Hyperion's Descent
The grotesque tree that had transformed the Eiffel Tower.
It was the tree of Klyphoth, the core of the inverse world that lay on the backside of reality.
How displeasing.
Nyx made no effort to hide her hostility, and with good reason. The taboo tree inverted the very principles and order of the world. As the goddess who ruled the night, merely gazing upon the abomination that had swallowed the Eiffel Tower felt like the denial of her own existence.
“Fateful reunion, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, you damn bastard.”
“Please refrain from statements that lack any shred of dignity.”
“Says the man reeking of a disgusting stench.”
I waved my right hand through the air as if clearing away a foul odor.
“Disgusting stench? I don’t smell anything.”
“Jiyoung, when we return you’re getting an extra set of training.”
“Hiiing.”
I shot Jiyoung a light glare before lifting my gaze back to the top of the tower.
“A structure built upon the prayers of countless people. You used the Eiffel Tower itself.”
“Indeed. France’s greatest pride can serve perfectly as the catalyst to bridge two worlds.”
“If old man Eiffel heard that from his grave, he’d be pounding the dirt in rage.”
It was the story of Gustave Eiffel, the tower’s architect. In my previous life, Rene had summoned the Klyphoth Tree using the exact same method.
The history accumulated on the Eiffel Tower was not particularly long compared to typical holy relics or ancient monuments. Yet in that short span it had gathered overwhelming fame and narrative weight, becoming a global icon. The ‘rank’ it had built up was formidable, and its massive scale made it the perfect vessel to overlap with the Klyphoth Tree.
“Isn’t that right, Rene Davis?”
“You possess a suspiciously vast amount of knowledge regarding Klyphoth.”
“I pick things up here and there.”
“To learn the source of that knowledge, I suppose I’ll have to keep your head attached after all.”
“If you think you can manage it.”
I raised my middle finger straight up and shook it slowly from side to side. Rene Davis frowned at my extremely polite greeting.
“Let us end the pleasantries here.”
He withdrew his body into the lush canopy of leaves.
Tsk. As expected, provocation of this level wasn’t enough.
To retreat in such a manner. How utterly dull.
“It’s rational. For that structure to display its full power, it needs a follower on the level of a Tree-class entity.”
If what you say is true, that hideous tree is about to activate.
“Exactly.”
Rumble!
The world itself began to warp.
The dimensional wall had already collapsed once. The Klyphoth Tree manifested through the Eiffel Tower drew enormous ley-line energy from roots spread throughout Paris’s underground and converted every ounce of it into dark mana. Even without any rearrangement process, the density was so overwhelming it swallowed every trace of surrounding light.
“Master, this looks rather dangerous, doesn’t it?”
A rainbow-tinged barrier enveloped the entire party. Even those with dull senses would feel instinctive fear when faced with the dark mana the Klyphoth Tree had gathered.
Can you guess what trickery it will employ?
“Hard to say. Too many variables. I’ll have to observe.”
Rushing near the Klyphoth Tree now might endanger the entire party. The sheer volume of mana already dwarfed even my own reserves.
So you intend to simply watch? Behavior most unbecoming of this goddess’s contractor.
“That Klyphoth Tree is still incomplete. Once it drains the ley lines, it needs time to prepare for the next cycle.”
The Klyphoth Tree absorbed entire worlds to manifest the inverse realm as the origin of a new dimension. Had the concept been perfectly realized, there would have been no need for such cumbersome preparations. Even in my previous life the tree had never reached completion. Since I already possessed experience fighting it, the wiser course was to observe Rene’s moves and respond accordingly…
“Wait.”
Kwaaaaaaaa!
Dark mana that had dyed the very atmosphere black swirled violently, wrapping around the Klyphoth Tree.
What is that idiotic reaction?
“It’s raising a barrier.”
“Master, isn’t that better than having that insane amount of power dumped on our heads?” Ping Lei asked.
“Have you already forgotten how much we suffered because of the barrier surrounding Paris?”
Ping Lei’s face darkened a beat too late.
“Mr. Yu, is that barrier stronger than the previous wall?”
“You can feel it, can’t you? No need to crash into it to find out.”
“True enough.”
Ellen let out a short hum. “With that much power at his disposal, he chooses pure defense?”
“Hmph! He cowers before this body’s majesty!” Sergei snorted.
I wasn’t so sure about that.
That one surprisingly chose practicality over pride.
“That’s exactly what makes Rene Davis terrifying.”
It had been the same in the Alsace-Lorraine region. Even when I provoked him fiercely by invoking history itself, he never crossed the line. Now that the Klyphoth Tree had manifested, the scope of erosion would only expand with time. Time itself was on Rene’s side.
Then are we to simply watch, unable to pierce that barrier?
“Even the Klyphoth Tree doesn’t possess infinite power. Once the dark mana allocated to defense runs dry, we can strike.”
In short, a battle of time.
“Once the tree gathers dark mana again it will reactivate the barrier… so we must destroy it before then.”
Barrier maintenance time — 282 minutes.
Time until next dark mana accumulation — 340 minutes.
Rough estimates based on Thomas’s analytical abilities.
“Too short, yet also far too long.”
We would have to wait nearly five hours. After the barrier dropped we would only have roughly one hour to break through. Although we had already removed Jean Durke and Nadia Cassel, more than half of Arme Rouge’s total forces remained intact. Most importantly, Rene Davis himself was still in perfect condition. If the Klyphoth Tree resumed producing dark mana, the party—already exhausted from combat—would struggle to endure.
“I really didn’t want to use this method.”
I swept my hair back. Being dragged along by Rene’s pace would mean surrendering the initiative. That was unacceptable. From the moment Dreistres owed the guild a debt all the way to the foot of the Eiffel Tower, we had crushed his schemes one by one. There was no chance we would lose momentum here.
“Can you help me?”
Hoh, it seems your resolve is firm.
“To strike at the vital point, this is the only way.”
I gathered the entire party, goddess included.
* * *
I exhaled deeply after a long inhale. Even someone who had experienced every kind of battle felt tension at a moment like this.
A colossal structure wrapped in jet-black currents. After one final glance at the Klyphoth Tree overlaid upon the Eiffel Tower, I clenched both eyes shut.
Darkened vision. Concentration sharpened to its limit.
Demonic Power
All stats converted into Magic Power.
The familiar sensation of helplessness washed over me, but I focused on the flow of mana gathering at my heart.
Thump— Thump—
The Primordial Dragon Heart beat joyfully, brimming with vast mana. The fullness of power felt so clear it seemed I could grasp it. The moment of manifestation would bring an omnipotent feeling capable of crushing the world itself.
“Goddess.”
Heh heh. Simply trust in this goddess, my partner.
Yes. What I was about to do was a gamble that required someone I could entrust with everything I possessed.
Success rate, roughly fifty percent. Not precise data, merely an intuitive probability measured from the experiences accumulated across both lives.
Therefore, I had to focus.
“Everyone, remember what I said earlier.”
“When Mr. Yu nullifies the barrier, we charge in?”
“Right. We must at least get inside the tree.”
Rene’s prepared measures. To prevent the Klyphoth Tree from functioning properly, we needed to close the distance. At the same time we had to keep the enemy’s aggro fixed on us. A complex operation. Nyx and Jiyoung would guard my side.
Deus Ex Machina
Visualize the target to manifest.
Output and rank differential. Although I had learned many techniques by devouring various essences, even at my current level I could not break the barrier the Klyphoth Tree had erected at full power. Not even Overdrive would suffice.
In that case…
“I just need to summon something that can break through.”
Muttering to myself, I solidified the image floating in my mind. Beyond the blackened vision, the form of a certain constellation rose.
The very first target I had used Deus Ex Machina on after learning the skill.
Materializing Hyperion
Metal blazed with crimson flames. The first time I had used it, mana deficiency made me cough blood. What tremendous growth. All thanks to converting every stat through Demonic Power.
“Wait, you learned Demonic Power too!?” Sergei exclaimed, pointing in shock.
You were the one who taught me in the previous life. I quickly cleared the distracting thoughts and focused on Hyperion’s image.
Ironically, among all the constellations, he was one of the five I could visualize most clearly. When I had driven a spear into his heart, his divine power had manipulated essences related to time itself. Thanks to that, I had come to understand even the origins and operational principles of the ancient sun god.
Compatibility with the inverse world was excellent as well. As the metal rippled like waves, mana poured out as if poured into a broken jar. My breath grew ragged, but I endured. The Primordial Dragon Heart beat faster, supplying more mana.
My tasks were two: continuously feeding power so the mana never ran dry, and clearly visualizing Hyperion’s form in my mind.
Metal wreathed in scarlet flame gradually took human shape.
Sun God — Hyperion has been materialized.
Manifestation duration: 3 seconds.
Even after converting every stat with Demonic Power, the duration was only three seconds. Truly terrible cost-performance.
『An unpleasant darkness stands before me.』
Hyperion leveled his spear at the Klyphoth Tree. He moved on his own without receiving any order. Having the origin of the sun within him must have triggered instinctive hostility. I could only consider that fortunate.
Supernova
Literal translation: supernova explosion. A spear condensed with the sun’s power shot forward in a straight line. Any darkness that touched the sun god’s flame lost its form and returned to nothingness. Even the dark barrier wrapped around the Klyphoth Tree could not withstand it. The overwhelming power that seemed capable of devouring anything simply melted away before the flames.
The spear pierced the barrier and embedded itself in the Klyphoth Tree.
KWAAAAAAAAANG—!
A deafening roar that seemed capable of shattering the world erupted as pure white light flooded my vision.