Chapter 218

It was a sudden calamity.

Perhaps it was another form of the apocalypse.

“Th-That…”

Diares, running with his azure long hair flowing wildly, quickly extended his arm sideways to halt the advance of the reinforcements.

As guardians, they were the mightiest sword, arrow, shield, and spear within their race—reigning supreme in all aspects.

They were granted rights befitting their responsibilities and required infinite devotion in return.

And as guardians, they stood at the forefront to block tragedies and disasters caused by external or internal forces.

In essence, they represented the military power of their nation and race.

But now, Diares himself trembled at the sight of the girl in black armor right before him.

‘This is death.’

Death was depicted so vividly.

While his rational mind screamed to charge forward and stop this, his instincts opposed fiercely.

Run.

Danger.

Even standing here puts your life at risk.

Don’t catch her eye.

If you attract her attention…

“Hmph.”

Leaving the subsequent troops behind, he started walking alone.

Just a few steps forward.

The air had changed.

‘Erosion…’

Beings from the Demon Realm rarely wield much power in the Middle Realm.

However, this was true vice versa as well.

That is…

‘Has this area been demonized?’

For such an outrageous act to occur right before the Sacred Tree… In the history of elves spanning fifty thousand years, has something like this ever happened?

I’ve faintly heard tales of similar invasions from ancient times, but even those were from eons ago.

“If we keep this up…”

It’s not good.

Instinctively, the majority of spirits following him couldn’t maintain their strength here.

That alone meant half of his combat power was neutralized.

But an even bigger problem was…

The Demon King finally had the environment to unleash their true potential.

Naturally, dread filled him.

The overwhelming pressure and malevolent intent radiating from them was suffocating and cruel.

‘Alone… I can’t do it.’

At this point, he really wished for the glorious Knights of Glory to appear.

……

Her eyes were calm.

With crimson eyes glowing, she slowly scanned her surroundings. The only thing visible through the black armor was her pale skin; everything else was blood-red.

Right now, she was thinking clearly.

With the stability of her domain, she no longer needed to rampage uncontrollably like before.

She had regained enough sanity.

After all, the moment had come to distribute the suffering she bore among her people.

All the pain of the Demon Realm is evenly distributed among all beings.

But since she left the Demon Realm, she had to bear all that weight on her own.

Now, even if it’s insignificant by her standards,

at least having some breathing room was crucial.

Because of this, she could become calmer and grasp her sanity more clearly.

‘…Levantine.’

The purpose of coming here.

First, retrieve and perfect the broken Levantine.

And the one holding it must be ‘him.’

But since then, even the Demon World Tree couldn’t track or locate him.

Then, what should she do?

At that time, her lone Legion Commander told her: If you can’t find him, make him come to you.

Or take control of a place he has no choice but to go.

…Easier said than done.

But he insisted there was no need to know how.

No matter how fast or slow, just create the situation where he has to come.

When paths cross, consider it a pleasant surprise.

There’s no absolute certainty, but making it absolute is enough.

To him, the completion of Levantine was currently secondary.

And that would become an unpredictable variable for them.

Then, what is the main purpose of this invasion?

‘…The World Tree.’

Her Legion Commander, Ginaincotoinas or Hela, said:

Don’t act recklessly. Govern with strategy.

Drag me into that world.

If that happens,

he would conquer the Middle Realm as easily as he once conquered the Demon Realm in another unknown world.

We haven’t traveled back in time or anything.

Though Delica hesitated at first, she eventually clarified the fact.

It seemed her Legion Commander had known all along.

‘Then…’

Was all our resistance futile?

‘Not quite.’

Because passing through that era allowed her to exist now.

That shouldn’t be negated.

Hatred, resentment.

Injustice, irrationality.

Misery and suffering… They must never be forgotten.

……

The condition was undoubtedly improving compared to earlier.

But wounds inflicted by an unknown weapon showed no signs of healing.

And now, this mysterious woman holds it.

‘Preparation.’

As if she knew I’d come here.

There’s no way information leaked out.

Then is it based on elves’ unique foresight?

‘Irrelevant.’

His Legion Commander boasted about suppressing precognitive abilities and concluded:

‘Calamities may be prepared for, but great calamities cannot be resisted by mere creatures.’

-Qwq

‘Come forth.’

I am here now.

If you are my subjects,

‘You will never escape me, even in death.’

=====

At that moment, the beings of the Demon Realm scattered across the Ardisus region began moving systematically.

Regardless of whether they were demons, monsters, or daemons,

their movements took on a clear intention.

Thus, those who were responding individually at first couldn’t immediately recognize the change.

Through spirit magic, they shared and gathered information remotely and realized that their previous disorder and irregularity had solidified into a firm order.

‘They’re all converging towards the center.’

Elves naturally reorganized their formations and began pulling their front lines toward the center.

Additionally,

dimensional portals opening indiscriminately began expanding toward the vicinity of the World Tree.

Alesia was retreating under the guidance of the elves.

Due to the significant difference in mobility, even with the help of spirit magic, her movement speed lagged far behind theirs.

‘It’s not that I’m slow!’

They’re abnormally fast!

The disparity between her, bounding off the ground with her whole body, and those gracefully leaping tree-to-tree was significant.

Moreover, some even moved through the sky like birds or divine beasts.

Watching others virtually flying using spirit magic made her question the meaning of life.

‘Why are humans so sluggish?’

Anyway, that’s the case.

“Are you still doing nothing here?!”

Right then,

a massive bird soared into the sky with its iron shoulder guards tightly attached.

Alesia barely suppressed a shriek thanks to superhuman patience.

“Zora! You’re supposed to signal and hold on!”

“Where’s the time for that?!”

The red-feathered bird spoke casually.

Since it wasn’t the first time, Alesia’s shock quickly subsided.

Being held high was somewhat comforting.

During this dazed moment, Alesia shouted and Zora responded accordingly.

“What are you doing here?!”

“Me? I’m holding onto one of the most needed humans right now!”

“When the Demon King starts using real power, we’ll need your strength!”

“Demo- Demon King?”

Ah, so that’s why Minette disappeared so suddenly.

Although she wasn’t technically part of the group, her presence often drew attention when she caused disturbances from afar.

Like white frosty mist rising dramatically.

Ice walls shooting up, and other such phenomena.

When these bizarre occurrences abruptly ceased, it seemed she had gone elsewhere… until now, the Demon King?

“Ugh!”

Just recalling her last encounter sent shivers down her spine.

One of the most unforgettable and worst experiences she’d ever want to avoid.

Despite being accustomed to hardship, this wasn’t asceticism—it was relentless torture.

She still occasionally had nightmares about it.

…Come to think of it, it hasn’t been that long, has it?

“But where―!”

“You’ll bite your tongue! Just stay still!”

“Not on my watch!”

Besides, do I need to fight the Demon King?

Ah, right.

I… am the Holy Maiden.

For some reason, her awareness of this identity had been lacking lately.

Is it because she’s been focusing more on hand-to-hand combat, causing her brain to harden?

“Where’s Carriel?!”

“If there’s no issue, they’ll probably arrive before you!”

Is that so?

Then… I hope they use it properly… Will it work?

Even while being carried away, Alesia unconsciously pondered this.

‘Surely they’ll handle it well.’

They’ve become monstrous enough to devour monsters themselves, after all.

Surely they’ll manage fine.

‘Anyway, we’ll meet soon enough.’

Still, why does it feel like time is dragging on lazily despite the urgency of the situation?

=====

“What’s going on with these things all of a sudden?!”

While Diare faced off against the Demon King, enormous monsters and beasts suddenly surged en masse toward the Demon King’s direction, smashing through the forest.

Some of them were directly hurling their bodies toward the World Tree.

“Cha, dimensional portals!”

Through the gaps in the forest, the ominous shapes could be seen.

From the portals emerged swarms of creatures large and small, pouring out like ants and bees.

The numerical advantage was instantly reversed.

The reinforcement troops watching Diare quickly formed ranks to counter the incoming demonic forces.

But such formations were familiar to other races.

Given the current lightly armed situation, engaging in melee combat with them would be disastrous.

“Surround yourselves with thorny vines!”

“Prepare for impact!”

“Glory to our ancestors! Lead us to the earth!”

Instantaneously, thorny vines as thick as human arms sprouted, and stone barriers rose from the ground.

These were wrapped in more vines, creating makeshift fortresses on slight inclines in mere moments.

On top of these, some displayed the legendary skills of their race as marksmen, firing rapid volleys.

Within three seconds, they shot over a dozen arrows, each hitting the foreheads and brows of the beasts without fail.

Others used elemental magic bare-handed to assist in ranged attacks and protect their allies from enemy charges by continuously conjuring temporary barriers and altering the terrain.

Some even summoned tall trees from the hard ground, climbing them to launch one-sided assaults.

Despite their smaller numbers, their ability to decimate vastly superior forces resembled the feats of legendary heroes.

But even they struggled against the colossal beasts.

Feeding dozens of arrows into a single giant beast allowed numerous smaller ones to roam freely, which was hardly ideal.

Worse yet, another misfortune arose.

“Grrk!”

Diare fought valiantly against the demons emerging from the eroded area.

This indicated the rapid deterioration of the situation around the World Tree.

If the Demon King were to intervene now, there would truly be no recourse.

Even the snowstorm conjured by Minette provided only minimal hindrance.

By merely diverting a fraction of her power, the previously frozen wooden behemoth began moving again.

Minette sighed reflexively.

‘If this continues…’

Hadn’t they just relaxed a few seconds—or perhaps minutes—ago?

Yet here they were again.

‘If this keeps up, it won’t last!’

GRRR!

As the wooden beast emitted a guttural, sticky cry,

cracks began appearing in the transparent barrier surrounding the World Tree.

Glancing around momentarily, everything seemed dire.

“Ugh!”

Minette herself was nearing her limits.

Hence, when a small object fell among the elf ranks from the sky,

the elf warrior who noticed it wondered what it was.

It was…

A broken sword.

Why was it here?

Most importantly, the shape and form of this sword were completely different from those used by elves.

If pressed to compare…

It resembled the straight swords used in the empire.

At that instant,

a brilliant white light erupted from between the broken blades.

And this light soon shaped into countless forms.

-So this is our battlefield!

A barbarian warrior wearing a horned helmet.

-Khahaha! Death calls us!

A bulky warrior with one damaged eye.

-Odin! Today promises a joyful battle!

-A festival of blood! Blood from blood! Blood as blood!

-To Valhalla-a-a-!

-Glorious death! Honorable death!

-Since I’m already dead, what’s another death to lose?

-You die too! And so do I! What better exchange is there?

Various warriors clad in white light appeared, wielding diverse weapons.

Their size dwarfed three elves combined, and there were dozens of them.

Among them…

Something even larger than these giants emerged.

Its sheer size surpassed that of ancient trees centuries old.

Unfolding its hunched upper body,

its height seemed almost to touch the clouds.

With a single kick from its left foot, it sent a four-legged beast flying through the air like a kicked stone.

-Grrrrrr-!!

The white giant roared.

The earth and sky shook violently.

An barbarian warrior tilted his neck upward, readjusting his nearly falling helmet, and bellowed heartily.

-Brother, your roar is mighty indeed!

Elsewhere, another warrior swung a massive axe, splitting several beasts at once, shouting.

-Uhahaha! This is battle! I love battle!

-To live as a ghost? No! This is the life of a warrior!

Fur-lined armor.

Long swords forged from chains.

Most prominently, axes.

Throwing axes embedding into targets.

Two-handed axes cleaving brains and bodies.

Axes wielded in one hand or two, capable of both slashing and piercing shields.

Originally tools for convenience and survival.

Also cherished companions and sole brothers in harsh lives.

They used them to chop wood, strip bark, split logs.

To cut firewood, build homes, craft ships, slay beasts, skin animals, butcher meat.

And to crush enemies’ heads, muscles, and bones, effortlessly taking lives.

-What a rich grassy scent! More fragrant than a maiden’s thighs!

-Or alcohol! Alcohol! Blood and alcohol!

-Let’s flay them! Odin desires it!

-Khahahahaha!

Truly an awe-inspiring spectacle that instantly turned the tide in a savage manner.

Despite appearances, some elves who had lived for centuries immediately associated these figures with certain entities.

Ice Sea Sand People.

Viking Crew.

The earliest of them were masked pirates and bandits, but collectively, they were far too strong.

Driving local settlers to despair, they treated plundering as a business, founding and establishing nations through it.

Legends of the continent.

During the era when humans clumsily handled mana, they honed their bodies with mana, becoming fiercer than bears, kings of bears, and lords of beasts.

Engaging them in open plains or fields was suicide back then.

Arrows could pierce them endlessly without hitting vital spots, and their equipment was far from shoddy.

They excelled in both single combat and group battles.

Ironically, they were somewhat vulnerable in large-scale wars.

Therefore, they were incredibly agile, cunning, and despicably cowardly.

They had a natural talent for tormenting and pillaging the weak.

But when facing stronger foes, they fought like suicidal heroes.

Literally, mad warriors.

“Where did these guys come from?”

As one elf pondered aloud,

another elf perched atop a temporarily grown tree spotted approaching reinforcements through the forest.

Among them rode their blue queen, resplendent in silver chainmail dresses upon a white horse, galloping toward them.

Also,

from the highest branch of the trees they traversed,

a man embodying pitch-black darkness was observed.

---