114
114 — Either Way
Silvern's laughter rang loudly throughout the gathering. The already heavy air shook violently, and that alone was enough to make one's skin ache.
"Tsk, it really won't work after all."
Kalesian didn't seem particularly shocked, as if he had already expected to be rejected.
Leaving him behind, Jin-woo leaped up. His black cloak fluttered as it cut through the air that shook like an earthquake.
From the cloak spread by the wind, a hand gripping a sword appeared. Jin-woo finally reached Silvern, who was made of shadows, and thrust his sword forward, slashing through that form.
—Kil kil kil!
Even while being cut and split apart, that creature's laughter never ceased. The thickly melted shadow burst with a pop, scattering black water all around.
The black water melted down onto the World Tree, onto the domain the World Tree had spread, and onto Akram's fire, carving all sorts of curses and hatred into them.
—Kil kil…….
The laughter gradually grew distant, and instead, the sound of terrible calamity rose through the black water.
An evil noise that would burst the eardrums and cover the entire body with disease if an ordinary person merely heard it. What blocked it was Kalesian.
"Hup!"
The mana he spread coated the vicinity like a coating, deflecting the black water.
No matter how great a Dragon's curse might be, it was merely a curse left behind by a single avatar before dying. Kalesian was also a Dragon, and deflecting such a curse was nothing to him.
After the storm-like encounter passed, the world brightened again.
The party's damage was almost nonexistent. The World Tree was also fine. But only worry remained.
"He swore to mana that he would devour us all…… What will happen?"
"Just as he said. Even if we're lucky enough to escape from here, it means he'll chase us until we die."
"Ugh."
That was a declaration. A declaration made in his own name.
Even if Jin-woo and Kalesian came up with an amazing method to escape from the forest, that creature would chase them. Because if he didn't keep his own oath, he would lose his name and existence.
That meant that either that creature or themselves—one of the two had to see their end here.
***
They had encountered a Dragon, but nothing had changed.
Jin-woo still prioritized growing the World Tree and tried to expand its domain.
'Even if we fight, we have to fight in our territory.'
The forest was entirely that creature's territory. There would be nothing more foolish than confronting a Dragon in the Dragon's land.
First, they had to solidify their own land, and the World Tree was sufficiently laying that foundation.
Chwaak—!
Into the rapidly expanding domain of the World Tree, Dragon Tooth Soldiers invaded day after day.
To intercept them, not only Jin-woo and Kalesian but also the spirits were deployed, somehow driving them away.
The spirits didn't have the power to face Dragon Tooth Soldiers alone, but when several worked together, they could sufficiently handle them. Moreover, with the World Tree's assistance, even more so.
"Haap!"
The arrow Rachel shot pierced through a Dragon Tooth Soldier's chest. It was something made by carefully sharpening a branch the World Tree had dropped into an arrow.
—Kkeogeo-geok!
With creaking sounds, the Dragon Tooth Soldier collapsed, and Rachel made a bright expression. An expression mixing pride and accomplishment.
Not just her, but the other spirits also successfully repelled the attacking Dragon Tooth Soldiers. After confirming this, Jin-woo briefly returned to where the World Tree was.
There too, various spirits were present, circling around the tree and playing.
He had thought that Fire Spirits wouldn't get along with a tree, but that wasn't the case. The World Tree loved all spirits equally and bestowed mercy upon them.
Besides, it wasn't a tree that would burn from the power of small spirits anyway.
—Human!
—It's a human!
When Jin-woo approached, everyone scattered in a hurry. They hid far away in the bushes, only poking their heads out to observe this side—it seemed Jin-woo's presence was still awkward for them.
'It can't be helped.'
These were beings who had lived for hundreds of years cut off from the outside world, only within their own flames.
The only beings they had encountered were Silvern's Dragon Tooth Soldiers, so outsiders were bound to feel awkward.
Knowing the circumstances, Jin-woo also didn't force himself to approach them. Besides, he didn't have time to play around comfortably anyway.
Jin-woo placed his hand on the World Tree.
Soon, information about the domain the World Tree had seized flowed in through that connection.
'It's getting faster and faster.'
The expansion speed kept getting faster. If at first it was as slow as a turtle crawling, now it was about the speed of a deer strolling leisurely.
As the domain widened and lengthened, the expansion speed also steadily increased.
Not only that.
'It's extending concentrically in one direction.'
The World Tree's land was spreading in a shape closer to an ellipse rather than a circle.
It was clearly pointing in one direction. Jin-woo thought that direction was where Silvern was located.
'Because before that, it was circular.'
Before encountering Silvern, the domain had spread in a circle without any particular direction. But after encountering that creature and reaching a situation where they had to fight to the death, it began extending concentrically in one direction.
The World Tree also understood this situation and was making the best judgment.
'Anyway, it's easy for now.'
Rather, it was so easy that it was strange. The only interference that came were always the same groups of Dragon Tooth Soldiers as usual.
Their numbers were quite large, but it wasn't enough to trouble Jin-woo and Kalesian. The World Tree's influence was also growing, and with the Fire Spirits joining in, Dragon Tooth Soldiers alone could no longer stop them.
Even so, there was no action from the other side. That was endlessly worrisome.
"How is the situation?"
At that moment, Kalesian, who had finished a round of patrol, landed beside Jin-woo.
"It's easy. More than I thought."
"Hmm. Is he waiting for us?"
"Just staying still like this?"
"He might be that confident."
Though he said this, Kalesian was feeling something similar to Jin-woo.
For someone who had even made a declaration of war, the opponent was too quiet. It would be strange not to feel uncomfortable.
"What do you think as a fellow Dragon?"
"As I just said, it might be because he's full of confidence. Most Dragons are incredibly arrogant, you know. Maybe he's even sleeping."
"What? Sleeping?"
"Dragons live for far too long, but their eyes for grasping the world are too quick in comparison. Therefore, they quickly lose interest in everything and spend most of their years sleeping."
Jin-woo asked.
"I don't think I've seen Kalesian sleeping much."
"That's because I still have many subjects of interest left. I've just set foot in the Spirit Realm as well as Earth."
It meant he hadn't run out of interesting things enough to sleep yet.
While accepting that explanation, Jin-woo asked again. He couldn't just think about such fortunate cases.
"Then that's fortunate, but what if it's not?"
"If it's not……."
There were largely two possible cases to consider. Either excessively arrogant or.
"He might have thoroughly set traps."
Or excessively meticulous.
Seeing Kalesian being more wary of the latter, Jin-woo touched his sword. The Nebula Sword imbued with the power of Erosion.
He had been keeping that power contained, thinking it might interfere with the World Tree's expansion, but if there were traps everywhere as Kalesian said, he might have to use it.
'How this power and the newly grown World Tree will react.'
He recalled the World Tree roots that had craved Erosion, which he had seen in Belen Village in the past. He couldn't assert that the same thing wouldn't happen again.
***
Deep in the forest. There was a damp place where not a single ray of sunlight entered.
In the dense jungle, sap and fluids dripped down, and the floor was fully covered with moss, making it slippery. This place, where musty fishy smells and moldy odors stung the nose, was where Silvern crouched and slept.
The Water Dragon's lair.
Kurururu…….
With a small throat sound, he slowly opened his eyes.
The impudent beings who had invaded his land were bothersome, but the land they had invaded was still only an extremely small part.
It wasn't even an event worth opening his eyes for, yet he had awakened because of another guest.
[ The Dragon of the Great Forest has become quite pathetic. Unable to easily swallow such small fry. ]
—Rondar.
What had come to find him was a warrior who had once nearly taken his head, Rondar.
A being who had fought for seven days and nights in the past, each aiming for the other's neck, but had to part without settling the matter.
Each had more than one or two grudges, so they couldn't fight more and had to separate, but that didn't mean their hostility had disappeared.
Indeed, Silvern's eyes looking at him still held vivid killing intent.
If what had appeared was real, he would have bitten him immediately.
—What brings you here. From the looks of it, you're not here to fight again.
Rondar's form was whitish and unclear. It meant his main body was in a very distant place, sending only his thoughts.
Even though it was only unclear thoughts, the fact that it could penetrate Silvern's forest and invade even his lair was enough to make one imagine how intense it was.
[ Something interesting seemed to have happened to an old enemy, so I came to see. ]
—Your news is fast. I know you're in a very distant place, so how did you know and come so quickly?
The whitish form didn't answer that question. Only a sound like a slight laugh leaked out.
[ It would be good to wake up quickly. They're not opponents you can face in such a state. ]
Silvern's eyelids twitched, and he raised his body a little more. Then he glared intensely at Rondar.
—Did you come to scratch my pride? Do you think I would believe that the dwarf Dragon is that much?
[ Not the dwarf Dragon, but the human with the sword. ]
—…….
Silvern knew the purpose for which Rondar had sent his thoughts to this distant place. He had sent them to awaken him from his sleep-intoxicated state.
However, even knowing the purpose, he couldn't understand the reason.
—I can't understand. Did you really come just to say such things?
[ I'd like you to rampage more spectacularly if possible. ]
Master of the Great Forest. The one who ruled the largest forest even in the Spirit Realm.
The fully awakened master of the forest would wage an even more frenzied battle, and the blood shed at the end of that battle would spread much more extensively.
The end of a sleep-intoxicated Dragon wouldn't shake the Spirit Realm at all. However, a mad Dragon rampaging and being subjugated would strike the entire Spirit Realm just as intensely.
But all of this was predicated on the case where a fully awakened Silvern would be defeated.
—How foolish!
Silvern scoffed. Such a thing couldn't be possible.
How could a half-baked Dragon and a human holding a toothpick-like sword take his head!
—Do you think a worthless human could do what even you couldn't manage to me!
[ ……. ]
At Silvern's roar, Rondar fell silent.
He was the one who had awakened him from sleep to make him use all his strength, but he wasn't certain of Jin-woo's victory.
He simply didn't care either way.
It would be good if Jin-woo's prowess and the sword he possessed became widely known in the Spirit Realm by taking Silvern's head, and conversely, it wouldn't matter if Jin-woo was defeated.
[ I'll just have to wait once more. ]
After a long wait, he had come. But if that achievement turned out to be more lowly than expected and he died, he would just have to wait again.
The cycling river of reincarnation would someday bring him back to this Spirit Realm again.