Before the dagger could touch Meryl's face, the woman quickly stepped back several paces.
Tulip suddenly appeared in Meryl's line of sight. He bent his knees, his hands briefly touching the ground, then launched himself toward the woman, his expression revealing the depth of his anger.
He swiftly raised his leg and struck the woman's arms—those she was using to shield her face—with a powerful kick that sent her staggering backward.
He spun on his feet and unleashed a side kick aimed directly at her ribs.
The woman bent with agility to avoid it, causing the kick to strike nothing but air.
She stepped back further as Tulip threw more blows, aiming for her vital points.
One of the hunters, who had been fighting Elena, noticed Tulip's appearance. A wicked smile spread across his face as he imagined the rich rewards he would earn for killing the child—along with the praise of his planet.
He dropped low, one knee nearly touching the ground, then launched himself in a flash toward Tulip, who was still busy throwing punches and kicks at his opponent.
The hunter aimed his shoulder at Tulip's abdomen, intending to unbalance him.
Meryl, seeing the hunter charging toward Tulip, vanished from her spot and leapt directly above him as he rushed forward. She twisted her body in midair and delivered a sharp side kick to his back before he could straighten up.
His body arched from the force of the blow, then slammed against the ground a moment later.
Meryl pinned him down with her knee, raised her sword high, and drove it straight toward his heart… and another one fell, leaving only seven enemies remaining.
Tulip, who hadn't ceased his assault, delivered a low roundhouse kick that struck the woman's ankle, throwing her off balance for a moment.
Without lowering his leg after the first kick, he immediately swung it upward, landing a high kick to the side of her head, completely knocking her off balance.
Without waiting, Tulip took two quick steps forward and twisted his torso, sending a backward elbow strike straight to her temple. The muffled sound of the impact was followed by the woman collapsing to the ground, motionless.
Tulip stood in a ready stance for a moment, catching his rapid breath, his eyes fixed on the woman to make sure she wouldn't get up again. He walked toward her cautiously, prepared to strike again if she moved suddenly.
Her chest was rising and falling irregularly—Tulip realized she was suffering not just from the blows, but from the poison he had spread into her upon contact.
The poison he used was extremely potent and had no antidote. Which meant she would die soon—probably within a few minutes, just as Lady Ivara had said.
"Alvin!" Meryl cried out in panic upon seeing Alvin's body hit the ground, blood pouring from his back. Elena was beside him, desperately trying to fend off the strikes aimed to finish him off.
— [The sword that wounded his back was coated with a poison of 'Exceptional' grade. If it isn't extracted soon, he'll die within minutes.]
Tulip heard the words with horror… Alvin is going to die?
"My lady, how do I draw the poison from his body?" Tulip ran toward Alvin, dodging a few strikes without returning them—his full focus was on his dying friend and the instructions his lady was giving him.
Tulip placed both hands over the long wound and began to carry out what he had heard.
One of the hunters smirked wickedly at the sight of the boy's exposed back and said as he approached with his sword, "Don't you know that this position leaves you wide open?"
Meryl drew her arm back and flung her sword directly at the hunter to stop him from hitting Tulip—but unfortunately, another hunter appeared suddenly and deflected her sword with his own weapon, then gave her a quick, mocking wink.
When Elena realized she wouldn't be able to block the strike aimed at Tulip, she threw herself in front of him, taking the stab straight to the abdomen. The sword exited through her back, soaked in hot blood.
Elena grabbed the hunter's hand—the one gripping the sword—to stop him from moving, and before the man could even comprehend what was happening, she shoved a small black pill into his mouth and clamped his jaw shut so he wouldn't spit it out.
The man swallowed the tiny pill unknowingly. And while his mind was still trying to process what had just happened—his body exploded into pieces, his blood spraying outward, covering Elena entirely in red.
Now, with Elena pulling the sword from her stomach—unbothered by the excruciating pain—and tossing it to the ground while casting a dark, deathly glare at one of the enemies, she silently told him: You're next.
Only five enemies remained.
Meryl stepped forward. Staying back was of no use now—two of her friends were seriously wounded, and the third was busy drawing the poison from Alvin's wound.
She stood near Elena, then pulled Alvin's sword out of the ground where it had been lodged.
The enemies stepped back a few paces. Elena seized the opportunity to drink several healing potions, allowing her wound to close quickly so she could return to the fight with a restored body.
"How much longer until he gets here?" one of them asked in a low voice.
"Just a few minutes," his comrade replied.
A few minutes—that meant he just needed to buy some time. He raised his hands with a smile and said, "Alright, we surrender."
His comrades, who understood his real intent, lowered their weapons as he continued, "We no longer want the boy."
There was disaster hiding behind this sudden calm—Elena was sure of it. That's why she couldn't relax or drop her guard.
Alvin was injured, and the poison spreading through his body was slowing down the healing process. The healing elixirs were useless; all the bottles they had were ineffective against such a powerful toxin.
Even if something terrible was on its way, these few minutes without combat were a blessing.
Tulip could extract the poison more effectively, and Meryl could focus on treating Alvin without having to split her attention between healing and fighting.
"Why did you want Tulip?" Elena asked, trying to stretch out a few more minutes of rest. Beside her, Meryl already knew the reason they were after Tulip—her master had told her earlier—but she said nothing, choosing instead to focus on the wounded Alvin.
"His name is on the Wanted List in the system," one of them replied, without lowering his hands or wiping away the irritating smile that Elena found provoking.
Wanted List? A sharp pang struck Elena's chest before she could fully understand what he meant.
"It seems you don't know," the man continued. "A new tab was added to the system: 'Wanted List.'
Each day, a hundred names are placed on it, and the list resets at midnight."
That meant… Tulip was wanted today, and once the clock struck twelve, his name would vanish from the list.
Judging by how desperately these hunters were going after him—without any care for consequences—the rewards offered by the system must be incredibly valuable.
"What kind of rewards do you get for killing him?" she asked, hoping to stall for more time.
"10,000 coins, an item of 'Exceptional' rank, and an additional random reward yet to be determined," one of them answered before mounting his witch's broom and rising into the sky, just as the others had.
"I have a really bad feeling!" said Meryl anxiously. As soon as she was sure they were far enough away, she immediately bent down to check Alvin's condition more closely.
Elena, meanwhile, stood upright, her eyes wide in shock as she stared at something approaching from afar.
"We have to run!" she said in a low voice.
"What did you say?" asked Meryl, having only caught an incomprehensible mumble.
"I said we have to run!" Elena shouted this time, her voice trembling with fear. Meryl turned to see what was happening—and from a distance, she saw an enormous black tornado, looking as if it could swallow the entire world.
It was coming from the direction of the forest—that's why it was black… it carried the ashes of the burned forest within it!
At this rate, they would suffocate before they even died from its sheer force.