Their powers were on two completely different levels.

Even if the Governor arrived, it would be just like with Richard. Even if he were stronger than Richard, he might bring a sliver more hope,

he might be able to buy a little more time, but there was no way he could instantly turn the tide.

The most urgent task was still to get Eleanor to a safer place.

She tried to start moving again, forcing herself to carry Eleanor forward.

But Eleanor’s reaction was not what she expected.

The little girl didn’t comply. Instead, she gripped Leia’s collar even tighter, her small body radiating resistance.

"No, Leia." Eleanor turned her head to look into her attendant’s eyes. In the dim light, her pitch-black pupils seemed to shimmer, holding a maturity that defied her age. "Father is here. He’s right here. We’re not running anymore. We’ll wait for him."

"My lady!" Leia was on the verge of tears, from both panic and fear. "You can’t be so stubborn! That’s a Wizard! An Official Wizard! The Governor, he..."

"Father will handle it," Eleanor said, her tone still calm, even carrying an air of absolute certainty.

She let go of Leia’s collar and gently patted her attendant’s tense arm. The gesture was a child’s attempt at comfort. "Leia, don’t be afraid. Now that Father is here, everything will be fine."

After speaking, she struggled slightly, signaling for Leia to put her down.

Leia froze completely.

She looked at Eleanor’s unnaturally calm little face, listened to the roar of Magic Power growing closer and clearer in the distance, and felt the completely unfounded yet exceptionally firm trust of the child in her arms...

The arms holding Eleanor trembled slightly, but in the end, she did not move.

It wasn’t because Eleanor had convinced her. It was because an icy aura, cold enough to freeze the very soul, had tangibly locked onto the space they occupied.

The air seemed to solidify. The chaotic sounds in the distance abruptly became muffled and indistinct.

A dark gray, nightmare-like figure had appeared silently at the other end of the corridor, no more than twenty paces away.

The Shadow Hunter.

He was still shrouded beneath a wide hood, but his formless, oppressive presence already made it difficult for Leia to breathe.

She instinctively hugged Eleanor tighter, even though the gesture seemed so futile before an Official Wizard.

The Shadow Hunter seemed in no hurry to act.

His gaze swept the area first. His subtle Spiritual Power extended like invisible tentacles, meticulously probing every inch of the floor, walls, ceiling, and even the faintest ripples of Magic Power in the air.

’The child of a Wizard bloodline, one with a Prophetic Talent, isn’t trying to escape this desperate situation. Instead, she has stopped, claiming her father is about to arrive. This is too abnormal. Abnormality means risk. It means a potential trap or backup plan that even I would need to handle with caution.’

Half a minute later, it was clear he hadn’t found any powerful pre-set Magic or ambushes.

From under his hood came a soft exhale, tinged with a mix of understanding and contempt.

His gaze finally settled on Eleanor. His cold stare seemed to pierce right through Leia’s protective embrace and land directly on the little girl’s face. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"Oh?" the Shadow Hunter began. "You stopped to wait for your ’father’?"

He deliberately slowed his speech, each word seeming to be coated in ice, devoid of any warmth.

"A Mortal Governor who’s far away in the Northern Territory, probably at his wits’ end over matters in the Iron Ridge Mountain Range? Do you think he’s like some hero out of a Legend who can sense his daughter’s call, cross mountains and rivers, and instantly appear here?"

His mockery was blatant, even tinged with a cruel amusement, as if he were enjoying his prey’s ridiculous obsession just before the kill.

Eleanor peeked out from Leia’s arms. Her small face was a little pale, but her eyes remained clear and resolute.

She did not shy away from his terrifying gaze. Instead, she looked earnestly at the Shadow Hunter and said clearly, "Father is here. I heard him."

The Shadow Hunter seemed amused by the child’s "innocence" and "stubbornness," and he let out a short, cold chuckle.

"Heard him? What... touching trust." His voice suddenly sharpened, growing bone-chillingly cold. "A pity this trust will only force you to witness the cruelest of realities."

He slowly raised a hand wrapped in gray cloth. At his fingertips, shadows squirmed and coalesced like living things.

"First, I’ll find him. I’ll break his arms and legs, crush his bones, and leave him to writhe and wail on the ground like an insect... Then, I’ll drag him here, right in front of you, and let you watch his final moments of despair. After your pretty little eyes are filled with tears and terror, I’ll send you to be reunited with your father. How does that sound, Little Princess?"

"No! Shut your mouth!" Leia shrieked. Fear made her voice crack, but she still desperately tried to press Eleanor’s head back into her embrace, to shield her from his venomous words.

Her whole body was trembling, and tears streamed uncontrollably down her face—partly from the horrific images he had painted, and partly from despair at their seemingly inescapable fate.

However, Eleanor, held tightly in her arms, neither cried nor showed the slightest hint of fear.

She even pushed gently at Leia’s hands and fixed her gaze on the Shadow Hunter again. Her little brow furrowed slightly, as if she had just heard something completely absurd.

"You can’t do that," she said, her voice still steady and filled with an earnestness that brooked no argument. "My father is strong. Much... much stronger than you."