The Spirit Goddesses Descend
The Great Forest war. The Fire Spirit King revealed its colossal form, sending flames soaring into the sky as water flowed like rivers. Wind descended as a storm, and earth erupted to veil the heavens. A chilling frost began to freeze the surroundings. The Spirit Kings exuded truly terrifying presences. Yet their anxious voices rang out.
“Contractors, do you truly intend to fight? The black mage, now the highest-ranking god of light, will prevail, and karma shall judge you even in victory.”
“Unlike the Demon King, a transcendent from the Middle World suffers no loss of power.”
The Spirit Kings’ will conveyed their genuine fear of the black mage who had become a highest god. It was an emotion they had never expressed in all their long years.
“If you refuse, that is acceptable as well.”
A spirit master could not force spirits. Yet these beings had fought alongside the High Elf Empire’s enemies for eons as comrades-in-arms. The Spirit Kings sighed repeatedly before finally revealing the situation in the Spirit Realm.
“The Spirit Gods have answered his summons and moved. Before his power, we may be of no help at all. That is what we fear.”
The High Elf Queens learned for the first time that the black mage had contracted with the Spirit Gods.
‘If they are Spirit Gods, they must be above the Spirit Kings?’
‘If so, we must not force the Spirit Kings any further.’
The High Elf Queens sensed through intuition that this battle was unwinnable. They fought only out of loyalty to Granzoa.
‘When Granzoa lost the World Tree, her mother, to other races, she guided us here.’
‘We fight only for the one who allowed the doomed High Elves to prosper enough to build an empire.’
‘Even if it means divine punishment, we must repay our debt to Granzoa.’
The High Elf Queens’ resolute will shook the Spirit Kings’ resolve as well.
“Contractor—! Comrade who has fought with us through endless ages.”
“We cannot send you alone like this.”
Whoosh—!
Roar—!
A massive flame seeped into the Red High Elf Queen’s head, intensifying its light. Her entire body rippled like the sun, and flames erupted from her spirit-stone sword.
Whoosh—!
Shhh—!
Pure white frost enveloped the Silver High Elf Queen’s body, forming transparent armor as her spirit-stone sword froze over. All the Spirit Kings merged with their contracted High Elf Queens and cried out.
“Even if we perish before the Spirit Gods, we will fight alongside you as we always have.”
“Let us fight to the end together.”
A sudden storm of human-like emotion surged from the Spirit Kings. Yet the affection they felt outweighed their fear and anxiety. Even the High Elf Queens, who had lived so long that they believed their emotions had faded through endless desperate battles, felt their eyes redden with the intensity.
‘Thank you.’
‘I will never forget this debt.’
They offered their respects to Granzoa, whom they could no longer reach even with their will, then launched themselves into the sky. With the merged Spirit Kings lightly supporting them, they felt their bodies activate, gripped their spirit swords once more, and shouted.
“Do you see the black mage charging toward our World Tree as always? If we deal with him alone, Granzoa can become the goddess of the elves once more—!”
“Fight with your lives on the line!”
Ooooooh—!
All the High Elves responded to their queens’ declaration and nocked their bows. The High Elf Queens steeled their resolve, gripped their spirit-stone swords tightly, and charged forward as one.
‘Granzoa said the black mage has grown even stronger now that karma’s restrictions have been lifted.’
‘If we consider how heavily constrained he was until now, ordinary High Elves cannot face him.’
‘Moreover, he is a Root School black mage. Only we can match the speed of a tenth-circle Root School black mage.’
‘We must bind him in close combat at all costs.’
Whoosh—!
Ooooooh—!
Countless spirits were summoned behind the charging High Elf Queens, surrounding the World Tree and activating a defensive barrier.
Thud thud thud—!
Boom boom boom—!
Just as they had always prepared for war, millions of arrows were simultaneously drawn on bowstrings and infused with spirit power. Hundreds of thousands of Elven Knights merged with the highest-grade spirits, feeling uneasy as they prepared to charge after the High Elf Queens. Thousands of High Elf Little Queens, wielding spirit swords, began running in formation behind them. Though they had not yet fully recovered from their losses, this was the full might of the High Elf Empire.
The most warlike Red High Elf Queen locked eyes with the black mage and roared.
“This time, let us settle it once and for all, black mage.”
“No matter how your titles change or your status rises, as long as you are Granzoa’s enemy, you are our sworn foe.”
At that moment, the black mage’s mana suddenly surged, and ten massive circles of light streaked across the sky.
Flash—!
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!
A colossal magic circle of light obscured their vision as an enormous spirit power tried to push away the entire atmosphere of the Great Forest. Unable to hide his joy at finally escaping karma’s restrictions, the black mage spread both arms toward the sky and chanted in a booming voice.
“Summoning of the Otherworld Spirit Gods—!”
A massive dimensional gate directly connected to the Spirit Realm opened in the Great Forest. Within it, the illusory forms of goddess-like beings as large as mountains began to appear one by one and descend to the earth.
Rumble rumble rumble—!
Through the black mage’s chant, the five most vicious Spirit Goddesses descended upon the Great Forest. The moment five figures emerged from the giant magic circle drawn in the sky, the goddesses’ laughter burst forth.
“Ohohohoho—! Contractor, I have waited for this moment.”
Whoosh—!
With the Sun Goddess’s descent, an intense solar flame and light began to evaporate the entire Great Forest.
“All insolent Spirit Kings and apostates who do not prostrate before me shall be burned at the stake.”
Along with the goddess’s overwhelmingly superior laughter, a massive sun suddenly rose in the center of the Great Forest. Emerging from within the sun was a Spirit Goddess elegantly dressed in a palace robe embroidered with colorful patterns, fanning herself with a fan adorned with brilliant jewels and gold.
Whoosh—!
Swish!
The Sun Spirit Goddess covered her mouth with her fan and spoke, her voice echoing across the Great Forest.
“I am far too merciful. If you prostrate yourselves even now and beg, I shall specially spare you from annihilation.”
Bwahahahaha—!
A terrifying solar heat evaporated everything within a ten-kilometer radius and set a hundred kilometers ablaze. She had manifested the authority of a Main God-level sun, enclosing the very space within her domain.
“I shall only burn that insolent flesh—!”
Fwoosh! Fwoosh!
Even areas not directly affected by the sun’s authority saw temperatures rise sharply by several degrees, turning the surrounding space into a blazing inferno.
Creak—!
Crack crack—!
The High Elf Queens, who had come to an abrupt halt from the sudden, overwhelming heat, began to burn.
“What—? Don’t tell me that’s the Sun Goddess?”
“Correct! Contractor—! Never release your spirit merger. Anything below an Intermediate God will be incinerated instantly within a ten-kilometer radius.”
“Because it is the same spirit-realm power as ours, we can endure briefly, but anything longer is impossible. Think of her as a highest-ranking Demon God, or rather a Demon God-level Sun Goddess who wields the flames of hell.”
“A Demon God-level Sun Goddess?”
“The highest-ranking Fire Demon King?”
Just as the Spirit Kings said, the entire visible Great Forest burned, sending smoke stabbing into the sky. The forest they had protected for eons was going up in flames before the battle had even truly begun.
‘That black mage is also the god of the elves. Yet he burns Mother’s forest so easily?’
The High Elf Queens were stunned by the sight of the rapidly perishing Great Forest. They had never imagined the black mage’s power would differ this greatly just because karma’s restrictions had been lifted.
‘Spirit Gods, the gods of the spirits?’
‘All the spirits, the greatest power of the High Elf race, are trembling in terror. But we cannot retreat now.’
‘If only the fate of the High Elf Empire were at stake, we might have surrendered like the other races.’
‘But Granzoa’s fate is also on the line.’
Recalling the grace they had received from Granzoa, the High Elf Queens suppressed the heat and shouted.
“All one hundred and twenty-fourth generation survivors, step forward.”
The Silver Elf Queen’s voice, sharp as frost, rang across the Great Forest, and hundreds of thousands of figures surged to the front lines.
“Effective immediately, designate that Spirit Goddess as the highest-ranking Fire Demon King. Pour all ice spirit power at once. Do not think about what comes after.”
“Hah—!”
Whoosh—!
Hum!
With a short chant from the high-ranking High Elves specialized in ice spirits, countless ice spirits poured forth and began clinging to the Silver High Elf Queen’s spirit sword.
Crack crack crack—!
Transparent ice covered her entire body, concentrating on the spirit sword to form a massive ice blade. It was the preparation for the Silver High Elf Queen’s greatest strike—the one that had once beheaded a Fire Demon King who had descended in the past.
The Ice Spirit King’s warning echoed in her mind.
“Contractor. The maximum time you can endure within that sun authority’s domain is thirty seconds. Strike within that window.”
“That is more than enough.”
With the Silver High Elf Queen’s reply, the ground around her exploded and the air tore with a deafening roar.
Boom—!
She vanished in an instant and reappeared directly before the Sun Spirit Goddess. She had crossed ten kilometers in a single bound using only her physical strength.
The Sun Spirit Goddess merely let out an admiring exclamation, covering her mouth with her fan as if genuinely delighted by the massive ice sword thrusting toward her chest.
“Ohohohoho—! How truly admirable! It has been so long since anyone overcame my sun authority and reached me.”
To her eyes, the High Elf Queens possessed truly astonishing power and speed for seventh-circle Middle World transcendents. But they were still merely superhumans of the material world.
“Swordsmanship is your specialty? Then I shall gladly match you with a blade.”
“!?”
The Sun Spirit Goddess drew a long, slender single-edged sword that cleaved through space and lightly parried the Silver High Elf Queen’s enlarged ice sword.
Clang—!
Clang—!
The long sword that effortlessly blocked the massive ice blade was an oddly shaped single-edged weapon—extremely long, narrow, and curved. Wielding this grotesque sword with masterful skill, she easily countered, no, overwhelmed the Silver High Elf Queen who had transcended the pinnacle of swordsmanship.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!
“It has truly been ages since I drew this sword. I hope you can endure for a long while.”
At the unexpected powerful counterattack, the Silver High Elf Queen faltered for a moment. The single-edged sword’s form vanished in an instant, and before she knew it, it had multiplied into eight blades.
“Yamata no Orochi. Eight-Branched Serpent.”
The Sun Spirit Goddess swung all eight blades toward the Silver High Elf Queen.
Whoosh—!
Slash!
Each blade curved like a serpent, six of them simultaneously cutting from front, back, left, right, above, and below. The remaining two blades disappeared the moment they were swung, becoming invisible.
“!?”
Boom—!
Slash—!
Bwahahaha—!
Feeling the immense threat, the Silver High Elf Queen kicked off the ground with all her might to escape the sun’s domain. In that instant, six deep cuts opened across her limbs, chest, and back, blood spraying out. She had been struck in vital points without even realizing how.
“Ah—!?”
She hurriedly wrapped her collapsing limbs in ice to stabilize them. Yet she sensed a chilling presence targeting her neck and ankles as well. She rolled away on the spot, but blood still burst from her ankle and neck.
“Ugh!”
Eight vital points had been slashed in a single breath. The Silver High Elf Queen endured the excessive blood loss and pain clouding her mind, refreezing her wounds to stop the bleeding. After that, all she could do was retreat in a daze.
The Sun Spirit Goddess gripped the hilt of the sword whose eight blades writhed and smiled chillingly.
“Hohoho! This sword is a divine artifact called the Nine Great Serpent Head-Severing Blade. It is my beloved sword that once slew even a superior snake god—a demon god—who rampaged in my divine nation. Yet you survived taking all of it. How truly remarkable.”
Standing with the single-edged sword, taller than herself, held lightly in her left hand like a toy and resting behind her back, she looked elegantly divine. Yet the horrifyingly intense killing intent and fighting spirit were more vicious than even the highest-ranking Demon Kings, stirring primal terror.
‘Killing intent, fighting spirit, and authority that can overwhelm even a Demon King. So this is the power of the gods of the spirits?’
‘Now I understand why the Spirit Kings trembled in fear at the mere mention of the Spirit Gods.’