Supreme Hunter of Beautiful Souls-Chapter 208: Illusion

Kael let out a muffled roar and spread both hands out to the sides. The ground around him vibrated with brute force, as if the forest itself were reacting to his anger. A circle of green runes glowed beneath his feet, and a wave of magical energy exploded around him, hurling the first guards against the walls of nearby houses.

"Enough of this nonsense," he growled, his eyes glowing like green embers. ’You want war? You’ll get it.’

Exelia pulled Liora back, shielding her from a guard approaching with his spear raised. She knew—Kael’s tone had changed. It was no longer the tone of a weary companion or a wronged ally. It was the tone of a predator who had decided to stop pretending he was tamed.

"You made a big mistake stirring up this hornet’s nest," Exelia muttered to herself, plunging her blade into the chest of the nearest enemy.

Kael moved like a poisonous shadow among the guards, firing spells with murderous precision. His every movement was a deadly dance. An elf raised his bow—before the arrow touched the string, Kael had already launched a blast that pierced the archer’s skull, causing his body to fall like a puppet without strings.

"No room for hesitation," he muttered, twisting his wrist and opening a magical rift that sucked a spear from the air and hurled it back with multiplied force against its owner.

A group of three guards tried to organize themselves to his right, but Kael noticed the movement. He planted his foot on the ground, drawing energy directly from the environment. Black roots emerged from the ground like hungry snakes, wrapping around the elves’ legs and pulling them to the ground before their throats were crushed with a single gesture.

The small animal in the bag writhed, emitting high-pitched, frantic squeaks. Its red light pulsed intensely, as if it were connected to everything.

Liora, now standing, watched in shock. "He’s... enjoying this." Her voice was low, almost inaudible. "This isn’t defense. This is punishment."

Exelia replied without taking her eyes off the enemies. "I warned you. Kael is not like us. He does not forgive. He eliminates." And she knew that was no exaggeration. Kael was an executioner, a force of absolute decision. Attacking him was like throwing water on boiling oil.

Kael lunged forward again, piercing an elf’s chest with a magical blade forged from pure energy. Warm blood splattered his face, but he didn’t even blink. His eyes searched for the next target.

One of the captains of the guard tried to step forward, attempting to shout an order. "By order of the crown, you are all—"

Kael fired a sonic wave that cut through the air like an invisible scythe. The captain’s head simply disappeared from his neck, as if it had been severed with surgical precision. The body remained standing for a second before collapsing.

"Next," Kael hissed.

The guards hesitated. Fear was palpable. The smell of blood filled the air. Even the birds had stopped singing.

Then, as if to seal the ruin of that confrontation, Kael raised his arms again and muttered words in a forbidden language. An unstable portal opened in the ground, and from it emerged creatures made of shadow and bone fragments—war constructs created with forgotten magic. They advanced on the remaining guards without mercy.

"You’d better have a good reason," Kael shouted, his voice reverberating with magic and fury. "TO ATTACK THE FUCKING ENVOY OF THE WITCH KINGDOM!"

The remaining elves tried to flee, but there was no escape. The city surrounded them with its winding alleys and high walls. One by one, they fell, silenced by the overwhelming force of Kael and his constructs.

Liora approached cautiously. "Kael... enough. They’re dead."

"No," he replied coldly. ’Now it’s enough.’ He cast his last spell—a silent wave of energy that swept across the battlefield, dissipating the last signs of resistance. The shadows retreated to the portal, which closed with a muffled sound, like the snap of a coffin lid.

Silence.

Bodies lay everywhere, some still wide-eyed with shock. The metallic smell of blood mingled with the soft scent of elven flowers, creating a grotesque contrast.

Kael took a deep breath and wiped his face with his forearm. His expression was serene. There was no regret. Only efficiency.

Exelia approached slowly, her eyes cautious. "They never had a chance."

"They didn’t deserve one," Kael replied without looking at her. "If you raise a weapon against me without proof, you die. Simple."

Liora looked at the animal in the bag, which had now stopped writhing. Its eyes returned to normal, as if the control had been cut off.

"The spell is gone," she said. ’The connection... has been broken.’

Kael watched the creature for a moment. ’Good. That means she’s nearby. And now she knows what I’m capable of.’

He turned, looking into the distance at the towers of the Royal Palace. His face hardened.

"Let’s finish this," he said, walking toward the palace, his feet stepping firmly over the bodies of those who tried to block him. ’No more games. No more warnings.’

Exelia and Liora followed him in silence.

The doors of the Royal Palace opened with a dull thud, the sound reverberating through the imposing columns of the great hall. The trio crossed the entrance slowly, their footsteps echoing too loudly, as if the place were... too empty. Strangely quiet.

Kael walked ahead, his gaze alert, his shoulders tense. The twinkling lights dancing through the stained glass windows seemed artificial, too beautiful for the scene of blood and war they had just left behind.

Exelia looked around suspiciously. "There are no guards... no servants. This isn’t right."

Kael did not respond. He climbed the steps to the throne with heavy footsteps. His eyes scanned the empty throne room. The royal chair was there. Majestic. Untouched. No sign of the Queen of the Elves. No sound. No movement. Only silence.

He stopped.

He sighed. Long. Deep. Contemptuous.

"Hey..." His voice came out low, cold.

Louder now.

"Hey..." he repeated, this time more fierce, more powerful.

The explosion came on the third shout.

"HEY, YOU FUCKING BITCH, SHOW YOURSELF!"

The floor shook.

The walls began to ripple, as if made of mist trapped in solid form. The throne melted like wax in the sun. The columns bent like wet logs. The world... began to melt.

Liora staggered backward, her eyes wide. "This... this isn’t real...!"

Exelia fell to her knees, clutching her head, as if something were trying to invade her mind. "Illusion... She trapped us in an illusion all along..."

Kael did not move. He just kept his eyes fixed on the scene before him, now distorted, bloody, grotesque. The floor broke into pieces that floated in the air like dead leaves. Reality was falling apart into fragments of a rotten dream.

A laugh cut through the air—a sweet, feminine, false laugh.

"Ah, Kael... Kael, Kael, Kael... always so impatient."

The voice echoed from all sides, as if every wall, every shadow, every ray of light carried a piece of the damned creature.

Kael snapped his fingers, breaking one of the layers of illusory magic around him. The world shook again, and more of the palace crumbled, revealing what lay behind it: a dark, deformed forest with black, twisted trees—the real setting.

"Did you really think you could enter the elven capital unnoticed?" said the voice, now closer. ’I guided your steps. I opened the gates. I made the elves attack. It was... fun.’

Liora gritted her teeth. ’Show yourself, demon!’

Kael crossed his arms. "She won’t appear like that. She’s feeding."

"On what?" Exelia asked with difficulty, still on her knees.

"On fear. On doubt. On anger. On chaos. On our reaction to her false world. That’s what succubi do. They turn pain into pleasure. Suffering into power."

Another laugh. "And you are so... full of suffering, Kael. So raw. So hurt. It’s not hard to turn your hatred into a feast."

Kael smiled. It was a cruel smile. You know when the prey decides to become the hunter? It was that kind of smile.

"Do you really want to play with me in this field?" he said, uncrossing his arms and taking a step forward. ’Do you think I’m like the others? That I’ll cry, doubt, lose myself in my mind like the fools you seduce?’

The words reverberated with raw magic.

"I’m not a toy. I’m the damn bonfire where you’re going to burn."

The illusion cracked.

The black sky shattered like glass. Green lightning cut through the air, revealing distorted silhouettes—distorted memories, disguised fears, corrupted familiar images. The face of the Elven Queen crying blood. The corpse of the elder repeating "traitor, traitor." A dark reflection of Liora, smiling with vampire fangs. All fake. All created by her.

Kael advanced.

Each step he took shattered more of the illusion. Each word destroyed layers of deception.

"You’re pathetic, succubus," he said, his voice firm as steel. "If that’s your game, I’ve already won."

A sharp scream echoed. Not a scream of pleasure. Not a moan disguised as enchantment.

A scream of pain.

The world spun.

And then she appeared.

From atop a dead tree, shrouded in shadows, dressed in fur and mist, with amber eyes and a venomous smile—the succubus. Her hair floated like snakes in the air, and her skin exuded perfume and rot in equal measure.

"You broke my theater... but you didn’t win, Kael."

"It doesn’t matter if you’re naked or disguised as a queen," he replied, raising his hand, green energy forming on his fingers like sharp claws. ’You breathed near me. That was your mistake.’

The succubus growled. "You are too dangerous... It will be a pleasure to destroy you."

Visit freewe𝑏n(o)v𝒆l.𝑐𝘰𝑚 for the best novel reading experience