Ch.980Wooden Spirit

A network of photon cannons blanketing the sky.

I managed to break through somehow, using my relatively small build and quick speed, but the fairy guardians following me lacked such talent.

While the high-level spirits could match my speed, their bulky frames prevented them from attempting the evasive maneuvers I used to slip between the pillars of light.

“There’s no gap to squeeze through…!”

“Damn it, at this rate we’re just obstacles rather than support!”

Thus, the two guardians pursuing me reluctantly slowed their chase, biting their lips in frustration.

The situation was clear – charging forward would only result in certain death by anti-air fire. Rushing in despite knowing this wouldn’t be a heroic sacrifice, just pointless suicide.

In the end, they had no choice but to hover in the sky, waiting for the anti-air photon barrage to subside.

Once I, their target, completely passed through the firing network, the World Tree would cease its attack and focus more on the ground battle.

– Crack!

Yes, just like that.

It’s already starting.

—-

“GROOOOAAARR!”

A magnificent roar spread between the thunderous sounds of photon cannons.

The root cannons that had failed to catch me scattered like octopus tentacles and sank into the earth. From the dried soil, strange monsters suddenly emerged.

『Krrrrrr…! What are these now? Tree spirits? How pathetic!』

Kudsedra, who had been enthusiastically destroying photon cannons, growled while looking at these monsters.

Tree monsters slightly smaller than dragons.

They had massive troll-like upper bodies with curved backs covered in all sorts of plants. Below the waist, countless roots hung like entrails buried in the ground.

Small branches and leaves flourished across their ancient tree-like bodies, and the skin visible between the leaves was covered in a milky sap resembling rubber tree fluid.

Tree spirits.

Like the root photon cannons, they were defensive weapons created by the World Tree itself. Personally, I couldn’t tell how they differed from regular spirits.

Anyway, more than a dozen of these tree spirits suddenly emerged and charged at Kudsedra, who had been causing havoc.

“High-level spirits? If so, there must be a guardian nearby…”

“No, they’re different! More dangerous!”

They were also trying to kill the two people who had been busy destroying photon cannons alongside Kudsedra.

“Could it be tree spirits? They actually exist?!”

As a former fairy guardian, Perneisia seemed to recognize these monsters immediately, though she could hardly believe her eyes.

Indeed, tree spirits only begin to move when Alvheim and the World Tree face a serious crisis.

The last time they appeared was probably eight hundred years ago, so for Perneisia, who was relatively young for a guardian, this was truly a sight she’d never witnessed before.

“Tree spirits? What are those?!”

“Well, they’re… terminals! Like the World Tree’s terminals! Like fingers for humans!”

Perneisia, who was loading spectral arrows with outstretched arms, answered the two’s questions loudly.

True to her reputation as a freeloader who only consumed alcohol, her explanation skills were truly pathetic.

With enemies right in front of them, she should be explaining their attack patterns or how to counter them, not giving useless information about their nature.

“Terminals? Fingers…?”

“Forget that nonsense. How strong are they? What abilities should we watch out for?”

While Demian tilted his head as he summoned Caliburn, Ophelia frowned and demanded more detailed information.

Yes, that’s right. That’s what you should be asking.

“I don’t know! We’ll have to find out now!”

“What? You’re a fairy! How can you not know? Has all that alcohol given you dementia?”

Of course, it was meaningless anyway. Perneisia knew almost nothing about tree spirits.

I expected as much. That’s just how she is. I hadn’t expected anything from her, so I wasn’t disappointed. Just a little worried.

It would still take me some time to reach them. Right now, the four of them needed to withstand the tree spirits’ fierce attacks on their own.

I had roughly anticipated these creatures would appear, but I couldn’t explain this to my companions.

Unlike the photon cannons that even Perneisia knew about, tree spirits were secret weapons unknown to many even within Alvheim.

Even if I wanted to explain, I wouldn’t have an answer if they asked how I knew about them.

…Well, they should be fine. With Demian and Kudsedra there, they wouldn’t be overwhelmed instantly, even against an unknown enemy.

—-

And so the ground battle began.

『Kraaaaaah!』

Kudsedra opened the battle with a roar and a low leap.

Springing from the ground, Kudsedra lowered his head toward one tree spirit, exhaled a short breath of flame, and then pounced on the burning tree spirit, pinning it down like a beast.

The movement resembled a tiger biting the neck of its prey. Though he was a lizard.

– CRASH!

A physical attack carrying the full weight of a dragon. The tree spirit crushed under this overwhelming weight was flattened like a stray cat hit by a car.

『Kha, not much of a challenge!』

Kudsedra mocked the burning tree spirit under his foot, then swung his tail sideways to strike another tree spirit.

Whip-like speed with mace-like destructive power. Wood fragments flew up with a boom. The tree spirit that had blocked the tail with its arm was pushed back by the force, groaning.

『You blocked it…? Well, I see you have strength matching your size!』

Kudsedra shook his tail vigorously to shake off the tree spirit’s hand while shouting.

Perhaps he hadn’t expected it to be blocked. A hint of surprise mixed with his bellowing.

“Graaaah…!”

Another tree spirit bent forward, placing both hands on the ground. A posture like bowing to beg for mercy. But the reality was the opposite.

“Grooooh!”

The tree trunk-shaped head split open vertically, revealing a massive mouth. Being a tree, it had no tongue or teeth.

It wouldn’t need them anyway. This wasn’t an organ for chewing, but a muzzle for spewing something.

Inside the wide-open mouth, a sphere of light resembling the sun formed.

Though smaller in size, it was a beam of light no different from the photon cannons fired at me.

“Light barrage…? Then, first a holy barrier…”

“You can’t block it, dodge! Or counteract it!”

Though she knew nothing about tree spirits, Perneisia seemed to know about photon cannons well enough to urgently stop Demian from deploying a holy barrier.

A wise decision.

That light would penetrate and disintegrate holy barriers or defensive magic upon contact – an unstoppable barrage.

The only ways to respond were to dodge like me or pour out equal firepower to neutralize it. Or eliminate it with spatial techniques before it could make contact.

“So we need to counteract it? Then!”

Demian nodded and stepped forward, pointing Caliburn’s blade at the tree spirit while concentrating pure white holy light on it.

Heaven’s Wrath.

A pure white holy light barrage embodying Elpinel’s anger.

“Grooooh!”

“Haaaah!”

The next moment, the sun-like beam of light and the pure white beam collided, blooming into a brilliant flash.

The ground at the collision point seemed to evaporate from the impact, and the resulting shockwave swept in all directions. Light against light in mutual annihilation. The outputs were equal… no, Demian was slightly ahead.

“Yes, well done! Keep pushing!”

Ophelia hid behind Demian to avoid the collision’s aftermath, then slightly deployed a spatial distortion field to test if it could block the tree spirit’s beam.

– Woooong!

The moment the tree spirit’s light touched Ophelia’s spatial distortion field, the light’s direction bent at a right angle and struck another tree spirit.

“Graaaack…!”

The tree spirit hit by its comrade’s barrage screamed and staggered. Half of its tree trunk-like head had evaporated as if carved away by the light.

An impressive result. Though the distortion field didn’t last long before disappearing.

“It doesn’t last long… not useful for defense.”

Ophelia clicked her tongue and sighed.

Her spatial distortion field could only bend the light’s direction for a very brief moment. Due to the difference in output, the formula itself would break down shortly after deployment.

Well, even that was remarkable.

She couldn’t block the light barrage alone, but with allies who could shield her, she could not only neutralize but even reflect attacks.

Demian’s barrage, Ophelia’s spatial distortion, and Kudsedra’s breath.

With the three of them combining their strength, they had nothing to fear from the tree spirits’ photon cannons.

Even in close combat, they could hold their ground thanks to Kudsedra, who had invested hundreds of years of life into physical combat.

“Haaaah!”

“Won’t catch fire? Then I’ll freeze and shatter you instead!”

“You’re just oversized trees!”

Demian’s group destroyed the tree spirits by ganging up three on one.

『Keuaaaaah! Yes, you’re fierce! But still clumsy!』

Kudsedra served as both their shield and hammer, demonstrating the destructive violence unique to evil dragons.

One moment his head would be struck by a tree spirit’s fist, making him stagger; the next moment he would spring up, grab the tree spirit and bite off its head.

As the headless tree spirit wobbled and collapsed, Demian would leap in and thrust his holy sword into its chest, finishing it off.

‘They’re fighting well.’

Truly, all four were fighting better than expected.

Perneisia was honestly a bit mediocre… but I hadn’t expected much from her anyway. By her standards, she was performing above expectations.

[It seems training them was worthwhile?]

Hersella agreed with my assessment with a slight smile. She too must have found their performance impressive.

And then, after some time.

I finally broke through the World Tree’s anti-air network completely and landed in front of my companions who were in the midst of battle.

– CRASH!

With my sword tip pointing downward and wrapped in karmic flames, I made a rapid descent, completely pulverizing a tree spirit from head to trunk.

The debris shot up like a fountain.