Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: The Monster from Legend
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The elves who witnessed the black hound engulfed in crimson-black flames screamed and fell into panic.
"Th-that form... It can't be... It's just like..."
"When the Burning Black Beast arrives..."
"The Divine Tree will crumble... Sob... It's all over..."
"?!"
The elves muttered some phrase in despair, tears streaming down their faces.
And I had heard the words they were reciting before.
Those who outlive all others, amassing boundless wisdom, shall thrive in nature's abundance.
No race upon the earth shall escape their grace, yet on that path, they shall succumb to hubris.
They shall revere the Divine Tree and exalt their own superiority, but that glory shall not endure.
When the Burning Black Beast descends, the Divine Tree shall burn and fall, their vaunted superiority powerless to save them.
Desperate prayers shall find no answer from the silent goddess, and in realms of blood and fire, only screams and lamentations shall resound.
As all burns and collapses, the exalted race, eyes blinded, shall cling to a single ray of light and plummet to the earth.
It was a prophecy attributed to a great elf prophet from distant antiquity in the lore.
Passed down as legend among the elves, it was an immense taboo and source of anxiety for them.
The part foretelling the fall of their once-prosperous race with the advent of the "Burning Black Beast," the Divine Tree Yggdrasil burning and crumbling, was seen as heralding the elves' doom. To avert it, the elves had exhausted every means.
To block any potential source of unease, they adopted an extremely isolationist stance, clustering beneath the Divine Tree, interacting with outsiders or other races only in the most restricted circumstances.
This attitude predated not just Elfin but even her grandfather, the current elf elder, by generations in the lore.
However, this seemingly ominous prophecy, first revealed in Holy Warrior Brayden NX, existed only as backstory in the game—never once approaching anything resembling its fulfillment. It was a total macguffin.
I'd memorized it automatically from seeing the elves at Arborness's grand library treat the prophecy tome with such extreme caution every time I went there...
Krrrooooar!
The three-headed black hound, its entire body shrouded in flames, let out a roar, sending the elves into utter panic. They wailed and screamed.
"Th-that thing's going to burn the Divine Tree!"
"Oh, Lunias! What must we do?!"
"Gods, save us! Hear our prayers!"
The elves invoked the goddess's name, wallowing in despair as they cried and prayed.
Wooooooo!!!
The black hound howled, flames surging fiercely from its body before spreading to the Divine Tree around it.
"N-no! The Divine Tree... The Divine Tree is burning!"
"Water! Bring water, quick! Mages! Any living mages left!?"
"If we don't act, the Divine Tree really will collapse! We have to put out the fire—now!"
"No!"
In that moment, I gripped the Light Saber I'd retrieved from the library and shouted.
I charged forward, confronting the massive black hound, and bellowed loud enough for all the elves to hear.
"Putting out the flames on the Divine Tree is pointless as long as this black hound lives! Focus every ounce of effort on slaying this monster!"
"B-but the Divine Tree..."
"Outsiders don't understand how vital the Divine Tree is to us!"
The insular elves had no intention of heeding me easily.
I decided to push harder and yelled even louder.
"If you waste time on meaningless fire-fighting and get paralyzed by the curse again, burning to death without moving a muscle, will that finally wake you up?! Do you want to relive the agony of your bodies rotting, blood pouring from every pore, until the entire elf race is wiped out here?! If this tree matters more than the lives of your entire people, then go ahead! But if you want to save your families, friends, and lovers, lend your strength to destroying this black hound!"
My shout made the elves flinch. Elfin delivered the finishing blow.
"......Let's just focus on taking down that monster."
"Elfin!"
"But the Divine Tree...!"
"Protecting the Divine Tree only for us to all die like before means nothing. This isn't the time to quibble over whether he's an outsider."
Even so, the elves couldn't shake their insular, passive nature and hesitated.
Enraged, Elfin screamed louder than I had.
"What, you all want to die here then?! If life means so little to you, why did you leech off my protection for days on end?! My grandfather would say the same if he were conscious! As acting elder of Arborness right now, I command you! All who can fight, pour everything into destroying that black hound! If anyone still can't let go of the Divine Tree, step forward! I'll throw you into that inferno myself!"
At Elfin's thunderous command, the elves finally jolted into action, preparing for battle.
"Ravi, Elfin, Lenis. You can still fight, right?"
"Yes!"
"I've used up too much stamina so far... Might be tough."
"Huff... Huff... I-I've been healing people until just now... The mana potions I recovered with are almost gone."
The other two besides Ravi weren't in peak condition.
I couldn't use the Eye that Pierces Truth anymore today either, so I had no clue about the thing's exact weaknesses.
But from watching how that black hound formed earlier, its flaming body was undoubtedly made from the curse fog that blanketed Arborness.
The dark spirit from the goblin camp had vanished just from activating my eyes. If this black hound was a monster of the light-vulnerable fog too...
I swung the Light Saber vertically downward at the black hound with full force.
The blade of light shot out ferociously toward the beast. Its three heads spewed crimson-black flames in unison to block it.
The light blade clashed with the three streams of fire, erupting in a deafening explosion that canceled each other out. The backlash sent a powerful shockwave slamming into the Divine Tree's interior.
"Tch... So it's a properly formed monster compared to that dark spirit last time."
"Alvis, no way to dispel it like before?"
I shook my head at Ravi's question.
"Can't use that method now. And back then, it was just fueled by a few hundred goblins as sacrifices. This one's powered by thousands of elves. It might even be stronger than Vector. Everyone, stay sharp."
Remembering their own helplessness in the Vector fight, the three gulped.
I checked my remaining mana while eyeing the howling black hound.
With Light Saber active, I could manage Judgment maybe twice at most. A drawn-out fight wouldn't end well.
The elves, following Elfin's orders, gathered every able fighter. Bows and spells at the ready, a few powerhouses summoned plant vines like Elfin and entered combat stance.
"Alvis, do normal attacks even work on that thing?"
"No idea. I'll draw its attention first—aim for the flanks!"
I said that and fired another light blade.
As the three heads spewed flames, a magic circle appeared at Lenis's staff tip. Lightning arced out, striking one head's flames.
Kaboom!!
A massive explosion erupted right in front of the head, halting its flames momentarily.
Ravi dashed in first, using her bunnykin leap to vault before one of the massive heads and unleashing a somersault kick.
Thwack!
Though it looked made of pure fire, it had substance—Ravi's kick landed solidly on the jaw, stopping that head's flames too.
"Attacks are working! It has a solid body!"
"Good, then..."
Elfin danced through steps to activate her boots' power. Scarlet-fruited vines sprouted rapidly toward the central head.
The flames from the center head touched the red fruits, detonating them. The blast jerked the head back.
Definitely bombfruit, which explodes on high heat exposure—and not native to Arborness. Elfin's boots seemed able to summon whatever plant she desired on demand.
"Now!"
Firing light blades nonstop would drain my mana. Seizing this opening, I charged in not with a projectile, but sword-first to cleave it directly.
Arborness elves cast tailwinds from behind with magic, boosting my speed. I lunged, thrusting the light sword into the black hound's chest.
Crimson-black flames burst from the wound like infected pus, soon enveloping my body.
"Damn...!"
"Alvis!"
"Everyone! Protect the human outsider with the sword!"
At Elfin's call, mage elves cast barriers on me and sheathed my skin in a thin water membrane.
With their support, I plunged the sword deeper without worry. The crimson-black flesh touching the Light Saber crumbled like crushed gravel.
As its fiery body shattered against the light, I spotted something core-like at its center.
"That's..."
A small orb unleashing intensely blazing flames in all directions.
It had to be the source of the sustaining sorcery and the monster's power.
"Grroooowl... Kraaaah!!!"
I shoved the sword deeper to destroy the core. The black hound roared in fury, spinning its massive body violently. The force flung Ravi and me back; Elfin's vines snapped entirely.
"Urgh...!"
All three heads spoke in unison. The hound dialed back its flames for blinding speed, leaping upward.
It scaled the walls on all fours, racing across Arborness's Divine Tree, circling high above me.
Elfin gasped at the sight.
"...! E-everyone, get away from here! The tree's going to collapse!"