episode_0187

“I, I see an elf lying over there!”

“Ah, sister!!”

The Baek-ryun group, who were looking for Tanaka’s sister, Dahlia, at the place Leon told them, were eventually able to find Dahlia collapsed alone at the scene of Leon’s battle with the .

Tanaka immediately ran to the fallen Dahlia.

Her condition was severe enough to be understood just by looking at her.

Seeing that, Tanaka teared up and stroked Dahlia with trembling hands.

“Dahlia, sister…. How did this happen….”

“The wound is serious. Could you step back for a moment?”

“Yes, yes!….”

Tanaka stepped back, and Leviyah and Lucy took her place.

They each knelt down and gathered their hands together, summoning divine power.

“Oh, radiant mother of life, please grant the spark of life once more to this pitiful being before us….”

“Well, I don’t know, but radiant life….”

Unlike Leviyah, who prayed sincerely and squeezed out divine power, Lucy prayed very half-heartedly, but surprisingly, enough divine power gathered.

The divine power that the two squeezed out slowly seeped into Dahlia’s severely injured body and began to heal the wounds on Dahlia’s body.

“Hmm…, that’s a pretty bad wound.”

“Judging by the looks of it, the wound itself seems to have been caused by a sword?”

“Hmm…. This might sound strange, but somehow the sword strokes revealed in the wound look similar to Master’s….”

“Baek-ryun, you too? I was thinking that too…. But I didn’t say anything because swords aren’t really my specialty.”

Meanwhile, the two people from the East Continent looked at the wound Dahlia had suffered and accurately guessed the cause, but since there was no reason for Leon to attack her, they just assumed it was a coincidence and moved on.

Kugugugugung!!…

“?!”

“T-the ground is shaking!….”

“We need to move the location! Lucy, Leviyah! Are you done with the treatment?”

Leviyah and Lucy slowly withdrew their divine power in response to Seol-lin’s question.

Since most of the wounds that were visible on the outside were all treated, Tanaka immediately hugged Dahlia.

“Fortunately, some first aid was done. Thanks to that, she was able to hold out until we arrived…, and the treatment was able to be finished quickly.”

“Then let’s get out of here quickly. My gut feeling is that it’s not good to stay here.”

“Tanaka-yang. Are you alright on your own? If it’s difficult, I will help you.”

“I’m okay. Thank you so much… for saving my sister….”

Tanaka delivered her gratitude while sobbing.

Baek-ryun smiled with satisfaction as he watched her.

“That’s a relief. That you didn’t lose your family.”

To Baek-ryun, who had lost his own family and clan, Tanaka’s appearance resonated even more deeply.

“Hurry and get out of here!!”

“Alright~! Let’s go, Tanaka-yang. Tell me anytime if it’s difficult.”

“Yes!”

With that, the Baek-ryun group escaped the corrupted World Tree.

And as if to prove that Seol-lin’s intuition was correct, the moment they escaped from the World Tree’s domain, they could see black lines soaring from the ground and forming the shape of a tree, stretching towards the sky.

Moreover, they also saw the sight of the black tree, which continued to soar high into the sky, being cut down in an instant.

* * *

Whoosh! Swish!!

“Keuheuk?!”

“….”

Every time he swung his sword, a great cleave struck along its trajectory.

Each time, countless black lines lost their way and scattered in all directions.

‘Certainly…. It’s quite powerful.’

The black lines that the spews out seem to require at least 2 strikes…, no, about 3 strikes to deflect.

That’s how it would have been before.

Kwaaaang!!

As a result of combining the two holy swords, the power of the holy sword named [Ex Machina] was overwhelming compared to the previous holy sword.

‘Even sharper…, and the power of the holy energy emanating from the holy sword has definitely become stronger.’

The strengthened sword and holy energy were able to cut through the black lines shot by the in a single strike and aim for the ‘s neck.

He had already cut down the several times.

Of course, every time that happened, the regenerated his body at high speed, so it was meaningless….

“Why!…, why!! Why is this happening!!! I definitely absorbed the power of the World Tree completely!!!”

“….”

The , far from killing me, continued to be overwhelmed and his body destroyed, gnashed his teeth, became enraged, and spewed out power.

In that way, countless black lines aimed at me and came in.

“ ”

I swing my sword without feeling any great threat from it.

“Mountain Cleaving.”

A single line drawn horizontally.

The line soon became a wave of cleaving strikes, completely destroying the gathering black lines and destroying the ‘s flesh.

“Aren’t you making some big mistake?”

“What?”

“Certainly…, it seems like the size of the power has increased. But wielding that power is a separate matter, right?”

It’s a very simple story.

Even if the size of the power grew from a lake to an ocean, as long as you’re inserting a pipe to draw water from it, it’s meaningless unless you increase the size of the pipe itself.

“Well, the amount of power you’re spewing out at once has gotten bigger than before, but even so, it’s still at a level that I can handle sufficiently…. In the end, unless we’re fighting an extreme war of attrition, there’s no need to be afraid of your power.”

“!!”

“Do you understand now? And I…, I’m starting to get sick and tired of this situation.”

He aimed the holy sword at the .

“So let’s…, end this now.”

“!!”

“Ocean Cleaving”

He stabs.

He pierces.

Erasing the distance between me and the , he aims to pierce the ‘s chest.

But at that moment, the transformed into two people.

Both looked the same and had the same power.

“…[Phantom Image].”

[Phantom Image] at this timing….

He must be really cornered.

But if he uses [Phantom Image], there should be a considerable risk to the main body?

“Hmm….”

The in front of me is two people.

One is [Phantom Image]. The other is the main body…, but…. he definitely has an ego.

“That’s strange. I thought that when you use [Phantom Image], the main body becomes incapacitated.”

[It seems like they are linked to the clone.]

At that moment, Machina’s voice echoed in my head.

Machina, with her calm and mature voice, analyzed the situation gently.

[The clone itself is a technique that creates a fake with another ego. When you use [Phantom Image], the main body is definitely incapacitated, but the clone is not affected by it.]

“So, that’s [Phantom Image] and a clone. Two people? He took out the main body at that moment?…. Now he’s even doing escape magic.”

I clicked my tongue and looked at the , and the shouted at the same time.

“Ha, hahaha!! I know that you don’t have a way to overcome [Phantom Image]! Even if I don’t have a way to defeat you right now…, yes. As you said, this is just a matter of time. If I adapt to this power and draw out even stronger power…, I’ll win!”

“…Is that just a long way of saying you’re running away?”

[Master. I think I can overcome Phantom Image.]

“…Really?”

I couldn’t help but ask back with a bright expression at the sound that I might be able to overcome that damn [Phantom Image].

[By merging with the other sisters, the function has been strengthened…, and I have been able to access even deeper power.]

[System: ‘Holy Sword: Ex Machina’ is attempting to register ‘Causality Severance’.]

Is this even possible?

To add the skills I need, I shouldn’t say this to Abel, but I’m glad I combined the holy swords.

…Wouldn’t it be even stronger if I combined Ragna’s holy sword too?

That thought crossed my mind for a moment, but I stopped.

It’s okay now because Abel is completely corrupted, but if I attacked a healthy Ragna and stole her holy sword, even I would become a public enemy.

Honestly, looking at the power, I think it would be better if I just had the holy sword.

“Alright. Let’s do it.”

“Yes. Understood.”

[System: ‘Causality Severance’ has been added to the special abilities of ‘Holy Sword: Ex Machina’.]

[Causality Severance]

[Detailed Explanation: It goes against causality and chases after it without fail.]

“Causality Severance….”

I don’t really know what it is just by looking at the description….

[It’s a technique that can cut down even if there’s no substance. It goes against causality and always achieves the result of ‘cutting down’.]

“…Oh, so?…”

[‘Phantom Image’ must have a mental connection with the main body, and this technique can chase that connection and cut down the main body.]

Very good.

I can finally counter this damn [Phantom Image].

“ ”

“It’s meaningless! Your sword can’t penetrate my [Phantom Image]!!!”

He strikes with a cleaving blow.

With [Causality Severance] added to it.

“Mountain Cleaving.”

A line of cleaving strikes that crosses the world.

Since one is a clone and the other is [Phantom Image], he has no reason to avoid my attack.

That’s why he tried to take my attack with his body and attack me…

Swish

“!!…, Keuheok!!”

Certainly…, he was definitely cut down.

“Come to think of it, looking at Tiris’ body…, it seems like you enjoyed yourself quite a bit?”

There were wounds that were meant to inflict only pain while avoiding the most fatal injuries.

“I’ll do the same to you.”