novelraw Chapter 58 : The World Tree and the Demon Beasts (1) RAW
Chapter 58 : The World Tree and the Demon Beasts (1) RAW
Chapter 58: The World Tree and the Demon Beasts (1)
I watched as someone fell from the sky. It made no sense — people did not have wings; how could someone fall from the heavens?
Dust billowed up at the point of impact, as if an explosion had gone off. How high had they fallen from?
With my vision still unsteady, I looked ahead.
By the time the dust began to clear, I saw—
Wings and horns like a devil’s. An ominous aura flickering over the whole body.
Then it happened.
“All troops!!”
“All troops!!”
Irena and Riolfolt shouted with wide eyes.
“Repel the demon beasts!!”
“Protect your comrades from the lingering malice of the Evil God!”
Demon beasts.
At that one word the soldiers’ expressions changed.
There was no sign of panic. These were troops who had marched expecting war; they had been willing to risk their lives from the start.
No one was flustered by a sudden change of situation.
Tat-tat-tat!
The withdrawing soldiers took their positions. They glared at the demon beasts to their left and right.
Hundreds of thousands of human and elf soldiers faced off against the demon beasts. Yet no one felt safe.
Demon beasts were creatures that only knights could safely bring down. Ordinary soldiers, even in their hundreds or thousands, could not handle one.
There seemed to be hundreds of those demon beasts. Just what I could glimpse numbered in the hundreds. In truth, there might be over a thousand.
I swallowed.
Silence fell across the battlefield; the sound echoed clearly to the other soldiers.
Watching that scene, I thought, ‘Ira, so he finally moved.’
What I had feared had finally come to pass.
‘I didn’t think he would give up Rahan and Lenel so easily.’
I hadn’t expected him to bring hundreds of demon beasts… but we had enough soldiers on our side too. It wouldn’t be impossible to stand and fight.
The problem began now.
“As expected, you brought the Prison Forest Ground.”
Huuuk—!
At those words a man appeared. Every soldier on the field saw him.
A predator that devoured humans without hesitation.
A humanoid demon beast.
They had been creatures known to only a few humans, and now one stood before us in person.
“Humans, because you interfered, I could not accomplish my original goal,” Ira said in a chilling voice. A creepy killing intent flowed from his whole body.
“Uwaaah!”
Under that aura the soldiers retched. It was an almost monstrous force. Human willpower could hardly endure it.
Besides, humanoid demon beasts were unknown beings.
A creature unlike the demon beasts we had known until now stood before us. The soldiers naturally fell into confusion.
Ira spoke again.
“Riolfolt, king of the elves. Hand over the Prison Forest Ground. If you comply peacefully, I promise there will be no harm.”
“…Do you expect me to obey that?”
“You may refuse. You who have lived your whole life in the Great Forest have finally come out. I will not miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Riolfolt let out a cold breath.
The Great Forest had repelled countless demon beast attacks. It was not because the elves were exceptionally skilled.
It had simply been the protection of the World Tree’s barrier handed down for millennia.
‘I guessed that trouble would come once they left the barrier…’
Riolfolt furtively surveyed the surroundings with his half-open eyes.
‘This situation was worse than I imagined.’
I had expected them to face at most a few dozen demon beasts. Hundreds were another matter. And the Demon King’s Seven Apostles were even present. It was obvious that getting through this would be difficult.
“Can you do it?”
At that moment Irena turned to Ira. A sneer twisted the cold line of her mouth.
“Have you forgotten the humiliations you suffered at the Empire’s hands? You struggled even against a hundred soldiers. Do you think you can defeat hundreds of thousands of troops?”
“Empress, it was your discovery of the High Elves that brought Riolfolt out; thanks to that we gained access to the World Tree’s power. As a return, I will give you one piece of advice.”
“Advice? Don’t spout nonsense. Your forces are at most equal to twenty knights. They’ll slaughter the beasts you brought and will easily cut you down. I should be the one giving advice: if you want to live, get out of here.”
Her voice crackled like fire, and a killing intent underlined her words. Irena’s point was valid.
There was a vast difference between a proto-knight and a full knight. Twenty knights were easily worth more than a hundred proto-knights. One could not help but underestimate the other.
Ira knew that, too. He was the one who had killed three knights. He could not be ignorant.
But his face remained calm.
Then he spoke.
“Still ignorant of the truth? Empress, would someone who rules the Empire be so foolish? The walls of the Empire, secure for a thousand years, will collapse today.”
At that moment Ira waved his arm once, as if brushing away a fly.
Simultaneously, countless fireballs shot up over the soldiers.
Huuuuung—!!
Among magicians, those who had reached the very pinnacle knew a spell called “메테오” — the “Meteor.” I had heard it was a magic that summoned a wandering meteor from the depths of space.
The tales said it called down a stray rock that drifted aimlessly through the cosmos.
A single one could level an entire city. Now, dozens of such spells were falling from the sky.
“This is…….”
Irena muttered. Confusion colored her voice; her eyes trembled as if she had encountered something unexpected.
“Still don’t understand? Empress, I did not avoid you that day. Empress who had her name stolen by the World Tree, did you think I would not know what you would do if you met the High Elves?” Ira said.
At those words Irena looked at Ira. His eyes were full of exultation, his smile tainted with madness.
Seeing that expression, Irena’s face contorted.
“You, from the start, were mocking Her……!”
“Mocking? Did you think she was worth that much to me? Don’t make a fuss just because I used her for a moment.”
He had used colossal spells dozens of times. Yet Ira showed no sign of fatigue. It meant that such grand magic did not weigh on him.
Irena bit her lip hard. It was a reaction anyone could understand.
He had been the Emperor trying to reclaim the Empire’s name. Yet not only had he nearly shattered the peace their ancestors had barely built — he had now brought humanity to the brink of danger.
‘Serves you right,’ Irena thought angrily.
‘I underestimated the demon beasts. I thought I knew well enough how dangerous a humanoid demon beast was…’
She clicked her tongue.
“Riolfolt.”
“Speak.”
“Those creatures said they would seize the World Tree’s power, didn’t they? Do you know their aim?”
“The revival of the Demon King. According to records, they are called the Demon King’s Seven Apostles. They care for nothing but resurrecting the Demon King. That must be why they covet the World Tree’s power.”
“Is that so. Then can you destroy the Prison Forest Ground’s entrance?”
Riolfolt looked at Irena. Surprise flickered across his face.
“Are you serious? This is a chance to restore the Empire’s name, to reclaim your true power.”
“I am not stupid. This time I made a foolish choice. But that does not mean I will respond foolishly. Demon beasts are humanity’s enemy. Even if it costs the Empire’s, or my own, gain, we must not hand the World Tree’s power to them.”
“…….”
Riolfolt’s eyes sank low. He seemed to be weighing truth from falsehood.
Then he spoke.
“Hold on for five minutes.”
“Do you think I will wait?”
At that moment, without any sign, Ira grabbed Riolfolt’s throat.
“Gah—!”
Riolfolt let out a painful groan. At the same time, Amon drew a dagger from his chest.
“Get lost.”
Bang—!!
Amon’s new form was thrown backward. Ira had done nothing more than stare.
That single look had been enough to shatter Amon’s momentum.
“What the—!”
Irena cried out in astonishment. Amon had been a mid-to-upper level strength among the knights. He was of a different caliber than the knights Ira had felled before.
Yet he had been subdued in an instant. Irena stared wide-eyed at the unbelievable scene.
“Why? Can’t believe it, can you?”
Ira sneered at her. He slowly lifted Riolfolt and said,
“How foolish. Did you think I killed those three knights by chance? You dared oppose me with only a single knight — you deserved to die.”
Ira tightened his grip. Riolfolt’s face drained of color in an instant. His trembling body gave off the frantic gasps of someone clawing at survival.
“Riolfolt, king of the elves. Once you were favored by the Great One. I do not wish to inflict you undue pain. Open the Prison Forest Ground quietly.”
“…….”
Riolfolt glared at Ira fiercely. The murderous intent in his eyes made Ira snort.
“Is that so? Then I will respect your wishes.”
Thud—!
At the words, Ira’s hand pierced Riolfolt’s abdomen. It was an obvious strike aimed at a vital point. Riolfolt’s breath would end soon.
“My king!”
The elves moved desperately, but their strength could not reach Ira.
A small barrier had appeared around Ira.
“Stay still and wait. If you wish to avoid seeing Riolfolt die.”
At the icy warning, the elves froze like obedient hounds. Ira addressed them as if they were well-trained.
“Good, how obedient.”
They glared back with bloodshot eyes, hatred and murderous intent boiling up.
Had they not known mana, those eyes would have stopped one’s heart. Even with that chilling aura, Ira only smiled.
“If you wait a little, I will release him nicely.”
Then Ira began to manipulate Riolfolt’s body slowly.
‘Indeed, the High Elves possess almost dragon-level mana circuits. Complex. It will take longer than I thought to open the Prison Forest Ground.’
Ira, a master of magic, could control another’s mana. There was, of course, a condition: he had to touch the target’s internal organs.
‘This method cannot be used on ordinary humans. Fragile humans die too easily. But High Elves are different.’
Thump— thump—
I felt Riolfolt’s heartbeat. It was slowing bit by bit, but still lively. Truly a High Elf. His physical robustness rivaled a knight’s.
“Hold on a little longer. I am gradually finding the Prison Forest Ground’s magic. Soon I will make you comfortable.”
Then—
Flash—!
A change crossed Ira’s eyes. At the same time, a crack began to form behind Riolfolt.
Crackle, crackle—!
‘Finally!’
Ira’s face filled with exhilaration.
Thud—!
He withdrew the hand that had pierced Riolfolt’s abdomen. A massive bleed poured from the wound. If it were not staunched immediately, Riolfolt would die from blood loss.
“My king!”
An elf shouted in panic. The cry was a desperate plea, as if begging Ira to spare Riolfolt.
Ira paid them no mind. He only gazed, rapt, at the crack before him.
“Finally, I can obtain the means to free Him.”
With those words, Ira slowly stepped into the crack.