The Desperate Consciousness
—This can't be happening!
Duru Satal could not contain his shock at the scenes transmitted through the consciousnesses of his connected subordinates. Although the managers did not control every monster in the Ancient Forest, the majority of his subordinates linked to the consciousness network he had spread over the past few years had been annihilated in an instant.
Except for the first clash with the Demon King's personal guard alongside the other managers and their soldiers under Granbipra's orders, nothing like this had ever happened in all the long years he had lived.
—Who on earth is that human? Why did he suddenly appear and…!
Even if he tried to expand the consciousness network again and summon other monsters, it was already impossible to turn the situation around. The cursed and terrifying brown moss and plants before his eyes were still devouring the land, and none of his soldiers could reach Granbipra without being caught by them.
—Where are Togas and Hilde, and what are they doing! If only they had been here, it wouldn't have come to this!
Togas and Hilde, who had suddenly vanished, left no trace in any region his eyes and ears could reach. Moreover, the soldiers of those two, who should have joined the all-out offensive, had scattered as if seizing the opportunity created by their missing leaders and did not respond to the call.
After all, no matter how numerous they were, they were ultimately a herd of beasts forced into obedience by power. They had no obligation to follow the orders of a leader who was not present, and there was nothing to gain from antagonizing Granbipra.
They merely hid in the darkness, praying that the wrath of the true ruler who would return would not be directed at them.
It was the most basic instinct of those belonging to the wild, but also the wisest course of action.
—Is this truly the end?
Duru Satal's widely spread consciousness network filled with deep helplessness and despair. After Granbipra and the other two managers fell to the Demon King's hands, what had been the reason they submitted to the Demon King despite knowing the end was clear?
It was because of the primal and primitive instinct they had possessed from the very beginning—the longing for survival and the fear of death—that had existed for an immeasurably long time.
Only because of that had they clung to the fleeting time that was not even a moment compared to what they had lived through, postponing the end.
Although the Demon King had fortunately died and destruction had not come, in the end, the only time left for him was truly not even a moment.
Knowing it was futile, he tried to move his body with all his might. But his essence was an existence where the roots of many trees were intertwined and mixed together. There was no way he could move.
—Damn it!
Anger without a target spread throughout the consciousness network, but beneath it lay an uncontrollable fear.
The sun had already risen, and Granbipra would probably hatch before it set. And Granbipra would come looking for him. Just as he had threatened when he first made him submit, he would cut away the roots that made him who he was, one by one. He would turn him into an ordinary tree like the others.
—No, I can't let that happen.
Duru Satal himself could not remember whether he had been this kind of existence from the beginning or what he had been like at first, but he had no intention of returning to being an ordinary tree now. Those things that had lost consciousness and emotion, divided into fragments with even their sense of self gone, were definitely not him.
—I absolutely cannot let that happen.
A strange light spread between the trees above the ground. Each time it passed between the trees, the light grew stronger and rushed somewhere at a speed that seemed dangerously fast.
“This should be enough.”
When Anak no longer sensed any presences around him, he cut off the connected mana. Since the enemies had completely disappeared from sight, there was no longer any reason to maintain this situation. Moreover, now that the things that could serve as nutrients on the ground had disappeared, the brown moss and Anterami Bedelegus would extend new vines and roots in the direction where the brown moss still remained or burrow deeper underground in an attempt to squeeze out even a single drop of sap. In the end, it could cause serious ground weakening.
Although the possibility was low, if they accidentally touched an aquifer rock, the ground could collapse immediately.
The effect appeared quickly. As soon as the mana was cut off, the moss covering the upper parts of the trees gradually dried up and soon turned to ash and disappeared. The white, dried-out tree surfaces were exposed where the moss had vanished.
Anterami Bedelegus also instinctively extended new vines and roots toward the remaining brown moss as it disappeared, or burrowed deeper into the corpses it was entwining as if trying to squeeze out every last drop of sap. But in the end, they would all dry up, die, turn to ash, and crumble.
“In the end, the managers didn't show themselves. It doesn't seem like they have any other schemes either.”
Anak was already convinced that they had fled.
“How much time is left until hatching?”
Anak looked up at the gradually brightening sky.
—It's almost done. About half a day left now.
At those words, a somewhat peculiar smile appeared on Anak's lips.
“Half a day until hatching. It reminds me of the old days.”
He was recalling the time when he had destroyed Anubkut's last surface hatchery. Back then, Anubkut had tried to mass-hatch a new species of demon insects to reverse the gradually shrinking position and war situation within the Demon King's army.
Upon learning of this, he and his other companions launched a surprise attack on that final surface hatchery, with only about half a day left until the new demon insects hatched.
“Well, the sides were reversed back then.”
In the end, Anubkut's surface hatchery fell just before hatching, and because of the danger posed by the new demon insects, every single egg was destroyed under Medrup's flames without exception.
As a result, the replenishment of the demon insect legion, which had been active across all battlefields, was completely blocked. After that, the allied forces and resistance gradually gained momentum on each battlefield.
If they had left that hatchery alone at the time, the new demon insects would have been deployed across all fronts, and the front lines held by the allied forces would have completely collapsed before the final battle, with most of the resistance within the Demon King's territory being annihilated.
—Duru Satal's forces are probably almost gone by now. And if Hilde and Togas really fled, they won't be able to attack anymore either.
Granbipra was certain of victory, but Anak was consciously trying not to let go of his tension. This was due to a kind of obsession and the trauma that had slowly accumulated.
Having been around outstanding people for so long, he consciously and unconsciously always aimed for the most perfect outcome with all variables eliminated. But with Rowell and the other companions not by his side, that was truly an extremely difficult task.
The gap between that reality and ideal was slowly and gradually driving Anak himself, which was why he was forcing himself to maintain tension.
“……!”
But suddenly, characters appeared in the air. Anak's gaze was fixed on one side of the forest, where a strange light was rapidly extending toward them.
—That fellow Satal must have been desperate. To stretch his thoughts all the way here.
But Granbipra showed no sign of surprise or tension at the sudden light. On the contrary, his voice and tone were polite, yet filled with cruel mockery.
—There's no need to worry. He doesn't have the ability to control an outstanding contractor like you. Of course, that goes for her as well, and the same applies to the summoned beasts contracted with you. Moreover, attempting a consciousness connection from such a distant place from his main body would only allow conversation at best. It seems he wants to beg or something.
Anak erased the characters he had inscribed in the air. It was partly because he believed Granbipra's words, but also because if he was wrong, there was a risk that other summoned beasts he called forth could be controlled.
The light flew rapidly toward Anak but was blocked by the activated barrier and could not reach him. The light hesitated for a moment, then quickly changed direction and struck one of the wolves, disappearing as if seeping into it. Anak ordered the wolf to fall away from the egg through consciousness synchronization.
Although the wolf would not suddenly be controlled by something else now that the mark of the contract had been engraved on its soul, he was preparing for the one-in-a-million chance.
As expected, the wolf followed his order. The wolf moved far away from the egg, and through that wolf, another consciousness was transmitted to him.
—I am Duru Satal, one of those who protect this forest. Human, why do you interfere with us?
Duru Satal was trying to maintain an imposing attitude, but as a summoner, Anak could only feel the desperation beneath it even more clearly.
“It's not the best time to meet, but my name is Anak. I am one of those who helped the Hero of Light Rowell and many other companions defeat the Demon King in the last great war.”
Although he was greeting with courtesy, Anak was actually enjoying watching Duru Satal's figure shake even more greatly at his introduction.
“I am here because Granbipra requested help, adding what little power I have. Is that what you wanted to know?”
Duru Satal felt deep anger and humiliation at those shameless words that mocked him under the guise of a polite question, but he tried to suppress those emotions. He already knew well from a moment ago that the other party could read his emotions and consciousness, and he had already sensed that the other party was enjoying his agitation.
—…First, I express my gratitude for saving this surface from the crisis of destruction.
Right now, Duru Satal was not transmitting his voice, but words transmitted as consciousness itself. Therefore, there was no intonation or tone, but the emotions mixed with the consciousness revealed his true feelings more blatantly than any intonation or tone could.
Anak was certain that if he had spoken with his voice, it would have sounded like he was grinding his teeth while forcing the words out.
—But this is ultimately the forest's affair. I hope you will withdraw.
“I'm afraid that's difficult. I can't help but feel uneasy about leaving someone who fought against the Demon King to be dealt with by those who cooperated with the Demon King.”
Duru Satal wanted to immediately tear into that neck and face with a beast's fangs. The other party's attitude of looking down from above was highly intentional, and it was not simple leisure, superiority, or mockery, but a kind of provocation.
—I also consider that shameful, but…
“Moreover, I have been promised considerable compensation by Granbipra.”
—Compensation… you say?
—Under my notarization, you traitors will have to form a master-servant contract with this person.
At Granbipra's sudden interjection, Duru Satal's consciousness staggered as if it would break. Although he had desperately tried to prevent the hatching for his own safety, the fear he held toward Granbipra was that overwhelming. Even before he became this kind of existence, when he was merely separate ordinary trees, Granbipra had already been imprinted on him as the ruler of the forest.
—…It has been a long time, Granbipra.
—Yes. You're finally greeting me. I was wondering if you had lost even your courtesy along with your loyalty.
Granbipra's voice was filled with the heavy killing intent of a predator. Duru Satal could not continue speaking, shaken by that killing intent. Even when he barely managed to continue, his consciousness trembled precariously with fear and desperation.
—A master-servant contract, you say. Do you really intend to subjugate us, who have protected this forest for thousands of years, to a mere human!
—The moment you abandoned the protection of the forest, your pride was already gone!
—We had no choice! Even if we had fought to the end back then, we would have all died to the Demon King anyway! It would have been much wiser to preserve our lives and wait for the right time to counterattack…!
—Don't talk nonsense!
Before that intense will that seemed to engulf the entire consciousness, not only Duru Satal but also Anak had no choice but to desperately hold onto their fading consciousnesses.
—If you had even the slightest intention of doing so, you wouldn't have been hiding like cowards ever since! Don't try to mock me with false excuses when you're nothing but cowards!
The anger transmitted from Granbipra covered Duru Satal's entire consciousness network, and Anak momentarily recalled the day he first faced the Demon King before the anger of the ancient existence, the true ruler. Anak wondered how much this would be for Duru Satal and the other monsters connected to him, since he had deliberately made the consciousness connection slightly weaker because of what had happened earlier. He even thought that perhaps this time they might cut off the connection out of fear.
—What do you know!
But contrary to that expectation, Duru Satal instead confronted Granbipra's anger head-on. It was reckless courage born from fear, desperation, and helplessness, but Anak was still somewhat surprised by Duru Satal's unexpected action.
—What do you know when you don't even know true death! Are you trying to force death on us when you only need to wait for resurrection after death!
Anak quietly looked at Duru Satal. It was certainly not a completely wrong statement.
Death could never carry the same weight for someone who only needed to wait for a new resurrection in an egg after dying as it did for others. But soon, a bitter sneer appeared on Anak's lips.
“You're really just saying whatever comes to mind.”