Climbing the Tower Together
Climbing the tower together.
It wasn't impossible.
Right beneath the World Tree, Uren and David had been a team, after all.
"You and me? On what grounds?"
That had only been possible because those two already knew each other. Most likely they even came from the same world.
Between Do-yun and Elysee, standing right in front of him, no such trust existed.
"I suppose, from your perspective, it does sound suspicious."
Even at his cold reply, Elysee showed not the slightest disappointment. She simply nodded in calm acceptance.
With a soft motion she raised a finger and pointed at him.
Do-yun flinched, thinking she meant to attack—then realized what her finger was truly indicating.
The spirits.
She was looking exactly at the traces of souls dwelling within his body.
"The spirits that have taken root in you. That familiar aura… they must be the children who remained in our world."
"So you're demanding payment?"
Still wary, Do-yun snapped. Elysee said nothing. She simply brought both hands together and bowed her head deeply. Her abundant golden hair spilled over her shoulders, catching the sunlight.
"The opposite. I wanted to thank you for saving them."
While Do-yun closed his mouth at the unexpected response, Elysee lifted her head again and offered a faint smile.
"If the spirits are following you, it means you can't be that bad a person—at least not completely."
Do-yun studied her for a moment. He now understood why she was being so friendly. Yet he could not simply accept that goodwill.
Robin said it, didn't he? That every other elf is a hypocrite.
This could just as easily be an act, using the spirits as common ground. He searched her expression for true intent, but for all her gentle appearance Elysee gave nothing away.
After a pause, Do-yun suddenly spoke.
"Do you know Robin?"
A fine crack ran through Elysee's composure. She frowned, clearly never expecting that name here.
"How do you know that half-wit?"
"I met him after entering the eighth floor."
Do-yun did not stop there; he went straight to the point.
"Robin claimed every other elf is a hypocrite. Anything to say about that?"
"You're taking his word? A man who even received Heavenly Punishment?"
Elysee's tone remained level, yet undisguised contempt shone in her eyes.
"Receiving Heavenly Punishment is proof he broke a vow. Whatever excuse he offers, he is someone who betrayed trust."
Do-yun turned the words over carefully. Robin's emotions had not been false, yet the man had never told him the full story either. In terms of trustworthiness, Robin was hardly reliable.
"I'd like to explain the circumstances in more detail, but that will have to wait."
Before Do-yun could continue weighing the matter, Elysee turned her head. Her gaze dropped downward.
"It seems we have an intruder."
The instant green light gathered at Elysee's fingertips, a broom burst up through the cloud layer far below.
"What are you two doing all the way up here?"
The figure who emerged above the clouds was a witch astride a single broom. An old pointed hat and black cloak covered her; lavender hair streamed behind her as she wore a playful smile.
"If it's a secret chat, mind if I join in~?"
Ranked second in the seventh-floor Hall of Fame.
Shiina of the Skies.
Elysee drew a short breath and murmured quietly,
"I never imagined anyone would think of flying all the way up here."
This was the summit of the World Tree, higher even than the clouds. No matter how confident one was in flight, reaching this altitude was no simple feat; the effort inevitably drained one's power.
"Ah, that? Before I enhanced my Lulu, it might've been a bit much."
Shiina casually patted the broom's handle; the broom vibrated lightly in answer. Elysee seemed not to understand, but Do-yun grasped it at once.
She used the Rune of Evolution on the broom.
Shiina had solved the mana efficiency of flight with the Rune of Evolution, and that was how she had managed to reach this height.
"So? Mind if I join the conversation?"
Behind the smiling Shiina, wavering mana rose like smoke. Absolute Sight told him exactly what skill it was.
Shiina uses Starflame (F)
Mana condensed, and small glittering starlights bloomed one after another. Pure white flames. The tiny, round, star-shaped fires looked ready to pour downward at any moment.
"Don't worry~. Answer just one question and I won't start any fire games."
Shiina grinned mischievously and swung her legs from the broom. Yet the dozens of flames floating behind her did not look playful at all.
"There's only one thing I want to know. Why the hell was this giant tree grown in the first place?"
Coincidentally, that was exactly what Do-yun had been wondering as well. He deliberately took a step back and waited for Elysee's answer.
"Pfft!"
Elysee covered her mouth and burst into laughter. Her eyes curved like crescent moons, as if mocking Shiina.
"Is there any reason I should explain that to you?"
"Fine, fine. So we fight first, is that it?"
Shiina flashed a grin and snapped her fingers. The floating flames behind her plummeted as one. White fires streaked downward like a meteor shower, trailing tails of light.
Even watching them fall, Elysee remained utterly composed.
"This is exactly why I don't associate with people who aren't spiritists."
Elysee turned to Do-yun with a look that held a strange expectation, as if hoping he would agree. In the middle of falling flames, however, it was hardly the time for agreement.
"Aren't you going to stop those?"
Do-yun glanced at the descending fire. He had assumed she would block them; she showed no intention of doing so at all.
"Don't worry."
Elysee stood as calmly as if she were watching a fireworks display. Do-yun wondered if she was only pretending while preparing a counter, yet Absolute Sight detected not the slightest movement of mana.
"Doyun-nim! Is this really okay?"
Ciel fretted and made a fuss. Do-yun himself was about to protest that this was not fine—when
Fsssh.
The falling flames evaporated in an instant. Light and heat vanished without a trace.
Do-yun looked startled, but the true shock belonged to the caster, Shiina.
"Mana nullification? How did you replace the function of a seventh-star barrier?"
"Filthy energy is something nature purifies on its own."
With those words Elysee stretched out her hand. Nearby branches began to grow toward Shiina.
Elysee uses Growth (F)
Thick vines and branches twined together as if possessed of will. In moments they formed a solid prison of layered wooden trunks centered on Shiina.
Shiina uses Starflame (F)
Shiina, of course, did not simply watch. She rained fire from the sky once more, yet again the flames vanished like smoke the moment they touched the vines.
Is it absorbing the mana?
Watching the flow through Absolute Sight, Do-yun only understood the principle on the second attempt. The flames had not disappeared. The World Tree had simply eaten them and made them its own.
Only then did he realize why Elysee had been so leisurely. This was not mere high defense. No matter how spectacular Shiina's bombardment, every attack would only become nourishment that made the World Tree grow stronger.
It's practically invincible, isn't it?
While Do-yun stood dumbfounded, Shiina seemed to grasp the same truth and abandoned a frontal assault. Using the broom's high-speed maneuverability, she slipped through the gaps between the closing branches.
"You dodge quite well."
Elysee spoke with a sarcastic edge. Shiina grinned back.
"Did you really think those slow branches could catch me?"
"Indeed. I suppose I should change methods."
With a serene face Elysee clapped her hands. The World Tree's branches, stretched out in every direction, writhed as one. A green wave surged from all sides, forming a vast cage whose sole purpose was to trap the single bird named Shiina.
The sight was overwhelming beyond words—as if the very will of nature itself were closing in.
"This might be a little tricky."
Even Shiina, who had worn that sly smile until now, let the corners of her mouth fall as she watched. Seated sideways on the broom, she slowly straightened her posture. Lowering her body and gripping the handle with both hands, her eyes changed.
Shiina uses Sky Path (F)
Shiina uses Moonshadow Dash (F)
The moment Shiina finished chaining the skills and prepared to break through the cage, the green wave suddenly froze in place.
Do-yun looked at Elysee in confusion, but she paid him no mind. Her face had gone deathly pale as she stared downward.
"I knew she wasn't in her right mind, but I never imagined it would be this bad."
Following her gaze, Do-yun immediately understood her shock.
"KRAAAAAAH!"
Near the roots of the World Tree, a single worm—its form still clearly visible even from a height where everything else looked like grains of sand—was thrashing wildly, slamming its entire body against the tree.
If that had been all, Do-yun would not have been so alarmed.
Vmmm.
His spirits were flashing madly. They always shone when mana stones were near, yet never had they sent so desperate a signal.
"Don't tell me… those are all mana stones?"
Examining the worm more closely, Do-yun could only close his mouth. The dark protrusions covering its whole body—every last one of them was a mana stone.
Something that could never occur naturally.
Someone made this on purpose.
Monsters heavily influenced by mana stones grew powerful. Turn that around, and it meant someone could deliberately gather mana stones to strengthen a monster.
The realization struck Do-yun with horror at the same moment the worm's cry shook the World Tree once more.