exactly did they run off to?"

The cadet swallowed again.

"They... they headed toward the eastern ravines, Boss."

Aegon frowned.

"In that direction?"

Before the messenger could react, Aegon suddenly stood and grabbed him by the neck, lifting him slightly off the ground with disturbing ease.

"Are you sure?" Aegon asked coldly.

The cadet panicked, clawing weakly at Aegon’s hand.

"Y–Yes! I swear! That’s the direction they went, Boss!"

For a moment, Aegon studied his face.

Then he released him.

The messenger collapsed to the ground with a painful gasp.

Aegon flicked his hand dismissively, sending the boy rolling aside like discarded trash.

One of the Mohawk members stepped forward with a grin.

"Don’t worry, Boss. If he’s heading that way, then he’s definitely dead."

The others nodded in agreement.

"Yeah."

"The anomalies in that region are insane."

"This false Glass may be artificial, but some of the things in there are just as terrifying as what you’d find in the real Glass."

"Even worse sometimes."

But Aegon didn’t respond.

Instead, he slowly walked to the very edge of the ridge and looked out over the vast hunting grounds.

"It’s not the danger that bothers me," he said quietly.

"It’s the direction."

One of his followers blinked in confusion.

"What do you mean, Boss?"

Aegon didn’t turn around.

Instead, he asked a question.

"Where did we tell Sophia to direct him?"

The Mohawk cadet answered immediately.

"We told her to send him here, Boss. We said we were hunting a Grade Zero Eldritch creature in this region."

Aegon’s voice turned colder.

"Then why..."

He gestured sharply toward the distant terrain.

"...are they going in the damn opposite direction?"

.....

On Soren’s side of the hunting grounds, he and Cynthia moved quickly through the strange vegetation of the artificial Glass.

The terrain was dense and uneven. Twisted plants with translucent stems grew beside jagged rocks that hummed faintly with trapped soul energy. Some plants glowed faintly, while others seemed to recoil when something brushed too close.

Soren didn’t have time to study most of them.

But he couldn’t ignore some of the sights they passed.

Once, they ran past a cluster of long black vines wrapped around the body of a small, deer-like creature.

The animal was already dead, its body slowly collapsing into grey ash as the vines pulsed softly, drinking the lingering soul energy from its corpse.

A few meters later, they saw a strange bird-like creature pecking violently at a shimmering insect pinned beneath its claws. Every strike released faint motes of blue light from the insect’s body, making it look as if pieces of its soul were being eaten along with its flesh.

It was chaotic.

Predatory.

Brutal.

Yet strangely balanced.

Each creature seemed to feed on another in some twisted chain that kept the ecosystem alive.

For a moment, Soren remembered what he had read about in the Discipline of Sorrow.

Cynthia pushed forward through a thick bush.

But the moment she did—

The leaves moved.

They snapped around her arm like living hands.

Thick green tendrils wrapped tightly around her massive left arm and yanked backward as if trying to drag her down.

"What—?"

Before she could react further, more leaves lashed out.

They slithered around her waist.

Her shoulders.

Her legs.

Each leaf that touched her tightened like a constricting rope.

Cynthia grunted as she tried to rip them off.

But the moment she tore one away—

Two more followed.

They wrapped around her torso, tightening like a living net.

Soren’s eyes sharpened instantly.

"Don’t fight them!" he said.

But Cynthia was already struggling, tearing at the vines with brute force.

The more she moved—

The more leaves came alive.

They spread across the bush like a waking monster.

Soren raised his hand.

Flames burst from his palm.

FWOOOSH

The fire surged across the leaves, devouring them instantly.

A horrible shrieking hiss echoed as the plant recoiled violently, the burning leaves withering and releasing Cynthia from their grasp.

Soren exhaled sharply.

"Blanket Burial Leaves," he muttered.

He had read about them only yesterday while researching the hunting grounds.

Once one leaf caught prey...

The entire plant would follow.

They would bury the victim beneath layer after layer until the creature suffocated and its soul slowly leaked into the plant.

An effiecient feeding method they had.

But they had one weakness.

Fire.

Behind him, shouts echoed through the trees.

"They’re this way!"

"Spread out!"

"Don’t let them escape!"

Soren turned his head slightly.

Through the branches he could already see several cadets rushing through the forest toward them.

Then his eyes flicked back to the plant.

And suddenly—

An idea formed.

A dangerous one.

Soren grabbed Cynthia’s arm.

"Wait."

She looked at him.

Soren pointed toward the bushes around them.

"lets use them."

Then he pointed behind.

"Let them catch the others."

Understanding flickered behind her visor.

Cynthia nodded slowly.

Soren immediately acted.

He thrust his hand forward again, but this time the flames were smaller—controlled.

He burned only a narrow path through the blanket leaves, just enough for them to run through safely.

Then he deliberately struck several nearby bushes with weak bursts of flame.

Not enough to destroy them.

Just enough to wake them up.

The leaves trembled.

Stirred.

Their hunting instincts were immediately activated.

Soren and Cynthia ran.

Moments later—

The pursuing cadets burst through the same area.

"Over there!"

"After them!"

One of the cadets shoved through the bush.

The leaves struck instantly.

They wrapped around his leg.

"What the—?!"

He tried to pull away.

But more leaves followed.

Another cadet rushed to help.

The moment he touched the vines—

They grabbed him too.

Within seconds the bushes erupted into a frenzy.

Leaves shot out like snakes, wrapping around arms, legs, and torsos.

"Fire! Use fire!"

But panic had already spread.

Several cadets fell into the plants.

More vines came alive, pulling them deeper.

The forest itself seemed to swallow them.

From a distance, Soren glanced back and allowed himself a small breath of relief.

His plan had worked.

Many of their pursuers were now trapped fighting the living plants instead of chasing them.

But it wasn’t enough.

More cadets appeared from other directions.

Too many.

Cynthia growled softly.

"I hooold."

Before Soren could protest, she turned and charged toward the nearest group of cadets.

Her fists moved like hammers.

THUD

One cadet was launched backward into a tree.

Another swung a blade at her.

Cynthia caught his wrist and threw him aside like a rag doll.

Soren tried to help.

He swung his walking stick toward a cadet rushing him.

The blow connected with the boy’s shoulder, sending him stumbling away.

But the moment Soren twisted his body—

Pain exploded in his chest.

His breath caught.

Warm liquid soaked through his tunic.

The wound in his chest had reopened.

Soren staggered slightly, grabbing his chest as blood seeped between his fingers.

A sharp hiss escaped his lips.

"Damn..."

However, when he turned to Cynthia, he was horrified.

Daggers on her back were like Christmas decorations.

She bled.

Fortunately, her huge form and tight muscles did not allow the Soul-steel daggers the privilege of causing her true harm.

But Soren could see that she had slowed down.

He frowned, thinking back to those that attacked.

Even though he was supposed to be their target, they all rushed for Cynthia.

If Soren did not know, he would have easily assumed that she was the target and not him.

His eyes suddenly brightened.

The continous attacks from so many cadets.

Of course, it was intensional. They were trying to weaken Cynthia.

They knew. Without her, he was currently defenseless.

Soren and Cynthia would have to hurry up.

He looked at his wristwatch only 2 more kilometers to go. Their destination was not so far.