Tree of Penance (5)
An emergency meeting was held.
While the knights worked to contain the Demonic Tree’s roots, Sungjin gathered with Sir Massain, Commander Bruno, Orden, and Sir Ilma to discuss how they might destroy the tree.
“Your Highness, you didn’t mention this earlier, did you?”
“You realized something like this in the middle of battle? How…?”
When Sungjin brought up the concept of the growth core, Orden and Sir Ilma exchanged skeptical glances, unable to hide their doubt.
Well, their reaction was understandable.
Most people from the palace tended to accept whatever Sungjin said without a second thought, so it was refreshing—if a bit disconcerting—to see such outright skepticism.
“His Highness Mores has a unique ability to identify the weaknesses of demonic beings at a glance,” Massain explained confidently. “It’s one reason the Demon Response Unit brought him along.”
Despite Massain’s assurance, the look of bewilderment didn’t vanish from the two knights’ faces.
It was only natural. Telling seasoned hunters of monsters that “the prince can spot a demon’s weak points just by looking” wasn’t exactly a convincing argument.
“The top of the tree has also been on my mind,” Commander Bruno added. “The demonic energy is especially dense there, suggesting it could be the center where the energy is generated—the most critical part of the tree.”
With Bruno’s support, Orden and Ilma reluctantly nodded, though they still looked uncertain.
“Sir Massain, what about your aura burst? Do you think it can reach that high?” Sungjin asked, eyeing the tree, which now appeared close to thirty meters tall.
“If I aim precisely, I should be able to reach it. However, the power would be significantly weakened by the time it makes contact. And…” Massain hesitated, looking up at the tree.
The problem was the obstacles in the way. The likelihood of his aura burst avoiding all the randomly moving branches on its way up was almost zero.
“What if we tried multiple shots?” Sungjin suggested.
“I can try a few times, but it’s not a technique I can fire in rapid succession,” Massain replied. “I’m not fully skilled in it yet, and I also need time to stack my aura. In that interval, more branches would likely grow to block the path.”
Sungjin wondered if alternating shots with Sir Ilma could work, but Ilma looked apologetic. The aura burst was a skill primarily developed within the royal palace, and she hadn’t had the opportunity to learn it herself.
“The Wolf Knights have skilled archers,” Bruno offered. “But even if they infuse their arrows with aura, penetrating all those branches at once would be challenging.”
“Ultimately, the best approach is to get as close to the top as possible and cut it down ourselves.”
Massain scowled as he came to the conclusion.
“But none of us could maneuver up there as you did, Your Highness. Both Sir Ilma and I attempted it several times….”
“I understand.”
Sungjin replied, looking up at the tree.
‘I suppose the most reliable option is for me to climb up and cut it myself.’
But he only had limited chances. The first time he climbed, he’d overexerted himself by recklessly channeling his aura, and he wasn’t sure he’d manage another attempt if he failed to slice through the branches at the top.
If only he could see through the Demon Lord’s perspective directly.
‘…Wait a second.’
A sudden idea flashed in Sungjin’s mind, and he blinked in realization.
He’d already lent his sense of taste and smell to the Demon Lord. Was it possible for this sensory sharing to work both ways?
When the Demon Lord had first tried to connect their senses, Sungjin remembered seeing something strange through his own vision, even if just for a moment.
‘Hey, Demon Lord!’
Demon Lord: “Huh?”
‘Could you try linking our vision? Like when we’re eating, but this time, let me see what you see.’
The Demon Lord hesitated, sounding startled.
Demon Lord: “Wait, Sungjin. That’s… a bit sudden. I don’t think that’s possible.”
‘Why not?’
Demon Lord: “Humans can’t experience demonic senses unless they’re fully possessed. The control of senses is simply too different. Plus, under these conditions, it’s even less likely. I don’t even have a physical form right now, so there’s no sensory data to share.”
‘Then what is it that you “see”?’
Demon Lord: “Strictly speaking, I’m not seeing anything. It’s just a sensitivity I have in my current spiritual state. You’ll understand it too—someday, once you’re a soul. It’s called the spiritual sight, something the living can’t have.”
‘I see.’
Sungjin understood the explanation, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something more to it.
If that was the case, then what about the strange auras he’d glimpsed before, when his vision had briefly blurred?
Demon Lord: “It was probably just a sensory glitch caused by accidentally disrupting our connection. A momentary sensory confusion, maybe?”
The Demon Lord seemed to dismiss it casually, but Sungjin had a gut feeling that it wasn’t simply confusion. Even though he’d only glimpsed it briefly, he had felt as if he were seeing closer to the essence of things.
‘If he can’t do it, could I attempt it from my side…?’
Somehow, it felt possible.
Sungjin fell silent, focusing intently on recreating that fleeting sensation he’d experienced before.
He concentrated on the faint lines carried by the wind, the green haze that shimmered over swaying grass, and the overlapping yellow and blue shadows that appeared around people.
Demon Lord: “Hey, Sungjin, what are you—?”
The Demon Lord sounded alarmed, but Sungjin ignored him, sinking further into his mind. Slowly, as if by magic, the memory resurfaced vividly.
The blue-tinted teacup and the mist that rose from it, pink haze drifting from the cold earth below, and the radiant, white-shadowed figures of priests and paladins.
Without realizing it, a faint red glow appeared in the center of Sungjin’s pupils, flickering softly.
Demon Lord: “Sungjin?! What are you doing?”
Amidst the Demon Lord’s astonishment, Sungjin raised his head, looking around slowly.
What greeted him was a completely transformed world, filled with vibrant, shifting colors.
Beyond the bright blue torches the knights carried, the dark sky itself glowed with a gentle red light. Even the seemingly empty air around him held a faint hue.
Only the demonic energy surrounding the Demonic Tree remained colorless and sinister, twisting in an ominous black void.
In this state, Sungjin carefully observed the tree.
Curiously, at the center of the tree trunk, he could faintly see shadowy human figures gathered close together.
Though it was impossible to tell from the outside, there seemed to be an empty space below the tree, where living people remained trapped—though their light was dim, fading fast.
A yellow glow flowed up from their forms, trailing up the trunk in a single long line that extended all the way to the top.
And in the very center of the tree, where the light ended, a bright, pulsating orb lay encased within the demonic energy. That must be the growth core the Demon Lord had mentioned.
Demon Lord: “This is insane! How did you, a human without spiritual sight, manage to steal a demon’s vision just like that?”
The Demon Lord’s voice was full of shock, almost panicked.
But Sungjin had no time to explore this strange new ability. Already, his eyes were beginning to sting intensely, and a powerful headache throbbed at the back of his skull.
‘I won’t be able to keep this up for long.’
Sungjin decided and turned to his companions with a sudden declaration.
“I’ll climb the tree again.”
“What?”
“Your Highness! What are you—?”
Massain began to object but froze mid-sentence.
The prince’s eyes, fixed intently on the tree, seemed to glow with a strange, familiar light.
In the dead of night, Sungjin’s silver-gray irises emitted an eerie glow, like their own light source, with a flickering red tint deep within.
“There’s no time to explain. But if I go up now, I’m certain I can destroy it. So I need your help to make this climb as quickly as possible.”
For a moment, his companions fell silent, simply staring at him.
The young prince seemed different, his aura charged with an uncanny intensity. Overwhelmed, none of them could muster an argument. With a natural authority, he gave his orders.
“Sir Massain, hit the tree with an aura burst first. Your attack is powerful enough to keep the Demonic Tree’s movements minimized for a while.”
“….”
Massain didn’t answer immediately, but Sungjin saw the slight tremor in his eyes and knew he wouldn’t refuse if he insisted.
“Sir Ilma. Once Sir Massain’s burst halts the tree’s movements, can you launch me as high as possible? I want to conserve my aura for later.”
“…Yes, Your Highness.”
After a brief moment of deliberation, Sir Ilma reluctantly agreed.
Normally, the prince’s safety would take precedence above all else, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that this plan was their only hope to defeat the Demonic Tree.
“Grand Duke, Commander Bruno—you and the Wolf Knights should cover me from below. If your blades don’t reach, use arrows. However, once I’m halfway up the tree, you can ease off on the support. The branches will start to act as my footholds, so further assistance won’t be necessary.”
“Understood.”
Orden nodded with a firm expression.
Sparing a quick glance at Commander Bruno, who was watching him with a meaningful gaze, Sungjin turned his attention back to the Demonic Tree.
“Alright, let’s begin.”
He steadied himself, feeling the weight in his legs. His shoulders and arms ached with a dull numbness, veering close to paralysis.
And his entire body throbbed from the unignorable impact of his earlier fall.
But still—
Despite all these harsh conditions, Sungjin felt an unusual confidence that he could climb even faster and more easily than before.
Before him, paths he hadn’t seen before seemed to unfurl in his vision, each new route brimming with possibilities he hadn’t considered.
BOOM!
With a powerful explosion, Massain’s aura burst rocked the tree’s base.
The Demonic Tree’s trunk trembled as if it were struck by lightning, shuddering from the impact. Its branches stilled momentarily, accompanied by a loud grinding noise.
“Now’s the time, Your Highness! Sir Ilma!”
Massain’s shout spurred Ilma into action as she took hold of Sungjin and leapt toward the tree.
Whish, thud!
Ilma, a skilled aura user nearly at the rank of a Dekaron Knight, leapt with Sungjin to a height much higher than he could have reached on his own.
Together, they quickly cleared the lower parts of the Demonic Tree.
But as they reached a third of the way up, Ilma’s pace began to falter for the first time.
Though the tree hadn’t fully resumed its movements, the accumulating demonic energy swirled around them like a thick fog, growing heavier with every step.
Sungjin glanced upward and issued an order to her.
“Sir Ilma, you should turn back now.”
“What? But, Your Highness—”
“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”
“….”
Though she hesitated, Ilma nodded and gently set Sungjin down onto a branch.
She couldn’t quite explain why, but something about the prince’s presence made it difficult to refuse him.
“Then… good luck, Your Highness!”
With those words, Ilma leapt back down, breaking off a thick branch on her way down.
Kiiiik! Kiiik!
The Demonic Tree, shaken from its stupor, began to writhe again. But Sungjin calmly observed the clear path before him, taking a moment to gather his strength.
Yes. A path.
The movements of the branches rising erratically, the lash-like swings of the limbs curling from all directions—
Their chaotic patterns revealed a series of distinct lines, each possibility forming and weaving into shimmering pathways.
Blinking against the searing pain in his eyes, Sungjin launched himself forward, following the illuminated path without hesitation.
Swish! Swoosh!
Arrows from below whistled through the air, striking the branches aiming for Sungjin. The impact of each shot caused the branches to jolt back, changing the trajectory in unpredictable ways.
But Sungjin’s vision tracked the shifting paths, not missing a single detail.
When he stepped onto what seemed like empty space, another branch would surge up, filling the gap perfectly as if guiding him upward.
If a pathway seemed misaligned, Sungjin would move just off-center, and the supporting arrows would hit precisely where he needed, locking the route into place.
Moving as if in a trance, Sungjin couldn’t tell anymore if he was predicting the path or creating it himself.
“How is he even moving like that?”
The knights shooting arrows below found themselves transfixed by the prince’s ascent.
They had been astonished by his agility when he first climbed the tree, but now his movements bordered on the supernatural.
Leaping from branch to branch, catching the fleeting moment before a new branch rose to support him, it was as though he had become a gust of wind flowing effortlessly up the tree.
In no time, Sungjin had scaled an impressive height, reaching the uppermost branches of the ever-growing Demonic Tree.
Demon Lord: “Sungjin! Stop—it’s too much!”
The Demon Lord’s desperate cry snapped Sungjin out of his focused state.
‘Huh?’
Demon Lord: “Do you realize what’s happening? Your eyes—they’re deteriorating!”
‘Oh…’
Sungjin blinked, feeling a warm trickle down his cheeks.
‘I wondered why my vision was getting blurry.’
He had assumed it was because of the intensifying demonic energy, but it seemed his eyes themselves were failing.
Not only that—his mind was in disarray. Beyond the pain, a searing heat spread through his head, as though a blazing fire had taken hold at the base of his skull.
‘But I’m so close!’
Fighting to maintain his focus, Sungjin lifted his nutcracker sword, aiming it at the glowing sphere pulsing in his vision.
Thump, thump, thump!
The core of the Demonic Tree glowed with each heartbeat, intensifying the demonic energy around it.
Sensing the imminent threat, the energy surrounding it grew fiercer, but—
Swoosh!
A stationary target was easy prey. With one swift slice, Sungjin’s blade severed the core from its connection to the tree, sending it tumbling upward through the air.
Crack!
The core lost its glow in an instant, breaking into fragments as it disintegrated.
Kiiii….
With the core destroyed, the tree’s branches spasmed and twisted before shriveling and collapsing to the ground in lifeless heaps.
A sudden emptiness underfoot made Sungjin’s stomach drop as he felt himself beginning to fall.
‘Right. I didn’t plan an escape route!’
In his focus on destroying the core, he’d forgotten that without the tree’s attacks, there would be no branches left to serve as footholds.
Now, only empty space remained beneath him.
He tried to look down, but his overstressed nerves abruptly shut down as if someone had flicked a switch.
With blood streaming from both eyes, Sungjin’s consciousness slipped away, and he plunged helplessly toward the ground from a height of nearly thirty meters.