Chapter 51
Chapter 51: The Experienced Hunter (6)
'It went according to plan.'
With the Creation skill unleashed with all my might, I dealt significant damage to the apocalypse's main body.
Just as Erik had anticipated, it used Descent.
When facing Possessor Black Mages, prevent Descent at all costs.
When facing native Black Mages, lure them into Descent.
Erik was an expert in hunting Black Mages.
He used the strategy of landing a maximum strike on the main body to induce Descent.
Unlike Possessor Black Mages, the Descent of native Black Mages was relatively easier to handle.
'A dragon filling the sky.'
In reality, the summoned demon was far more powerful than Erik had anticipated.
First, its size was overwhelming.
Having consumed over a million souls for its Descent, its black magic power was also formidable.
Swoosh!
With one movement of the dragon, his arm was severed.
Erik felt terrible pain but wrapped Divine Power around it with an impassive face to regenerate his arm.
Kuoooo!
When the black dragon shot its breath, Erik raised Divine Power to cut through it.
He defended only the minimum vital areas—namely his head and heart—while focusing on attacking.
[Using 10,000 Gold to fill Divine Power to Max.]
How much money had he spent?
It was beyond measure.
Erik's battlefield showed no signs of ending.
'It's gotten much smaller too.'
From the sky filled with darkness, half the clear sky had returned, which was also a positive sign.
Thanks to this, Erik could clearly perceive the passage of time.
'Still no reinforcements?'
Erik was gradually running out of strength.
The duration of Skill ended and the wings that had sprouted from his back disappeared.
'Why is there no support-.'
Erik fought the black dragon from the ground, shooting out Divine Power.
'Damn it......'
By Erik's efforts, the sky gradually became clearer.
Day and night had changed several times, yet no one was intervening in this battlefield.
Which meant.
The Elves had broken their oath, and problems had occurred with the Empire's Imperial Family and the Astia Religious Order.
'How terrible.'
Losing and regenerating his body dozens, hundreds of times.
It was time enough for Erik to fall into despair, yet he still swung his sword toward the dragon with unwavering eyes.
The reason was.
"Ah. My god!"
Because of Erica's voice crying out to him until her throat was hoarse.
And it was also thanks to the prayers of the Royal Guard knights offering their reverence to him with all their might along with her.
[The Divine Edifice has become clearer.]
[Establish faith to achieve miracles.]
[Twisting the laws of the world.]
[Teleportation effects have been sealed.]
Thanks to that, he gained much.
Immediately after the status message appeared saying the Divine Edifice had become clearer, the density of Erik's Divine Power increased.
The ring of faith allowed Erik to shake the laws of the world.
'Thanks to that, my body didn't explode.'
The reason he could wield such power before obtaining a complete Divine Body was.
Certainly thanks to the ring of faith.
Moreover, he could even block Possessors' Item usage effects.
All of this was the effect of prayers.
Above all.
'Thanks to that, I endured well.'
It was their earnest voices that allowed him to hold out until the moment all skills' cooldowns reset simultaneously.
"Huu."
Erik exhaled.
The demon resembling a dragon-type monster relentlessly pressed him without showing signs of fatigue.
Erik had done nothing but fight back while taking all sorts of damage.
His prayer became quite different.
'Now it's my turn.'
All skills' cooldowns had reset.
Erik planned to end this battlefield with this one strike.
Swoosh.
Erik raised his sword high into the sky and shot out a sphere of Divine Power. The atmosphere vibrated as a meteor shower poured down from the lofty heavens.
The meteorites containing Divine Power pounded the giant dragon's skin.
Baaaang!
As the meteors caused golden explosions, Erik sprouted wings from his back.
"Peace upon this land."
"The annihilation of evil."
Reciting his firm faith and the reason he fought, Erik raised the Sword of Creation at an angle.
Astia-style Heavy Swordsmanship.
The swordsmanship for slaying giant monsters combined with the skill motion of [Creation].
THUD!!!
With a heavy step, the ground around Erik caved in.
Using the shattering earth as a foothold, Erik soared toward the lofty heavens.
And.
Diiing!!!
A long white line split the darkness in half.
A white crack was drawn across the center of the descended black dragon's body.
"Aaaah!!!"
From earth to sky.
At the single flash splitting heaven and earth, distant cheers erupted.
***
"I greet High Elf Yuren, the Divine Archer beloved by the World Tree."
"Enough with the greetings, please start with the situation report."
The highest branch of the World Tree.
The elf with blue eyes narrowed her eyes as she gazed at the distant horizon.
High Elf Yuren, she was the world's second Possessor.
'What on earth did they summon?'
She was tasked with guarding the southern Empire, the great granary region.
Yuren discovered the effect of something being summoned.
At the same time, she detected the presence of mighty Divine Power and climbed to the highest branch of the World Tree to observe the Empire's situation.
To such Yuren, the World Tree's messenger approached and reported.
"It seems you'll have to deprioritize the oath with the Empire."
"The oath with the Emperor is absolute."
An oath was something that could not be broken under most circumstances.
Of course, exceptions did exist.
"This is an exceptional situation! The Dark Elves are crossing over through the roots."
"What about the Guardians?"
"They're handling the summoned demons, so there's currently no spare manpower."
"Even demons......"
Yuren closed her eyes.
The Clairvoyance skill activated.
Within her closed eyes, the distant battlefield was faintly revealed.
'Black magic in the great granary region.'
Among the ordinary Black Mages, she saw something.
Whatever it had done, it was difficult to clearly analyze the war situation even with the [Clairvoyance] skill.
However, in Yuren's eyes, she could see a clear strand of Divine Power among the black things.
'That Divine Power......'
It certainly wasn't ordinary Divine Power. It was at least the power wielded by a Cleric of Archbishop rank or higher.
'It might buy time.'
Though there was an oath with the Empire.......
This oath had exceptions, and now was clearly a situation that fell under those exceptions.
Which meant.
Her kingdom, Mother World Tree, was under attack.
'Our kingdom is in danger.'
Yuren was a High Elf of the Elf Kingdom.
It was natural to respond to the kingdom's threat, and it was also necessary to analyze the situation so as not to give the Empire any grounds for complaint later.
Having finished thinking, Yuren opened her eyes.
'At minimum, power of an Archbishop level.'
Though she deactivated the [Clairvoyance] skill, a strand of light flickered beyond the distant horizon.
There seemed to be minimal breathing room.
First defend the kingdom, and deal with the Empire later.
'Anyway, as long as I intervene, it's as good as fulfilling the oath.'
That was the weight of life Yuren had to bear.
Yuren moved to quickly eliminate the Dark Elves.
If she was late, there was a possibility the Empire's great granary region would be contaminated.
Swish!
Yuren leaped from the highest branch to the lowest root.
Following her descending movement, the World Tree's branches opened a path and leaves parted left and right.
Yuren looked at the vertically opened view.
"These traitors!"
Dark Elves with pitch-black skin were hacking away at the World Tree's roots.
Evil spawn tainted by darkness who had abandoned their mother.
That was what Dark Elves were.
Squeak!
Yuren fired [Rapid Fire Arrows].
Various additional effects were imbued in the arrows, adding even the spirit magic Yuren had personally trained in.
Yuren was an archer who had completed [Class Change], and was the world's second Possessor.
She had accumulated strength equal to the years she had lived.
"Disgusting creatures."
It took half a day to eliminate the Dark Elves who wielded black magic and dark spirits.
"Yuren! The demons!"
The other High Elves had departed following the World Tree's will to find their kin, and she was the only powerhouse who could defend this land, bound by oath.
Yuren immediately left to eliminate the next opponent.
Demons summoned by at least a Calamity-class Black Mage were spewing curses at the World Tree.
[Ultimate- Certain Kill]
For efficiency, Yuren even used her ultimate skill with a 24-hour cooldown.
The World Tree's crisis was a situation that fell under the oath's exceptions, but even so, Yuren held the oath made with the Emperor in high regard.
'......The aftermath is frightening.'
The Empire's Emperor was a supreme powerhouse who could completely erase the Elf autonomous territory.
However, the person she truly feared was someone else.
"Erik is my disciple beloved by god. If you break the oath because I disappeared, a fully grown Erik will make you pay the price."
Riferoze Astia.
The one who had brought some crazy brat and forced an oath upon her.
That brat had now supposedly inherited Riferoze's Pilgrim status, but Yuren had keenly realized Erik's character even from their brief past encounter.
'He's fifteen now, isn't he?'
Erik's rumors had reached even the Elf autonomous territory.
Therefore, Yuren exerted her maximum strength to overcome all hardships and adversity that had befallen the kingdom and headed to the Empire's southern great granary region.
"Huh......"
There, Yuren met a greatly grown Erik.
'He's a monster.'
A Pilgrim and a Saint, they said.
Erik had become something transcending human, roaming the heavens.
It was a sight that could only evoke admiration and awe.
'This strong at fifteen.'
The scene Yuren witnessed upon arrival was this.
A terrible demon in the form of a dragon filled the sky.
Erik scattered meteors containing Divine Power toward that dragon, then thrust his sword to split that giant dragon in half.
That sword's trajectory left a light of Divine Power extending from earth to heaven.
And.
Diiing!!
Following the sword's trajectory emitting resonance, the giant black dragon was being sucked in.
Saaaaaaaa.
A blue sky appeared before Yuren.
As if nothing had happened, the usual landscape of the Empire's great granary region unfolded.
Golden grain swaying their heads along the wind.
Such natural grace grown by the World Tree, Mother's blessing.
At that incongruity.
'How can he be this strong.'
Yuren sighed and looked up at the sky.
A giant Paladin with six wings spread was slowly descending toward her.
Looking at Erik, who had grown tremendously larger than when she first saw him, Yuren uttered a brief exclamation.
"For such a human scum to be a Saint."
***
The Paladin who had single-handedly driven out darkness and brought light to the world looked down with eyes surveying the world.
At that gaze, Yuren's body flinched contrary to her intentions.
"Erik said that if you neglect your duty of protection, he'll use the World Tree as firewood."
The words the small brat had said in childhood came to mind.
"Such words to the Elves' Mother...... to the World Tree!"
"What can fallen Elves do? And I merely conveyed his words."
At that time, Yuren couldn't even protest while looking at Riferoze.
And the brat beside her had said this to Riferoze.......
"Master, how about breaking off just one branch as a gift for Du-sik?"
At his words, the World Tree itself lifted its thickest root, and Erik picked it up with a twisted smile.
And what had those bastards said?
"It would be perfect as a club."
"Ho, a staff shaped like a club, it would suit Du-sik very well indeed."
Pulling out Mother's branch, they chatted on and on about this and that.
Looking at the brat who suddenly insulted her mother and his master who defended him, Yuren thought such a guy would never succeed as a Cleric.
'......He became such a monster?'
Looking at Erik now, it seemed his statement about making the World Tree into firewood might not be empty words.
Yuren gulped.
Tying her light green hair tightly, she steeled herself to face Erik.
Bang!
Faster than Yuren had thought.
Erik fell from the sky like a meteor.
Taking heavy steps, Erik approached right in front of Yuren, grabbed her chin and forced eye contact.
And said.
"I'm pretty sure I told you?"
Mad golden eyes pierced down through Yuren.
Yuren keenly realized that what was contained within was intense anger.
Bang!!!.
The power of Divine Power strangled Yuren.
Truly feeling the pain of being scorched by Divine Power after a long time, Yuren hung her head low-.
'That, that bastard, to Mother......'
The brat who had uttered unspeakable words to Mother World Tree.
Now grown, and having obtained the status of Pilgrim and Saint at that.
What if he uttered those same words?
Yuren was truly terrified of that.
'Gods favor humans.'
The World Tree embraces all things in the world, but the three gods of heaven care only for humans.
As proof, even High Elf Yuren, who received Mother's recognition, was treated as nothing but a Possessor before those Clerics, wasn't she?
Yuren was afraid of that.
"Should I make the World Tree into firewood?"
The line she had feared.
Was uttered from Erik's mouth.
"Saint, please refrain from such terrible things...... I will bear all the guilt of breaking the oath. So please, at least spare Mother World Tree."
Even while Yuren listed excuse after excuse, Erik's gaze was directed toward the distant place.
At the end of that direction.
Parrrrrr.
A giant tree trembling its blue leaves could be seen.
The Elves' homeland, Mother of great nature, and a benevolent being bringing abundance to all things in the world, yet.
[World Tree]
In Erik's eyes, it was merely a supply source for the material item called [World Tree].
Moreover, it would certainly appear the same in Possessor Yuren's eyes.
Erik recalled Jang Du-sik who must be struggling in the Labyrinth in his stead, and uttered a word.
"I should get a new club for Du-sik."