Chapter 219
Chapter 219
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 219
Chapter Title: Lycanthrope (4)
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"This cursed scum, do you even know where you are?!"
"It's a monster! Kill it!"
"M-monster! Somebody help! Please save me!"
In the not-so-short history of the continent.
Lycanthropes had always been oppressed and shunned, existing as something akin to a 'plague'.
An incomplete race incapable of normal reproduction, able only to increase their numbers through infection.
Even perfectly healthy individuals would have their minds corrupted by black magic the instant they were infected, and their selves—stained by savagery and violence—would twist into something unrecognizable from their former state.
Even if they somehow managed to retain their sanity, they would inevitably lose reason to the madness surging within them every full moon, rampaging with infection and slaughter.
It was only natural for people to exclude these walking time bombs to protect themselves and their families.
And so, a single ordinary boy bitten by a lycanthrope ended up slaughtering the villagers and his own family who had tried to kill him before fleeing.
After that, driven by instinct, he caused countless sacrifices until he finally became a complete monster—a tale not so unusual in this world.
...Though surviving for hundreds of years to become a 'King' was certainly an extraordinary feat.
As was the fact that someone had intervened and lent aid along the way.
Kwaaang—!
"Kehihihahat! Gotcha! You annoying pests!"
The Lycanthrope King Baukalacas tore apart the earth spirit that had relentlessly blocked his path with hands brimming with eerie energy.
Just that alone left claw marks across the ground within a five-meter radius, as if ravaged by a beast, and the overwhelming essence of destruction infused in his grip rendered the spirit—supposedly of the highest grade—helpless, forcing it back to its realm without resistance.
"Kuhk!"
"Lord Horut! Are you alright?"
"...Cecily, this much is nothing. Focus! If that thing takes even one step outside the formation, it's over!"
In the aftermath, a thin trickle of blood seeped from the lips of Horut, the high elf spirit summoner.
Yet he clenched his teeth without showing it, concentrating even harder on the remaining spirits.
In the center of the battlefield where the two races clashed head-on.
Among them, the ones tasked with binding the lycanthrope leader's feet were all four remaining high elves in Drasha.
'Kuh, even right next to the World Tree, all we can do is barely hold on...! Who would've thought such a monster would charge in without a care for the consequences. The gap in realm is one thing, but the matchup is just too unfavorable.'
High elves grew several times stronger the closer they were to the World Tree, yet the amplification from that black magic fused with madness was no slouch either.
Above all, the transcendent authority of the one who had reached Transcendence—'Ignores a portion of attacks/defense from lesser realms'—combined with its horrific physique to create an utterly insurmountable wall.
No matter how much firepower they poured out, it ignored a fixed percentage outright, tanking the rest with its body while regenerating, and its already overwhelming attacks pierced their defenses with ease.
Thus, their current best option was to form this formation and engage in a war of attrition to hold it in place somehow.
At least in terms of recovery, the high elves beside the World Tree held the edge.
'...Or do they? Looking at that monster's condition, I don't get that impression at all. If we had even one opponent on its level, we could've ended this quickly.'
Thanks to their absolute advantage in longevity, elves as a race boasted an exceptionally high proportion of powerhouses beyond a certain threshold.
The fact that they could respond to the simultaneous outbreaks of white giants and the lycanthrope invasion was entirely due to the forest guardians scattered across their territory.
Yet for some reason—perhaps some additional restriction on breaking limits—there wasn't a single being in the current Elven Kingdom who had reached the Transcendent realm.
The closest was Lydia, the high elf leader of the sentinels, who was said to be right on the cusp, but she had boldly crossed the ocean to join the hero party.
"Kakakak! Tired already? Huh? Done? Let's end this!"
At that moment, accompanied by boisterous laughter, the monster charged toward the high elves' position.
The destructive mana pouring from its body shattered the air, and the trajectory of its outstretched claws tore the atmosphere, spreading the smell of burning.
"Kuh, I'll block it!"
"I'll support!"
Platina, the spirit swordsman who had mastered both spirits and swordsmanship, ignited aura across her body and intercepted the oncoming beast.
Her starlit sword cleaved space to meet the incoming crimson-black claws.
Kaang—!
She staggered momentarily from the visibly overwhelming physical disparity, but with backup magic from the queen—who was also a grand mage—she managed to hold her own on equal footing.
But only for a moment...
Kwaduduk! Kuung—!
"Kuhk!"
Even with additional support from the others, the time she held out lasted barely a minute.
In the end, she was flung back like a弹 shot, barely escaping.
If Cecily hadn't shrouded her in a curtain of water at the last second, the follow-up attack would have inflicted serious injury.
"Puhat! I almost got one, but you're pissing me off! Without that World Tree, you'd be done already! Ah, I should just burn it all down!"
His patience wearing thin, the bloodlust in Baukalacas's eyes deepened.
His reason likely eroded further, but his physical prowess would have surged even more.
'We need to find a way somehow.'
Cecily swallowed a sigh and bit her lip inwardly.
They were barely holding on, yet five more general-grade lycanthropes from the enemy side were heading to other battlefields.
Of course, those areas had their own capable fighters, but...
'We'll have to accept some losses. Wait, speaking of which, where's Lord Harris?'
Then it hit her—he'd gone completely silent at some point.
The last report was that he'd engaged a general-grade.
With no spare capacity to maintain the World Tree network, she had no updates since.
'...Probably on his way back by now. Things should improve with him here. Let's hold out as long as we can.'
As Cecily refocused on the battle.
Harris, whom she'd just thought of, was stepping into Drasha.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Kwaduduk!
"Kuhk! World Tree..."
Kwaaang—!
"Kyaaang!"
Death was spreading from the heart of the Enamel Continent, long the center of peace.
Death that came equally to lycanthropes and elves alike.
The wooden barriers hastily grown in preparation for invasion had long been breached, and the elves were slowly falling back, striving to thin the enemy numbers as much as possible.
The lycanthropes dodged or swatted away mediocre ranged attacks with superior physiques and instincts; even when hit, piercing their durability and magic resistance was a chore, and their regeneration was overwhelmingly fast—they didn't die easily.
No matter their numerical superiority, the enemy were elites handpicked for this assault.
The elves needed immediately deployable, reliable firepower... and fortunately, Drasha had excellent human resources ready.
On the outskirts of a battlefield a bit removed from the center.
Kikigik—
Shaphiron Silvasti calmly drew her bowstring, gradually drawing up natural force.
"Kraaa! I'll kill you!"
A warrior-grade lycanthrope zigzagged in to evade the line of fire, closing in.
Its massively swollen muscles, crimson-black aura rising from its body, eyes bloodshot with madness, drool-dripping fangs.
Its rabid appearance was terrifying at a glance, but she maintained utmost calm, waiting until the very last moment...
Then, at the perfect instant it couldn't dodge, she loosed a lethal shot infused with wind spirit.
Shwaaak— Peuk!
The arrowhead pierced its forehead precisely.
A normal warrior-grade would've died on the spot despite regeneration, but this one—boosted by black magic and madness into monstrous vitality—merely staggered in place.
As if determined to take her down even in death, it charged again, arrow lodged in its skull, with ferocious momentum.
"Dieee!"
Even in crisis, Shaphiron's expression remained unshaken.
Truth be told, it didn't matter if it didn't drop from one shot.
Very naturally, she wasn't alone.
Shaaak— Peuk—! Peuk! Shiiik—! Chwaak!
While she held its attention, arrows and spells from blind spots shredded it thoroughly.
At this point, even a knight-grade couldn't survive.
And from the direction the attacks came, her classmates Thymer and Curie—who had once shared a festival stage with Harris—approached quietly.
"Shaphiron, is this really okay? It's effective, but you're taking too much risk alone."
"...Change the plan?"
"It's fine. We're only handling wounded stragglers like this anyway, right? No time for playing safe—we have to accept some risk."
Drasha Academy was the Elven Kingdom's premier educational institution.
Naturally, its students were all elites, high-caliber talents ready for immediate deployment.
Reliable enough for rear support in crises like this.
"If we move a bit faster, we can save one more compatriot. So from now on..."
Basrak—
At that moment, the sound of rustling bushes cut her off.
The three's expressions hardened.
...They heard it, but their always-alert senses detected nothing.
Exchanging glances, they slowly turned toward the sound.
There stood a rough-faced woman, seemingly the culprit who deliberately rustled the bushes, gazing at them with an odd expression.
"I was gonna slip by quietly at first, but you know, you're right. If I'm a bit more diligent, I could save one more kin."
She spoke leisurely.
Short-cropped black hair, dense scars visible on her exposed neck and hands, towering muscular build over 180 cm.
"...Knocking off a few on the way shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Beast-like fangs flashed in her sly smile, claws sharpening slowly.
"Ah, perfect timing too. The others are having a blast killing and rampaging, while I've been sneaking around—it was getting annoying. Kekeke."
The woman Shaphiron and her group had coincidentally encountered was.
A general-grade lycanthrope on a secret mission from the King, traveling incognito.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Harris headed straight to Drasha.
Even flying at top speed would've taken hours, but wasn't the 'Path of the Forest' practiced for times like this?
'Normally taboo on pilgrimage paths or whatever... but this is an emergency!'
Besides, he was carrying out a direct request from the World Tree itself, so this much was well within bounds.
Using the World Tree as his marker, he advanced.
About five minutes later.
Emerging from the Path of the Forest, he was already atop a branch of the World Tree.
'...Didn't plan to climb this high. Or maybe it's better this way.'
From this open vantage, grasping the battlefield would be easier.
With that thought, Harris looked down at Drasha below.
He frowned slightly at the progress of the fairly advanced war.
To him, who remembered Drasha as eternally peaceful and beautiful, the scene felt alien.
'For the World Tree to offer such unprecedented rewards, whatever happened must've been a big deal.'
At a glance, the battle was evenly matched.
Slightly pushed back, but not on the verge of collapse; if they held out, forest guardians would lead sentinels from all sides.
'...Hard to tell. Need a closer look.'
Harris quietly adjusted his bow, Temis, activated Observer of the Stars, and peered down silently...
Pausing at the sudden surge of exaltation.
'What? Why this all of a sudden.'
Not bad.
It felt more intimately linked to the skill's essence than usual...
'Because I'm in contact with the World Tree?'
All high elf abilities strengthened near the World Tree.
Naturally, standing atop it made sensations sharper than ever.
...Plus the special circumstances now, as if something extra were permitted.
'...Still lacking a bit. Alright, let's amp it up.'
Harris activated Heir of the World Tree and Nature Assimilation as well, maximizing affinity with great nature—especially the World Tree.
And gazing down from that state—
'Ah, this is...'
I
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Special Skill 'Observer of the Stars' absorbs sub-abilities 'Clear Mirror Still Water' and 'Keen Eye', evolving into 'Observer of the Milky Way'. could glimpse the world as seen by the World Tree—
by a god.