A thick cloud of dust bloomed from the huge explosion. The explosion was so violent that even the ground crumbled from the impact, creating somewhat of an earthquake. It was a very powerful blow that no one could even endure and fight against.
However, Davey withdrew without any hesitation after he felt a subtle feeling on the tips of his fingertips.
Davey was using a basic mana manipulation method, which would force the opponent to tremble from their insides before disrupting the mana flow in their body. It was a very unstable skill that could easily be dispelled by someone with a strong resistance. However, for someone who had given up on resisting, like the panicked woman in front of Davey, the skill could easily kill her. It was also a skill that allowed Davey to kill anyone without damaging the physical body.
Despite the attack already brewing in his hands, Davey stopped himself from touching the woman.
The elven woman remained safe while the ground right next to her was overturned and damaged. In fact, the ground looked like it had been scratched and torn apart by a vicious and ferocious animal.
“Hiccup!” The woman hiccuped loudly. Her face collapsed even further from the fear and terror of the attack.
“…”
—Davey?
Perserque called out to Davey, wondering why he suddenly stopped his attack.
—Why did you suddenly stop your attack…?
‘Use your authority,’ Davey answered Perserque calmly as he looked at Yggdrasil, who was frowning from the onslaught of Gnoass’ power.
The World Tree was not an idiot. Despite knowing that they would be annihilated upon invading this place and having an armed conflict against Davey and Heins Territory, they still came. They even threw a suggestion that Davey would never accept. Did the World Tree do something like this without pondering over the matter? Really? Did she really bring a pregnant mother here without pondering over this matter?
“What a f*cking bastard,” Davey said. He frowned from the World Tree’s actions as a crazy bastard.
—My goodness…
Perserque turned pale after using her Abyss’ Authority, upon Davey’s suggestion, on the collapsed elven woman in front of her.
Even if Davey wanted to beat them to death countless times over, he would never resort to killing a pregnant woman. That was something that he would never, ever do. He had a conscience, unlike the World Tree, who just did something completely wrong and unforgivable.
“World Tree.”
[As expected, you have a keen eye on things.]
“You’re going back just like that?”
Baaaaaang!!! Once Davey was done talking, Yggdrasil’s incarnation and the surrounding area was crushed by Gnoass’ power. A huge explosion took place. Of course, it was not an attack that could harm the World Tree’s body, someone that exceeded the general population’s strength and prowess.
Davey frowned, jumping without hesitation and grabbing the World Tree by its head. The World Tree’s short body eventually appeared and was firmly in his grip.
[Ugh…]
Davey wiped the expression off of his face as he listened to Yggdrasil’s painful groans. It was quite ridiculous how one could become more cold and detached the more angry they became, just like Davey right now.
Davey truly had no reason to be infuriated at how the elven mother was treated. However, he was furious by the fact that he almost made a pregnant woman explode from the inside. It put him in a very f*cked up situation.
“All under-aged elves should be completely protected. For the World Tree, all elves are her children,” Davey said calmly as he made eye contact with Yggdrasil.
The situation here was clearly much more problematic than before. However, Yggdrasil just looked at Davey nonchalantly as if it did not matter to her at all.
[This is my final warning. Return Yuria to me.]
“I refuse.”
[If that’s the case, then the elves and the humans will go past the point of no return.] After speaking calmly, Yggdrasil turned away from Davey and said to one Ancient Guard, [Penella… Forgive me.]
Davey wondered why Yggdrasil was asking forgiveness. Then, the elf named Penella, who was struggling to get up with her pale face, turned to Yggdrasil and looked at her with wide eyes.
[I will remember…your sacrifice forever…]
After hearing Yggdrasil’s calm murmur, Penella’s gaze turned determined. As if she had made up her mind, she picked up one of the rapiers on the ground and slowly stood up.
[Isn’t it funny? I am the World Tree. I am the ruler, the root, and the pillar of the elves.]
“…”
[Yet there are elves, like Yuria, in the Divine Tree that question the idea of me, the World Tree, ruling above them.]
Davey frowned when he realized what Yggdrasil was talking about.
Stab!!! At the same time, Penella lifted the rapier in her hands and stabbed herself in the heart. Now, all five Ancient Guards were dead.
As silence ensued in the area, Yggdrasil said quietly, [Urk… This is my victory. This is me using you, but what can I do? This is something that I have to do to follow and cope with the flow of the world…]
Yggdrasil had created a cause and a reason that forced Davey to kill the five Ancient Guards brutally. In fact, Davey should have realized it the moment he saw them strutting confidently and fighting a losing battle.
When Davey slammed her roughly on the ground after hearing her bitter musings, Yggdrasil could not help but look at Davey in confusion. She found his actions so unexpected. However, she could not voice out her doubts. All she could do was groan faintly at Davey’s rough handling as he grabbed her head once again.
“So it’s not enough for you to mess with someone else’s land? You still have to strut in my house and speak all this nonsense, huh? And since you’re just an incarnation, you think it’s alright to just die and go back after doing all that, huh?”
World Tree Yggdrasil must have declared to the elves in their holy land, the Divine Tree, that they would come to the humans’ land to negotiate peace. The elves, who were unaware of the World Tree’s true cause, would definitely praise her for her decision to pursue peace. When they learn of the pregnant elven woman, the other Ancient Guards, and their spiritual support, the incarnation of the World Tree, were brutally murdered by a human…
The World Tree could manipulate the story and make it so that her incarnation had disappeared while the Ancient Guards had died brutally while protecting her. What an interesting scenario, right? After all, no one could refute it since the World Tree was the only one who could tell the news to everyone in the Divine Tree.
In the end, everything so far had gone according to World Tree Yggdrasil’s manipulations. This situation would turn Davey into a ferocious villain who enjoyed the slaughter and murder of elves from the holy land, Divine Tree. On the other hand, it would paint the World Tree as a saint who believed in humans and world peace but had become a victim of betrayal and corruption.
However, Davey believed that there was no use crying over spilt milk. If that was the case, then…
“Fine. Since things have already reached this point, you can do whatever you want.”
In the first place, Davey still had deep loathing and disgust for the elves living in the Divine Tree. Now that his opponents had caused such a situation, he had no choice but to answer them in kind and resort to terrible and dirty things.
Davey raised his other hand with his index and middle fingers straightened while his other hand yanked Yggdrasil’s head. His eyes slowly turned black as dark mana gathered at the tips of his fingers.
Since the opponent openly showed her hostility towards him, then Davey had to return it in kind. He would roll up his sleeves and help her in the process.
“Go on, go back to the Divine Tree and ignite the ire of the elves. Then, come at me with all you’ve got. I’ve already told this to Yuria. But since you’re here in front of me, I’m going to tell you about it too, so clear those ears of yours and listen well,” Davey growled at the World Tree who did not even resist and acted as if she wanted him to kill her quickly. He went on, “The moment your main body appears before my very eyes is the day the pillars of the world will be cut down under my blade. You started this war, so I will make you take full responsibility for it.”
[Kghhk… Urk, kghhhk…]
Since the World Tree dared to play tricks on him, it was only fair to make her suffer. The force of a powerful high-ranking curse vibrated at the tip of Davey’s fingers, its energy spilling into the surroundings.
However, Yggdrasil just smiled without any resistance. She could easily break free by exercising her authority, but she did nothing. She wanted Davey to kill her quickly.
[Soon, the elves will all gather and come here to kill you. What’s more, existences with favorable impressions of elves will come here too. Can you endure everyone coming here and showing their hostility towards you and you alone?]
The only pretext that Yggdrasil had was the five elves’ deaths and the incarnation of the World Tree’s demise. Then again, war did not truly need any big reason to take place. What was the reason for earth’s World War I back then? It had started because of the assassination of two people alone.
Davey roughly let go of Yggdrasil’s head with a cold expression still on his face. He looked Yggdrasil in the eyes and growled, “Which shape do you like? A ‘m’ shape or a circle?”
[What?]
Bang!!!
Davey then poked Yggdrasil’s head and placed his dark magic, which was loaded with countless curses, on her forehead. From simple curses to those strong enough to corrupt and devour the Divine Tree, they were Yggdrasil’s ticket to a Death Road somewhere.
‘From hair loss to atopy[1], you deserve it. Damn b*tch.’
“Right, war… War is great. Come at me if you can.”
[Urk?!]
“From the first bastard that comes…” Davey looked at the slowly collapsing Yggdrasil and issued a dangerous warning, “…I will smash them all to pieces!”
Smash!!!
Davey smashed Yggdrasil’s head. This was his declaration of war against an entire race, and it was much cleaner and far more horrifying than what he had thought.
***
“Ugh… Ughhh.” With a grown, a brown-skinned elven woman slowly got up from the ground. Her groan echoed in the otherwise silent field.
The woman pressed on her chest as she slowly got up, as if still hurting even after having been healed by Davey’s magic. She looked around in confusion and mumbled, “What happened… I definitely died back then…”
The woman’s eyes widened when she saw Davey standing not far from her.
“Long time no see, Jack.”
It was true that they hadn’t seen each other for quite a while. The woman’s eyes widened even further after hearing Davey’s greeting. Then, as if remembering something, she patted her chest in a panic and stuttered, “My, my necklace…!”
“Skip the disguise. I knew who you were from the very beginning, Aina Helishana.”
Aina looked at Davey silently. Her wary expression was clear as day. She asked, “How do you know my name…?”
“Ask about trivial matters later. I’m not in the mood to answer your questions at all,” Davey muttered nonchalantly as he carried Aina. He commented, “Your condition is quite stable at the moment. I barely pulled you out of death’s door, so you better stay silent and obediently stay on my back. I don’t want blood spilling on me.”
Despite her confusion, Aina remained silent.
***
A bright light flashed among the leaves of a gigantic tree, which shook violently. Then, the body of a woman slowly took shape from one of the tree’s roots on the ground. She was none other than World Tree Yggdrasil, the gigantic tree and the incarnation’s main body.
[Ugh…]
Yggdrasil gasped, moaning in pain. The pain coursing through her veins was extremely terrible. Although the incarnation was not the main body, it was still part of the Divine Tree and it had been completely destroyed by a mere human. And since that incarnation carried quite a lot of power, the rebound on the main body was not that light.
[Cough.]
Yggdrasil coughed, undressing herself and descending from the otherwise empty and quiet altar. She immediately immersed herself inside a clear and transparent lake that was located on one side of her roots. To everyone here, this was the most sacred and divine lake.
Yggdrasil trembled as she scrubbed fiercely and cleaned herself, like a mysophobic patient who had been thrown into a nest of bugs. Her hands were balled into fists so tight that her nails could break.
[How dare he put a curse on the body of the Divine Tree? He is quite gutsy. If only the origin’s restriction upon us was not in place… I would have already erased all of the beings in that territory.]
Yggdrasil mumbled as she sank deeper into the lake. She had achieved her primary objective and she did expect to fail to bring Yuria back. Thanks to that expedition, the divided political views and factions in the Divine Tree were now going to come together.
‘What’s that popular phrase? The enemy of an enemy is an ally?’
From this point on, the radicals and the conservatives who clashed with one another were going to unite and vent their anger toward that young man named Davey O’Rowane and his territory.
Although the human had cursed her before her incarnation’s death, Yggdrasil thought nothing of the curses. She believed that she could easily remove them. After all, the lake where she was bathing in could cleanse anything filthy and leave behind a spotless canvas. She firmly believed that the curses placed upon her body would soon be washed away.
[Hmm?]
However, Yggdrasil’s eyes could not help but widen after seeing the long hair hanging on her fingertips. She was clasping a lot of hair in her hands.
“We… We are in trouble! The leaves of Mother Divine Tree’s branches are falling!!!”
“Something happened to our mother! Quick! Bring the priests to the altar to see mother! The rest of you, summon your water spirits and chant the spell healing!”
Hurried cries rang in Yggdrasil’s ears as she thought, ‘My children are coming here in this situation?’
[…]
Her silence remained longer than necessary.
1. A genetic problem that involves the immune system that makes one become more likely to develop allergic reactions and diseases. ☜
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