Chapter 54. Soul Tree (3)
"Haaap!"
Slash.
When the Treant's body was cut in half, its dark red core was exposed.
Then, the arrow of magic fired by the Mage shattered the core. The adventurers, who had just finished hunting a swarm of Treants, were drenched in sweat as they kept their guard up.
"Haa, haa. Is that all of them dead?"
"Seems like it around here."
A swarm of Treants numbering in the triple digits was extremely dangerous.
Unless you destroyed the body, they wouldn't die easily, so to save strength, you had to target only the core. Because of that, the adventurer's concentration had already worn thin.
They glanced around once more.
The piled-up corpses of Treants blocked their sight, but it didn't seem like more were coming. Just as they were about to finally relax, the ground shook violently with a massive tremor.
"W-what the hell?!"
"Do Treants cause earthquakes now? Damn it, what kind of forest is this?!"
They stood up again, drawing out their strength.
But no Treants appeared even after they waited. Instead, darkness swallowed the surroundings. Reflexively, the adventurers raised their heads, and they could only gape in shock.
A colossal tree that blotted out the sky, and countless corpses hanging from its branches.
The ominous shadow of that accursed tree loomed over the entire forest, sending chills down their spines just by looking at it.
"That's the Soul Tree...?"
"Hey, hey, hey, it wasn't supposed to be that huge! Damn it, how are we supposed to subjugate that?! Swinging a sword at it would be no better than poking it with a toothpick!"
There wasn't a single adventurer among them who hadn't crossed death's door before, but the sheer enormity of the Soul Tree itself was enough to strip away their fighting spirit. Even if they fought with all their might, at best they might be able to cut a few roots.
They couldn't even think of running away, only letting out hollow laughter.
And then, suddenly, a yellowish-red current of air surged forth.
A massive storm of flames manifested in the sky. Its heat was so intense that even adventurers standing far away could feel it on their skin.
That inferno consumed the surrounding forest, then swallowed the Soul Tree whole.
"Oh, my god..."
The adventurers could only stare blankly at the sight.
***
The Soul Tree had long hidden its body underground, preying on victims.
That was why the Adventurer Guild failed to discover anything despite sending multiple search parties. No matter how thoroughly they scoured the forest, checking underground was impossible.
Thus the Soul Tree survived, spreading its roots beneath the earth, slowly dominating the forest and devouring countless lives within it.
After the forest was named the Forest of Demons, feeding on humans became nearly impossible, so it grew slowly but safely, absorbing demi-humans and beasts instead.
And now.
After decades of growth, the Soul Tree was on the verge of its final barrier, and to surpass it required tens of thousands of lives—far beyond counting.
[Not enough.]
So the Soul Tree sent out its avatars beyond the Forest of Demons, to gather more nourishment.
It expanded its territory with countless Treants and White Eyes, moving ever closer to the places where life was abundant, until at last, it neared the city of Lorian.
Its complete growth was now within reach.
[...?]
Which was why the Soul Tree couldn't understand the situation.
Why had its main body underground been dragged out into the open? Even with the firmly-rooted earth it had anchored itself in.
***
With Terrain Manipulation, the vast underground cavern was pulled entirely to the surface, and the massive pillar of earth in which the Soul Tree was rooted was firmly fixed in place.
Its shield had been stripped away.
'The weight is what it is, so that took a bit of magic power.'
A wave of exhaustion swept through his whole body.
Verden exhaled, shaking off the fatigue. Of course, the Soul Tree wasn't going to wait for him.
Creeeeak.
The Soul Tree's branches unfurled, and the White Eyes began to move.
Forest Wyverns, Twin-headed Ogres, magical beasts, and high-ranking demi-humans. Among them were even the Platinum-rank adventurer archer and the viscount's retainers Verden had seen back when he saved Viscount Bailon.
It seemed the main body had reclaimed the White Eyes the avatars had controlled.
Whoosh! An arrow pierced through the air where Verden had been standing.
At the same time, five Forest Wyverns soared upward, charging at Verden. Along with them came dozens of lashing branches of the Soul Tree.
He was utterly outnumbered.
Yet Verden's expression didn't waver in the slightest.
Certainly, this was on a different scale than anything he had faced before, but that was all. The strategy for defeating the Soul Tree, White Eyes included, had been calculated long ago.
A blue light flickered in Verden's eyes.
The raging gale tore through, sending the corpses dangling from the branches flying, sweeping up the onrushing Forest Wyverns. The Soul Tree itself, of course, didn't budge.
'But what about this.'
A wall of blazing yellow fire, hotter than crimson, erupted in the air.
It was immediately swept into the whirlwind, and the inextinguishable flames rode the wind, feeding on oxygen, spreading all the more fiercely.
A 4th-tier composite magic, Firestorm.
Fwoooosh!
The pitch-black night sky lit up, the surrounding forest bursting into flames under its might.
The Soul Tree tried to summon Treants as shields, but they couldn't even climb the pillar and were incinerated instantly. The fiery current invaded the lungs of the White Eyes, burning them to ash in an instant.
The power was so immense that it consumed a considerable amount of magic power, but in a single moment, the Soul Tree's overwhelming numbers had been rendered meaningless.
'...Unscathed, huh.'
In contrast, the Soul Tree remained nearly intact.
Perhaps resistant to the element itself, it was only scorched, showing no significant damage.
Then, the Soul Tree's body split open.
Like a human mouth.
Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaak!
"...!"
The anguished wail of vengeful spirits scattered the Firestorm.
Verden clutched his ears at the sudden pain, when he heard a familiar voice. Listening closely, it was his own.
[Why do you insist on proving yourself? With the power you gained by killing other Mages.]
[Give up. Just give up and live comfortably.]
[Just run away. Do you think you can defeat that thing?]
"Hallucinations?"
Even when he blocked his hearing with magic power, the voices still echoed in his head.
It was surely linked to the Soul Tree's scream. Annoying, but nothing that could shake Verden.
────Kwoooooom!
Accelerated by massive weight and gravity, the destructive strike shattered the roots that blocked it. At last, something that worked. Its durability was absurd, but the advantage was clearly Verden's.
Because the Soul Tree was an abnormal species that manipulated the mind.
A hundred thousand ordinary people would have their minds destroyed instantly by the wail of the dead, but it wasn't suited to fighting a single individual with strong willpower. Especially when its Treants and White Eyes, its defenders, had been completely neutralized.
All it could do now was endure with its sturdy main body, hoping its opponent's strength would eventually run dry.
But Verden's magic power was far too deep and vast.
And besides, the Soul Tree's enemy wasn't only Verden.
Beneath the battlefield of magical bombardment, one figure swiftly climbed the pillar.
The Bloodied Blade, Leira. Crimson energy radiated from her body as she leapt into the air. The aura gathered at her blade unraveled like strands of thread, then descended, striking the Soul Tree.
When Verden lifted a mound of earth with Telekinesis, Leira landed upon it.
"I won't thank you, since we are rivals."
"Rivals?"
"This is a trial I must overcome, I have no intention of letting anyone steal it from me, so abandon the thought."
Leira shot once more toward the Soul Tree.
Compared to her, the sluggish roots couldn't even graze her armor. Even as a few remaining corpses screamed noisily around her, there was no sign of Leira's movements slowing.
'How self-indulgent.'
The Listener had clearly said that just because it was a trial didn't mean it had to be overcome alone.
Well, if that was how she chose to act, then Verden would do as he pleased too. Judging by what he saw, she didn't look like she would die swept away by stray magic anyway.
***
The thick bark slowly began to split apart.
No matter if it was the Soul Tree, no matter if its danger equaled that of a special-class creature, this entity had not yet completed its growth. On top of that, its match against the two humans before it was poor.
It could summon no Treants to use as shields, and even if it spent its nourishment to create White Eyes, they died instantly.
The main body, which until now had hidden so well, was now completely exposed. Even shaking their minds did not cause them to waver.
[Dangerous.]
Though the bark was regenerating, the Soul Tree instinctively knew that at this rate, even the core hidden within would be destroyed.
The instinct of all life is survival.
The Soul Tree chose to pour out everything it had, even if it took decades, no, centuries, to recover that strength again.
From the ends of hundreds of branches, corpses began to grow.
Soon, as their eyes and mouths opened, the Soul Tree moved its body once more.
Merciless magic and the crimson sword had obstructed it, yet the Soul Tree desperately consumed all the nourishment it had gathered in its lifetime, vomiting forth the wail of the dead.
[Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaak!]
A scream echoed through the forest like a haunting reverberation.
Verden, Leira, Bardel and the other adventurers, the guards upon the city walls, and every citizen in Lorian all froze where they stood.
They had fallen into the despair-filled nightmare wrought by the Soul Tree.
Though the Soul Tree had consumed most of its nourishment and could no longer move its main body, the corpses were different.
The ones with White Eyes gleaming slowly shuffled toward those trapped in the nightmare.
***
At some point, Verden opened his eyes.
A blazing, ruined place stretched before his sight. Standing there was the tower master of Bohemirn's magic tower, emanating overwhelming pressure.
"To think a 1st-tier has broken its limits. Impressive, but this is as far as it goes."
At that moment, a memory surfaced in Verden's mind.
Sacrificing the magic tower to achieve Defying the Heavens, enduring countless battles and dangers, growing immeasurably as a Mage, only to face the tower master and finally be defeated head-on.
Then, agony surged through his body.
His entire mana circuits were torn to shreds, his heart collapsing under the overload. Even if he miraculously survived, his life as a Mage would be over.
'And even then, I couldn't leave a single scratch on the tower master.'
That realization was despair itself.
"Verden, you who surpassed the limits, your limit is still no more than an insect. The damage suffered by the magic tower from trash like you──."
"This is a dream."
"What?"
Verden stood up.
The wrecked state of his body was suddenly restored, pristine. He stepped forward to the bewildered tower master.
"A 1st-tier... have you gone mad? After struggling so much, you still cannot reach even the tips of my feet, and you cannot believe it?"
"I cannot believe it."
Clench!
Verden gripped the tower master's face tightly with his right hand. As his nails dug into flesh, red blood flowed.
"That my future self would lose to you."
"Ghhhhh... y-you dareee!"
Kwoooooom!
Flames erupted from his hand, burning the tower master's head away. Satisfying, but fake is fake. Brushing his hand, Verden looked at the remaining body.
"Wait for me. It won't take as long as you think."
Squandering strength against Black Hour in ignorance, shackled by the title of omnipotent, and arrogantly so forever.
Of course, the real tower master would never hear this.
Casting a glance at the fake corpse, he turned his head.
The place he had been in vanished into the distance, and darkness approached. From its end, light spilled forth, filling his vision, and Verden was back in reality.
Before him, a corpse opened its mouth.
"That startled me."
Crunch!
His staff smashed the corpse apart. Beyond it, his gaze fell on the Soul Tree.
Unlike before, its roots were visibly slowing.
'So that nightmare was its last resort.'
Looking at Leira, she had not yet awoken from the nightmare.
It seemed this was a far stronger mental ability than he expected, perhaps even its trump card. After all, the emotions, memories, and pain he felt in that nightmare had all seemed real.
Of course, to Verden, it had no effect whatsoever.
He raised his staff.
The Soul Tree, almost spent, only trembled weakly now. But its thick bark remained firm. With ordinary magic, breaking through would take considerable time.
Yet he could not use Harkan's magic, Meteor.
Not only would Leira and the adventurers nearby be caught in it, but such an undeniable trace would surely draw Black Hour's pursuit.
'Therefore.'
Verden stretched his right hand toward the sky.
His vast magic power ran low, and a bolt of lightning streaked upward into the clouds.
Kurrunng.
Thunderclouds.
The clouds rumbled low, filled with lightning.
Verden didn't stop there, casting the same magic again.
'Still not enough.'
He gathered even more magic.
As his mana circuits stretched to their limits, pain seared through them, and the uncontrollable torrent of power rampaged, threatening to break free.
At that moment, Verden's blue eyes flashed.
Crackle!
A third bolt of lightning joined the clouds.
Against living beings, this was the strongest magic Verden could use, the maximum output he could muster.
From the dark blue clouds, thousands of bolts of lightning writhed.
The preparations were complete. He raised his staff, aiming precisely at the Soul Tree's body. Forcing open the sealed gate, he unleashed the spell.
Three bolts of lightning fused into a single blue beam.
Flash!
The light fell faster than sound.
Kwagwagwagwagwa!
Tremendous heat and radiance spread in all directions.
A lightning bolt containing far greater energy than a lightning strike slowly tore apart the Soul Tree's solid body. Blackened bark, roots, branches, and corpses crumbled to dust and scattered.
Soon, the center of the body struck directly collapsed. From the gap that opened, a violet light spilled forth.
'So the core must be inside there.'
There was no need to confirm.
With a snap of Verden's fingers, a flicker of flame flashed and vanished into the opening.
Light burst forth from within.