Episode 583:
A huge flaming snake that could easily be considered a dragon was wrapping around the World Tree.
The rich green land was filled with the half-burnt corpses of elves, and the cloudless blue sky was covered with black cracks, as if it would collapse at any moment.
The elves fired white arrows and unleashed powerful elemental magic, but the Flame Serpent ignored them all and plunged its red fangs into the World Tree.
Quaaaaa!
The wall of mana that protected the World Tree shattered, and red-hot flames began to burn from the bottom right.
As despair filled the eyes of the elves, a high elf who looked similar to Sterin came forward.
He looked exhausted, as if he had been fighting somewhere else, but his eyes sparkled fiercely.
The arrow fired by the high elf like a thunderbolt got stuck in the snout of the snake that was burning the world tree.
The Flame Serpent screamed for the first time and fell from the World Tree.
However, the flames it left behind were still burning the inside and outside of the World Tree.
When the high elf tried to approach the world tree to put out the fire, a red-haired monster with a spiral horn sprouting from his forehead appeared from the crack.
The monster created bright red flames like a snake’s tongue and blocked the high elf’s path.
The high elf frowned and fired a pure white arrow at the monster.
However, his arrow could not pierce the monster’s flames and melted in the air.
From the crack opened by the red-haired monster, humans wearing similar clothing jumped out, attacked the elves, and gave power to the flame snake.
The giant snake got up again and sank its teeth into the World Tree again, squeezing it tightly.
The flames covering the World Tree burned more intensely, as if they had been painted with red paint.
The high elf was exhausted from the moment it appeared here and became impatient with the deaths of its compatriots, so it eventually allowed the monster to strike.
It was just one mistake, but the results were disastrous. The high elf collapsed with a black hole in its abdomen.
The red-haired monster approached the World Tree with a mocking smile on the dying high elf.
His minions fired flames in all directions as if they wanted to erase not only the World Tree but the entire space.
Oh my!
When the earth, which was full of natural energy, turned into hell and howled, the black sky split and sparks as brilliant as the sun poured out.
The golden flames that spread out with the mighty wind engulfed the red-hot flames that scorched the earth and the monster’s minions at once.
A swordsman wearing silver armor stepped down onto the dark, cracked ground.
I’m used to it now. He was Sieghardt’s ancestor.
He pointed his sword at the monster without saying anything.
The mouth of the monster, who had always been relaxed, became twisted.
The red-haired monster stretched forward with his hands wrapped in flames, just like when he killed the high elf.
But the offensive was on a different level from before. Ten fireballs burning in the air turned into meteorites and fell on the ancestor’s head.
Sieghardt’s ancestor did not look at the pouring ball of flame. Focusing only on the monster, he gently unfolded his grip on the sword.
Paaaaaaaa!
The sword that left his hand became an explosive golden flash that pierced the monster’s heart, shattered the red snake’s head, and became lodged in the center of the World Tree.
I can see it now. Fish sword. It seemed as if King Seonjo had thrown the sword with destruction in his mind.
The monster looked down at his own chest, which had a hole in it, as if he couldn’t believe it, and then collapsed, and the flame snake also struggled without its head before turning into dust and scattering.
“sorry.”
The ancestor approached the World Tree, muttering to the dead elves that he was sorry for coming late.
He frowned as he looked at the base and roots of the World Tree, which had turned black as if it was dying.
“If things continue like this, I will have no choice but to die.”
As the ancestor said, the World Tree was greatly shocked. If only the outside had been burned, it could have recovered on its own, but the snake had pierced the World Tree with its teeth and burned the inside as well, so there seemed to be no way to save it.
“This too must be fate.”
Seonjo closed his eyes deeply, opened them, and took out a red and a blue bead from what appeared to be a subspace bag.
No, I don’t know if it’s a bead or not. It looked like an animal egg or a jewel.
However, within it, a pure energy of nature that I had never felt before was overflowing.
The ancestors put the beads one by one into the hole where the flame snake had sunk its teeth and used the manga ball’s flame to close the hole.
“Live.”
He raised his gaze and gently stroked the World Tree.
Wooooow!
The World Tree also shook its branches and leaves, making a small sound as if it felt the feelings of its ancestors. The surviving transparent leaves fluttered faintly.
After grooming the World Tree for a while, King Seonjo stood up and turned around. His red eyes were shaking violently as if he was looking at me.
The moment I tilted my upper body forward to take a closer look at my ancestor’s face, the ring of fire resonated once again, turning my vision black.
* * *
“…on. Raon!”
“Ah…”
Raon slightly shook his head at someone’s call.
“Did you not sleep last night? “Why are you sleeping while standing?”
Rimmer chuckled and asked why he was bruised, not even Runaan.
“sorry.”
Raon shook his head, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.
-Where have you been again?
Lars clung to my shoulder and opened his blue eyes.
‘I came to see my ancestors for a moment.’
-Anyway, nonsense!
I told him honestly, but of course he didn’t believe me and turned his head away.
Raon smiled and looked at the World Tree. Seeing the world tree grow more majestic than I remembered, as if it had forgotten the fire of the past, I once again felt the greatness of our ancestors.
‘But…’
What is that monster?’
Monsters that appear every time you look at the memories of your ancestors. If you look at the black and white eyes reversed, it looks like a devil, but the aura that feels like it is clearly human.
‘What is that bead again?’
I guess it was the power of the ancestors and the beads that saved the dying World Tree and made it grow bigger, but I was curious about what those dictations were.
‘Do you still want to be in there?’
It was a bead left behind by Sieghardt’s ancestors, and the World Tree survived well, so I wanted to take it if I could.
“Ugh…”
As I was thinking about how to find the orb, I heard Rimmer sigh.
“There are old guys.”
“yes?”
“The typical elf old guys you thought of are over there.”
Rimmer raised his finger and pointed at the elves who were seated behind the World Tree.
There were 11 old elves with wrinkles like Sterin’s, and behind them stood young elves dressed as guardians as if they were forming a battle line.
“They are…”
“Elders.”
Rimmer frowned as he looked at the elves approaching.
“Ugh…”
At the mention of elder, Siyan, who was covered in a blanket, let out a short moan and her whole body trembled.
It seemed like those elders were the ones who had been nagging and insulting her.
“See you, Guardian.”
The blonde elf standing in the center bowed to Sterin.
“Did you come first and prepare for the ceremony?”
Thrain nodded, thanking him for taking care of the purification ritual.
“Of course it’s something we have to do. But…”
The blonde elder’s eyes turned to Raon.
“Why are there humans here?”
He expressed anger rather than lack of understanding.
“This is a sacred place only for elves. “It is no place for humans.”
“It will be okay. “That person will become the Spirit King’s contractor.”
The answer came not from Rimmer or Sterin, but from Erian, who was standing behind the elders. He raised his fist, still shouting that Raon was the Spirit King’s contractor.
“Erian.”
“yes. Elder.”
Erian bowed his head proudly.
“I didn’t ask you. “Keep your mouth shut.”
“I’m sorry.”
Erian shivered slightly at the Grand Elder’s cold voice and then took a step back.
“Guardian.”
The Grand Elder clicked his tongue briefly and looked at Stelin again.
“Let me ask you again. Why did humans come into this sacred land?”
He shot me cold eyes, asking what he was thinking.
“Don’t you know that it was humans who tried to burn the World Tree!”
“Are you trying to say that this child is the same as the human who attacked Seifia?”
Stelin spoke calmly and narrowed his eyes.
“It’s no different! “Aren’t we the same human beings?”
The Great Elder shouted excitedly, but his eyes still shined with a cold light.
“All I learned from my ancestors is that humans almost burned down the World Tree!”
He pointed to the right base of the World Tree, where traces of the fire were still visible.
“What the Great Elder said is correct.”
“No human being should dare to step on the sacred site.”
“Please let me out now!”
“Guardian!”
The other elders also shook their heads, saying they could not accept it.
Raon frowned as he looked at the elders with their stubborn mouths.
‘You didn’t leave any records.’
In his memories, Sieghardt’s ancestor left this place without meeting anyone after saving the World Tree. The fact that he saved the World Tree seemed to have gone down in history.
“Because of the Guardian’s request, we accepted transactions with humans, but absolutely not with the World Tree.”
The Great Elder stood in the way and straightened his back proudly.
After hearing the story roughly, it seemed like Sterin had made a deal with the Council of Elders in exchange for access to humans.
“Hmm…”
Stelin wrinkled his eyes as if he didn’t know he would be interrupted like this.
“That’s rude.”
Rimmer stood next to Sterin and shook his head.
“He is my student. Even if you understand that much…”
“You are the problem too.”
The Grand Elder turned his gaze to Rimmer and frowned.
“Why is this guy who has become a bastard because he has been infected by humans and is talking about where this is!”
He glared at Rimmer with sharper eyes than when he looked at Raon.
“You old man! “Show me what a real motherfucker tastes like?”
“stop.”
Just as Rimmer was about to throw a fit, Sterin stepped forward.
“Are we all thinking the same thing?”
“That’s right.”
The elders stood behind him as if to give strength to his opinion.
“And…”
The Grand Elder frowned as he looked at Siyan standing next to Raon.
“I wonder how far Siyan will go to destroy the dignity of elves by coming to this sacred space like that.”
“Ugh…”
Siyan trembled at his sharp voice and force.
“First, please get that human and Rimmer out of here. “Shiyan, I can’t let you in like that either.”
As the elder’s gaze became harsher, Shi Yan’s shoulders became more trembling.
“Do you want to try it now?”
Stelin also seemed to be irritated now and set his chin with a cool expression.
“Could that be? We only think of elven abundance. Please reconsider.”
The Great Elder waved his hand and took a step back.
“Please reconsider!”
However, the elders and other elves who followed his opinion did not back down and stood their ground.
“Um….”
“High Lord.”
As Sterin chewed his lips while looking at the elves, Raon gestured to Rimmer.
“Is the elf’s guardian something like a matriarch or a king?”
“What is it?”
“But there are many people here who ignore the king.”
The elders and Sterin’s gaze turned to the gentle voice that seemed to be mixed with ridicule.
“What did you say just now?”
“That’s right.”
Raon took a step forward and curled the corners of his mouth.
“It was two days ago that the Guardian said he would show me the World Tree. The other elves knew it too, so you, the elders, couldn’t have known it. “But you didn’t ask for it right away, so coming all the way here and blocking the road is nothing more than ignoring the Guardian?”
“That…”
The elders could not refute and looked away.
“Even the humans you ignore try to stop faction fights and show only the good side of their families when guests from outside come, but the elves who are said to be good only show their own shame in front of humans.”
“That’s not it. We…”
“Ah, actually, it doesn’t matter.”
Raon cut off the elder’s words.
-It came out. Stop talking!
Lars frowned as he looked at Raon.
-This is this guy’s number one most annoying special move!
The guy chewed his lip, saying that he was most annoyed when he stopped talking without even being able to come up with an excuse.
“I think what you say is funnier than anything else.”
“Funny?”
The elder’s brow furrowed deeply. His momentum was sharp and stretched out as if it would cut into pieces all over his body.
“If you don’t speak clearly, you won’t even be treated as a guest.”
He frowned as if he was truly angry.
“Grand Elder!”
“wait a minute.”
When Sterin was about to step forward, Rimmer raised his hand.
“Trust that guy for once. “Because everyone has their own thoughts.”
Rimmer said with a smile that Raon was not someone who just moved around.
“That’s right.”
Siyan also muttered that he had read it in a book and that he should believe it.
“Hmm…”
Stelin listened to his grandchildren and stepped back with his arms crossed.
“That’s right. Who guarantees that the World Tree belongs to the elves? “I think the World Tree likes me more than you?”
“I’m completely out of my mind. I have been worshiping the World Tree since I could crawl. “Not only was I not a high elf, I dedicated my life to the World Tree, so why are you saying such arrogant things?”
The elder sneered and said that they were just talking nonsense.
“The World Tree has been closed off for over hundreds of years since it was set ablaze by humans.”
He turned around and walked towards the World Tree.
“However, through the efforts of countless elves, hearts began to open over a hundred years ago.”
When the Great Elder placed his hand on the World Tree, the branches fluttered and bloomed with pure mana. The rich scent of mana filled the air as if this world had been turned upside down.
“Are you saying you can handle the World Tree better than me?”
He shook his head to stop saying nonsense.
“Let’s go out right now…”
“Then would you like to make a bet with me?”
“bet?”
“yes.”
Raon stood next to the Great Elder and looked up at the World Tree. I nodded as I looked at the tree that humans killed and humans saved.
“What would you do if I could elicit a greater response from the World Tree than Elder Elder?”
“under!”
The Great Elder laughed as if he was dumbfounded.
“You’re crazy…”
“I saw the World Tree for the first time today, so what’s with the bravado!”
“They said he was the dragon slayer who captured Kaibar, but was he just a crazy person?”
The other elders and elves also frowned as if they were dumbfounded.
“If I lose, I will take Mr. Rimer with me and never return here again.”
Raon smiled slightly, saying he would do whatever the elders wanted.
“Hey hey! “Why are you betting on me too?”
Rimmer, who had been shouting for us to believe him, also shook his head in embarrassment. However, Stelin did not say anything as to whether he decided to maintain his initial trust.
“You will keep what you say, right?”
“of course.”
“good night. “If the World Tree accepts you, I will grant you everything you wish.”
The Great Elder twisted his lips, saying that the World Tree would never accept humans.
“I have two conditions. The first is to receive the fruits of the wild.”
“As expected, it shows greed.”
The elder scoffed, saying he knew that would happen.
“And the second is for you and the elders to kneel before me and the Guardian Siyan and apologize for our rudeness.”
“what?”
“dare!”
The elders widened their eyes as if they had never expected such words to come out.
“It’s fine.”
The Great Elder pursed the corners of his mouth and shook his head.
“Because that won’t happen anyway. “You can say anything.”
“Then we’ll add one more later.”
Raon muttered that it was a good catch and raised his finger.
“…I am I?”
Rimmer tilted his head as he looked at Raon and the elders. All other names appeared, but my name was missing.
Raon approached the World Tree with calm steps. The right side, where the color has not fully returned yet. I touched with my hand the place where Sieghardt’s ancestor had placed a bead and caressed.
‘It is a human that tried to kill you, but it is also a human that tried to save you.’
To help the World Tree retrieve the memories of that time, like its ancestors, it used a cartoon ball and a ring of fire to gently sweep away the area where the hole had been filled.
However, the World Tree did not move at all, as if the memory had not yet awakened.
“also.”
“There is no way the World Tree would accept humans.”
“Rimer, get ready to leave.”
The elders and elves laughed as they looked at the World Tree, which did not react in any way.
“Guardian. “It’s a shame.”
Contrary to his words, the Great Elder raised his chin and drew a crescent moon at the corner of his mouth.
“It seems he cared about that human, but he kicked away the guardian’s consideration due to his own greed. “Humans are inherently like that.”
“….”
Stelin looked at Raon’s back in silence.
“Hello.”
The Grand Elder smiled even brighter and waved his hand. The guardians standing behind him stepped forward.
“Get that human and Limer Siyan out. “Kick out humans and Rimmer from Seifia…”
As he continued his mocking words, transparent leaves fluttered down in the air.
“hmm?”
The moment the Great Elder raised his head, the World Tree radiated a magnificent energy as if spreading its wings and shook its branches.
The sound of the World Tree spread like a clear sword and soared to the end of the sky, filled with longing and gratitude.
“What is this!”
“Ah…”
“This is how the World Tree resonates…”
The elves’ mouths were wide open as the waves of the World Tree revealed a more brilliant blue light than ever before.
“Uh oh…”
Raon turned his back when the elder’s eyes widened as if they were going to jump out.
“What are you doing? Don’t kneel.”
He curled the corners of his mouth thinly and gestured.
“Kneel down.”
