Chapter 609 – The King of Trees Confrontation (5)

“Woah!”
“Sephirot! Thump-thump!”

At Eden’s exit stood Sephirot, her arms flailing about as her eyes sparkled with an innocent glow.

“Wow! Tree~! Mercy!!”

It was uncertain what had caught her attention, but this was a sight never seen before. Marronnier, in a rush, seized hold of the bare Sephirot, hastily dressing her in undergarments as she cried out,

“Sephirot, please don’t run off recklessly. Okay?”
“Do you not wish to assist Branch?”
“Eh? What…?”
“Korea!”

Marronnier was aware that the Devil of Trials had launched an assault on Korea. She knew of the potential catastrophe that this being could cause, and that Lee Si-heon would likely intervene.

Faced with Sephirot’s sudden query, Marronnier pondered before responding,

“Of course, I want to help. But we have an agreement, don’t we?”

The Sage’s Contract that forbade any interference in external matters, no matter the circumstances. However, this rule established by The World Tree of Knowledge was flexible, bending like a ring on a nose or an earring on an ear.

Sephirot would not refrain from any action if it satisfied her ‘Knowledge Contentment’.

“Then do as you please!”

A paradox.

But if one were to scrutinize it in detail from the outset, this contract was inherently paradoxical.

Why did Sephirot create rules to restrain herself? Rules are unwritten laws, agreed upon by society’s members, or formed to prevent unease.

So, with whom did Sephirot, the World Tree of Knowledge, agree, and why does she hide in Eden? Who was the original party to this agreement?

Judging purely on her inherent power, there were few that could surpass Sephirot. She, who possessed the power of immortality, should be freer than anyone else. Was it because she was a tree that operated solely on ‘Curiosity’?

This was a blind spot that no one had detected, and it was a matter that deeply concerned Marronnier.

“Let’s defeat the Tree King!”

Sephirot cried out, raising her hands high into the air.

Observing Sephirot, who was acting freely under the motive of ‘Knowledge Contentment’, seemed to bring her immense joy. Marronnier sighed as she soothed the ecstatic Sephirot.

“… So, you’re saying if I do as I please, I can assist?”
“Mhm!”

Marronnier may not fully understand Sephirot’s intentions, but the thought of being able to aid people from impending disasters filled her with hope.

She had been contemplating this for a long time.

If she didn’t act before Sephirot’s words were rescinded…

Marronnier fetched a hat as large as herself, flipped it onto her head, and filled her pocket with the potions she had refined.

All in an effort to save even one more person.

Despite some wizards scoffing at Marronnier’s self-sacrificing attitude, it was something she believed was her duty as someone with power.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

3:42pm.

It was the span required for the king’s army to methodically press the frontlines.

Glowing bombs burst in various corners of a darkened Seoul. The advancing armies of the Tree crushed the tanks underfoot and surged forward.

When resistance arose, it was overcome with a different attribute, and yet another resistance would demand a change in strategy, a long-drawn battle.

Just when the frontlines seemed poised to penetrate into Seoul, they were gradually pushed back, even intruding into the metropolitan area.

“Chairman! The next directive…!”

Star, who infused magic into the weapons of war, responded to her subordinate while wiping the sweat clinging to the edge of her chin.

“Keep pressing.”

The monsters, once swept away by a single shell, now stood firm even after two or three hits.

It would be simple to demolish them by mixing different attributes, but that would quickly lead to the development of resistance.

‘The power loss is 5 percent… too rapid.’

Merely 5%. An occurrence within a scant three hours. An occurrence warranting a reassessment of strategies. Ammunition was ample, and the number of personnel was growing, but…

‘They’re too powerful.’

The monsters grew tougher and stronger as they accumulated experiences. Those that had been overwhelmingly powerful a few hours ago now felt daunting.

What would happen if they used higher-grade weapons? They could hold their ground for the moment. But Star, the commander, had to consider the subjugation team as well.

‘If we continue to foster such resistance, it’s going to hamper the subjugation.’

The monsters, learning and evolving, steadily grew stronger even against the subjugation team. Even though weapons were being made, the entity capable of effectively quelling the disaster was the Hunter. More so for a demon who had reached the pinnacle as a superhuman.

‘…Additionally.’

Shiba was in there.

-Chiiik.

The radio buzzed, and Saku’s voice echoed from within it. Despite enduring the downfall of her family, Saku had willingly loaned the power of the state to the cause.

“Chairwoman! Soo-yeon and I are moving to the location you’ve sent us!”
“Please.”

Star, stationed at the command tower, couldn’t go to rescue Shiba. She could only stand in place, clutch the radio, and offer prayers to the gods.

It was fortunate that the creators, those gods, had dispatched a relief force at this juncture, and it was necessary to reassess the situation once.

【Knights of the Seven Colors】

Experienced elites who had faced off with the Flower on the frontlines. Representatives of the World Tree, including Angelica, Perpatua, and Azelin, had assembled. The priests under the Pope had also gathered for this operation.

An army of a scale that could be counted on one hand in the hundred years since the war.

“The Knights have arrived!!!”

The voice of the front-line Paladin boosted the morale of the allies, and Star watched the front, biting her nails.

“At last!”
“From this moment onwards….”

The army, like a swarm of bees, darted into formation, filling the spaces amid the weapons.

The armor imbued with pure white divine power shattered the darkness. Amidst it all, a woman astride a white horse drew her sword and approached the Star.

“President of the Star Hunter Association. We need to expedite the situation report.”
“…haha. You’re just as I see you.”

It was an agonizing predicament that left no room for either action or inaction.

Star handed over the information that she had painstakingly gathered to Angelica without hesitation. The representatives of the World Tree swiftly nodded and plunged into the front lines.

Reinforcements from other nations were swiftly filling the front lines as well.

‘There is nothing that can’t be done.’

A glimmer of relief returned to the faces of the hunters. But they were also aware that the moment of harboring hope was when they were most susceptible to carelessness.

-Koo-goo-goo-goo-goo!

The scorching heat and deafening noise from the sky caused the hunters to raise their heads.

The eerily grotesque tentacles that still dominated the sky, spewing scarlet blood. The squirming flesh opened up, and from it, a massive meteorite began to descend.

-Koo-Woo-Woong!

Meteor Strike. A forbidden magic of S-class caliber, capable of obliterating everything in its vicinity. Meteors, the kind that could be deployed for fortress destruction during wars, were now falling in long lines towards this location.

‘…….’

As soon as Star witnessed this, she immediately infused her voice with magic.

“Deploy the Artifact!”

The power that could cover an entire area in flames, if it went beyond dozens to hundreds, they might have to redraw the map without hesitation.

-Clang!

A hexagonal shield sprung from the weapon, neatly covering the front lines. The weapon, capable of launching shells with extreme offensive power, also possessed the ability to execute defense smoothly.

-Zzzz!

The lightning and magic that flew in midway completely obscured the hunters’ vision.

The enemy wasn’t just the monstrous form before their eyes. The branches were merely one among their innumerable methods.

“…Why magic?”
“If you don’t want to be annihilated, move quickly!!”

The knights skillfully unfurled a magic circle, creating a barrier. A shield was formed to protect the entire army, and several more layers were added, forming a barrier where tens of thousands of mana were concentrated.

-Quaang!

As if things weren’t bad enough, an earthquake struck. The sky split, and tanks were thrust downward along the crack, causing fissures in parts of the barrier.

“…….”

Star, thrown into confusion by the sudden turn of the battle, gritted her teeth. Could this onslaught be halted? If the heat breached the perforated front lines, the death toll would rapidly surpass the thousands.

“Calm yourself, President.”
“… Yes. I am doing just that.”

Upon hearing Angelica’s words, Star furrowed her brow and sought alternatives.

She was rational enough.

‘It’s okay once. No matter how powerful the Meteor Strike is, it won’t break through all at once.’

The velocity of the looming meteorite exceeds anticipation. In the split moment of devising the next plan within the accelerated time stream, the first meteorite collides with the barrier.

– Kwaaang!

A bright flash of red engulfs the vision. The flickering lights around, spreading out, irritate the cornea and stimulate the iris, causing temporary blindness.

Even though the flames have not reached this far, the punctured wires are scorched. The low-ranked hunters, swept away in the blaze, melted away leaving no trace of their bones.

Of course, they evaporated without any screams. Star clenely shut her eyes. Even for her, having transcended human limitations, it was hard to withstand the residual shock nonchalantly.

“Euph!”

Once the first disaster ended, Star lifted her gaze once more, and her face paled.

– Kkigigigik.

This was due to the second meteor, hinting at the end, plummeting from the sky once again.

‘The second…’

The miracle that would require the union of four Magi Towers was being performed single-handedly.

‘How much mana must be overflowing?’

Even the World Tree of Sacrifice couldn’t induce such a calamity on her own.

Star, realizing the power of the king she faced, let out a hollow laugh at the absurdity. Her scorched red skin was painful.

“Pour out the potions, don’t hold back. Do your best to form a barrier.”
“Yes!”

This was the best decision Star could make at this time. Then, a young girl who approached Star asked,

“Are you the successor who follows Mugung’s path?”
“…President?”

Archmage. Father. The Head of the Mage Tower Alliance.

With her white hair flowing, she spoke with a bitter smile.

“It must be quite challenging since the disaster struck right after you took office.”
“But that’s not the issue…”
“Once.”
“Pardon?”
“I can stop it once, on my own. No matter how demonic, it would be difficult to cast that spell three times consecutively.”

The roars of the Hunters echoed around them. As Father’s hand extended, a solid barrier formed amidst the scorched wires.

As if refusing to allow any more fatalities. The Knights, enhanced by the power of the World Tree of Sacrifice, rushed past the meteor into the battlefield. The artillery in the rear ceased operations to cool down.

The World Tree of Sacrifice’s representative, Perpatua, layered the shields created by Father to fortify the defenses.

Buy time. The moment Father intercepts the incoming meteor, a radiant white magic engulfs the frontlines.

– Flash!!

The massive meteorite calamity instantly froze. The meteor shattered and vanished, leaving the barrier unscathed.

“!”

Father’s face contorted in surprise. The weight, which should have been absorbed by him, was nowhere to be found.

“Excuse me. Just a moment…”

An elegant voice echoed in his ear, as countless ice spears, resembling ground spikes, sprung up from the floor. Father recognized the source of this magic.

“Sage? I believed she had vanished after relinquishing her seat… Could she still be alive?”
“It’s a task the exterior gentleman wishes to undertake. Can an interior person not comply?”
“…An exterior gentleman?”

Could it be that the prior sage had taken a husband?
The father, taken aback, swept his hand across his forehead.
Upon confirming the sage’s appearance, Byul mobilized her weapon once more, commencing command.

-Taaaaang!!!

A magical bullet, piercing through the battlefield, shoots a signal into the sky.

“What, what is that!?”

A hunter fell in surprise. The bullets, layered with thunderclouds, eliminated the clusters of bizarre creatures in the woods in one fell swoop.

In the distance, Gu-seul, perched on a skyscraper, held a firearm as large as her own physique.

“Hehe.”

The power of Gu-seul, capable of fully utilizing magic by severing all bonds, surpassed the imaginable.
She could seize the territory with just a single burst.

Upon witnessing this, Byul arched her eyebrows.

“…Flower? Has it come to aid us?”

It’s not a Flower.
Specifically, a third force. An extreme minority of elites who had so far refrained from direct intervention.

In the distance, a black dragon cannon fluttered.
A man, seated on a skyscraper, gazed at the horizon, his black eyes flashing.