Chapter 190: Status (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 190: Status (1)
■■■■■■—!!!!
A roar that shook the very roots vibrated through the air.
Summoned from the deepest reaches of the World Tree’s roots, Basiliora wrenched its maw open and let out a thunderous cry, as if announcing its descent to the entire world.
The Ash Scatterers recoiled at the overwhelming pressure.
Those who had been lunging at the elves froze in their tracks, crushed by the mere presence of the god that had manifested before them.
"—!"
In that moment, as the elves stood speechless, their mouths agape at the sudden turn of events—
Kwagagagak!
Basiliora began to surge forward, tearing into the tens of thousands of Ash Scatterers.
No—it wasn't a "fight."
It was a one-sided massacre.
Simply by moving its massive frame forward, Basiliora crushed hundreds of Ash Scatterers under its weight.
They vanished, turning into the "true" ash they were meant to be from the beginning.
Ash Scatterers were brutally chewed and spat out by Basiliora, their remains scattering in all directions and claiming the lives of their own kind.
It was, quite literally, a slaughter.
The elves watched in sheer terror at this overwhelming display of power.
‘How is this possible...? Mana shouldn't be usable here!’
As the blood rushed to Rim’s head, her brain overloaded with a barrage of questions. It was then—
“Rim.”
“!”
A voice reached her suddenly.
It was calm and composed, as always.
The Marquis was calling to her. Thick mana billowed from the bracelet on his right arm, yet he showed not a single sign of strain despite commanding such an impossible "god."
“Are you alright?”
“I-I am fine.”
She answered in formal honorifics without even realizing it.
The Marquis tilted his head slightly before speaking again.
“The Greed—no, the Ash Scatterer you mentioned. Is it deeper inside?”
“P-probably, yes.”
He then asked, “How long can you hold out?”
“...Pardon?”
“I’m asking how long you can survive among these Ash Scatterers.”
“If it’s only for about five minutes, I can manage somehow—”
The moment Rim scanned her surroundings with a tense gaze and answered—
“That is enough.”
Alon turned away without hesitation.
“Basiliora.”
He leaped down and landed firmly on Basiliora’s back.
‘I’m glad things are going as expected.’
The reason Alon was able to descend beneath the roots despite being told mana was unusable was simple. He knew that even in mana-void areas, artifacts—specifically the "Salvation of the Wanderer"—could still be used.
‘In Psychedelia, there are areas where mana is restricted. But more importantly—’
While Alon recalled his experiences from the game, he was inwardly quite perplexed.
‘...Didn't they say mana couldn't be used?’
Using the artifact to escape the crisis was one thing, but Alon found that he could actually use his own mana.
“...Hmm.”
He briefly questioned the fact that his mana was responding perfectly to his will, but he soon turned his attention to his surroundings.
‘There are still so many. No, has the number even decreased?’
Basiliora had been sweeping through the Ash Scatterers gathered at the base of the roots since the moment of its descent. Yet, their numbers remained vast. If anything, it felt as though they had increased.
Despite this, Alon didn't flee. He headed deeper into the abyss to kill the "Ash Scatterer" without a second thought.
He knew the characteristics of these Ash Scatterers—or rather, these "creatures of greed."
Alon looked down.
Unlike before, when they scattered white ash, the creatures rushing toward him now produced a red soot like the deceased. They were undoubtedly the "creatures of greed" Alon remembered.
‘Why on earth are they here?’
As their name suggested, creatures of greed were monsters that appeared when the Sin of Greed fully awakened.
In other words, according to Alon’s knowledge, they shouldn't be appearing here yet.
Their presence meant one thing.
It was as good as saying the Sin of Greed had already awakened.
Before he could even organize his complicated thoughts—
────!!!
An indescribably bizarre noise struck his eardrums. The moment he looked up, Alon saw it.
A massive insect that filled his entire field of vision—the "Ash Scatterer," or by the name he knew, the "Mother of Greed."
“Ugh—”
Alon instinctively furrowed his brows.
The Mother of Greed had revealed its massive body, which had been hidden among the Ash Scatterers, as if sensing the threat as soon as Basiliora approached.
Its appearance was so hideous that even Alon’s usually stoic face contorted.
Its back protruded sharply as if it were carrying a massive volcano, and ash was constantly being generated from the vents.
Magma flowed incessantly from its face like an active volcano.
Finally, Alon noted the massive pincers that looked capable of snatching even Basiliora.
‘As I thought. It really is the Mother of Greed.’
He was certain now.
Basiliora immediately lunged to deal with the Mother of Greed, but—
■■—!?
It couldn't land a bite and was forced to recoil.
Fwahhh!
It was because of the magma that began to pour from the creature's entire body.
Furthermore, the Ash Scatterers that were being miserably crushed by Basiliora just moments ago began to go into a frenzy the moment the Mother of Greed was attacked, crawling up Basiliora’s body.
‘I see. Even Basiliora’s physical form has its limits.’
However, he didn't panic.
Alon knew the weakness of the creatures of greed, and he knew exactly how to deal with the Mother of Greed.
The only problem was—
‘Is it the mana?’
The method to kill the Mother of Greed was simple. If he used the Hand Ice Seal he had researched with Penia, the Mother of Greed before him would scatter into a handful of snowflakes. The Mother of Greed was excessively vulnerable to water.
But the problem was the environment. The Hand Ice Seal could only exert its full power if the entire area containing the enemy was within Alon’s range. While Alon’s mana was powerful internally, it could be easily disrupted from the outside.
And this space was far too vast for Alon’s mana to dominate.
It meant using the Hand Ice Seal would be difficult.
But that was fine.
Alon had "another" way to kill the brood mother.
“Blackie.”
[Kyu!]
The moment Alon exhaled and called out, Blackie, who had been tucked away in his chest pocket, instantly scrambled up onto Alon’s shoulder.
And then, Alon established a mana link with Blackie without hesitation.
“Shadow Tree (影木).”
He whispered quietly.
Simultaneously, Blackie’s tail flowed down Alon’s arms and legs, eventually sinking into the shadows.
Twitch!
Soon, red eyes began to manifest all over Blackie’s body.
The shadows quickly spread from Alon’s body onto Basiliora’s frame.
Watching this, Alon formed a hand seal.
Snap!
The shadows that were about to shoot out stopped all at once.
Snap! Crackle!!
Four shadow hands emerged from Alon’s back, and in sync with that timing, the shadows began to overlay themselves onto Basiliora.
In truth, this was a magic that had started from an accidental discovery.
Following Kailas’s advice to keep the link with Blackie active at all times while using magic, Alon had discovered that Blackie’s form changed based on Alon’s seals. He had been researching this magic ever since.
Because of that, it wasn't perfect or complete.
He had only found four seals that corresponded to Blackie, not six.
But even that was enough.
It was more than enough to take down the Mother of Greed before him.
As the first Shadow Seal was formed, the shadow originating from Blackie covered Basiliora’s body.
As the second Shadow Seal was formed, the shadows covering Basiliora’s body transformed all at once into a massive suit of iron armor.
Finally, the moment the third Shadow Seal was formed, the mana structure that had turned into armor shifted again, its molecular structure overlapping and changing layer by layer.
And then—
“Basiliora—”
At Alon’s call, Basiliora once again coiled around the Mother of Greed, which was spewing magma in all directions.
The Mother of Greed went into a frenzy, erupting with even more magma.
However, Basiliora’s body, now covered in multiple layers of thick shadow armor, suffered only minimal damage from the magma the Mother of Greed was desperately spraying.
Finally, the moment the fourth Shadow Seal was formed, the black armor covering Basiliora writhed.
And then.
Shadow Seal (影印).
Thorn (棘).
Black thorns sprouted all over the Mother of Greed’s body.
Grisly, black thorns.
* * *
────────—!!!!!
A blood-curdling scream erupted from the maw of the Ash Scatterer.
With that, its massive body collapsed.
Kugugugu!
The impact alone caused the entire World Tree to vibrate as if it were about to crumble, threatening their lives.
““......””
Despite the chaos, the elves’ eyes were fixed on one spot.
Specifically, where the massive body of the Mother of Greed was collapsing.
They couldn't say a word.
Even Rim, the elf who had been active in Pagade the longest, had eyes wide with shock.
She knew.
Even if all of Pagade attacked together—no, even if every member of the Dark Leaf currently joined here attacked at once—that thing was a horrific existence they could never hope to defeat.
That was why Rim stared blankly.
She watched the grey powder scattering in all directions as the massive body hit the ground.
She watched the Ash Scatterers vanishing along with it.
And then.
With his coat fluttering like a black shadow, standing atop the head of the great god—
In these roots, where no one but the Great Ones could use mana, she saw the man who had used mana as if it were nothing.
‘He is a Primordial Elf.’
The Queen’s voice suddenly brushed past her ears.
The words that had called a mere human a Primordial Elf.
Words that had seemed so absurd that she hadn't truly believed them for a single moment until now.
But in this moment—
“...Ah.”
Rim let out an exclamation despite herself.
Like a sage gaining enlightenment upon seeing the dawn, her eyes were now filled with overwhelming awe.
* * *
Meanwhile.
[Kyu—!]
“Good job. You controlled it properly this time.”
[Kyuu, kyuu—]
Blackie rubbed its cheek vigorously against Alon’s.
While praising the little creature, Alon turned his gaze to watch the Mother of Greed vanish into ash along with its numerous offspring.
The situation was resolved, but a question remained.
‘Why on earth was a Mother of Greed here?’
A Mother of Greed shouldn't be here.
That meant the "Sin of Greed" was imprisoned in this place.
Just as his mind was becoming a tangled mess—
[There is something over there.]
Following Basiliora’s resonant voice, Alon shifted his gaze and discovered a mirror placed in the center of the deep area where the Mother of Greed had been stationed.
An ancient, worn-out mirror about the size of a door.
Alon climbed down from Basiliora’s back and stood before the mirror.
“!”
He immediately realized someone was standing inside the mirror.
It wasn't Alon’s own reflection.
Upon closer inspection, it looked remarkably similar to him.
It wore a heavily tattered coat.
Its face was blurred—perhaps because Alon’s status was too low to perceive it—giving it a hazy appearance similar to a Dragonkin.
[The first.]
[The formula is Defying Heaven (逆天).]
It suddenly uttered those words.