Chapter 246 – Enlightenment (3)

[Now, how is it?]

The remnants of the World Tree fell to the ground.

Massive remnants plummeted while creating a grotesque sound.

Fluttering leaves decorated the gray earth.

Small fragments scattered across the world like sleet.

Hope was shattered before their eyes.

That vivid sight bestowed upon the Allied forces an irresistible despair at the edge of a cliff.

Despair spread rampantly like a plague.

However, that was only the beginning.

[Ah, come to think of it, you asked one more question.]

The sharp mouths attached to Baarma’s body let out a full sneer.

Baarma, as if amused, stood beside the shattered World Tree and…

[You said you were curious how I could appear before the World Tree right now? The answer to that is simple. It is because there is a traitor among you.]

Grinning, he threw out another truth they did not want to know.

“A-a traitor?”

“A traitor among us…”

At those words, the morale of the Allied forces was greatly shaken once more.

Tens of thousands of pairs of eyes looked at each other with suspicion.

Creating even more cracks in the already fractured morale of the Alliance.

And those cracks soon began to widen in an instant.

As if they had been waiting for this situation.

Because of the person who left the Allied forces and joined Baarma’s side in an instant.

“This is impossible…”

“…Heh.”

“This is crazy…”

Surang and Ashir burst into absurd laughter.

Moans broke out from the mouths of the Allied soldiers.

The person who appeared from Baarma’s side was none other than…

“Kalanda…!!”

It was the King of the Elves, Kalanda.

“Why did you betray us?!”

A face that was always full of dignity and goodwill.

However, now it was full of malice he had never seen before.

He was the very image of a demon with a sneer on his lips, just like Baarma.

When the enraged Surang shouted,

“Betrayal? Calling it betrayal is strange.”

Kalanda chuckled and spoke while looking down at Surang… no, the Allied forces.

“I have never been part of the Allied forces from the beginning.”

“…Then, could it be that the World Tree being attacked at the same time as Lord Yongrin’s sacrifice was also…”

Kalanda did not answer.

Instead, pouting, he turned around and prostrated himself toward where Baarma was, shouting.

“Great Baarma! Have you been well!”

A thunderous voice.

The King’s betrayal was no different from a finishing blow.

Deep hostility, betrayal, and despair welled up in the eyes of the elves.

However, as if to show off, Kalanda spoke in an even louder voice.

“I am here to receive the blessing after excellently performing the task assigned by your servant!”

[Heh…]

At that, Baarma, who wore a faint smile,

Approached Kalanda and looked down at him.

[So, you have completed all tasks?]

“Yes! I have always relayed information about the Allied forces for you and provided a secret path to the World Tree.”

Kalanda listed the evidence of his betrayal without a shred of shame.

At his words, everyone’s joy and sorrow intersected.

Baarma’s followers smiled more and more.

While the Allied forces felt betrayal and despair.

The one whose reaction was the most intense among them was…

“A-aaah…”

Magrina.

It had to be her.

As if she could not believe this situation, her eyes widened in despair.

Her lips, which had lost their words, trembled violently.

“So…”

On one side, ecstasy.

“Grant me what was promised, me who has completed all tasks for you! Great Baarma!”

On the other side, despair,

Reached the extreme.

And when all the talking was finished.

Baarma, who was watching that sight,

[Heh, yes… that is right. I promised you eternal life as compensation for completing that task. I remember.]

“That is right!”

He smiled slightly.

Kalanda shouted in joy at Baarma’s confirmation.

However,

[But you have not completed all tasks.]

“…Pardon?”

At those following words.

Kalanda’s face became blank for an instant.

An expression indicating he did not understand what was being said.

However, Baarma still let out a sneer.

[Surely that was not all I commanded you?]

“…Th-that is…”

[Have you forgotten my final task? The task of preparing a vessel to celebrate the birth of that person… of the Black One.]

“B-Baarma! As I said, I intended to offer the body of a High Elf… my daughter’s body! I tried to corrupt her mind as you said and prepare her to be suitable for the great ones, but… that…”

Kalanda’s voice trembled.

At that, low exclamations flowed from the elves…

“…”

Alon realized only then that all the pieces of the puzzle were fitting together.

Why the elves had harbored irrational feelings toward Magrina beyond imagination.

Why she had to constantly undergo such disastrous events even though she was the King’s daughter.

All of it.

[Yes, I know of your hard work. You contacted the apostle and intentionally induced your daughter to be caught by our tribe, didn’t you?]

“Yes, yes! Minor problems arose, but I did my best…”

Kalanda pleaded with that hideous face as if asking him to acknowledge his hard work.

Baarma wore a rarely serious expression.

And then,

[Yes. I sufficiently understand your hard work.]

“Thank you!”

[But…]

Kwadudududuk-!!

He crushed Kalanda’s body without hesitation.

Deep red blood soaked the gray earth along with a chilling sound.

Beneath the red foot of the grinning Baarma,

[That means it was ultimately a failure, does it not?]

Kalanda was crushed and vanished in an instant.

####

Alon had an intuition.

The situation was the worst.

No, it was more than the worst.

“…”

He had already had this kind of experience when breaking through that fierce front line of Baarma.

But by far, the current situation was several times worse than then.

There was too much that the opponent had and we lacked.

The morale of the Allied forces was at its worst.

It reached the point where the sound of weapons being dropped could be heard from here and there.

Alon asked himself.

Whether he could reverse this battle situation with the appearance he had shown last time.

He shook his head inwardly.

Then and now were similar on the surface, but there were too many fundamentally different parts.

No matter how much morale was boosted, there seemed to be no way to deal with the overwhelming number of followers.

Even if they somehow managed to deal with all those followers, Baarma was on the other side.

Baarma, whose mere presence before him made Alon’s whole body tingle.

Baarma, who displayed a chilling presence.

In other words, there was virtually no way to reverse this situation at this point.

Yes, in this current state.

“Phew…”

Alon let out a sigh and looked around.

The frowning Penia was arranging mana so that she could deploy magic at any moment.

Rine, while looking at Baarma with a stiff face,

Was preparing to summon Pluton to this spot without the other side noticing.

But this battle situation could not be changed just by those two making an effort.

To overturn it entirely, an even greater factor than that was needed.

“…”

Alon fiddled with the object in his bosom once more.

The moment Baarma shattered the World Tree before the eyes of the Allied forces.

A small enlightenment flashed through his head.

It was like a connecting point rather than an enlightenment.

A connecting point between the advice he had gained through Dowon

And the information and interpretation Penia had provided after reading the book.

Alon realized it while watching the World Tree being shattered.

However, he could not be certain if it was truly the right choice.

Perhaps it was just an absurd delusion.

It might be a foolish and pointless act.

But.

Grip.

Even so, he had to do it.

“…”

Alon moved his steps forward.

Passing by the refugees who were staring forward with eyes full of despair.

Passing by the soldiers who had dropped their weapons in dejection.

Passing by the commander who was glaring forward to avoid succumbing to fear, yet whose limbs were trembling.

Passing by the kings who were full of betrayal and despair.

Passing by everyone…

Forward.

Thus, Alon, standing before all the Allied forces,

Consumed most of the mana remaining in his mana hole,

“Do not be afraid.”

He uttered the voice.

It was not a shout.

It was not a scream.

It was not a battle cry.

Just a calm voice without any emotion spread through the mana and was delivered to the Allied forces.

At that, all eyes gathered at once.

With just a single utterance, a third of his mana vanished.

However, it did not matter.

Because it was worth that much.

Alon took out what he had been touching for a while and looked into it.

It was a seed like a small fruit.

When he had headed for the roots of the World Tree.

After dealing with the Mother of Greed, what he had received from the deep depths of the World Tree.

The seed of the World Tree.

“Just have faith.”

Once more.

Alon, who had delivered the words to the Allied forces by devoting another third of his mana,

Dropped the seed beneath the remnants of the shattered World Tree and donned his divinity.

However, that divinity…

Was not the divinity of Calanon he had donned until now…

Flash-!!!

It was the divinity of the ‘Primordial Elf’, which he had become able to use for the first time when he went beneath the World Tree.

Then, Alon’s surroundings began to change completely.

A fresh green sprout on the gray earth.

Verdure began to rise.

[Fourth, the green divinity is regeneration…]

At the same time, Dowon’s advice came to mind.

“Because it will bring victory.”

Alon’s final mana resonated.

And along with his intention, the divinity that was sucked into the seed…

Tap.

Caused the World Tree to germinate.

The World Tree, which went through the germination process in an instant, grew rapidly.

From seed to sprout.

From sprout to branch.

From branch to tree.

From tree to giant tree.

From giant tree to…

[!!]

The World Tree.

While having taken and wrapped itself in all the green divinity Alon possessed.

The World Tree reached out at an incredible speed, exceeding Baarma’s height in an instant.

Due to that, the divinity of the ‘Primordial Elf’ that Alon possessed.

Vanished completely as if it had never existed from the beginning, unlike Calanon’s divinity.

The green planet that had existed inside his body lost its light and vanished.

However, despite feeling this clearly, Alon did not care.

Covering the gray sky with green leaves.

Presenting hope to the eyes of the Allied forces that were full of nothing but despair.

The awe thus created…

Gathered toward one man once more.

[!]

Baarma, seeing that sight, instinctively reached out his hand to stop the growth of the World Tree.

But…

“Pluton, limited release.”

Unfortunately, Baarma’s movement…

Had its motion halted for a moment by a massive mechanical hand that fell from the sky.

He tried to push away the giant’s fist that was surging toward him.

But his action did not continue as intended.

The reason was…

[-!]

Because of a girl whose arrival time was unknown.

The girl, who stood before Baarma with pure white hair flowing down to her waist.

Kwadudududuk-!!!!

While emitting purple mana as deep as her enchantingly shining, anger-filled purple eyes.

Completely shattered the surrounding ground and rushed toward Baarma.

As soon as the small girl’s kick landed on Baarma’s heart,

Inside Alon’s body.

In the place where the green planet had vanished.

A pure white planet took its place.

The planet that took its place increased its size unknowingly.

When Alon grabbed it without hesitation…

[O you who have glimpsed the fragment. I shall grant you the law.]

A voice reached his ears.

He could not identify its identity, but it was a familiar voice nonetheless.

However, rather than caring about that voice now, Alon parted his lips without hesitation.

What he had been thinking about from the moment he heard the advice until now.

A law solely for him.

And.

[Granted.]

The moment that final sentence was heard.

Alon opened his eyes.

The scene before him was no different, but something had clearly changed.

The World Tree had bloomed perfectly.

A very clear hope was engraved in the eyes of the soldiers.

Nevertheless, the number of enemies to be defeated had not decreased or changed.

But.

Alon smiled.

A deep smile was drawn on his lips that had been expressionless all along.

And.

“Reverse Heaven.”

In the gray sky, a star rose.