Chapter 153: The World Tree's... Guardian?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 153: The World Tree's... Guardian?
Once they were certain everything was in order, the group stepped through the ancient stone gate.
Xie Bai followed behind Aisarakus, bringing up the very rear of the party.
Hum—
The moment they passed through the gate, the sight before them made everyone catch their breath.
It was a sky woven from brilliant, ethereal colors.
Countless branches and leaves floated and extended across the dome like a flowing aurora, sketching out the heavens above.
"Is this... the World Tree?"
Yu Yunsheng looked up at the slowly shifting canopy, her eyes filled with awe.
But soon, she noticed something strange.
"Wait... why do I feel like this place is very safe? There’s none of the danger we were told about..."
Taro Ball was about to answer her.
"Well, that's because—"
Before he could finish his sentence.
BOOM—!
The entire space suddenly shuddered.
Xie Bai, at the very end of the line, had just entered the area.
Almost the exact instant she stepped into this domain, the World Tree locked onto her presence.
An overwhelming wave of malice surged from all directions.
In the next second, countless streaks of brilliant color washed down from the branches and leaves, surging directly toward the petite figure at the back of the group.
Seeing this, Xie Bai calmly raised her hand.
Funeral Rites quietly manifested.
"Quiet."
Her voice was soft, carrying a hint of faint disdain.
Then, Funeral Rites swung down.
Swish—!
A crimson arc sliced through the sky.
The massive World Tree trembled violently. The thousands of attacks that had been rushing toward Xie Bai were forcibly shattered and pushed back, slamming hard into the World Tree's own trunk and branches.
BANG—!!!
A vast shower of magnificent leaves broke off from the World Tree, raining down like a storm.
Taro Ball was quick to react. His body blurred into a ghostly phantom, instantly sweeping through the area to collect every single fallen World Tree leaf.
Once the World Tree's tremors subsided slightly, Xie Bai turned to look at Thanatos in the distance.
"Whatever you need to do, get it done quickly."
Receiving Xie Bai's command, Thanatos nodded solemnly.
He then turned to Roland.
"Master Roland, I will follow you to find the Rule Branches related to alchemy."
As he spoke, he turned to caution Taro Ball:
"As for you all... you're confident, I assume?"
Taro Ball nodded in response to Thanatos's inquiry.
"Don't worry, I've got this."
With that, he led Yu Yunsheng and the others away.
Seeing them leave, Maomao quickly snapped out of her shock.
"What a shame... if my livestream channel could open right now, I could have recorded the footage of Bai attacking just now."
Though she felt some regret, seeing Taro Ball's group getting further away, she immediately grabbed Aisarakus to catch up.
Being forcibly dragged by Maomao, Aisarakus seemed a bit hesitant, her footsteps lagging slightly.
"Maomao..."
"Hmm? What's wrong?"
"What we're about to do... it won't be something that harms the World Tree, will it?"
Maomao blinked at Aisarakus's question.
"Well... probably not? Why do you ask?"
Aisarakus looked a bit frustrated.
"Regardless of anything else, I am a dragon of a peak mythical race. While my strength is linked to the world, I also have the duty of maintaining it... and that includes the World Tree."
She gently tugged on Maomao's sleeve, lowering her voice even further.
"And just now, I could feel the power within me being liberated with the help of the World Tree. It’s almost back to the level of my peak period."
She paused.
"And the corresponding responsibility is to clear away the... pests that try to harm the World Tree."
Maomao didn't react immediately to Aisarakus's explanation.
"You mean... the World Tree just appointed you as a hired thug? And the goal is... to kick us out?"
"Pretty much... yeah."
Aisarakus nodded awkwardly.
With the World Tree's help, she had indeed regained the full power she possessed during the Age of Gods.
If she were to strike now, she could indeed easily take down everyone present except for Xie Bai.
But obviously, Aisarakus had no intention of doing so.
Setting aside whether she dared to move against Xie Bai, she personally didn't care much for the duty of "maintaining the world."
If she did, she wouldn't have let the dragon race leave her all alone in the desolate Northern Territory to live her own carefree life.
"But I don't plan on listening to it anyway," she said, waving her hand dismissively.
"At worst, I'll just get another scolding from those old geezers."
With that, Aisarakus grabbed Maomao's hand and flew quickly in the direction Taro Ball's group had gone.
Seeing herself being pulled along through the air by Aisarakus, Maomao was momentarily stunned.
"Wait... can you say that out loud?"
"Hmm... probably? The World Tree doesn't have much intelligence; it mostly acts on instinct."
Aisarakus paused and pointed toward the sky.
"Besides, that... um, Senior Bai, isn't she helping us draw all the fire?"
Following her gaze, Maomao looked at the sky.
There, a petite white figure was trading blows back and forth with the World Tree.
For Aisarakus, the title "Senior Bai" was something she had heard for the first time from Maomao and the others.
Previously, she didn't really know Xie Bai's name and could only call her "Human" based on her appearance.
She couldn't exactly call her "The Master" or "Lord" like Thanatos and the others did...
It felt too much like calling Xie Bai her owner.
While Aisarakus didn't exactly find the idea repulsive, the thought of herself calling Xie Bai "Master" filled her with an inexplicable sense of shame.
After all, even though she had barked like a puppy back then and complied with the other's wishes to become a blue-haired dragon girl, she had never explicitly stated she wanted to be a pet.
This was more or less her final shred of dignity as a dragon.
Maomao, however, clearly didn't notice Aisarakus's internal struggle.
She looked at Xie Bai wielding Funeral Rites in the sky, her eyes full of regret.
"It's still such a shame... if only the livestream could be opened."
Before Maomao could finish her lament, Taro Ball's voice came from ahead.
"Maomao! Bring Aisarakus over here and help us out!"
Maomao: "?"
Startled by the shout, Maomao turned to look.
Taro Ball and his group were standing on a thick branch, under siege from all sides.
Although Xie Bai was drawing the vast majority of the World Tree's attacks, the leaves still on the branches could transform into countless Illusory Monsters, blocking Taro Ball's path in layer upon layer.
"Wait... what on earth did you guys do?!"
Maomao's scalp tingled at the sight.
One moment Aisarakus was asking if they would harm the World Tree, and the next, this scene was unfolding.
It had only been a few minutes!
In response to Maomao's question, Taro Ball shouted back while burning the World Tree leaves he had scavenged to kill the incoming monsters.
"Nothing much! We just used Elania's status as a Child of Fate to lure out a Fate Branch..."
He slashed through a lunging phantom with his sword.
"But it identified our intentions very quickly!"
He then shouted toward Aisarakus.
"Aisarakus! Quick! We have to cut an opening in this branch before I can take the next step!"
Hearing Taro Ball's cry, Maomao instinctively looked at Aisarakus beside her.
She remembered that Aisarakus was the World Tree's newly appointed guardian. Not only was she failing her duty to protect it, but now she was faced with the choice of actively harming it.
Maomao couldn't help but feel a bit worried for her.
"Um... Little Ai, you..."
Before Maomao could finish, Aisarakus had already charged forward.
"Maomao, what are you standing there for? Taro Ball and the others are in danger!"
Before her voice even faded, her dragon tail swept out, shattering a large swath of Illusory Monsters with a glint of freezing light.
BOOM—!
In an instant, all the Illusory Monsters stopped their movements in unison and turned to look at Aisarakus, who had suddenly intruded upon the battlefield.
The air seemed to freeze for a heartbeat.