Chapter 158
Chapter 158
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 158
Chapter Title: To Protect Everyone (11)
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Ominous, crimson blood flowed slowly upward, from the ground toward the sky.
It was an unreal phenomenon, as if the very concept of gravity had been devoured by magic.
The surrounding forest looked as if it had been stripped of all life.
It was a bizarre scene, one that would have made anyone prone to fear faint instantly.
Vespera held the blood-stained box lightly in her hand and gave a faint smile.
“Little one, what am I to do with you, dropping something so important? You were holding it so dearly, weren't you?”
“…”
“It’s dangerous, so how about I hold onto it for you? Not a bad offer, is it?”
Her voice was as light as if she were out for a casual stroll.
She sounded like she was scolding a child for dropping their wallet or phone.
But as I scrambled to my feet, a cold sweat broke out across my back, soaking my clothes.
The worst-case scenario, the one I’d imagined since first meeting Vespera, was unfolding before my eyes.
‘The World Tree Seed is in Vespera’s hands…!’
The stress made me feel nauseous.
She wasn't an opponent I could fool with clumsy improvisation, and snatching the seed by force was out of the question.
If Olvis had the seed instead, I might have tried to fight for it with the power of the Tesseract.
But now that it was in Vespera’s hands, that possibility had completely vanished.
My only glimmer of hope was the favor Vespera had shown me.
But the situation was far too precarious to rely on something so uncertain.
Perhaps Olvis of the Seven Extremes realized this as well.
She had already righted herself, her face twisting in frustration.
“Tch, of all people to get it…”
“Oh my, you look even more anxious than before? You must have needed this badly, huh?”
Using her own blood, Vespera lifted the box into the air without touching it.
With a light flick of her finger, the World Tree Seed inside the box was revealed.
The World Tree Seed was only about the size of a large jewel.
It was small enough that I could have completely hidden it in my small hand.
I wondered if this was the first time Olvis and Vespera had seen the World Tree Seed with their own eyes.
As the two stood frozen, as if struck by a hammer, Olvis spoke urgently.
“Tch… Vespera! Let’s make a deal!”
“A deal? I have the advantage. Why would I need to do that?”
Vespera’s relaxed reply was perfectly logical.
Deals are usually proposed by the party with the upper hand to the one without.
Having obtained the World Tree Seed, Vespera had no reason to listen to Olvis.
Why would she make a deal when she could already do whatever she pleased?
But perhaps Olvis had something she was counting on.
She forced the corners of her mouth into a smirk, revealing a sliver of confidence.
“…No. You can’t make that seed bloom on your own. Earth’s environment is too barren for a World Tree to grow. To make it reach maturity… you need the Metahuman Liberation Army’s special technology. I'm not lying. You can try it yourself if you like.”
“Hmm, you seem serious. I suppose there would be a limit to how much a World Tree could grow in a world so lacking in magic.”
“Yes, that’s right! You want to make the World Tree bloom on this Earth and bring about the end of those foolish humans, don’t you! Work with us! A paradise for metahumans—that is our ultimate goal!”
Olvis extended a hand to Vespera with a confident expression.
The World Tree Seed was useless for anything other than making it bloom, anyway.
And to use it properly, the Metahuman Liberation Army’s technology was necessary.
Having an outsider interfere was quite unpleasant, but the Commander-in-Chief would surely understand if it was a fellow metahuman like Vespera.
She was probably thinking something along those lines.
Using my knowledge of the original story, I guessed what was going through Olvis’s mind.
I watched anxiously as Vespera tapped her lips, pretending to consider the offer.
‘The Liberation Army has a spatial-movement-type artifact, the Queen’s Unholy Tiara.’
If she accepted Olvis’s offer here, there would be no turning back.
The World Tree Seed would fall into the Liberation Army’s hands in an instant.
In that case, I would have no choice but to use the Tesseract in a last-ditch effort.
Just as I was thinking this, ignoring my aching body and tensing my grip on the Tesseract…
Vespera, who had taken the seed from the box and was rolling it in her palm, casually tossed a question at Olvis.
“I have a question. How did you know the World Tree Seed was here? I never imagined anyone else would know.”
“…There was a prophecy. That an item capable of bringing about the world’s end would surely be here…”
“Oh? You have prophecies? How impressive. That’s much better than the astrologers who are always asking me to fetch things for them. It took me nearly a year to find this out…”
“So? Are you ready to accept our proposal now?”
Vespera’s eyebrow twitched as if she found Olvis’s answer absurd.
She seemed flustered that they had learned from a single prophecy what had taken her nearly a year to discover.
Just as Olvis reacted, thinking Vespera was almost convinced…
Vespera held the World Tree Seed between her fingers and smiled wickedly.
“But there’s something you’re mistaken about. I don’t particularly want to grow the World Tree. I’ve already grown quite fond of this world called Earth.”
“What… Th-Then why were you after the World Tree Seed! It’s useless for anything other than growing the World Tree…”
“Useless? Not if I do this.”
With a flick.
Vespera tossed the seed she was holding into her mouth as if it were a snack.
Then came the distinct *crunch* as she crushed it with her molars.
To think she could so easily chew something I couldn't even scratch no matter what I tried.
She must have used magic or some kind of power, but even so, it was a staggering display of strength.
Vespera then swallowed the completely crushed seed.
Olvis, watching in stunned disbelief, her face contorting hideously as she shrieked.
“Ah, ahh…! This damn bitch!”
They had gone through so much trouble to obtain the World Tree Seed.
And Vespera had destroyed it so casually.
The World Tree Seed was, strictly speaking, a living being.
Crushed in her mouth like that... Yes, there was no recovering from that.
Enraged, Olvis charged at Vespera.
Her speed was so great that even from a distance, I could feel the wind pushing my body back.
Vespera’s reaction, however, was extremely understated.
As if she had no need for magic, she simply held out a hand.
The outcome, however, was utterly shocking.
“Guhk?! W-What…!”
Olvis’s physical abilities should have surpassed Vespera’s.
Vespera, having extended her hand, easily grabbed Olvis’s neck as if handling a puppy.
Had she become stronger by chewing and swallowing the World Tree Seed?
The aura she exuded was several times more ferocious than before.
“Haaa… I feel alive again. The humans of this world have no magic, so no matter how much of their blood I drank, I could never feel satisfied. My body was in so much pain…”
“L-Let go…!”
“Hehe, now I might just be able to fight that Tempest. Thanks for bringing this all the way here. Of course, it was all for nothing.”
“Ghh, ghhh! To end... so meaninglessly…”
Blood flowed from Vespera’s hand, seeping into Olvis’s body.
It was several, no, dozens of times more blood than when she had bound me earlier.
It was no different from a poison that caused the body to collapse from within.
And so Olvis, stained crimson and screaming in agony, soon let out a final death rattle.
It was a truly horrific end… one completely unbefitting one of the Metahuman Liberation Army’s Seven Extremes.
With a thud.
When Vespera let go, Olvis’s body collapsed limply to the ground.
She quietly watched the unmoving Olvis before turning her head toward me.
I hoped it was my imagination, but the blood mist swirling around her was even thicker than before.
Had she regained the power she lost after coming to Earth by eating the World Tree Seed?
The atmosphere was like a ferocious nightmare.
“Now, then… Little one, shall we talk?”
“…”
Watching her speak so casually, I became almost certain.
Certain that Vespera was now on par with Tempest.
If that was the case, then borrowing the Tesseract’s power was meaningless.
She had already ascended to a level far beyond my reach.
So, I stared at Vespera, my expression tense.
I maintained a stony, blank expression, determined not to show the slightest vulnerability.
But perhaps she didn’t like this attitude of mine.
Vespera drew the blood scattered around her back into her body and spoke with a much more relaxed expression than before.
“Don’t make such a scary face. I don’t want to hurt you one bit, little one.”
“…?”
“Why, you ask? Hmm... Because there’s more than one or two things about you that I find fascinating. How you can use psychic powers and remain so unscathed, how you knew about the World Tree Seed and secured it beforehand, the secret to that cute face of yours... Yes. I want to keep you tucked away by my side.”
Her eyes flashed.
Her eyes shone with a frightening intensity.
Was it obsession in those eyes? Or perhaps possessiveness?
As I swallowed hard, sensing the unusually heavy emotion in her gaze…
Vespera, having recovered all her blood, unhesitatingly extended a hand toward me with a gentle smile.
“I’ll make you an offer. Come with me. Then I will protect you so that no one can ever harm you.”
It was, without a doubt, an offer I couldn’t refuse.