Ch.117Successor (3)

“How can you throw away your life so easily?”

For the World Tree, who had only recently been born into the world, it was puzzling. If it were to protect family, that would be understandable, but Tantalos had only about 300 subordinates left. From what she had heard, most had already fled to the barren lands where souls wander or continued their resistance in the southern continent.

“The moment you arrived on the eastern continent, perhaps you could have lived a new life.”

The flesh of a god. The moment one obtained such a different level of power, they could have taken it and opened new horizons. The sacred relic was powerful enough to claim succession to the vanished god.

“Yet you insist only on your duty.”

“Because that’s the path I must follow.”

“Continuing this conversation just keeps bringing us back to the beginning.”

“Someday, you too will come to understand.”

Tantalos turned his head to look beyond the forest.

“World Tree. Do you not have children of your own?”

“The desire to protect elves is different from madness, Tantalos.”

“Then let me ask you this, World Tree. When threat comes to your forest, would you not sacrifice your life for the elves?”

“As a child of the Creator God, I can assure you that won’t happen.”

The World Tree answered without hesitation. She was that confident. Though she had never properly faced angels, she believed in the authority and power passed down by the Creator God. This was the difference between her and Tantalos.

The demon noticed this gap and let out a hollow laugh.

“The difference in perception between mortal and immortal. Our mother was truly remarkable.”

“What are you saying now?”

“I’ve realized there’s no point in continuing this conversation. It seems you can only understand when faced with that terrible situation.”

It was almost a curse. The World Tree flared up once more and raised her voice.

“Let me emphasize again, this is my domain. Please be careful.”

“I shall. I will withdraw for today.”

Tantalos stepped back. There was nothing more to see in the council chamber. Trying to deliver the sacred relic was meaningless given the World Tree’s weak resolve. He understood that she was merely coveting the relic out of curiosity, making it difficult for it to exert its power.

Saaaaaah—

A wind blew from somewhere.

At the same time, dense leaves obscured the view. The World Tree’s voice, muttering “you’re insane,” faded away.

The wind carried a different story. As the scene shifted, red began to spread before Durin’s eyes.

A tragedy. The harbinger of great sorrow that would befall the forest.

“Inform the angels. Tell them a demon is here.”

“Warn them to hurry, for he is trying to persuade the World Tree to make the forest his hiding place. They will arrive sooner.”

“I thought the child of the Creator God would be impressive, but she too is just a lowly creature.”

News spread that the World Tree had argued with Tantalos, yet the demon still remained in the forest. This greatly heightened the humans’ anxiety. They felt they could at least have a chance to talk with the angels if the demon was expelled, but the arrogance born from being a child of a god was letting them stay, leaving no future in sight.

“But how can we move the angels? Even the strongest angel wouldn’t attack the Creator God’s child if it meant suffering losses.”

“Nonsense. How could those who devoured the sky be afraid? When my village was burned, I clearly saw it. The angels’ madness. They will surely burn this forest.”

“Then…”

“We just need to show our purity.”

“Purity?”

“Yearning for the god, and devotion.”

Madness crept into the voice. It was different from Tantalos’s form. An intense desire solely for survival. The ugliness revealed in the world threatened the forest.

“Let’s kill the elves.”

“W-what? The elves?”

“If we take action to prevent the World Tree from properly stopping the angels, that’s all we need to do.”

“But how can we act against the World Tree?”

“We’ll wait for when she fights the angels. If we use that opening well, we can surely devour them.”

A dagger was drawn from the shadows. The voice of betrayal was born from none other than a human sheltered by the World Tree.

“We can do it. We are devout followers of the God of Light.”

“Y-yes, that’s right. Indeed we are.”

The fear brought by war consumed humans to the point where they could no longer distinguish friend from foe. The radical stance that death was the only alternative to belief tainted even the minimum of purity.

This unrest was also conveyed to the World Tree. The urgent voice of the forest. The ominous energy rising everywhere made her body tremble.

“Even humans betray me.”

She felt a great sense of loss as a child of god. Kindness returned as poison, causing immeasurable sorrow.

“So I can only trust myself after all.”

She should not have embraced either demons or humans. The desire to show mercy as a child of god had ruined everything.

“Let’s drive them all out.”

Her eyes changed. The World Tree growled. She made a judgment not as a child of god but as a being living in the world.

“As long as my children are safe, nothing else matters, right?”

Though no one was around, the World Tree asked and answered alone.

The sorrow of betrayal.

The madness shown by Tantalos.

Her own past self, tempted by the sacred relic.

All events that occurred in a short time mixed together complexly. The moment she decided to withdraw her choice of inclusivity in an era of war, the peace of the forest vanished.

#

“Leave immediately.”

“W-World Tree, why would you do this to us?”

“You asked me to protect the forest, right? So I’ve decided. I’m going to erase all unrest from my domain.”

The next day, the World Tree gathered the refugee representatives in the council chamber and made her announcement. Her expressionless face created pressure.

“If we go outside, we’ll die.”

“Believe in divine mercy. Surely the god wouldn’t kill innocent humans.”

“But there’s a demon out there. If we leave the forest, he’ll immediately draw his sword.”

Wounds from the war reopened. The refugees remembered the flames that the demon had swept through. They immediately pleaded, remembering the merciless blade that had cut down everything.

“Please show mercy.”

“No. I won’t say it twice, so leave.”

“World Tree…”

“I clearly said there won’t be a second chance.”

The World Tree clenched her fist. The forest trembled. Life force immediately became a poison that choked the breath. The refugee representative rolled on the floor, coughing violently.

“As you said, I will drive the demon out of the forest. It was a decision I had to make for the forest.”

“Keh! Kuk!”

“But by the same logic, I don’t think you’ll be of any help to the forest either. There’s no benefit in letting humans who are being slaughtered by angels outside into our forest. Right?”

The World Tree pronounced her sentence to the pitiful creature gasping for rough breaths.

“From now on, the eastern forest will be a land that no one can invade unless war breaks out.”

Humans plotting schemes to survive.

Demons bringing war to the world.

Angels enforcing their dogmatic beliefs and slaughtering those who refuse.

“Forever.”

Impulsive emotions determined the fate of the continent. The hasty judgment of a transcendent being born not long ago. Underlying it all was the belief that she could protect everything with the power given by god.

#

“Are you leaving?”

At the same time, while humans were fluctuating in confusion at the sudden change, the demons moved silently.

“It would be nice if you stayed longer. It’s safer here than outside.”

An elf who had been hovering around the demon expressed disappointment. Having approached without hesitation because the visitor was welcome in the static forest, the elf seemed to feel great regret at the parting.

“Demons do not dwell in peace.”

“That must be tiring.”

“It’s also a pleasure.”

“I suppose we won’t see each other again?”

“That remains to be seen.”

Tantalos, who had always maintained rigid responses, spoke of an open ending for the first time. The drooping elf perked up their ears.

“Huh? Really?”

“Fate is mischievous and often guides us to reunite on unexpected paths.”

“You mean we’ll meet again someday?”

“It could be in the distant future, or it could be soon.”

“I hope it’s as soon as possible.”

The elf expressed a pure wish. It was the goodwill shown by those who judged outsiders only as visitors, without concepts of good and evil. Though not entirely familiar, fragments of memory remaining from prosperous times in heaven helped his response.

“When the time comes, it shall be so.”

That was the last conversation they had in the forest. They left the forest directly without going through the World Tree. They moved with hurried steps to prepare for the next journey in search of the sacred relic.

#

“Has the demon left the forest?”

“Humans as well.”

“Hmm. Your kind is suffering the same persecution.”

On a hill far from everyone’s gaze, in a position good for overlooking the forest, the angel commander lamented.

“Though our God created us to correct human wrongdoings, many still fail to move in the right direction.”

“Typical of the Creator God’s child with her capricious nature. To cast out those poor humans like that.”

“It means she won’t interfere in worldly affairs. But is that easy? Having once dipped her hand in out of arrogance, it’s right that she pay a suitable price.”

The angel did not see the World Tree as an ally. From the position of one who must rule the world, a fragment of the Creator God was merely a disturbing element.

“To properly establish the doctrine in this world ruled by the God of Light, we must erase the night.”

“As long as that forest remembers the demon, our great work cannot be accomplished. Above all, you said it yourself. The World Tree, as a child of god, protected the demon.”

One human nodded quickly at the angel’s question.

“Yes, indeed. Although it’s in the past, that’s what was said. Seeing the demon leave immediately, it seems her mind has changed, but…”

“That doesn’t matter.”

Seureu-reung. A sword was drawn. The human was startled by the blade suddenly revealed during the report. While seriously wondering if he had misspoken, his head was cut off.

Thud.

There was no scream. The headless corpse sprawled on the ground.

“She will surely not accept the God of Light. As long as she is conscious of being the Creator God’s child, she will try to establish her own domain.”

“A target that must be eliminated. Just as we erased all traces of the Creator God in heaven.”

For one god to rule the sky, there could only be one. Neither the Goddess of Night nor her father the Creator God could escape the blade.

“We erase all traces. The world is ours.”

The angel’s sword declared its aim at the forest.