Ch.234234. Ominous Winds of War (1)

I still remember it clearly. The land was already parched and twisted, cracked and barren. A desolate landscape where dry vines tumbled in the wind.

The hundreds, thousands of monsters I encountered there, and the Magia that clung to my skin with electrifying pain. How could I forget the hellish struggle to survive and continue conquering the Dungeon?

Even though Adelheid had acted quickly to create a barrier against the Magia’s invasion, I recognized all too well the nature of the Magia that had ridden the fierce winds to reach this place in that brief moment.

‘So it seems that bastard has definitely arrived.’

The fifth Demon, exceptionally skilled in deadly poisons and curses. It seemed the prophecy Adelheid had seen wasn’t wrong after all. That damned monster had successfully descended upon this world.

Otherwise, I wouldn’t be feeling this cursed energy that seemed capable of rotting my lungs if exposed to it for too long.

I briefly recalled the creature’s appearance.

Sometimes it took the form of a massive serpent, other times it appeared as a disheveled man who looked like he hadn’t bathed in ages. In serpent form, it was a monster that devoured the earth; in human form, it would appear suddenly, spray its maddening poison everywhere, and vanish—a truly wicked Demon.

At least there were countermeasures against the poison. But when it took that massive serpent form, I was at a loss for how to kill it. Somehow, it seemed like certain conditions had to be met for it to maintain that serpent form.

As I was lost in thought, Elvis, who had been trembling slightly, flew straight to me.

“Dad!”

“Ah, Changshik.”

“…It’s Elvis.”

Changshik, nestled in my arms, turned his head sharply toward the eastern forest with a wary expression.

“By the way, Dad, this energy…”

“Yes. The poison Demon.”

“…This is troublesome. Neither you, me, nor sister Tania can use our full power here.”

That was exactly right.

For a monster of that caliber, I’d need not just my true form’s power, but also the help of the complete Tania and Changshik to have any chance of doing something about it.

Having such a powerful enemy appear so early in my current situation was definitely not good.

‘The World Tree, Erianthina.’

That enormous tree forming the foundation of the great forest. What exactly was that tree that it could interfere with my Status Window like this?

Nevertheless, the World Tree had somehow created a quest in my Status Window:

『Defense War — Desperate Struggle』

As the quest suggested, I had no choice but to desperately fight to stop the advance of those damned Demons.

Just as I was thinking this.

Adelheid, having completed her spell casting and catching her breath, turned to face the people who were looking up at the barrier surrounding her and the city.

There was no trace of a benevolent ruler. Only a woman with the power to unite and inspire people’s spirits, like a conquering king before war, stood there. Coincidentally, she was still standing calmly in the midst of a mana storm, a remnant of her massive spell casting.

Indeed, with every small gesture she made, the mana bound to her control swirled around her. The people focused all their attention on their one and only queen, even more so than during the Great Trial.

“It seems that, coincidentally, the day of war foretold by the World Tree has now truly arrived.”

“The Great Forest has made many preparations until now. We’ve prepared equally for both offense and defense, though we’ve only recently begun to focus solely on defensive preparations.”

“However, judging by this intense energy and my past war experience, it seems the Demon that will advance while burning all forests has finally arrived here, so from now on—”

A declaration that war was imminent.

“I declare a full mobilization.”

The Grand Elder would not allow any opposition to this.

“The Forest Keepers and the military police must prepare for battle. We will recruit civilian soldiers who wish to participate in combat and earn merit.”

“Those who do not fight must contribute in various ways according to their specialties, laying the groundwork for our survival and revival.”

“Therefore, I say again: Everyone prepare for the great war and transformation.”

Preparation for great war and transformation.

“If our preparations are insufficient, we will all eventually become extinct and disappear into the annals of history.”

If they could not accept this.

In the future seen by Adelheid, the wisest elf on the continent, there was only a dark and bleak future—the extinction of elves and the Great Forest.

The people of the Great Forest bowed their heads to her voice, quiet but filled with sincerity in every syllable.

* * *

As soon as the war clouds hung over the entire Great Forest, the Great Trial was hastily concluded and everyone scattered, moving about busily. Adelheid’s royal guard split into two teams: half escorting Ianet, and half performing various tasks such as defense preparations and recruiting volunteers.

Arielt and Chelnis weren’t just sitting around either. Chelnis, who was proficient in siege and defense weapons using the elves’ unique spirit arts, began calling in technicians to install defensive barriers and the most powerful weapons in the city to perfect their defense.

The House of Arielt, together with the vigilante corps, managed the chaotic populace and the Forest Keepers, who possessed the most warlike combat sense among the elves if they set their minds to it. Arielt’s warriors were fully armed for the first time in hundreds of years and mentally prepared, with 60% of their forces at the front lines and 40% scattered throughout the city on high alert.

Even Ianet, who had been taken away with almost all her people, contributed to the Great Forest in another way. Adelheid forcibly opened the House of Ianet’s treasury. With all the wealth that came out of the storehouse, they prepared war supplies—they had hoarded so much that they were able to secure resources quite comfortably.

And so, the Grand Elder called another emergency meeting, gathering all the key figures of the Great Forest.

“Pleta and Friel of House Arielt. Kasia of Chelnis. Eunice Kallia of the Marquisate of Kallia. Other elders and…”

Adelheid’s gaze turned to me and Sione.

“The heroes who came here from the County.”

A clearly friendly attitude directed only at me and Sione.

Sione seemed to find her goodwill burdensome, nodding stiffly with a rigid expression.

“I believe everyone knows why we’ve gathered here. Indeed, to stop the enemy and protect our home. However, we currently know almost nothing about our enemy—we are practically ignorant.”

“I too stood on the battlefield against Demons thousands of years ago. But Demons differ dramatically from one another, and they are beings that are difficult to understand in their own way. Even if we devise dozens of strategies against them now, only a few might prove effective.”

“Nevertheless, we cannot just sit idle. So I have prepared several constraints we must endure and measures that will almost certainly work to our advantage as we formulate our plan. Let us discuss these now.”

The discussion proceeded one-sidedly.

The speaker, the one with the power to lead the conversation, was naturally the queen of the Great Forest. Since we were only allowed to listen to her words.

We could only listen to her and think about the optimal defense and attack we could take.

“Let’s start with the constraints we must accept.”

“First, since battles may not even be possible outside the barrier I’ve created against enemies affected by Magia, we must engage them inside the barrier. This means that even if we see an opportunity outside the barrier, we must let it go.”

“Second… we must protect the forest, or more precisely, at least the roots of the World Tree within the barrier, to minimize damage to the World Tree. This barrier is largely maintained by the divine power of the World Tree, so if we cause more damage to the World Tree, it will be difficult to pursue our greater cause.”

“And finally, this is both a constraint and, in a way, a strength—”

The air was heavy.

At the same time, we could tell how much heavy expectation and hope Adelheid was placing on us.

“Until the final phase, no matter what happens, everyone must ensure that the two heroes maintain their best condition for battle.”

“Neither the World Tree nor I, who secretly glimpsed the future at the cost of my lifespan, saw any future without the two of you.”

“You must protect them by any means necessary.”

And with those words.

“However, we are not only constrained. We also hold powerful cards for counterattack. And it is clear that if we use them well, we can create a very advantageous situation.”

The atmosphere, which had been unbearably heavy, reversed.

“The power that the World Tree has somehow left for us despite suffering great damage. If we use this power, we elves can gain a definite advantage against the Demons for a short time.”

Adelheid smiled sharply, revealing a keen glint in her eyes as she proudly declared:

“For just 30 minutes. We will synchronize the Great Forest’s environment not with the material world, but with the spirit world—the realm of spirits.”

She said the World Tree had prepared an incredible gift for us.