Ch.985Disgustingly fast.

The battle that began at the entrance to the elders’ council chamber soon spread throughout the entire city.

Bodies crashed like catapult projectiles, demolishing buildings that resembled Parthenon temples, while errant slashes mercilessly felled the great trees in the park.

Destructive mana-infused punches tore up the earth, and pouring rain filled the resulting craters with debris and filth.

Battles between transcendents always bring disaster.

The capital of Alvheim, which had boasted thousands of years of history, was gradually transforming into ruins that looked as though they hadn’t been maintained once during that long period.

—-

…This is really shitty. Why can’t I ever catch a break no matter how strong I get?

Honestly, shouldn’t I be able to, like, obliterate enemies with a single finger snap when I’m this powerful?

But reality was cruel. Easy victories? Fat chance, not even close. As I grew stronger, the enemies I faced grew stronger too.

To the point where I might fall behind instantly if I stopped training and fighting.

…Well, what can you do? That’s just how this world works.

I clicked my tongue as I rose, pushing aside debris. Inwardly lamenting that this wouldn’t be easy either.

My opponent was, at minimum, someone at my level of strength.

It was impossible to gauge their total power, so I couldn’t determine how long they could maintain such strength, but…

“You’ve made Ausrine’s power both your vessel and seed. Inefficient… but interesting. I thought you had lost all potential and fallen, yet you’ve regained power in such a manner.”

Seeing how he analyzed my power with such a relaxed attitude, I could at least be certain he had power to spare.

His attitude was disgustingly annoying.

“What’s this, showing off your knowledge? You seem to know quite a lot, like the old elf you are.”

I charged toward him, drawing upon the power dwelling within me without hesitation.

Red currents like nebulae wrapped around my skin, and my clenched fist was imbued with enough power to distort the air.

To manifest the Divine Demon Body, I would need to hand control over to Hersella, but simply enhancing my physical abilities was something I could do with my will alone.

– Gooooooo…!

Divine power, heroic deeds, and karma of murder. Three types of power dwelled throughout my body, pushing all combat capabilities to their limits.

“If your mouth is that itchy, why don’t you become a history professor!”

My blade extended like blue-silver lightning. Varnir frowned and increased the distance between us.

Perhaps he sensed that if he tried to block like before, he’d be knocked back by the force. An accurate judgment.

– Kwadeudeudeudeuk!

My errant slash cut through a blood-soaked stone pillar like tofu. The building, having lost its support, collapsed and came crashing down above me.

“Where do you think you’re running-!”

Debris that wouldn’t hurt much even if it hit me. I smashed through the falling marble debris with my body and chased after the retreating Varnir.

“Kyaaaaa!”

“You’re like a mad dog. Has the power of the ‘wolf’ affected your sense of self?”

Varnir let out a mocking laugh and stretched his left hand toward me.

Dozens of tree roots shot up at once, blocking my path before tangling together like a net and lunging at me. From all directions, like a giant closing its fist.

“Sense of self? Ha, don’t treat me like I’m crazy. I’m perfectly fine.”

[ As if. ]

Ignoring Hersella’s nonsense, I scattered power in all directions.

Destruction. Flames. Spatial cutting. Red lightning. Various powers whirled like a storm, shattering the sphere of wooden nets trying to trap me.

“Hap!”

The next moment, a green blade appeared in my upward gaze. It was Varnir’s sword, leaping toward me while I was destroying the root sphere.

【 Defying Fate 】

It transformed into gray, and clashed with my greatsword as I swung upward to counter. Pure white sparks scattered like a fountain.

“——.”

Can’t hear you, can you?

In a world where sound had disappeared, I swung my fist at Varnir, whose mouth was opening and closing like a carp. He extended his left hand to block Frosting.

The next moment, his arm transformed into a tentacle, wrapping around my entire left arm and flinging me sideways. I flew dozens of meters before crashing into an empty building.

Just before I was thrown, Varnir, kicked by my foot, also flew in the opposite direction, demolishing several buildings with his body.

“Can’t you do anything besides tentacle stuff! You’ve wasted four thousand years!”

Defying Fate deactivated right after. I raised my aching body, broke through the debris, and let out a roar full of killing intent and fighting spirit.

“That couldn’t be further from the truth. I merely wanted to observe the changes brought about by a gap of two thousand years.”

Varnir appeared beside me through spatial transfer.

“And now, I’ve seen enough.”

He created armor with complex intertwining trees and vines over his uninjured body, then raised his left hand toward the sky.

Florens ăréna

【 Blooming Battlefield 】

The forest devoured the ruins.

—-

Blooming Battlefield. The power he newly unleashed was, true to its name, the ability to create a battlefield on bare ground. More precisely, a battlefield for himself.

– Kudeudeudeudeudeuk…!

Trees sprouting from all directions.

Dense great trees burst from the ground, and the debris of collapsed buildings exploded outward as all kinds of plants spread like waves from within.

This was fundamentally different from a sea of trees that swept away a wide area like a tsunami of giant trees.

Beyond the blessing of fairies who control forests at will, this was a power of creation that bloomed a new forest over a city. That was the true nature of the power he demonstrated.

“Ha, you really have all sorts of tricks.”

In the blink of an eye, everything around was covered in dense forest. I let out a hollow laugh as I glanced around.

All surrounding space. The ground. Even the sky. Everything visible was covered with tree roots and branches, creating a scene like being trapped in a giant net.

“Surprised?”

Varnir looked down at me from a branch of a great tree, smiling. I smiled back, conveying that while it was impressive, it wasn’t enough to astonish me.

“This would be perfect for urban greening projects. Can’t you come to our capital just once if I pay you?”

The capital of Hestella had become a barren wasteland without a single blade of grass due to the blood-red sun I had unleashed.

To restore the burned forests, grasslands, and farmlands would require enormous time and resources… but with this elf’s power, everything would be solved.

Just one use of his power and the forest would be restored immediately.

“If you offer all your subjects as nourishment for the forest, I shall.”

Varnir responded to my mocking joke with a smirk, then in the next moment reached my eyes and swung his sword at me.

– Kaaaaang!

I reflexively swung Durandal to deflect it.

“Can I substitute prisoners instead? I think we’ll have plenty of long-eared prisoners by tomorrow!”

“That won’t happen.”

Varnir flew backward with the rebound. He flipped his body in mid-air, then kicked off a tree trunk in his flight path and charged again.

“We’ll see about that!”

Again blocked, bounced back, and charged again.

…I think Nigel did something similar.

[ You could say this is the perfected version. ]

Three-dimensional high-speed maneuvering using the great trees covering everything like a net as footholds, turning the entire surrounding space into his battlefield.

Add to that his own speed, and it was like facing six powerful enemies simultaneously.

The sensation of being trapped in a storm of blades. I couldn’t take a single step forward, endlessly parrying his attacks from where I stood.

“Kuk, this bastard…!”

He’s disgustingly fast!

There was no opening to escape. Even if I deflected his attack with Durandal, the next attack was already upon me before I could blink.

This was, literally, a prison of forest and sword.

Moreover, it seemed that even mana effects were blocked in here, as rune inscriptions couldn’t be activated at all.

Escape through fire or destruction magic was impossible.

“I won’t give you the chance to manifest that peculiar acceleration ability or time interference. How long can you hold out with just your body without that power?”

I couldn’t even fully manifest Defying Fate.

Whenever I tried to concentrate karma power to manifest Defying Fate, he would somehow sense it and temporarily intensify his assault.

Tentacles shot up from below trying to impale me like stakes, plants like Venus flytraps grabbed my legs to stop me, and leaves mixed with pouring rain became blades raining down.

The karma tentacles controlled by Hersella repeatedly clashed with and were broken by the six tentacles on his back, and not only Stellar Destruction but even Lightning Slash missed as he read their precursors.

No matter what I tried, I was outmaneuvered and toyed with due to the speed difference. This was my first such experience since awakening to the Tale of Heroes.

It was during this situation.

【 This, power is҉̢̘̙̗̀̕…! 】

While I was fully focused on the battle, someone’s voice echoed in my head.

【 Freyus, so you were҉̡͝ still alive-! 】

A voice with strong static, like before.

Perhaps she finally realized the situation I was in? Astraea, who had been silent for a while, spoke to me again.

Emotions burning like flames. Displaying intense anger that seemed unbelievable for a goddess’s voice.