episode_0042

Was it daytime now? Or why else was it so bright before my eyes?

Under the gaze of the full moon, the [Garden] was a true pandemonium.

Perhaps some spell formula had been implanted in them, for the chimeras before the World Tree turned their heads this way and that, causing flames to surge.

Caught off guard by the sudden attack, the elves seemed unprepared, with some even attempting to fight them bare-handed, but their voices soon began to fade.

The unprepared elves were no different from the World Tree itself, utterly helpless.

The chimeras, whose hides looked tough just by sight, batted away all the arrows the elves fiercely poured out and unleashed their magic.

Were they too terrified? Some elves, sensing the World Tree’s magic waver, collapsed to the ground, while others, their entire bodies burned by the chimera’s flames, ran around in agony.

Ah, did I stare too intently at the chimera?

The chimera, which had been burning down an elf’s house before me, soon looked down at me, who was directly in front of it, and opened its mouth as if to swallow me.

Its snout was long like a crocodile’s, and its teeth were savagely like those of a beast of prey, seemingly determined to tear me to shreds at any moment.

Was it not frightening?

[Cetus Style First Form] [Deneb Algenubi]

A tiny stream of water.

Several thin streams of water, too narrow to be called a river, sprang out from behind me.

Perhaps it looked too small and insignificant.

The chimera, which had retreated for a moment, sensing my magic, realized it was nothing substantial, so it raised its monstrous snout and charged at me again.

But did it realize that its body no longer moved as it wished?

Drip, drip, a thick, non-blood liquid began to fall from its head, and soon its body crumbled like a sandcastle.

‘It would be easier to sweep this place clean as discreetly as possible, but if I do that, I don’t know what Faust might do. They might even push the World Tree’s power to its limit, wanting to die together… It would be good if I could reach the world’s throne with a single attack… but their numbers…’

Turning around, only Ellicia, who had been aiming her bow at a chimera, was looking at me awkwardly.

Was she intending to handle it herself?

“Ellicia, we don’t know what the person inside will do to Mother, so let’s deal with this first. You just need to attack where the brain might be.”

“You mean I just need to aim for the head?”

“I meant it could be elsewhere. As you can see, this chimera’s body has several holes. I don’t like to gamble. I prefer to attack all possible locations.”

“How do you distinguish them?”

“It’s a feeling.”

Leaving only those words, I ran as fast as I could towards the World Tree.

Of course, one might wonder how fast a blind person could run, but it was my best effort.

Crash!

‘A chimera…?’

Perhaps it had been tearing apart elves outside, for a massive chimera crawling on the ground suddenly appeared beside me, destroying houses.

Had it spotted me killing chimeras from afar and crawled over? Everything behind it was destroyed, visible through a momentary gap.

“Ugh, it’s disgustingly ugly.”

The spirits, glowing mystically while emitting magic, were scrambling to avoid every single drop of saliva falling from the hideous monster’s mouth.

But had they seen me killing them? Despite their tiny bodies trembling, they lit up the area so I could see the massive chimera’s entire body.

My returning magic soon began to tell me where the chimera’s brain was, and the chimera continued to charge at me, now so close its face was almost touching mine.

Once it was close enough, I pulled out the hidden weapon from the staff in my hand and stabbed my rapier into its philtrum.

Perhaps because it was an attack imbued with magic, the massive chimera twitched slightly on the ground, as if its final vital spot had been struck.

Was it because I was too desperate?

I ran towards the World Tree without even checking if the chimera was truly dead.

“….!”

Until a long, thick, blood-oozing tongue tried to wrap around my body.

Before I could send my magic back and assess my surroundings, the chimera moved its body again.

I could have been instantly dragged into the chimera’s stomach, so to prevent myself from being pulled, I tried to thrust my rapier into the ground.

At that moment, my ears caught the sound of wind being cut.

Had my magic been influenced by the World Tree’s magic, causing me to see a hallucination?

Or had someone dealt with the last remaining part of its brain?

“I put so much magic into that shot, and it only buried this deep…?”

Ellicia said, tapping the chimera’s body where her arrow was lodged.

“We need to get inside the World Tree first, right?”

“Yes, we don’t know what’s inside once we enter, but just getting in overcomes the first hurdle.”

“Then I guess we need to deal with these bastards first…?”

At Ellicia’s grim expression, I looked around.

Chimeras spread out, and the area in front of the World Tree, turned into an open space by the flames they emitted.

At that moment, a single image formed in my mind.

“Ellicia, could you possibly lure all of them to the front of the World Tree?”

“That’s easy. We have the spirits.”

The moment she mentioned spirits, the spirits bouncing around her hugged each other in fear.

“So I just need to lure them to the front of the World Tree now, right?”

“Yes, please do it as quickly as possible.”

As soon as Ellicia heard my reply, she soared into the air, using the burnt branches as footholds to lead the spirits.

Was it fortunate that the chimeras lacked intelligence?

As something shiny and fast darted around them, they exhaled faint breaths and followed the spirits and Ellicia.

One by one, two by two.

The tiny spirits moved through them like a circus act, and the chimeras, being too large to keep up with their speed, could do nothing but bare their huge teeth.

The chimeras gradually gathered in front of the World Tree’s main gate, now gnawing at each other as if annoyed by their comrades in front.

“Huuu…”

I took a deep breath.

Slowly, I drew up the magic from the bottom of my being.

I had definitely failed this technique.

Back then, I had let this technique go without fully utilizing it.

A technique to clear all these chimeras and break through from the World Tree’s main gate all the way to the throne.

Cetus Style First and Second Forms have their power determined by my magic, but this Third Form’s power is determined by my magic and someone else’s magic.

In other words, the more magic the opponent has, the exponentially greater the power of this technique.

The problem is whether I can handle this, but now is not the time to worry about such things.

[Cetus Style Third Form]

Each stream of water combines to create a wave.

The being that answered my call from the deep sea was slowly moving its fins.

I raised my head and looked straight ahead.

As soon as Ellicia, floating in the air, nodded, I muttered.

[Menkar]

“Gasp….”

For a moment, I couldn’t breathe.

Perhaps it was alright when I used this technique before because it was the Sword Saint’s pure magic.

As the whale manifested by Menkar absorbed the chimeras’ magic and some of the World Tree’s fluctuating magic, the impurity seemed to emerge from within my body, causing me pain.

However, the colossal whale, now occupying space behind me like a megalith, paid no attention to whether I collapsed or not, merely absorbing the magic in front of it.

‘Focus…. I must focus….’

I wasn’t even thinking about controlling it perfectly.

I am still unskilled in the Cetus Style swordsmanship to handle the Third Form.

But right now, I don’t need to control it perfectly.

“Just spit it out… just spit it out….”

At those words, the whale shark, which had been emitting a full blue light even while underwater, bathed in the moonlight of the full moon, glanced at me, who was trying to control it.

The magic in front now seemed to be consuming even my own magic bit by bit, as if it was tired of it, but I did not stop this technique.

Now, the chimeras sprawled on the ground, and the firmly locked gate of the World Tree.

I pointed at the gate, which seemed impossible to open by normal means, aligning it with the chimeras.

The true value of [Menkar] is not solely in absorbing surrounding magic.

If it absorbs, shouldn’t it be applied to something?

“Just one more time… please help me one more time….”

Swordsmanship that handles constellations is swordsmanship with will.

I don’t know what expression the head behind me bore or what emotions it held, but I could vaguely understand its intention from its actions.

‘It stopped…? Absorbing magic…?’

The massive gate, firmly closing the entrance to the World Tree, was drawing magic from the surrounding tendrils, as if trying to recover its power.

The chimeras sprawled on the ground opened their mouths, trying to rush at me using each other as stepping stones.

One shot.

Just one shot would be enough.

I made a gun shape with my fingers and pointed at them.

“Bang.”

At that moment, my vision was filled with blue.