novelraw Chapter 262 CHAPTER 261
Chapter 262 CHAPTER 261
The dimensional energy processing facility control room.
An emergency alert was active.
Summoner from Earth No. 1,001 had arrived.
Riding a Green Dragon.
To cut off their lifeline.
[Controller, what should we do?]
[…Mobilize all dimensional energy and create a Creature Guardian.]
[Uh, y-yes, understood.]
Even if they created a Creature Guardian, would that really be enough?
A single nuclear warhead would wipe everything out.
The controller knew that too.
But what choice was there?
They had no effective means.
[Did headquarters send a reply?]
[Yes, just now…!]
Oh!
A reply had come.
Had the request for reinforcements been accepted?
[What did it say?]
[…They said they've severed the connection between the dimensional energy transmitter and the receiver.]
What?
[Damn it!]
The transmitter in the dimensional energy facility zone and the receiver at headquarters.
They were originally twins.
Entities that endlessly resonated and communicated with each other.
Leaving them intact was dangerous.
If the transmitter was tracked, the receiver—meaning the headquarters' location—could be exposed.
So it meant they had destroyed the twin responsible for receiving on the headquarters side.
Cutting off the tail to completely erase traces of the headquarters' location.
[Nothing about us? Any plan to extract the control room personnel?]
[Uh… no.]
And even—
[Orders came down to activate the self-destruction device.]
[… ]
They'd been thrown away like dogs.
Told to die together.
[Damn you, goddamn piece-of-shit god bastards!]
A gloomy silence filled the control room.
Was there really no way to survive?
[Can't we defect?]
[Defect?]
Defection, huh.
Would they themselves become targets?
No chance.
Would those god bastards ever allow that?
[Then maybe we tell him everything… ]
The moment that thought crossed his mind—
[Kyaaaaaah!]
A control room staff member screamed while convulsing.
Fssssss—
He turned to ash and vanished.
[… ]
[… ]
[… ]
That was the price of receiving an immortal body.
If you violated the secrecy contract—or even thought about it—you were erased instantly.
There was no choice.
Death either way.
[Prepare the self-destruct device.]
[…Yes.]
[The moment they arrive here, press it.]
Do they think only they have bombs?
We have one just as powerful as a nuclear warhead.
If this is how it ends, we go together.
People's outward appearance matters.
Because no one can truly see what's inside.
When a beautiful woman wears a sad expression, the viewer feels sad too.
Marie was like that.
"…Is she really a foul-mouthed elf? It doesn't match at all."
"When did Marie ever curse?"
"Huh?"
"That wasn't swearing, it was praise. She was bestowing rewards upon us."
"Haah, I'd love to hear even one curse come out of those lips."
"Really?"
"Rajiks dimensional bumpkin, stay sharp. The hierarchy might flip."
"…H-huh?"
It's the same for men.
When a handsome guy looks sad, it triggers protective instincts.
But when an ugly guy looks sad—
"Heh heh, to think the elves' Mother Tree is in such a state… this old man's heart aches as well."
The Madman wore a mournful expression.
Kosak glanced at him.
"Elder Gwang, please don't look sad if you can help it."
"Why not?"
"Your already ugly face gets even uglier."
"…Insolent brat. At the very least, I'm more handsome than you. Popularity poll rank fifteen, my ass."
"Hmph! Fourteen or fifteen, same thing."
"You little—!"
Ju-hyeok frowned.
Why was it so noisy?
It was already hard enough to concentrate.
Right now, Marie was explaining the World Tree.
But he couldn't focus.
Looking at Marie's face made it even worse.
So he listened while staring at the ground.
The World Tree.
To elves, it was both god and mother.
Under the World Tree's protection, their race flourished.
The World Tree was not a single entity.
Originally one tree, it branched into many through saplings.
Each elven nest had one World Tree.
Thus forming a network of communication.
Connecting elven communities scattered across the continent, allowing them to unite.
And yet, such a World Tree existed alone in a world without elves.
No wonder Marie felt her heart being torn apart.
The World Tree was in a pitiful state.
Marie gazed at it with moist, shimmering eyes.
Why was the World Tree here?
In a strange world without a single elf.
'There's no way the World Tree is allied with those Black Tower bastards.'
The hint lay in the mission.
Destroy the dimensional energy transmitter.
Meaning the World Tree itself was the transmitter.
Not simple transmission.
It had to send dimensional energy across space to the so-called headquarters.
Who could do that?
'Other than a god…?'
And the World Tree was practically a god.
"Summoner, let's finish this quickly. Since it's a tree, it'll burn well. I'll use fire magic—"
"…Hold it!"
Burn it?
In front of an elf, burn the World Tree?
Had he lost his mind?
"Elder Ma, do you have no empathy? Look at Marie's expression. She's heartbroken over that poor World Tree."
The summoned beings piled on.
"Elder Mackenzie, you didn't seem like this, but are you some kind of psychopathic arsonist?"
"Hoaaah!"
"Well, mages are crazy by nature."
"People should age gracefully. Geez! We've got two old fossils among the summoned beings—"
"One of them is who?"
"You really have to ask?"
"I'll kill you someday."
"O Light! I, too, have been burned at the stake, so I know how painful it is. Tie a nuclear warhead to that mage's body and drop him far away at once."
Mackenzie fell silent like a mute who'd swallowed honey.
He'd been through this more than once.
At times like this, staying quiet was best.
Making excuses only made things worse.
"Um, Summoner."
Marie now spoke much more naturally.
"Of course, Marie, go ahead and say anything."
"I want to speak with the World Tree. May I have your permission?"
Of course.
They had to talk.
But how?
"If I approach and make contact…"
Hmm.
That wasn't difficult.
"Captain Crakkus?"
"Yes, Summoner."
"Let's land. Close to the World Tree—"
That was when it happened.
Sss—
An unidentified energy surged.
Jjeojeojeojeo—
Shoook, shoook, shoook!
Monsters crawled up from beneath the ground.
'They're swarming.'
But there wasn't the slightest threat.
"Air Assault Special Forces, Kosak, deploying."
Starting with Kosak—
"This old man will go too."
"The warrior goes as well."
"O Light!!!"
"This time for sure."
Summoned beings jumped down one after another.
Ranged classes provided covering fire.
Pa-pa-pa! Precise machine-gun shots.
Kwa-kwa-kwa! Crakkus's breath attack.
And then—
Swoooosh!
Kukukukung!
Two super-giant Gigants emerged from Rajiks's subspace.
They were on a completely different level from before.
Gigants covered in mana circuits developed in the Magitech Workshop and magic arrays engraved by the Enchantment Research Institute.
You think we only have nukes?
Even better.
It was the perfect time to stretch their legs.
The area was secured.
Ju-hyeok descended to the ground with Marie.
"Let's go. To the World Tree."
Summoned beings formed an ironclad guard around Ju-hyeok, cutting down monsters.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
The Gigants advanced, clearing a path with their massive bodies.
Upgraded Gigants were truly reliable.
You could just walk forward.
Ju-hyeok occasionally threw his hammer to deal with monsters.
The Judge of the Underworld's hammer.
A weapon bearing the touch of a god.
Its power was impressive, but it had many effects as well.
Punishing sinners was a given.
Something he'd realized recently—
when holding this hammer—
Twitch!
He felt something.
Like when he faced the Archangel.
Ju-hyeok turned his head.
The modern building at the base of the World Tree came into view.
That must be the control room.
'That place is suspicious.'
Was it intuition?
Or danger-sensing ability?
Either way—
"Mr. Kosak."
"Yes!"
"Could you get inside that control room a bit ahead of us?"
"The building?"
"Yes. Leaving it alone feels dangerous."
"Understood."
"Mr. Geppetto and Mr. Diamant, go with him too."
"Yeees!"
There are probably administrators of some sort inside there.
They might try something sneaky, so it's best to clean things up in advance.
That side is handled.
Keep advancing toward the World Tree.
The staff gathered in the control room all look similar.
Shaved heads, no eyebrows, not a single strand of hair.
Bodies engineered for efficient immortality.
You could call them mass-produced immortal bodies.
They don't even have reproductive functions.
Why reproduce once you've attained immortality?
Of course, pleasure functions still exist.
That said, a small number of people do marry and have children.
Only a very select few—benefits granted only to high-ranking personnel at headquarters.
Because the bodies they receive are different.
Why were they dispatched to such a backwater, a crack between dimensions?
For promotion.
To obtain a better immortal body.
But now it had all turned to dust.
No matter what they did, they couldn't avoid annihilation.
All because of that summoner.
That damn bastard.
A lowly human, daring to do this!
[Is the self-destruct ready?]
[Yes.]
[Wait just a bit longer. Once they come in deeper—]
We die together.
This is the end.
We go together.
That was when—
Slide.
The presence of people was felt.
[Huh?]
[What?]
[Huh?!]
Tsip-tsip!
Flashes of light inside the control room.
Slash, slash, slash!
The chilling sound of blades cutting.
Thud! Thududuk! Thud thud!
Heads falling to the floor.
[…What?]
Intruders.
When did they get in? How?
[I-Immediately activate the self-destruct—]
But—
Spot!
Crack!
The head of the control room staff member in front of him twisted 360 degrees.
[…Aaaah—]
Slash, crunch, thump!
Staff dying far too easily.
Even an immortal body only relates to agelessness.
It simply means they don't age—
They're extremely vulnerable to external attacks.
All dead.
Only the controller himself remained.
Even he couldn't move.
He couldn't twitch a single finger.
Sss, sss, sss.
A man, a demon, and a vampire appeared before him.
"Mm, how did Master know? That was almost dangerous."
Kosak said this while tying a ribbon around a rolling head.
"He's got precognition too. I noticed back when he was running from the archangel."
"So slippery—he dodged like a wild eel."
"A genius at escape, danger-sensing summoner, strongest ever, right? Reassuring."
"Haa, he's so sexy."
"Hey! Shut it!"
Kosak snapped at Diamant's sigh.
"Now that shut-in alchemist Marie's seal is lifted, the succubus is instantly disqualified from main-wife candidacy."
"When did I say main wife? I said concubine."
"How are you planning to get past Lieutenant Colonel Be?"
"…Then third concubine."
"Enough nonsense—put a skill on that thing so we can clean up the situation."
"Okay."
The great demon Diamant smiled.
The controller was instantly enchanted.
"Darling!"
[Y-Your Majesty…]
"Those monsters outside—they're so gross."
[A-Are you referring to the Creature Guardians?]
"Yes, those. Get them out of my sight."
[Leave it to me.]
Thus, the control room was secured.
Monsters kept spawning endlessly.
But there was no concern.
Numbers didn't matter.
They were deleted the moment they appeared.
Boom! Thud thud thud!
Gigants trampling monsters underfoot.
The Madman's Crescent Moon energy.
Bardin in the sky.
Gobang on the ground.
Supporting fire from Veronica.
The newcomers did their part as well.
Emperor Kazan and the Sword Demon's blades flashed,
the Saintess's healing spells,
the Dragonians' physical assaults,
lightning-type magic spells,
the shaman planting totems,
and the hunter drawing his bowstring.
But then—
Shrrrk.
The monsters melted into the ground as if collapsing.
"Oh!"
Their numbers dropped instantly.
Shrrk, shrrk, shrrk.
Looks like Kosak took over the control room and cut them off.
Thanks to that, all obstacles between Marie and the World Tree were cleared.
"Marie?"
"Yes."
"Go."
Marie approached the World Tree hesitantly.
At this point, some background on Marie.
As a child, she had been offered as a sacrifice to an ancient Black Dragon by her own kind.
Because of that, she hadn't had many chances to communicate with the World Tree.
Could she do it?
Marie carefully extended her hand and touched the World Tree.
Parrrr.
The leaves and branches trembled violently, like an aspen shaking.
Was it happy to see her?
Probably.
After some time passed,
Marie slowly opened her mouth.
"…It's grieving. It says it lived as a slave for countless ages. And its twin tree as well."
"Twin?"
"Yes. It says there was a sister in another world who received the dimensional energy it sent."
"Ah!"
Just as expected.
The World Tree here was connected to dimensional energy transmission.
Twins.
Sister World Trees.
One sends dimensional energy from here.
The other receives it at headquarters.
Marie had explained before.
Separated World Trees can still communicate with each other.
"Are they still connected now?"
"No. It says the connection was cut."
Cut?
Then—
"The sister has been annihilated. That's why it's still in pain."
Those damn Black Tower bastards.
They must have known.
That after the archangel was destroyed, the same would happen here.
So they erased all traces of what they'd done.
The World Tree had become useless.
Its role as transmitter and receiver of dimensional energy was gone.
"Who did this to it?"
"…A god. A god did this. A Devouring God that consumes everything."
So the Black Tower's name was Devouring?
What a pig bastard.
"Can you tell more precisely who that god is?"
"It doesn't know clearly. The god has too many attributes—divinity, and at times the feeling of a demon god."
Devouring, huh?
A bastard that eats any kind of energy.
"It warned not to come into contact with the Devouring God. If you get close, you might be eaten."
The communion between Marie and the World Tree continued.
There was much more he wanted to ask, but Ju-hyeok didn't interrupt.
Marie, tears streaming down her face, wore a sorrowful expression.
Why cry?
It hurts to see.
"…The World Tree says it will annihilate itself. It says the meaning of its existence is gone."
"Aah!"
How could that be?
There are still elves to protect.
"Tell it to endure a little longer. I'll move it."
He wanted to save it.
Let it grow freely in a good environment.
Wasn't there some way?
He understood why it felt that way.
The World Trees as transmitter and receiver.
Twin sisters, and also hostages.
They must have been threatened—
If they didn't do as ordered, one of them would be killed.
Eventually, the sister that received energy was annihilated.
And now this World Tree, which handled transmission, wished to share its fate.
"First, please calm down, and we'll look for a way—"
Right then!
Wooooooong!
Flaaash!
The World Tree began to glow.
No—burn.
"…Ah."
The World Tree chose to erase itself.
Crack, creak—
The trunk split, leaves burned into ash.
A decision made by a god-tier being.
This couldn't be stopped.
"Aaah…"
Marie sobbed.
Watching the Mother Tree vanish before her eyes—
That grief was something no one else could understand.
Pitiful.
How should he comfort her?
Hug her?
Suddenly—
Thump, Kyeon Dallae shoved him.
Lieutenant Colonel Be nodded as well.
What?
Telling me to hug her?
No choice.
Ju-hyeok embraced the crying Marie
and gently patted her shoulder.
Before long, the World Tree's body completely combusted into white light.
Fssss—
The ashes scattered into the wind.
But then—
Sparkle, sparkle.
"Huh?"
A single shining branch remained where the ashes had vanished.
"What…?"
It hadn't burned.
Marie picked up the short branch.
"Aah!"
She gasped.
"That is…?"
"A sapling. A divided sapling left behind by the World Tree."
"Oh!"
So it hadn't completely vanished.
It left behind a sapling.
Probably for Marie, who would be left alone.
"Let's take care of it together and raise it well."
At Ju-hyeok's words, Marie's face flushed red.
"…Yes."
Hmm.
I think the meaning got conveyed a bit wrong.
Anyway—
Ding!
[Dimensional Energy Transmitter Destroyed 1/1]
One of the two missions was complete.
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