The further she went, the worse the corruption became. The ground turned into a muddy swamp where flesh, plants, and all familiar things twisted together into giant trees. The stench of rot filled the air, and as a mere sprout of the World Tree, she was painfully sensitive to it.
She was still just a little girl and almost threw up. Enduring it, the shadow of a swift leopard appeared behind her as she leapt through the trees. When she landed on a trunk, claws even grew directly from the bark to grab at her.
"So disgusting…!"
In the swamp, all the twisted trees bared savage fangs. Dense vines turned into countless claws that swept down from all directions. A faint green light glowed from Luna's body, restoring the twisted trunks to normal as the corpses of Elves and other beings peeled away.
Yet against a corrupted area as vast as a forest sea, this was only a drop in the bucket. She could only keep running forward.
At the final battlefield ahead, a massive golden matrix barrier rose into the sky. Layers of complex spell structures and ritual paths interlocked, stretching from earth to heaven. A towering tree silhouette gleaming with gold upheld the last sky, while the remaining elite Elves and beings of this land, including Elves dragons and ancient treants, all contributed their full strength.
This was the Elven Race's final struggle, a grand ritual called the Shadow of the World Tree. It required borrowing parts of Elven Homeland's own Barrier ritual paths and consumed an enormous amount of Magic. All unpolluted Magic left in Elven Homeland had gathered here.
Dozens of high-ranked beings, including the Grand Elder of crown rank, multiple from Ascendant Hall, dozens of Gold, and even Silver-rank members of the Elven Race had pooled their power. A ritual that could endure allied armies from across the continent now trembled and was forced to shrink into a defensive shell.
Because the enemy was no mortal thing, but a divine existence beyond them.
"Roar!!!"
The rolling roar churned space itself, carrying chaotic Laws as it smashed into the trembling giant tree below. Enormous tentacles hammered down in impatience, blasting out blockbuster golden Shard fragments. Each strike shook the ritual to its core.
"Hold on… just a little more!" "…Urgh!"
With every blow, Elves ancestors and clansmen died within the ritual Magic Array as their Magic was drained dry. Some could only kneel with heads lowered, unable to face the nearly hopeless terror above. The Grand Elder himself was barely standing, coughing dark green blood.
He had taken on the pollution curses of others and was already losing clarity, his mind filled with chaotic and blasphemous thoughts. One of his arms had been cut off by his own hand and thrown outside, where it had already turned into a horrific monster. He gasped as he looked toward Vivian at the center of the ritual.
"Vivian… is it not ready yet?"
She was pale as well, cold sweat pouring down her face. Activating the transfer mechanism within Barrier under the Lord was not easy and required time, which was why this last resort ritual had been used. In truth, it was the best option left, since they could neither fight nor flee.
The goal was to preserve the World Tree.
"It is almost ready. That evil god has rooted most of its Clone body into the Barrier. Once we activate the transfer, we will be teleported together with it."
She did not know where they would be sent. Innocent people might suffer there, and thinking of that, along with her people's sacrifices and the elders' deaths, made it hard for the young empress to breathe. Still, the World Tree had to be protected, as it was not only sacred to the Elven Race but vital to the entire world.
They had realized that the monster attacking Elven Homeland was also a World Tree. It had been polluted, fallen into the abyss, and corrupted into this horrific form, still continuing to grow. Perhaps only Luna, also a World Tree, would have a chance to oppose it in the future.
During the transfer, the Grand Elder would separate the space containing Luna. She would remain in place, while they used their lives elsewhere to hold the monster back to the very end.
"That monster is likely after Luna… She should be in another shelter. Grand Elder, I will hold it off. Please hurry to her side!"
Vivian looked exhausted, yet she stood and took control of the ritual core.
"Roar!!!"
After digging for so long without breaking the shell, the creature grew impatient. A tentacle claw swung down, and in an instant, more than half of the towering World Tree shadow's crown was severed. Over a third of the surviving elites died on the spot.
Vivian spat out a mouthful of blood as the collapse of spell structures inflicted severe mental damage. Yet the ritual did not break, and the tree shadow still stood as she endured.
"I cannot let you go to that child…" "I will protect Luna!"
Even speaking burned her lungs. Corruption at close range and physical damage, combined with massive Magic consumption, left her barely standing. The Grand Elder vanished, heading for the shelter, and she knew she could not last much longer.
"Roar!!!"
The scepter in her hand shattered into Shard fragments as blood sprayed from her body.
"Bang!!!"
The second blow followed immediately. Too weak to even support her own weight, Vivian dropped to one knee, her vision blurred.
"Boom!!!"
The third strike came with full force. The creature sensed an approaching presence that made every cell tremble. The towering tree shadow collapsed, golden Shard fragments raining down, and Vivian fell from the sky with only muffled hearing left.
"Luna…"
She murmured the name unconsciously, but reality offered no mercy.
"Vivian!"
A familiar voice answered. With the phantom of an eagle behind her, Luna used sharp vision and wings to catch Vivian as she fell. Her small face was filled with fear as she looked at the blood-soaked woman in her arms.
"Luna!"
Without seeing clearly, Vivian recognized her by voice and aura, finding strength from nowhere to grab her wrist. "Why are you here… Where is the Grand Elder? I told him to get you away from here…"
"So you were going to abandon me…"
"I was not! Never. You are important, because you are the world…"
She could not finish. Vivian lost consciousness, feeling warm drops on her face as the last thing she heard was Luna's sobbing call.
"Vivian…"
"Roar…!"
A massive tentacle swept in. Luna beat her wings and barely dodged in the air. The monster had realized that what it needed was here.
She felt its emotion clearly, wild joy, greed, hunger, and impatience toward her, along with a deeply buried fear. Fear of what, she did not know, but she refused to give up. She had to escape and protect Vivian.
The roaring and tentacles twisted space and Laws, nearly knocking her unconscious. Flying was too dangerous, so she manifested a leopard phantom and ran on the ground with Vivian on her back. Even so, she could not outrun it.
She was not yet ten, not strong, and carrying an adult. Borrowed strength could not compare to a reviving evil god. She knew that clearly.
But…
"I do not want to let go of Vivian!"
The triangular sprout mark on her forehead flashed as buds slowly grew. The earth shook as a massive tentacle smashed down, pulverizing the ground into Shard. She was thrown into the air and twisted back, using her body as a cushion as they rolled across the ground.
The pain was unbearable. Her leg felt broken, her head rang, and blood stung her eyes. She ignored it, because what mattered was Vivian.
"Vivian, are you okay…?"
Feeling her breathing and heartbeat, she was relieved, but only briefly. She struggled up and looked with one remaining eye at the descending tentacle, thicker than any tree she had ever seen. Its shadow covered them completely.
She trembled, fear finally breaking through, and wiped her eyes. Then she drew her shortbow.
She could not win, but she still drew and fired. She did not need to defeat it, she only needed to protect Vivian. The weak green arrow barely touched the creature's skin before falling uselessly.
Her vision darkened. As expected, it was useless. Still, she stood and spread her arms wide, shielding Vivian as the sprout mark shone brighter.
She closed her eyes, listening as the devouring roar drew closer. Then she realized there were two sounds. One grew louder and louder.
The monster's hidden fear suddenly surged.
"Roar!!!"
A terrified scream made Luna open her eyes. The massive pursuing tentacle fell lifelessly to the ground like her arrow, shaking the earth.
"Danger!"
The Grand Elder appeared behind them in an instant and whisked them away. He gasped in relief, then noticed the changing glow of the triangular sprout mark on Luna's forehead.
"This phenomenon is…?!"
"Damn it, missed the steal."
Belial clicked his tongue as he closed his mouth, annoyed that his nuclear particle cannon had only blown off an arm instead of killing it outright. As he slowed, the massive wind pressure and elemental surge tore apart the corrupted forest, drawing a shrill scream from the monster.
"What are you yelling for… and that look of yours is really familiar."