Ch.193Chapter 193 – World Tree Defense Battle (6)

[You’re here.]

The lich that had been flying through the sky landed in front of me.

[I assume you’ve been briefed on the situation?]

“Of course.”

As I nodded while watching the giant approaching from a distance, the lich nodded as well.

“What about the other small fry?”

[The elves will handle the remaining demon forces. They’re almost completely wiped out now, so you don’t need to worry about that front.]

The lich gestured toward the demons, whose numbers had noticeably decreased compared to before.

[The problem is, as expected, that big one over there.]

“Indeed.”

Just as I answered, another booming sound was heard.

It seemed they had fired a cannon from the front, but again, it appeared to have caused no damage.

“Do you have a plan?”

The lich shook his head slightly.

It meant there was no clear solution.

[If necessary, I’m prepared to attack with the most powerful magic I can muster. In that case, the World Tree would also be damaged, but it can’t be helped.]

“Great One, that’s…”

As Pine tried to say something, the lich raised his hand to stop her.

[I apologize if that sounded harsh. I know very well how important the World Tree is to you all, and it holds great significance for me too, so I’d rather not harm it.]

But, the lich added.

[However, even at the cost of injuring the World Tree, I want to prevent the Demon King’s summoning. The Demon King’s arrival would have no small impact on the world. So, my attack is truly a last resort.]

After saying this, the lich pointed at me and continued.

[Another option is for you to use the dragon’s power.]

“Wait, that’s—!”

As Sera immediately shouted in protest, the lich again raised his hand to stop her.

[I know. It would consume his lifespan. This too, I’d like to avoid.]

“…You should have mentioned that first.”

Sera quietly complained at the lich’s words.

Then the lich looked at Pine and said:

[So, Pine. I’d like to rely on you, if possible.]

Despite his earlier statement about potentially harming the World Tree, Pine nodded without complaint.

Then, she showed a massive spear that a gryphon had been carrying.

“What’s that?”

“It’s an arrow.”

Though it looked more like a spear to me, Pine insisted it was an arrow.

In shape, I suppose it wasn’t entirely unlike an enlarged arrow, but still…

“What kind of weapon is it exactly?”

“The principle is simple. It contains the power of spirits, which is then released when fired.”

Pine explained as if it were nothing special.

“However, it will take some time, including the process of persuading the spirits and storing their power.”

“Persuading?”

“Yes, persuasion.”

After saying this, Pine’s expression darkened slightly.

“I need to ask the spirits to sacrifice themselves. This attack uses spirits as offerings to increase its power.”

Sera seemed momentarily speechless at the explanation that this was a desperate measure that sacrificed the lives of spirits.

Ignoring Sera’s reaction, the lich quietly asked:

[How much time do you need us to buy?]

“Normally, five minutes.”

But, Pine added, giving the lich a slightly accusatory look.

“Since we need to finish off that giant for certain, I think you’ll need to buy me ten minutes. That way, we can avoid any damage to the World Tree, right?”

Judging by her expression, Pine seemed to harbor some resentment toward the lich for suggesting he might harm the World Tree.

The lich bowed his head apologetically, clearly uncomfortable.

[…That would only be as a last…]

“I know. I understand that in the worst case, there might be no other choice.”

Pine smiled, her anger seemingly subsiding at the lich’s demeanor.

“Anyway, ten minutes—it might take a little longer if we’re unlucky, but if you can buy me that time, I’ll aim for its head or weak point with this arrow. I can guarantee its power and penetration.”

I nodded at Pine’s words.

The next moment, the ground shook.

-Boom

[So this is the final line of defense.]

As our brief meeting ended, the giant’s face appeared with perfect timing.

The lich rose into the air again and spoke.

[Well then, ten minutes. I’ll try to buy that time. Help me.]

“Got it.”

“I’ll get into position.”

Pine mounted a gryphon and moved away, while the lich ascended into the sky and snapped his fingers.

Wind wrapped around my shoes and then lifted my body into the air.

[I’ve cast a spell that will let you fly as you wish. It will wear off after ten minutes.]

“Thanks for that.”

I had been slightly worried that I might have to climb onto that giant’s body.

After casting the spell, the lich waved at me and flew up into the sky.

“Kei, me too!”

“You stay here.”

Unfortunately, Sera coming along wouldn’t make much difference.

Instead, I handed her my bag of potions and said:

“Hold onto this for me. And give me some bombs if you have any.”

Since I’d be fighting while clinging to the giant’s body, I’d likely have no time to use potions for recovery.

Sera quickly handed me a bag.

“Here!”

After receiving the bombs I had used before from Sera, I flew upward.

I could hear Sera’s voice from the ground.

“Kei, be careful!!”

With Sera’s encouragement behind me, I ascended and saw the lich firing magic.

As if that were a signal, the siege weapons set up on the defensive line began spewing fire, and on the ground, the remaining demons and elves resumed their clash.

[…More flies, again!]

The gigas raised its fist.

That fist came flying toward me and the lich.

‘It moves according to my thoughts, he said.’

When I thought about moving left, my body flew to the left, allowing me to narrowly avoid the fist.

After evading its attack and landing on the giant’s shoulder, it looked at me slightly and smiled.

[In any case, you can’t wound me with that toothpick.]

“Is that so?”

Hearing its words, I changed my weapon to a spear.

Then, striking down with all my might, sparks flew as the spear collided with the giant’s skin.

[Ouch!]

Although the spear couldn’t completely pierce the giant’s skin, it seemed I could at least cause it pain.

“Did you underestimate this toothpick?”

I smiled at the grimacing gigas.

“Next time I’ll stick it under your fingernail.”

[You little—!]

The gigas tried to swing its arm.

But that arm never reached me.

-Crackle!

The lich shot a massive lightning bolt from the air, hitting the giant’s arm, and the gigas briefly shook its arm, halting its attack.

“Thanks.”

[Be careful.]

With those words, the lich flew higher into the sky to avoid the palm swinging toward him.

While the giant’s attention was focused on the lich, I took out one of the bombs Sera had given me.

Then I quickly threw the bomb at the gigas’s face.

“How about this?”

After the explosion, I could see the giant’s slightly scorched skin.

It seemed to have taken almost no damage, but the attacks weren’t completely ineffective.

[You annoying little—!]

The gigas shook its shoulder angrily, and as I jumped off, trusting in the lich’s magic, I analyzed the giant.

‘At close range, bombs do have some effect.’

Its skin was very tough, so the impact wasn’t significant, but it did take some damage.

That fact was somewhat reassuring, but I still faced another problem.

‘Still, I lack a decisive blow.’

Unfortunately, I concluded that without fully drawing out the dragon’s power, it would be difficult for me to deliver a finishing blow to this giant.

So I could only hope that Pine would do something according to the plan.

‘…But I can’t rely solely on Pine.’

I briefly turned my gaze to look at Sera watching me from the ground.

[Don’t get distracted!]

“Damn it!”

One wrong hit and it would be over.

I hurriedly twisted my body to avoid the giant’s arm, focusing on keeping the giant at bay.

+

Sera was watching the gigas.

“…Kei.”

She had shouted that she wanted to go too, but was immediately refused.

However, she knew herself.

Someone as slow as her would obviously be caught instantly if she went.

Kei was already concerned about his surroundings, and if she had gone along, she would have literally been a hindrance.

‘…That must be Pine…’

Feeling the flow of magical energy, she looked up to see blue, red, green, and yellow lights continuously illuminating the surroundings.

That must be Pine’s secret weapon.

She recalled Pine’s face as she guaranteed it would work even against the giant.

‘If only I had a secret weapon too.’

Then perhaps she could have been of more help in this battle.

While thinking this, the fight between the demons and elves intensified, and Sera heard the voice of an elven commander.

“Send out the wood giants!”

Such an order was given from afar, and soon some elves were seen throwing what looked like seeds onto the ground.

The seeds rapidly grew into trees, and their roots and branches transformed into legs and arms, then began charging toward the demons.

‘Is it a type of… golem?’

It was somewhat different from golems that moved with magical energy.

Golems moved with magical power.

However, Sera could tell that these wooden giants moved with something other than magical power.

‘This feels somewhat familiar… it’s an energy different from magic.’

Even in this situation, she was focused on something she didn’t fully understand as an alchemist.

Sera thought she might figure it out with a little investigation.

‘…A different energy?’

At that moment, something flashed through Sera’s mind.

‘The core that didn’t work despite having no issues.’

The special core her grandmother had left her.

The core she had spent days working on but couldn’t get to function.

‘It wasn’t incomplete, but simply lacked energy…?’

Watching the wood giants fighting in front, Sera formed a hypothesis.

It wasn’t magic. She had filled it with magical power days ago with Beatrice’s help.

Despite this, the core didn’t work, which led her to re-examine every part.

‘But I couldn’t find any functional issues.’

Sera reconsidered the fact that despite countless examinations, she found no problems.

If she couldn’t find any issues despite thorough inspection, it meant there was nothing wrong with the core.

‘…Was I overthinking it?’

Perhaps her vision had narrowed due to mental exhaustion from trying so hard to be helpful.

Just as she reached this thought, a wood giant fighting in front was shattered by a demon’s attack, and what appeared to be its core fell at her feet.

“…I need to experiment right away!”

For that, she needed the core first.

And just in time, the core arrived.

-Clank!

With a mechanical sound like a cry from within and the thudding of heavy footsteps, her golem arrived at her side.

Sera quickly called out to the golem:

“Dak-dak, bring out ‘that’!”

Though the golem didn’t exactly have a consciousness, it seemed to know what she wanted and opened its chest.

There, beneath a glowing gem, appeared a gem without light.

The glowing gem was the core of the golem she was currently using.

The other was the special core she had been researching, which she had stored inside the golem because she couldn’t just leave it anywhere.

Without hesitation, Sera took the core from the golem’s body.

“…This!”

She inserted the wood giant’s core she had just picked up into the part where she had previously stored her grandmother’s journal—a section she had thought was simply for storage or for a future auxiliary power source.

-Whirr

Then, light came from the core.

“It worked…!”

Light from the core meant it was operational.

This meant she could summon a golem using this special core.

‘Now if I just had materials…!’

Sera quickly looked around for golem materials.

Or rather, she was about to look around when:

“Ah….”

The light went out.

After staring blankly at the core for a moment, Sera quickly looked around.

“Another, if there’s another core….”

But she couldn’t see any intact cores like the one she had just collected.

Perhaps the wood giants’ cores were also destroyed when they were defeated by the demons, as she couldn’t find any undamaged cores.

‘Maybe this much wasn’t enough in the first place….’

Perhaps more of the same type of energy that moved those tree giants was needed.

But there was no way to easily obtain such a power source here and now.

“The answer is right in front of me…!”

Sera looked at Kei with a face that seemed about to cry.

Kei was still fighting, clinging to the gigas.

As Kei and the lich attacking with magic continued their assault, the gigas occasionally swung its fist in the air trying to shake them off. Then, as if noticing something, the giant shouted:

[You think I’ll just stand here and take that kind of attack!]

“Whoa!”

The gigas’s fist flew toward what was presumed to be Pine’s location.

The lich hurriedly tried to block the attack with magic, but the thick skin deflected the lich’s magic, and the area where Pine was located collapsed.

“Ah, damn it! It’s common courtesy not to interrupt when someone’s transforming or preparing a technique!”

At least Pine’s complaining voice could be heard, indicating she was safe.

But of course, the gigas didn’t respond to that voice and continued its attacks.

However, the recent attack posed a different problem.

“This will delay the time until she can attack….”

Because of the gigas’s interference just now, Pine would have to prepare her attack again.

Somehow, she needed to find a way to let Pine prepare her attack safely.

“…What good is knowledge I can’t even use in a situation like this…!”

She had no means to overcome this crisis immediately.

There was nothing she could do.

Just as she felt her knees might give way:

-Growl!

“Ah, eek?!”

Perhaps she had been too lost in thought.

A demon hound that had broken through the defensive line charged at her.

Because of this, Sera was pinned under the demon hound, and its fangs were thrust toward her.

-Clank!

Of course, the golem struck the demon hound away before its fangs could reach Sera’s neck, so she wasn’t injured.

However, due to the demon hound’s attack just now, Kei’s bag that she had been holding rolled on the ground, spilling its contents.

“The potions… I need to gather them quickly…!”

Wanting to prevent the healing potions from being damaged by either allies or enemies, Sera stopped thinking and quickly collected the contents back into the bag.

One by one, as she put the healing potions back into the bag with relief, something caught her eye.

“…That is.”

An unfamiliar fruit.

Or rather, looking closely, something that resembled a seed.

‘…What could it be?’

She felt something from the seed.

It was difficult to express, but to Sera, it felt as if the seed was speaking to her.

A feeling as if it was crying out to be used.

“…Haha, what a strange thought….”

She remembered her grandmother’s story about how materials sometimes speak to alchemists.

Of course, Sera hadn’t seriously believed it, thinking it was just a metaphor or a bedtime story for her younger self.

But something felt strange.

Unconsciously taking out her grandmother’s journal from her pocket to check its contents, Sera frowned slightly.

“This is the journal I recovered from there….”

Sera had accidentally opened a journal with nothing written in it.

Sighing, she was about to close the book when she placed her hand, still holding the seed, on the cover.

Naturally, she felt the seed touch the book’s cover.

It was a simple coincidence, not something she had intentionally done.

“Huh?”

The book began to glow.

More precisely, one page of the book was glowing.

Quickly opening that page, Sera’s eyes widened.

“Writing….”

In her grandmother’s handwriting.

There was text.

And reading the contents quickly, Sera could understand the identity of the seed she was holding.

“Yggdrasil’s seed.”

The origin of the seed, written densely in the book.

And what appeared to be her grandmother’s research on the seed’s properties.

Sera carefully examined one word in that explanation.

‘Life force.’

Without a moment’s hesitation, Sera inserted the Yggdrasil seed into the core.

It was a movement as if she instinctively understood that was what needed to be done.

-Whirrrr

As the core began to glow brightly, Sera quickly looked for golem materials.

‘No, for materials, I can use those!’

The remains of wood giants destroyed by the demons.

Judging by the core’s reaction, the power source for the wood giants and this core must be the same.

It was the most optimal material to use.

“Come forth!!!”

With all her might, Sera threw the core toward the remains of the wood giants and created a magic circle beneath them.

And the next moment, the ground began to shake.