Chapter 182
Chapter 182
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 182
Chapter Title: The Final Dragon (1)
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Kadim clasped Ilenia's hand.
He decided to set aside his lingering resentment from seeing the gift she'd brought from her church, at least for now. All the information she'd shared had been true, after all. Meeting Melissa without proper preparation had been a blatant mistake. And letting his emotions run ahead and ruin everything? That was a blunder he only needed to make once.
And so, the barbarian warrior, the merchant, the dragonkin, the black panther, the dark elf, and the priest of the Forgotten God disguised as an archaeologist.
The utterly mismatched group escaped the World Tree with ridiculous ease.
Guuuuung—!!
No desperate chase with the guardians. No meddling from the belatedly awakened great archmage. Ilenia simply chanted a prayer to summon a distant warp in space, and they leaped through. That was it.
Guuuuuuk—!
The priest of the Forgotten God waited until everyone had passed, then sealed the rift. The barbarian's gaze, laced with hollow frustration, fixed on her.
"If you had something like this, why the hell did we go through all that chaos when we first entered the Great Forest?"
"...This holy spell of mine can only connect to places I've personally visited at least once. And as you saw, it requires prior work to conceal us from the 'Watching Eyes.' But that preparation is so massive and limited in method that..."
"..."
It made sense, he had to admit.
Just before using her dark holy magic, Ilenia had veiled the "sun" to evade divine retribution. The surreal miracle, like a total eclipse, had left many in awe.
Of course, she hadn't actually moved the heavens. The truth was a simple illusion: slicing off a massive piece of blackout cloth and unfurling it across the sky to temporarily blot out the sun. Considering the scale and effectiveness, calling it "just an illusion" might even undersell it...
"This blackout veil is a holy relic bestowed upon us by the one who leads our church. Truth be told, this was my first time using it, so I was half-doubting whether it could truly fend off heavenly punishment... I'm just glad it proved effective without issue."
Ilenia said as she stowed the remaining cloth in her bag.
Coincidentally, it was the pitch-black fabric Duncan had secretly peeked at while rummaging through her bag earlier. He'd thought it was just packing material to hide the contents, but it turned out to be an impressive holy relic too. Kadim let out a dry chuckle.
The group had arrived in a cave dimly lit by faintly glowing luminous stones. Still shaking off their daze, they were suddenly swarmed by strangers. They resembled elves but were paler, with harsher features.
Dark elves.
"N-No way... Lady Lilia, is that really you?"
"Apostle Lilia!! You're safe!!"
Krrrarrr...
As the crowd approached the girl perched on his back, the black panther—Parneo—instinctively bristled with hostility. The dark elves froze in surprise.
"...W-What's that thing? A druid? Woodskin freak?"
"Why's one of the great archmage's lackeys here...?"
"Damn it, are they trying to kidnap Lady Lilia again, all the way out here...?"
Krrruk, krrrar...
The mood turned hostile in an instant. Just before a clash, Lilia stepped forward to intervene.
"Everyone, stop! Lord Parneo is the benefactor who helped me escape confinement. And Parneo, you should drop the shapeshift now too! You're out of the World Tree—staying like that might 'naturalize' you for good!"
Krrrarrr...
He bared his teeth, putting on a fierce front, but it was clear he was at his limit. The boy druid soon shed his ferocious beast form and collapsed in a heap. Realizing their foe was just a green kid, the dark elves scratched their heads awkwardly.
With the exhausted Parneo carted off to rest, the commotion settled. The dark elves, now rid of the interloper, shared an emotional reunion with Lilia.
The sight of the bedraggled girl drew quite the reactions from her dark elf kin. Words of comfort for her hardships were the least of it—some sobbed apologies for failing to protect her, others collapsed in tears, unsure if it was dream or reality... The crowd grew so chaotic that Remillion had to step in and control access.
"Listen up, I get how you all feel, but back off for now! Lilia needs rest!"
"Is it really, really the Apostle?!"
"Just one glimpse of your face, please! Just once, and we'll leave!"
"..."
Watching the scene, Kadim narrowed his eyes.
By the looks of it, they'd arrived at the dark elves' lair. The contact who'd relayed word to the Forgotten God cult was one of them, so it wasn't surprising. But the true identity of this girl prophet nagged at him. From their confinement talks and her current state, he had some guesses...
Verifying the truth was simple: ask her directly.
"Hey, got a question."
Pushing through the throng to Lilia drew every dark elf eye instantly. Bracing for trouble like before, Kadim hardened his expression.
What happened was the exact opposite.
"Th-This one is..."
"No way, no way... This must be the..."
The dark elves stirred even more wildly at the sight of Kadim. Lilia nodded, sealing their agitation.
"Yes, rejoice, everyone. The Warrior of Revelation, who illuminated truth more clearly than the brightest light by the decree of the Darkness... has finally come to us."
"The Warrior of Revelation!"
"Warrior of Revelation!!"
"He's... the Warrior of Revelation...?"
Even the hesitant ones fell in line after Remillion chimed in.
"This is definitely the same guy who faced the dragon 300 years ago and saved my life. He didn't quite slay it, but he left the great archmage a broken mess. And the 'Dream of the World Tree,' which dragonfire could only scorch? He tore right through it barehanded."
"I-Is that true? How did he leave the great archmage unconscious...?"
"Impossible—the 'Dream of the World Tree' is a separate realm you can never escape once inside..."
"What are you waiting for? Bow to the Warrior of Revelation!"
"Oh, Darkness of truth that opens vistas grander than the sun... Thank you, thank you..."
The dark elves prostrated themselves like falling reeds, bowing deeply with faces overflowing in ecstasy.
"..."
Kadim scowled, thinking a fight would've been preferable.
*
In the cave depths, a sealed chamber with the Forgotten God's sigil carved into the ceiling.
Gathered around a table hewn from rock were all who'd escaped the World Tree—everyone except the carted-off elf boy. Lilia, now changed out of her rags into black priestly robes, stood at the center and surveyed the group.
"You all must have many questions, but first, allow me a proper introduction."
Her milky eyes flickered with steely resolve.
"My name is Lilia. I am the true Keeper of the World Tree, serving my mother Hesilia, who slumbers in an eternal dream; the apostle of the Forgotten God who spread the faith of darkness to the elves who left the World Tree's embrace. And now, with the elves bereft of mystery, I am their last great archmage."
"..."
Only Remillion, who'd known her identity beforehand, remained composed. The rest were dumbfounded by the cascade of titles. Even Duncan, who'd pegged her as mad during confinement, and Ilenia gaped in shock.
Kadim had half-guessed her prior identities. The one that truly piqued him was another.
"...Didn't you say last time you were Melissa's 'sister'?"
"Yes, that's correct too."
"Never thought dark elves and humans could be blood kin."
"Sisterhood isn't forged solely in one womb. She shared her blood with me, and I gave her knowledge thicker than blood... Once, we were sisters in every way that mattered."
"..."
Lilia gazed bitterly into the distant past for a moment, then lifted her head to face the present.
"While I was away, the dragon's ally spread word beyond the Great Forest and gathered you all. We've come from different lands, different bloodlines, different faiths, endured different eras. Yet I believe we share one goal now."
"..."
"Stopping the great archmage Melissa, who has become the 'World-Scorching Cataclysm.' And... sealing the rift to hell before it collapses, saving this world from annihilation."
The air grew heavy, like gathering storm clouds.
The mood sobered. Spoken by a seer of futures, the vague doom felt all too real. Duncan hesitantly asked if she'd dreamed of the world's end. Lilia shook her head.
"No, Hesilia forbade me visions of that point. Outside the World Tree, I can no longer dream prophecies anyway."
"..."
"But the future converges from the footprints of the past. By reflecting on history, we can predict and prepare for what lies ahead. So before we speak of futures... let me share all I know of the past."
About Melissa and herself, elves and dark elves—what had truly happened in the Great Forest.
Lilia took a deep breath and began.
"It started about 230 years ago, when my sister first set foot in the Great Forest..."
*
One human entered the Great Forest.
Typically, such a tale ends with the intruder lost and dead, toyed to death by capricious spirits, or pierced by elven arrows. But this time unfolded differently. The human was a mage who had attained mastery over mystery.
The great archmage brushed aside all perils and reached the forest's heart. Her purpose was straightforward: the World Tree's unstable layers made it the ideal site for her researched 'grand magic.'
The forest's natives, the elves, eyed her warily. They decried her stubby ears as harbingers of doom, pulling every petty exclusion. But one elf was different. In an era when elves still wielded mystery and mana, the young female mage of greatest achievement.
'I wondered where all the forest spirits had gone... and here they were. Quite the prickly bunch, yet they're all so meek around you... You must be one hell of a mage.'
'...'
'Hm? This is... a magic circle you designed? Amazing. I never imagined mystery runes could be used like this...'
That was Lilia's first encounter with Melissa.
Melissa didn't open up right away—too scarred by elven scorn. But sensing no malice, she gradually lowered her guard. Moreover, building the 'grand magic' desperately needed a mystery expert like herself. Lilia fit perfectly.
Lilia and Melissa bonded swiftly. Their shared pursuit of mystery bridged species divides. Days passed with Lilia aiding the grand magic's research and construction, Melissa teaching arcane lore in return.
Her kin condemned mingling with those stubby-eared humans, but Lilia paid no heed. The Melissa she saw was guarded and world-weary, yet pure of heart. Plus, Melissa's tutelage spurred Lilia's rapid ascent...
Yet while lavishing priceless magical knowledge, Melissa withheld her backstory and the grand magic's nature. She'd torn down nearly every wall, but that final barrier stood unyielding for years.
What breached it was mortality's inexorable curse, inescapable to all life.
Melissa preserved her youth through magic but found no key to endless life. Her complexion paled, death's shadow flickering in her eyes. Unable to watch this genius fade, Lilia made her fateful choice.
'Melissa, drink this blood. I just drew it.'
'...What?'
'They say humans gain years from elven blood. You absolutely cannot die like this.'
Her sacrifice extended Melissa's life. Moved by the elf's selfless gift, Melissa shattered her last wall. They became sworn sisters, and she revealed every truth.
Lilia reeled at first from the mad notion of opening gates to other worlds for a lost love...
'Don't worry, Melissa. No matter what, I'll help you to the end. So you can find the one who left.'
'...Lilia.'
...But ultimately, she was swayed by the pure, girlish devotion and chose to stand by her.
Had she known the consequences, she might not have decided so readily.
Two epochal archmages united, and the grand magic progressed smoothly. They devised new theories and rites, condensed and stored mana from across the continent, etched vast arrays kilometers wide...
Thus, after a decade...
With all preparations complete, Melissa at last unleashed the 'grand magic.'
*
"Hold on—one part I don't get."
The quiet tale halted. Kadim eyed Lilia dubiously.
"So you knew Melissa was deliberately opening a rift to 'hell' and still helped? Just to aid her search?"
Lilia's hazy eyes widened in dismay.
"Did Melissa... say that? That she intentionally opened a rift to 'hell'?"
"..."
Kadim slowly nodded.
A bitter smile twisted her pale lips. With a regretful shake of her head, Lilia revealed the truth.
"That was a lie. Melissa had no idea the rift led to hell. I swear by primordial darkness—if she'd known where it connected... she never would have cast the grand magic."
"..."
Kadim clenched his fist until his knuckles whitened.
One fragment of the truth Melissa had hidden in her heart came into view.
Lilia steadied her ragged breath and continued.
"...What followed, you can likely guess. The completed grand magic didn't link to another world—it tore open a gate to hell. Demons rampaged, plunging the continent into chaos."
"..."
"Not an excuse by any means, but Melissa and I poured our souls into containing that horror. I offered my lifespan, body, senses, and knowledge to summon Hesilia's descent... And Melissa... she..."
"..."
"...Leaped into 'hell' herself, single-handedly slaughtering demons for decades while searching for a way to seal the rift."