Chapter 192
Chapter 192
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 192
Chapter Title: The Flames That Burn the World (6)
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World Tree. At the pinnacle of the elves' god descended upon the earth, that sacred body.
From there raged a cataclysmic battle that made the Great Fire seem dimmer than a candle flame, the Great Storm feebler than a gentle breeze, and the Great Earthquake milder than an aftershock.
―――――― BOOOOM!
WHOOSH! CRACK-BOOM! KABOOOM!
At 1 second, the dragon's breath pierced the massive fireball and slammed into the target. At 1.6 seconds, the teleporting mage unleashed hundreds of lightning bolts. At 3.2 seconds, the dragon barreled straight through the barrage and swept its foreclaw across the ground. At 4.5 seconds, the mage was flung back by the impact, unleashing a wave of pristine hellfire.
――――― RUMBLE! RUMBLERUMBLE!
At 5.4 seconds, the dragon's wingbeat hurled the wave back in reverse. At 7.6 seconds, just before it hit, the mage warped space to swap positions with the dragon. At 7.8 seconds, the dragon faced the wave head-on and devoured the flames in one gulp, then slashed its claws somewhere. At 8.7 seconds, the mage—torn by the prescient strike—gnashed her teeth and erupted a pillar of fire in retaliation.
――――――― SCREEECH!
BAM! BAM! KABOOOOOM!
In less than ten seconds, blows capable of shattering heaven and earth erupted in droves. Lethal trajectories that brooked no survival scorched, slashed, stabbed, and shredded each other. Yet both sides showed no sign of damage, relentlessly hurling murderous intent without end.
Dragon versus Grand Mage—the two supreme beings vying for dominance in the Great Forest at last unleashed a clash worthy of their names.
The aftermath reversed atmospheric flows, inverted the sky's hues, and shook the World Tree's balance. It was regrettable that no being strong enough to witness this historic battle firsthand existed, save for those heavenly gods above.
At a glance, it was impossible to tell who held the edge—an evenly matched duel. But as it dragged on, the scales tipped decisively toward one side. The one cornering their transcendent foe and seizing momentum in the bloody melee was none other than...
The strongest creature on earth: the dragon.
――――――― KABOOOM!
"Ugh..."
――――――― THUD-SPLAT!
"...Hngh!"
Right after being drenched in breath, as she prepared a counterattack, a foreclaw smashed into her body. Melissa barely teleported back from flying beyond the cliff's edge.
Rapustran glared down at the red-haired woman with eyes sharp as blades.
- What paltry mysticism you wield. All this time, you boasted of toppling this dragon with mere parlor tricks like that?
"Heh... heh-heh, heh-heh..."
No special techniques or schemes. Simply through raw power—the strength, speed, and toughness surpassing any other creature—the dragon overwhelmed the Grand Mage with its fundamental prowess.
Yet despite taking repeated lethal hits, Melissa bore no visible wounds.
"Heh, heh-heh... Congratulations, dragon."
- ....
"You just burned away twenty percent of the mana left in this world."
Melissa's unique trait, 'Mana's Blessing'.
Thanks to that ability converting damage into mana consumption, she was practically immortal until the world's mana ran dry.
Rapustran wrinkled its snout, about to retort that it'd erase the remaining eighty percent in no time. Then it noticed something odd and stiffened its scaled face.
- ...What are you? Why, then...
"Heh-heh-heh... Hng, what, what do you mean?"
- ....
It couldn't say it aloud. That would expose their ploy.
Undoing their efforts, Melissa pierced the intent immediately and flashed a sly smile.
"Ah, haha, you're wondering why I didn't chase Kadim when he went to 'Hell,' right?"
- ....
"Well, I thought about it. At first, I was gonna follow and grab him right away. But even though it's a nasty place... someone like Kadim won't die immediately... As long as he's alive, I can always pull him out later... No worry of him escaping elsewhere while he's there... When I weighed it all step by step, I realized something."
- ....
"Do I really need to go grab him right now?"
Seeing the majestic slit pupils waver, her lips twisted into an even snider smirk.
"Besides, if I leave now, you'll all just mess around with the 'World Tree's Dream,' right? Hng, I can't stand watching that. That's where Kadim and I will live from now on... So instead, I'll just slaughter you and your gang without mercy first, then go fetch Kadim."
The plan had gone awry.
The Grand Mage wasn't blindly pursuing the warrior. She was 'less insane' than expected. Or... so far gone into madness that she'd adopted standards beyond mortal reckoning.
Rapustran inwardly cursed the overconfident Kadim who'd devised the plan. But having her see through it didn't reverse the situation.
- You've got a knack for grand delusions and bluster, but I wonder if you have the power to back it. So, how exactly do you plan to 'slaughter' this dragon with your feeble mysticism not worth a spark?
"Like this."
Rapustran whipped its head back.
RUMBLERUMBLE! RUMBLERUMBLE!
Black Flame—a pitch-black fireball devouring light—hovered in the air. Fist-sized with no heat, its very form oozed ominous dread. It was Melissa's hidden dagger, camouflaged in the black sky.
"Earlier, I told you to bring the 'deepest flames of Hell' if you wanted to scratch that body of yours?"
A fact unknown to most of the living: hellfire comes in three main kinds.
The red flames reeking of sulfur: 'Gehenna's Flame.'
The white flames rotting whatever they touch: 'Golgotha's Flame.'
And finally, rising from Hell's most intimate abyss:
The black flames that erase existence: 'Grimo's Flame.'
"...So I brought some. Hope you like it."
WHOOOOOOSH!
At the mage's gesture, 'Grimo's Flame' streaked like a shadow. The air it touched simply vanished, whipping up unstable vortices.
But there was one thing Melissa didn't know...
- [Pa-Hel-Run-Te-Ha!!!]
...A dragon's vision differs from that of other creatures.
―――――― CRACKLERACKLE!
A wave that froze molecular vibrations spread out. The black hellfire solidified like obsidian, then shattered to pieces under one stomp from the dragon.
- ...Not to my taste. Too small, too weak—positively pathetic compared to your impudent tongue.
It had prepared for that hellfire. The red beam signaling 'danger' had clearly lit its vision—impossible to miss. Rapustran snorted dismissively and haughtily looked down.
- No intention of fleeing to Hell, then?
"..."
- Good. Suits me fine. I wasn't keen on leaving the final blow to that dusty minion anyway. Now I can settle it personally.
Its wrinkled scaled maw parted to reveal gleaming, interlocked fangs.
- I'll grind you to dust, not a bone shard left, you worthless speck.
"..."
For the first time, Melissa bit her lip hard, betraying unease.
Lilia and Remillion, along with their dark elf escorts.
The core squad had safely reached their destination near Hesiliad.
An Inferno head dropping from the sky to block the path, or a massive crater forcing a long detour—there were various hurdles along the way... but they'd successfully protected Lilia and broken through head-on.
The top contributors to the operation's success were undoubtedly Ilenia and Duncan. Without them as decoys, they'd still be fleeing breathlessly from the Infernos.
"Will they be alright...? Every Inferno in the forest must be chasing them now..."
"...Don't worry, Lilia. Those two didn't strike me as ordinary. Perhaps the key to overcoming such trials lies with clever young folk like them, not old-timers like us."
Remillion calmly dispelled the concern. Lilia bit her pursed lips and nodded.
As they waited, other reclamation squads trickled in one by one. About a third arrived safely. The sudden Inferno swarm had inflicted heavier casualties than expected. The survivors who'd lost squadmates all bore expressions shadowed by grief.
No time to dwell on sorrow. Remillion hurriedly organized the remnants for a simultaneous push into Hesiliad.
But obstacles barred easy entry into the streets.
――――― KABOOOM! BOOM!
The dragon and Grand Mage's clash shaking heaven and earth from the sky, pulverizing the World Tree.
WHOOSH! RROAR!
World Tree fragments ignited by the shockwaves, still burning with hellfire.
- GRRROOOWL!
- HISS, HIIISSS...
"N-No, no!! Kyaaaaah!!"
And beasts and natural elements prowling the streets, mercilessly slaughtering elves.
The first two were somewhat anticipated, but the last was an utter surprise. Lilia finally deduced the monsters' identities.
"Those are druids... the World Tree's guardians, 'naturalized' like the forest tyrants. They must have... pushed 'mimicry' beyond limits to stop the fires and save citizens, ending up like that."
"..."
The dark elves' faces darkened. Part was dismay, most was terror.
- GRRROOOWL! ROAR!
- RUMBLERUMBLE!
"Kyaaaaah!! H-Help!!"
CRUNCHCRACKLE, WHOOSH!
It was unavoidable. Who could stay composed facing house-sized fiery bears prowling hellfire streets, or ancient trees fertilizing themselves with fresh corpses? The dark elves instinctively backed away.
Lilia surveyed them all, then resolved firmly.
"Everyone. From here, I'll go alone."
"...!"
Eyes widened in shock. Remillion stepped forward to dissuade her.
"What are you saying, Lilia? How could you break through that alone? Better to risk the Grand Mage spotting us—I'll spread my wings and..."
"No, it's fine, friend of dragons. I know you're pushing yourself too hard right now."
"..."
He couldn't deny it. After single-handedly blocking repeated Inferno assaults earlier, Remillion could barely stand, let alone fly.
"We lack the power to fight those monsters anyway. Better to sneak through unseen. Fortunately, I'm the smallest here, so least likely to be spotted."
"N-No, Lady Lilia! Don't say that! We'll escort you to the end, even if it kills us!"
"Right! If need be, we'll sacrifice our lives to draw those monsters' eyes..."
Some dark elves finally spoke up, but Lilia's gaze pierced their true intent. Eyes trembling with unshakeable fear of death.
"..."
No grounds to condemn them.
One life’s end holds the weight of the world's apocalypse to its bearer. And they'd reached here witnessing countless comrades' deaths? Even empty words like theirs deserved gratitude.
"You've all done more than enough. To avoid needless sacrifice, I'll go alone from here..."
But then.
- ROOOAR!
"Gah! Wh-What, what is that!!"
"M-Monster...! It ambushed us out of nowhere..."
"Protect Lilia! The Saintess, protect the Saintess!!"
- Grrrowl, grrr...
Lilia's eyes wavered instead. Her hazy gaze locked on the sudden black panther.
"...Lord Parneo?"
The boy druid finally released his mimicry.
"Grr, huff, huff... Lili, Lilia... You're safe..."
His face was smeared head to toe in ash, tears, and sweat—who knew from where or how desperately he'd run? The dark elves halting their monster-slaying charge stared in bewilderment. Parneo sighed deeply in relief at Lilia's sight, then rushed to the lizardman leader.
"Huff, huff... Friend of dragons, sir! I lived here originally, so I know the streets like the back of my hand! As a guardian, I'm familiar with the World Tree's interior too. And as you just saw, I can mimic a black panther to swiftly evade threats!! No one is more suited to escorting Lilia from here to the World Tree than me!"
"...!"
Remillion brightened as if spotting a path forward. But the calmed dark elves reacted skeptically.
'That brat dares address the Saintess so casually...'
'What about the others in his squad? He alone made it here...'
'How can we trust a tree sprite who followed the Grand Mage to escort the Saintess...'
'He'll turn into one of those monsters any moment...'
Parneo clenched his fists and approached them.
"Former kin! I know exactly what you're thinking!!"
Despite the piercing glares, he didn't retreat a step and shouted.
"Call me a tree parasite clinging to the World Tree if you want!! Or the Grand Mage's lackey, a greenhorn whelp—insult me all you like!!"
"...!"
"But!! My desire to help Lilia is sincere!! Not as the great god's saintess, but as the friend I know— that's true!! Why else would I have freed her from confinement? If you see Lilia as more than a tool!! More than a mere means to draw the Forgotten God's blessing and control the World Tree!! Then you should understand even a speck of my heart!!"
"..."
"If I fail as escort and return, tear me to shreds!! If I turn monster or defect to the Grand Mage, curse me in the Forgotten God's name and rip me apart!! But if you lack that resolve!! Don't dare block me with petty suspicions!!"
A near-scream of a declaration. The boy's words, flushed to his ears and roared out, lacked logic. Yet they carried an indomitable spirit beyond reason. The dark elves could only clamp their mouths shut.
But one alone still opposed the boy.
"Lord Parneo... You don't need to. You've already done enough 'righteous deeds.' From here, I'll atone alone for deceiving you."
Lilia smiled wistfully. Parneo shook his head furiously.
"No, no, no, Lilia... This isn't... because it's the 'right thing.'"
One breath, steadying himself, stepping forward.
"This time... it's not for righteousness. Not pitying you, not because you can save the world... Just because I want to. Just because I want to do it..."
One breath, hand on her faintly trembling shoulder.
"So this is... me wanting to protect you. Of my own will alone. Without clinging to others. Relying solely on my own power to..."
In the eyes of the girl who'd lost over a century, a hazy fragment glistened.
"...This is the 'struggle' I chose, Lilia."
In the eyes of the boy resolved to struggle, a spark like a wasteland sunset blazed.
A burning giant indifferently passed the merchant.
- Grrrumble, grrrumble...
Duncan, expecting hell upon opening his eyes, dazedly watched the receding heels.
"...Huh?"
Then he realized why he'd survived.
Infernos chase mana. He had none. But Ilenia's gift did. Their target was Ilenia and the gift. They hadn't even noticed him.
So if he just fled from here now... he wouldn't have to go to that horrifying hell!
"Oh..."