novelraw Chapter 62 : The World Tree and the Demon Beast (5)
Chapter 62 : The World Tree and the Demon Beast (5)
Chapter 62: The World Tree and the Demon Beast (5)
Leon stared blankly ahead. What he saw before him was the Mugeuk he had created.
It was an attack worthy of being called the strike of the Martial God himself. He could have died right there without regret.
Crackle! Crack-crack!
Perhaps because of that, sparks erupted continuously from his body.
They were sparks that looked as though they could char his entire body to ash just by brushing against him.
Leon slowly began to feel the end drawing near.
‘By reaching this high realm, I’ve seen my own mental image. My flesh has grown endlessly fragile, while my spirit has become excessively strong.’
It was what people often called the union of Essence, Energy, and Spirit.
His mortal body couldn’t withstand the level of technique that belonged to a higher realm. Before long, his body would turn to dust and scatter into the air.
Leon looked toward Garan and Amon. When had they come to their senses? The two of them were staring at him with looks of sheer astonishment.
In their eyes, he could feel reverence—a gaze directed toward something beyond human.
‘How regretful.’
He had always wanted to receive such a gaze. Hadn’t he once longed to be someone admired and envied?
But now that he finally received that gaze, it didn’t feel satisfying.
‘Because this isn’t a realm I reached through my own strength.’
In the end, it was only possible because of the power of the god. Everything—from his reaching this realm, to delivering a blow worthy of the Martial God’s strike—had been due to divine intervention.
Just as the bitterness began to gnaw at his chest—
“Leon!”
It was Rahan’s voice. The aftermath of the battle must have been enormous; he seemed to have come here, searching for the source of the shockwave.
“...Ah, Rahan.”
Rahan’s face was pale. It was the face of someone consumed by fear and dread. It seemed he didn’t yet know that the demon beast had already been slain.
Rahan quickly rushed to Leon and spoke.
“What happened here? What’s with those wounds? Where’s the demon beast?”
At that moment—
Someone’s memory entered Leon’s mind. It happened unconsciously, without warning. He couldn’t regain his focus against the flood of foreign memories surging through his head.
When his awareness returned, Leon realized something.
He could survive.
“For now… take this first.”
There was no time to explain. Leon lightly pressed a finger to the tip of Rahan’s head, and at the same moment, he transferred the Blessing of the World Tree into him.
Fwoooosh—!
The power of the World Tree flowed into Rahan. Normally, divine power was something a human could never endure. Even Leon himself had felt death creeping upon him when he first received it.
‘But Rahan is different.’
If those memories were true, then this power would resonate well with Rahan, who was a High Elf.
‘Still, he’s young. I can’t predict what side effects may arise. Just in case, I’ll have him share some of the power with Lenel later.’
“Huh? What did you just do?”
Rahan looked puzzled by Leon’s sudden action.
But Leon only said what he needed to say.
“You’re still young. It may cause problems, so later, share it with Lenel. Now then, I’ll take a little rest.”
As his consciousness faded, the last thing Leon saw was Rahan’s bewildered face.
“Why…?”
Within a space where the Milky Way stretched across the heavens,
a man spoke with a twisted expression.
“They are mere humans—beings created for us, the gods! Why do you protect them?”
His voice was strained with pain. From the trembling of his lips, one could feel the intensity of his fury.
Opposite him stood another man.
He had hair that glowed with a faint crimson hue, as if it had absorbed the colors of the sunset. His kind-looking face was now hardened with solemnity.
“You’re right. They are different from us. Fragile. They may even be a burden upon us.”
“Then why!”
“Because they are my children.”
The man with sunset-colored hair—Solar—spoke.
“What child does not trouble their parents? What child does not wound them? But tell me, is there a parent who would abandon their child just because of pain or hardship?”
At those words, the man—Jeozudin—fell silent.
Silence descended. By reason alone, Solar’s words made sense.
No matter how wicked humans could be, blood ties could not be denied.
Even a hedgehog adored its own young—how could humans be any different?
Yet those who truly knew of their existence would never dare to speak so lightly.
For they were beings known as the Main God and the Evil God.
‘This… is someone’s memory.’
Leon realized as he watched the scene unfold.
‘So that’s why my consciousness was suddenly pulled somewhere—because of this memory.’
The owner of the memory was likely the World Tree.
It belonged to entities that existed in a realm beyond human comprehension. Only beings like them could hold such memories.
‘Still, how odd… I never expected the so-called Evil God, Jeozudin, to look so dignified.’
Had he been human, he would’ve surely broken many women’s hearts—while other men would probably mock him as some dandy courtesan.
Leon was still entertaining such idle thoughts about Solar’s face when—
“In that case, I shall claim the humans by force.”
Jeozudin spoke in a fierce voice.
“It’s to protect Father from the beings of the Outside.”
“...Must you truly go that far?”
A deep shadow fell across Solar’s face. There was a sorrow there that words couldn’t describe.
“Jeozudin, humans are not as weak as you think. Even if we only aid them from here, they will be able to stand against them.”
“It’s impossible. Didn’t you yourself say that I am the same as those beings?”
At the same time, an ominous energy rippled through Jeozudin’s hand—it was magical energy, the power of the demon beasts.
“See for yourself. It is a power entirely different from yours, Father. This power was meant for destruction. That’s how I know—I alone can stop them.”
As he said that, Jeozudin turned his gaze toward Leon.
“Isn’t that right, Yggdrasil?”
“……”
As expected, the owner of the memory was the World Tree.
‘Still… what are these beings Jeozudin speaks of? He called them ones from the Outside, didn’t he?’
There were too many things Leon didn’t understand. Above all, Jeozudin’s image was completely different from what he had imagined.
He had thought the one who tried to annihilate humanity must be a truly evil being. But the Jeozudin he now saw seemed far removed from evil.
‘The energy flickering in his hand feels ominous—but his eyes aren’t those of a villain.’
They were instead clear, like those of a virtuous sage.
The gods exchanged no more words. They simply gazed silently at one another.
Then Jeozudin turned his back and said,
“If you wish to stop me, then do so. But I won’t change my mind.”
“……”
Leaving only those words behind, Jeozudin disappeared.
Once he was gone, Solar quietly gazed at the place where Jeozudin had stood and spoke.
“So you think the same, Yggdrasil?”
“...Yes, Father.”
The voice came from Leon’s mouth. He instinctively knew that the one speaking was the World Tree.
“Jeozudin is right. The ones from the Outside are dangerous. You said it yourself once—that they would invade this world someday.”
“I said we would prepare. Do you not trust me?”
“Of course not. Jeozudin is stronger than you, Father. And he judged the Outside as dangerous. That’s why he wants to strip humanity of their strength and prepare for war. He cherishes you above all else, Father. To Jeozudin, you are everything—someone he can never lose.”
“……”
Solar didn’t answer. He simply let out a deep sigh.
“...Then what will you do?”
“I’ve heard news from my children.”
“You mean the High Elves?”
“Yes. They say that the Emperor of a place called the Belgarion Empire possesses overwhelming power—so great that no human could hope to reach it.”
“And will you kill him to make that power your own?”
The World Tree shook its head.
“I cannot take the lives of the humans you hold dear, Father. I’ll simply covet their strength. I’ll take their names instead.”
“Names… names, you say…”
A weary sigh escaped Solar’s lips, like that of a parent watching a wayward child.
“That will become a curse upon them—one worse than death. Losing one’s name is no different from losing a fragment of the soul. Your children, the High Elves, might even end up in conflict with the Empire.”
“It doesn’t matter. In the end, I share Jeozudin’s view. You are more important to me than humans, Father.”
“……”
Solar sighed again, brushing his hand across his worried face before he spoke.
“I will not simply stand by and watch. I shall grant a portion of my power to humankind. And if they bear children, that power will be passed down to their descendants—never fading with time.”
“Father!”
The World Tree’s voice rose in protest, and Leon screamed inwardly.
Leon knew firsthand what it meant to receive divine power. The power he had inherited from the World Tree back then hadn’t even been a tenth of its full strength.
Even that small amount had made him feel omnipotent. He couldn’t begin to imagine how strong a human would become after inheriting even a fraction of the Main God Solar’s power.
“There is a human I’ve been watching—a warrior of the North. He is still weak now, but in time, his strength will be enough to strike down great evil.”
At that moment, Solar’s eyes met Leon’s.
When their gazes locked, Leon felt as though time had stopped. The tranquil depth in those eyes seemed capable of perceiving all things.
“Leon, that man will prove my words. Even as a human, he shall be able to resist the beings from the Outside.”
With those words, Leon’s consciousness flickered out—like a light being swallowed into the earth.
“Haah—!!”
Leon shot up, gasping heavily for breath. He couldn’t contain his excitement and shock.
‘Our eyes met…’
Through the World Tree’s eyes, Leon had faced Solar—but that last gaze had been different. It felt as though Solar had seen him, not the World Tree through whom he observed.
‘Calm down. I need to organize my thoughts first.’
Through the World Tree’s memories, Leon had learned truths humanity had never known.
That Jeozudin had become the Evil God for a reason—and that reason was tied to something else entirely.
The existence of the Outside.
Solar and Jeozudin had argued over it. Most likely, Jeozudin’s transformation into the Evil God had everything to do with that “Outside.”
‘I’ve heard there are countless hidden sides to the world—but this is beyond imagination.’
Even if he told anyone, no one would believe him.
Just then—
“Leon?”
A familiar voice called out. Leon turned his head.
“Ryan? What is it?”
“What is it? Do you even know how long you’ve been unconscious?”
Ryan let out a short laugh of disbelief, giving Leon a look that said he was hopeless.
Leon tilted his head. How long had it been? Had he really been unconscious that long?
He asked, “So… how much time has passed?”
“Ten days.”
“……?”
“You’ve been out for ten whole days. Anyway, eat something. You’ll need food to keep up that build of yours.”
Ryan handed him a potato. It must have been freshly baked—the steam still rose warmly from it.
Biting into it blankly, Leon thought,
‘It’s good.’
Yet, despite the simple taste, the shock within him refused to fade.