The World Tree's Summons
I knew about him, but that didn't mean he knew about me. We'd never met in person. Yet here he was, waiting for me—which meant someone must have tipped him off.
"Was it Drakan?"
I'd suspected something was up ever since Drakan sent me to this out-of-the-way spot.
"No. The World Tree showed me the way."
These people... no, this dragon and this tree, were they conspiring to jerk me around? Well, the World Tree had done me a small favor back when I was just a soul, so I'd let this one slide.
They call women with unusual abilities witches. There are men like that too, though fewer in number. The world calls those men druids. The man before me was one such druid.
For reasons unknown, most druids awaken powers related to nature, which gives them much in common with the elves. That must be how he was connected to the World Tree.
"Hamakan Bollard. What business do you have with me?"
"I've long since abandoned the Bollard name."
Rare for a druid, Hamakan Bollard hailed from nobility—the firstborn son of a baron's house, no less. After awakening his druid powers, he'd forsaken his noble inheritance and the mortal world to retreat into the mountains.
He looked unassuming, but druids generally wielded tremendous power. That's why they lived solitary lives, never encroaching on one another's territories, even if they crossed paths.
And among them, Hamakan Bollard was the strongest. That was precisely why I'd been keeping tabs on him. With so many top-tier powerhouses suddenly dropping out of sight, he now ranked fifth among humans by strength.
"The World Tree showed me the path: to stand with you, the saint, against nature's enemies and create a holy site."
Nature's enemies. I had a pretty good idea who that meant, but I doubted I'd need Hamakan's help for it. Still, if the World Tree had sent him, there must be some aspect where his aid would prove useful.
"What do you mean by 'holy site'?"
"I don't know that either."
Holy sites came in all varieties. There was the Divinity Church's, and if it was the World Tree speaking, it might even mean its own location.
"Well, we'll find out when the time comes."
That was how things usually went with higher beings. Obsessing over the details just made you look like a fool in the end.
"Did it specify exactly who nature's enemies are?"
I had my suspicions, but I wasn't certain.
"No."
This was a headache. I couldn't just march up to someone and say, "You're nature's enemy—die," then cut them down. That felt off.
"Then for now, come with me."
Hamakan nodded, and I took him straight back to Akasha Territory.
Fatigue was crashing over me; I needed a break. I'd been moving nonstop without sleep for quite a while. This human body was such a hassle.
We shared a meal, I arranged a room for him, and then I retreated to my bedroom and fell into a deep sleep.
I dreamed.
Since becoming human—or more precisely, since becoming a soul—I hadn't dreamed at all. It had been ages. And honestly, I wasn't even sure if this was a dream.
I'd met the World Tree in it.
Was I going to have to work even while sleeping now?
Just like last time, I faced the immense World Tree, its end lost in the distance.
[Wandering Recorder]
It was addressing me this time.
"Good to see you again, World Tree."
[A great threat approaches my children.]
"I see."
I wasn't clear on the exact scope of "children," but sure, let's go with that.
[It will soon become a crisis for the world.]
"Is it Ben Bezarel?"
My pick for nature's enemy was Ben Bezarel, current strongest human. Mad genius of human modification. Where Antariel, the former top dog, had spent his life modifying his own body, Ben had devoted himself to altering others'.
[Block the threat alongside my children.]
This one only said what it wanted, too. But something felt off. Ben Bezarel wasn't someone I'd need help against. I could handle him solo.
To be precise, Ben himself wasn't that strong. Sure, he was an exceptional grand archmage, but alone? Argin—no, even Jayke and Joseph together could take him.
It wasn't Ben who was powerful; it was his creations.
"What exactly do you mean by 'holy site'?"
I doubted it'd answer, but I asked anyway.
[You will come to know it naturally. Remember this, Recorder: you must stand with my children.]
And then I woke.
I felt deeply unsettled, like that time long ago as a bastard son, waking from a nightmare amid the chaos.
Still, the World Tree's emphasis on "together" had to mean something. It was telling me not to go solo—or even with just Howard Callista—and chop off his head.
After waking, I briefly compiled reports from my clones. Just checking what had happened while I slept.
A few anomalies stood out. One I could verify quickly, so I'd handle it before breakfast.
Thus, I arrived at the elf village in the Great Forest.
While I'd slept, the elves had been preparing a mass migration.
"Elder, what's going on?"
I approached the grand elder.
They surely weren't planning to trek all the way to the New Continent on foot. Even for elves, abandoning the forest like this would mean heavy losses to the magic beasts.
"The World Tree showed us the path. To face our enemies, we must leave the forest."
As expected, they were the World Tree's children too. The New Continent elves were in a similar uproar; the Tree must have spoken to them as well.
Combining the Great Forest elves and the New Continent ones came to about 1,500. That was serious firepower.
Elves wielded potent spirit magic and archery even before adulthood. They could hit a flying bird with eyes closed—that was elf archery.
"Hold off for a moment, please. Leaving the barrier like this will expose you to devastating losses from the magic beasts."
Switching to my clones' views, I saw druids scattered across the world mobilizing in unison. Did those humans even know their destination?
My head throbbed. I'd probably have to gather them all and lead.
Looks like today would be insanely busy. First, assemble everyone on the New Continent. The Great Forest elves had planned to migrate there anyway, so this was a good chance to move their belongings.
I explained my plan to the grand elder. Ben Bezarel wasn't striking immediately; we had time.
I'd pegged him as nature's enemy right away not for some grand reason, but because he'd recently halted his biological experiments and turned to... unorthodox materials. Like stone and wood.
And surprisingly, it worked. He created moving giants of stone and wood.
Breaking his semi-seclusion, he'd allied with one faction in the ongoing civil war in the former Neos Kingdom.
The self-proclaimed Nebra royal family—formerly the Nebra count's house—had been surging ahead thanks to the current human strongest.
The splintered Neos factions had started at a high of thirteen, each claiming legitimacy and rebelling. Now, after the infighting, only seven remained.
The Nebra royals, who'd been struggling lately, had exploded in power with Ben's help.
Ben was the Nebra forces, essentially. Yet he wanted little in return. If he'd craved money or status, he'd have gone public ages ago.
He just wanted to test his creations in battle—and exploit the resulting corpses and prisoners.
The Nebras could easily provide that. They welcomed a powerhouse who demanded neither wealth nor titles, though unease lingered. So the Nebra king was pushing his daughter—the princess—to marry Ben.
She was sixteen; Ben was over ninety (give or take). Noble daughters endured such things, but the princess was fiercely resisting. Beyond age and looks, how could she live with a man who stitched corpses daily?
Anyway, it was hellish day for me. I burned through nearly all my energy transporting the Great Forest elves and every druid to the New Continent.
The World Tree's children from across the globe had gathered in one place.
The elves elected their grand elder as representative; the druids chose Hamakan.
About 1,500 elves, over 1,200 combat-ready. Thirty-two druids.
Impressive on paper, but against Ben's creations? No guarantees. He wasn't human strongest for nothing.
I knew his battle prowess better than anyone. His strongest modified human rivaled Argin. And there were four more nearly as potent.
Not to mention the rest. He'd been crafting for over fifty years. Lately, his stone-and-wood giants were numerous and no slouches individually.
In the Neos civil war, he'd stuck to those giants, holding back his modified humans.
With the grand elder and Hamakan, we began devising a strategy against Ben.
I made clear from the start: I was support only, stepping in for major threats. That seemed to align with the World Tree's intent.
Explaining his actual forces darkened their faces. Five Grand Master-tier modified humans? Near-impossible for them.
That part would need Howard and Argin. They'd probably love it.
I told the elders as much. The other strong modified humans would fall to the druids; the giants to the elves. Basic plan set.
With strategy locked, action was best swift. I beat a sulking, reluctant Howard at cards in one go and dragged him along. Gathered Argin, Jayke, Joseph, and even the temple knight order from Akasha Territory.
Setas tagged along too—and Bastet hitched a ride on his head.
First, we sent the Nebras a missive in the saint's name: hand over Ben Bezarel or face attack.
The Nebras feared me, but they couldn't yield him. Losing Ben meant instant collapse.
They publicly rejected. (I'd known via pre-planted clone, but optics mattered.)
Elven hordes invading a human kingdom after centuries? It'd just fuel backlash.
But under the continent-renowned saint? Different story.
No sooner had Nebra announced than elves, druids, and temple knights appeared sequentially near their border.
"Aigoo, that was rough."
Not really, but sometimes you had to play it up.
"You did well, my lord."
Jayke and Joseph flanked me, offering comfort. True loyalists. The rest hung back, uncaring.
We held position. The Nebras would have to send Ben our way.
But the first to move were the Nebra commoners.
Long civil war meant shortages. Hunger bred sickness. We healed and fed them—plus dazzling legendary elves.
They swarmed like clouds. Even border guards couldn't stem it; some soldiers slipped in with them.
After a week, Ben Bezarel finally stirred.