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A sacred arbor gazing down upon the realm with boughs reaching into the heavens, the World Tree was said to bridge the mortal earth with the celestial domain. Naturally, such an entity was not something just anyone could approach. Even if its divine rank sat on the lower rungs of divinity, the sacred remained sacred—and for those who walked the dirt below, its presence exerted an inescapable influence, for better or worse.
Consequently, only the chosen and the permitted could set foot into the realm known as the Sanctuary of the World Tree. Benoite, revered as the Sage of the Elves, was one such privileged few.
"This is the sanctuary," she announced.
"Oh..."
"Whoa..."
The moment we crossed through a barrier humming with a strange, prickling sensation, a breathless murmur rippled through our companions at the sight of the colossal colossus filling the entire horizon. It was no mere oversized timber. Looking upon it inspired an instinctive, marrow-deep awe, and the sheer majesty of its presence pressed down so heavily that it made everyone feel infinitesimally small.
Yet rather than its towering height or mythical grandeur, my attention was drawn to something far less majestic.
"Hmph. Yeah, sure enough. Rotting away quite nicely, isn't it?"
Protruding above the soil were roots so gargantuan they looked more like rolling terrain than flora, stained pitch-black and bubbling with festering rot. When I tossed out that flippant observation, Benoite snapped her glare toward me.
"Cast your eyes down," I scoffed. "You knew there was a problem and left it neglected all this time. What gives you the right to glare at me?"
"...We were not sitting idly by," she hissed, teeth gritted. "We intended to resolve it soon, and preparations were already underway."
"Right, right. Of course you were. You didn't even notice your own people were infected with the plague, yet look at you flap your gums."
"That is—"
"Arrogant, incompetent bastards. This is precisely why I can't stand elves." Curling my lips into a sneer, I mocked her without mercy. "You act complacent, trusting that your kind can handle anything. You look down on the rest of the world, convinced of your own supreme superiority, putting up walls and sneering in distrust while claiming you don't need anyone's help... And yet whenever you actually try anything, you fail miserably. No one could ever trust you to get a single damn thing done."
I gave Latipi's hair a light, condescending tug, letting out an exaggerated sigh.
"What a shame. If not for Nazareth Nemeth's request—if not for a dark elf who had her tribal pride and chosen-people delusions beaten out of her by discrimination, oppression, and despair—I could've sat back and watched your civil war wipe you out, then watched humans snatch up the spoils after the World Tree died."
"...Watch your tongue, human."
"See that? Still babbling without knowing your place. How could anyone look kindly on you lots?"
"......"
"Come to think of it, the World Tree is a massive piece of shit too. It's the one that made you guys, right? Then the tree must be cut from the exact same cloth. God, just thinking that I came all the way here to save a bastard like that makes me sick."
"You insolent—!"
"What? Mad? You brought this on yourselves. You can always tell what kind of scumbag the parent is by looking at how the brats behave."
Just then, Nemeth slipped up beside me and gave my collar a gentle, hesitant tug. Her expression was agonized, like someone choking down foul medicine.
"Sir Alzen. Please, leave it at that. It is difficult to hear..."
"...Is it? My bad. I guess I went a bit too far. I'll tone it down."
"Thank you."
Bowing her head slightly before raising it again, she fidgeted with the weapon at her waist. "By the way... is the high demon named Sukra somewhere here? I do not sense any distinct presence."
"No. That bastard isn't here."
"Pardon?"
Surprise flickered across her face at the unexpected answer.
"You think just anyone can walk into a sacred realm? No matter how strong a demon is, if they haven't been chosen or granted permission, setting foot in here is impossible."
"...Then how on earth was the World Tree contaminated?"
"Through an authority. Sukra fused his authority with the plague, corrupting space and divinity alike, scattering it endlessly until the main trunk became infected. Of course, the World Tree must have resisted... but the Authority of Life is its direct counter. It couldn't have held out for long."
"Could such a thing... truly be possible?"
"Probably. It might be a sanctuary, but it's not like it's a completely isolated dimension."
To tell the truth, I didn't know the exact metaphysical mechanics either. It was just lore scribbled in the game's setting documents. I patted her shoulder reassuringly.
"Relax your shoulders. We won't be throwing hands with that high demon right this second. What we need to do now is clear the dungeon formed within the World Tree's roots."
"...I see. Understood."
"Then let's get down to business. Benoite. Open the path leading to the roots."
"...Fine."
With an aggrieved scowl, she sliced her fingertip and let her blood drip onto the earth. As if waiting for that very trigger, the ground parted without a tremor, unveiling a subterranean corridor.
"Hmm."
Even though I'd read about it in the setting notes, seeing it in person was genuinely surreal. It wasn't just the fact that the soil split open without the slightest vibration; the passage bore the distinct shape of artificial architecture, yet carried none of the telltale signs of stonemasonry—a bizarre, uncanny contradiction. Whether that was due to residual divinity or the World Tree's destabilized power, I couldn't tell.
"...I overheard your conversation," Benoite said hesitantly. "What do you mean, a dungeon has formed within the sacred roots? And what is this plague? We guessed it was the work of demons, but to reach the World Tree inside the sanctuary..."
"Shut your trap."
"......"
Dismissing her questions out of hand, I studied the entrance of the passage for a moment, lightly licking my dry lips. Before stepping inside, an experiment crossed my mind.
"If this works, it'll be bloody legendary..."
I might just skip clearing this entire dungeon.
Focusing my intent on the Absolute Ring Set, I stared down at the festering roots. The principle had to be the same as when I drew the plague out from the elves' minds and souls. If that lesser infection could be baited, then the primeval corruption infesting the World Tree itself had an even higher chance of taking the lure. After all, it possessed an even higher rank.
Fwip!
The moment I activated the Absolute Ring of Taunt, a crimson glow seeped into the World Tree's roots.
And then...
"...Holy crap."
For an instant, I thought the entire world had been dyed in tar. My face twisted at the sheer sight of the plague gushing forth like an enraged swarm of hornets. I'd taken a shot in the dark, but it actually worked. Wasn't this a complete freebie?
"Everyone get back!"
The instant I wrapped my body in the violet luminescence of the Absolute Evasion Ring, the tidal wave of plague crashed over me, threatening to swallow me whole. The nauseating, shapeless mass of black sludge squirmed desperately to burrow into my flesh, but it simply phased harmlessly through my form.
...Wait, this feels eerily similar to when I dodged Demon King Rubias's attacks. Does that mean this plague, enhanced by an authority, sits on the same tier as a Demon King's assault?
"Tsk. Thinking about it that way is making me a little nervous..."
I frowned, focusing every shred of awareness into the Absolute Counter Ring. If this didn't eradicate the plague in one fell swoop, I'd end up buried under this disgusting muck and die a gruesome death.
Ssssshhhk!
The moment I triggered the ring, a sound like a titanic serpent slithering across the stone tickled my ears. Pitch-black energy erupted from beneath me, surging upward to swallow the plague in reverse.
"...Oh."
The sanctuary erupted into silent frenzy. Writhing, stretching, contracting, thrashing flat against the ground, and violently swelling and deflating, the plague desperately scattered in all directions as if resorting to a frantic last stand. The surrounding space, mana, and ambient divinity convulsed violently, warping into jagged fractures.
Yet the jet-black aura pouring from my ring pursued every shred of corruption with relentless malice, devouring every last speck without leaving a trace behind.
"What a magnificent sight..."
"It is... rather hard to put into words."
"Whoaaaa..."
"In all my days, I have never witnessed such a spectacle..."
Listening to my companions' hushed awe, I stood dumbfounded, watching the plague's annihilation. The corruption put up a stubborn struggle, but before long, it vanished without even a death rattle, erased down to its very roots.
"......"
Well then. What happened next?
Strictly speaking, the dungeon formed within the World Tree's roots was not the primordial source of the plague, but rather an inflammatory immune response caused by the infection. Clearing the dungeon would have alleviated the tree's condition slightly, but it never cured the plague itself.
Yet just now, I'd eradicated the root cause entirely. Wouldn't that mean it was completely cured?
—I express my gratitude. Foreordained child of the Goddess. Thanks to you...
"Agh, fuck! Keep it down! My head's throbbing. You trying to kill me?"
—......
Startled by the voice boring directly into my skull, I snapped out a curse, prompting the World Tree to fall dead silent.
"L-Lord World Tree...! You insolent cur! How dare you show such sacrilege to the World Tree...!"
"Shut your damn mouth. Please."
Massaging my temples, I glared up at the towering trunk. "Hey, tree. Are you fully cured or what?"
—...I am. As the 'plague' gnawing away at my very core has been utterly eradicated, the connection to that loathsome demon has also been severed.
"Oho... So you're not being controlled anymore? Then you can clean up this mess with your own strength, right? Can you take down Sukra?"
—That is impossible. Too much of my divinity and power has been devoured.
"Completely useless, then. What can you even do?"
—...I seek your aid.
"Wow. Look at this guy. Shameless doesn't even begin to cover it. I knew the elves didn't get their twisted personalities out of nowhere."
"You bastard...! There is a limit to my patience!"
Enraged, Benoite flared her mana with lethal intent, but a branch slithered down from above and cracked her hard over the crown of her head.
"Kyaagh?! L-Lord World Tree?! Why...?!"
—Mind your manners, Benoite. What nonsense are you spouting before our benefactor?
"B-But...!"
—Benoite.
"...My apologies."
Watching Benoite reluctantly hang her head, I waved my hand dismissively. "I didn't expect anything from you in the first place, so whatever. More importantly... are your roots fine? We don't have to go down there, right?"
—Indeed. With the plague gone, I can recover through my own power. The dungeon, too, was dismantled the moment my consciousness cleared.
"Is that so? That's great."
So dungeon skipping was really possible. Honestly, having one less headache was a massive relief. Given that the dungeon featured brutal difficulty while yielding laughable rewards, I hadn't wanted to set foot inside it anyway. Besides, there was something else I needed to ask.
"Hey. Did you know your own fate?"
—...I did.
"You knew? That you were originally destined to die?"
—Yes. I knew everything. My demise, and the existence of the hero who would inherit my will.
"Lord World Tree?! What do you mean by that?!"
Benoite's shriek echoed through the clearing, but neither the World Tree nor I paid her any mind.
"Did you deliberately let yourself get infected by the plague?"
—...Not intentionally. I resisted in my own right, but my power proved insufficient. Yet if that too was my destiny—one of the shattered fragments meant to bring about the Evil God's demise—I was prepared to accept it with humility.
"You could've asked your own children, the elves, for help, couldn't you?"
—It would have been futile. It would only have increased the casualties... and worse, it would have twisted causality.
"In short, you chose self-sacrifice."
—It was not so grand. It was merely the natural flow of cause and effect.
"...I don't get you at all. You've been spouting nonsense about causality and destiny this whole time, so are you fine with me saving you right now?"
—Yes. There is no issue.
"I really, truly don't get it."
—Even if you ask further, I cannot answer. Therefore, let us change the subject.
Talking to this tree felt like conversing with a machine. Had the World Tree always had this kind of personality? Who knew. In the game, its dialogue was exceedingly brief, and even then, it had practically been giving its last will and testament. The setting books never mentioned anything about its temperament either.
"Fine. So all we need to do is deal with the remaining Sukra, right?"
—Indeed. Allow me to offer my thanks in advance.
"In exchange, make sure you cough up a hefty reward."
—What do you desire?
"Oh, plenty of things. First of all... I need to hand over an item comparable to a sacred relic to the hero who'll come later. Can you manage that?"
—That I cannot do.
"And why the hell not?"
—Because such a sacred relic is the condensed essence born from sacrificing my very being. To create it, I must perish.
It was an answer I'd half-expected, prompting me to click my tongue.
"...Wouldn't it just be better if you died after all?"
—......
"*Sigh*, yeah, yeah... you don't want to die, do you?"
Scratching my head vigorously, I tipped my flask back and gulped down liquor to force down the mounting stress. Taking down the Evil God without that sacred relic... well, it wasn't strictly impossible. The difficulty would spike up quite a bit—a massive bit, actually—but if the World Tree had an ounce of conscience, it'd compensate us with plenty of support, right?
"I'll have to think this over... For now, hand over your branches and leaves. As many as possible. Oh, and the fruits too."
—Very well.
Ruuuumble!
The ground shuddered briefly, and suddenly, a mountain of titanic foliage, sturdy branches, and five-colored shimmering fruits piled up before me. Literally World Tree Leaves, World Tree Branches, and the World Tree's Fruit. Getting a massive hoard of ultra-rare items in bulk gave me a bizarre sense of satisfaction.
"...Muriel. Pack all of this away."
"Understood."
"Oh, and everyone come over here and eat one of these fruits."
As I pointed at the World Tree's Fruit, my companions stared back with expressions that were utterly perplexed, dumbfounded, and deeply complicated all at once.