Chapter 287
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“Theo is coming. Guard the Seal.”
The Great Forest, which had been peaceful without any external invasions for a long time, began transforming into a defensive space as soon as Laplace’s order was given.
Rumble—
Simultaneously with the incomprehensible incantations uttered by the high priests of the elves, enormous ancient trees started to move as if they were alive.
Branches and vines, thick as an adult’s torso, intertwined to create complex mazes and barriers.
Those who enter this verdant domain must beware of the roots that will lash at their ankles.
Of course, this was not all.
“Hurry up!”
“Take your positions!”
“Never let them reach the sanctum!”
The elves of the Great Forest lived in several clusters centered around the “sanctum,” where high-ranking priests resided.
From all these clusters, elven warriors armed with bows burst forth, running to their designated positions.
Rustle—
The forest aided their concealment and cover with its branches, roots, and leaves.
No matter how keen an invader’s senses might be, finding them in this dense greenery would be impossible.
Rumble—
Lastly, the clear streams flowing through the forest surged like fierce waves, ready to block the intruders.
Some of the streams swallowed up the surrounding soil, turning into swamps that would ensnare their ankles.
The forest’s spiritual energy had enlarged the wild animals to two or three times their usual size, and they bared their fangs as they delved into the woods.
It was a living, natural fortress.
This miracle was possible thanks to the cooperation of the spirits commanded by the elves.
“A significant army would be stopped before they even reached the seal,”
Remarked one of the few humans in the Great Forest, a dispatched member of the Dawn Knights.
Despite their words, they had wary expressions, checking their weapons carefully.
“Attacking from the third seal, huh? That’s unexpected.”
“If it’s Theo, are the first and second corps coming? That won’t be easy.”
“At least Malekia isn’t coming along.”
“We need to contact headquarters.”
“Yes, and we need to ask about the status of the other seals too.”
“How did they manage to ambush us so suddenly? What were the scouting squads doing? And how did they know the seal’s location?”
“We’ll find out who’s to blame once we survive this.”
The knights exchanged light remarks to ease their tension.
Notable among them was a dark-skinned girl and a one-eyed pirate fiddling with her bowstring.
Amidst the bustling activity, only two remained motionless.
Laplace, who sat in meditation before the world tree’s hollow, and a pale-skinned girl with black hair who stood silently behind him.
Her face was expressionless as if she was detached from all the commotion.
Laplace called out to her.
As the one who planted the world tree seed and its millennium-long caretaker, he could partially share the “sight of the world tree” and had grasped the current situation.
“Nyhill.”
“Yes.”
“You must go outside and inform them of the situation.”
Doubt flickered in Nyhill’s eyes.
Why not simply use communication magic to report the situation and request reinforcements?
Laplace clicked his tongue and looked up at the sky.
“A nonsensical barrier.”
It wasn’t visible from the sanctum yet, but he could feel the sinister presence of the demonic energy slowly enveloping the entire Great Forest.
It was a secretive barrier with no prior signs before it was nearly complete, blocking communication magic.
The problem wasn’t just the communication blockade but also the addition of confusion and illusions.
Outsiders were likely seeing illusions created by Theo’s magic—perhaps reports from the Great Forest’s supervisors stating everything was normal, or peaceful scenes of the forest as usual.
Fwoosh—
This was significantly different from the actual forest, which had started burning from the edges.
No one would have noticed anything strange, given the caster was Theo.
‘Theo… he has grown absurdly powerful.’
He was already one of the strongest among the legion commanders before, but now, after absorbing Yol, his power seemed to surpass that of ordinary demons.
‘By the time the outside notices anything amiss, the Great Forest and the seal will have already been devastated.’
Laplace stood and faced Nyhill.
Despite the three years that had passed, she still looked like a young girl.
However, her eyes were now profoundly deep compared to before.
“You should be able to break through to the outside, avoiding everyone’s attention.”
“I will do my best.”
To others, it might sound like a laughable statement.
Theo’s minions were closing in on the Great Forest, and it would soon turn into a fierce battlefield.
Who knows what other strange barriers or tricks might block her path, yet she was to break through alone.
However, neither the old nor the young showed any signs of amusement on their faces.
“This power will help you overcome the evil that stands in your way.”
Rustle—
A light floated from Laplace’s fingertip and was absorbed into the dagger hanging from Nyhill’s waist.
There was no more time to waste.
The old prophet lightly patted the girl’s shoulder.
“Go.”
Vwoom—
As soon as Laplace finished speaking, a pitch-black shadow shot up from Nyhill’s dagger to the height of a person and swallowed her.
This was the manifestation of one of the two attributes of the spirit dwelling in the dagger—’Darkness.’
It took only a moment for Nyhill’s figure and presence to vanish completely.
“…”
Rumble—
Soon, the air grew sharply colder.
The sky was covered with black storm clouds, and beyond them, a great evil approached.
Laplace exhaled deeply and calmly.
His spiritual insight allowed him to foresee the series of events that would unfold from this battle to its conclusion—a perilous and grand journey.
Each had their role to play in this.
Just as Laplace was steeling himself—
‘!’
His eyes trembled violently.
His mouth fell open, and his facial muscles stiffened in disbelief.
“This is impossible…”
Living for a thousand years, Laplace rarely showed any emotion, but at this moment, he could barely control even the smallest gestures.
He urgently turned around to respond to the altered future.
Crack—
A black lightning bolt struck over the Great Forest.
“…”
Everyone’s movements paused momentarily.
They felt a terribly malevolent gaze.
Theo’s eerie voice echoed through the forest.
[Oh Laplace, you sage trapped in a well. Why do you not realize it is already over?]
Then, there was a chuckling sound, like rusted metal scraping.
[Or have you just figured it out now?]
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The Great Forest was not the only place shrouded in the fog of war.
In the North, the Lost Plains.
“Hmmm…”
Cuculli stretched languidly and looked beyond the snow-white horizon.
Tiny dots gradually formed into distinct shapes as they approached.
It was a legion of monsters far outnumbering the northern tribes’ army she led.
Cuculli pursed her lips in dissatisfaction.
“Tch, since when could such vermin roam freely in the North?”
A few years ago, when the human alliance had a clear ‘front line,’ this would have been unthinkable.
But after the false hero disappeared, the demons gained momentum, gradually gnawing away at the front line, leaving the alliance’s territory spottily infested with demonic presence like moldy bread.
The demon king’s army could move much more freely now.
Even the relatively monster-free northern regions were now overrun by the demon king’s army.
‘The third legion of Malekia…’
But neither Cuculli nor the soldiers of the northern tribes behind her showed any fear.
They came from a homeland where combat was a virtue.
The only change was that their enemies were now external rather than each other.
They had no particular sentiment about spilling blood on this vast snowfield.
In fact, many were excited for the battle ahead.
This was a fundamental difference between humans and them.
Cuculli grinned.
“…Well, there aren’t any humans here.”
There was Barret Namsov, transformed into an old tree.
Maktania, a celestial being.
Izaro, a homunculus.
And herself, a dragon’s incarnation.
Cuculli chuckled.
“It’s just a bunch of monsters gathered here!”
Izaro shook his head and approached her.
“Queen of the North, do not be complacent.”
Vwoom—
The staff he held, faintly glowing, pointed to the center of the approaching monster army.
At that moment, something was pushing through the formation of monsters, moving forward.
Boom—
In that instant, the tribes who had been exchanging lighthearted banter fell silent.
“…What is that?”
“A monster?”
“That can’t be just a monster.”
Boom—
The massive body, like a mountain range, was covered in spikes and flames.
The long, sharp spikes protruding from its entire body made horrific metallic sounds, skewering nearby monsters like kebabs with each step it took.
Sizzle—
That wasn’t the end.
The flames enveloping its body burned everything nearby.
The snowfield melted within tens of meters around it, and monsters unable to withstand the intense heat suffered the same fate.
The smile that had lingered on Cuculli’s lips slowly faded.
“No way…”
Even from a distance, its ominously glowing eyes shone like stars.
Cuculli’s gaze fixed on the crown-like horns atop the dragon’s head.
She swallowed hard.
“Malekia…”
One of the ancient trio, the Queen of Agony, Malekia.
She had manifested her true form on the battlefield.
This changed things slightly.
As Cuculli stared at Malekia, she spoke.
“Izaro.”
“Yes, speak.”
“…What’s the situation with the other seals?”
“About an hour ago, we confirmed that a large force was gathering near the fourth seal. The other commanders have also been spotted.”
“The fourth seal….”
It was the seal protected by her friends.
Cuculli furrowed her brow.
Of course, she trusted her friends.
And even more, she trusted the hero watching over them.
The fourth seal would surely be safe.
But there was something bothering her.
“Is Theo with the other commanders?”
“No, Theo has not been seen anywhere yet.”
“Hmm… that’s strange.”
Mobilizing even Malekia implied a serious attempt to breach the seals.
Yet, the most powerful force, Theo and the 1st and 2nd Legions, were nowhere to be seen.
“…So, there’s nothing wrong with the other seals?”
“No. We just received reports that the Imperial Capital, Rozenstark, and the Great Forest are all safe. We’ve told them to stay vigilant, as Theo could appear anywhere at any time….”
“Could it be that Larze and the Dawn Knights remaining in the east are hiding, waiting to join us unexpectedly?”
“With two seals already under attack, I doubt they need to be that cautious.”
“Ugh, that’s true.”
Izaro also seemed troubled by something.
‘What is the purpose of this half-hearted assault?’
Even if it were any other seal, Malekia’s 3rd Legion alone couldn’t capture this place.
Though she was powerful, she couldn’t take on Cuculli, Maktania, and Izaro all at once.
The same applied to the fourth seal, where the hero and the Lotus Knights were.
At this rate, they wouldn’t destroy a single seal and would only lose their forces.
Theo wasn’t one to make such a foolish move.
‘What is Theo aiming for?’
Something was missing.
But with the demon army already at their doorstep, it was difficult to figure it out.
The allies were already prepared for battle.
“Maktania!”
Tsutsu-tsutsu—
Fragments of light poured down from the sky like snow.
The morale of the demi-human army, which had been slightly intimidated by Malekia, was instantly restored.
“The Angel of All Creation watches over us!”
Maktania flew above the demi-humans, bestowing blessings with immense divine power.
The already powerful demi-humans became even stronger.
“…Whatever it may be.”
Cuculli looked at Izaro.
“Let’s focus on what we need to do.”
Thud—
Taking a few steps forward, Cuculli gazed at the approaching Malekia with clear eyes.
…Malekia, Malekia.
Cuculli repeatedly chewed on the name as if it had a tangible form.
In truth, from the moment he confirmed Malekia’s appearance, it had been difficult for Cuculli to think rationally.
Malekia.
The source of the calamity that struck the North.
It was Malekia who had planned to seize the power of the Ice Dragon dormant in the sanctuary and sent Kalende as the executor.
Thud—
Cuculli’s heart throbbed.
The sight of her siblings’ heads on stakes and the torn-apart body of Dorempa swirled in Cuculli’s mind.
Thud—
Cuculli stepped out of formation and kept walking forward.
Revenge.
Emotions she had to suppress as the Queen of the North were surging.
And just in time.
Malekia was also slowly coming forward.
“…….”
The exchange of glances and the sharp silence were brief.
[Young dragon]
The dry voice echoed in everyone’s ears.
[I will flay your skin, chew your flesh, and display your skull in my fortress]
Cuculli replied with a blank expression.
“You have poor taste.”
Malekia chuckled lightly.
[Little creatures, there’s no need to struggle anymore. It’s all over]
Just as Cuculli felt a strange discomfort at the pre-battle declaration of victory.
[He will come]
Malekia’s open mouth released an absurdly ominous statement.
[Our king will come]
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