Chapter 217

“Ugh….”

Delica somehow managed to cling onto her rapidly fading consciousness.

Her entire body felt as if it were on the verge of shattering and tearing apart at any moment.

It might not actually be true, but that’s how it feels right now.

This kind of exhaustion isn’t comparable to mere muscle pain from overworking or the aches in bones and joints—this goes far beyond all that.

Even severe flu wouldn’t feel this bad.

Because her eyes weren’t functioning properly, her vision was blurry and unclear.

It’s like hot needles pressing against her eyeballs and eye sockets.

‘…I can’t do this again.’

Our Legion Commander may know many things and can bring about great harmony, but…

He’s an outright monster who knows nothing of kindness.

‘Absolutely.’

The meaning behind demons and daemons descending into the Middle Realm—forget even trying to manifest directly; borrowing someone else’s body indirectly is already…

An exhausting task. Just allowing it for a brief moment has left me this wrecked? Seriously?

Without realizing it, she coughs lightly, which causes her whole body to shake, making her lungs and heart thump painfully.

It feels like a scorching blade slicing through her lungs. The spreading headache piercing her skull is even more deadly.

With blood clotting, her nose feels blocked, making breathing difficult and extremely arduous.

If Delica were just an ordinary kid in perfect health… this alone might have been enough to shock her into unconsciousness or worse, maybe death.

Excessive pain can kill you after all.

How many times have I witnessed such cases?

Even damaging just ten fingers and toes could be enough to kill someone.

Hadn’t she seen that firsthand from someone close by?

‘Hatred, maybe?’

That’s why she must burn with resolve.

Delica, after all, knows better than anyone how to hate.

-…….

Lucesia didn’t look much better either.

Up close, it was even more obvious.

Her entire body trembled violently, barely able to stand upright.

If I lose consciousness here, I’ll just become deadweight.

Part of the Demon Realm Tree, the crimson-spike tree. She’s embedded it into herself, driving it into the ground like a stake, holding her position.

Though moving her body is hard, she uses the crimson-spike tree to force herself up—but even that looks precarious.

She might die doing this.

The agony Lucesia is enduring has long surpassed what any individual should bear.

Her sanity is fractured, barely clinging together by a thread.

Just the fact that she hasn’t lost control completely and gone berserk, and that she’s still alive despite everything, speaks volumes.

Her willpower and patience are almost transcendent, bordering on extreme.

After all, the pain that crushes her enemies doesn’t even come close to the torment she endures herself.

‘Pain…’

Something all life forms naturally avoid, hate, and reject—Lucesia has taken it and turned it into a weapon.

The sole legacy of the Great Demon King remaining in the Demon Realm.

But even with that alone, it seems she managed to conquer the Demon Realm.

Although Delica doesn’t know this, according to Cain, her journey wasn’t exactly smooth sailing either.

Before Lucesia became Demon King and established the laws governing the Demon Realm, her entire life was filled with constant peril.

After becoming Demon King, thanks to the new Legion Commander ascending, most problems within the Demon Realm were resolved—but that was only the beginning.

Just the start.

And the end.

Everything is utterly detestable.

‘I must destroy it all.’

This world is overflowing with absurdities.

Even without them, it’s irrational and illogical.

There’s no way to restore it back to normal, to ideal conditions.

Even if there was, it’d only last for a short while.

This world is fundamentally flawed.

It’s screwed up.

So we—I—we dream of erasing this world forever.

For my own sake.

For everyone else’s sake too.

This cursed world that breathes curses upon us—it must vanish.

Because the gods and creators cursed us.

All we can do is resist, rebel purely and fully.

====

As the monstrous tree spreads countless branches and tendrils, it continues its futile struggle, unable to reach the surface of the World Tree.

Minette, noticing this scene, carried Remira, whose condition had somewhat stabilized, and slipped away from the area.

‘The delay in reinforcements means they’re putting everything they’ve got into this fight on their side too, right?’

Minette tried to assess the situation calmly.

Not that she had much hope or interest in reinforcements in the first place, but if it could help avoid the worst-case scenario, it would be necessary.

‘If more time is needed…’

Ultimately, it’s a matter of time.

Thus, Minette’s role isn’t over yet—not by a long shot.

Jumping to conclusions prematurely won’t make the world conveniently end anytime soon.

The most selfish beings aren’t individuals, others, selfless saints or sinful demons—it’s the world itself.

This world, being so inherently selfish, is the phenomenon.

…Minette concluded vaguely.

Doing nothing.

Feeling indifferent.

How cursed that is.

“Huff!”

As she exhaled, a white mist formed like frost.

Freezing everything solid—what exactly does that accomplish?

The phenomenon that just occurred was akin to inflicting frostbite, causing cold damage.

The dark and ominous figure momentarily enveloping the girl, Delica, represented something different from a Demon King—equally grotesque and cruel.

“…”

It’s not because Minette is foolish that she didn’t use that method.

She’s used it effectively when the situation called for it.

However, the way the other party employed it was clearly intended to annihilate the opponent.

…Moreover, it’s not similar power.

It’s identical authority to hers.

…So, does that mean there’s no restriction on him using it like me?

‘That’s not something to think about now.’

Already, her body was moving.

As the frozen barrier cracked, melted, and collapsed, the wooden wall inside revealed itself.

Approaching quickly and placing her hand on it, it instantly shrunk to the size of a small stick, fitting snugly in Minette’s grasp.

“…”

Which one takes priority?

The Demon King first, or the tree-monster?

-…….

The Demon King looked dire, but despite that, she was dragging herself forward with great effort.

Her movements were sluggish and heavy, lacking coordination.

Meanwhile, the tree-monster seemed unfazed by the transparent barrier, expanding its size and territory bit by bit as if intending to engulf it entirely.

Still, compared to the scale of the World Tree, it occupies only a minuscule portion.

If left unchecked, it will continue expanding indefinitely.

And given how fragile that transparent barrier appears, who knows how long it will hold out?

‘For now…’

Over there.

Minette froze the air around her, stepping on it like invisible stairs, rising above the scene.

From this vantage point, she could see the entirety of the tree-monster.

“…”

Zora would likely report first to where Carriel is.

He must already be heading this way upon detecting unusual signs.

So, just a little longer.

Just a little more time to do what needs to be done.

“…”

Minette’s lips slightly pursed as she targeted the core of the tree-monster.

She had roughly located it based on the sensation when the freezing effect penetrated earlier.

But knowing its location doesn’t necessarily mean she can do anything about it.

Still, isn’t there another way?

‘…Should I go simple?’

What does going simple even mean?

‘Exactly.’

While inwardly questioning herself, her actions remained straightforward.

The wooden stick in her hand suddenly transformed into a massive axe.

Then, holy energy enveloped it, turning into frost, followed by intense icy crystals coating the entire thing.

Its size and bulk far exceeded the original transformed wooden axe, making it seem capable of striking the colossal beast effectively.

‘Hitting blindly would be problematic.’

There’s a risk of affecting the barrier too, causing issues.

So, what’s the plan with this?

‘Peel it off layer by layer.’

Back in the glacial valley, Minette unintentionally participated in logging work, witnessing various methods of cutting, breaking, toppling, and splitting trees.

‘It’s not a big deal though.’

It really isn’t.

The massive axe swings down vertically.

Crack!

The ice axe embedded deep into the monster’s trunk began expanding its frozen influence exponentially.

Gradually, fresh frost and ice crystals started forming across the tree-monster’s body.

The once lively branches and vines that thrashed about like living tentacles now move much slower, as if restrained.

‘If this works, it’d be convenient.’

Despite the frost reaching the core and clearly having some effect, it might not be enough to finish the job.

But this is the best option for now.

Given how resistant it seems to regular cold, it’s only Minette’s formidable power that’s keeping it contained—if regular magic or spirit spells using the same ice or cold wouldn’t suffice.

‘…’

Still, Minette kept an eye on the Demon King just in case.

Relieved slightly seeing the faint shapes of elves approaching through the forest, reinforcing their numbers.

‘And that guy…’

It wasn’t just that.

The blue-haired elf leading the group ahead appeared to be none other than the younger brother of the Elf Queen, known as the Guardian of the South.

Indeed, one of the strongest forces this nation could muster had just arrived.

And.

Delica, who had just struggled to rise, caught sight of this scene with a vacant gaze.

“…Cain.”

If she’s managed to endure this far, then comparatively speaking, she’s done well.

Delica thought.

This situation was already anticipated in the plan.

‘Make sure the bait isn’t eaten too easily, right?’

That nonchalant warning, tinged with mockery, still lingered vividly in Delica’s mind.

Though it was directed at Lucesia, the only one who could act as her voice and mind now…

‘Is me.’

Not that the situation seemed solvable anyway.

“On the contrary, which side lets us get eaten?”

If the bait performs its role correctly, the next step depends crucially on the fisherman or the hunter who set the trap.

“Haa.”

Realization came a bit late.

The surrounding air had subtly changed.

The crimson-spike tree had firmly rooted itself around the earth, encircling Delica and Lucesia.

-…….

With a faint sound of armor friction and a heavy thud.

The Demon King’s animalistic roar, scream, howl…

…shook the entire area.

Thus.

The crimson tree begins taking shape.

“That’s…”

The range was narrow and weak, but precisely at that moment…

A fragment of the Demon Realm manifested.

More accurately, a small part of the Middle Realm was entirely overtaken by the Demon Realm’s domain.

“Master.”

Breathing heavily but suppressing it, Lucesia’s condition had noticeably improved since earlier.

Tearing away the crimson-spike tree that supported her body, she forcefully crushed it.

The Demon King rose once more on two feet.

Extending her black steel-armored hand towards the approaching group.

-󰔴󰙆󰑣󰑮ϫ

An incomprehensible language resonated.

Yet Delica instinctively understood what she said, though she didn’t truly comprehend the words.

It’s strange.

-Everything shall be equally…

…cursed.

The crimson-spike tree spread out in hundreds of directions.

Red butterflies and various beasts surged forth like illusions, leaving trails of crimson afterimages.

This was nothing less than…

The foundation of a universal curse that every living and dead thing owes unilaterally.

A perpetual nightmare of decay and ruin, where notions of life and death yearn for each other while simultaneously rejecting them—a chaotic rebellion of delusions and attachments.

And the uprising.

Even if it’s minimal, insignificant.

If this place is the Demon Realm…

Then it represents her rights, duties, and grandeur.

Over the forest, the millennium-old kingdom untouched by time, the eternal haven of the long-lived race…

Despair descended upon all living beings.

It fell.

It blanketed everything.

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