113
Chapter 113
Continuing my steps, a familiar mansion came into view.
At the same time, the incredibly disorganized state of the Defense Force came into sight.
Dwarves holding hammers as if they had just run out mid-work, and Hayangi and the other children standing in front of them as if standing guard.
Lucy and Rien.
And... even Rubia, armed with a thick book and a ladle, making me wonder why on earth she was mixed up in this.
'Did everyone rush out in a panic after seeing the sudden army approaching...?'
Balzac did say he had cut the artifact in half before.
It seemed they needed to go out and fight, but lacking proper weapons, they just grabbed whatever they could find and ended up looking like that.
Making a mental note to absolutely never send Rubia onto the battlefield, I continued walking.
Not long after, their wary stances naturally relaxed.
Whether it was Lucy or Rien, one of them must have enhanced her vision with mana and recognized my face.
Well... regardless of their relaxed guard, seeing everyone's bewildered expressions, it seemed their questions hadn't been resolved.
"Um, Ian? What in the world is this..."
Rubia asked, sweating profusely.
Normally, I would have considered her mental state and chosen my words more carefully, phrasing things a bit more gently.
But I didn't have the luxury to do so right now, nor was there any other way to express this.
I simply stated the facts exactly as they were.
"Like I mentioned before, I thought they'd be necessary for the battle, so I brought them all and made them slaves."
I had actually already mentioned burning the World Tree and making the elves slaves once before.
I thought she would accept it quickly, but it seemed that was expecting too much.
As if broken, Rubia stuttered and asked me again.
"A, an entire race at once... No, more importantly, how did you do it? The elves wouldn't even try to leave the Great Forest, let alone be able to."
"It doesn't matter as long as I'm near the World Tree."
"The World Tree?"
Rubia's questioning face immediately turned pale. It seemed my words about burning the World Tree had just crossed her mind.
"I dealt with the World Tree and absorbed its power. I'm able to command the elves right now thanks to that."
At my words, not only Rubia but even the Dwarves standing nearby started acting strange.
Well, it was to be expected when I thought about it.
The beginning of the world.
A tree that had existed since the very beginning, also known as the root of life.
Hearing that I not only set fire to it but even devoured its Authority, it was only natural for the inhabitants of this world to react like that.
Especially since the hundreds of elves behind me were proving my words were true, they would be even more shocked.
The gaze of awe and terror Rubia always directed at me—like she was looking at something distinctly non-human—could now be felt coming from the Dwarves as well...
I soon erased the thought from my mind.
This wasn't the time to be worrying about things like that.
"How did the Holy Sword repairs go?"
Among the Dwarves trembling in fear.
I asked while looking at the opportunistic Dwarf smiling to himself, seemingly satisfied with the lifeline he had grabbed.
As soon as I asked, Rob swiftly held out the Holy Sword as if he had been waiting for this.
And his confident expression wasn't for nothing. The condition of the Holy Sword was absolutely flawless.
'This is....'
90 percent, no, over 90 percent—almost 100 percent.
A repair job so excellent it was hard to distinguish from how I originally knew it to look.
I couldn't help but admire their skills.
Is this kind of feat possible when you have over a hundred Dwarves?
I had pressured them, saying it wasn't a request but an order.
I pressured them by telling them to make it happen no matter what, but honestly, I figured fixing this overnight would be impossible.
But they pulled it off.
I picked up the Holy Sword with a satisfied expression.
And... I saw it.
The Holy Sword was in a slightly, ever so slightly, more clouded state than before.
"...Huh? Why is this suddenly... It was perfectly fine just a moment ago."
Rob's previously triumphant face filled with panic.
He spoke with a bewildered expression, but...
"It's alright. You don't need to worry about this."
I said that and put the Holy Sword away.
It would have been a lie if this were an expected outcome, but...
This much was fine.
It would have been a crisis if the Holy Sword had lost its light and power because I gave up on keeping my oath.
It turning cloudy because I slightly denied the oath was fine. Besides, as long as I wasn't facing a Demon, there wouldn't be a big difference.
More than anything... if the Holy Sword's condition changed based on my mindset, I might be able to use this.
I hadn't tested it until now because it felt a bit ominous, but...
Now wasn't the time to be picky about my methods.
Besides, as long as I had Sovereign's Grace, there was no risk of my mind being corrupted.
Anyway....
'With this, my weapon is ready.'
I had obtained the Holy Sword.
The army's preparations had also been finished long ago.
Of course, I didn't want to put our kids in danger, so the only ones I was bringing were Rien and Lucy, who were used to combat.
There was no shortage in our fighting power.
After all, I brought the Elves for exactly this reason.
The restriction that prevents them from leaving the World Tree's vicinity.
A mad Empire that would ignore curses and gladly burn the World Tree if the Elves ever became a nuisance.
Without such bindings, the Elves were absolutely not to be underestimated.
They would probably overwhelm even the Empire's Elite Force with ease. This was more than enough combat power.
If there was just one catch...
It was that I had no clear way to pinpoint Ciel's location.
In the end, I had to rely on luck for this.
In a situation where every second counted, I couldn't afford the time to perform a ritual to locate her while dragging the Elves along.
We had no choice but to start from where we last were and gradually track her from there.
I could only pray she hadn't moved too far from her original spot.
I took a deep breath, calming my anxiety and stabilizing my mind. I could feel the mana and the energy of the World Tree flowing through my body.
With this, I had finished every preparation I could possibly make. Whether it was enough or not, I would find out soon enough.
In this current situation.
There was only one thing left for me to do.
Enduring the stares of hundreds,
I drew the Holy Sword and made my declaration.
"...Let's go."
It was time for the final battle.
*****
In the heart of the Demonic Realm.
The First Prince, who had been fighting monsters for days on end, furrowed his brow.
All because he had needlessly received a Blessing that had no effect.
It wasn't Cardinal Dominic's intention, but the Divine Power contained within that Blessing had stimulated the monsters, making their attacks even more fierce...
But there was a much bigger reason than that.
He had just felt it.
A heterogeneous energy, entirely different in nature from the Demons or monsters, was heading their way.
And as if to prove that feeling wasn't a hallucination, the screams of monsters echoed out not long after.
Cutting down enemies with a single stroke, a man was approaching them.
Even before seeing the man's face, the First Prince knew exactly who was approaching.
The vicious Bloodlust radiating from him.
After all, there was only one person in this world who had opposed him and still lived.
Sure enough, a white-haired man soon entered his field of view.
An aura that had clearly changed from before.
The change in the Holy Sword he carried. And the new companions he had brought along.
His very appearance showed a distinct will to reclaim what he had lost.
But seeing that wouldn't cause him to waver.
"Foolish. Had you run away, you could have at least lived a few days longer."
He simply felt pathetic.
Growing to that extent in just four days was undeniably astonishing.
But precisely because of that, it was even more stupid.
With that kind of talent, he should have hidden himself and focused solely on training, regardless of what happened to his companions.
That much potential.
Had he kept growing, he truly would have become a threat capable of shaking the Empire.
But despite that.
The bastard had walked straight into the jaws of death on his own two feet.
He had let his judgment be clouded by trivial things like companions and sentimental attachments. That was why he couldn't help but seem so pathetic.
"Do you truly believe you can win?"
The certainty in his eyes.
Seeing that, the First Prince asked.
He could see the Elves standing behind him.
It seemed he had somehow subjugated the Elves to increase his military strength.
To think he believed he could win with such things. There were limits to foolishness.
Lifespans and innate talents far surpassing those of humans. The Elves were certainly a powerful race.
But that was only true when the Elves were inside the Great Forest.
If they strayed too far from the World Tree, their power wouldn't just be halved—it would evaporate. If that persisted for too long, they would simply drop dead. They were a race full of flaws.
It wasn't for nothing that the Empire hadn't used the Elves.
'And this place is the Demonic Realm, no less.'
Unless the World Tree had grown legs and started walking, there was no way its power could reach here.
That should have been common sense. To bring a mere Elven army as a countermeasure against him was laughable.
Even that fool Renya wouldn't have come up with such a pathetic strategy.
"Foolish. Utterly foolish. But... well, this works out perfectly for me."
He had been feeling annoyed because things hadn't been going his way lately.
And now the enemy was openly committing an act of sheer stupidity, practically begging to hand him a military achievement on a silver platter.
How could he not welcome that?
In those four days, all they had prepared was a useless Elven army. A worthless group that had lost most of its power and was barely standing.
In contrast, what he had gained were immensely powerful reinforcements who would arrive before long.
A Cardinal and a crowd of Archbishops from the Holy See, whose eyes would be practically bloodshot with hatred for the Heretic.
The difference in their strength was glaringly obvious.
The outcome of this battle had been decided before it even began. All that was left was to enjoy it.
The First Prince smiled and declared.
"This time, I will personally put an end to your insolence."