Chapter 104

The ancient elves were beings with exceptional magical abilities and sacred powers.

At that time, human civilization and magic were not particularly advanced, so the elves reigned as the most powerful race on the continent.

But even they could not withstand the evil god Nakshis.

Nakshis’s defense was nearly invincible.

His body was protected by dark energy, rendering the elves’ attacks completely ineffective.

Powerful mana arrows and sacred magic simply dissipated into nothingness.

Only the hero Althea could wound Nakshis.

Althea wielded the holy sword Etherion, infused with the power of the World Tree, and succeeded in injuring Nakshis.

But it was meaningless.

Nakshis immediately healed his wounds using the power of darkness.

No matter how valiantly Althea fought, Nakshis’s wounds would regenerate in an instant.

In the end, there was only one solution.

To seal Nakshis using the holy sword Etherion and the power of the World Tree.

Otherwise, no matter how powerful the ancient elves were, they had no way to defeat the evil god Nakshis.

Nakshis was an absolute being, akin to a living calamity.

…Yet now, he lay on the ground, split in two.

Nameria blinked in silence.

What just happened?

Clearly, Nakshis had been swinging his sword.

Nakshis’s sword, with its sharp, forked tip, gleamed like pitch-black darkness, exuding a chilling aura that seemed capable of destroying the world.

The moment he swung his sword, the elves were destined to meet their end.

Everyone would face death under his overwhelming, unstoppable power.

But as Nakshis swung his sword, a young elf stepped in front of Nameria.

It was Ariel.

Ariel muttered, “After all the trouble of purifying…” as she gripped the hilt of the sword on her back.

Nameria saw her grip the hilt.

But she didn’t see the swing.

Ariel gripped the hilt, and in the next moment, she was already in a stance, having swung the sword.

Then, a massive shockwave engulfed Nakshis.

**KWAANG!**

Even Nakshis’s nearly invincible body and his sword, imbued with destructive energy, were split in two and sent flying.

The shockwave swept through the area.

Trees swayed violently, as if about to be uprooted.

Young elves clung tightly to the Ents, struggling to hold on, while even the larger Ents found it difficult to remain standing.

The older elders tumbled to the ground, rolling helplessly.

Amid the chaos, only Ariel stood calmly.

After a moment.

The shockwave subsided, and silence returned to the forest.

Ariel straightened her posture and sheathed her sword.

“W-what is this… My power, my body…”

Nakshis muttered in disbelief.

His deep voice was filled with shock.

“I-impossible… This is wrong…”

Nakshis was now only a torso.

He tried to crawl toward his lower half, which lay scattered nearby.

He intended to use the power of darkness to restore his body.

But Ariel moved faster than he could crawl.

Ariel approached Nakshis’s lower half and reached out her hand.

In an instant, Nakshis’s lower half vanished without a trace.

“?!”

Nakshis blinked in astonishment.

A voice whispered in his ear, “This might be sellable…”

“S-sell? W-what are you… Who are you…?”

At that moment, something plunged into the ground in front of Nakshis.

It was Nameria’s staff, made from a branch of the World Tree.

As Nakshis looked up, Nameria gazed down at him coldly.

“What? The elves’ power has weakened?”

“……”

Nakshis couldn’t respond.

His body was split in two, his sword shattered and sent flying.

Moreover, his lower half seemed to have been taken for the purpose of “selling.”

He could recreate his lower half using the power of darkness, but it would take time.

The elves wouldn’t just stand by and watch.

And even if he did recover, could he withstand that sword strike again?

As Nakshis struggled in confusion, Nameria spoke.

“The elves have not weakened. It is you who have weakened.”

“N-no, this is just that kid, it’s impossible…”

“In the past, our ancestors lacked the power to destroy you. Sealing you was the best they could do. But we have trained hard all this time. To face you.”

“T-this is not because you are strong…”

“It is time to sever this evil bond, Nakshis.”

Nameria raised her staff.

A mysterious green light gathered at the tip of the staff.

“I will annihilate you.”

Nameria brought the staff down, and the green light shot toward Nakshis’s head.

Even Nakshis, weakened and reduced to just a torso, couldn’t withstand Nameria’s attack.

Though Nameria was old, she was still the leader of the elves and a powerful mage.

The magic she unleashed with all her strength enveloped Nakshis’s head and soon exploded.

“……”

Nakshis’s headless torso slumped to the ground.

Finally, Nakshis was completely annihilated.

“Wooah!”

The elves around them cheered in unison. The Ents also shook their branches joyfully.

Nameria raised her staff to the sky and solemnly declared,

“Long live the elves!”

The cheers turned into roars.

“Wooah! Long live the elves! Long live Nameria!!”

Everyone shouted, but deep down, they all knew.

Even Nameria knew.

They hadn’t done much in this event.

The one who purified the World Tree and defeated Nakshis was an unknown young elf…

*

The Elf’s Forest regained its peace.

The traces of darkness vanished from the forest, and life and natural energy overflowed.

The elves and Ents spent their days filled with joy.

Ariel also enjoyed a leisurely time amidst the elves’ hospitality.

Wearing a flower crown made by the elves, she blended naturally into the forest as if she were one of them.

Silvan and Riana introduced Ariel to the various plants and animals living in the forest.

The elder elves she passed by praised Ariel as a hero, expressing their respect and gratitude.

And the children wanted to swing Ariel’s Ragnarok.

Of course, Ariel didn’t allow it.

Soon after, a festival began in the elf village.

Decorations were hung throughout the forest, and various foods and drinks were prepared.

As the elves sang and enjoyed the festival, Ariel ate sweet pies made from Luminaberries and drank refreshing juice made from elderflowers.

Ariel asked an elder elf how the Ents ate.

“…How do the Ents eat? They don’t have mouths, so they absorb nutrients through their bodies. Like this.”

The elder elf handed a cup of elderflower juice to an Ent.

The Ent took it and splashed it onto its body.

“This is how the Ents eat.”

“……”

Ariel nodded.

It was a bit strange, but she figured it was just their species’ trait.

After the festival, Ariel visited the home of Nameria, the leader of the elves.

Ariel planned to leave the Elf’s Forest that night, and Nameria had asked her to stop by before departing.

*Knock knock.*

When she knocked on the door, Nameria soon peeked out.

“You’re here. Come in.”

Nameria welcomed Ariel inside and prepared tea.

“You came to see me, so I assume you’re planning to leave the Elf’s Forest tonight.”

“Yes.”

“Right, you’re on an adventure, aren’t you? Come to think of it, my younger sibling loved adventures too. Through adventures, they found their love and left the Elf’s Forest, hehe.”

Nameria chuckled softly as she sipped her tea.

“I wonder how Gaizen is doing.”

At that, Ariel’s ears perked up.

Gaizen? That Gaizen?

The guardian of the Evergreen Forest, Elysion’s protector.

Looking closely, Gaizen and Nameria had quite similar features.

“He must be married by now, but he hasn’t come to visit. It would be nice if he brought his wife to greet me.”

“……”

For a moment, Ariel imagined a massive dragon descending upon the Elf’s Forest.

Of course, Elysion wouldn’t do that.

“Anyway, I truly thank you for this. You are the hero who saved the elves. Hmm, in the end, the prophecy was wrong. At first, it was hard to accept, but now even the elders acknowledge it. It’s actually a welcome thing. The hero who saved the elves is an elf, not a human.”

Nameria handed Ariel a necklace.

“This is my gratitude.”

Ariel examined the necklace.

It was a beautiful silver necklace with a leaf-shaped pendant.

“It’s a necklace made from the melted leaves of the World Tree. It was worn by the ancient hero Althea. I found it in the Eternal Archives.”

“Thank you.”

Ariel bowed her head and put on the necklace.

Instantly, she felt a sense of calm. It was clearly no ordinary necklace.

“Let me tell you something interesting about that necklace.”

Nameria smiled quietly.

“Althea was known as a chosen elf who could communicate with nature. She could hear the whispers of the World Tree, find the holy sword Etherion and become its master, and prophesy events on the continent. But the truth is, Althea didn’t have the ability to communicate with nature.”

Nameria pointed to the necklace.

“She simply used this necklace to communicate with nature. The necklace has the ability to communicate with nature. Althea happened to obtain it and used its power to pretend she was a chosen elf.”

“……”

Ariel quietly looked at the necklace.

The ability to communicate with nature.

Does that mean she could talk to the Ents?

“According to records, when Althea communicated with nature, she had to make physical contact. I also wore the necklace and placed my hand on the World Tree, and immediately heard its whispers. The World Tree is surprisingly prickly… According to the World Tree, Althea was a fraud, but her prophecies were accurate. They couldn’t be wrong.”

Nameria chuckled.

“Perhaps even the World Tree doesn’t know everything. Anyway, you can use that necklace from now on. It suits the hero of the elves.”

“Thank you.”

After a while, Ariel left Nameria’s house.

She felt like she had gained an interesting necklace.

She wanted to talk to the World Tree, but for now, she decided to return to the Evergreen Forest.

After all, she could teleport to the World Tree anytime she wanted, so it didn’t have to be now.

**Pahht!**

In the next moment, Ariel stood by the lakeside in the Evergreen Forest.

The radiant moon hung in the sky, and a serene darkness enveloped the surroundings.

The quiet suggested everyone was asleep.

**Rustle.**

Then, something approached Ariel.

Ariel turned her gaze and saw a wolf she had never seen before.

“……?”

It was a very small wolf pup.

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