Three years had passed since the day the sky over the Aurelus Empire cracked open to let a "simple farmer" through.
In that time, the Dead Man's Barrens had transformed from a salt-choked wasteland into a mystical forest that defied the geography of the Cardinal World. To the common folk, it was a "Forbidden Zone" protected by a Silver Wolf of Calamity. To the Empire's scholars, it was a "Divine Sanctuary" where the laws of physics simply ceased to function.
But for Sakura (Zeno), it was finally home.
The morning sun filtered through the canopy of the World-Tree Orchard, casting long, golden shadows across the rich black soil. At the edge of this paradise, the silence of the forest was shattered by the frantic splashing of boots through a shallow creek.
Two figures, draped in heavy, travel-stained black cloaks, sprinted through the underbrush. Their breathing was ragged, white plumes of mist escaping from under their hoods.
"Just... a little further, Elara!" the smaller girl wheezed, clutching a leather-bound grimoire to her chest. "The map said the 'Saint's Border' starts past the obsidian crags!"
"They're gaining on us, Sister!" the taller one cried, glancing back.
Behind them, the treeline erupted with the sound of snapping branches and the rhythmic clanking of heavy plate armor. Six men on black-armored warhorses charged forth, their tabards bearing the Crest of the Blood-Prince—a corrupted version of the Empire's sun.
"By order of Prince Malphas!" the lead pursuer roared, his eyes glowing with an unnatural, sickly purple light. "The heretics who stole the Royal Seed must be purged! Surrender the 'Origin sprout' or die!"
The girls didn't answer. They scrambled over a fallen log and suddenly broke through the dense brush into a wide, sun-drenched clearing.
They froze.
The "Humble" Farm
Before them sat a two-story cottage made of white, glowing wood. A small stream of crystal-clear water—water that radiated pure mana—flowed into a pond where fish with scales of actual silver jumped.
And in the middle of a row of massive, glowing cabbages stood a young man.
He was wearing a simple straw hat and a linen tunic that did nothing to hide his lean, athletic build. He was currently struggling to pull a single, enormous carrot out of the ground.
"Hnnngh! Come on... why is this one so heavy?!" Sakura grumbled, his 0.00001% power rings glinting. With a sudden pop, he pulled the carrot up—except he didn't just pull it. The force of his "gentle" tug sent a small tremor through the earth, causing a minor landslide on a cliff three miles away.
The two girls stared, their mouths hanging open.
"Is... is that him?" the younger one whispered. "The Hidden Sage of the Barrens?"
"Look at his eyes," Elara gasped.
Sakura wiped the sweat from his brow and finally noticed his visitors. He blinked, his cosmic violet eyes widening in confusion. 'Wait... black cloaks? Running from knights? I definitely wrote this trope in Volume 4. This usually leads to a three-volume war arc. Please tell me they aren't here for me.'
"Uh... hello?" Sakura waved awkwardly with the three-foot-long carrot. "Are you guys lost? We don't get many visitors... mostly because Reil usually eats their horses."
As if on cue, a low, terrifying growl vibrated through the clearing.
Reil dropped from a branch above the girls, landing with a heavy thud. She was in her humanoid form, her tight leather gear hugging her voluptuous curves, her silver tail lashing with predatory hunger.
"Master," Reil growled, her golden eyes locked onto the knights emerging from the forest. "More 'scum' is trampling your grass. Can I break their bones now? I've been bored all morning."
"Wait, Reil! Don't eat them yet!" Sakura yelled, his face beginning to redden as he saw Gaia walking out of the cottage.
Gaia was carrying a tray of lemonade, her white sundress fluttering dangerously high in the breeze, revealing those endless, silken legs. As she saw the knights, her serene expression turned into a mask of cold, regal disdain.
"My Lord," Gaia said, her ample assets heaving as she set the tray down with a clink. "It seems the 'Darkness' Milira warned us about has finally reached our front door. Shall I erase this forest and the 'Prince's' men along with it?"
The six knights skidded to a halt, their horses rearing back in terror. The lead knight looked at the Goddess of Earth, then at the Wolf God, and finally at the "Farmer" holding a carrot that radiated more mana than the Empire's Royal Treasury.
The four pursuers didn't stop at the edge of the clearing like normal men. Their horses' eyes were rolled back, bleeding black ichor, driven by a dark, pulsating mana. These weren't knights—they were Void Cultists, high-level zealots from the Church of the Eternal Night.
The two girls collapsed into the dirt at Sakura's feet, their black cloaks falling back to reveal identical, pale faces.
Elara (19) and Mina (16) were sisters, their silver hair matted with sweat and blood. Elara clutched a glowing, crystal-encrusted jar to her chest—the Core of the Sun-Tree, the only thing keeping the Evil God from plunging the Empire into darkness.
"Please..." Elara gasped, looking up at Sakura. Her eyes widened as she felt the [Universal Harmony] radiating from him. "Healer... Sage... whoever you are. Don't let them take the Light."
The lead Cultist, a man whose skin was translucent and veined with purple rot, stepped forward. He ignored the World-Tree Cottage. He ignored the farmer. He only saw the girls.
"By the decree of the Abyssal Prince!" the Cultist shrieked, his voice sounding like grinding bone. "The Great Void demands its prize! Hand over the sisters and the Core, or this 'Garden' shall become a feast for the worms!"
He raised a gnarled staff, and a sphere of Entropic Shadows began to form—a spell capable of rotting an entire city.
Reil let out a low, vibrating growl. Her silver tail thrashed, and her golden eyes turned into slitted, predatory orbs. Her tight leather bodice heaved as she stepped in front of the sisters, her claws extending with a shing.
"Master," Reil's voice was a guttural purr. "This one smells like the 'Scrap Drafts' you told us about. He smells of rot and ink-waste. Can I shred his soul now?"
Gaia glided forward from the porch, her white sundress fluttering to reveal the milky-white length of her legs. She didn't even look at the Cultists; she was busy pouring a glass of lemonade, her ample assets swaying with a calm, terrifying grace.
"My Lord," Gaia said, her voice like a sharpening blade. "The leader of these 'Apostles' is Level 250. In this world, he is a 'Calamity.' To us... he is a weed. Shall I pull him?"
Sakura (Zeno) rubbed his temples. 'Apostles? Void Cults? I remember writing these guys. They were supposed to be the final bosses of Volume 7. Why are they bothering me while I'm harvesting carrots?!'
"Look," Sakura said, stepping forward. He was still holding the three-foot-long Divine Carrot. "I don't know about any 'Void,' but you're standing on my Star-Grade Fertilizer. It's very expensive. Please leave."
The lead Cultist laughed, a dry, hacking sound. "A farmer dares command a Priest of the Abyss? Die, mortal!"
He unleashed the Entropic Shadow sphere directly at Sakura's face.
Elara and Mina screamed, closing their eyes.
[CRACK.]
Sakura didn't even use a skill. He just swatted the dark magic away with the carrot as if he were shooing a fly. The "World-Ending" spell didn't just dissipate—it was physically reflected. The dark energy slammed back into the Cultist, but because Sakura's "gentle" swat contained the force of a falling moon, the shockwave did more than just kill.
BOOM.
The fout horses and the cultists were launched backward, flying over the treeline and vanishing into the horizon with a faint twinkle in the sky.
Silence returned to the clearing.
Sakura looked at his carrot, which was now slightly charred. "Aw, man. I was going to have this for lunch."
He turned back to the two sisters, who were staring at him with a mix of terror and religious awe. Mina, the younger sister, pointed a trembling finger at the carrot.
"You... you just parried an Ancient Tier spell with a... vegetable?"
"It's a very sturdy carrot," Sakura lied, his face beginning to blush as he realized Gaia was leaning over the girls, her plunging neckline nearly brushing their faces as she checked their wounds.
"They are injured, My Lord," Gaia purred, her eyes shifting to the Sun-Core jar. "And they carry a piece of your 'Original Script.' It seems the Evil God is getting desper.
Beneath the travel-worn fabric, they wore the tattered remnants of Royal Elven Silk—dresses woven from moonbeams and silver thread.
Their ears, long and elegantly tapered, twitched at every sound. To any mortal, they were the pinnacle of grace; to the Evil God, they were the final keys to unlocking the Seal of the Cardinal Tree.
"You're... High Elves?" Sakura asked,scratching his head with a dirty glove. 'Wait, Elven Princesses... Volume 3, Chapter 12. I remember writing their kingdom's fall. It was supposed to be a tragic backstory for the Hero. Why are they on my porch?'
"We are all that remains of the House of Silver-Leaf," Elara said, her voice trembling as she clutched the glowing Sun-Core. She looked at Sakura—the "Farmer"—who was currently being served a cup of tea by a woman whose beauty made the Elven Queens of old look like commoners.
Gaia leaned over to pour the tea, her plunging neckline nearly brushing Sakura's shoulder. Her white sundress hugged her lush, statuesque curves, and as she turned, the side-slits revealed the endless, milky-white glow of her legs.
"My Lord," Gaia purred, her emerald eyes tracking the sisters with a maternal but piercing gaze. "The 'Prince' didn't just want the Core. He wants their blood. The blood of the High Elven Lineage is the only catalyst that can stabilize the Dark Energy he's pulling from the Void."
Reil let out a snort, lounging on the porch railing. Her tight leather gear accentuated her thicc, athletic build, and her silver tail thrashed with annoyance. "They're skinny," the Wolf-God remarked, sniffing the air. "But they smell like the forest. I like the forest. Master, can we keep them? They look like they'd be good at pulling weeds."
Sakura looked at his massive field of Divine Cabbages. 'I can't keep doing this all by myself. 67 Million Strength is great for moving mountains, but it's terrible for delicate weeding. I keep accidentally uprooting the entire continent.'
"Look," Sakura said, looking at the two terrified Princesses. "You're safe here. No Cultist or 'Prince' can step foot on this soil without my permission. But... I don't give out free room and board."
Elara and Mina exchanged a confused glance. "You... you want us to work?"
"I need Farmhands," Sakura said, his face reddening as he tried to look serious. "Specifically, I need people who can handle 'Low-Power' tasks. You two have Elven Magic, right? You can talk to plants?"
Mina, the younger sister, nodded vigorously. "I... I am a High Tier Spirit Caller! I can make flowers bloom in winter!"
"Perfect," Sakura smiled. "You're hired. Your pay is protection, three meals a day of World-Grade Vegetables, and Gaia won't delete your existence. Deal?"
Elara the older sister was hesitant
Meanwhile
In a dark castle , emitting dangerous and dark presence
Prince Malphas—the vessel for the Evil God—had felt the absolute erasure of his Apostles.
"They have found a Sanctuary," a voice echoed in the Void, a sound like a thousand screaming souls. "A 'Farmer' who deflects the Abyss with a root vegetable... Interesting. If the Sun-Core is there, then that land is no longer a Barrens. It is my next Sacrifice."
The calm of the Dead Man's Barrens didn't just break—it shattered.
As Sakura was trying to explain the "No Divine Magic" rule to the two trembling Elven Princesses, the vibrant green grass at the edge of the clearing suddenly turned pitch black. A foul, oily mist began to seep from the shadows of the ancient oaks, and the birdsong was replaced by the sound of rhythmic, heavy chanting.
Reil was off the porch in a silver blur. Her tight leather gear creaked as she lowered into a predatory crouch, her golden eyes slitting into vertical needles. "Master," she growled, her voice a low, vibrating bass that shook the sisters' bones. "The 'Trash' has multiplied. They smell like a thousand rotting corpses."
The Vanguard of the Void
Emerging from the black mist were twelve figures, each towering over seven feet tall. These weren't the scrawny cultists from before. These were the Void Paladins—corrupted High-Tier knights whose armor was fused to their skin with pulsing, purple veins of Abyssal energy.
At their lead was a man wearing a helmet shaped like a screaming skull. He carried a jagged greatsword that bled shadows onto the "World-Grade" soil.
"By the will of the Ebon Prince," the leader spoke, his voice echoing with the hollow resonance of the grave. "The heretics Elara and Mina are reclaimed. Any who stand in the path of the Void shall be unmade."
Gaia stepped off the porch, her white sundress fluttering as she glided past the terrified Elven sisters. She didn't look worried; she looked offended. Her ample assets heaved with a deep, controlled breath as she adjusted her posture, the high-slits of her dress revealing the endless, milky-white glow of her legs as they brushed against the blackened grass.
"Unmade?" Gaia whispered, her emerald eyes glowing with a terrifying, ancient light. She looked at the blackened soil beneath the Paladin's feet and her lips curled into a cold smirk. "You have dared to bring rot into the Creator's garden. You have stepped on the grass he hand-sowed."
The mana in the air became so dense that the Void Paladins' armor began to crack under the sheer atmospheric pressure of her presence.
Sakura (Zeno) stood there, still holding a basket of Divine Radishes. 'Twelve Void Paladins? These guys are supposed to be Level 500 'World-Bosses'! I wrote them as the guys who destroyed the Northern Continent! but it seems they haven't reached that level of power yet , even though Why are they in my backyard?!'
"Look, Mr. Skull-Head," Zeno said, stepping forward. He didn't realize that his [Universal Harmony] passive was clashing with their Void Aura, causing the ground to ripple like an earthquake. "I'm trying to run a respectable business here. These girls are my new staff. If you want them, you have to go through the proper... uh... HR channels?"
The lead Paladin didn't listen. He raised his greatsword, unleashing a wave of Dimensional Fissure—a strike meant to cut through reality itself.
"DIE, PEASANT!"
[CLANG.]
Sakura didn't even move. The reality-cutting blade hit his mere skin and shattered into a million iron splinters. Sakura blinked, looking at his shoulder. "Hey! This tunic was a gift from Gaia! You just ripped the sleeve!"
The Paladin froze. His Level 500 "God-Slaying" sword was gone.
"Master," Reil purred, her silver tail lashing with violent delight. "He broke your clothes. Can I peel him now? Please?"
Mina and Elara watched from the porch, their mouths hanging open. They had seen these Paladins destroy their entire kingdom in a single night. And here was a "Farmer" complaining about a ripped sleeve after taking a direct hit to the neck.
"He... he didn't even use a barrier," Elara whispered, clutching the Sun-Core. "The Void just... gave up."
The air in the clearing was no longer peaceful. It was ionized, thick with the scent of ozone and the heavy, suffocating pressure of a God who had finally been annoyed.
Sakura (Zeno) stood in the center of the scorched grass, his 0.00001% power rings humming with a low, dangerous frequency
The first Void Paladin, his skull-helmet glowing with a sickly heat, roared an incantation that had leveled entire Elven citadels. "Burn in the Abyss! [Grand Infernal Supernova]!"
A massive sphere of concentrated, purple-black fire—hot enough to vaporize a lake—slammed into Sakura. The explosion should have left a crater the size of a city. Instead, the flames hit Sakura's chest and simply... stopped.
Sakura didn't even blink. He looked at the towering inferno with an expression of mild boredom. Then, he let out a soft, tired sigh—a single exhalation.
WHOOSH.
The "super" fire was caught in the draft of his breath and blown away like candle smoke. The shockwave of the air alone was so powerful it extinguished every flame in a five-mile radius, leaving the first Paladin standing there, cold and shivering in the sudden chill.
Dude come on that was weak as hell even new borns from where I come from can do better and did u just call that a supernova it wasn't even half of a real supernova.
The paladin was enraged but before he could do anything.
"BOW"
The paladin fell on all fours feeling unnatural fear and a insane amount of pressure pushing him down
From the shadows, the second man—the Assassin of the Void—moved with a speed that made the world look like it was standing still. He threw a jagged, black dagger coated in Mortal-End Poison, aimed directly for Sakura's left eye.
The blade was an inch from the iris when Sakura's hand moved. To the onlookers, it was a blur; to Sakura, it was like catching a slow-moving fly. He caught the blade between his index and middle fingers, the friction didn't even leave a mark on his skin.
"Poison? On my farm?" Sakura's eyes flared with a cosmic violet light. "That's unsanitary."
He flicked his wrist. The dagger didn't fly back; it accelerated.
BANG.
The blade broke the sound barrier instantly, sounding like a high-caliber sniper rifle. It tore through the Assassin's shoulder and pinned him to a tree three miles away knocking him out before the man could even register that he had missed.
The third Paladin unleashed a Cursed Abyssal Chain, a weapon designed to bind even the souls of dragons. The purple links snaked through the air, but as they reached Sakura, they hit an invisible wall of mana and froze mid-air.
Sakura reached out and grabbed the chain with one hand. "You guys really don't listen, do you?"
He didn't just pull; he anchored the universe. With a single, casual yank, Sakura spun the chain around his arm and launched the seven-foot-tall Paladin into the sky.
CRASH.
The man slammed into a nearby mountain peak with such force that the entire range groaned. The chains, infused with Sakura's accidental mana, wrapped around the mountain like a permanent seal, leaving the Paladin dangling there as a warning to the rest of the world.
The last man—the leader who had been so arrogant—finally felt it. The Fear of the Creator. He turned to run, his boots barely touching the grass as he tried to activate a teleportation scroll.
Sakura didn't even move from his spot. He simply raised his index finger.
"I told you... don't trample the grass."
[Skill: Dragon God's Judgment — Heavenly Lightning]
A bolt of pure white lightning, shaped like a roaring eastern dragon, descended from the heavens. It didn't just strike the man; it erased him. The heat was so intense it turned the air into plasma, causing a massive, thunderous boom that shattered every window in the nearest mortal city.
The "Dragon" carved a path through the forest, burning away the corruption of the Void and leaving a scorched, glass-like trail in the soil.
Silence returned to the Dead Man's Barrens, broken only by the crackling of ionized air. Sakura looked at the charred forest and the massive crater where the leader used to be.
'Oh no,' he thought, his face turning crimson as he looked at Gaia and Reil. 'I just destroyed half the orchard. Gaia's going to kill me.'
The two Elven sisters, Elara and Mina, were huddled together on the porch, their eyes wide and their minds completely broken. They hadn't seen a "Farmer." They had seen the End of the world.